1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: Disgraceland as a production of Double Elvis. The stories about 2 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: Wu Tang Clans Inspected Deck are insane. Growing up poor 3 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: in the Staten Island projects, he stole and ran scams 4 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: to get the things he didn't have. When he was fifteen, 5 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: he was arrested for selling crack to an undercover cop. 6 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: In jail, he learned how to hold his own against older, 7 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:45,879 Speaker 1: more dangerous convicts. But despite what he learned, he was 8 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: busted for drugs again and wound up doing nearly two 9 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: more years behind bars. It was in prison the second 10 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: time that he began to work on his rhyming skills. 11 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,279 Speaker 1: He made his tongue as sharp as a sold and 12 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: with that razor sharp tongue, Inspected Deck made great music, 13 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: some of the greatest music in hip hop history as 14 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: a member of Wu Tang Clan. Unlike that clip I 15 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: played for you at the top of the show, that 16 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 1: wasn't great music. That was a preset loop from my 17 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: melotron called Resuscitation Dummy MK two. I played you that 18 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: clip because I can't afford the rights to Escapade by 19 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: Janet Jackson. And why would I play you that specific 20 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: slice of savior Troubles cheese. Could I afford it? Because 21 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: that was the number one song in America on March sixth, 22 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety and that was the day that two detectives 23 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: were injured and one state cop was killed during a 24 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: drug bust gone bad on the Lower East Side, the 25 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: latest boondoggle in New York City's ongoing war against the 26 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: drug trade, a war that Inspected Deck was both caught 27 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: up in and desperately wanted to escape. On this episode, 28 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: running rhyming, undercover cops, dangerous convicts, drug busts gone bad, 29 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: and Wu Tang clans, Inspected Deck. I'm Jake Brennan, and 30 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: this is disgrace Land, nineteen eighty five, Brooklyn House of Detention. 31 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: The kid kept to the corner of his cramp cell. 32 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: He was quiet, reserved. He minded his own business, and 33 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: he listened. The older inmates talked a lot. Their voices 34 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: carried down the hallway and bounced off the walls. They 35 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: talked about the things they'd done with their hands, the 36 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: triggers and tits they'd squeezed, the blood they'd spilled, and 37 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: the lives they'd ruined. Some talked about what they were 38 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: going to do when they get out of the joint, 39 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: and there were people to see and scores to settle 40 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: out in the common areas, the Commissary, the chapel, the 41 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: rooftop recreation center. Jason Hunter, the fifteen year old kid 42 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: the world would later know as inspected Deck, put faces 43 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: to those voices. The young Deck aka Jason here watched 44 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: just as well as he listened, and he was being 45 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: watched back dudes twice his size, if not quite twice 46 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: his age, looking him up and down, calculating the over 47 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: under on how fast he could run, how quickly in loudly. 48 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: He'd scream like a little bit if they caught him. 49 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: Jason knew what they were staring at. Clean Yankees cap 50 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: on his head, new balanced sneakers on his feet. These 51 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: dudes had the power. All they had to do was 52 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: give one look, make one move, say one word, and 53 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: immediately they had the upper hand. Jason's nice clothes made 54 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: him an easy target. He needed a strategy, A simple strategy, 55 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: as in, don't start any shit and don't give anyone 56 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: a reason hang back, shut up, and keep watch. Watching 57 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: came naturally, so to going incognito. In the late seventies 58 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: and early eighties on Staten Island, Jason Hunter hovered near 59 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: the shadows, silent but observant, his mind cataloging his environment. 60 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 1: Cigarette butts caught in the storm, drains, rusted dumpsters overflowing 61 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: with garbage, bee boys with crazy legs, and block party 62 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: battle scars. He was particularly interested in those dudes, the 63 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: guys banging on tables and battling each other with their rhymes. 64 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: Guys you thought they would be the next rock him, 65 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: the next Bismarquis, the next cool g rap He watched 66 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:18,599 Speaker 1: those guys, and he learned. He watched his single mother 67 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: provide for him and his two siblings. His father was 68 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: gone dead, not awall other men in his family and 69 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: other men in the neighborhood. However, they did make themselves 70 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: scarce when it came to matters of the home. The 71 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,599 Speaker 1: women were the ones doing everything, and they got up 72 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: early and went to bed late, and they punched the clock, 73 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: and they paid for the clothes on your back and 74 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: the food on your table, and they often went without 75 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: so that their kids could have something anything. Providing food 76 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: and shelter was power. Being a source of love was power, 77 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: and surviving was power. Jason soon found that he had 78 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: power even better than the power to be a fly 79 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: on the wall. He actually seemed older and wiser than 80 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: his age might suggest. Ten eleven, twelve years old on paper, 81 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: but twice that old in terms of basic life experience. 