1 00:00:01,251 --> 00:00:03,381         soft atmospheric music      2 00:00:03,420 --> 00:00:05,300          [Nas]   The New York                    criminal underworld         3 00:00:05,338 --> 00:00:08,218      is full of household names...    4 00:00:08,258 --> 00:00:10,088           real and fictional.         5 00:00:10,135 --> 00:00:11,965           [phone vibrates]           6 00:00:12,012 --> 00:00:13,762      And in Queens, few names ring    7 00:00:13,805 --> 00:00:17,225       like Gerald "Prince" Miller          and Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff    8 00:00:17,267 --> 00:00:18,517           of the Supreme Team.        9 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,060           [automated voice]                This call is from an inmate     10 00:00:21,104 --> 00:00:22,404           at a federal prison.        11 00:00:22,439 --> 00:00:26,319       This call is being recorded          and is subject to monitoring.    12 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:28,449            -[phone beeps]                  -You may begin speaking now.    13 00:00:28,486 --> 00:00:30,446          [Prince]   You know,               I think back sometimes, right?  14 00:00:30,488 --> 00:00:33,658         And I start to reminisce              over how it all started.      15 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,160           [train rumbling]           16 00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:38,752                                    17 00:00:38,788 --> 00:00:41,918          Growing up, our family               was a tight-knit family.      18 00:00:41,958 --> 00:00:44,628                My uncle,                   he was a little older than me.  19 00:00:44,669 --> 00:00:46,169        I gravitated towards him.      20 00:00:46,212 --> 00:00:48,302                That's who                      I would hang out with.       21 00:00:48,339 --> 00:00:49,549              We was close.            22 00:00:49,591 --> 00:00:51,551           [automated voice]                Hang up to decline the call,    23 00:00:51,593 --> 00:00:54,803      -or to accept, dial five now.               -[phone beeps]            24 00:00:54,846 --> 00:00:57,516          [Supreme]   Prince--                we was raised like brothers,    25 00:00:57,557 --> 00:00:58,807          and we did everything                       together.              26 00:00:58,850 --> 00:01:01,730        We played sports together.               We fought together.         27 00:01:02,812 --> 00:01:05,482          I mean, our priorities                back then was business       28 00:01:05,523 --> 00:01:08,533        and getting money, power,                      success,              29 00:01:08,568 --> 00:01:10,488        like, the American Dream.      30 00:01:10,528 --> 00:01:13,358              From then on,                   it was just Supreme Team.      31 00:01:13,406 --> 00:01:18,906                                    32 00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:24,249        [Eric]   The Supreme Team             is part of the urban legends    33 00:01:24,292 --> 00:01:27,052     and the myths that we grew up               understanding.            34 00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:29,047     [Bill]   They lived by a code.     35 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:30,509    I mean, they had a strong bond.  36 00:01:30,548 --> 00:01:31,668                [Eddie]                    It was always about the money.  37 00:01:31,716 --> 00:01:32,876        There's no doubt about it.     38 00:01:32,926 --> 00:01:34,426     And if you were the new jack                 on the block             39 00:01:34,469 --> 00:01:36,099          and you were gonna                    bump these guys,           40 00:01:36,137 --> 00:01:37,427             the Supreme Team                      would bump you,           41 00:01:37,472 --> 00:01:39,312              and that would                      be the end of it.          42 00:01:39,349 --> 00:01:41,179      [person]   You have athletes,                you have rappers,          43 00:01:41,226 --> 00:01:43,136            drug dealers--                   everybody is together.        44 00:01:43,186 --> 00:01:44,646              [LL Cool J]                   So, when you see these guys     45 00:01:44,687 --> 00:01:47,517        ride by in their cars with           the girls with the furs on,     46 00:01:47,565 --> 00:01:49,815        it really is seductive.       47 00:01:49,859 --> 00:01:52,899              They were like                  neighborhood superheroes.      48 00:01:55,490 --> 00:01:57,950      [Prince]   I've been in jail                   for 32 years.            49 00:01:57,992 --> 00:02:00,252       When you in this situation,                   you reflect,            50 00:02:00,286 --> 00:02:02,206            and you look back                       on your life.            51 00:02:02,247 --> 00:02:04,367            First thing you do                     is you find out           52 00:02:04,415 --> 00:02:06,575              what made you                    become criminal-minded.       53 00:02:06,626 --> 00:02:08,206            [siren wailing]           54 00:02:08,253 --> 00:02:09,463           [glass shatters]           55 00:02:09,504 --> 00:02:12,424              somber music           56 00:02:12,465 --> 00:02:17,795                                    57 00:02:27,647 --> 00:02:30,897             dramatic music          58 00:02:30,942 --> 00:02:35,992                                    59 00:03:18,573 --> 00:03:19,873            -[door closes]                -[LL Cool J] Running around,     60 00:03:19,908 --> 00:03:21,698    looking like goddamn Anchorman                or some shit.            61 00:03:21,743 --> 00:03:25,123               -What up?                           -[laughter]             62 00:03:25,163 --> 00:03:26,663                My guy.               63 00:03:26,706 --> 00:03:29,956         [LL Cool J] You know               what I mean? Shit crazy.       64 00:03:30,001 --> 00:03:32,631          Yo, I can't believe                  I'm talking to you,         65 00:03:32,670 --> 00:03:34,090      interviewing you like this.     66 00:03:34,130 --> 00:03:35,590      Like, this is crazy to me.      67 00:03:35,632 --> 00:03:37,432         Just want to fan out                   for five seconds.          68 00:03:37,467 --> 00:03:39,297       -No, it's all love, man.                   -[Nas laughs]            69 00:03:39,344 --> 00:03:41,604     It's all love, bro, for real.    70 00:03:41,638 --> 00:03:44,098                 [Nas]                     Street guys and rap dudes,      71 00:03:44,140 --> 00:03:45,810       they from the same stuff.      72 00:03:45,850 --> 00:03:49,600          How influential was            the Supreme Team out in Queens?  73 00:03:49,646 --> 00:03:50,896       -Oh, I can give you that.                  -[Nas] Yeah.             74 00:03:50,939 --> 00:03:53,689      [LL Cool J]   I used to ride             my bicycle from Northside      75 00:03:53,733 --> 00:03:54,903      all the way over to Southside    76 00:03:54,943 --> 00:03:56,533          and just be over there                      looking--              77 00:03:56,569 --> 00:03:58,359       you know, just checking out               what they was doing.        78 00:03:58,404 --> 00:04:00,534       Going through Bricktown,               going all over there,        79 00:04:00,573 --> 00:04:02,243    just seeing what was happening.  80 00:04:02,283 --> 00:04:03,493        They were the biggest.        81 00:04:03,534 --> 00:04:05,254         [LL Cool J] They were           the biggest and the brightest.    82 00:04:05,286 --> 00:04:06,866           Me, because I was                    always ambitious,          83 00:04:06,913 --> 00:04:10,253      I gravitated to those kinds                of characters.            84 00:04:10,291 --> 00:04:11,751         Can someone bring me                     the computer?            85 00:04:11,793 --> 00:04:13,753            I got something                     to show my man L,          86 00:04:13,795 --> 00:04:17,125     around the time when you were               maybe 17 or 18.           87 00:04:17,173 --> 00:04:18,553         Cue up the videotape.        88 00:04:18,591 --> 00:04:21,891           [tape rewinding]           89 00:04:21,928 --> 00:04:22,888           Ain't loud enough          90 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:24,889         for this money-making              motherfucking crew, now.       91 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:27,641         Y'all got to get loud            for these motherfuckers here.    92 00:04:27,684 --> 00:04:28,774          Look at these boys!         93 00:04:28,810 --> 00:04:30,650               God damn!                     Y'all got to get loud.        94 00:04:30,687 --> 00:04:34,437     [Nas]   We saw you in the club          here at a Supreme Team party.    95 00:04:34,482 --> 00:04:36,032          -[LL Cool J]   Word?                -[Nas]   Yeah, at Warner's.      96 00:04:36,067 --> 00:04:38,437    You probably haven't seen this              since you been--           97 00:04:38,486 --> 00:04:40,486          You probably never                  saw this before, bro.        98 00:04:40,530 --> 00:04:42,070                -Yeah.                       -[Nas] Check this out.        99 00:04:42,115 --> 00:04:45,485        [LL Cool J]   Holy shit.               Where did y'all get that?      100 00:04:45,535 --> 00:04:47,325    [person speaking indistinctly]    101 00:04:47,370 --> 00:04:48,960                 Damn, B.              102 00:04:48,997 --> 00:04:53,127               [laughs]                      That's fucking hilarious.      103 00:04:53,167 --> 00:04:55,797      What's so crazy about that               is that I remember          104 00:04:55,837 --> 00:04:57,627             going to some                      of them parties,           105 00:04:57,672 --> 00:04:59,762        but I couldn't remember                which party it was.         106 00:04:59,799 --> 00:05:02,009       -So was that that party?             -[Nas] Prince's birthday.      107 00:05:02,051 --> 00:05:04,471         [person] Once again,              send out a "happy birthday"     108 00:05:04,512 --> 00:05:06,472         going out to Prince.         109 00:05:06,514 --> 00:05:07,854         A thoroughbred, huh?         110 00:05:07,890 --> 00:05:09,390              [LL Cool J]                        And I-I was there.         111 00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:10,734              -[Nas]   Yes.                    -[LL Cool J]   I knew it!       112 00:05:10,768 --> 00:05:11,888             Yo, damn, B.             113 00:05:11,936 --> 00:05:14,606     That's crazy 'cause I thought            I went to that party,        114 00:05:14,647 --> 00:05:16,767    and I kept saying, "I remember            going to that party."        115 00:05:16,816 --> 00:05:18,856           And I also remember                      not being able           116 00:05:18,901 --> 00:05:20,861          to get near that stage                    at that time,            117 00:05:20,903 --> 00:05:23,573       'cause it was bossed up,                 like, real heavy.          118 00:05:23,614 --> 00:05:24,874     So I was, like, in the crowd     119 00:05:24,907 --> 00:05:26,407         just kind of playing                     my position.             120 00:05:26,451 --> 00:05:28,241    [person] We're gonna make this              a birthday party           121 00:05:28,286 --> 00:05:30,076    that Prince won't never forget.  122 00:05:30,121 --> 00:05:32,001       [LL Cool J]   They're like              the godfathers of Queens,      123 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,880       like, that most people don't           talk about or know about.      124 00:05:35,918 --> 00:05:38,628          I didn't know Prince,             but what I did know of Prince    125 00:05:38,671 --> 00:05:40,971         is don't play with him,                      you know?              126 00:05:41,007 --> 00:05:43,127      Homey washes up with two guns.  127 00:05:43,176 --> 00:05:44,426                 Okay?                128 00:05:44,469 --> 00:05:45,849         He ain't even getting                   in the shower.            129 00:05:45,887 --> 00:05:48,387      He washing up with two guns                on the sink, B.           130 00:05:48,431 --> 00:05:51,561        Like, this was the word               that came back to us.        131 00:05:51,601 --> 00:05:54,231            I want to make                    a special dedication         132 00:05:54,270 --> 00:05:55,360       to my man, my brother...       133 00:05:55,396 --> 00:05:57,356     [LL Cool J]   Preme was always                  cool with me,            134 00:05:57,398 --> 00:05:58,608       and he always gave me love.     135 00:05:58,649 --> 00:06:00,489        It was nice to be part                   of the family.            136 00:06:00,526 --> 00:06:01,566               You know?                            [laughs]               137 00:06:01,611 --> 00:06:02,951           He was different                  from the rest of them.        138 00:06:02,987 --> 00:06:04,527                Oh, no,                   he was definitely different,     139 00:06:04,572 --> 00:06:05,992           because what people                    have to understand         140 00:06:06,032 --> 00:06:08,952        about street life is that            you have a lot of hustlers,     141 00:06:08,993 --> 00:06:10,623            but then you have                      some gangsters,           142 00:06:10,661 --> 00:06:12,791           and a lot of people                don't know the difference.     143 00:06:12,830 --> 00:06:14,830     When you meet certain people,             they got the look.          144 00:06:14,874 --> 00:06:15,924         You know what it is.         145 00:06:15,958 --> 00:06:17,498             When you say                     "what's up?" to them         146 00:06:17,543 --> 00:06:18,713         and they take, like,                      30 seconds              147 00:06:18,753 --> 00:06:19,923     before they say "hello" back              and they're like--          148 00:06:19,962 --> 00:06:21,382        -You know what I mean?                     -[laughter]             149 00:06:21,422 --> 00:06:22,342         You know what it is.         150 00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:23,722         -You know that look.                        -Yeah.                151 00:06:23,758 --> 00:06:25,508       We know what it is, so...      152 00:06:25,551 --> 00:06:27,471                -Wolf.                               -Wolf.                153 00:06:27,512 --> 00:06:30,432     But these are choices, right?    154 00:06:30,473 --> 00:06:32,063          You have some dudes                     who try to--             155 00:06:32,100 --> 00:06:33,980           just want to make               a little money and get out,     156 00:06:34,018 --> 00:06:36,558     and then you have some dudes            that go all the way in.       157 00:06:36,604 --> 00:06:39,694              tense music            158 00:06:39,732 --> 00:06:40,982                                    159 00:06:41,025 --> 00:06:42,565                 [Nas]                      I've been telling this story    160 00:06:42,610 --> 00:06:45,280          since I first started                       rapping...             161 00:06:45,321 --> 00:06:46,951            on "Memory Lane"--         162 00:06:46,989 --> 00:06:49,449           "Some fiends scream                   about Supreme Team,         163 00:06:49,492 --> 00:06:50,872         a Jamaica Queens thing."      164 00:06:50,910 --> 00:06:52,750            Some fiends scream                  about Supreme Team         165 00:06:52,787 --> 00:06:54,077         A Jamaica Queens thing      166 00:06:54,122 --> 00:06:56,792          Uptown was Alpo, son,              heard he was kingpin, yo      167 00:06:56,833 --> 00:07:01,213      But something stood out to me           about the guys in Queens.      