Gunz and Books book 1

A Story by Tariq Muhammad

Gunz and Books takes a raw and unfiltered look at urban life on a Historically Black College campus...

Published in the United States by

Genres Publishing Houston

For information to receive permission to reproduce selections from this book, email to requests to, [email protected]

For personal contact, pictures and videos information follow on

instagram @tar_iq86

Muhammad, Tariq

Gunz and Books/ by Tariq Muhammad

Gunz and Books is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

GUNZ and BOOKS

“Git his pockets! Git his pockets!”

Three gun shots go off in a rapid fire. POP POP POP!!!

Boonie runs back into the house after a robbery attempt developed on his back porch. He looks for Karriem.

Karriem hears the three gun shots while he is in the shower. He pauses for a minute and nods his head. Karriem is tall and thin with a brown skin complexion. He is originally from south central Los Angeles but had been living in Atlanta to attend one of the historically black colleges. When Karriem finishes his shower, he makes his way downstairs and he sees Boonie standing in front of his door.

“Boonie wassup?” Karriem said.

Boonie appeared shaken but still alert. “This n***a just tried to rob me B, I had to let off a few.”

Karriem looks over Bonnie’s shoulder as he continues to talk. “O’ s**t that was you just now n***a?”

“Yeah B that was me, I had to use yo burner.”

Karriem let Boonie hold his gun for protection because Boonie had been in fear of getting robbed.

“Karriem can I stay in yo room tonight B, just for tonight b I’ll be gone before u wake up?”

“Yea u still got the burner?

“Yea B, let me hold it for the night though

“Yeah that’s cool, u can just sleep on the floor, ill toss u a pillow and blanket homie.”

Boonie and Karriem go inside the room. Karriem speaks first, “So what happened my n***a? Some n****s tried to robb you?”

“Yeah B some n***a came from behind me while I was smokin on the porch B. He tried to snatch my s**t from my pockets.

“Word, he ain’t have no burner though?”

“Naa B,” Boonie said with a sneer. “But I did, I had your s**t, and I let off three in the air and he ran off.”

“Word.”

“And my work wasn’t even on me. You know I keep my s**t in the bushes Jo.”

“You think it was a student or one of the locals?”

“I don’t know B, I’ve never seen them before.”

“Well at least they ain’t get s**t my n***a.” Karriem’s phone vibrates, it’s a text from Rolanda saying that she’s on her way over.

Karriem (text): Some bull s**t just happened with the homie can we reschedule?

Rolanda (text): Yeah that’s fine, is everything ok?

Karriem (text): Not really the homie just got robbed, ill text you later k?

Rolanda (text): Ok good night

Karriem (text): Good night.

The next morning Karriem is on his way headed out to class and sees Boonie sitting on the same porch the robbery took place. Boonie is an interesting person to Karriem, he is originally from Chicago, but had been living in Atlanta for almost seven years now. He is a college graduate from one of the black colleges up the street. He stands over six feet tall with a light brown complexion and a short haircut. He wore wife beaters every day, and is always high on marijuana. He sold drugs around the region by the campus area and never left that particular neighborhood. Because he was known around the campus and the neighborhood for selling drugs, students and the locals were constantly trying to rob and get over on him.

Karriem addresses Boonie, “Waz good n***a u straight?”

“Yeah B I’m straight here, good lookin’ out last night B.”

Boonie gives Karriem a small bag of a strong strand of marijuana called purp. Karriem looks it over. “O’ this some purp n***a?”

“Yeah B. Good lookin’ out on holdin’ me down last night.”

“O’ s**t good lookin’ my n***a fa’sho,”Karriem smiled. “Ima get atchu later my n***a.”

“You goin to class B?”

“Yeah I’ll holla at you.”

As Karriem walks off, he and Boonie notice the police driving toward them. Boonie brushes his hands over his mouth and turns his head while he unnoticeably swallows a small bag of cocaine. Karriem proceeds to walk off to class and runs into Rico on campus.

“Rico wadup my n***a?” Karriem said as they approached one another.

Rico daps Karriem. “Waz poppin’ my n***a, you on the way to class and s**t?”

“Yeah, yo wassup hook a n***a up; I know u got that internship at grand hustle records, I’m trying to get on wassup.”

Rico was from the same city as Karriem in Los Angeles, went to the same black college as Karriem, interned at grand hustle records, and they just so happened to live right next door to each other by the campus. Rico cracks a smile. “Well what are u trying to do?”

“I want to discover talent.”

“Ok n***a then find talent.”

“Ok I find talent and then what?”

“Then bring them to me n***a cuz ill know exactly what to do.”

“Aiight my n***a.”

As Rico is about to walk off, Rok approaches the both of them.

Rico stops. “Rok wadup blood?”

“Waz brakin blood?” Rok grins.

“Sup n***a…fuk u on? What da fuk u on campus for this early? You know yo a*s don’t go to class!” Karriem jokes.

