In this episode of Church on the Block, Pastor Phil, Pastah J and DJ Ruckus talk with Jaquan about his past life on the streets and his transformative journey. Jaquan opens up about his upbringing in a neglectful home, which led him to seek validation through criminal activities. His story highlights the challenges of leaving street life, including the pressure from peers and the allure of street culture. He also shares his spiritual growth, finding strength in his faith and a trip to Ghana that deepened his connection with God.
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[00:00:02] Radio is like my dreams, I reach this pain and all this grief
[00:00:07] If you see God who you had to speak, tell him it's crazy in these streets
[00:00:11] Feel my pain if you so...
[00:00:12] You're on Pastor Phil.
[00:00:13] Welcome to Church On The Block, real talk about hip-hop, the church and the streets
[00:00:18] with my great co-host, Pastor Jay and Rockboy
[00:00:22] on Holy Culture Radio, Sears XM Channel 154
[00:00:26] Tell him it's crazy in these streets
[00:00:28] Yo, welcome back to church, you on the block.
[00:00:31] That's right. We're coming back at you with the last show for the year, baby.
[00:00:35] The last show. You like that new style like that?
[00:00:38] Welcome back. Welcome.
[00:00:40] This is Pastor Phil from Church on the Block.
[00:00:42] What's up, y'all?
[00:00:43] I didn't know we was going to have E40.
[00:00:45] Yeah, that's right.
[00:00:46] That's what it's about.
[00:00:52] What's happening to my weebos?
[00:00:53] Well, it's exactly.
[00:00:54] Exactly.
[00:00:55] Exactly.
[00:00:55] Men just, you know, we got to have a little silliness this last
[00:00:59] Sunday of the year, 2023 man, Church on the Block, real talk
[00:01:03] about hip hop, the church and the streets.
[00:01:04] We thank you for hanging in there with us these last, what, two years now?
[00:01:07] We've been rocking this for there about time to fly by, you know?
[00:01:11] So we know you've been following us, but you're not clicking on the gram.
[00:01:16] You got to hit us on the IG so we know you with us, you know what I'm saying?
[00:01:19] So we can follow back with you and see what's going on with your world, you know?
[00:01:22] We're going to do some unique things in 2024.
[00:01:25] We're going to kick it in the dough in the 24.
[00:01:29] Don't hate because I'm so great and I'm never late with my style coming at you.
[00:01:36] Oh, wow.
[00:01:37] Oh man, I'll wait till 24 come.
[00:01:39] I'm going crazy.
[00:01:40] I'm going crazy.
[00:01:41] Yo, I'm here with my great leaders, man.
[00:01:43] I'm a great host, man.
[00:01:44] What's up, fellas?
[00:01:45] What's up?
[00:01:46] Yo, what's good?
[00:01:47] This your boy DJ Rutgers.
[00:01:48] Y'all see he clowning today, but hey, it is a beautiful Sunday morning.
[00:01:54] Good morning, everybody.
[00:01:56] Yo, what's up, everybody?
[00:01:57] It's Pastor Jay.
[00:01:59] I did not know I was going to be co-hosting with the nutty professor today.
[00:02:05] Friday night at eight, he will not be late.
[00:02:08] That won't be great.
[00:02:11] That won't be so great.
[00:02:11] Exactly.
[00:02:13] Pop go to Weasel.
[00:02:15] Because the Weasel go pop.
[00:02:19] The Harvey Moiner.
[00:02:20] Yeah, sure.
[00:02:20] The Chairman.
[00:02:21] The Chairman.
[00:02:21] The Chairman.
[00:02:22] The Chairman.
[00:02:22] The Chairman.
[00:02:22] The Chairman.
[00:02:22] The Chairman.
[00:02:23] And we got in the studio, young brother man, great leader in our community.
[00:02:28] Tell us your name, bro.
[00:02:29] Jaquan Slash.
[00:02:30] Jaquan.
[00:02:31] Yes.
[00:02:34] Yeah, Jaquan.
[00:02:36] Jaquan been in some studio.
[00:02:37] He got some songs out there, you know what I'm saying?
[00:02:39] Yeah, yeah.
[00:02:39] There I go.
[00:02:40] Now we can play on the show.
[00:02:41] No, no, you can't play on the show.
[00:02:42] I got some gospel though.
[00:02:45] There I go.
[00:02:45] Here I come.
[00:02:47] I miss the bus.
[00:02:48] You heard them classic joints.
[00:02:49] That sounded like Mystical and the Criss Cross.
[00:02:51] Criss Cross, exactly.
[00:02:54] Take your songs now.
[00:02:56] I'm gone.
[00:02:56] I'm gone.
[00:02:57] Game's in.
[00:02:59] Oh man, he's about to get sued.
[00:03:00] I'm going, don't error, don't error.
[00:03:04] But man, we've been talking, looking back at 2023.
[00:03:07] We looked at hip hop 2023.
[00:03:10] We had some issues talking about that.
[00:03:11] We talked about, you know, the church.
[00:03:14] And then we talked about funny stuff, things in the church
[00:03:17] and in our own Walk with the Lord.
[00:03:19] And over this year, these journeys
[00:03:21] and the funniness of it all, right?
[00:03:22] And how just being able to relax a little bit about our faith
[00:03:26] and enjoy some funny things, man.
[00:03:28] And that's this last year, this last Sunday of this year.
[00:03:32] We want to go back and talk about the streets, man.
[00:03:34] And looking at 2023 in the streets
[00:03:38] and looking at what life is like in the streets
[00:03:40] and the reality of evolution of a young brother,
[00:03:45] Jaquan, and hopefully another young brother
[00:03:46] will come through with us
[00:03:48] about their own life in the streets
[00:03:49] and what and how that's affected.
