(record scratching)
(beatboxing)
(horn honks)
(tires squeal)
- Kuj, Kujichagu--
- That time again, huh?
- Sure is,
(traditional African music)
Umoja,
- To strive for and maintain unity
in the family, community, nation, and race,
- Kujishu, Kujichacalia, Kujichagulia,
- [Freddie] To define ourselves, create
for ourselves and speak for ourselves,
- Ujima, these values are called the Nguzu Saba,
which in Swahili means the Seven Principles,
Developed by Dr, Karenga, the Nguzu Saba stands
at the heart of the origin and meaning of,,,
- [Group] Kwanzaa,
- For it is these values which are not only
the building blocks of community,
but also spiritual rejuvenation,
Come on now, rejuvenation,
Hum something,
Come on, hum,
(group hums)
- Yo, that is way too much work for a made up holiday,
What is wrong with a pine tree and a fat man?
- You know that shit's made up too,
- Kai don't care as long as there's
a man giving her something,
- Long as it's long baby,
- All right, so let's get ghost
before aunt Gwen changes her mind,
What?
Come on, y'all, you know this is my steelo,
And plus we ain't got time for me to change,
And plus, I make this shit look good,
- Yep,
Bam, you will change in the car,
- [Roni] But what about this?
What's--
- Oh, no, no, she can't help that,
She was born that way,
- Let's go hoes,
- [Kai] That's your cousin,
- No, see, that's your friend,
See I didn't have no choice,
I thought we were going clubbing not thugging,
- It's LA, you know what they say,
Let's go hoes,
- [Kai] All right My-E, yes,
- Okay now,
- Puff, puff, pass, boo, thank you,
- 'Kay, sharing is caring,
Excuse me,
- Guess who's been designated,
(women laugh)
- Dang,
- [Kai] Regulated,
(upbeat hip hop plays)
- What you got?
- Check it,
¶ See they call me My-E ¶
¶ Coming straight from the IE ¶
¶ Rolling with my girls Kai and cousin Roni ¶
¶ We the girls you trying to get ¶
¶ 'Cause we don't play phony ¶
¶ Don't step to us if you weak, like wet macaroni ¶
¶ I said wet macaroni, wet, wet macaroni ¶
¶ Say what ¶
¶ Wet macaroni, wet, wet macaroni ¶
¶ Say what ¶
¶ What ¶
(vehicle sputters)
- [Roni] Whoa,
- [Kai] Oh man,
- I know Aunt Gwen got AAA,
- It ain't going to be in there,
Nope,
- Come on, cuz,
- Nope,
- Fine, I'll do everything my damn self,
No, Aunt Gwen, we didn't hit anything,
Well of course we were doing 65,
Yeah, it just went flat,
I know, we're going to pay for it,
No, no jack,
Okay, see you,
- [Homeless Man] Hey,
- Fool, you don't know me,
- Know there was a dozen, two Jameses, Thomas, Thaddeus,
Persecution,
- You need to back up,
- All got a story,
- Get off, get off of me,
- What is he doing to her?
- Happen again and again,
- Get off,
- Don't know why, but it do,
- [Myeisha] Get off of me,
(thudding)
- Who the hell was that?
(window knocks)
- Hey, what's up?
- Aunt Gwen got the card at home,
She's calling AAA, telling them
where to find us and all that,
- How long's it going to take?
- [Kai] Long enough, excuse me,
Hi,
- How you doing?
What's up?
- What's your name?
- Kev,
- Is she trying to help us or herself?
That's your friend,
- Roni, please make sure that fool
doesn't end up in his trunk or something,
- All right, come on,
- Nah, I'm straight, I'm gonna stay here,
- You sure?
- Yeah, I'm sure,
(light thudding)
(window raps)
- [Kai] Yep, she out like Shout,
- [Roni] Damn, this night,
Now what?
¶ One, two, three, four ¶
(radio faintly plays)
(window raps)
(otherworldly music)
(Myeisha breathes heavily)
- Ever have one of those dreams,
where nothing comes out when you try to scream?
Scream,
See what I mean?
One of those dreams,
(otherworldly music)
(people march)
("Oh Holy Night" plays)
¶ Oh holy night ¶
¶ The stars are brightly shining ¶
¶ It is the night of our dear Savior's birth ¶
¶ Long lay the world in sin and error pining ¶
¶ Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth ¶
¶ A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices ¶
¶ For yonder breaks a new glorious morn ¶
¶ Fall on your knees ¶
¶ Oh, hear the angels' voices ¶
¶ Oh, night divine ¶
¶ Oh, night when Christ was born ¶
¶ Oh, night divine ¶
¶ Oh night, oh night divine ¶
(siren blares in the distance)
- One of those dreams,
(bright Christmas music)
Christmas was three days ago,
Jingle Bells and ho, ho, ho,
Just so you know, this ain't gonna
be one of them feel good shows,
Just so you know, so,
Christmas was three days ago,
Jingle Bells and ho, ho, ho,
Today's December 28th, third day of Kwanzaa, Ujima,
to build and maintain our community
together and to make our brothers' and sisters' problems
our problems and to solve 'em together,
I know you didn't know,
I didn't know until Uncle Darnell
told me so during one of his blackouts,
Oh, no, not that kind of blackout,
That's just what we call it when Uncle D has
one of his moments and is compelled to bust you out
because of your lack of blackness,
You'll see what I mean,
It's Ujima, though, Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima,
So,
(upbeat hip hop music)
¶ Me, Kai, and my cousin Roni ¶
¶ Dying to get our party on ¶
¶ Rolling to LA though, tired of Club Metro ¶
- Oh, for those of you who don't know me,
see, I was born and raised in the IE,
That's the Inland Empire, the IE,
60 miles east of the City of Angels,
¶ So, me, Kai, and my cousin Roni, ¶
¶ Dying to get our party on ¶
¶ Rolling to LA though, tired of Club Metro, ¶
Four dance floors of hip-hop, reggae,
and rock in Espanol and retro,
So, the Sentra starts to rattle and pull to the right,
- I cannot believe we got a flat in the middle of the night,
- Not tonight,
- Okay, just let me get the facts, folks,
What is the deal with automobiles and my black folks?