82 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: Maybe you find yourself in the Staten Island projects in 83 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: park Hell, without a father figure or a strong male 84 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: role model. It's only natural to seek out what you 85 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: don't have, and maybe you find it in a kitchen 86 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: inside one of the tenements down the street, a bunch 87 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: of older dudes mid twenties, maybe old enough to be 88 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: your dad. Okay, maybe, But the point is they're all 89 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: huddled around tables and stovetops, and they drink and they smoke, 90 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,719 Speaker 1: and they tell dirty jokes. And you laugh, not because 91 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: you get the jokes, because you absolutely do not, but 92 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: because you want to be just one of the guys. 93 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: You want to be older. So you steal a sip 94 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: from a forty, You catch a contact high from the 95 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: weed that's being passed around, and you watch, you watch 96 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: these dudes work. Their work is to prepare a distribute 97 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: park Hill number one. Export crack cocaine, one part white powder, 98 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: one part baking soda in one part water. Heat it 99 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: on a stovetop, and transfer it to the counter and 100 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: then chop it up and pop it inside a vial 101 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: or a baggie, and then it's out on the street. 102 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: Now that is power, possessing the very thing another person craves, 103 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: holding the key to their personal euphoria, and the only 104 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: way they can get it from you is to pay 105 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: for it, which means you also have the thing that 106 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: everyone in park Hill seems to be looking for, whether 107 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 1: they're an addict or not. Money. Like many kids on 108 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: Staten Island at this time, Jason Hunter grew up fast, drugs, gun, sex, 109 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: illegal activity of every kind. He witnessed it all, and 110 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: very quickly he became it. It wasn't long before he 111 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: was dealing crack on the streets, and for no other reason, 112 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: because that was what you did. And although he was 113 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: seeing and doing things far beyond his years, Jason was 114 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 1: still just a kid, only fifteen, and he was still green. 115 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: He couldn't make a nark as easily as some of 116 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 1: the older guys. In his defense, it was getting harder 117 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,559 Speaker 1: to tell these days. The lines between good and bad 118 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: were blurred. In July of that year. In nineteen eighty five, 119 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: a former NYPD cop was found dead inside the trunk 120 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: of his oldsmobile in the parking lot of the Staten 121 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: Island Hospital. Vincent Albana fifty three, shot point blank in 122 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: the face, chest and back, Gangland style as a former 123 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: detective who quit when he was demoted after being named 124 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: suspect Numero uno in the case of seventy three million 125 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: dollars worth of heroin and cocaine that disappeared from police custody. 126 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: Even the cops wanted a taste. Cops were just attics 127 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: by another name, high functioning junkies. Jason had no idea 128 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: the guy he was selling to now was under cover. 129 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: In all of his days watching however everything worked, he'd 130 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: yet to witness this normal looking dude. Inconspicuous, a little 131 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: rough around the edges, not too rough, quiet but not 132 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: too quiet, eager but not paranoid. It's not like he 133 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: was scanning the streets anxiously for his wingman or anything. 134 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: But as soon as the vial was in the guy's 135 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 1: hand and Jason had the money, a switch flipped, the 136 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,079 Speaker 1: badge came out from under his shirt, and two other 137 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 1: cops appeared out of nowhere, guns drawn, freeze on the ground, 138 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: hands behind your back and Jason hit the pavement, neighborhood 139 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: dudes hanging around, scattered like rats, running from the rumble 140 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: of an oncoming garbage truck. That bust was how he 141 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: wound up here inside the Brooklyn House at detention, just 142 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:44,079 Speaker 1: fifteen years old, once again just watching and once again 143 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: about to learn something new, and the homicidal convicts staring 144 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 1: at him from across the room wanted a shit that 145 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: hat in those shoes, but Jason wanted something from them, 146 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: not their repeat offender lives. He wanted something better than that, 147 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 1: something that would set him up to survive on the 148 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: inside and the outside. He wanted their power. The black 149 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: Pontiac Firebird Formula three point fifty hummed as it pulled 150 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: to the side of the FDR tinted windows, rear spoiler, 151 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: all muscle. The NYPD called it a flash car because 152 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: it looked like the kind of thing someone buying a 153 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,439 Speaker 1: lot of dope would tool around in. The undercover detective 154 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: sitting behind the wheel prepared to act like just that 155 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 1: kind of guy, which meant acting like he wasn't nervous. 