[00:03:51] Because what affected that change in transformation?
[00:03:55] I mean, a part of our desire is that we have a need
[00:04:01] to understand what goes on in the minds of young men
[00:04:04] and women who get caught up in the street,
[00:04:07] who see that as the only way,
[00:04:09] who see that as the way in their life.
[00:04:12] And so we want to understand,
[00:04:15] but we also want to like walk with that level
[00:04:19] of understanding to a brother's transformation,
[00:04:22] that that's not necessarily their identity,
[00:04:25] grounded in that spot.
[00:04:27] It's crazy because just like music changes,
[00:04:30] just like clothes change, the streets change.
[00:04:33] But sometimes cats who are aware of its change,
[00:04:38] but their own transformation, they'll separate themselves.
[00:04:41] Some cats who are not aware of it,
[00:04:43] they'll continue to try to follow the same trend.
[00:04:45] So they think they try to be like the young boys
[00:04:47] on the block.
[00:04:47] They think they try to do some of the same things
[00:04:50] that they used to do back in the day.
[00:04:53] But that's not necessarily what they are.
[00:04:58] It's like some cat who was dogging everybody
[00:05:00] into the 70s in basketball,
[00:05:02] and they really can't dogging anybody out in the 80s,
[00:05:05] but they still think they got game like that.
[00:05:08] So what I'm saying is as we talk to Chiquon today,
[00:05:11] our effort is to understand the streets
[00:05:13] and understand what, and how a young brother,
[00:05:17] a young lady can get caught up in the streets.
[00:05:20] And then we're going to go into his own awareness of his own,
[00:05:26] not his own change yet, but the change of the streets.
[00:05:29] Because what was fun at one time is different now,
[00:05:33] but you're looking at younger cats,
[00:05:34] and maybe you're looking at the younger guys like,
[00:05:36] man, they crazy where maybe in years gone by,
[00:05:41] people looked at you that same way.
[00:05:42] You know what I'm saying?
[00:05:43] But what is it that keeps cats rushing to the streets?
[00:05:49] What is it that woos?
[00:05:50] And then the last part, man,
[00:05:51] we're going to talk about your own transformation
[00:05:53] and some significant things that happen in your life
[00:05:55] for that transformation to happen
[00:05:57] and to continue to stay focused in that space.
[00:06:02] So, man, Chiquon, just again,
[00:06:05] may introduce yourself.
[00:06:06] Just tell us a little bit about your story
[00:06:09] and how you caught up in the streets.
[00:06:14] Ah, well, my name is Chiquon.
[00:06:18] Say the last name.
[00:06:22] Yeah, Chiquon, little old me.
[00:06:26] I'm a long lifetime resident in Chicago,
[00:06:30] no L.S., West Side of Chicago.
[00:06:35] Growing up in the street,
[00:06:36] it depends on what age you are.
[00:06:39] And what circumstances you got going on around you.
[00:06:43] But what led me to this street was a lack of attention.
[00:06:49] My mama, she even popped out all these kids.
[00:06:51] And I feel like once you have a child,
[00:06:54] you should wait to have another child
[00:06:57] because so much time you got to bond with this child.
[00:07:01] Got to get a child a certain bond.
[00:07:03] But if you keep just having different kids, children,
[00:07:09] you won't know how to really bond with that child
[00:07:11] because you know, you're on to the next attitude, personality.
[00:07:14] You trying to see what this kid and this kid need.
[00:07:17] You don't have time to bond.
[00:07:19] So when I was born, at a certain age,
[00:07:25] when I was 13, it was already like nine of us
[00:07:29] living in the house.
[00:07:30] There's 10 of us all together,
[00:07:31] but it was like nine of us standing under one roof.
[00:07:35] So I really didn't have that attention from my mama or father.
[00:07:40] Out of all the kids, which one do you follow?
[00:07:42] You like the fifth, third?
[00:07:43] I'm the fourth oldest.
[00:07:44] Fourth oldest, okay.
[00:07:45] Yeah, I'm the fourth oldest.
[00:07:46] So you were in the middle.
[00:07:47] Yeah, fourth oldest.
[00:07:48] Middle child syndrome.
[00:07:50] I'm sorry if I offended anybody who has middle child syndrome.
[00:07:53] No, no, no.
[00:07:53] But you know what that is?
[00:07:54] You know what that is for real?
[00:07:55] Like being in sport?
[00:08:00] It's not being in sport.
[00:08:02] It's basically the middle child,
[00:08:05] they say they didn't get enough attention.
[00:08:07] And so a lot of times they can't see where they create problems
[00:08:11] or that they might be the problem sometimes.
[00:08:15] They can't see it.
[00:08:17] And sometimes middle child is trying to fix everything
[00:08:20] and keep the peace between everybody else too.
[00:08:23] You know what I'm saying?
[00:08:24] Yeah, that was me though.
[00:08:25] Okay, okay.
[00:08:26] Like I got only child syndrome.
[00:08:27] I'm my mother's only child.
[00:08:29] I'm a sport I don't like to share.
[00:08:34] Look at God!
[00:08:34] You show me though!
[00:08:38] But no, I ain't really had that motherly love and father,
[00:08:46] I want to say 75%.
[00:08:51] A father that's kids that grow without a father become,
[00:08:57] I'm not going to say institutionalized,
[00:08:59] that's not the word I'm looking for.
[00:09:01] But they become immune to it.
[00:09:03] They become a product of their environment.
[00:09:08] And so that's what I was.
[00:09:09] But also you also can overcome a lot of things too.
[00:09:13] But during that time I would just focus on fitting in,
[00:09:18] you know, trying to make friends.
[00:09:19] How old were you?
[00:09:20] I was about 12, 11 going on 12.