168 00:07:01,254 --> 00:07:03,674      [Prince]   Make sure I ain't              leaving nobody out here.      169 00:07:03,714 --> 00:07:06,304           Other than Supreme,                     you had myself,           170 00:07:06,342 --> 00:07:09,762          then Green Eyed Born,                  you had Black Just,         171 00:07:09,804 --> 00:07:12,314            you had Baby Wise,                      you had Bimmy,           172 00:07:12,348 --> 00:07:13,638           and Shannon, C-Just,        173 00:07:13,683 --> 00:07:16,023         you had Tucker, Teddy--                 it's a whole bunch.         174 00:07:16,060 --> 00:07:18,310           I was trying to name                most of the lieutenants.      175 00:07:18,354 --> 00:07:21,074      This story is about people              who were juggernauts.        176 00:07:21,107 --> 00:07:23,147            These guys were                     bigger than life.          177 00:07:23,192 --> 00:07:25,612         How could we not see                   what was going on          178 00:07:25,653 --> 00:07:26,993          in Jamaica, Queens?         179 00:07:27,029 --> 00:07:29,319       Comin' outta Queensbridge     180 00:07:29,365 --> 00:07:30,775          I'm from Queensbridge.       181 00:07:30,825 --> 00:07:33,825      Queensbridge is near the city,          right across the water.       182 00:07:33,870 --> 00:07:37,040        You can look at Manhattan           from the park in Queensbridge.  183 00:07:37,081 --> 00:07:38,711           You're looking at it                      right there.            184 00:07:38,749 --> 00:07:41,749           So Jamaica, Queens,                is way deep inside Queens.     185 00:07:41,794 --> 00:07:44,764          You know, when Jamaica             came into my consciousness,     186 00:07:44,797 --> 00:07:48,217             it had that ring                  like the Jamaica island.      187 00:07:48,259 --> 00:07:49,839           Jamaica? Really?           188 00:07:49,886 --> 00:07:52,306            Like, you know,              "What is this place?" You know?  189 00:07:52,346 --> 00:07:55,306          How dope is it that            there's a place called Jamaica    190 00:07:55,349 --> 00:07:58,389              in New York                and there's Black people there?  191 00:07:58,436 --> 00:07:59,266           [phone vibrates]           192 00:07:59,312 --> 00:08:01,112           [automated voice]                  You have a prepaid call.      193 00:08:01,147 --> 00:08:02,857         You will not be charged                    for this call.           194 00:08:02,899 --> 00:08:05,109          -This call is from...                  -[Prince]   Prince.          195 00:08:05,151 --> 00:08:07,111           [automated voice]                This call is being recorded     196 00:08:07,153 --> 00:08:09,163      and is subject to monitoring.    197 00:08:09,197 --> 00:08:10,987       [Prince]   I love New York,                 and I love Queens,         198 00:08:11,032 --> 00:08:12,742              and my family                   was just across the street     199 00:08:12,783 --> 00:08:14,123          from Baisley Projects.       200 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,250       So I lived over more towards              the 40 Project area.        201 00:08:17,288 --> 00:08:20,748             But Baisley was                      on the other side.         202 00:08:20,791 --> 00:08:23,381        [Supreme]   I was raised                 in a private residence       203 00:08:23,419 --> 00:08:25,799        with a lawn, gate, a dog.      204 00:08:25,838 --> 00:08:28,588            Compared to people                 that grew up around me,       205 00:08:28,633 --> 00:08:30,893        I had a perfect childhood.     206 00:08:32,178 --> 00:08:34,098     [I. Daneek]   I'm councilmember               I. Daneek Miller.          207 00:08:34,138 --> 00:08:36,348              I represent                   the 27th council district      208 00:08:36,390 --> 00:08:38,600       here in Jamaica, Queens,                     New York.              209 00:08:38,643 --> 00:08:41,653               jazz music            210 00:08:41,687 --> 00:08:43,107                                    211 00:08:43,147 --> 00:08:47,647       I'm very proud of Jamaica's              rich cultural history.       212 00:08:47,693 --> 00:08:51,243          First and foremost,               it is the largest enclave      213 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,160          of African American             homeownership in the nation.     214 00:08:56,077 --> 00:08:57,827       And that's unique in a city     215 00:08:57,870 --> 00:09:00,830          where 75% of the city                      are renters,            216 00:09:00,873 --> 00:09:04,213            to have homeowners                 and homeowners of color.      217 00:09:04,252 --> 00:09:08,262        [Eric]   Queens was like           The Jeffersons   for Black folks.  218 00:09:08,297 --> 00:09:10,087               You know...                       We're moving on up        219 00:09:10,132 --> 00:09:12,592        Hardworking-class people,      220 00:09:12,635 --> 00:09:15,005         teachers, civil servants      221 00:09:15,054 --> 00:09:17,434      just purchasing their own home  222 00:09:17,473 --> 00:09:20,563      trying to, like, experience             this modified version        223 00:09:20,601 --> 00:09:22,901        of the American Dream.        224 00:09:22,937 --> 00:09:25,767    [Andrew]   In the earliest days,            Queens had a reputation       225 00:09:25,815 --> 00:09:28,525                 as being                      the recreation borough.       226 00:09:28,568 --> 00:09:32,778          People would come from              Manhattan across the river     227 00:09:32,822 --> 00:09:35,662         and recreate and picnic                      and relax,             228 00:09:35,700 --> 00:09:38,200         get away from the city.       229 00:09:38,244 --> 00:09:40,454      The people who migrated here--  230 00:09:40,496 --> 00:09:42,326          coming from the South,                 coming from Harlem,         231 00:09:42,373 --> 00:09:44,253            were also some                    of the businesspeople        232 00:09:44,292 --> 00:09:46,002               and some                    of the civic-minded people      233 00:09:46,043 --> 00:09:47,253       were about, "what can we do     234 00:09:47,295 --> 00:09:51,165      to make this community better            for future generations?"      235 00:09:51,215 --> 00:09:52,375        [Nas]   When I was a kid,       236 00:09:52,425 --> 00:09:55,545       there was a lot of thriving             Black-owned businesses.       237 00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:56,965               In Jamaica,             238 00:09:57,013 --> 00:10:00,893       a Black construction company                built the city.           239 00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:03,233    [Mark]   My name is Mark Griffin,  240 00:10:03,269 --> 00:10:06,439             president of                 M.E. Griffin Contracting Inc.    241 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,690            [truck beeping]           242 00:10:08,733 --> 00:10:11,283               jazz music            243 00:10:11,319 --> 00:10:14,239          [Roy]   In the '60s,                     in the early '70s,         244 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,030       there were no other Black               contractors there,          245 00:10:17,074 --> 00:10:18,914           none whatsoever.           246 00:10:18,951 --> 00:10:20,751                                    247 00:10:20,786 --> 00:10:22,746       It was a struggle all along,    248 00:10:22,788 --> 00:10:26,288         but L.B. had persistence                  to pursue them.           249 00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:30,594     [Mark]   Pretty much, downtown            Jamaica is--they built it.     250 00:10:30,630 --> 00:10:32,420      Archer Avenue retaining wall.    251 00:10:32,465 --> 00:10:36,135           Part of the J train                       down below.             252 00:10:36,177 --> 00:10:38,677      We were just the excavators                on these sites.           253 00:10:38,721 --> 00:10:39,811              -[Roy] Yes.                            -Right.               254 00:10:39,847 --> 00:10:41,767        [Roy]   And as you know,                     any building,            255 00:10:41,807 --> 00:10:43,597       what's the important thing?     256 00:10:43,643 --> 00:10:44,853           -The foundation.                       -Foundation.             257 00:10:44,894 --> 00:10:46,484              Beginning.              258 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:51,650                                    259 00:10:57,782 --> 00:10:59,122     [Toni]   Growing up in Queens,     260 00:10:59,158 --> 00:11:02,368           everyone's connected                    based on family,          261 00:11:02,411 --> 00:11:06,081       and that's how I got to meet                 Gerald Miller.           262 00:11:06,123 --> 00:11:09,093       [Prince]   Toni and I were               each other's first love.      263 00:11:09,126 --> 00:11:11,836          She captured my heart              in every sense of the word.     264 00:11:11,879 --> 00:11:13,839            You know, we were                    the exact same age,         265 00:11:13,881 --> 00:11:15,841            and she was very,                     very intelligent.          266 00:11:15,883 --> 00:11:18,143        And it look me a long time                 to win her over,          267 00:11:18,177 --> 00:11:20,217          but it was well worth                       the wait.              268 00:11:20,262 --> 00:11:23,352              Absolutely,                     he was my first kiss.        269 00:11:23,391 --> 00:11:25,181               [laughs]               270 00:11:25,226 --> 00:11:26,806         I was so embarrassed.        271 00:11:26,852 --> 00:11:28,772          Like, "I don't know                 how to kiss anyone."         272 00:11:28,813 --> 00:11:32,153               [laughs]                            But he was.             273 00:11:32,191 --> 00:11:35,401           [Prince]   Toni was                  an excellent cook, man.       274 00:11:35,444 --> 00:11:37,034             That's one thing                       about me, man.           275 00:11:37,071 --> 00:11:39,241           I love homemade food                      and cooking.            276 00:11:39,281 --> 00:11:40,951        I just wanted to say that.     277 00:11:40,991 --> 00:11:42,081        That was important to me,      278 00:11:42,118 --> 00:11:45,788            and I really love                    and respected that.         279 00:11:45,830 --> 00:11:47,790                [Toni]                       I gave him specific times      280 00:11:47,832 --> 00:11:49,632           so I know, like,               in between, you know, my job.    281 00:11:49,667 --> 00:11:52,587     So he'll call and say, "Okay,         I'm gonna call at this time     282 00:11:52,628 --> 00:11:54,128      the next day or tomorrow."      283 00:11:54,171 --> 00:11:55,881           So three o'clock.          284 00:11:55,923 --> 00:11:58,683    It is three o'clock on the dot.  285 00:11:58,718 --> 00:12:00,968            Whoo. [laughs]            286 00:12:01,011 --> 00:12:03,391           [ringtone plays]           287 00:12:03,431 --> 00:12:04,351                Hello?                288 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:05,770             [Prince]   Hey.                    ¿Cómo está, mamacita?        289 00:12:05,808 --> 00:12:07,478           Hey.   ¿Cómo estás?          290 00:12:07,518 --> 00:12:11,358           When we were young,                there was no Supreme Team.     291 00:12:11,397 --> 00:12:15,607           Those were the boys               that was part of my family.     292 00:12:15,651 --> 00:12:19,161         It just makes everything               that happened to them        293 00:12:19,196 --> 00:12:20,816           very complicated.          294 00:12:20,865 --> 00:12:22,315     It's like, "How can that be?     295 00:12:22,366 --> 00:12:24,616         That's not the person                  that I live with.          296 00:12:24,660 --> 00:12:26,370          That's not the person                  that I grew up with.        297 00:12:26,412 --> 00:12:29,122          That's not the person               that was in my household."     298 00:12:29,165 --> 00:12:31,415         You know? What happened?      299 00:12:31,459 --> 00:12:34,709         melancholy jazz music       300 00:12:34,754 --> 00:12:37,344                                    301 00:12:37,381 --> 00:12:40,471    [Prince]   When I was growing up,         I was just a regular child     302 00:12:40,509 --> 00:12:42,429             living his life                       and not thinking          303 00:12:42,470 --> 00:12:44,890            about the worries                       of the world.            304 00:12:44,930 --> 00:12:46,180            But the year 1973          305 00:12:46,223 --> 00:12:49,603        was one that would change                the rest of my life.        306 00:12:49,643 --> 00:12:52,693           upbeat funk music         307 00:12:52,730 --> 00:12:57,820                                    308 00:13:01,739 --> 00:13:03,909      [Nas]   1973 was a big year.      309 00:13:03,949 --> 00:13:07,789     [Dick Clark]   It is now 1973.     310 00:13:07,828 --> 00:13:10,538      [Richard Nixon]   We, today,            have concluded an agreement     311 00:13:10,581 --> 00:13:14,671    to end the war and bring peace           with honor in Vietnam.        312 00:13:14,710 --> 00:13:15,920        [Nas]   The Twin Towers,        313 00:13:15,961 --> 00:13:17,671          the tallest buildings                     in the world,            314 00:13:17,713 --> 00:13:19,633           were getting built.         315 00:13:19,673 --> 00:13:22,843                                    316 00:13:22,885 --> 00:13:24,085           It was the last time        317 00:13:24,136 --> 00:13:25,886           the Knicks took home                   the championship.          318 00:13:25,930 --> 00:13:27,430              [announcer]                     And the New York Knicks       319 00:13:27,473 --> 00:13:30,733      have won the NBA championship                    in 1973.              320 00:13:30,768 --> 00:13:35,268     [Nas]   My first love, hip-hop,         some say, was born that year.    321 00:13:35,314 --> 00:13:39,284                                    322 00:13:39,318 --> 00:13:41,858          It seemed like nothing                   could go wrong.           323 00:13:41,904 --> 00:13:43,954           [train squealing]          324 00:13:43,989 --> 00:13:48,989      [distant train horn blows,                 siren wailing]            325 00:13:52,957 --> 00:13:55,167             Do you remember                       Clifford Glover?          326 00:13:55,209 --> 00:13:57,249         Very well. Very well.        327 00:13:57,294 --> 00:14:01,014            Clifford Glover                 was a ten-year-old child.      328 00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:05,974              somber music           329 00:14:06,011 --> 00:14:07,851      It was on New York Boulevard.    330 00:14:07,888 --> 00:14:10,848             It's now called                   Guy R. Brewer Boulevard.      331 00:14:10,891 --> 00:14:12,851                                    332 00:14:12,893 --> 00:14:14,023          And they were running.       333 00:14:14,061 --> 00:14:17,151               Officer Shea                      shot Clifford Glover        334 00:14:17,189 --> 00:14:18,519               in the back.            335 00:14:18,566 --> 00:14:20,316        [reporter]   In this lot                  in Jamaica, Queens,         336 00:14:20,359 --> 00:14:21,489        was young Clifford Glover      337 00:14:21,527 --> 00:14:23,357           wielding a black gun                      in his hand             338 00:14:23,404 --> 00:14:26,034           when police officer              Thomas Shea shot him to death?  339 00:14:26,073 --> 00:14:28,413            The police search               never turned up such a weapon.  340 00:14:28,450 --> 00:14:30,200               [Prince]                      I had mostly fond memories     341 00:14:30,244 --> 00:14:32,204            of the early years                    of my life, right?         