156 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 1: The thing is, though he was extremely nervous. He was 157 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: nervous because he was about to go buy some drugs 158 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: from Lower East Side dealer, but not just some drugs, 159 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 1: two kilos of cocaine, four and a half pounds forty 160 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 1: two thousand dollars worth. And this is nineteen ninety money 161 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: that we're talking about, by the way. And this wasn't 162 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: just another buy and bus operation. This was bigger than 163 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: the NYPD. This was a joint task force, city, state, 164 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 1: and federal all working together to make a dent in 165 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 1: the New York drug trade. The detective took a deep 166 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 1: breath and stepped out of the Pontiac wads of traceable 167 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: bills stuffed in his pockets. And it was early March 168 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: and the air was chilly, the East River was just 169 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,319 Speaker 1: beginning to thaw, and the neighborhood kids were just starting 170 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: to return to the playgrounds after a long winter. And 171 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: the detective didn't have to wait for his man. The 172 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: dealer was on time, according to Plant. He led the 173 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: detective into the courtyard of the projects nearby, and they 174 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: made their way to a side door of one of 175 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: the buildings, and the dealer said the door led to 176 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,559 Speaker 1: the basement, that's where they make the trade. The detective 177 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: felt as adrenaline kick in before he even walked inside. 178 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: He kept his breathing under control so as not to 179 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: blow his cover, and the dealer opened the door. The 180 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: detective wasn't even two steps inside before he heard a guncock. 181 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: A second man stepped out from the corner shadows inside 182 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: of the building and pressed his piece to the detective's face. 183 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: The money. Now, then, there was no cocaine and there 184 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: was no deal. There was just this a setup, a ripoff. 185 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: The detective wasn't sure if the dealers made him for 186 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: a cop or not. And they know real quick if 187 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,199 Speaker 1: they searched him and found the wire stuff down his shirt, 188 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: he knew they wouldn't even get that far because thanks 189 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: to that wire, his backup was closing in on the 190 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: courtyard outside other officers in unmarked carrs, State Police, FEDS. Still, 191 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 1: at this moment, it was just him inside a building 192 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: with two guys who wouldn't hesitate to shoot him dead. 193 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: He didn't think twice. He leaped towards the guy with 194 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: the gun. Shots fired outside, the courtyard erupted in chaos. 195 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: More shots. Officers both playing clothes and uniform flooded in 196 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: from every angle, some carrying automatic weapons and wearing helmets 197 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 1: and they took cover and returned fire, and the bullets flew. 198 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: German shepherd canines tugged at their leashes and frost at 199 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 1: the mouth. Residents as high as fourteen floors up near 200 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: the drill, they slammed their windows shut the dealer in 201 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 1: his arm. Colleigue tore ass from inside the building where 202 00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: they were attempting to rob the detective, and the cop 203 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 1: gave chase. Within seconds, another round of shots and the 204 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 1: cop fell to the ground, screaming and grabbing his bleeding leg. 205 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: When the shootout came to an end minutes later, two 206 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: detectives were wounded, one stake cop who took a bullet 207 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: to his eye was pronounced dead at Bellevue, and two suspects, 208 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 1: both in their twenties, both having started the day as dealers, 209 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: had ended it as cop killers, were in custody. Beyond injury, 210 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: death and arrests, widespread fear had been sown in the projects. 211 00:13:56,120 --> 00:14:00,200 Speaker 1: In the community at large, doubts and suspicions festered, The 212 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: gap between the poverty stricken public and those sworn to 213 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: protect them widened, and meanwhile, the goal of these undercover 214 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: sting operations. The reason that street level task forces like 215 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: the Tactical Narcotics Team were assembled in the first place, 216 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: you know, the eradication of drugs from the streets of 217 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: New York City. One could argue it was a complete failure. 