The 50th Law - 50 Cent [40]
The Hustler’s Setup
[T]HE HUSTLER’S EVERY WAKING HOUR IS LIVED WITH BOTH THE PRACTICAL AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS KNOWLEDGE THAT IF HE EVER RELAXES, IF HE EVER SLOWS DOWN, THE OTHER HUNGRY, RESTLESS FOXES, FERRETS, WOLVES, AND VULTURES OUT THERE WITH HIM WON’T HESITATE TO MAKE HIM THEIR PREY.
—Malcolm X
In the summer of 1994, Curtis Jackson returned to Southside Queens after having served some time in a rehabilitation program for drug offenders. And to his surprise, in the year he had been away the hustling game had dramatically changed. The streets were now more crowded than ever with dealers trying to make some money in the crack-cocaine trade. Having grown weary over the heated rivalries and violence of the past eight years, the hustlers had settled into a system where each would have his own corner or two; the drug fiends would come to them for quick transactions. It was easy and predictable for everyone. No need to fight or push people out of the way or even move around.
When Curtis spread the word that he was looking to get his old crew together and start back where he had left off before rehab, he was met with suspicion and outright hostility. He could ruin the nice system they had in place with his ambitious hustling schemes. He had the feeling they would kill him before he could do anything, just to preserve this new order.
The future suddenly seemed depressing and grim. He had decided months before to find a way out of the drug-dealing racket, but his plans depended on his ability to make some good money and save it so he could segue into a music career. Fitting into this one-corner system would mean he could never earn enough. A few years would go by and he would find it harder and harder to get out. But if he made a play to grab more turf and make some quick money, he would find few allies and many enemies among his fellow hustlers. It was not in their interest that he be allowed to expand his business.
The more Curtis pondered the situation, the angrier he became. It seemed to him that everywhere he turned, people were trying to get in his way, restrain his ambitions, or tell him what to do. They pretended they were trying to keep order, when in fact it was just about getting power for themselves and holding on to it. In his experience, whenever he wanted something in life, he couldn’t afford to be nice and submissive; he had to get active and forceful. It would be natural for him to feel a little skittish, coming fresh out of jail and trying to get his old life back together, but what he really had to be afraid of was being stuck and settling for the corner hustler’s life. Now was exactly the time to get aggressive, to be bad, and to disrupt this system that was designed only to keep people like him down.
He thought back to the great hustlers he had known in the neighborhood. One of their most successful strategies was the “setup,” a variation on the old con game of bait and switch. You distract people with something dramatic and emotional, and while they are not paying attention to you, you grab what you want. He had seen it executed dozens of times, and as he thought about it, he realized he had the material for the perfect distraction.
While in rehab he had befriended the ringleader of a gang of Brooklyn stickup artists. They were notorious for their efficiency and intimidating presence. For the setup, Curtis would lay low for a few weeks, working a corner like everyone else and appearing to go along with the new system. He would then hire these stickup artists on the sly to rob all of the neighborhood hustlers—including Curtis himself—of their jewelry, money, and drugs. They would make several sweeps of the area over the course of a few weeks. As part of the deal, they would keep the money and jewelry from the robberies; Curtis would get the drugs. Nobody would suspect his involvement.
In the weeks to come he watched with amusement as the sudden appearance of the stickup