“Fuk you n***a I go to class!” Rok responds then mumbles in a low voice. This n***a always talking s**t

Rok is widely built with a dark skin complexion and has braids. He was raised in southern California but was born in Jamaica. He is affiliated with an infamous gang called the bloods in California and is also a student at the same black college that Karriem and Rico attend.

Rico turns to walk away. “Aiigh n***a I’m finna head back to the spot.”

“Fasho n***a,” Rok said.

Karriem gives Rico a nod. “Fasho I’ll holla at u later my nigg”

Rok and Karriem start to walk away.

Karriem speaks to Rok as they walk side by side. “Waz good n***a? what’s the bizness? what u get into last night?”

“Me and some of the homies tried to hit this lick last night blud”

Karriem now eyes Rok suspiciously. “Wrd? You know someone tried to rob dat n***a Boonie last night though.”

“Wrd, someone tried to rob him huh?”

“Yeah, I was in the shower and I heard three shots let off, come to find out it was him lettin’ off on the n****s who tried to rob him.”

“Yo when did this n***a start holdin a burner though?” Rok asked. “This n***a Boonie never holds the burner.”

“I let him hold my s**t down for a minute, homie was getting’ paranoid.”

“Wrd, that was yo s**t then, I see.”

“Yeah why? N***a do u know somethin’ about Boonie getting robbed n***a?”

Rok looks off to the side for a second and smiles. “Yeah my n***a. Me and the homies had these two n****s try to rob him last night.”

“My n***a you was behind that s**t?” Karriem pressed. “That’s foul my n***a; that’s the homie.”

“No my n***a that’s yo homeboy. I don’t care about that n***a like that, I want that n***a money, and he got a lot of it. It wasn’t me that did it though, we had some new n****s who tryna fuk with us do it, but we didn’t know Boonie had a burner so the s**t backfired.”

Karriem's eyes Roll sideways. “Some new n****s? What u mean? Who are they?”

“It’s these two n****s who been tryin’ to hang around us, they weird n****s from the suburbs. We just been usin’ them to do s**t. We used them to rob Boonie and hold work for us.”

“What school they go to? They go here?”

“Yeah they do, they some suburban n****s who wanna know about this gangsta s**t. We just been usin’ them though, we ain’t know Boonie had the burner because he usually don’t carry nothin’.”

“Yeah that’s true, but I think he was able to sense that n****s were going to try and rob him, that’s why he asked to hold my s**t.”

It suddenly occurs to Karriem that he unknowingly gave the gun to Boonie to defend himself from one of Rok’s affiliates.

“That’s some crazy s**t, lucky it wasn’t me, because if it was…on the real my n***a, I would have shot that n***a in the leg or summthin’. I would have found a way to get his s**t.”

Karriem shakes his head. “But u be actin’ like you cool with him to his face though.”

Rok looks Karriem up and down. “So n***a, yeah I act like I’m cool with him, and I do fuks with him but because he got the weed, besides that I don’t care about him like that my n***a, you not supposed to trust n****s you ain’t grow up with anyway.”

“You playin’ foul my n***a, you actin cool to a n***a to his face, but plotin’ to rob him behind his back? What part of the game is that?”

“Ain’t no rules to the game my n***a.”

“N***a there is rules, you just don’t respect them. What comes around goes around though, you doin’ fukd up s**t to people don’t be surprised if someone does some fukd up s**t to you too!”

“Whatever n***a fuk the rules don’t judge me homie, I got rent to pay and this tuition ain’t gonna pay itself and I ain’t got mommy to pay for the s**t for me blud on everythang! Plus they kicked me out of class yesterday for not having all my tuition too. You know my situation back home n***a, them eses is on my a*s...s**t while u fukin with this school s**t that’s why u broke now, broke a*s n***a!”

“N***a I’m broke but you the one got kicked out of class? Fuk outda here n***a. Look ain’t nobody judgin’ you, I’m just sayin’ what you did ain’t right my n***a. I might be broke, but I ain’t finna rob the homie just to come up!”

Karriem shakes his head again. “And watch n***a, I ain’t finna be broke too much longer, soon Ima be gettin’ it! Watch n***a, watch me....in fact n***a don’t watch me n***a watch TV. This is pay per view soon you will have to pay for this s**t. Like Santana said n***a!”

“What?? N***a shut yo broke a*s up n***a! How the fuk you broke out here quotin dipset? Anyways n***a like I said that’s not my homie n***a, that yo homie.”

“Whateva n***a ...but u need to quit actin like he is yo homie if that’s the case! There’s suddenly a small pause between them.”

“Whateva n***a, it wasn’t personal, like I said he got a lot of money and I need that s**t, n***a be flossin’ that s**t too!”

Karriem smirks. “Whatever n***a, is what it is....fasho my n***a I gotta get to this class though.”

“Fasho n***a holla at me.”

“Fasho.”