218 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 1: He put a record number of low level dealers in handcuffs, 219 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: but failed to make so much as a dent in 220 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: drug trafficking on the street. It used taxpayer dollars to 221 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: overcrowd prisons and overwhelm the court system, but it didn't 222 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: lead to taking down the higher ups. It was history 223 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 1: repeating in history did not and does not change. Jason 224 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:44,440 Speaker 1: Hunter's own history was repeating at the same time. It 225 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: had been a few years since he was first busted 226 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: for selling crack to an undercover cop, and now he'd 227 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: somehow managed to do it again. This time, however, he 228 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: was over eighteen years old. Then that meant two years 229 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: in prison. Decades later, in thirteen, when being interviewed about 230 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: his classic verse in Wu Tang Clan's groundbreaking track Cream, 231 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: Jason aka Deck spoke about the importance of staying alert 232 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 1: at all times. There's a thin line between feeling safe 233 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: and feeling in danger. He said, anything can happen at 234 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 1: any time. You need to stay awake to the ways 235 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: of the world, because shit is deep in the minute 236 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: you get caught sleeping, you don't wake up. He was 237 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 1: speaking from experience back when he was arrested for the 238 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: first time at age fifteen and found himself incarcerated with older, 239 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: more dangerous men. Jason was careful not to get caught sleeping. 240 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 1: He kept his distance in those who meant to do 241 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 1: him harm, and he kept his nose clean. And after 242 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: a brief spell behind bars, he walked out the front 243 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: doors of the Brooklyn House of Detention with that Yankees 244 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: hat still on his head and the new Balance kicks 245 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: still on his feet. The experience was, in his own words, 246 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: the official birth of his alter ego. Even though inspected 247 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 1: Deck was not yet a legitimate MC and Wu Tang 248 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: was years down the road. At this time, Deck was 249 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: a concept, a product of his environment, the guy on 250 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: the sidelines of the room, assessing scheming, waiting to make 251 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: his move when the coast was clear and the time 252 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: was right, and while everyone else was acting impulsive and 253 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: making fools of themselves, Deck was a partful. Deck was smart, 254 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 1: and though he wasn't a card carrying member of the 255 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: five percent nation, he was the manifestation of that movement's 256 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: first three supreme numbers. He did the knowledge and the wisdom, 257 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: and he had the understanding. What Jason Hunter's first experience 258 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: in jail did not do was curb his hustle, and 259 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 1: not just hustling crack. As a teenager, Jason ran a 260 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: scam at his place of employment. The Manhattan Delivery Service 261 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: gave him bus tokens to make his deliveries, but unbeknownst 262 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: to his employer, Jason rode a bike. He didn't need 263 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: the tokens, so he sold the tokens to commuters at 264 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: bus stops and pocketed the cash. And when the delivery 265 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: service found out about this particular side hustle, Jason was 266 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 1: immediately fired. Being unemployed though didn't face him, it gave 267 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: him more time to flex the rhymes he was writing, 268 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: test them out on dudes from the next neighborhood over 269 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 1: weren't so easily impressed, and if he needed to, he 270 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,399 Speaker 1: could always sling more dope. Plus, he was used to 271 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 1: having very little, so he was used to just taking 272 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,879 Speaker 1: the things he wanted. It wasn't odd for Jason to 273 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: show up at high school driving a Cutlass Supreme or 274 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: Chevy Corsica that wasn't his, And that is when he 275 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: did show up at school, he cut class at every opportunity, 276 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: and when he was there, he was your basic class clown, 277 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: screwing off, not paying attention and making other kids laugh. 