For real?
And the fact that your spare is always flat, folks?
For real?
And don't get me started on a working jack, folks,
My black folks,
So, I wind up in a fix at the Spirit of 76
that sits on Central and Brockton,
gat in my lap in case I rocked on,
One in the morning sitting in my Aunt Gwen's ride,
I can't leave Aunt Gwen's Sentra sitting on Central,
If it gets stolen, scratched, towed, or broken into, soon as
I see her, I'm going to be the one to get broken in two,
Aunt Gwen gonna to kill me,
- Yi-ah!
(crowd cheers)
- Well, maybe not kill, but I sure ain't going
to be rolling in the Sentra no more,
Feel?
Ever have one of those dreams, where nothing
comes out when you try to scream?
(window taps)
Tap,
So I'm sitting in the Sentra on Central sensing
something sounding like rapping, like tapping, like-
(beatboxing)
¶ Who's that peeping in my ¶
¶ Nobody now ¶
- Tap,
(window taps)
I hear that tapping again,
Oh cool, it's Roni,
Well, let me let you in, girl,
Where you been?
I'm lonely, got me sitting in the station in the middle
of the night, one in the morning, losing patience,
Something, something just ain't right,
(window bangs)
(window taps)
Now before you trip, let me
go on and admit that I'm strapped,
Yeah, that's right,
I'm strapped with my gat, at Central and Brockton,
38 in my lap, case I get rocked on,
Yo, that's nice,
¶ So I'm strapped with my gat at Central and Brockton ¶
¶ 38 in my lap, case I get rocked on ¶
¶ Late at night in my lap there it sat ¶
¶ There I sat, there I sat ¶
¶ There I sat, took a nap, ¶
¶ Rat-a-tat-tat-ta-ta, ¶
(window taps)
Tap,
I put the gat in my lap 'cause I was a little terrified,
Tapping on the window,
Cousin Roni outside, so I say,
"Hold on cuz, let me let you in,"
Before I can, here comes that damn dream again,
First, I can't holler, now I can't even move,
Try to open the door, but I can't even move,
Can't take this much more 'cause I can't even move,
Feel like a prisoner of war and I can't even move,
Can't move,
First, I can't holler and now I can't even move,
If you dreaming, Myeisha girl, wake up now, fool,
(otherworldly music)
Roni, who you calling this late on a pay phone?
You better come on so we can get on and head on home,
(window raps)
Where you going to?
Where the heck you been?
I'm opening the door,
At least, I'm trying to,
Let me let you in,
I know you ready to go home, girl,
I'm dying to,
We'll just explain it all to Aunt Gwen,
You could just explain it all to Aunt Gwen,
I'll just explain it all to Aunt Gwen,
We ain't fixing no flat tonight, forget that,
Aunt Gwen's just going to have to get black,
We ain't fixing no flat tonight, forget that,
Aunt Gwen's just going to have to get black,
(screeching)
(beatboxing)
¶ 911, the jokes on you ¶
- 911,
- Yes, could you guys come down to Central and Brockton
to the 76 gas station because my cousin is in a car
and she has a gun on her, but she's passed out,
We can't get in the car 'cause it's locked,
- Okay, who's inside the car?
- My cousin,
- And she has a gun with her?
- Yes, it's in her lap, and she's passed out,
- She's passed out?
- She's passed out,
- She's been drinking?
- I don't know, we just came to--
- Do you think she shot herself?
- Yeah, she has a flat, I don't know,
- Okay, what kind of car is she in?
- It's a Nissan Sentra,
- Hold on, what color?
- White,
- So she's in the car by herself?
- By herself,
- Have you tried to bang on the doors?
- Yeah, we banged on the windows and everything,
She's passed out, we cannot get her to wake up,
The music's loud, so we can't do nothing,
- Okay, I'm going to keep you on the phone
until the officers are on their way, okay?
- On December 28th, 1998, I was working the graveyard shift
when I received a call from RPD dispatch
at approximately 01:55 hours assigning me
to proceed to the point of origin of a 911 call,
which was Baines 76 Unocal gas station,
located at 6575 Brockton Avenue in the city of Riverside,
The call conveyed that there was an unresponsive female
locked in a white Nissan Sentra
with a visible firearm on her lap,
¶ So I'm strapped with my gat at Central and Brockton ¶
¶ 38 in my lap, case I get rocked on, ¶
- At approximately 02:00 hours, I arrived on the scene,
When I spoke with the two females who were standing
on the north side of the gas station's premises
next to the pay phone, the two females advised me
that the female in the locked vehicle was a family member,
She appeared to be unconscious
and had a loaded firearm on her lap,
I saw that the two females were very upset,
- She been, I'm sorry, has she been drinking today?
- I don't, I don't know,
That's what I'm telling you,
I don't know,
She had a flat tire and she called the house
so she could get the tire fixed,
but we found her like this, so we don't know,
- Uh-huh, you don't know what's going on?
- Uh-uh,
- Based on the demeanor and the occupant's
non-responsiveness to her family members,
I believed that the vehicle's occupant was necessarily
in some sort of medical distress,
especially because her family members
did not know what was wrong with her,
- How long ago did she, did you talk to her?
- That was like 20 or 30 minutes ago,
Can you guys, can you guys bring an ambulance with you?
- Yeah, since we don't actually know what's wrong with her,
and the gun, you can just see the gun?
- Yeah, it's in her lap,
- It's sitting in her lap?
- Uh-huh,
- Okay, and she's the only one in the vehicle?
- Yes,
- What is her name?
- My name is Myeisha,
Y'all know us Ishas: Myeisha, Moisha,
Ayish, Loisha, Lacrisha, Tanisha, Tyisha,
We the Ishas, we the first cousins to the Awnas,
Y'all know the Awnas: Loawna,
Tiana, Showana, Jowanna, Tawana,
(dialpad beeps)
- How old is she?
- She's 19,
- 19-years-old?
- Uh-huh,
- Okay, and the car's just parked in a parking lot?