[00:09:24] Okay.
[00:09:25] Yeah.
[00:09:25] Now, you know that statement you just made about
[00:09:28] fatherless kids and the path they go down.
[00:09:31] I've talked about this before.
[00:09:33] There's a some type of study that was done where they say
[00:09:38] if the father is not in the kid's life
[00:09:40] and the mother takes the kids to church,
[00:09:42] there's like a small percentage chance that
[00:09:45] the kids will continue to go to church.
[00:09:47] But if the mother is not in the picture and the daddy is,
[00:09:51] or even if the dad and the mother are together
[00:09:54] and they all go to church as a family,
[00:09:56] that there's like a strong like 80 to 90% chance
[00:10:00] that the kids will continue to go to church.
[00:10:03] So that statement you're making is very true
[00:10:06] how important it is for dads to be in the picture
[00:10:09] of their kid's life and their family's life.
[00:10:11] Right.
[00:10:12] Sure I agree.
[00:10:13] Yeah.
[00:10:13] So you say you were about 13?
[00:10:15] I was about 11, 12, 13, them ages.
[00:10:19] Yeah. That's about the age when it kind of kicks in
[00:10:23] and you're in elementary school and you start hanging out
[00:10:26] hanging out with your friends in the neighborhood or at school.
[00:10:29] For sure.
[00:10:30] Yeah.
[00:10:31] Now did your mom, did she know anything about what was going on at that age?
[00:10:37] No she just, no she was like I said it was 10 of us
[00:10:41] and she had the vent to at least the four youngest,
[00:10:46] you know what I'm saying?
[00:10:47] Yeah.
[00:10:47] The first couple young ones so we never had that type of monitoring
[00:10:56] that type of attention on us like discipline.
[00:11:00] So just going out and then find the exploring doing things on your own
[00:11:03] and such that matter.
[00:11:06] I was never the type to sit in the house and play video games.
[00:11:09] I was always wanted to go out and explore.
[00:11:12] I felt like I needed to see what was going on in the rural.
[00:11:15] Yeah.
[00:11:16] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:18] When I did catch up to it was, I didn't come across nobody older than me
[00:11:27] elderly to tell me right from wrong.
[00:11:31] I ain't get to that I was like maybe 17, 16,
[00:11:37] to where I started trying to get it right but even then I was still like man I'm young.
[00:11:43] You know I'm getting shot out of jail.
[00:11:45] I'm juvenile so.
[00:11:45] YOLO.
[00:11:46] Yeah you know what I'm saying?
[00:11:48] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:48] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:48] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:49] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:49] You know what I'm saying?
[00:11:51] So with that being said I was just going around.
[00:11:57] You know being a pain in the buttocks I was trying to find myself.
[00:12:03] I couldn't find myself.
[00:12:04] You know what I'm saying?
[00:12:05] That's why we do have these meetings at the firehouse.
[00:12:11] You know a matter of a matter and we tell ourself we'll no longer be victims of circumstance
[00:12:16] to recreate because at some point you have to put these type of thoughts and actions in play.
[00:12:26] But again I thought you wanted to.
[00:12:31] Oh then even then though again speaking we going back when I was a teenager.
[00:12:39] The streets ain't high.
[00:12:42] The streets ain't high.
[00:12:43] That much discipline we did have discipline but it wasn't as much violence as there is now.
[00:12:51] You know when I was growing up chiefs was just now chiefs was just going to jail.
[00:12:58] You hear some chiefs out you know you gotta pray like if that chief get locked up he might
[00:13:03] have a second in command you know or something like that and around my time that's what you hear.
[00:13:10] You hear the second third that was in command still out on the streets you know I'm saying
[00:13:15] get a little discipline but now you know it's gone.
[00:13:21] Wow so you got no discipline no instruction to Korea do what you want to do come out of the
[00:13:26] streets chiefs chiefs was getting arrested dying off the second third command they young too.
[00:13:34] They trying to get a name for themselves so there was no discipline structure there.
[00:13:39] Chaotic you know what I'm saying but it's like we we we had a little discipline in a common sense
[00:13:45] to not to not to not oh we quick to pick up a gun oh you know what I'm saying we was quick
[00:13:52] to fight it out yeah we was so quick to fight it out wasn't no gun you know and even didn't fall
[00:13:59] it out you could walk up that man block without him touching you because you fought it out like a man
[00:14:03] because you whipped him. Exactly you know what I'm saying or he didn't whip too now it's even you
[00:14:08] know what I'm saying it's even so it ain't never a result in a condom and gun violence.
[00:14:13] Right right that was not yeah that was a whole another level of that that happened it was
[00:14:17] a whole another conversation whoever even had to give permission for that to even happen.
