The post title is inspired by Rick James’ “Ghetto Life” cut from back in the day. As a side note, I remember my mamma having this album cover (“Street Songs”) hung on the wall above the red velvet couch like it was a piece of fine art. As a side note to the side note, I also remember using other album covers as if they were dust pans. This is old school ghetto, I wonder what poor folk without dust pans use now?
“When I was a young boy
Growing up in the ghetto
Hanging out on corners
Singin’ with the fellasLookin’ for the cute chicks
Trying to find a bit of fun
Looking for some trouble
Or anyone who’ll give me someI was young and crazy
In the ghetto
Didn’t know what my life would be
In the ghetto
I was dumb and oh so lazy
In the ghetto
Something had a spell on me
In the ghettoYou wanna know what I’m talkin’ bout?
Talkin’ ’bout ghetto life
Ghetto LiiiiiiiiiiiifeYou wanna know what I’m singin’ ’bout?
Talkin’ ’bout ghetto life
Ghetto Liiiiiiiiiiiife”
Today we went to my mamma’s for a family BBQ cook out, which I was looking forward to so that I could see my little nephew “Bay Bay”. The afternoon was pretty normal until my sister “Baby” asked me to come to her new apt to see where she lived. At first I was like why you do not have a lick of furniture, why do you wanna show that off. Then she was like so, I just want you to know where I live. So I said fuck it, let’s go then we (her, my little brother “Topot” & I) piled into my car & hit the streets.
4 minutes later we reached her new crib looking t nothing but white walls an air mattress & a crib. All the while we were there Topot & I kept asking her when the fuck she was going to get at least a damn couch for which she had no answer. Then all of the sudden she disappears comes back into the empty living room with a baby fur coat in her hand.
When I realized what it was, I was like what the fuck, is that a fur coat for Bay Bay? She proudly said yes it is. Then Topot & I were like OK, so your 1 year old baby has a mink coat & you do not have a lick of furniture? To that she quickly said, my boyfriend go this for him as a gift. At this point I was too through & I said let’s go back to mamma’s.
Once we got backed, we all joked & laughed & ate our asses off. About an 1½ after we got back, Baby was like I’m about to leave then she started packing up her stuff then she cleaned Bay Bay up & put him on a clean outfit. When we go to mamma’s Bay Bay was barefoot but when Baby got him dressed, he had on a new pair of icy white Air Force Ones & to top off everything, she put a navy blue doo rag on his little head. This made me trip out & ask her why her baby was so sharp but she had no damn furniture & why the fuck is he wearing a doo rag? I mean she had the boy looking like thug passion.
After seeing the shoes & doo rag, I was so disappointed & told her there is no reason for sweet little Bay Bay to be thugged out at the age of 1. Why be sharp in the streets & come home to nothing to sit on!?! She needs to pawn that damn coat & get a fucking cheap couch or at least one damn armchair.
From the looks of things at this point, my sister is contributing to this whole thing of parents thinking sagging pants, thongs, wife beaters, & low cut jeans are cute. What the hell is wrong with these young parents.
Nic / July 5, 2007
An answer to your question. What do poor people NOW use for dustpans?
Junk mail & unopened bills.
Peace
Southern Me~ / July 5, 2007
I love your spot. I’m adding you to my link. I think I’m poor at least a few paychecks poor so ummm I actually have a real duskpan lol if not I’ll use a piece of paper I guess or bills I tend to toss in the trash!
Darius T. Williams / July 5, 2007
Not to rag out on your sis, but yo – I feel you completely. The perpetual cycle is never ending – it’s a shame too cuz if you think about the investments currently being made (or lack of) and how they will affect Bay Bay when he’s older – it’s saddening. All we can do is pray…right?
I am not Star Jones / July 5, 2007
women who think and act like your sister are so foreign to me….are you sure she actually exists?
I’m being serious. The very idea that someone could buy a fur coat for a baby and not buy a sofa and want to show the fur coat off is
science fiction to me.
Tell me that you are Ray Bradbury or something.
Naturally Sophia / July 5, 2007
lol! I have a brother that is like your sister. He owned Polo,Ralph Lauren sheets before he owned his own bed. Sometimes I wonder are he and I related?? You just have to love em and laugh when loving gets too hard. 🙂
Bygbaby / July 6, 2007
Nic – Excellent use of junk paper!
Southern Me – Thx for checking me out boo.
Darius – I hope that Bay Bay does not wind up in a statistical situation but my sister is…
IANSJ – This is fo’ real! I know I talk a lot of shit but this story is 100% true.
Naturally Sophia – “ou just have to love em and laugh when loving gets too hard. :)” so true!
Bygbaby
Erica C. / July 6, 2007
Damn, that’s nothing shocking. I deal with situations like this everyday. The system is a vicious cycle.
Cluizel / July 6, 2007
Sigh…My old friends I grew up with who just stopped trying after high school are SOOO like that. They don’t have kids…but their priorities in general are fcuked up.
Ms Stella / July 7, 2007
One of my nieces did the same thing as your sister. When she was pregnant with her son, she kept ragging on her sister for not buying designer/name brand clothes for her kid and we kept saying “wait until that baby drops, she’s gonna get over that madness real quick”. As of today, she is unemployed and her rent is late but lil’ man is sharp.
Oh yeah, LOL at the album cover posted over the couch like fine art.
Bygbaby / July 10, 2007
Erica C. – Will these shifting cycles of ghetto life ever end??? Somewhat rhetorical but I want a damn answer.
Cluizel – I hate it when friends go down the wrong road, it is a major downer.
Ms Stella – We need to rond up these ghetto mamas & send then to Judge Hatchett for some type of reality check!
Bygbaby
mark / July 10, 2007
Bygbaby this is what you get when you dumb down the entire black american population.
Its going to take a collective effort to get beyond all of these non sense you blogged on. Good post my friend.
lips / July 12, 2007
A fur coat for a baby? In July? By the time it gets cold the baby will have out grown the coat. That is money wasted you could have used to buy furniture. People we need to examine our priorities. Forget about the bling and looking ghetto fabulous. Buy some nice non name brand clothes and invest the extra in a money market, IRA, college fund or something for the future. Just a thought.