- Yeah, at the gas station,
(siren whirs)
- As I finished speaking with the two witnesses,
Officer Hobart arrived on the scene,
I informed Officer Hobart that the vehicle's occupant
was apparently unconscious and had a gun,
Because the occupant had a gun, I knew that we would have
to secure the area to make it safe
for emergency medical personnel
to render any aid the occupant required,
- How far is the, the police station from here?
- Well, they're just, they're in the city
just driving around, but they're on their way there,
- Officer Hobart and I approached the vehicle
with our guns drawn and pointed downward,
- Oh,
- They don't sit at a police station waiting,
- Okay, here, I see a police officer,
They found us right now,
There's a police car right now,
- Hey,
- Officer Hobart approached the vehicle
along the passenger side rear door
as I approached along the driver's side door,
From my position behind the driver's side rear door,
I could see the occupant's gun
on her lap pointed towards the driver's door,
- Okay, if they're coming--
- In the drive--
- The weapon was readily accessible,
- They're coming toward you?
- After Officer Hobart and I verified
the occupant had a gun--
- Yes,
- I held my position until backup arrived,
- Why don't you go talk to them?
- Okay, thank you,
- Soon as I hear the cops' sirens, the first thing
that pop into my mind, "Man, I wish I was a white girl,"
- Actually, cops kill more white people than black,
- Or at least a little lighter than I am,
And not white in the, "I can flip my hair
and I got blue eyes," kind of way, but in a,
"Officer, can you help me out?", kind of way,
In the, "Young lady, are you okay?
You look distressed," kind of way,
In the, "Are you okay?
You need a ride?
You look lost," kind of way, but not today,
Tonight, my name is Myeisha, and I'm black,
Might have had a little to drink,
Those are just the facts, but even still with all that,
I figure I should still be all right,
I mean, if Roni couldn't hear me, I must be asleep, right?
And if I'm sleeping, I'm dreaming so it must be deep, right?
If I'm deep asleep, the police will just wake me up, right?
Show some care, help me find a spare,
even help jack me up, right?
To protect and to serve written in black and white, right?
- I observed that the occupant was in dire medical distress
and in need of immediate medical assistance,
I observed that the occupant's mouth was slightly open,
Her eyes were closed,
Her breathing appeared shallow,
Her lips were quivering,
Her body was shaking, and there was a white substance
that was accumulating around the sides of her mouth,
Based on my prior experience with persons overdosing
on drugs, I believed Jackson was experiencing symptoms
which were consistent with drug overdose,
Believing that time was of the essence, I thought
that we should use the quickest means available
to remove the gun from her presence to make it safe
for emergency personnel to render the necessary aid,
I would attempt to break the window and retrieve the gun,
¶ So I'm strapped with my gat at Central and Brockton ¶
¶ 38 in my lap, case I get rocked on, ¶
- After verifying that all the officers were in position,
I performed a silent three count,
I then broke the window on my first attempt
using the ASP baton,
I then dropped the baton and leaned to tuck my body
into the front window and grab the occupant's gun,
As I reached into retrieve the weapon,
I heard a boom, which I believed
to be a gun blast going towards my right ear,
¶ So I'm strapped with my gat at Central and Brockton ¶
¶ 38 in my lap, case I get rocked on ¶
- Once inside the vehicle, I could no longer see the weapon,
I thought that the vehicle's occupant
had grabbed her gun and shot me,
(tape rewinding)
Once inside the vehicle, I heard (beep),
which I believed to be a gun blast,
(tape rewinding)
Once inside the vehicle, I heard (beep),
which I believed to be a gun blast,
Once inside the vehicle I heard,,,
¶ Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ¶
¶ Happy birthday, Mr, Officer, happy birthday to you ¶
Officer Garland, the one on the floor,
it's his birthday today,
He's turning 24,
(celebratory music)
Yo, wait, December 28th,
That would make the officer a Capricorn,
Capricorns are supposed to be practical and prudent,
ambitious and disciplined, careful and patient,
humorous and reserved, pessimistic and fatalistic,
December 28th, that would make Officer Garland
a Kwanzaa baby, Ujima baby, well, maybe,
December 28th, 1998, it means Y2K is only a year away,
You heard of Y2K,
You ain't heard of Y2K?
Okay, they say one second after 12, next New Year's Eve,
after they drop the ball on New York, right,
things are going to go bananas, for real, end of the world,
They say all the computers in the world
are going to lose their megabytes,
Even banks and stuff are going to lose grip on their cash,
Now, of course nobody I know is so naive to believe
that ATMs are going to go crazy and start spitting out 20s,
I ain't saying I believe in it, I ain't saying I don't,
but you know me, Roni, and Kai got that ATM
on University and Main staked out,
We just going to be in the vicinity,
case cash start spitting out,
Think I won't?
But 1000 years, that's crazy to even think,
1000 years of time, if we're lucky, we get like 79,
That's like a blink, like a wink,
(clock shatters)
But at least I get one of the very few in the history
of the world to go from the old millennium to the new,
Out of everybody in history to ever live,
I get to be one of the very few in the history of the world
to go from the old millennium to the new, you too,
Know what I'm gonna do?
I'm going to make the millennium that's next my best,
I'm going to make M2 the bomb,
Might even make me an M2 resolution,
Start me an M2 revolution,
- December 28th, Y2K in a year,
makes Officer Garland a Capricorn over there,
Let's see other signs we got in the house tonight,
Say, what's your sign?
¶ Say, what's your sign ¶
¶ Do the Pisces run this mother for ya ¶
¶ Hell yeah ¶
¶ Do my Aries run this mother for ya ¶
¶ Hell yeah ¶
¶ Do my Libras run this mother for ya ¶
¶ Hell yeah ¶
¶ Do my Taurus run this mother for ya? ¶
¶ Hell yeah ¶
- December 28th, Y2K in a year,
makes Officer Garland a Capricorn over there,
- Once inside the vehicle, I heard a (speech blurs),
which I believed to be a gun blast,
I immediately fell backwards onto the pavement
injuring my legs and wrists,
I saw the occupant rise forward in her seat,
While thinking that I had been shot and believing
that the occupant was attempting to shoot me again,
I begin firing into the driver's side door of the vehicle,
- If Roni couldn't hear me, I must be asleep, right?