[00:14:21] Exactly. What do you think that uh so so most of the folks when you got involved on the block or
[00:14:30] stuff like that was other cats who you looked up to or they was peers with you and y'all y'all
[00:14:37] kind of jumped off the porch together? Yeah yeah yeah so so when I was coming up I had some older
[00:14:43] people but I didn't really come in contact with so they might be like just on a block chilling
[00:14:49] they might be yeah they might be older than me yeah they might have say so but
[00:14:54] I never came I never interacted with that person I never interacted with them so I was my little
[00:15:00] young crowd you know what I'm saying and that person never interacted with me and even cared
[00:15:05] enough to say hey come here let me okay you know what I'm saying so so the people I was with
[00:15:10] they might cared about them might not want to see them do stuff so they might call call them over and
[00:15:15] talk to them while I'm right there and I might hear the conversation but me personally um me
[00:15:21] intentionally now no one ever came to me intentionally and talk always overheard the
[00:15:26] conversation you know yeah yeah so it would be like uh but but as you got involved we're gonna
[00:15:31] come back and talk about this a little bit more one thing may have led to another thing right
[00:15:35] yeah you know y'all one spot doing something else and then something else triggered off and
[00:15:39] now y'all caught up in a whole world one of stuff exactly you know this church on the block man
[00:15:43] we're gonna be right back talking about the streets for 2023 we'll be right back
[00:15:55] holy culture radio is operated by the core link solution a 501c ministry dedicated to empowering
[00:16:00] people to reach their potential if you feel led to contribute to this mission visit www.holyculture.net
[00:16:07] slash donations
[00:16:17] welcome back church on the block real talking about hip hop the church in the street serious
[00:16:22] xm holy culture radio channel 140 that's right every sunday 9 a.m and we are here man talking
[00:16:29] about the streets as we take a look back at 2023 and we're looking at the streets from the
[00:16:36] the perspective of a young man who's you know changing god is doing great work in his heart
[00:16:40] and life but it's his own story about um his involvement in the streets and yet uh
[00:16:48] him looking back at it now 2023 even in the changes he's made but we're still talking
[00:16:52] a little bit about how the hooker the street you know got him got him got him got him
[00:16:56] involved and so like so jacquard when you were out there right you know you talked about what no
[00:17:01] what no structure at the crib no discipline get back to the streets you know some of the chiefs
[00:17:05] arrested some of them locked up maybe he's dead um and no no organized no no real uh structure
[00:17:11] there what was it that kept you you know plugged into the streets what is it that kept you being
[00:17:17] like man this is my my spot i know when i was driving around i see you hanging out like
[00:17:21] what was it that was like this is this is where i'm at this is this is where i gotta be
[00:17:25] versus being like let me go back home and hang out at the crib no uh no activities you know no programs
[00:17:34] no uh if it was a basketball court you had they had grown cats out there uh no hog in the court
[00:17:41] and whatnot you know really no activity no extra curriculum you know uh you get out get out of
[00:17:48] school you're going straight to the block with your school clothes on high you know so really
[00:17:53] no at school matter right nothing to say to say that you from from from stand out the street
[00:18:00] and so like when you when you say that hit the block what's that what's going on the block y'all
[00:18:05] just seeing just who who lacking who's who's on something no say yeah whatever's popping yeah see
[00:18:11] me when i was growing up i was never the trouble type you know i i could bring
[00:18:16] i could bring like only one me by myself i could bring about 13 girls outside you know
[00:18:23] saying we all just chilling right no that was me i was never the trouble type
[00:18:26] especially having like them tight shorts on too i remember no hey i got the time
[00:18:33] it was always my you know my personality my my uh sense of humor that uh no um many people come
[00:18:41] and go you saying like they wanted you to be out because you may bring the ladies
[00:18:44] out i got you i got you i was just a fun type of guy i make people laugh you know i was uh
[00:18:50] i was never the trouble type until until um to believe it or not to snuggle see y'all yeah i don't
[00:18:57] get yeah that's when i really started getting trouble when i'm i mess up
[00:19:04] uh meet the names that we've just made up just uh people you don't know
[00:19:08] but but but it would be the influence of even stepping over your own identity to dive into
[00:19:16] something else that that person may be on just because you with them and you got to be
[00:19:21] you got to be uh function how they function i guess in some regards you know most definitely
[00:19:27] yeah did y'all y'all didn't have no i mean people we talk about this all the time
[00:19:31] because some errors respected some errors don't any literature that you had to read and study
[00:19:38] i mean um that's crazy in juvenile year because i started i started getting incarcerated at the age
[00:19:44] of like 12 13 literally like 2009 i'm my first time i was getting incarcerated was 2009 i was about
[00:19:51] 13 and uh you know when you going to type them type of environments and don't know nothing you
[00:19:58] know people you people tell you anything i got you right right right luckily somebody told me anything
[00:20:04] like me you gotta know this and that if you know i'm saying you're gonna be representing this crew okay
[00:20:09] i started learning about that i started reading about it asking people about you know i'm saying
[00:20:14] getting a little help from my peers that was already um incarcerated for a long time you know
[00:20:21] becoming gang affiliated why i wasn't caught more gang affiliated why i wasn't incarcerated
[00:20:26] yeah you know again out on those streets i didn't have discipline so when i called my first case
[00:20:33] you know it was like i had maybe seven robberies at the age of like at the age of like 13 wow yeah i had
[00:20:44] like seven robberies just uh i stayed down the street from the train station so i'm just walking
[00:20:50] to this train station baby a mile from my house you know standing at train station saying some
[00:20:55] people knowing they phone or whatever valuable items they got in their hand you know doing
[00:21:00] anything to get it even if i gotta hurt them out and push the person in front of moving bus before
[00:21:06] all man just outrageous courageous you know what i'm saying but when i started getting incarcerated
[00:21:14] and i got locked up i was incarcerated for a period long periods of time okay you know
