I had a group of friends at the time and we'd listen to Chicano rap. We'd hang out a lot because our parents were always working. Eventually, word got around about this one dude from the West Coast with a reputation and he started hanging with my friends and I. He manipulated us into setting up rumbles with other random groups. We were 13 or 14 at the time, so we didn't think anything of it. We were basically pretending we were wrestlers. In one rumble, one of the kids we fought got really hurt. His older brother was in a gang and that gang came after us. We felt like we needed to establish ourselves as a group so people wouldn't mess with us. Then everything escalated. We established ourselves. My father didn't really know what was happening but he was cool with everyone. He would eventually invite someone to live in our place that he met through work. The guy ended up being a member of a rival gang.

 

He would take me with his gang and let his people know not to mess with me out of respect to my father. At this one rumble, cops showed up and started arresting people. We all started running and the ones who managed to get away ended up on Main Ave where we saw a guy from one of my new "roommate's" gang. We started provoking him when my roommate showed up. He convinced me to go home and he called my parents. When I got home, I tried to hide the fact that I had blood on my shirt and was out of breath but my mother caught on. She slapped me across the face and walked out. She didn't say a word. My parents sat me down along with our new roommate. I found out through him that the guy we were provoking was carrying an automatic. The three of them convinced me that I needed to turn my life around. I was just about graduate middle school and put some thought into before going to high school where I knew things would only escalate. I would still dress the part but I wouldn't be involved anymore. I made a complete 180. This song was my first introduction to rap. Listening to this music grounds me. It reminds of where I came from and how far I've gone. 

Now Playing: El Dolor Del Metro ft. Julieta Venegas by Cartel De Santa