- I begin firing into the driver's side door of the vehicle,
- If I'm sleeping, I'm dreaming, so it must be deep, right?
- I begin firing into the driver's side door,
- If I'm deep asleep, the police
will just wake me up, right?
- I begin firing into the driver,
- Help me find a spare, even help jack me up, right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
- Right?
- I begin firing,
(gunshots fire)
- Ever have one of those dreams,
where nothing comes out when you try to scream?
(beatboxing)
¶ Worst come to worst, my people, my ¶
¶ One, one ¶
¶ Worst come to worst my people ¶
The entrance to gunshot number one (beatboxing),
The entrance to gunshot number one
is located on the right upper arm,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through
the skin and soft tissue of the right upper arm,
perforating and fracturing the right humerus,
This is a non-fatal, however very serious gunshot wound
to the right upper arm, fracturing the humerus, humerus,
- Did he just say humorous?
I think he said humorous,
¶ Humerus, humerus ¶
- That's funny,
What's not so funny is the fact that me, Kai,
and Roni been working on our routine,
You know, for when we hit the scene,
(club music plays)
Yeah, that's right, we them girls,
You know the ones, get you on the dance floor,
thinking you going to have some fun,
thinking you going to get your grind on,
get your freak on, maybe even get you some,
But as soon as we get you on the floor,
you realize you gets none,
We bust out the routine we came here to do,
And we ain't being mean,
It's just how we do what we do,
So you end up standing there bobbing your head, wondering
if you going to get some attention, create a little tension,
So when we see it in your face, give you a taste,
Know what I mean?
But what you don't realize is that
it's all built into the routine,
(crowd cheers)
(club music plays)
Like I said, we ain't mean,
That's just how we play,
- We're Roni,
- Kai,
- Myeisha,
- [All] We Three The Hard Way,
- So, anyway,
We working on a new routine,
Old one's getting tired, about time for it to be retired,
So,,,
See the dilemma?
This is where we're supposed to hit this,
It's cool and all, me, myself, personally,
I think we should be doing more of Aaliyah's moves,
Girl is bad and so smooth,
She's got that thing, you know?
She should be doing some more movies or something, you know?
I bet you, she's really going to blow up
in a couple years or so,
But I get the feeling, she might want
to give the slip to R, Kelly,
I mean maybe it's just me, but he gives me the--
- Willies,
- Anyway, check out what we got so far in our routine,
Then you'll see why a fractured
humerus isn't just a funny bone,
(beatboxing)
¶ One, two, two, two, two, two, two ¶
(beatboxing)
The entrance to gunshot number--
¶ When they faces can see me they nod in-- ¶
(beatboxing)
The entrance to gunshot number two is located
on the left posterior upper neck,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the left upper neck, coursing through
the mandible, and exiting the right side of the jaw,
The mandible is extensively fractured
and there is some fragmentation of the teeth,
The exit for gunshot number two
is located on the right side of the jaw,
This is a very serious, however
not rapidly fatal gunshot wound fracturing the jaw,
(lights stir)
(dramatic music)
- I heard that dreams about losing
your teeth symbolize a loss of childhood innocence,
These dreams often occur at times of transition
from one life stage to the next and can be a message
that an important milestone is occurring
and urging you to face the inevitable,
You know what I'm going to miss?
(bell dings)
Gram's Mission Barbecue downtown on Main Street,
Man, Robert be putting his foot in his Q, both feet,
Oh, don't worry, that's a good thing,
It's the same as saying--
- Mmm-mmm, that Q is slammin,
- Beef tips, coleslaw, mac & cheese, chicken,
that's what I'm gonna be missing,
Pork ribs, potato salad, barbecue beans, greens, yams,
peach cobbler, I got something that needs to be said though,
So, what's the deal with barbecue folks and their bread?
Y'all heard what I said, the bread,
The bread, if you could call it that,
it's the same no matter where you at,
You could be at Gram's, Bobby Ray's in San Berdoo,
Louisiana Fish in Moval or M&M's in LA,
your meal's gonna come out the same way,
Green's gonna be hooked, mac & cheese, please,
Baked beans gonna to be lip smacking
and the Q's gonna to be slamming,
But sitting on top of your order, off to the side,
I guarantee there's going to be some paper thin, no flavor,
it ain't even Roman Meal white bread,
(imitates disappointing buzzer)
You heard what I said, white bread,
I'm telling you, it's going to be white,
White bread, but if you accidentally luck out
and get you some wheat bread, don't be looking
for no wheat grain, wheat smell, wheatgerm, wheat taste,
Ain't nothing like that gonna to be found in this bread,
This wheat bread is gonna to be wheat
only because that's what the bag says,
- Wheat bread,
- What's really sad is that since the rest of the meal's
so good, we forget about the bread, white or wheat,
And when it's time to sop up that last bit of Q sauce
you got sitting in the corner of that
take-out styrofoam container that you just can't reach
with your plastic fork, that paper thin, flavorless,
you wish it was Roman Meal bread gets it done,
That's what I'm gonna be missing,
barbecue, fake wheat bread and kissing,
(bell dings)
Listen, kissing, okay, Wesley in "Sugar Hill"
or Denzel in "Crimson Tide"?
Okay, Denzel in "Hurricane"
or Wesley in "White Men Can't Jump"?
Okay, Wesley in "Murder At 1600"
or Denzel in "Devil In A Blue Dress"?
Okay, Denzel in "Glory" or Wesley in "Blade"?
Okay, Wesley in "Jungle Fever" or Denzel in "Malcolm X"?
Okay, Denzel in "Mo' Better Blues"
or Wesley in "Mo' Better Blues"?
