Did you go to the Tunnel? What was that scene like?
Survived Early 90s Drug Game in NYC AMA
- Thread starter Piri Tomas
- Start date
Did you go to the Tunnel? What was that scene like?
Piri Tomas
All Star
The Tunnel was wild. A lot of dudes tucked their jewels because they liked to catch you coming out. It was a grimy spot in the middle of downtown Manhattan. The heads used to go out there to hear real hip hop, so you'd take a ratchet round the way girl over there, someone who'd be gripping right there with you if you ran into a problem outside.
I preferred more mixed spots like the old Palladium.
Could you give a few examples of what you mean? The reason that I ask is because we always used to here how the dudes were moving or 'getting it', stories that glamorize that side of it, but it's rare to hear about or from the women they dealt with them. Some times the girlfriends or wives got locked or were made to serve time too even though they weren't directly involved in the activity or being around drugs, they got strung out. My cousin became an addict just off being around crack during that era, and dating dudes involved in it, when before that, she wasn't even thinking about it. I was a lot younger so I just heard things in passing.
What did you experience as far as the griminess and no respect?
Piri Tomas
All Star
We met many but dudes who always gave it up in terms of fukking with us in the hood... Brand Nubian, the boxer Macho Camacho, Fat Joe (who was an official street dude btw), partied with John Starks a lot in Manhattan.Anybody in particular that you met you went
Piri Tomas
All Star
Yeah there was all of that stuff, dudes using women to move work/guns.
Aside from that it was just general misogyny, but very brutal. The proliferation of drugs in our community had cheapened sex. So many women were using, a lot of our young men/boys came up trading drugs for sex. That whole aspect distorted and corrupted their general outlook on women. Sex in general was too cheap. I'm no prude, but you have a fundamental societal breakdown when running trains on chicks becomes the norm.
Clark Griswold
Banned
How is China graded on the 1-10 scale?
You hear cats say I want at least a 9 or 10 on the D.
You hear cats say I want at least a 9 or 10 on the D.
Piri Tomas
All Star
China was not one thing back then. We didn't have a lot of control over the quality we put out there. Sometimes the dope would be good but if the connect ran into problems it might be dark and look like paint chips... You put out testers and got a old time junkie to sample it, that's how brands got the word out.
Piri Tomas
All Star
Joe was. I remember him actually being on the streets hustling. He was associated with some very respected Bronx figures. Never knew about Pun until he started rapping.
Whats the interactions been when you run into cats from the past in an unplanned manner, whether yall was friends or enemys?
UncleTomFord15
Veteran
Another question is how wild was chinatown back then
? Heard it used to take the drug game seriously.
? Heard it used to take the drug game seriously.Piri Tomas
All Star
I don't stay in the hood like that. When I come back though it's always love. Many of the old faces are gone.
Recently saw a dude who shot at me in '92 (very stupid misunderstanding) at a local restaurant. We're old timers now, we dapped it up, laughed a little, kept it moving. When you see people from that era it really is equivalent to the way veterans feel when they bump into someone from their old platoon or whatever. We survived a war.
Piri Tomas
All Star
Chinatown didn't have a wild reputation. It was always a tourist destination... whereas you couldn't pay them to come to our part of town.Another question is how wild was chinatown back then
The drug activity there was in weight, they weren't shooting it out over corners.
Brolic Scholar
Licensed Text Technician
What was your first big purchase (material item) that made you feel like the man?
Did you buy a car?
Any flamboyant jewelry? Or were you low key?
Were you able to invest any money or was it easy come easy go?
How many of your crew members became addicted to dope?
Did you buy a car?
Any flamboyant jewelry? Or were you low key?
Were you able to invest any money or was it easy come easy go?
How many of your crew members became addicted to dope?