278 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 1: But when it came time to take a test, he 279 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: aced it every single time. Then that was perhaps his 280 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: greatest hustle. That was Deck. How he made it look 281 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,440 Speaker 1: like he wasn't paying attention even though he was making 282 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: the calculations all along. And when the time came to act, 283 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,120 Speaker 1: when he had to make his move, he made it definitively, 284 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: because if you're not making your move, someone else is 285 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: making it for you. Any five percenter will tell you 286 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: that the only power the devil has is the power 287 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: that man hasn't already claimed for himself. Shit is deep. 288 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: Stay awake. If the devil catches you sleeping, you lose 289 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: whatever power you thought you had, and then you don't 290 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: wake up. We'll be right back after this. We're We're, 291 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: We're the Rizza didn't know how much clearer he could be. 292 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: Raykwon Meth Ghost Deck. What are they all doing? Dealing hustling, 293 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 1: getting shot at pinched, going to jail. They're all bugging 294 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: running around in circles, and there was no power in 295 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: that kind of movement, only wasted energy. To have true power, 296 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: to have the upper hand of truth, because power is 297 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: truth and truth is power. As the five percent Nation 298 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: aka the Nation of Gods and Earth's taught them, you 299 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: have to elevate. Rizza had a ground floor opportunity that 300 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: would take them straight to the penthouse, an opportunity to 301 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: lead them straight out of darkness and into the light. 302 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: All each of them had to do was pony at 303 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: one hundred bucks, and that would pay for their studio time. 304 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:25,360 Speaker 1: Whatever was left over will go towards the first pressing, 305 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 1: put up the capital, put in the work, and then 306 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,239 Speaker 1: think Rizza later. This is the most ethic wake up 307 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: call in hip hop history. Jason Hunter, of course, had 308 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: just woken up, like woken up for real, while incarcerated 309 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: for a second time. And what was there to say? 310 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,360 Speaker 1: He was human and like the man said, to fuck 311 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: up is to human, but to learn from that fuck 312 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 1: up is divine or something like that. The thing is, 313 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: you sit in a jail cell for almost two years, 314 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: and you either get clarity or things become even cloudier. Jason. 315 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: The clarity was blinding, and there were two options. Either 316 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,920 Speaker 1: continued down this well worn path, dealing, getting caught, getting 317 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 1: locked up, and eventually winding up dead, or break the 318 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: cycle and put all that energy into something positive. He 319 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: wasn't going to become a kingpin dealing crack. He would 320 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 1: just become a clown. And Jason Hunter did not want 321 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: to become a clown. He wanted to become inspected Deck. 322 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: That was the catalyst. Prison round two was where Deck 323 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: went from observer to rapper. Prison round two was where 324 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,919 Speaker 1: Deck sharpened his tongue. His tongue was his sword. His 325 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 1: sword was his power. His power was his voice, and 326 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: his voice silenced everyone who wanted to silence him, everyone 327 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: who wanted to strip him of his power. In his cell, 328 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 1: he put in the reps with his verses the way 329 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: other guys put in reps with sets of weights. He 330 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: found his own cadence, He found his own flow, and 331 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: when the flow didn't feel quite right, he moved the 332 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: words around and tried again. And those words gave him purpose, 333 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:05,199 Speaker 1: Those words gave him an identity. Before long, Deck was 334 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: lyrically sharp, verbally agile, but when he left prison, he 335 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: was a humble warrior, like Hung Si Kuan in the 336 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven film Executioners from Shaolin. He was moving 337 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 1: the weak spots in his body with his own mind, 338 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: or like Gordon Leeuw in the nineteen seventy eight classic 339 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: The thirty six Chamber of Shall in the one where 340 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,840 Speaker 1: a monk has that great line Without wisdom, there is 341 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: no gain. Deck was as invincible as Low Maying aka 342 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: Toad and five Deadly venoms, lying prone on a bed 343 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,439 Speaker 1: of nails with his iron skin to keep him safe. 344 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: With one tight verse, he could deliver a single stroke 345 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: kill like that of the Lone Samurai in the nineteen 346 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: eighty revenge film Showgun Assassin. These were the qualities that 347 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: the Rizza sought out when he brought together eight other 348 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: disparate personalities from park Hill, Stapleton, and Brooklyn, guys who 349 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: were invincible, guys who could deliver a fatal blow verbal. 350 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,639 Speaker 1: No one else in the rap game was ready for 351 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: what they had and no one was expecting it, but 352 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: everyone got the message protect your neck. March nineteen ninety seven, 353 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: Los Angeles, the suburban idled on the side of Sunset Boulevard, inspected. 354 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 1: Deck sat shotgun. He passed a blunt to you God 355 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 1: in the driver's seat deck's Wu Tang brothers took a 356 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: hit and stared at the window. Billboard Live the club 357 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: right outside their car drew them like moths to a flame. 