(Myeisha coughs)
I heard that dreams about losing your teeth
symbolize a loss of childhood innocence,
These dreams often occur at times
of transition from one life stage to the next,
(beatboxing)
¶ One, two, three, three, three ¶
(beatboxing)
(gunshot fires)
- The entrance to gunshot number (beatboxing),
¶ Yeah show 'em where it's at ¶
(beatboxing)
Number three is located on the right posterior shoulder
on the right upper back,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the right posterior shoulder
exiting the wall of the back,
This is a non-fatal gunshot wound to the right upper back,
- I was always a tomboy,
People used to say I must be gay because I dress this way,
baggy jeans, sneakers, my shirt hanging loose this way,
Always a tom boy, and if you don't
like it, you can kiss this this way,
Looked good playing the field, and still has sex appeal,
(net swishes)
Played some basketball, but softball was my game,
Got my pitch up to 65 my last year at Riverside High,
Even got a little fame,
It's true,
Got my picture in "The Black Voice" newspaper, page B2,
My best pitch, I called it the Quick-an'-Split,
Had batters singing the blues,
- Strike!
- See ya!
I love the sound of my pitch in the catcher's mitt
when it hit that sweet spot it was like, like,,,
Sounded good, felt good, and I look good too,
Okay, let me stop,
I did look good though,
Thinking about walking onto a Cal State
or a UCR, RCC, Valley, Cal Poly,
I messed up and didn't get my applications in on time,
Tom boy, shoot, I could have been
a cheerleader if I wanted to, home boy,
¶ My name is Myeisha and I'm the best ¶
¶ Come get with me, forget the rest ¶
¶ My name is Myeisha, you know my name, ¶
¶ Wanna get with me ¶
¶ You better step up your game ¶
¶ Her name is Myeisha ¶
¶ She is the best ¶
¶ Come get with her or get the rest ¶
¶ Her name is Myeisha ¶
¶ You know her name ¶
¶ Wanna get with her you better step up your game ¶
(wind rustles)
¶ One, two, three, four ¶
(beatboxing)
¶ With one comes the two to the three and (beat) ¶
- The entrance to (beatboxing),
number four is located on
the left posterior side of the head,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the scalp
exiting the right posterior scalp,
The projectile does not enter or fracture the cranium
and the course is only through the scalp,
The exit on the right posterior scalp
is a half inch irregular stilet hole without abrasion,
This is a non-fatal distant gunshot
wound perforating the scalp only,
- [Myeisha] Hold up,
- Wait a minute,
(beatboxing)
¶ Wait a minute ¶
- I know he did not just say only through the scalp,
I know he did not just say only, talking about my scalp,
He must not realize that the only place
my hair grows is on that scalp,
You know what?
I'm not even going to into the whole black women
and their hair conversation right now,
not with a coroner anyhow,
All I'm going to say is Sarah Breedlove,
AKA Madam C,J, Walker, AKA first self-made
American woman millionaire, built on black hair care,
You hear?
Hot iron burns on your forehead, scars on your neck,
highlights, lowlights, frosting, tinting,
sleeping sitting up so your new style don't get wrecked,
kitchen sink perms, combing through them naps,
baby hair pumping, getting your dandruff scratched,
Now, I know some of my sisters,
y'all gone natural, and I ain't hating,
All I'm saying is you don't want to go
there unless you are aware of the hair,
¶ I want a girl with, in her hair ¶
¶ Bamboo earrings, at least ¶
- Only through the scalpel let me give you, Mr, Coroner,
some advice when addressing a black woman's hair,
The only time you want to let "only"
come out your mouth is if you're saying--
- If only I could get my flip to flip as good as yours,
- If only I could get my micro braids
to hold as good as yours,
- If only I could get my streaks to blend as good as yours,
- If only I could get my bob to hold as good as yours,
- Only through the scalp and since I'm handing out advice,
let me give the men a little slice,
You know me, I'm gonna be nice,
Now brothers should already be aware of this fact,
but if you ain't a brother and you like your coffee black,
here's a little insight to help you with your mack,
Do not touch the hair,
Perm, relaxed, crimped, slicked, braided, dreaded or fro,
please, just let the hair go,
Do not grab the hair,
Do not clutch the hair,
Do not caress the hair,
Do not stroke the hair,
Do not fondle with the hair,
Do not fiddle with the hair,
Do not twiddle with the hair,
Do not absentmindedly twirl the hair,
or swirl the hair, or curl the hair,
Do not pensively seize the hair,
Do not passionately grip the hair,
Do not attempt to run your fingers through the hair,
Do not kiss the hair,
Do not lick the hair,
Just,,,
Did I make myself clear?
Hands off the hair,
But, if you care to get near the hair,
then be aware of when hair's just been done,
When a sister's just come from Ebony Crest, Shear Elegance,
or Miss Ellison, make it very clear that you see
the hair, you feel the hair,
and if allowed, you would stroke the hair,
You would caress the hair,
You would grab the hair,
You would clutch the hair,
You would fondle, fiddle, twiddle and twirl the hair,
I know it's not fair, but hey, hair's not fair,
So if you really care, do not touch the hair,
And oh yeah, when you see a sister
going like this, don't be phased,
Ain't nothing wrong with her,
She's only scratching her scalp through her braids,
I know he did not say only through
the scalp, only through the scalp,
¶ One two three four five ¶
¶ I'm gonna rock, I'm gonna rock it ¶
(beatboxing)
¶ Put my hand up on your hip when I dip, dip, dip ¶
- The entrance to (beatboxing),
¶ Cotton candy sweet is tootsie roll, tootsie, beat ¶
Number five is located on the central lower back,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the left lower back
exiting the left anterior lateral hip,
This is a non-fatal gunshot wound to the left lower back,
- I was in a video, nah, for real, I was in a video,
I was in this video, it was even on TV,
Okay, so it was like on channel 23,
exclusively local to the IE,
Okay, see, this MC from Moval,
got signed by Moval Records, right?
Local label,
Think his name was MC D-Low, and they about to release
his first single, and they about to shoot the video,
So, me, Kai, and Roni are at Club Metro,
letting ourselves go,
This kid sees us, says he's shooting a video,
Sees us doing our old routine,
not even the new one you just seen,
Says he's looking for some females to represent for the IE,
so naturally, you know, Roni, Kai and me,
- You girls heard of Moval Records?