Karriem starts to wonder about Rok and rather or not he would do something like that to him, how he’s friendly to someone’s face, but plots on how to get over on somebody behind their back for his own personal gain. He wonders if he should let Boonie know, but his loyalty lies with Rok.

"I ain’t got time to be thinkin about this right now, I have to deal with this professor."

Karriem walks into the class and shakes hands with a classmate of his from Brooklyn. “Waz good homie, u read that article?”

“Yeah son I read it, u read it?” Brooklyn said.

“Yeah I read it, I thought it was some bullshit honestly.”

“No doubt I feel you son.”

The professor walks into class and everyone is quiet. The professor is a short chubby Caucasian man in his late 40's from the backwoods of Georgia. Karriem sensed that the professor used white supremacy propaganda in order to fulfill some sort of agenda he had for the class. Karriem was constantly trying to avoid the professor because of the propaganda he taught to the class, but knew he had to deal with him in order to get through the class and graduate. The professor opens up the class conversation by discussing an article that he had the class read. The article talks about how so many black owned businesses that were opened up in this country always end up failing unless they have a Caucasian man’s help.

Professor addressed the entire class. “Alright now are there any questions about last night’s assignment?”

The students look around.

“No?” the professor continued in a joking manner. “Ok....now. You don’t want to open up your own business just because you don’t want to work for the white man”

Some of the students laugh and some of the students have a confused look on their face. Karriem’s face twist with discuss, not a smart move. Work for us, we have money! He balls his fist. You can work for us for a few years, then if u still want to go into business for yourself, fine. The article gives examples of black owned businesses in the past that never succeeded unless they had a helping hand from a Caucasian.

Karriem raises his hand. “What about the black Wall Street? Those were black owned businesses weren’t they?”

Professor responds right away. “You mean the black Wall Street in Tulsa Oklahoma in the 1920's?”

The professor’s tone is intentionally condescending.

“Yeah,” Karriem continues. “I mean those were black owned businesses that were successful right?”

“Yes they were but the people went crazy and burned it down,” the professor adds.

Karriem has a confused look on his face, and speaks in a low tone. “That’s not what happened.”

“No your right.....the white man did it he says in a sarcastic tone ...but Karriem u know what the difference is with that?”

“The difference?”

“Yes, that was then, this is now! Moving on.”

A female student that sits close to Karriem smirks and whispers under her breath, dumbass. Karriem looks quickly at her and whispers back. “Shut yo a*s up b***h!”

She smacks her lips, rolls her eyes and turns her head. Karriem senses that this professor is trying to condition the class not to invest in themselves but to invest themselves into corporate America. From Karriem’s perspective, he is trying to lower the student’s confidence in investing in themselves. Karriem knew for a fact that he didn’t want to join corporate America if he could help it; he thought of it as a present day plantation. However, he was upset and confused about a disturbing fact. The rest of the students were actually going along and buying into the whole idea that black owned businesses never turn out to be successful without a caucasian mans help. Once class is over, Karriem proceeds to walk back to his room. On his way back he runs into a friend of his from Chicago T-watts.

“Wassup G,” T-Watts said. “I heard shots let off by your spot last night.”

“Yeah my n***a, how u know?” Karriem said.

“Boy everyone heard that s**t n***a, what happened?”

“I’ll tell u later my n***a. Yo wassup with u and that physics class though, you gone pass or naa?”

“Yeah I think, shiiitt I went to his office to talk to him, he was just like s**t make a donation and he will see what he can do.”

“S**t I feel you, that’s exactly what my professor told me, make a generous contribution. Hahaha f**k outta here. On the real I still low key think he was trying to play with my grade, but s**t f**k it as long as a n***a pass that s**t.”

“That s**t really ain’t right G, but f**k it you gotta do what u gotta do.”

“Exactly, I mean s**t my n***a we already payin’ hella money just to go here, a n***a can’t afford to be out here faillin’ and bullshin’ with these classes and professors feel me.”

“I feel you G.”

Karriem and his friend give each other a hand shake and Karriem continues walking back to his room. Karriem cuts through a back alley to get back to his room quicker, as he approaches his room, he looks off to the left and notices something strange in his next door neighbor’s backyard. Karriem stops for a moment to take a closer look.

“What the fuk is that?? hell naa.” Karriem proceeds to walk to his room but with a quicker pace and runs into another one of his friends he goes to school with..

“Yo Daego! Waz good? What da f**k is that my n***a?” Karriem said.

Daego had a slight stuttering problem. “Yo yo ....yo i i iiiiiii seeeeen the whole thing bruh!” Daego pauses before continuing to speak. “I…I…I sa..saaaw this n***a drop a big a*s boulder on..on her head bruh,”

Karriem’s eyes widen with surprise. “Daaayyyumm for real?? Is she dead my n***a?”

“I..I I don’t know bruh, but...but I saw the ha ha whole s**t bruh,”

Karriem slowly but surely realizes that there is a dead prostitute in his next door neighbors backyard with blood covering her face.