[00:21:20] and um i remember one time i was i was about 13 i was incarcerated about a year about nine months
[00:21:27] and the judge even said like like why why is this young man was why was he incarcerated for so long
[00:21:33] so the judge let me out and i was out for four days and i got right back in custody wow same judge though
[00:21:40] no no i ain't going for the same judge okay wow yeah so as soon as i get back i'll know them people
[00:21:47] come with it like you just left you know what i'm saying the ceo's like man but um even then though
[00:21:52] before that before that stage a stage of all them catching all them cases um be just just i'm hanging
[00:22:00] with running streets with all the cats probably my brother you know some people i'm just now meeting
[00:22:04] on um on the block and whatnot but i started i started to cutting my senses on some things like
[00:22:12] man this is really what i want to do you know and not letting that influence you yeah whatever the
[00:22:18] case was from from other people you know i'm saying yeah yeah now was there uh was there like
[00:22:27] you talked about programs that weren't there whatever to be involved in if they were would
[00:22:31] you have been involved in them or was the hook up being with the friends and be on the block
[00:22:36] and the girls with that more overpowering then hey man we got some money for you for
[00:22:41] our school matters it's gonna be playing the drums right would you be like i'm gonna leave
[00:22:46] these girls alone i'm gonna leave this block alone oh you see i'm saying yeah i mean the girl unless the
[00:22:52] girls went to play the drums then it'd be a whole situation now i was i was i mean i always had my
[00:22:57] own mind though but i could get distracted fast uh easily then i am now i could get distracted
[00:23:06] fast but if they had pro to ask your question if they had programs then and back in my era when
[00:23:12] i was growing up would i tell them yeah i will i could only could only to see the results and what
[00:23:21] what um what outcome would it be if i did join these type of extra regular activities yeah you know
[00:23:28] yeah yeah so yeah so like looking at the time you got involved in the streets right when you was
[00:23:37] 12 and different things and now how old are you now i'm 27 now okay so like it's been a few years
[00:23:45] do you see a difference from cats who are getting involved in the gangs now yeah you see a difference
[00:23:51] yeah i see a big difference like in comparison to when you was in the gangs yeah yeah i see a big
[00:23:56] difference what's that difference the difference is now it's it's it's hard okay then it was easy
[00:24:05] to it was easier um talk to probably maybe your pill and get and get him or her to get off some stuff
[00:24:11] some boy what was going on now trying to it's a hassle trying to talk to teenagers or these
[00:24:20] type of adults okay now to try to get them to um seize why why was it easier then why was it
[00:24:29] easier earlier back in the day because it wasn't easier then because it wasn't much uh
[00:24:36] i want to say i want to say meaning it wasn't it wasn't that much um i don't want to say blood
[00:24:42] shed either it wasn't that much um involvement as it is now such as like um losing people
[00:24:49] okay you know and um even losing opportunities you know i'm saying probably going going to
[00:24:56] jail for somebody or um taking a rap somebody you know you ain't do you know but then you could talk
[00:25:02] to somebody and go get off the board man right you know and you can just get off the board because
[00:25:08] again it wasn't that much involvement with people you know it was probably people got a tour though
[00:25:16] probably some you know back then they was they was they was making so much money you can
[00:25:22] got you okay right so so now with the younger guys you're trying to tell them
[00:25:28] they peered they didn't you said in that listening yeah it's the it's a mind thing and also what flows
[00:25:34] the the environments such as um substances you know control substances okay you know these
[00:25:41] these uh ecstasy appeals and whatnot okay they back control substance you know so you got some
[00:25:48] you got a lot of young cats that are doing these drugs you got a lot of um female young
[00:25:53] females they're doing stuff now too okay you know and they a lot of females get involved now back
[00:25:59] and it's different from back then because a lot of females wasn't getting involved
[00:26:03] and these guys stuff now you got females trying to fit in so they might they might
[00:26:09] set a brother up now versus back then okay well you know uh a gunfight from um each other
[00:26:15] from one another they had involved no female now the females they they get involved heavy now
[00:26:22] now they they become hitters they become yeah they they get involved heavy you know some some guys
[00:26:26] might pay them off you know i'll get their brother low location for me see where he stay at
[00:26:30] okay okay yeah wow that's crazy that's good now you think you if you were just 12 right now today
[00:26:36] and you and you was involved in the streets you think you like oh man i'm i'm loving this
[00:26:43] this vibe now uh in comparison to when you was 12 you know so many years ago uh going to the
[00:26:50] gang do you think you'd be all i would rather be in a gang now than then back then
[00:26:54] i'll be involved in the street i mean yeah because i'm i'm gonna say yeah i i want to say i don't
[00:26:59] um i really can't uh hide and say so only because uh because the crowd was around see the crowd
[00:27:09] i mean the crowd i was if i put my crowd i was around then and now say we all 12 then yeah i'll
[00:27:14] probably be involved in the street god you that makes sense that makes sense right right
[00:27:19] but are you right it is a challenge so you know young cats think they grown quicker i think social
[00:27:25] media got a lot to do with it you know i'm saying folks folks reading something seeing
[00:27:29] something somebody telling them something they are absorbing it and it's kind of like giving
[00:27:33] a kid something too soon like you give a kid some shwin thousand dollar bike at seven they
[00:27:39] gonna put it down at the store going to get some get an hour later and the bike gonna be stolen
[00:27:43] because they was immature they got something too soon so i'll say that in light of young people
[00:27:47] getting information too soon at an early age they don't know what to do that information
[00:27:51] they think they do but they don't really have a shelf to put it nowhere you know what i'm saying
[00:27:55] exactly yeah yeah t or j i got a question for you so as you're the middle child
[00:28:06] you got your siblings in there watching how do you feel about that i i actually wasn't i actually
[00:28:14] wasn't um i actually wasn't i actually didn't notice it i noticed that i was an influence or even being
[00:28:23] influenced on my younger siblings i really didn't care at the time either so that's why i
[00:28:29] noticed because i didn't care yeah so i would i really want to tell you because again i didn't