- [All] No,
- Well, we shooting a music video,
- [All] So?
(bell rings)
- But we still show up for the shoot,
Shoot, we just down to get our groove on,
They were for real,
Had a director, a crew and everything,
so on action, we did our thing,
- "Grab That Girl By The Bow", take one,
(MC D-Low beatboxes)
¶ Pretty thighs ¶
¶ Stomach right ¶
¶ Thick old thighs ¶
¶ And her booty fat ¶
¶ Pop, do the pop, don't stop, do the pop ¶
¶ Don't stop, do the pop, don't stop, do the pop ¶
¶ Girl, drop it girl, drop it girl, booty fat ¶
¶ Pop, don't stop, do the pop ¶
- Okay, so you probably won't recognize us,
You know, I thought they were serious, but when I saw
the video, all they showed was the angle on the gluteus,
I mean, I like my posterior, but I like my face too,
I think they showed it once on BET Uncut,
but in the final cut, you don't see me,
at least not from any angle where you could see me,
All they showed was what Roni, Kai, and me call
the hoe shot, all bottom, no top,
Okay, this is how Moval Records shot me,
¶ Booty, booty, it's the booty, booty ¶
¶ It's the booty, booty, it's that booty fat ¶
¶ Pop, don't stop, pop, don't stop ¶
¶ Pop, don't stop, pop don't stop ¶
¶ Booty, booty it's the booty, booty ¶
¶ It's the booty, booty, it's that booty, booty fat ¶
¶ Pop, pop, pop ¶
(screeching hum)
¶ One, two, three, four, fix, six ¶
(beatboxing)
(dramatic music)
- The entrance to gunshot number six
is located on the left thigh,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the left thigh, perforating,
fracturing and fragmenting the left femur,
This is a non-fatal, however serious gunshot wound
to the left thigh fracturing the left femur,
- My cousin died once,,,
Well, almost died,
No, not Roni, my cousin Freddie,
Well, he kind of died,
Okay, so if you know me, you know
I've got sports skills, but when it came to Freddie,
man, it was more like sports kills,
He's uncoordinated like a mug,
I mean like a mug,
So when I heard he broke his leg, I was like, "Yeah, and?
Well of course he broke his leg,
That's Fred, that's what he does,"
Okay, so you know how you've got
that one cousin who's always getting hurt?
You could be playing tag, hide and go seek,
jump rope, or digging in the dirt,,,
You know you played digging in the dirt,
No matter what though I guarantee
Freddie was gonna get hurt,
Dropped a brick on his head,
that was funny and that one bled,
Broke his left arm twice,
Broke his right arm once,
Ankles always sprained, usually the left,
but the right one too,
Always has something in his eyes,
even though he wore glasses,
Over 100 stitches, no lie,
Had to sleep on the bottom bunk
because he'd fall out the bed,
That was Fred,
So then he gets hurt and starts crying,
We're like, "Shh, come on man,
You act like you dying or something,"
Thing was if one of our aunties
heard Freddie's boo-hoo, our game was through,
Roni used to get so mad,
She didn't know what to do,
- Damn Fred, shut up, you act like a little girl,
- As long as there was no blood flow though,
Freddie was usually good to go,
So they take him to Kaiser, oh wait,
let me break down the break,
This fool goes out to Devil's Canyon
out by Cal State rolling on a moped, a moped,
That's a motorcycle that you pedal,
So full speed ahead goes Fred, crashes the moped,
They take him to Kaiser Fontana,
Soon as I find out, I'm on my way to the hospital
to have me some fun, get my bag on,
So when I get there, he's like--
- They just want to keep me overnight,
Then I'm gonna go home,
- Next day, I'm learning about fat embolism syndrome
and Freddie's not at home,
He's in a coma,
It was induced,
That's how it was introduced,
Doctors explain it this way,
- Fat embolism syndrome is a symptom complex
of acute respiratory failure after long bone fractures,
It's thought to be caused by deposition of embolic fat
within the pulmonary capillaries resulting
in a capillary leak within the lung,
The source of the embolic fat appears to be marrow fat,
- Freddie broke his femur,
Fat was headed to his lungs, got stuck in his throat,
so he's put into an induced coma for two weeks
'cause he was too weak to breathe or speak, two weeks,
Two weeks to even eat like he was dead in that hospital bed,
They said it was good for him to hear familiar voices,
so I showed up just about every day,
- [Aunt Dee] Please Lord, be present in this room,
Let your spirit rain your healing Lord,
- Aunt Dee moved in to Kaiser Permanente permanently,
My Aunt Dee, Freddie's mom, had
always been the auntie with faith,
You know, the religious aunt who made sure you prayed
in your car for a long ride or dropped
a, "Stay on the Lord's side," if she thought
you were starting to back slide,
Aunt Dee moved into the ICU, I kid you not,
praying my cousin back to this side saying--
- This coma ain't nothing but a comma
in my son's life story,
- [Myeisha] After 16 days, Freddie woke up in a haze,
First thing he says to me is--
- Cuz, I went to New York City,
- And I'm thinking, (carnival music) not pretty,
Shame, fat emboli got his brain, how sad,
And he's getting mad 'cause nobody
believing his New York City dream,
He starts to scream about the weather,
what he ate, where he went, cash he spent,
He's talking about he was--
¶ Uptown baby ¶
¶ We can still baby ¶
¶ Talking about he was in ¶
¶ Brooklyn, we're Brooklyn, we're Brooklyn ¶
¶ Talking bout how was in ¶
¶ Staten Island ¶
(beatboxing)
¶ Talking bout how was in ¶
¶ South Bronx, South Bronx ¶
¶ Talking bout how he was in ¶
(beatboxing)
- I was like fool, you were right here in--
¶ Fontana baby, Fontana baby, with your mama baby ¶
¶ With your mama baby, mama baby ¶
- Freddie didn't think that was too funny,
Anyway, who knows?