342 00:14:32,246 --> 00:14:33,326      Most of the time it was filled  343 00:14:33,372 --> 00:14:35,252           with, like, laughter                    and excitement.           344 00:14:35,291 --> 00:14:37,331          So I was very innocent                    to the world,            345 00:14:37,376 --> 00:14:38,786            what was going on                       in the world.            346 00:14:38,836 --> 00:14:41,256       But when the Clifford Glover               killing happened,          347 00:14:41,297 --> 00:14:44,127         it brought consciousness                       to me.               348 00:14:44,174 --> 00:14:47,604          [Eric]   We view life                through our set of prisms.     349 00:14:47,636 --> 00:14:51,386            And if you looked                  at the police department      350 00:14:51,432 --> 00:14:54,602      during that time, early '70s,    351 00:14:54,643 --> 00:14:57,653          it was a predominantly                  white department.          352 00:14:57,688 --> 00:15:00,018            Many of them came                      from communities          353 00:15:00,065 --> 00:15:02,355      where there was no diversity.    354 00:15:02,401 --> 00:15:04,531            And so now imagine                       that mindset            355 00:15:04,570 --> 00:15:07,660         now coming into what              they considered the jungle      356 00:15:07,698 --> 00:15:12,288          and policing good,                  middle-class people.         357 00:15:13,245 --> 00:15:16,415      It just was the wrong mixture.  358 00:15:16,457 --> 00:15:19,417       [Toni]   That was probably                 the breaking point.         359 00:15:19,460 --> 00:15:21,750           As strong as he is,                      that really--            360 00:15:21,795 --> 00:15:25,165           and still today--             like, that's very disheartening  361 00:15:25,215 --> 00:15:27,585             when you feel                    like you lost someone        362 00:15:27,635 --> 00:15:31,095            over something                  that's just that violent       363 00:15:31,138 --> 00:15:32,558            at that young age.         364 00:15:32,598 --> 00:15:36,388           It's wear and tear,                and you don't forget that.     365 00:15:36,435 --> 00:15:39,765       [Prince]   He lived about--             just a few blocks from me.     366 00:15:39,813 --> 00:15:41,193      I didn't know him as a friend.  367 00:15:41,231 --> 00:15:42,981         I'm not one to sit here                 and say that I did.         368 00:15:43,025 --> 00:15:46,645       It's the fact that somebody           could be walking to a job--     369 00:15:46,695 --> 00:15:49,105      a job to help their stepfather              on the weekend,           370 00:15:49,156 --> 00:15:50,986             and he's killed.          371 00:15:51,033 --> 00:15:53,123                 And then                       to make matters worse,       372 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,210             a trial happens,                 and he's found not guilty      373 00:15:56,246 --> 00:15:58,116      by a predominantly white jury.  374 00:15:58,165 --> 00:16:01,835             In one instance,                  I woke up to the reality      375 00:16:01,877 --> 00:16:06,377          that my color could be               a detriment to my life.       376 00:16:06,423 --> 00:16:08,553           For me at that time,        377 00:16:08,592 --> 00:16:11,602        it took my innocence away.     378 00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:14,557      I was on the Little League                  baseball team            379 00:16:14,598 --> 00:16:16,808      in 40 Projects at the time,     380 00:16:16,850 --> 00:16:20,520         playing a white team             when the verdict came down...    381 00:16:20,562 --> 00:16:22,362             dramatic music          382 00:16:22,398 --> 00:16:23,518         ...when all of a sudden,      383 00:16:23,565 --> 00:16:27,695              I saw a crowd                  of about 100 Black residents    384 00:16:27,736 --> 00:16:30,316            of 40 Projects                     coming with pipes.          385 00:16:30,364 --> 00:16:31,574         They picked up our bats,      386 00:16:31,615 --> 00:16:34,195        and they started attacking              the white ballplayers        387 00:16:34,243 --> 00:16:35,543           from Nassau County.         388 00:16:35,577 --> 00:16:37,537                 I mean,                       you could hear the sound      389 00:16:37,579 --> 00:16:39,869          of the bats hitting                     their skulls,            390 00:16:39,915 --> 00:16:41,535     and it was just unbelievable.    391 00:16:41,583 --> 00:16:44,883        We were in total shock                  of what happened.          392 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,420        It happened so quickly.       393 00:16:47,464 --> 00:16:49,594     [Prince]   All hell broke loose               in South Jamaica.          394 00:16:49,633 --> 00:16:50,683        You know what I'm saying?      395 00:16:50,718 --> 00:16:52,428              South Jamaica                       went up in flames.         396 00:16:52,469 --> 00:16:53,549        You know what I'm saying?      397 00:16:53,595 --> 00:16:55,385          South Jamaica, Queens,                  went up in flames.         398 00:16:55,431 --> 00:16:56,721      What happened to this kid?      399 00:16:56,765 --> 00:16:59,975       Why is all this injustice           happening in South Jamaica?     400 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:02,269        Why can't we get work?        401 00:17:02,312 --> 00:17:05,322             That was it.                  They couldn't take no more.     402 00:17:05,357 --> 00:17:09,187        -What'd Lou say to you?            -Just block up the streets.     403 00:17:09,236 --> 00:17:10,486          That's what we did.         404 00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:12,359            [truck beeping]           405 00:17:12,406 --> 00:17:14,616          There was no commerce                  going back and forth        406 00:17:14,658 --> 00:17:16,578        to Jamaica Avenue anymore.     407 00:17:16,618 --> 00:17:20,618           We stopped the city                 of South Jamaica still.       408 00:17:20,664 --> 00:17:24,844       But it became a major uproar              in the neighborhood.        409 00:17:24,877 --> 00:17:25,747                  Mm.                 410 00:17:25,794 --> 00:17:28,134          -It woke people up.                    -That's right.            411 00:17:28,172 --> 00:17:31,972             Local gangs,                 especially the Seven Crowns.     412 00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:35,009             dramatic music          413 00:17:35,054 --> 00:17:39,064                                    414 00:17:41,435 --> 00:17:42,805              [Mr. Black]                   My name is Michael Mitchell.    415 00:17:42,853 --> 00:17:45,773             On the streets,                   they call me Mr. Black.       416 00:17:45,814 --> 00:17:48,234     [Prince]   But Black was ahead                  of the Crowns.           417 00:17:48,275 --> 00:17:49,565      I know when I was growing up,    418 00:17:49,610 --> 00:17:53,280        the Seven Crowns stood out           more to me than any others.     419 00:17:53,322 --> 00:17:55,952        [Eric]   There used to be                  this number seven          420 00:17:55,991 --> 00:17:57,661        with a crown on top of it,     421 00:17:57,701 --> 00:18:00,201             and it was just                    extremely impressive.        422 00:18:00,245 --> 00:18:03,415    And just being just associated            with the Seven Crowns        423 00:18:03,457 --> 00:18:06,787         just gave me a sense              of ownership and belonging.     424 00:18:06,835 --> 00:18:10,045      [Mr. Black]   The police kept            trying to downplay stuff,      425 00:18:10,089 --> 00:18:11,469            like, you know,           426 00:18:11,507 --> 00:18:13,377             it happened,                   and he could've had this.      427 00:18:13,425 --> 00:18:16,005          They found the gun,                 and it was a mistake.        428 00:18:16,053 --> 00:18:17,683      It wasn't no damn mistake.      429 00:18:17,721 --> 00:18:19,431                 We knew                      what they was capable of,      430 00:18:19,473 --> 00:18:22,063      and the main thing's that they         keep getting away with it.     431 00:18:22,101 --> 00:18:25,401        It's justifiable homicide.     432 00:18:25,437 --> 00:18:28,817            And so, you know,               we marched on the precinct...    433 00:18:28,857 --> 00:18:30,977          trying to strike back                   and let them know          434 00:18:31,026 --> 00:18:33,446          that enough is enough             and we just not gonna sit down  435 00:18:33,487 --> 00:18:35,157              and let y'all                     just keep doing that.        436 00:18:35,197 --> 00:18:38,277     [Prince]   I was ten years old          when that situation happened.    437 00:18:38,325 --> 00:18:39,405         That shit stuck with me.      438 00:18:39,451 --> 00:18:40,951          It may not have stuck                    with everybody,           439 00:18:40,994 --> 00:18:42,584       but it stuck with some of us                 that was young           440 00:18:42,621 --> 00:18:44,501      in South Jamaica at that time.  441 00:18:44,540 --> 00:18:46,580      Sometimes we believe the--      442 00:18:46,625 --> 00:18:50,545    when that bullet hits the body                of a person,             443 00:18:50,587 --> 00:18:52,667     that it stops its trajectory.    444 00:18:52,714 --> 00:18:55,304    And, no, the emotional pathway               of that bullet            445 00:18:55,342 --> 00:18:58,302               continues                     to just dig through us.       446 00:18:58,345 --> 00:19:01,965           And the mere fact              that Prince mentioned that--     447 00:19:02,015 --> 00:19:03,845    I think about it all the time--  448 00:19:03,892 --> 00:19:09,152     it shows how it just defined           how we looked at policing      449 00:19:09,189 --> 00:19:12,109         and what policing meant.      450 00:19:12,151 --> 00:19:15,901      [Prince]   It was that moment            that I started realizing,      451 00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:18,906                  "Damn,                      we second-class citizens."     452 00:19:18,949 --> 00:19:22,869      And that became my Black Power              moment for real.          453 00:19:22,911 --> 00:19:25,411         Some people would, like,             become activists from it.      454 00:19:25,455 --> 00:19:28,535              It changed me                      in a different way.         455 00:19:40,721 --> 00:19:43,471       -[person]   Shake his hand.                 -[both]   Peace.            456 00:19:43,515 --> 00:19:46,055       [Nas]   The world has a way               of stripping Black men       457 00:19:46,101 --> 00:19:47,191           of their innocence.         458 00:19:47,227 --> 00:19:50,357          But at the same time,             our community was teaching us    459 00:19:50,397 --> 00:19:52,477          to think for ourselves                       as gods.              460 00:19:52,524 --> 00:19:56,114     We, the Five Percenter here,         we represent ourself as God.     461 00:19:56,153 --> 00:19:59,993      through our true knowledge                     as God.               462 00:20:00,032 --> 00:20:01,952          All wise people...          463 00:20:01,992 --> 00:20:04,202               [Supreme]                     Well, when we was younger,     464 00:20:04,244 --> 00:20:05,834       we were never gang related.     465 00:20:05,871 --> 00:20:07,291       We were never gang oriented.    466 00:20:07,331 --> 00:20:09,081            But we had became                      Five Percenters           467 00:20:09,124 --> 00:20:10,134           when we were young.         468 00:20:10,167 --> 00:20:13,627         The Five Percent Nation,             Nation of Gods and Earths.     469 00:20:13,670 --> 00:20:17,380               [C Allah]                    Our focus was, go to school,    470 00:20:17,424 --> 00:20:19,554          get your education,         471 00:20:19,593 --> 00:20:23,223        because that education                is the key to the lot        472 00:20:23,263 --> 00:20:24,973         to enlighten yourself        473 00:20:25,015 --> 00:20:28,345            and to progress                  to get better in life.        474 00:20:28,393 --> 00:20:32,403         And that was actually              one of the main teachings      475 00:20:32,439 --> 00:20:33,649        of the Five Percenters.       476 00:20:33,690 --> 00:20:38,360         [Supreme]   C Allah is                the last remaining brother     477 00:20:38,403 --> 00:20:40,453               that brought                     the Five Percent to--        478 00:20:40,489 --> 00:20:42,369            we call it desert,                     which is Queens.          479 00:20:42,407 --> 00:20:45,077    With the knowledge of each man           upon this Planet Earth        480 00:20:45,118 --> 00:20:48,828          that he is God, and            the original Black man is God.    481 00:20:48,872 --> 00:20:51,582    [Understanding]   For you to say               that you're a god,         482 00:20:51,625 --> 00:20:54,585       your mind and your vision             becomes, like, tenfold,       483 00:20:54,628 --> 00:20:56,668         and you start trying                 to find other things         484 00:20:56,713 --> 00:20:58,763     to get you out of the poverty    485 00:20:58,799 --> 00:21:00,759            that said that you                    were just a slave          486 00:21:00,801 --> 00:21:01,971      when you came to this country,  487 00:21:02,010 --> 00:21:03,680               and you have                       no other knowledge         488 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:04,760        about any of your history.     489 00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:08,845             That concept                enlightened young kids like me    490 00:21:08,892 --> 00:21:12,402        to know about themselves,      491 00:21:12,437 --> 00:21:14,397       find out about your history,    492 00:21:14,439 --> 00:21:16,689            and in the process                      of doing that,           493 00:21:16,733 --> 00:21:18,033     you're taking people with you    494 00:21:18,068 --> 00:21:20,198      because you're enlightening                  them, too.              495 00:21:20,237 --> 00:21:22,737     [Supreme]   The dude who taught         me about the Five Percenters--  496 00:21:22,781 --> 00:21:25,451      and gave me knowledge itself--           his name was Supreme.        497 00:21:25,492 --> 00:21:28,252         So I was given his name.      498 00:21:28,287 --> 00:21:30,037       Whatever name you're given,     499 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,420              you got to try                      to live up to it.          500 00:21:32,457 --> 00:21:35,457           soft ambient music        501 00:21:35,502 --> 00:21:38,172                                    502 00:21:38,213 --> 00:21:40,763      [Green Eyed Born]   You know,          we come from the same neigh--    503 00:21:40,799 --> 00:21:42,799         went to the same schools                  and everything.           504 00:21:42,843 --> 00:21:45,433       Shared the same friends,              shared the same people.       505 00:21:45,470 --> 00:21:47,390          Man, so, you know,                    we became a part           506 00:21:47,431 --> 00:21:49,351      of that awareness movement,     507 00:21:49,391 --> 00:21:52,061               which is                    the Nation of Five Percent.     508 00:21:52,102 --> 00:21:54,652      [Understanding]   Me, Preme,                and Green Eyed Born,        509 00:21:54,688 --> 00:21:56,978             the three of us                  had green eyes, you know?      510 00:21:57,024 --> 00:22:00,574      We always called each other                 the triplets,            511 00:22:00,610 --> 00:22:02,110               because--                   I don't know what it was--      512 00:22:02,154 --> 00:22:05,824        but the woman was just              loving green eyes, right?      