[00:28:36] notice i wasn't being an influence i was just um trying to get by you know i ain't i ain't
[00:28:43] you know i had no siblings yeah now do you do any of your younger siblings that didn't even follow
[00:28:48] the path that you followed um yeah yeah yeah and i got another question for you earlier you talked
[00:28:57] about robbing people and and seeing valuables in their hand so for our listeners our listening base
[00:29:03] right that that might be sitting at home and they see stuff like this on on the news all the time
[00:29:08] about robberies and stuff can you help us understand the mentality of why you did it trying to get
[00:29:16] trying to try some people trying to prove but me i was really trying to survive i was trying to
[00:29:23] she like i said i was uh i like the fashion you know i like i love fashion so i'm like oh man
[00:29:31] i always go off for what a grud i think of me so i might man she might think i look good in this
[00:29:36] shirt you know i'm saying let me go and get the money for it so that was my thing like man
[00:29:41] i need to get this money because uh due to due to my my characteristics i want to change how i look
[00:29:49] you know how i feel um some people are probably because they really were struggling and they needed
[00:29:55] food to take care of home or whatnot me i had i had i had i want i ain't got no silver spoon
[00:30:01] but my mama made sure you straight about the age about these three hours dcfs and then um
[00:30:10] twill 13 hours i got a dcfs i started catching these cases they felt like my mom controlled me
[00:30:16] so i was away from her for i was away from her half of my teenage years but um
[00:30:23] but um it's a it's a mind thing though you know it's a mind thing yeah like in the midst of in the
[00:30:30] midst of like like doing that jumping in you push somebody getting some stuff was there some
[00:30:38] adrenaline rush was it like oh man is it obviously becomes like yo i'm i'm i'm getting kind of excited
[00:30:44] about this kind of move even though it's wrong it's still kind of a thrill in the midst of that
[00:30:49] yeah most definitely because i got away every time i mean i want it was i want to say it was a
[00:30:55] thrill it was more um funny it was more of a a a comedian thing to me a comedy thing because
[00:31:01] you know it's like people you know um one one one one minute person to join their belongings
[00:31:12] and then the next minute they chasing you uh they're during the rush in they scream at
[00:31:17] holland trying to get it back and i was i was it was a funny thing to me i always laugh and stuff
[00:31:22] like that you know i'm saying into uh into my belongings and stuff it's always funny till
[00:31:28] it's your stuff yeah so to ask your question to ask your question it wasn't the adrenaline rush
[00:31:34] me was more of a funny thing like running past that's somebody phone you know you fastened in them
[00:31:39] you know and whatnot yeah so it was more of a comedy thing to me and um trying to trying to um
[00:31:46] just trying to survive off getting clothes my fashion you know fashion was a fact it was always
[00:31:51] a fashion thing to me yeah and you know you said something early like your mom to give you
[00:31:55] attention stuff like that right so i could see even if you continue to unpack that right it could be
[00:32:00] i'm gonna get my own attention and i'm gonna get my own stuff now i'm the man in that way right
[00:32:04] yeah definitely yeah you know we uh we've been through some situations with some young cats that
[00:32:10] you know um and in the firehouse tarence and i right and and young young brother was like
[00:32:17] mama you don't even know me like you ain't paying attention to the streets know me they
[00:32:20] know my name they know they care for me they take care of me you know so i get that part i get that
[00:32:26] that reality in that space man so when we come back y'all we're going to talk about god and the
[00:32:31] transformation gana and rites of passage and how uh because you know we've been knowing each other
[00:32:37] a long time ten years and so we've been able to have that journey together and see what god is
[00:32:42] doing in the midst of it so yo hang on right there channel 140 serious xm holycoastradio
[00:32:47] church on the block would be like that
[00:33:09] welcome back to church on the block that's right last show 2023 uh for the year you know we're talking
[00:33:16] about real talk about hip hop the church and the streets and we are talking about the streets right
[00:33:20] now we had a great dialogue conversation uh with jacquan and just about uh his journey uh and what
[00:33:27] what the streets uh hook was and and his own process of that now we're talking about the
[00:33:33] transformation of a young brother where the streets are giving him that identity giving him
[00:33:37] that uh aspect of uh who he uh who he is or saying that this is who you are uh in all actuality it's not
[00:33:47] but what would you say uh jacquan um is is is a journey for somebody who caught
[00:33:54] and involved in street gang life whatever for them they will get into your particular direction
[00:33:59] of that but for them to say i'm stepping away from what what is the cost of that what do they
[00:34:02] got to what has to happen for for a brother or sister to step in that space where they want to
[00:34:08] lead the streets leave or leave leave leave um of course you're gonna have some you're gonna have
[00:34:15] some uh intellectual you're gonna have some negative negativity you're gonna have some peers
[00:34:20] that's hunting you um but it takes it takes a lot of energy and um and um it takes um rationalization
[00:34:32] also initiative to uh up and do something up and um leave the streets but not necessarily leave
[00:34:40] because when you once you're doing the transformation you you're not really leaving because you know
[00:34:46] you know the you know what you've been through you can always come back and help but or you just
[00:34:52] never come back but you always you're gonna have a memory of what's going on and what you hear
[00:34:56] going on so um i want to say necessarily but transformation yeah um so when shooting once
[00:35:04] a person in these type of situations and they trying to change for the better um you're gonna
[00:35:11] have some uh people um a course from the street uh man what's going on but you you never alone though
[00:35:20] you never you never alone and when i say that i mean like you have you have your uh good conscious
[00:35:27] and bad conscious you know you have probably had these um deep thoughts voices in your head telling
[00:35:33] um what you should and should not do but most most of all you uh my person really shouldn't
[00:35:41] give no doubt no deep thought and care unless you know it's the man from upstairs that's the
[00:35:45] only person that can make the judge the judgment but um but i feel like i feel like the consequences
[00:35:53] come with leaving the street is like um it's good it's a good outcome and it could be bad too um