Maybe Freddie did go to the city,
I sure hope Aunt Dee has some
of her prayer power left over for me,
I ain't never been to New York,
(beatboxing)
¶ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight ¶
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to gunshot number (beatboxing),
Number seven is located on the right middle back,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through
the subcutaneous tissue of the right middle back,
The bullet does not enter the chest,
This is a non-fatal gunshot wound to the right middle back,
(gunshot fires)
- Roni, you sure about this spot?
- Yeah, girl, that's where I got
mine done and you know mine's hot,
(buzzing)
(bell rings)
- Yeah, I'm here for a tat,
My cousin says you got skills,
You got a problem with that?
My lower back, Nefertiti, queen, black,
Here Roni, where's the one you drew?
Yeah, my cousin got skills, huh?
(equipment whirs)
You told me 40 not 65, let's go,
What?
That's all I got, then let me get 25, I'll pay you back,
- You ain't got no job,
- I know I ain't got no job,
You don't have to bust me out in front of people,
Just do me this favor,
I'll get you back just like I got
your back last month, don't front,
All right, let's see what you can do,
Hold up, wait, is it gonna hurt?
- Do pigs like dirt?
- That's funny, but for real though?
- Tiny pieces of fire tapping your skin, but then numb,
- That'll work,
All right,
Begin,
(sweeping dramatic music)
She was powerful, beautiful, and smart, like me,
Her name means the beautiful woman has come,
I'm here,
I'm putting her there because only kings get
to see the queen, know what I mean?
(Tattoo Artist laughs)
Trust, it'll be the last time you see her,
(sweeping dramatic music)
I told Uncle Darnell I was thinking of getting a tattoo,
He says--
- A tattoo ain't nothing but a scar,
Now you can get a scar if you want from me for free,
The pain will be the same, it just won't take as long,
- Then he starts going into one of his blackouts,
- You would have never made it as no slave,
- It'll be 100 degrees, IE heat,
and if I forget and say, "Man, it's hot,"
- You would have never made it as no slave,
This ain't nothing, but dry heat,
Now down South, they got that humid heat,
plus the master wasn't giving you much to eat,
- [Myeisha] I get me some new tennis shoes,
- You would have never made it as no slave,
They didn't even have shoes,
You'd just be stepping, stepping
with your bare feet on the hard concrete,
¶ Stepping, stepping with your bare feet ¶
¶ On the hard concrete ¶
- He always try to throw in some
lame hip hop to prove he was cool,
Even when I did something right,
like help him move our couch,
- You would have never made it as no slave,
- Now why?
- Don't you know that once you show
them how hard you could work,
that's how hard you would work,
- So, I dropped the couch,
(beatboxing)
¶ Eight, eight, eight, eight ¶
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to (beatboxing),
Number eight is located on the right lower back,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the right lower back,
perforating and fracturing the third lumbar vertebrae,
This is a non-fatal gunshot wound to the right lower back,
- [Nurse] Next,
- They found my C in junior high,
There was a screening one day
that seemed to be pretty benign,
They drew a line, we stood in line,
They took a look at our spine,
A few days later came a letter in the mail
saying I needed further testing,
After X-rays, the doctor says he didn't
like the way my spine was resting,
The diagnosis--
- Scoliosis,
- [Myeisha] A lower C curve, not like Becca, who had an S,
Hers was an internal swerve,
Told I had to wear a plastic brace for two years in my case,
This thing went all the way from my chest down to my waist,
I'd have to be encased in this brace to prevent improper
alignment since I didn't embrace the exercises
the doctor gave me as my assignment,
- [Doctor] This exercise aims to align
the spine and activate underused muscles,
Stand next to an elevated bench so that the edge
of the bench is near your hip,
The leg that is on the same side as the thoracic
and cavity should be pressed against the bench,
Lean to the side over the bench and bring up your leg
to form a straight line with your body,
The foot should point up,
- Since I didn't embrace the exercises
the doctor gave me as my assignment, I have
to be encased in this brace to prevent improper alignment,
Told I was going to have to wear it
for two years straight, eighth grade and ninth,
The first year wasn't too bad, but the second,
we were going to have a fight,
Ninth grade, first year of high school,
now you know that wasn't cool,
I wasn't about to show up as no freshman looking
like no fresh fool, like some kind of a geek,
like some kind of a freak, all grotesque,
Whole year and a half where I got my second base chest,
So I was like, "Forget it,"
I figured I might as well just
take the chance, take the risk,
I mean worst thing that could happen to me I guess will be
that I'd have some back pain when I got real old, like 56,
Worst thing I guess, back pain at 56,
(beatboxing)
¶ One, two, three, four, fix, six, seven, eight, nine ¶
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to (beatboxing),
Number nine is located on the left breast,
The entrance wound is fourteen inches down from the top
of the head and five inches left of the anterior mid line,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the left breast coursing through
the anterior chest wall and exiting below the right breast,
The exit for gunshot number nine
is located below the right breast,
This is a non-fatal gunshot wound
perforating the left breast,
- If you know me, you know I wasn't one
of the early bloomers like my cousin,
Until I was 16, it seemed like "A" was gonna
be the only letter that my bra ever saw,
Clever Ricky and his friends got to calling me Manchester,
Want to know what I called their sorry behinds?
Never mind,
But then I turned 16, and bam,
I mean boom, I mean pow, I mean wow, I gots mine, see?
Second base all in your face,
Now it wasn't like I was easy or fast or loose,
but that don't mean I didn't let loose when I let loose,
I guess if I wanted to, I could tell you that I'm a virgin,
but that wouldn't be the honest version,
Waited til I was 16 though,
(beatboxing)
I didn't even know if we were doing it right, no lights,
Dontrey kept talking about how the time was right,
how he was the last one of his boys
in line, how that wasn't right,
Thing was, Dontrey was fine,
(beatboxing)
And when we did it, we did it all night long,
¶ Until the break of dawn ¶
- Well, at least that's Dontrey's version,
Let's just say that dawn came with a quickness,
Can I get a witness?
(rooster crows)
But it was still all right,
It was still all right,
Mouth was slightly open, eyes were closed,
breathing shallow, lips quivering, body shaking,
(beatboxing)
Dontrey liked my lips and he dug my hips,
but yes, I must confess, he loved my chest,
Good guess, he was a breast man,
And at 16, like I said, I had the best man,
Forget the rest, come caress, why settle for less, man?