513 00:22:06,783 --> 00:22:08,043     [person]   Pretty niggas, man.     514 00:22:08,076 --> 00:22:10,036             All them niggas                from Baisley was pretty, man.    515 00:22:10,078 --> 00:22:11,498          Pretty niggas, man.         516 00:22:11,538 --> 00:22:13,498       You know what I'm saying?                    [laughs]               517 00:22:13,540 --> 00:22:14,880       You know, can't no female                  ever say no.             518 00:22:14,916 --> 00:22:16,076      Like, you know what it is.      519 00:22:16,126 --> 00:22:17,496            [man] You know                    what I'm saying, man?        520 00:22:17,544 --> 00:22:19,634         You put a gold chain               and all that around him,       521 00:22:19,671 --> 00:22:20,881         he, like--that's it.         522 00:22:20,922 --> 00:22:22,762         Then there's nothing                    to talk about.            523 00:22:22,799 --> 00:22:24,219               -That's it.                        -[person]   Yeah.           524 00:22:24,259 --> 00:22:25,509         [person 2]   Dangerous.        525 00:22:25,552 --> 00:22:27,932               [person]                      Solid and dangerous, man.      526 00:22:27,971 --> 00:22:31,561      [Nas]   What was the climate              in New York early '70s?       527 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,310              [LL Cool J]                     Oh, I can give you that.      528 00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:37,022       The climate in New York,                     it was...              529 00:22:37,064 --> 00:22:38,234              dangerous.              530 00:22:38,273 --> 00:22:41,113               jazz music            531 00:22:41,151 --> 00:22:43,531     [person]   There's no law here.               There's no rules.          532 00:22:43,570 --> 00:22:45,110         Nothing is normal here.       533 00:22:45,155 --> 00:22:47,155          [person 2]   My God,                 the hopelessness of it all     534 00:22:47,199 --> 00:22:48,529            really grabs you.          535 00:22:48,575 --> 00:22:51,825            Gave him the keys                      to the city             536 00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:53,620                                    537 00:22:53,663 --> 00:22:56,543      - Called him the lovin' man             -[siren wailing]           538 00:22:56,583 --> 00:22:58,423                                    539 00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:01,170       His conversation is pretty   540 00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:02,763                                    541 00:23:02,798 --> 00:23:05,678    [LL Cool J]   It was "Mary Jane"                 by Rick James.           542 00:23:05,717 --> 00:23:09,387      It was Michael Jackson, like,              is in the zeitgeist.        543 00:23:09,429 --> 00:23:10,889               He's, like,                     a big part of our lives.      544 00:23:10,931 --> 00:23:13,431            It was pin joints.                    It was Thai stick.         545 00:23:13,475 --> 00:23:15,685           It was a crazy time.        546 00:23:15,727 --> 00:23:16,807                                    547 00:23:16,853 --> 00:23:18,863                Says folks                   should love one another       548 00:23:18,897 --> 00:23:20,517              [LL Cool J]                    Back then, it was an honor     549 00:23:20,565 --> 00:23:21,775          to be able to do that,                      you know?              550 00:23:21,817 --> 00:23:23,687        To be able to walk around                with your jewelry on        551 00:23:23,735 --> 00:23:24,985        actually meant something.      552 00:23:25,028 --> 00:23:26,738           He's a lovin' man         553 00:23:26,780 --> 00:23:28,200     [LL Cool J]   Yo, it's crazy--                 like, back then,          554 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,370         it was like, if you had            a $300, $400 pair of Gazelles    555 00:23:31,410 --> 00:23:32,660          -and a sheepskin...                       -Oh, boy,              556 00:23:32,702 --> 00:23:34,162          ...and you was able               to walk around with that       557 00:23:34,204 --> 00:23:35,874           and really, like,                 move around like that,        558 00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:37,334       it said a lot about you.       559 00:23:37,374 --> 00:23:42,134            Ooh, lovin' man          560 00:23:42,170 --> 00:23:44,460           [Nas]   The lessons                 of the Five-Percent Nation     561 00:23:44,506 --> 00:23:45,966          had weight and power.        562 00:23:46,007 --> 00:23:49,177       But the draw of the streets           brought a different weight,     563 00:23:49,219 --> 00:23:50,469                and money.             564 00:23:52,973 --> 00:23:55,143      [Prince]   I didn't see a lot           of opportunities back then.     565 00:23:55,183 --> 00:23:57,313          Even though my parents                 would instill in us         566 00:23:57,352 --> 00:23:59,442        that we could be anything           and do anything we want to do,  567 00:23:59,479 --> 00:24:02,519             I got caught up                    in a different mindset       568 00:24:02,566 --> 00:24:05,776                 because                      of what affected me more.      569 00:24:05,819 --> 00:24:08,239           One of the things             people ask me to define myself    570 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,740     and a lot of the people that         came from where I came from,     571 00:24:10,782 --> 00:24:14,452        we are very good people               that did bad things.         572 00:24:14,494 --> 00:24:15,954              somber music           573 00:24:15,996 --> 00:24:19,536      Our mentors in a lot of cases              were street people.         574 00:24:19,583 --> 00:24:21,753             They're the ones                  that came to our events.      575 00:24:21,793 --> 00:24:23,843             They're the ones                     that spoke to us.          576 00:24:23,879 --> 00:24:26,379       A lot of the people who were          doing well in our community,    577 00:24:26,423 --> 00:24:28,633        they didn't deal with us--                they'd walk by us.         578 00:24:28,675 --> 00:24:30,385           They didn't want to                    be attached to us,         579 00:24:30,427 --> 00:24:33,927      and the definitely didn't want       to invest a lot of time in us.  580 00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:36,932      But the street people did,                 and that's why,           581 00:24:36,975 --> 00:24:38,055          slowly but surely,          582 00:24:38,101 --> 00:24:41,311         those are the people                that we gravitated to.        583 00:24:41,354 --> 00:24:43,364      [Bing]   There was a few guys                  to look up to            584 00:24:43,398 --> 00:24:44,728          when I was growing up.       585 00:24:44,774 --> 00:24:46,574      They were just smooth cats.     586 00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:48,030     You know, they had a persona                  about them              587 00:24:48,069 --> 00:24:49,989      that just rubbed off, like,             you know what I mean?        588 00:24:50,030 --> 00:24:52,740        Always dressed nice, nice             cars, and stuff like that.     589 00:24:52,782 --> 00:24:55,662            When we was young,               we would just look up to 'em    590 00:24:55,702 --> 00:24:57,912       like that's what you want                     to be.                591 00:24:57,954 --> 00:24:59,714         [LL Cool J]   When you                walking around in the hood     592 00:24:59,748 --> 00:25:01,578         and you're a little kid,                you feel powerless.         593 00:25:01,625 --> 00:25:02,955           You feel invisible.         594 00:25:03,001 --> 00:25:06,341          So hustlers, you know,             were always important to me,    595 00:25:06,379 --> 00:25:07,629      because at the end of the day,  596 00:25:07,672 --> 00:25:10,262        they were the only people              I saw that had any money      597 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:11,220             and any success.          598 00:25:11,259 --> 00:25:13,799          Now, you know, people                  in the outside world        599 00:25:13,845 --> 00:25:16,215         would judge--would say,             "That's not really success,"    600 00:25:16,264 --> 00:25:18,604         but when you're from                   where we're from,          601 00:25:18,642 --> 00:25:19,942            it is success.            602 00:25:19,976 --> 00:25:22,806      Bottom line is this, man--          it's a sad state of affairs,     603 00:25:22,854 --> 00:25:24,734              but sometimes                      it was the only game        604 00:25:24,773 --> 00:25:27,653               that it felt                       was there to play.         605 00:25:27,692 --> 00:25:32,362                                    606 00:25:33,698 --> 00:25:35,778              [Sterling]                    My name is Sterling Johnson.    607 00:25:35,825 --> 00:25:38,195           I am a United States                 District Court judge.        608 00:25:38,245 --> 00:25:41,785       I had always wanted to be             a white-collar lawyer,        609 00:25:41,831 --> 00:25:44,541         showing the documents                   and doing this,           610 00:25:44,584 --> 00:25:46,004         but it wasn't to be.         611 00:25:46,044 --> 00:25:50,554      My destiny was always drugs                 and violence.            612 00:25:51,675 --> 00:25:54,635        Nicky Barnes, Frank Lucas,     613 00:25:54,678 --> 00:25:58,058          you name it, I did it.       614 00:25:58,098 --> 00:26:00,178          [reporter]   Johnson                  has been told by the FBI      615 00:26:00,225 --> 00:26:01,805          that he's been marked                       for death              616 00:26:01,851 --> 00:26:04,061         by the powerful Medellín             drug cartel from Colombia.     617 00:26:04,104 --> 00:26:07,234     I don't take threats lightly,         but it's not gonna stop me      618 00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:09,784    from doing what I've been doing            all these years.           619 00:26:09,818 --> 00:26:10,988          Just keep on doing it.       620 00:26:11,027 --> 00:26:14,777         America has always been               a drug-oriented nation.       621 00:26:14,823 --> 00:26:17,583          You look at the TV,              see how many drugs come on.     622 00:26:17,617 --> 00:26:18,907          Just check it out.          623 00:26:18,952 --> 00:26:22,122      [person]   Some patients may            be afraid of taking opioids     624 00:26:22,163 --> 00:26:24,333        because they're perceived                   as too strong.           625 00:26:24,374 --> 00:26:26,634     And New York has always been                the epicenter.            626 00:26:26,668 --> 00:26:29,878       One of every 40 residents                in New York City           627 00:26:29,921 --> 00:26:31,091          is a heroin addict.         628 00:26:31,131 --> 00:26:32,721       [reporter]   One block away                 from the hospital,         629 00:26:32,757 --> 00:26:33,967             we saw this man           630 00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:36,799        showing apparently typical            signs of being on heroin.      631 00:26:36,845 --> 00:26:38,715              [Sterling]                      Heroin was the big thing      632 00:26:38,763 --> 00:26:41,603      back in the '60s and the '70s.  633 00:26:41,641 --> 00:26:43,231                And...                634 00:26:43,268 --> 00:26:44,268             I was there.             635 00:26:44,311 --> 00:26:47,651        The FBI today announced             the arrest of 15 members       636 00:26:47,689 --> 00:26:49,019      of an alleged heroin ring.      637 00:26:49,065 --> 00:26:50,895        The suspects are believed                   to be members            638 00:26:50,942 --> 00:26:52,322       of organized crime families.    639 00:26:52,360 --> 00:26:54,990      [reporter]   Prosecutors say           that as the arrest went down,    640 00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:57,160         suspect Oreste Abbamonte      641 00:26:57,198 --> 00:26:59,158              threatened one                  of the undercover agents.      642 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,250          "You are a dead man,"                  he reportedly said.         643 00:27:02,287 --> 00:27:05,457      Drugs was always in the mix                  in America.             644 00:27:05,498 --> 00:27:09,458      The realness is the country            was built on moonshine        645 00:27:09,502 --> 00:27:11,132          and it became dope.         646 00:27:11,171 --> 00:27:13,051        [reporter]   The National              Citizens Crime Commission      647 00:27:13,089 --> 00:27:15,339        meeting in New York today              viewed police videotapes      648 00:27:15,383 --> 00:27:17,893            of heroin pushers                    peddling their wares        649 00:27:17,927 --> 00:27:20,717       one block from Wall Street.     650 00:27:20,764 --> 00:27:22,354     [C Allah]   The chaos was here.    651 00:27:22,390 --> 00:27:24,810             Always has been,                      always will be.           652 00:27:24,851 --> 00:27:29,651    It just changed its appearance.  653 00:27:29,689 --> 00:27:33,489                                    654 00:27:38,365 --> 00:27:40,115    [David]   My name is David Cohen,  655 00:27:40,158 --> 00:27:42,948            and I have my own                 criminal defense practice      656 00:27:42,994 --> 00:27:44,544            here in Queens.           657 00:27:44,579 --> 00:27:45,869       I like the independence.       658 00:27:45,914 --> 00:27:48,964         I like the fact that             I'm fighting the government.     659 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,130         You're a gunfighter.                 You're a gunslinger.         660 00:27:51,169 --> 00:27:54,299       And you're the only thing            that stands between them       661 00:27:54,339 --> 00:27:57,509        and being put in a cage                and going to jail.          662 00:27:57,550 --> 00:27:59,260             [interviewer]                  The unproven allegation here    663 00:27:59,302 --> 00:28:01,812       is that Fat Cat Nichols,                is this drug king--         664 00:28:01,846 --> 00:28:03,306    I don't understand who that is.  665 00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:05,558          If you're referring                 to Lorenzo Nichols...        666 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,850       I represented a gentleman by          the name of Lorenzo Nichols.    667 00:28:09,896 --> 00:28:11,856      His street name was "Fat Cat."  668 00:28:11,898 --> 00:28:14,068             He got involved                     in the drug business        669 00:28:14,109 --> 00:28:18,909          and became successful                   in that business.          670 00:28:18,947 --> 00:28:20,277          [Prince]   My uncle--         671 00:28:20,323 --> 00:28:23,993      he was working for an old-time          drug dealer at the time.      672 00:28:24,035 --> 00:28:26,535            Fat Cat also works                   for the same person,        673 00:28:26,579 --> 00:28:28,669            so that's how they                 got to know each other--      674 00:28:28,707 --> 00:28:31,327            Fat Cat and Preme.         