358 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: Fuck you God, said, I still can't believe that he's gone. 359 00:22:57,800 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: The club was the last place they both seemed to 360 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: smalls alive, and now, just days after Biggie was killed, 361 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 1: they found themselves here again. They both kept low, slumped 362 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: down in their seats, ball caps pulled down tight over 363 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:14,399 Speaker 1: their brows, their minds constantly pouring over the details of 364 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: the shooting instead of focusing on making Wu Tang sophomore album, 365 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: the reason why they were in La in the first place. 366 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: And they didn't stay at that spot very long. It 367 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,479 Speaker 1: was intense sitting here and thinking about a slain New 368 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: York wrapper, their contemporary who was morbid and amid your 369 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 1: brain spiral off to other tangents, like if that shooting 370 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: was in fact bigger than big, if it had further 371 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,560 Speaker 1: implications for other East Coast dudes out west, like say 372 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: Wu Tang then stationed here like sitting ducks at a 373 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,199 Speaker 1: high traffic spot was a byumb move, even if they 374 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 1: were keeping a low profile. You God pulled the suburban 375 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,919 Speaker 1: out into traffic, then they blended in. Still, they couldn't 376 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: shake the feeling that they had targets on their backs. 377 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: Biggie is dead, Tubac was dead. Deck, and you God 378 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 1: knew there were dudes out there who were looking out 379 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: for Routang. They'd heard all about the crypt who approached 380 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,000 Speaker 1: Method Man in the House of Blues and tried to 381 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: hand him a cannon for his protection. And they also 382 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: knew there were dudes looking for them. Period that seemed 383 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 1: to be never ending, whether it was the San Francisco 384 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: PD that forced Ray, Ghost and Math on the ground 385 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 1: and put them in cuffs, or guys from Staten Island 386 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 1: and Brooklyn back when the hustle was street level Deck 387 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 1: and you God didn't play that game anymore, dealing running 388 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 1: undercover officers that buy and bust bullshit. They were legit 389 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: now worldwide. They were dumb looking over their backs, or 390 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: so they thought. You God noticed the BMW first. It 391 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: followed closely behind them, headlights reflecting brightly in the suburbans 392 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: rearview mirror. You God put Deck on alert. Yell man, 393 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: what the fuck is this? Deck turned around to look. 394 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,199 Speaker 1: The beamer helped tight. It shadowed there every move. It 395 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,360 Speaker 1: definitely was not some random car out for a joy ride. 396 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: Whoever was in that BMW wanted to make themselves known. 397 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: Whoever was in that BMW only had to step on 398 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: the gas and pull up alongside them, windows down, guns blazing. 399 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: Neither Deck nor you God were packing the hand to 400 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 1: make a move fast. Without warning, You God spun the 401 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,200 Speaker 1: wheel and made a hard right turn. The suburban's wheels 402 00:25:27,200 --> 00:25:30,200 Speaker 1: squealed on the pavement. The BMW made an identical move 403 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: just as quickly. Shit, they had no other choice. Now 404 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:36,919 Speaker 1: it's on you, God said to Deck. Word. Deck replied, 405 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: pull up in front of this hotel. You God pulled 406 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: up to the side of the road and jumped out 407 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: of the car. This being the late nineties. He had 408 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 1: a beeper strapped to his belt, and if you hit 409 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:47,760 Speaker 1: the clip on the beeper just right, you could make 410 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: it sound like you were cocking a gun. It was 411 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: an old trick, but he'd seen it work plenty of times, 412 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: especially in the dark. You God made his approach and 413 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: snapped the clip on his beaper. As the windows rolled down, 414 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: he waited for the BMW to back down and peel 415 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: out with the card and move that you got braced 416 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: for the worst. He got closer and then he looked 417 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:14,239 Speaker 1: inside and wait, Latifa. He could hardly believe it. There 418 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,400 Speaker 1: were no dudes with a grudge in the beamer, no weapons, 419 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 1: locked and loaded, just four women, including Queen Latifa, Rap 420 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: Goddess Fellow East Coast o g friend of Wu Tang, 421 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: and the last person Deck and you got expected to 422 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,919 Speaker 1: see out here. Latifa explained she'd been following them to 423 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,439 Speaker 1: make sure they were okay, seeing as they were all 424 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: the way over here and some would say enemy territory 425 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 1: at the very moment that the hip hop community was 426 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:41,800 Speaker 1: in turmoil. Latifa was a stabilizing presence. She put things 427 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: at ease, and things did seem to get easier from 428 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 1: that point forward. The strange vibe around Biggie's death cooled down. 429 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: Wu Tang finished their second record, and even when there 430 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: was a flood at Rizzis Staten Island Studio which destroyed 431 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: the tapes for Deck's first solo album, Deck Took It 432 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,880 Speaker 1: in Stride was a setback he recovered from he dealt 433 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,719 Speaker 1: with worse. It meant that his debut solo album, Uncontrolled 434 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:10,480 Speaker 1: Substance wouldn't see the light a day until nineteen ninety nine, 435 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: and by that time Deck and Wu Tang had new problems, 436 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 1: much bigger problems on a much larger scale. The agent 437 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 1: returned from his lunch break with heartburn so bad he 438 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:26,640 Speaker 1: felt like a volcano was about to erupt under his sternum. 