Just stop right there, do not touch the hair,
At 16, stopped wondering, found out for sure,
At 17, stopped accepting and started wanting more,
At 18, declared myself a woman, grown, mature,
At 19 awaiting 20, knocking on heaven's door,
Awaiting 20, a weight in 20, I wait for 20,
At 16, stopped wondering, found out for sure,
At 17, stopped accepting and started wanting more,
At 18, declared myself a woman, grown, mature,
At 19 awaiting 20, knocking on heaven's door,
(gunshot fires)
- At 20, a teenager no more, grown,
I'm going to learn to moan,
At 20, a teenager no more, grown,
I'm going to learn to moan,
But sounds like 20's out of reach
and I'm running out of time,
Half a dozen on one hand, six on the other,
figure of speech and I'm running out of rhyme,
Seems like a crime to waste all that I bring to the table,
So why don't we agree to make this tale a fable?
Let's agree to make this tale a fable,
Seems like a crime to waste all that I bring to the table,
So why don't we agree to make this tale a fable?
¶ Once upon a time in the Inland Empire ¶
¶ There lived a young girl who wanted to spit fire ¶
¶ There lived a young girl, wanted to spit fire ¶
¶ There lived a young girl ¶
(ominous music)
Why don't we agree to make this tale a fable?
Then if you're able, if you can, if it's not too much
to ask, when they finish singing you happy 19th birthday,
before you make your wish and blow, put a candle
on the cake for me to add to the glow,
Close your eyes and wish that what you're seeing
ain't nothing but a dream fable, and I'm gonna
wake up, 19 at your birthday table,
Close your eyes and wish that what you're
seeing ain't nothing but a dream fable,
And I'm going to wake up, 19 at your birthday table,
Put another candle on to add to the glow,
Now, make your wish, and blow,
(blows)
- Jackson's mouth was slightly open,
Her eyes were closed,
Her breathing appeared shallow,
Her lips were quivering, her body was shaking,
and there was a white substance that was accumulating
around the sides of her mouth,
- At 19, knocking on heaven's door,
- [Beatboxer] 10,
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to gunshot number 10
is located on the left upper forehead,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the skin
and soft tissue of the left upper forehead,
entering into the cranium through the left frontal bone,
through the left and right frontal lobes of the brain,
through the right orbit, perforating and rupturing
the right ocular globe, and exiting the right orbit,
The direction of the projectile is back to front,
left to right, and downward 45 degrees,
This is a fatal distant gunshot wound to the head,
¶ 11 ¶
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to gunshot number 11 is located
above and behind the left ear on the left side of the head,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The course of the projectile is through the scalp,
entering into the cranium through the left occipital bone,
perforating the left cerebellum,
perforating the pons of the brain stem,
and penetrating into the anterior base of the cranium,
This is a fatal distant gunshot wound to the head,
¶ 12 ¶
(beatboxing)
- The entrance to gunshot number 12
is located on the right central back,
This is a typical distant gunshot wound entrance,
The direction of the projectile is back to front,
left to right, and slightly upward three degrees,
This is a fatal distant gunshot wound
to the chest, perforating the right lung,
¶ One to the chest, one to the arm ¶
¶ One to the leg, one to the neck ¶
¶ One to the dome, one to the dome, one to the dome ¶
¶ One to the back, one to the back, one to the back, ¶
¶ One to the back, one to the back ¶
- I bet you ain't seen no female MC who's been shot
as many times as me, not since Supersonic had
a female MC from the West, put it down with the best,
You know?
One of the Js, some JJ Fad lives in the IE,
For a minute, I thought about rapping in Pig Latin,
That ain't happening,
This is the key right here,
It's been a year since they shot Biggie,
Since Tupac was killed, it's been two,
It only makes sense that this should happen to me right now,
I got to live, I'll be the best female MC ever, too clever,
Before me, MCs only been shot a couple of times and lived,
I got a dozen, and I'm still spitting rhymes,
You can't stop me, this is my time to shine,
¶ One to the chest, one to the arm ¶
¶ One to the leg, one to the neck ¶
¶ One to the dome, one to the dome, dome, ¶
¶ Back, back, back, one to the back, ¶
(beatboxing)
- The average person can hold their breath 60 to 90 seconds,
The lungs take in oxygen-enriched air first,
gets rid of carbon dioxide second,
The average person breathes in and out
15 to 25 times every 60 seconds,
Breath enters into the nose and mouth first,
pharynx and larynx second,
There are two phases to the process
of breathing, inspiration, expiration,
- Creativity, release, insight, conclusion,
inventiveness, completion, ingenuity, closure,
imagination, exhalation, revelation, cessation,
stimulation, departure, arousal, eradication,
muse, expel, motivation, termination, vision,
discontinuance, illumination, extinction, elevation,
execution, enthusiasm, closure, imagination,
exhalation, enthusiasm, enlightenment, collapse,
excitement, finale, fervor, finish, elation,
termination, vivification, passing, uplift,
exit, rapture, decease, alpha, omega, beginning,
(melancholic music as film reel rolls)
- Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take,
Bless Mommy, Daddy, Kai, Freddie,
Uncle D, and my cousin Roni,
This is Myeisha,
You know me,
(shallow breathing)
(screeching)
(Sings "Oh Holy Night" in the background)
Right lung weighs 270 grams,
Left lung weighs 325 grams,
The liver weighs 970 grams,
Spleen weighs 100 grams,
Kidneys weigh 100 grams each,
Brain weighs 1025 grams,
Heart weighs 275 grams and is smooth and glistening,
(tape rewinding)
(screaming)
(window tapping)
- Ever have one of those dreams,
where nothing comes out when you try to scream?
(light flicks off)
(otherworldly music)
(radio plays faintly)
(glass shatters)
(gunshots fire)
(car horn honks)
- Oh my God!
Oh my god!
(alarm blares and horn honks)
(dramatic whistling)
(percussive humming)
(rhythmic beatboxing)