675 00:28:31,376 --> 00:28:33,546         [Shannon]   Fat Cat was                      drug kingpin            676 00:28:33,586 --> 00:28:34,876       from South Jamaica, Queens,     677 00:28:34,921 --> 00:28:38,131         and he was a part of,               what, the Seven Crowns        678 00:28:38,174 --> 00:28:40,804    back in--when there was a gang             called Seven Crowns         679 00:28:40,844 --> 00:28:43,974        back in the late '70s,                     early '80s.             680 00:28:44,013 --> 00:28:46,773            Then he turned                     to the drug trade.          681 00:28:46,808 --> 00:28:50,188           And he was big-time.        682 00:28:50,228 --> 00:28:52,938              [Mr. Black]                     Fat Cat--he was a Crown.      683 00:28:52,981 --> 00:28:55,531               Fat was--                   when Cat joined the Crowns,     684 00:28:55,567 --> 00:28:57,937       I think he was 13 or 14.       685 00:28:57,986 --> 00:28:59,946         I knew his whole family,                     you know,              686 00:28:59,988 --> 00:29:02,028             'cause my father                       and his mother           687 00:29:02,073 --> 00:29:04,083      was in the same poker circle.    688 00:29:04,117 --> 00:29:07,157          And he used to live               right around the corner.       689 00:29:07,203 --> 00:29:10,043        And, you know, he was part               of my inner circle.         690 00:29:10,081 --> 00:29:12,961       In the beginning, there was            no drugs in the beginning.     691 00:29:13,001 --> 00:29:14,501        While I was doing my time                   for the Feds,            692 00:29:14,544 --> 00:29:19,054      that's when they crossed over                into the heroin.          693 00:29:19,090 --> 00:29:21,010            [siren wailing]           694 00:29:21,050 --> 00:29:24,050          soft dramatic music        695 00:29:24,095 --> 00:29:25,175                                    696 00:29:25,221 --> 00:29:26,771              [reporter]                       The Feds seem to think       697 00:29:26,806 --> 00:29:28,516             they've got most                    of Fat Cat's people,        698 00:29:28,558 --> 00:29:29,678         and things will change.       699 00:29:29,726 --> 00:29:31,726         That'll never happen,           'cause you got too many people    700 00:29:31,770 --> 00:29:33,270          out here nowadays.          701 00:29:40,278 --> 00:29:42,238              [DJ Casino]                      A lot of people think        702 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,200          that the neighborhood                    was always wild.          703 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:45,910        No, it wasn't always wild.     704 00:29:45,950 --> 00:29:49,120              The beginning                    of the drug infestation       705 00:29:49,162 --> 00:29:52,172         started on South Road                 and 150th Street--          706 00:29:52,207 --> 00:29:55,037          Sutphin Boulevard.               It's a little corner there.     707 00:29:55,084 --> 00:29:58,384       And anybody who did anything               did it from there.         708 00:29:58,421 --> 00:30:01,341      [Nas]   You know, I would go           to different parts of Jamaica    709 00:30:01,382 --> 00:30:05,552        and see the most dangerous          blocks I ever saw in my life.    710 00:30:05,595 --> 00:30:07,095           One was South Road.         711 00:30:07,138 --> 00:30:09,928              tense music            712 00:30:09,974 --> 00:30:11,524        South Road was this block      713 00:30:11,559 --> 00:30:15,059             that looked like                a bunch of storefronts maybe    714 00:30:15,104 --> 00:30:17,364        or factories or whatever,      715 00:30:17,398 --> 00:30:19,818         but it was just people.       716 00:30:19,859 --> 00:30:21,689           Now, I don't know                  what business we had         717 00:30:21,736 --> 00:30:22,986         going on over there.         718 00:30:23,029 --> 00:30:25,909      I think we went over there                 to a weed spot            719 00:30:25,949 --> 00:30:29,079       when the other weed spot             was closed or something.       720 00:30:29,118 --> 00:30:32,208           You just drive down,               it's just a row of people      721 00:30:32,247 --> 00:30:34,167             doing their own                       separate things.          722 00:30:34,207 --> 00:30:37,337        It looked like a block the           cops didn't want to stop on.    723 00:30:37,377 --> 00:30:39,797             It was hard,                     you know what I mean?        724 00:30:39,838 --> 00:30:42,258         Very live, very live.        725 00:30:42,298 --> 00:30:44,008               [Supreme]                       I mean, me and Prince,       726 00:30:44,050 --> 00:30:46,390            we went down to--                   we call it the block.        727 00:30:46,427 --> 00:30:49,307         That's where everything              started, on 150th Street.      728 00:30:49,347 --> 00:30:51,467            And when I saw it,                   it was fascinating.         729 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:53,476              It was like--                 I never saw nothing like that.  730 00:30:53,518 --> 00:30:55,558               It was like                     an open-air drug market.      731 00:30:55,603 --> 00:30:59,943      It was so much shit going on.          It was like a movie for me.     732 00:30:59,983 --> 00:31:02,613       And I was hooked ever since.    733 00:31:02,652 --> 00:31:04,402                                    734 00:31:04,445 --> 00:31:06,235            [Understanding]                  The beginning of the '80s      735 00:31:06,281 --> 00:31:07,451          was very interesting.        736 00:31:07,490 --> 00:31:09,450               You can look                      at poor communities         737 00:31:09,492 --> 00:31:10,662        and see what kind of drug      738 00:31:10,702 --> 00:31:13,082          was in that community                      at the time.            739 00:31:13,121 --> 00:31:15,581               In the '80s,                 it was coming out of the '70s    740 00:31:15,623 --> 00:31:19,503    and the disco era when cocaine          was the choice of drugs.       741 00:31:19,544 --> 00:31:22,304      See, power is giving people                what they want.           742 00:31:22,338 --> 00:31:25,298    [Joy]   I think about   Miami Vice,         like, in the '80s, right?      743 00:31:25,341 --> 00:31:28,721         Like, they kind of made                cocaine dealing sexy.        744 00:31:28,761 --> 00:31:31,061        Cocaine kind of, like,              skates through, you know,      745 00:31:31,097 --> 00:31:32,387     like it's not the worst thing                in the world.            746 00:31:32,432 --> 00:31:34,392        It's kind of the sexy drug                  you can deal,            747 00:31:34,434 --> 00:31:36,024         'cause rich white people                 use it, you know,          748 00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:37,270           and they're using it                     in their clubs           749 00:31:37,312 --> 00:31:39,442         and they're hanging out                  at the, you know,          750 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:41,480           at the Four Seasons,                  you know, doing it.         751 00:31:41,524 --> 00:31:43,994      [Sterling]   And then people                found out later on,         752 00:31:44,027 --> 00:31:48,317       put a little bicarbonate                  of soda, water,           753 00:31:48,364 --> 00:31:50,334             heat it up...            754 00:31:50,366 --> 00:31:53,076              you got crack.           755 00:31:53,119 --> 00:31:55,119            In the alphabet                     of illegal drugs,          756 00:31:55,163 --> 00:31:57,213      few have become so popular,                  so potent,              757 00:31:57,248 --> 00:31:58,458         so addictive so fast         758 00:31:58,499 --> 00:32:00,669      as what's known on the street                   as crack.              759 00:32:00,710 --> 00:32:02,250           [reporter]   Crack,                  the cocaine derivative,       760 00:32:02,295 --> 00:32:03,795           continues to be sold                   in record amounts.         761 00:32:03,838 --> 00:32:06,258       New York City's been called                the crack capital.         762 00:32:06,299 --> 00:32:08,179    Well, I'll tell you, the folks       along 107th street in Manhattan  763 00:32:08,217 --> 00:32:10,177       didn't have to wait until           tonight to see   Miami Vice.      764 00:32:10,219 --> 00:32:12,219      All they had to do is look out         their windows last night.      765 00:32:12,263 --> 00:32:13,893       Right underneath them, there           was a very big crack raid.     766 00:32:13,932 --> 00:32:16,352     [reporter]   Some officials say             crack is spreading now       767 00:32:16,392 --> 00:32:18,312       from the slums to suburbia.     768 00:32:18,353 --> 00:32:21,943            [Understanding]                By the middle '80s, '84, '85,    769 00:32:21,981 --> 00:32:23,481            you started seeing                      crack cocaine            770 00:32:23,524 --> 00:32:25,324          come to South Jamaica.       771 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:29,320         [Mark]   Imagine you're                 in Baisley or the 40s,       772 00:32:29,364 --> 00:32:31,454        and this is your life.        773 00:32:31,491 --> 00:32:33,201         And all of a sudden,         774 00:32:33,242 --> 00:32:36,042       you can get a little bit            of euphoria for five bucks.     775 00:32:36,079 --> 00:32:38,159    Sounds like a pretty good deal.  776 00:32:38,206 --> 00:32:39,866               [Suzette]                     You heard the buzz about,      777 00:32:39,916 --> 00:32:41,706        "Oh, it's this new drug,"      778 00:32:41,751 --> 00:32:44,501          and then you just saw,                   like, everybody.          779 00:32:44,545 --> 00:32:46,125        Drug addicts here, there.      780 00:32:46,172 --> 00:32:48,592      We go to the grocery store,                you'll see it.            781 00:32:48,633 --> 00:32:51,303     You take your kid to school,                you'll see it.            782 00:32:51,344 --> 00:32:53,104       It was so close to home.       783 00:32:53,137 --> 00:32:54,717             [interviewer]                   Can you buy crack up here?     784 00:32:54,764 --> 00:32:56,684    Yes, it's definitely out here,                  you know?              785 00:32:56,724 --> 00:32:59,064       That's where the majority                of the money is.           786 00:32:59,102 --> 00:33:00,312         You get rich off of it.       787 00:33:00,353 --> 00:33:03,363     Heroin used to be the money.                Now it's crack.           788 00:33:03,398 --> 00:33:05,438        [Prince]   If you grew up                 in that environment,        789 00:33:05,483 --> 00:33:06,863      it's like the fishnet theory.    790 00:33:06,901 --> 00:33:10,321        We may not get all of you,           but we gonna get one of you.    791 00:33:10,363 --> 00:33:12,033            I had two brothers                      and a sister,            792 00:33:12,073 --> 00:33:13,243           and none of them are                       criminals,             793 00:33:13,282 --> 00:33:14,492          know what I'm saying?        794 00:33:14,534 --> 00:33:16,584            But I got caught.                  I got snared in the net.      795 00:33:16,619 --> 00:33:19,329             dramatic music          796 00:33:19,372 --> 00:33:22,212        [Gary]   There was a lot              going on, and we were young,    797 00:33:22,250 --> 00:33:23,960          but we lived like men.       798 00:33:24,002 --> 00:33:26,002       We were doing adult things.     799 00:33:26,045 --> 00:33:27,205          We were around adults,       800 00:33:27,255 --> 00:33:29,335      'cause that's where it starts                for a lot of us.          801 00:33:29,382 --> 00:33:32,052               We start off                      going to the store,         802 00:33:32,093 --> 00:33:33,263            and then you grow.         803 00:33:33,302 --> 00:33:35,512           Your errands change.                You become more mature.       804 00:33:35,555 --> 00:33:38,015           Next thing you know,              you're delivering packages.     805 00:33:38,057 --> 00:33:39,387         This is the way it goes.      806 00:33:39,434 --> 00:33:42,854        And then once they get            to know you, they trust you.     807 00:33:42,895 --> 00:33:44,015       And that's how it builds.      808 00:33:44,063 --> 00:33:46,523      And then you start to work            your way up the hierarchy      809 00:33:46,566 --> 00:33:48,686        and before you know it,               next thing you know,         810 00:33:48,735 --> 00:33:51,695            you're running                 your own little operation.      811 00:33:51,738 --> 00:33:56,118        [Bing]   Around '81, '82,               when I first met Supreme      812 00:33:56,159 --> 00:33:58,949             on 150th Street                      in South Jamaica.          813 00:33:58,995 --> 00:34:02,165               [Supreme]                       See, Bing was actually       814 00:34:02,206 --> 00:34:05,916             the first person                   that was down with me        815 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:07,460          with the Supreme Team.       816 00:34:07,503 --> 00:34:10,593          When the Supreme Team                 really just took off,        817 00:34:10,631 --> 00:34:14,591      it was when I started hustling         over on his side of town.      818 00:34:14,635 --> 00:34:17,095       [Bing]   I had a few jobs,                 you know understand?        819 00:34:17,138 --> 00:34:19,268    But it wasn't making ends meet,             because, like,            820 00:34:19,307 --> 00:34:21,557              my dad left                    when I was growing up,        821 00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:24,311      and I got, like, a brother               and three sisters.          822 00:34:24,353 --> 00:34:25,693          It was five of us.          823 00:34:25,730 --> 00:34:29,280      It was some of that that drew            me to the streets also,       824 00:34:29,317 --> 00:34:30,777        to try to help to provide      825 00:34:30,818 --> 00:34:34,028        for my mom and my sisters                   and brothers.            826 00:34:34,072 --> 00:34:36,822         [Shannon]   And I was--               you know, I was a good kid     827 00:34:36,866 --> 00:34:38,366         till about high school.       828 00:34:38,409 --> 00:34:41,159        Then, you know, I started               seeing the drug life.        829 00:34:41,204 --> 00:34:44,674         I was enthused by it,                    so I started             830 00:34:44,707 --> 00:34:48,377    just hanging around...Supreme.    831 00:34:48,419 --> 00:34:50,419      You know, I looked up to him.    832 00:34:50,463 --> 00:34:52,553               [Nathan]                       He's a people's person,       833 00:34:52,590 --> 00:34:55,720       but intellectually-wise,             he was very charismatic.       834 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,510       A long time ago, years ago,              he had this big vision       835 00:34:58,554 --> 00:35:00,684       about being an entrepreneur.    836 00:35:00,723 --> 00:35:02,603            He always talking                      about business.           837 00:35:02,642 --> 00:35:04,142           That's the vision                    that I followed.           838 00:35:04,185 --> 00:35:05,515           That's the vision                   that I see in him.          839 00:35:05,561 --> 00:35:07,651      That's the vision I wanted                to be a part of.           840 00:35:07,688 --> 00:35:09,108               [Supreme]                       My father was my hero,       841 00:35:09,148 --> 00:35:10,478            but I never wanted                      to have a job            842 00:35:10,525 --> 00:35:12,645           where I had to live                  paycheck to paycheck.        