439 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,600 Speaker 1: He loosened his tie. Was it the garlic on that sandwich? 440 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 1: Or maybe the tomatoes? Fucking tomatoes. He didn't want to 441 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 1: think about food right now, though. He just wanted to 442 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: get back to work. The stack of paperwork on his 443 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:43,919 Speaker 1: desk called to him. This was his life, paperwork, sandwiches, heartburn, 444 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 1: and overtime. He picked up the document from the top 445 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 1: of the pile and began to read. Universal Case file 446 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: number one six y six e dash n y dash 447 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:56,679 Speaker 1: two seven one six y nine four Dash one A 448 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: one Field Office Acquiring Evidence, York, Date received eleven three, 449 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 1: ninety nine Description Original notes regarding interview of Russell Jones 450 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:11,640 Speaker 1: aka Old Dirty Bastard. Whoever took down these notes had 451 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: really nice handwriting, probably Janet, maybe Barbara. These were notes 452 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,639 Speaker 1: from an interview between Wu Tang's Old Dirty bastard and 453 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,199 Speaker 1: a handful of FBI agents and NYPD detectives conducted at 454 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: a rehab facility in California. ODB told him how he 455 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: woke up in bed to find Unknown Mail one standing 456 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,359 Speaker 1: over him, wearing a black ski mask and pointing a 457 00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: gun in his face, a three fifty seven or forty five. 458 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: ODB wasn't sure. He didn't waste time figuring it out either. 459 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: He quickly jumped out of bed. He grabbed at the piece, 460 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: but Unknown Mail number one wasn't about to let it 461 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 1: go that easily, and they wrestled. The gun went off 462 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: two shots, The first hit ODB in the arm and 463 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: the second in his back. Unknown Mail number one was 464 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: about the bail, but then Unknown Mail number two appeared, 465 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 1: also in a ski mask. You get the shit, Number 466 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,240 Speaker 1: two asked number one one. ODB figured they were talking 467 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: about his jewelry. He told him to take it. Unknown 468 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 1: Mail number one snatched Odb's chain and rings right off 469 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: of his body ten grand worth, and then both of them, 470 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: one and two were out the door gone. Only then 471 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: did the pain really set in his arm and his 472 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,720 Speaker 1: back hurt like hell. But despite that pain, ODB drove 473 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: himself to Saint John's bleeding out all over the interior 474 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: of his range drover. The FBI agent paused to look 475 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: at the rest of the documents in the stack of 476 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 1: papers on his desk, and this file was getting larger. 477 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: The case against Wu Tang Klan as a criminal organization, 478 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: the one mounted by the NYPD, the ATF, and the FEDS. 479 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: It was all here in this stack, but the picture 480 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: wasn't fully clear yet. What seemed to be clear, though, 481 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: was that this narrative about Wu Tang as a bunch 482 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 1: of guys who had left criminal lifestyles behind them to 483 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 1: walk the straight and narrow seemed to grow thinner by 484 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: the day. There was the death of Wise god Allah 485 00:29:57,920 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: and Steubenville, the death of Robert Johnson on Staten Island, 486 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: odb's home invasion, ghostface kill, his unlicensed gun, and hollow 487 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: point bullets. But there were still pieces of the puzzle missing, 488 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:14,600 Speaker 1: and there were unanswered questions and untold secrets. And then 489 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: there was this a little known fact, a fact that 490 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 1: had eluded every member of Wu Tang as well as 491 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:25,040 Speaker 1: the majority of agents at the FBI, The fact that 492 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:28,800 Speaker 1: at this very moment, in nineteen ninety nine, one of 493 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 1: the members of Wu Tang Clans. Trusted Inner Circle was 494 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:37,480 Speaker 1: a Federal informant. I'm Jake Brennan in this episode of 495 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: Disgraceland is to be continued. Disgraceland was created by Yours 496 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: Truly and is produced in partnership with Double Elvis. Credits 497 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: for this episode can be out of the show notes 498 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 1: page at disgracelampod dot com. 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