Ghetto Passes (The REAL reason Chicago is reppin' EVERY hood in America)

"We got this dawg! Don't trip!"

When I pulled up to Harold’s on the south side of the Chi to get some of that fire chicken, boyz were standin’ outside arguin’ about resilience. Albert Bandura, the well-known Stanford psychology professor, said, “In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life.” Gever Tulley, the famous writer, jumped out of his whip and said, “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” Then Jamais Cascio, the famous writer and design strategist, poured out a lil’ liquor for all the dead homies and said, “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.”

I’ve always said that the best place in the world to be from is the ghetto playboy because if you can survive there you can survive anywhere in the world. The young thunder cats from Jackie Robinson West (Chicago) proved my theory right on Saturday night once again. On the grandest of stages they won the United States title of the Little League World Series by defeatin’ Las Vegas 7-5 to advance to the World Championship game today against South Korea.

Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1^st! When you grow up in the hood you have to be able to process multiple things at once all of the time just to be able to survive bruh. So when Las Vegas went up 3-0 in the first inning the young soldiers from the Chi didn’t panic. Why? Because they've been in worse situations before that was a matter of life and death. This is just baseball bruh!

On Friday I wrote the Hot Joint entitled "Land Mines" where I explained to the outside world that these young cats have to able to dodge all of the dangers of the ghetto daily just to make it to school, practice and then back home again. Not only do they have to dodge the influence of the GD Folks (Black Gangsta Disciples street gang) and the dangers of the politics of the streets they’ve got to be good enough to play this game. Then they’ve got to compartmentalize the foolishness of the streets just long enough to play 6 innings at the highest level. Ya’ll don’t hear me though but the hood knows exactly what I’m talkin’ about pimpin’!

The Las Vegas team had been housin’ boyz the entire tournament. They 10 run ruled Chicago earlier in the LLWS to get their attention but the difference between the two teams was the streets playa. When a boy has seen as much as the Jackie Robinson West crew as seen out here it becomes hard to beat them. Down 5-4 in the championship game at the bottom of the 5^th ain’t nothin’ son.

These cats have seen their friends shot in the streets. They’ve seen family members die over things as little as a boy steppin’ on his shoes etc. Somebody’s daddy, uncle or brother is doin’ 20 to life right now. Somebody’s momma, auntie or cousin’ is strung out on drugs or even worse as you read this joint. Gun shots every day all day and they still have to get to practice and be mentally prepared to play at the highest level.

"Told you we got it! Chi-town stand up!"

Naw pimpin’…Las Vegas was just playin’ baseball. Chicago was survivin’! Chicago was reppin’ the hood for EVERY hood in America! Chicago was holdin’ up the ghetto for all of the lost homies that dreamed but got caught up before they could make it out alive. See Chicago represented the struggle that so many of us understand is real and that so many others that have never sniffed the ghetto think we’re makin’ up.

See I was in tears watchin’ the game because I know what these boyz have been through just to put on that freakin’ uniform even at 12 and 13 years old. I know that on next week they’ve got to go right back to those same street politics and try to survive another 5 or 6 years. Well… that depends upon whether this LLWS thing opens some doors for them and they’re at a point where they’ll be able to take advantage of it at 18. And now it’s gonna be even worse for them because they’re famous and still livin’ in the hood. It can't get anymore dangerous than that.

I know that the hood in general will love them but the haters that hated them before they left for Williamsport are still sittin’ there hatin’. Just waitin’ on a boy to get back. Who’s gonna protect them now? I hope the same street politics that looked out for them before the LLWS step their game up and keep the haters off of them.

Again, Las Vegas was just playin’ baseball, Chicago was survivin’. Why? Because nothin’ has changed at the crib playa. It’s still a war zone on the home front. However, today these young thunder cats are in paradise and one win away from becomin’ the best in the WORLD! The hood stand up! All ghetto dwellers and former hood dwellers I need to see your ghetto passes in the air because Jackie Robinson West is officially your hood today! I now that they're reppin' the whole USA today but the hood has a personal interest in this one playboy! Chi-town to the fullest! Stop me when I start lyin’!

Holla At Ya Boy!
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The caption under the photo isn’t real but its REAL Talk!