843 00:35:12,693 --> 00:35:14,243           I had bigger dreams.        844 00:35:14,278 --> 00:35:15,858               [Prince]                        Preme is a businessman       845 00:35:15,905 --> 00:35:16,985         more than anything else.      846 00:35:17,031 --> 00:35:19,781        He looked at the drug game                  as a business.           847 00:35:19,826 --> 00:35:23,286     [Supreme]   The streets for me            was always just a process,     848 00:35:23,329 --> 00:35:24,539            a stepping point.          849 00:35:24,580 --> 00:35:26,500             I always trying                      to find a way out.         850 00:35:26,541 --> 00:35:28,381              Godfather.              851 00:35:28,417 --> 00:35:30,247    [Shannon]   And he always wanted    852 00:35:30,294 --> 00:35:31,924             to have us watch                     The Godfather.            853 00:35:31,963 --> 00:35:35,173        The Godfather   was about              tradition and everything.      854 00:35:35,216 --> 00:35:36,876                Don't rat.             855 00:35:36,926 --> 00:35:38,426             Always be a man.          856 00:35:38,469 --> 00:35:41,259       Honor your name, your work.     857 00:35:41,305 --> 00:35:43,805               Being loyal.            858 00:35:43,850 --> 00:35:45,390               [gunshot]              859 00:35:45,434 --> 00:35:47,444             dramatic music          860 00:35:47,478 --> 00:35:49,518       [Prince]   We felt   Scarface                     was cool,              861 00:35:49,564 --> 00:35:51,484          but Preme and myself,        862 00:35:51,524 --> 00:35:53,364               we were more                    Godfather   disciples.         863 00:35:53,401 --> 00:35:55,281         You know, it illustrated                moving with purpose,        864 00:35:55,319 --> 00:35:57,449             along with rules                   that you could live by       865 00:35:57,488 --> 00:35:59,368             in those times.           866 00:35:59,407 --> 00:36:00,487               [Shannon]                      Definitely played a part      867 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:02,703             in how the crews                      was structured.           868 00:36:02,743 --> 00:36:04,503           Preme was the boss.         869 00:36:04,537 --> 00:36:08,537          Like, Prince would be                     the underboss.           870 00:36:08,583 --> 00:36:10,673           And then lieutenants        871 00:36:10,710 --> 00:36:12,630           and then, you know,                    under lieutenants,         872 00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:14,590           they were, you know,                      the workers.            873 00:36:14,630 --> 00:36:17,880           So it definitely was                structured like the Mob.      874 00:36:17,925 --> 00:36:21,715       Anyone who tells you that           organized crime in New York     875 00:36:21,762 --> 00:36:24,972          wasn't romanticized              is completely full of shit.     876 00:36:25,016 --> 00:36:27,976         You know, everything               from Murder, Incorporated      877 00:36:28,019 --> 00:36:29,649             to   Scarface.             878 00:36:29,687 --> 00:36:32,857        All of a sudden, you know,                 The Godfather            879 00:36:32,899 --> 00:36:35,479       becomes something different            than what it was intended.     880 00:36:35,526 --> 00:36:37,486            It becomes almost                  an instructional manual,      881 00:36:37,528 --> 00:36:39,988                something                      that you can aspire to.       882 00:36:40,031 --> 00:36:42,241                                    883 00:36:42,283 --> 00:36:45,333     [Supreme]   All the things with           me were basically organic.     884 00:36:45,369 --> 00:36:47,539         Like, nobody ever plans                    these things.            885 00:36:47,580 --> 00:36:50,080             It's just, like,                  I came up with an idea.       886 00:36:50,124 --> 00:36:51,134           I started hustling.         887 00:36:51,167 --> 00:36:53,457      I put guys that I grew up with               down with me,            888 00:36:53,502 --> 00:36:57,342           and then we started                       blowing up.             889 00:36:58,507 --> 00:37:00,257       [Shannon]   I wouldn't tell                 people who I was.          890 00:37:00,301 --> 00:37:03,931      They would find out who I was,        and they would come to me--     891 00:37:03,971 --> 00:37:06,391            "Oh, I didn't know                     you were Shannon          892 00:37:06,432 --> 00:37:07,732         from the Supreme Team."       893 00:37:07,767 --> 00:37:11,397        There was a few people              that wanted my autograph.      894 00:37:11,437 --> 00:37:15,727            I'm not someone              you need to idolize, you know?    895 00:37:18,486 --> 00:37:23,026         I think the Supreme Team              started around '83, '84.      896 00:37:23,074 --> 00:37:24,704          That's when it really                       got real.              897 00:37:24,742 --> 00:37:26,582      You know, the name came about.  898 00:37:26,619 --> 00:37:28,619              notes chime                            Hit it.               899 00:37:28,663 --> 00:37:31,543          World's Famous Supreme             Team's "Hey DJ" playing       900 00:37:31,582 --> 00:37:33,672                                    901 00:37:33,709 --> 00:37:36,749         We'd like to dedicate            this record to all the DJs...    902 00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,166              [DJ Casino]                   You know what made the name     903 00:37:39,215 --> 00:37:41,795          "Supreme Team" famous?       904 00:37:41,842 --> 00:37:43,722          There was a record                     that came out,            905 00:37:43,761 --> 00:37:46,851    and it used to say The World's          Famous Supreme Team show.      906 00:37:46,889 --> 00:37:49,729            And all the ladies                   sing along, huh?          907 00:37:49,767 --> 00:37:51,767          [Nathan]    Hey, DJ,                     play that song           908 00:37:51,811 --> 00:37:54,771     Keep you dancing all night     909 00:37:54,814 --> 00:37:57,444           The World Famous                    Supreme Team show.          910 00:37:57,483 --> 00:37:59,113       Keep me dancing all night     911 00:37:59,151 --> 00:38:01,821                 Hey, DJ,                     just play that song...       912 00:38:01,862 --> 00:38:04,572      [Supreme]   A friend of mine                 said it one time,          913 00:38:04,615 --> 00:38:05,825            and it just stuck.         914 00:38:05,866 --> 00:38:09,076             And then always                it was just the Supreme Team.    915 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:11,710       [Joy]   What was the ethic                    of the 1980s?            916 00:38:11,747 --> 00:38:14,327           Dynasty, Dallas,           917 00:38:14,375 --> 00:38:15,625        Lifestyles of the Rich                     and Famous.             918 00:38:15,668 --> 00:38:18,548       Like, what was being fed           to young people at that time?    919 00:38:18,587 --> 00:38:21,797    Get cars, get money, get rich.    920 00:38:21,841 --> 00:38:26,261       This country in the '80s            was 100% focused on wealth      921 00:38:26,304 --> 00:38:28,144       and on ostentatious wealth.     922 00:38:28,180 --> 00:38:31,600      So you can't tell young people           both those two things        923 00:38:31,642 --> 00:38:35,022           and then be shocked               when they do what you said.     924 00:38:35,062 --> 00:38:38,442          [Shannon]   I started                  selling weed at first.       925 00:38:38,482 --> 00:38:40,322       And then I started moving up    926 00:38:40,359 --> 00:38:42,319         to a little bit of coke                   and everything.           927 00:38:42,361 --> 00:38:44,411              I was working                       right under Preme,         928 00:38:44,447 --> 00:38:46,317     and I was selling at least...    929 00:38:46,365 --> 00:38:48,985        ten to 15 keys a week.        930 00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:51,615          Nickle bags of crack.                       That's it.             931 00:38:51,662 --> 00:38:55,422           So we were making              a lot of money at that time.     932 00:38:55,458 --> 00:38:56,458               Hey, DJ...            933 00:38:56,500 --> 00:38:59,460            [music muffles]           934 00:38:59,503 --> 00:39:03,053                                    935 00:39:03,090 --> 00:39:07,800     [Nas]   I started to hear about           Preme and the Supreme Team     936 00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:09,345              through kids--           937 00:39:09,388 --> 00:39:11,598           kids that had family                      in Jamaica.             938 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:15,940              "Supreme Team"                  made it already something      939 00:39:15,978 --> 00:39:17,978             that you wanted                     to know more about,         940 00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:21,032              that you could                     be a part of a army.        941 00:39:21,067 --> 00:39:23,527        It was something about it,                    you know?              942 00:39:23,569 --> 00:39:24,569       I was all ears for that.       943 00:39:24,612 --> 00:39:26,452          Just dudes getting                     a lot of money,           944 00:39:26,489 --> 00:39:28,029               you know,                 coming from where we come from    945 00:39:28,074 --> 00:39:32,544        at that time, you know,               that stood out crazy.        946 00:39:33,871 --> 00:39:35,581           [Robert]   McGriff                     had a different idea        947 00:39:35,623 --> 00:39:39,503          as to how to approach                 what he wanted to do.        948 00:39:39,543 --> 00:39:42,003              So he decided            949 00:39:42,046 --> 00:39:46,966           to create a fiefdom                      within Queens            950 00:39:47,009 --> 00:39:49,179        called the Baisley Houses.     951 00:39:49,220 --> 00:39:53,270         And there, he basically            controlled that whole complex    952 00:39:53,307 --> 00:39:57,647      and all the drugs that were           distributed in the area.       953 00:39:57,686 --> 00:40:01,646        And he organizationally                  set up a team,            954 00:40:01,690 --> 00:40:04,400     the Supreme Team, to do that.    955 00:40:04,443 --> 00:40:07,743       [Supreme]   Robert Simels--           he took my first federal case    956 00:40:07,780 --> 00:40:10,950               back in 1987                   and my last federal case.      957 00:40:10,991 --> 00:40:12,281         They were scared of him.      958 00:40:12,326 --> 00:40:15,616       Later on, one of his clients          had set him up with a wire,     959 00:40:15,663 --> 00:40:17,673             and he ended up                       doing 14 years.           960 00:40:17,706 --> 00:40:20,246        [Robert]   I walk through                Baisley with McGriff,        961 00:40:20,292 --> 00:40:23,962            and it was a world                 that was foreign to me.       962 00:40:24,004 --> 00:40:27,384      If you look at the poverty               that you would see,         963 00:40:27,425 --> 00:40:29,755    they wanted to rise above that,  964 00:40:29,802 --> 00:40:32,432               and this                      was their opportunity.        965 00:40:32,471 --> 00:40:35,181              somber music           966 00:40:35,224 --> 00:40:37,564        Where you at right now,       967 00:40:37,601 --> 00:40:40,561            it was guarded                      like a fortress.           968 00:40:41,814 --> 00:40:46,114       You couldn't get in here            unless you had permission.      969 00:40:47,445 --> 00:40:49,985         At one point in time,        970 00:40:50,030 --> 00:40:52,950            these buildings                    were so secured...          971 00:40:52,992 --> 00:40:55,292       You see these back doors?      972 00:40:55,327 --> 00:40:56,827         Couldn't get in 'em.         973 00:40:56,871 --> 00:41:01,251        Roofs was kind of covered             in a certain kind of way.      974 00:41:01,292 --> 00:41:04,302          And we was hiding.          975 00:41:05,504 --> 00:41:08,884              It was the way                      it was structured.         976 00:41:08,924 --> 00:41:10,684         It looked small, though.      977 00:41:10,718 --> 00:41:13,428          Little dusty building                with a dirty sign on it.      978 00:41:13,471 --> 00:41:15,511       but when you come in there,     979 00:41:15,556 --> 00:41:17,976          machine in that bitch.       980 00:41:18,017 --> 00:41:21,597       You know, a Fortune fucking             500 company was running.      981 00:41:21,645 --> 00:41:23,355    He climbed the corporate ladder  982 00:41:23,397 --> 00:41:25,567           in a street sense                     in his own way.           983 00:41:25,608 --> 00:41:27,988               [Shannon]                       Yes, it was a company.       984 00:41:28,027 --> 00:41:31,237       And it wasn't guys that you,                   you know,              985 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:33,320            you just snatch up               off the street or whatever.     986 00:41:33,365 --> 00:41:37,445      It was guys that was coming             straight from school         987 00:41:37,495 --> 00:41:38,905             and working.             988 00:41:38,954 --> 00:41:41,874      Preme and Prince had the...     989 00:41:41,916 --> 00:41:44,126             gift of gab,                    I guess you could say,        990 00:41:44,168 --> 00:41:47,168               to even pull                     the smartest guys in.        991 00:41:48,547 --> 00:41:49,717       [Tuff]   I was a young-un,       992 00:41:49,757 --> 00:41:52,677         so I'd run to the store,               get waters and juices        993 00:41:52,718 --> 00:41:55,928     and, you know, potato chips,                   whatever.              994 00:41:55,971 --> 00:42:00,101         Give me a $100 bill,            I keep the change all the time.  995 00:42:00,142 --> 00:42:03,852            But right here,                when this here came about,      996 00:42:03,896 --> 00:42:06,316              this when life                      was already real.          997 00:42:06,357 --> 00:42:11,197                                    998 00:42:14,657 --> 00:42:16,027                [Corey]                       My name is Corey Pegues.      999 00:42:16,075 --> 00:42:19,535      I'm from Queens, and I grew up            in a family of six--        1000 00:42:19,578 --> 00:42:20,998         five sisters and myself.      1001 00:42:21,038 --> 00:42:22,788      And at about the age of 13,     1002 00:42:22,831 --> 00:42:25,881     I gravitated to the streets,            started selling drugs,        1003 00:42:25,918 --> 00:42:27,338      and eventually started working  1004 00:42:27,378 --> 00:42:30,878      for one of the most notorious         conglomerates in the country,    1005 00:42:30,923 --> 00:42:32,763            the Supreme Team.          1006 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:33,880                  Yeah.                1007 00:42:33,926 --> 00:42:36,096              tense music            1008 00:42:36,136 --> 00:42:37,506         I was a street peddler.       1009 00:42:37,555 --> 00:42:40,635           Then I had somebody               that was like a lieutenant,     1010 00:42:40,683 --> 00:42:42,063        and then that lieutenant--     1011 00:42:42,101 --> 00:42:44,351          -It was a flow chart.               -[elevator bell dings]        1012 00:42:44,395 --> 00:42:45,935                                    1013 00:42:45,980 --> 00:42:48,570    You can't do anything without,    1014 00:42:48,607 --> 00:42:50,187               you know,                     the okay from the top.        1015 00:42:50,234 --> 00:42:52,364    If it didn't come from the top,           you couldn't do it.         1016 00:42:52,403 --> 00:42:54,953      Like, these kids today just        be like, "Make the block hot."    1017 00:42:54,989 --> 00:42:56,619     You can't make the block hot.    1018 00:42:56,657 --> 00:42:57,987              It's like,                      "Listen, no fighting.        1019 00:42:58,033 --> 00:43:00,043    None of that stuff over here."    1020 00:43:00,077 --> 00:43:02,157           They had everything                       mapped out.             1021 00:43:02,204 --> 00:43:05,044         They didn't do anything                 on an ad hoc basis.         1022 00:43:05,082 --> 00:43:06,962       Everything was thought out.     1023 00:43:07,001 --> 00:43:09,001        It was very sophisticated.     1024 00:43:09,044 --> 00:43:11,804    Walkie-talkies, a security van    1025 00:43:11,839 --> 00:43:14,719         with a security crew                     on the ready             1026 00:43:14,758 --> 00:43:16,968             to do whatever.           1027 00:43:17,011 --> 00:43:18,051          You know, it's crazy.        1028 00:43:18,095 --> 00:43:20,255               We even had                     a Supreme Team uniform--      1029 00:43:20,306 --> 00:43:21,886               I don't know                   if y'all know about that,      1030 00:43:21,932 --> 00:43:24,522          if somebody told you--              you know, with sweatsuits,     1031 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,310     with Le Tigre shorts on top,     1032 00:43:26,353 --> 00:43:28,773        and, like, "Preme Team"              in a circle right here.       1033 00:43:28,814 --> 00:43:31,074          I actually brought               a picture of that with me.      1034 00:43:31,108 --> 00:43:34,898                                    1035 00:43:34,945 --> 00:43:38,155    New Jack City   was loosely based           off the Supreme Team,        1036 00:43:38,198 --> 00:43:39,408         and I'm here to attest.       1037 00:43:39,450 --> 00:43:41,990        I can remember definitely               being in an apartment,       1038 00:43:42,036 --> 00:43:44,706          and it was maybe about                  five or six women,         1039 00:43:44,747 --> 00:43:46,117        like in that   New Jack City     1040 00:43:46,165 --> 00:43:48,495        where they in there naked                    bagging up.             1041 00:43:48,542 --> 00:43:50,212          Definitely seen that.        1042 00:43:50,252 --> 00:43:51,962               [Shannon]                       I guess you could say        1043 00:43:52,004 --> 00:43:55,474             I would cook up                 maybe five keys at one time.    1044 00:43:55,507 --> 00:43:57,087       And once it gets cooked up,     1045 00:43:57,134 --> 00:44:00,764       I would take it to the girls                   to bag up.             1046 00:44:00,804 --> 00:44:02,264       Once everything's bagged up,    1047 00:44:02,306 --> 00:44:04,886               it would get                      to the lieutenants.         1048 00:44:04,933 --> 00:44:06,233     Once the lieutenants get it,     1049 00:44:06,268 --> 00:44:08,648         they'll distribute it                  to their workers.          1050 00:44:08,687 --> 00:44:12,937          And the workers would,            you know, sell it from there.    1051 00:44:12,983 --> 00:44:15,363                [Corey]                      We worked six days a week.     1052 00:44:15,402 --> 00:44:18,452            I worked a shift.                    We had three shifts.        1053 00:44:18,489 --> 00:44:21,329        But the funniest thing is,             we got paid on Fridays.       1054 00:44:21,367 --> 00:44:23,947     So I, like, really had a job              with the Supremes.          1055 00:44:23,994 --> 00:44:26,334    That's what, like, the Jay-Zs,          the Premes and all this--      1056 00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:30,962    these guys was, like, running,       like, million-dollar companies    1057 00:44:31,001 --> 00:44:32,381             in the streets,           1058 00:44:32,419 --> 00:44:34,549            and they could run                  like American Express.       1059 00:44:34,588 --> 00:44:37,968             It's crazy what                 these criminal minds can do.    1060 00:44:38,008 --> 00:44:43,348                                    1061 00:44:45,307 --> 00:44:50,227     When people start to analyze         that street entrepreneurship,    1062 00:44:50,270 --> 00:44:54,070           don't analyze it                  from your intellectual        1063 00:44:54,108 --> 00:44:56,318      born-on-third-base mindset.     1064 00:44:56,360 --> 00:45:00,860     Those cats were not even born              in the ballpark.           1065 00:45:00,906 --> 00:45:01,946         [chuckles] You know?         1066 00:45:01,990 --> 00:45:03,370     And they say, "You know what?    1067 00:45:03,409 --> 00:45:07,789      "I'm not going to be a CEO            in a Fortune 500 company       1068 00:45:07,830 --> 00:45:10,500         because I don't have                 the academic skills."        1069 00:45:10,541 --> 00:45:11,791            But the street,           1070 00:45:11,834 --> 00:45:14,844           your degree comes                 from having the heart.        1071 00:45:14,878 --> 00:45:16,088       And that's what you saw.       1072 00:45:16,130 --> 00:45:19,970      You saw street-corner CEOs      1073 00:45:20,008 --> 00:45:22,588     popping up all over our city.    1074 00:45:22,636 --> 00:45:25,216      [reporter]   For thousands of           middle-class Black families,    1075 00:45:25,264 --> 00:45:27,564            the neighborhoods                   of Southeastern Queens       1076 00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:30,689           were once thought of                 as the American Dream.       1077 00:45:30,728 --> 00:45:32,808      But something has gone wrong.    1078 00:45:32,855 --> 00:45:34,265         The nightmare is crack--      1079 00:45:34,314 --> 00:45:37,364      a cheap, highly addictive form                of cocaine.             1080 00:45:37,401 --> 00:45:39,491        [Prince]   It was getting             kind of wild shit, you know,    1081 00:45:39,528 --> 00:45:41,778          and I remember I went                 to my window one time        1082 00:45:41,822 --> 00:45:44,532      and seen somebody get stabbed,         you know what I'm saying?      1083 00:45:44,575 --> 00:45:46,075            Killed right there                    on the boulevard.          1084 00:45:46,118 --> 00:45:48,698     [Bill]   Things started to get            real violent in New York.      1085 00:45:48,746 --> 00:45:51,616      The city was, you know, just--  1086 00:45:51,665 --> 00:45:53,245         it was all--it was hell.      1087 00:45:53,292 --> 00:45:55,342              As a person                     who carried a weapon,        1088 00:45:55,377 --> 00:45:57,207        I was nervous at times             walking around the streets      1089 00:45:57,254 --> 00:45:58,464    of New York at night, you know?  1090 00:45:58,505 --> 00:46:00,165           You know you had                    to watch your back.         1091 00:46:00,215 --> 00:46:02,505      [reporter]   You are looking              at a victim of murder--       1092 00:46:02,551 --> 00:46:05,181              one of almost                      1,800 murder victims        1093 00:46:05,220 --> 00:46:07,010       in the city this year alone.    1094 00:46:07,055 --> 00:46:08,595                [Mark]                            You have a world          1095 00:46:08,640 --> 00:46:09,980          that's made it easier        1096 00:46:10,017 --> 00:46:12,847          for everyone to be his                  or her worst self.         1097 00:46:12,895 --> 00:46:14,765        So, if you're inclined                   to be a junkie,           1098 00:46:14,813 --> 00:46:17,323           all of a sudden,                you got a five-dollar high.     1099 00:46:17,357 --> 00:46:19,147        And if you're inclined                  to be a gangster,          1100 00:46:19,193 --> 00:46:21,323             if you had a gun                      and your balls,           1101 00:46:21,361 --> 00:46:22,861          you were in business.        1102 00:46:22,905 --> 00:46:24,445        So everything breaks down.     1103 00:46:24,490 --> 00:46:28,080      The smartest, the bravest,               and, in this case,          1104 00:46:28,118 --> 00:46:31,368           the most ruthless                    tend to survive.           1105 00:46:31,413 --> 00:46:34,043        [LL Cool J]   If Einstein               grew up in the projects,      1106 00:46:34,082 --> 00:46:35,962             he would've been                       selling drugs.           1107 00:46:36,001 --> 00:46:39,251         If Donald Trump grew up                  in Baisley Houses,         1108 00:46:39,296 --> 00:46:42,126           then he'd have been                      selling drugs.           1109 00:46:42,174 --> 00:46:45,054           [Corey]   The chaos                 was already orchestrated.      1110 00:46:45,093 --> 00:46:47,973        They just joined the club.     1111 00:46:52,476 --> 00:46:53,766               [Milton]                          We were a village          1112 00:46:53,811 --> 00:46:58,611         until we were separated            through drug use, drug sales,    1113 00:46:58,649 --> 00:47:02,239          and just life-changing                     experiences.            1114 00:47:02,277 --> 00:47:03,647        This is the main entryway.     1115 00:47:03,695 --> 00:47:04,655            This is the lobby          1116 00:47:04,696 --> 00:47:06,276              of, you know,                   my family's funeral home,      1117 00:47:06,323 --> 00:47:07,623        of Paul Lane Funeral Home,     1118 00:47:07,658 --> 00:47:10,198          and this is typically               where the guest'll come in     1119 00:47:10,244 --> 00:47:12,004          and their first stop.        1120 00:47:12,037 --> 00:47:14,787          I used to kind of keep                   a running total           1121 00:47:14,832 --> 00:47:16,122        of the number of services      1122 00:47:16,166 --> 00:47:20,996     that we have in our database,           in our file from 1954,        1123 00:47:21,046 --> 00:47:24,086       but it's definitely been                    thousands.              1124 00:47:24,132 --> 00:47:27,972            melancholy music         1125 00:47:28,011 --> 00:47:31,061            This is the place                       where a mother           1126 00:47:31,098 --> 00:47:33,348            had to say goodbye                     to her daughter           1127 00:47:33,392 --> 00:47:37,812      that she was forced to kill                in self-defense           1128 00:47:37,855 --> 00:47:41,185       because she was addicted                     to crack.              1129 00:47:41,233 --> 00:47:43,863        How do you wrap your head                    around that?            1130 00:47:43,902 --> 00:47:46,202          That's almost like                      a kind of...             1131 00:47:46,238 --> 00:47:49,118              [sniffles]                       ...shared trauma...         1132 00:47:49,157 --> 00:47:52,117          'cause even though                     the individuals           1133 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:54,960    in this neighborhood didn't...    1134 00:47:54,997 --> 00:47:57,117        directly experience it,       1135 00:47:57,165 --> 00:47:59,835             just the fact                    that it happened here        1136 00:47:59,877 --> 00:48:02,707      to somebody that we know...     1137 00:48:04,214 --> 00:48:06,804         ...it's like destruction                    from within.            1138 00:48:06,842 --> 00:48:11,142                                    1139 00:48:11,179 --> 00:48:12,599                [Mark]                               The engine             1140 00:48:12,639 --> 00:48:17,479       that transformed the city                   was crack.              1141 00:48:17,519 --> 00:48:19,559     If you were, like, up on Mars    1142 00:48:19,605 --> 00:48:23,395       and you wanted to come up             with a nefarious scheme       1143 00:48:23,442 --> 00:48:28,362     to make life in New York City        even more fucking miserable,     1144 00:48:28,405 --> 00:48:31,025       you would've invented crack.    1145 00:48:31,074 --> 00:48:33,084          It changed the culture                     of New York.            1146 00:48:33,118 --> 00:48:36,498         It changed the calculus                   of criminality.           1147 00:48:36,538 --> 00:48:40,328         It changed the way kids              thought about themselves.      1148 00:48:40,375 --> 00:48:43,295        And as horrible as it was,     1149 00:48:43,337 --> 00:48:47,127          it democratized crime.       1150 00:48:47,174 --> 00:48:49,054           You didn't have to,                  you know, be Italian.        1151 00:48:49,092 --> 00:48:50,262       You didn't have to be made.     1152 00:48:50,302 --> 00:48:51,552         You didn't have to wait                     for anyone--            1153 00:48:51,595 --> 00:48:54,055               some old man                     to open up the books.        1154 00:48:54,097 --> 00:48:58,187             All the rules                of previous criminal cultures    1155 00:48:58,226 --> 00:49:00,346            in New York...            1156 00:49:00,395 --> 00:49:02,145                were done.             1157 00:49:02,189 --> 00:49:04,189        [distant siren wailing]       1158 00:49:04,232 --> 00:49:05,572      [Nas]   You know, at one end,     1159 00:49:05,609 --> 00:49:07,569               it's tearing                      the community apart.        1160 00:49:07,611 --> 00:49:10,781      On the other end, there's not              enough opportunity,         1161 00:49:10,822 --> 00:49:13,202      not enough jobs, you know.      1162 00:49:13,241 --> 00:49:16,371        These are guys who were                  at the ripe age           1163 00:49:16,411 --> 00:49:19,001            for the things                   that flooded the city.        1164 00:49:19,039 --> 00:49:20,329             So who knows?            1165 00:49:20,374 --> 00:49:22,504          If I was their age,                   I could've been--          1166 00:49:22,542 --> 00:49:25,962      you know what I'm saying?--             like, on their level.        1167 00:49:26,004 --> 00:49:28,924           These people were                   at the right place          1168 00:49:28,966 --> 00:49:32,836           at the right time                 for the perfect storm.        1169 00:49:32,886 --> 00:49:35,216        [distant siren wailing]       1170 00:49:35,263 --> 00:49:37,353      [Prince]   You need good cops                in the community.          1171 00:49:37,391 --> 00:49:39,101             Not racist cops,                 you know what I'm saying?      1172 00:49:39,142 --> 00:49:40,352              Not bad cops,            1173 00:49:40,394 --> 00:49:41,654          but you need good cops                  in the community.          1174 00:49:41,687 --> 00:49:43,307           You know, families,                    mothers, fathers,          1175 00:49:43,355 --> 00:49:45,065         young adults, teenagers,                   and children,            1176 00:49:45,107 --> 00:49:46,977           they depend on cops                     to protect them           1177 00:49:47,025 --> 00:49:49,855        from the common criminal,            man--it's just common sense.    1178 00:49:49,903 --> 00:49:51,113         If we didn't have cops,       1179 00:49:51,154 --> 00:49:53,954             it would be like                    the Wild, Wild West.        1180 00:49:53,991 --> 00:49:57,701     [Eddie]   I was a New York City             housing cop from 1982        1181 00:49:57,744 --> 00:49:58,954                 to 1995.              1182 00:49:58,996 --> 00:50:02,326      It was a calling, and you just          put everything into it.       1183 00:50:02,374 --> 00:50:05,424    I mean, more than once I showed       up on my day off in uniform     1184 00:50:05,460 --> 00:50:07,090            and I was told,                   "You got to go home.         1185 00:50:07,129 --> 00:50:08,259          You're not supposed                 to be working today."        