[00:36:01] but any bad outcome for you like like like in your transformation and leaving the streets alone
[00:36:08] or not letting the streets control you you know i'm saying well that's your only purpose
[00:36:14] see like yeah consequences for you like things you did or friends or situations folks
[00:36:21] you know uh came at you in some kind of way yeah um so i want to say consequences
[00:36:28] but i'll say like um um things that have happened um when i left the street i ain't
[00:36:36] how my friends that i wanted to have you know um to see me change see me i wanted my friend i
[00:36:42] wanted um friends to see me change and they changed with me so um when i was trying to
[00:36:48] make things better leaving the street um i ain't have them for i ain't have my friends i
[00:36:54] supposed to have you know they they was questioning questioning my change so that was that was um
[00:37:01] a situation that i had not a consequence because it's not a consequence but that was one of the um
[00:37:07] electoral situation that i had um leaving streets was my friend on questioning me on why
[00:37:14] i'm trying to change and why i should leave the streets and why i shouldn't
[00:37:17] um and the consequences that i had on leaving the streets is that i ain't have my
[00:37:24] old guys that i was uh running with no more so say for example say if um i ran across some guys
[00:37:32] that me and my guys was beefing with and they kissed me by myself i ain't got my guys no more
[00:37:38] you know i can't explain to these guys man i left the streets alone right you know
[00:37:42] that was the consequence she i just had to take a a weapon um and hopefully that's all it is yeah right
[00:37:49] right right and um you know some cats remember and some cats you'd been in for that doubt like
[00:37:54] you know he really wasn't with that leave me alone we got some cats you got some leaders
[00:37:59] to take a nation tale like that you know man leave me alone man it is what it is right right
[00:38:03] you know you got some some cats that's rowdy you know when i stood and that's the consequences
[00:38:09] leaving the streets is that um you still have these um type of um hunters on your back people
[00:38:16] you know still got vendetta's against you you know so um them are definitely consequences
[00:38:21] leaving the streets is some people don't forget you know some people don't forget and they don't
[00:38:26] leave at least certain situations alone so them are the consequences of living in the street is
[00:38:32] that you got some people that don't care about you leaving the street you know i want to say
[00:38:36] i appreciate you talking about that leadership that some people have yeah where they're able to say
[00:38:42] he ain't on that yeah i witnessed that with you probably three weeks ago we don't got to say names
[00:38:47] but we went to an event for the firehouse uh about palestine and you saw somebody sitting in the car
[00:38:55] and what did you say i'm like man that's crazy this guy right here in the car man
[00:39:00] he um not paying attention you know but um my my attention my thoughts no i'm changed i don't care
[00:39:06] about it no more you know what i'm saying about him lacking as they say uh as um i want to i want to
[00:39:13] i don't want to say chicago lingo but uh that's okay yeah but um he was lacking
[00:39:20] look look but lacking means what though just like not not on your squad not paying attention
[00:39:24] to your surroundings yeah exactly no the man wasn't paying attention to his round is enough
[00:39:29] the man wasn't paying attention to his surroundings and there was a guy that i was um had
[00:39:33] confrontation with back in the day and you know my thoughts was like man this man just
[00:39:39] he just he's just not paying attention i could do whatever right but but my also i had my also
[00:39:45] i had a thought that like you know i'm not i'm not it i'm getting older you know i'm not really
[00:39:49] i'm not in this anymore so that it is what it is so i just laughed and shook it off and god
[00:39:55] blessed him yeah you know so yeah that was that was that i remember that was that a hard thing to do
[00:40:01] um was it like it works i wanted to make a call oh yeah i'm like i ain't gonna do it but i'm gonna
[00:40:08] get something like that yeah so you know what i'm saying yeah you know i'm saying i i could have made
[00:40:13] a call but i'm like you know that that man got a key probably if i make a call and that man
[00:40:17] don't make it home to his keys not hear about it it could be in my conscience right
[00:40:20] you know i'm seeing a lot of stuff already on my conscience but uh are you living you learn
[00:40:25] but um i moved forward and i felt happy because like i said i could have i could have made
[00:40:31] matters worse you know but i didn't know it was a thought anything ever come back around
[00:40:36] when he saw you no i make sure we got up out of there i didn't want him to see us
[00:40:44] that would have been like maybe he ain't on what you want right exactly right
[00:40:50] like just because you gave him a pass don't mean he gives you one so i was like man come on
[00:40:55] now let's stop playing he and a car we're in the work man let's get up out of here yeah well you know
[00:41:00] you know some people got that equipment with him all the time yeah so where the city no
[00:41:10] so man and did you have another question in light of like your own transformation
[00:41:17] you know you had a lot of great things you just mentioned right in light of uh folks themselves
[00:41:22] getting out of street life and and consequences or recognizing you know that you know maybe
[00:41:30] this is not for me anymore right or the the growth in their own life but what happened
[00:41:34] with you you know we went through a rites of passage we went to Ghana just to share
[00:41:38] some significant like elements in your life that said hey this is i'm i'm building some blocks
[00:41:44] i remember some time we had programming you at the firehouse you there we can't find you yeah
[00:41:51] you getting paid yeah so uh to elaborate on that um this type of formation that i have
[00:42:01] it happened this year you know i i i i didn't think about changing or i ain't want to
[00:42:07] change into this year man until i was involved back with the firehouse and god is good because
[00:42:15] jenny real this year i got incarcerated for you know some stuff and um i was still running with the
[00:42:21] same people until um i touched back bases with you know one of the guys no fred you know
[00:42:30] touch base with him made up name right so yeah touch basis with one of my one of my community
[00:42:41] brothers that i grew up with so i finally touched base with him he was he was on the path to change
[00:42:47] and he was trying to touch me to get me to change you know i wasn't trying to change just yet
[00:42:52] i was i still cared about what people thought about me you know and um and what what what
[00:42:58] they probably do to me if i if i do try to change you know so a couple a couple weeks into the program
