Sunday, March 22, 2009

As you may or may not know, I'm an advocate of Supreme's work How to Hustle and Win: A Survival Guide for the Ghetto,Part One check out this excerpt for Part Two and let me know what you think. (and as always, if you enjoy what you're seeing, please share with others)

Here's an excerpt from Part Two:

If Einstein was Black


If Albert Einstein grew up Black, in the hood, he’d be probably turn out to be a crackhead and a deadbeat dad. If Thomas Edison grew up Black, in the ghetto, he’d probably be a crack dealer. And that would be it. Their life stories would never make it into your school textbooks, and the world would never even know they existed. Unless maybe they were arrested in some high profile case. You think I’m exaggerating? Let me elaborate.

Albert Einstein


Einstein didn’t even say his first words until he was four years old. He was quiet, but still a terrible student throughout his schooling years. He regularly cut class. In college, people called him “a slacker.”

He graduated college, which he called a "torturing duty," thanks to a friend who let him copy class notes. Upon his graduation, he commented:

For a dreamer like me, university studies were not always a blessing. If we are forced to constantly eat selected meals, we can permanently spoil our stomach and lose our appetite. Luckily, in my case, this intellectual depression, after the completion of my studies, lasted no more than a year.

Einstein’s daydreamin ass couldn’t stomach the rigmarole of the formal educational system, but he was passionate about pursuing studies in his own interests. He focused his attention intensely into things he was fascinated by, or which he wanted to understand. If he were alive today, he’d probably watch nothing but the Discovery Channel. Then again, he’d probably do a little more than just watching TV. But then again, probably none of that if he grew up in the hood.

He would have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia (which he was), but he’d be pushed into a Special Ed. program, where he’d be ignored by teachers and harassed by other students until eventually dropping out of a high school he’d have no hope of finishing anyway. Then working some minimum dead-end wage job, while still yearning to understand a vast world that was totally, impossibly, out of his reach, Einstein would be a drug addict in no time.

Thomas Edison


On the other hand, Thomas Edison was the definition of a hyperactive child. He never stopped asking questions, couldn’t sit still, and had a hard time focusing on school work (he daydreamed too). As a result, the young Edison constantly disrupted classes. His teacher thought he was slow, that he “could not grasp anything,” and labeled him retarded! His mom, sensing a flaw in the formal system of education, decided to homeschool him. Since his parents had tons of books at home, he read what he was interested in and basically taught himself.

This course of instruction evolved into Edison’s passion for scientific inquiry. He became a tireless researcher, often working late nights, and sleeping on a bench in his laboratory. Totally obsessed with his work, he would sometimes forget to eat. His wandering mind actually helped to look at situations from many different perspectives, allowing him to find answers and explanations for some of the most challenging problems.

But in the ghetto today, a Thomas Edison (or better) is born every minute. And kids like him who can’t sit still, who want more than what their teacher can offer, who have endless questions…what happens to them? They get shot down and shut down. And their lives spiral out of control til they’re shot down or locked up. Edison would have been a clever-ass dope boy, I bet. He’d probably come up with ingenious new ways to cook, market, and conceal his product. He’d probably make a ton of money selling to ghetto Einsteins before being taken down. But besides as episode of BET’s American Gangster, you’d never hear about him.

If you read Part One, you know that (A) We ain’t stupid by far, and most of us have incredible untapped intellect (see “9 Signs We Ain’t Stupid”) and (B) Our people are constantly misdiagnosed with made-up mental illnesses (see “Mental Illnesses in the Black Community”). But we can reverse that. Let’s start looking for untapped talent in the young people around us. And let’s start showing them alternate routes to success. School won’t work for everybody. But those of us who can’t hack it in school don’t have to be failures all around. That little knucklehead down the block may be the best auto mechanic, painter, airplane pilot, landscaper, business owner, jeweler, sculptor, or plumber ever…they just need to be shown the way. If not, all our Einsteins and Edisons are going to waste.


Without guidance and opportunities, we’re all bound to fail.

Eat Sh*t


Derrick Simons was escorted into court by two armed guards. Simons was to stand trial for the murders of members of a skinhead gang. As the judge read the charges, Simons fidgeted around and appeared not to be listening. When the judge asked Simons if he understood the charges against him, Simons finally looked the judge in the eyes. He then reached into the back of his pants, retrieved a handful of brown goo, and promptly ate it. Smearing his face, he licked his hand clean of the leftovers.

Completely disgusted, the judge took a while to recover from the shock of seeing this happen. He declared Simons mentally incompetent and admitted him to a psychiatric prison. Simons only spent the next two years receiving therapy and medication for his obvious insanity, and was then released when he was deemed to be sane again.

If anyone ever figures out how Simons did it, they’ll never serve peanut butter in a prison again.

Sometimes, the smartest man in the room will seem to be the craziest.

What YOU will learn in Part 2:

• Why so many of us are hopeless and what we can do about it?
• How a 300-year-old plan is still being used against us?
• How certain common chemicals can affect our “sexuality?”
• The 18 words we use that keep us down?
• The true meanings behind American holidays?
• The 10 reasons we can't seem to come up?
• How slaves used music as a tool for liberation?
• The truth about the industry that Pimp C “almost” told?
• How Malcolm X escaped from prison?
• Why so much of what we’ve learned about Dr. King is untrue?
• The 13 ways we unconsciously destroy ourselves?
• What the AK-47 can teach us about perseverance?
• Why and how Bob Marley went to “war?”
• What Blacks and Hispanics have in common (and it’s not chicken)?
• Why Europeans sent “priests” into Africa first?
• Why men ain’t men anymore and what can be done about it?
• How to activate the untapped power of your mind?
• The 120 behaviors necessary for a successful life?
• How to transform the negatives around you for success?

Click here to pre-order the book.Also, you can pre-order on Amazon.com. Official Release date is April 22nd, 2009.

And if you haven't checked out, Part One click here or check out the website here or myspace.