1186 00:50:08,296 --> 00:50:11,256             And it just--                   it's like a compulsion.       1187 00:50:11,299 --> 00:50:13,639    You got to be there every day.    1188 00:50:13,677 --> 00:50:15,427               [Supreme]                   I think I heard of that name.    1189 00:50:15,470 --> 00:50:16,640        Yeah, I did, I do remember     1190 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:19,270       a housing cop by that name,                     sure do.              1191 00:50:19,307 --> 00:50:21,227    [Eddie]   I would make an arrest              every day I worked.         1192 00:50:21,268 --> 00:50:24,858             I had an average                of 100 arrests a year there     1193 00:50:24,896 --> 00:50:26,436               in uniform.             1194 00:50:26,481 --> 00:50:29,401                We really                      did some damage on that.      1195 00:50:29,443 --> 00:50:31,153         It was a fantastic time.      1196 00:50:31,194 --> 00:50:34,164             dramatic music          1197 00:50:34,197 --> 00:50:38,327                                    1198 00:50:38,368 --> 00:50:41,368      One time, the mailman came in,  1199 00:50:41,413 --> 00:50:43,793        and I just happened to be             coming down the staircase.     1200 00:50:43,832 --> 00:50:46,712             And he had--                 In these apartment buildings,    1201 00:50:46,752 --> 00:50:48,132          you use a big key,          1202 00:50:48,170 --> 00:50:52,340         and this whole thing                      comes down,             1203 00:50:52,382 --> 00:50:54,012       and the mailboxes are open.     1204 00:50:54,051 --> 00:50:55,761      You can see in every mailbox.    1205 00:50:55,802 --> 00:50:59,392            I saw immediately                  five to seven mailboxes       1206 00:50:59,431 --> 00:51:00,931            loaded with drugs.         1207 00:51:00,974 --> 00:51:03,524      And I tried to move on it.      1208 00:51:03,560 --> 00:51:05,900    The mailman quickly put it up,                 locked it,              1209 00:51:05,937 --> 00:51:08,107      and says, "You're not gonna                get me killed."           1210 00:51:08,148 --> 00:51:10,318       It was like a chess game.      1211 00:51:10,358 --> 00:51:14,528           It was a lot of fun,                but it was a chess game.      1212 00:51:14,571 --> 00:51:19,281                                    1213 00:51:19,326 --> 00:51:22,246              Back then,                  the drug dealers was making,     1214 00:51:22,287 --> 00:51:25,417       in some cases, more money             than a lot of rappers.        1215 00:51:25,457 --> 00:51:26,457       Definitely more than me.       1216 00:51:26,500 --> 00:51:28,090         I mean, at that time,        1217 00:51:28,126 --> 00:51:29,746               you know,                     these guys were making,       1218 00:51:29,795 --> 00:51:33,915     you know, $80,000, $100,000,               $200,000 a week.           1219 00:51:33,965 --> 00:51:35,175               Tax-free.              1220 00:51:35,217 --> 00:51:37,427               Tax-free,                  and it's in the late '80s, B.    1221 00:51:37,469 --> 00:51:39,429           I mean, that's--                I don't even know how you--     1222 00:51:39,471 --> 00:51:41,891           what them numbers               are right now, but that's--     1223 00:51:41,932 --> 00:51:44,852       you know, it was looking              real lovely out there.        1224 00:51:44,893 --> 00:51:46,733           The Supreme Team                  probably had more money       1225 00:51:46,770 --> 00:51:48,110    than Russell Simmons back then.  1226 00:51:48,146 --> 00:51:50,936     There's no question about it.        And more juice and more pull.    1227 00:51:50,982 --> 00:51:54,032           upbeat funk music         1228 00:51:54,069 --> 00:51:58,489                                    1229 00:51:58,532 --> 00:51:59,912               [Shannon]                       We was making money--        1230 00:51:59,950 --> 00:52:01,410                you know,                       good money back then.        1231 00:52:01,451 --> 00:52:03,661            [Bing]   All day,                   thousands and thousands       1232 00:52:03,703 --> 00:52:07,083       and thousands and thousands                   of dollars.             1233 00:52:07,124 --> 00:52:09,334      A successful corner or block,    1234 00:52:09,376 --> 00:52:12,996               anywhere                  from $20,000 to $30,000 a day.    1235 00:52:13,046 --> 00:52:14,126         [Mook]   I said, "Yeah,        1236 00:52:14,172 --> 00:52:15,722           these are bad dudes                       right here."            1237 00:52:15,757 --> 00:52:18,047               When I said                        he had everything,         1238 00:52:18,093 --> 00:52:19,473          I mean everything.          1239 00:52:19,511 --> 00:52:22,011        Five Benzes, two BMWs,        1240 00:52:22,055 --> 00:52:23,765          a crib in Long Island,       1241 00:52:23,807 --> 00:52:25,517      all the girls, all the money.    1242 00:52:25,559 --> 00:52:28,349          All you do is wake up                     and just live.           1243 00:52:28,395 --> 00:52:30,645       I just don't want to stop     1244 00:52:30,689 --> 00:52:32,649             Never too much,                      never too much           1245 00:52:32,691 --> 00:52:34,531             Never too much,                      never too much           1246 00:52:34,568 --> 00:52:37,528     [Corey]   They were, like, the          real first street celebrities,  1247 00:52:37,571 --> 00:52:39,281         not like these rappers.       1248 00:52:39,322 --> 00:52:41,452            Like, they were                  the street celebrities.       1249 00:52:41,491 --> 00:52:43,741         [Bing]   We used to go              to all different, like, clubs,  1250 00:52:43,785 --> 00:52:46,035        to, like, the Disco Fever                   in the Bronx,            1251 00:52:46,079 --> 00:52:47,579           the Rake in Jersey.         1252 00:52:47,622 --> 00:52:49,622            And we used to go                   to different boroughs.       1253 00:52:49,666 --> 00:52:52,166     There'd be a lot of us go in              and just have fun.          1254 00:52:52,210 --> 00:52:55,170     [Shannon]   He had the infamous             parties at The Encore        1255 00:52:55,213 --> 00:52:56,423           and stuff like that.        1256 00:52:56,464 --> 00:52:58,304        The parties was crazy,                    off the hook.            1257 00:52:58,341 --> 00:53:00,971       Anybody and everybody who         was anybody was at the parties.  1258 00:53:01,011 --> 00:53:03,391         He had the best parties                   I can remember.           1259 00:53:03,430 --> 00:53:06,600       I just don't want to stop     1260 00:53:06,641 --> 00:53:09,061        [Prince]   I had a party,                and Run-DMC was there.       1261 00:53:09,102 --> 00:53:10,402           Melle Mel was there.        1262 00:53:10,437 --> 00:53:12,647          You had the Fat Boys,                 Whodini, Kurtis Blow.        1263 00:53:12,689 --> 00:53:15,279        Russell Simmons was there.              Lyor Cohen showed up.        1264 00:53:15,317 --> 00:53:16,777      You know, and that was before    1265 00:53:16,818 --> 00:53:19,108               some of them                      were actually huge.         1266 00:53:19,154 --> 00:53:20,414       It was just beautiful, man.     1267 00:53:20,447 --> 00:53:22,697        The environment was love.             It was a beautiful thing.      1268 00:53:22,741 --> 00:53:25,041     They would be having parties,              and I'd be there.          1269 00:53:25,076 --> 00:53:27,696      They might give me a bottle         of warm champagne, you know.     1270 00:53:27,746 --> 00:53:30,326     But, yo, I was just so happy              to be in the spot.          1271 00:53:30,373 --> 00:53:34,593         And when you 15, 16,            that's what success looks like.  1272 00:53:34,628 --> 00:53:37,258      You don't know any better.      1273 00:53:38,381 --> 00:53:40,341                [Corey]                     When we were selling drugs,     1274 00:53:40,383 --> 00:53:42,893              rappers wanted                     to be drug dealers.         1275 00:53:42,928 --> 00:53:44,758            If not wanting                     to be drug dealers,         1276 00:53:44,804 --> 00:53:46,814              they wanted                   that drug-dealing money.       1277 00:53:46,848 --> 00:53:48,768      We were like idols to them.     1278 00:53:48,808 --> 00:53:51,978      [Bing]   It's just something              about a hustler's swag.       1279 00:53:52,020 --> 00:53:54,440       They was looking at us like           we was bigger than rappers.     1280 00:53:54,481 --> 00:53:56,981         Like, they them boys,                  but we them gods.          1281 00:53:57,025 --> 00:53:59,565                [Corey]                      Rappers prior to Run-DMC--     1282 00:53:59,611 --> 00:54:01,781           you got Furious Five                    and Melle Mel--           1283 00:54:01,821 --> 00:54:03,991        they wearing shiny suits--     1284 00:54:04,032 --> 00:54:05,952         silk suits, tight pants.      1285 00:54:05,992 --> 00:54:09,452             Preme and them,                 they really dressed hip-hop.    1286 00:54:09,496 --> 00:54:11,706        Jay changed the whole look                  with Run-DMC.            1287 00:54:11,748 --> 00:54:14,418       It was like, "Yo, we got to                dress like this."          1288 00:54:14,459 --> 00:54:16,169           It changed the game.        1289 00:54:16,211 --> 00:54:18,211             dramatic music          1290 00:54:18,255 --> 00:54:19,585     [Joy]   Queens was giving birth    1291 00:54:19,631 --> 00:54:22,631           to this whole, like,                    genre of music.           1292 00:54:22,676 --> 00:54:24,466          And I think it was             some of the same young people.    1293 00:54:24,511 --> 00:54:26,511           Some people were                    going one direction         1294 00:54:26,554 --> 00:54:27,894               and deciding                    what they were gonna do       1295 00:54:27,931 --> 00:54:29,061      with the money that they had,    1296 00:54:29,099 --> 00:54:30,729                and their                       entrepreneurial spirit       1297 00:54:30,767 --> 00:54:32,057    was to become hip-hop artists,    1298 00:54:32,102 --> 00:54:33,522      and some people were going                in the drug game,          1299 00:54:33,561 --> 00:54:35,271       but I think they were all           happening at the same time.     1300 00:54:35,313 --> 00:54:38,653                                    1301 00:54:38,692 --> 00:54:40,652       [Prince]   We was actually                  hip-hop for real,          1302 00:54:40,694 --> 00:54:41,864          know what I'm saying?        1303 00:54:41,903 --> 00:54:44,163         We was living that life              but not rapping that life.     1304 00:54:44,197 --> 00:54:47,697       And they turned the life we          was living into a story, man.    1305 00:54:47,742 --> 00:54:50,542        Crack--we made a whole lot               of money off of it,         1306 00:54:50,578 --> 00:54:52,368           and that is a fact.         1307 00:54:52,414 --> 00:54:55,294           [crowd cheering]           1308 00:54:57,669 --> 00:55:01,459         [Mark]   If you can put                an organizational chart       1309 00:55:01,506 --> 00:55:04,586           of the Supreme Team                    in the newspaper,          1310 00:55:04,634 --> 00:55:05,844      yo, you're gonna be a target.    1311 00:55:05,885 --> 00:55:07,755           Someone's gonna come               and try to take you down.      1312 00:55:07,804 --> 00:55:10,474          When did Nicky Barnes                    become a target?          1313 00:55:10,515 --> 00:55:12,595         When the   Times Magazine                   wrote about him.          1314 00:55:12,642 --> 00:55:15,562                So there's                     a certain critical mass       1315 00:55:15,603 --> 00:55:18,063           of fame, success,          1316 00:55:18,106 --> 00:55:21,776       and, above all, publicity                  as a gangster            1317 00:55:21,818 --> 00:55:24,148         that you do not want.        1318 00:55:24,195 --> 00:55:26,695         And the Supreme Team         1319 00:55:26,740 --> 00:55:29,530     obviously crossed that line.     1320 00:55:29,576 --> 00:55:31,866        [distant siren wailing]       1321 00:55:31,911 --> 00:55:33,501               [Shannon]                       When it first started,       1322 00:55:33,538 --> 00:55:36,788           it was 15 to 20 guys                      started it.             1323 00:55:36,833 --> 00:55:40,133       But then I'd say around '84,    1324 00:55:40,170 --> 00:55:41,960               got bigger.             1325 00:55:42,005 --> 00:55:44,295              And later on,                       like, around '85,          1326 00:55:44,341 --> 00:55:48,851         that's when the crew got           anywhere from 75 to 100 guys.    1327 00:55:48,887 --> 00:55:51,767              tense music            1328 00:55:51,806 --> 00:55:53,766    [Sterling]   I remember he said,    1329 00:55:53,808 --> 00:55:57,728         "What's the worst block                      in Queens              1330 00:55:57,771 --> 00:56:00,481      for drugs, selling drugs?"      1331 00:56:00,523 --> 00:56:03,493            The worst block                     was on my block.           1332 00:56:04,110 --> 00:56:07,490         They were on the corner              selling drugs on my block.     1333 00:56:07,530 --> 00:56:10,280                                    1334 00:56:10,325 --> 00:56:11,195                You know?              1335 00:56:11,242 --> 00:56:14,752        And, naturally, I make              a couple telephone calls,      1336 00:56:14,788 --> 00:56:16,498            and he got caught.         1337 00:56:16,539 --> 00:56:21,169                                    1338 00:56:21,211 --> 00:56:24,461    [Bing]   We was just hanging out             in one of our places,        1339 00:56:24,506 --> 00:56:25,716       and they were just talking--    1340 00:56:25,757 --> 00:56:27,677         the normal routine stuff                  we normally do.           1341 00:56:27,717 --> 00:56:29,757                                    1342 00:56:29,803 --> 00:56:32,393       And then all of a sudden...              [knocking on door]          1343 00:56:34,307 --> 00:56:36,977            What the fuck?            1344 00:56:37,018 --> 00:56:40,188           I know we're doing        1345 00:56:40,230 --> 00:56:42,770               Keni Burke's                "Risin' to the Top" playing     1346 00:56:42,816 --> 00:56:46,186       Everything that we want to   1347 00:56:46,236 --> 00:56:47,776                                    1348 00:56:47,821 --> 00:56:51,411       Meanwhile, are we losing?     1349 00:56:51,449 --> 00:56:55,699        Because we can't let go      1350 00:56:55,745 --> 00:56:57,205                                    1351 00:56:57,247 --> 00:56:59,417           Let's start thinking                  what we're doing          1352 00:56:59,457 --> 00:57:00,957               [person]                       This is how it goes!         1353 00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:03,000        [speaking indistinctly]       1354 00:57:03,044 --> 00:57:05,384            Don't let nothing                    change your mind          1355 00:57:05,422 --> 00:57:07,302    [person speaking indistinctly]    1356 00:57:07,340 --> 00:57:10,390           Let's start heading                    homeward bound           1357 00:57:10,427 --> 00:57:12,797           Get off the ground        1358 00:57:12,846 --> 00:57:16,636       Stop losing, yeah, losing     1359 00:57:16,683 --> 00:57:19,693         Keep risin' to the top      1360 00:57:19,727 --> 00:57:27,857          Give it all you got