[00:43:06] probably a month or two or so i start to see i start to self reflect like you know um this what
[00:43:13] i want to do you know this this how i want to move for the rest of my life you know this how
[00:43:17] i want people to see me as you know so i start self reflecting and um nine times out of ten
[00:43:25] i came out with my thoughts wanted to change so i started i started to move differently i started
[00:43:31] do different things um fires like hanging out the same crowd or just uh being just um
[00:43:41] um just stop being around being around my workplace um really illegal you know yeah so
[00:43:49] you know um you know trying to um bring such um weapons to know i'm saying to protect myself even
[00:43:56] when if i'm at work a store you know i stop you know being being in program again maybe stop
[00:44:03] thinking like that i start losing them thoughts you know being around these people that want to
[00:44:07] work and they want something for themselves i started let old old habits go and it feel it
[00:44:12] feel good man i'm telling you feel good to to to be around people that um that you had um
[00:44:21] disagreements with you know and um these type of um confrontations yeah and now let's see like
[00:44:31] the seed that they want the same thing that you want now they could be put on a persona
[00:44:35] but it's the energy you know the energy you know the talks you sometimes you feel
[00:44:42] where the person really want to change right you can feel that you know i'm saying you can look
[00:44:45] in their eyes you know some people uh when they when i feel like when i'm when i'm really trying
[00:44:50] to get a point across and i want somebody to feel something i get emotional my eyes get watery
[00:44:55] and that's what i've seen for some of the guys that i again i had confrontations with
[00:44:59] back in the day i started seeing them talk i started having talks with them they eyes
[00:45:02] getting watery they really want to feel they really want me to feel them that they change and
[00:45:06] you know the sea so um yeah so again man i didn't and again i didn't talk or some of these guys and
[00:45:13] i'm with my and i'm and i'm and i'm not i'm not gonna say with my guys but i'm trying to help
[00:45:17] some guys out maybe um they uh maybe going to the train station get a bus car you know because
[00:45:22] i still i still feel like if i could touch if i could touch one or two people that they
[00:45:27] could touch a hundred so even if even if a person still in the streets and i'm trying to get them
[00:45:33] to change you know um i'm not going to give up on them so um so like like in the midst of
[00:45:42] in the midst of having um like like the the strength and the courage to move in that space
[00:45:48] you know what would you say some elements that you experienced like you know was of course
[00:45:55] you're talking about the firehouse and working being around different people right that that's
[00:45:59] always the the the key you know i think if you're going to try to play college ball don't be
[00:46:03] practicing eighth graders like i'm a people i'm dogging y'all look you're gonna get smashed in
[00:46:08] college right so in the context of being around people they're gonna take you mentally
[00:46:12] emotionally spiritually even economically to another another space you got to be with a
[00:46:15] different group of people um so you know you you unpack that a little bit but do you think
[00:46:20] that your trip to gana made a significant uh yeah that so the so again this transformation
[00:46:28] of these couple months and me being in the firehouse um was just a a sprinkle a start
[00:46:35] you know and um the trip to gana you know it was it was like a just a confirmation like man
[00:46:44] like this this this should be a reason man like you didn't you didn't you didn't been through it
[00:46:48] now you're seeing it you know i'm saying that's that's time to really put it in place so when i was
[00:46:54] down there gun i was still having thoughts about changing like i was arguing with some of my peers
[00:46:58] about me changing they're like man you you you ain't gone and right now we've been out here eight
[00:47:02] days and you still don't want to change when you go back i'm like no man i don't know you know
[00:47:06] but um it was some it was some situations down there that we experienced that i'm like you know
[00:47:12] what it's man forget it man um it's time to change and and i was having all those only because
[00:47:20] because that wasn't my reality like me being a gana wasn't reality it was realities when hit when i
[00:47:25] go when i get back from gana so i was really worried about what people would say you know i know
[00:47:32] um we doing these interviews as cameras out people gonna see me in camera with other people you know
[00:47:37] i'm saying and man and when i get back but let's let's back let's backtrack a little bit so my trip
[00:47:48] took gana and doing gana um i experienced a lot man i experienced i learned i'm sorry i didn't
[00:47:54] gain elements i didn't gain i didn't gain these type of characteristics about myself and um
[00:48:00] um and um i didn't gain patience man patience is is a big thing for me especially when authority you
[00:48:08] know um the authority people trying people that's trying to help you you know they might be um
[00:48:16] they might be not controlling but they might want you to to move how they move or you
[00:48:22] know and it's about patience you know um again one of my peers down there trying to give me
[00:48:28] change just like him and i wasn't ready so so so him by him that make him aggravated
[00:48:36] and me not having patience to deal with that you know so we we elaborate on that a little more
[00:48:41] when we come back i guess no no no i'm with you i'm with you i think anytime you get exposed
[00:48:48] to something new and different even though it's not your current reality you know you got to
[00:48:51] walk away with exactly you own what you experience in that space like that man you know
[00:48:55] and so my last point then just touch it i'm gonna go into these bars what is your
[00:49:02] transformation experience with god in the midst of this so i i didn't get closer to to god
[00:49:08] spiritually i feel like the body is the church they say the body is the church
[00:49:12] you know the man is the temple um i didn't get closer to this man spiritually emotionally
[00:49:19] i'm sorry and physically yeah and i want to say physically i just started to open up the book
[00:49:26] i didn't download it so i can't read uh very well so i download this audio bible that reads to me
[00:49:32] dope on my phone that's dope yeah that's that's that's what i mean about mentally
[00:49:38] physically i just ought to start getting on my knees praying talk to him physically you know
[00:49:42] word from word you know um you know emotionally just i mean i'm sorry uh spiritually just just
[00:49:48] taking a deep breath closing my eyes and um having this meant going to this mental stage
[00:49:54] just talking to him why why it could be a fire going on you know it could be people arguing
[00:49:59] that's uh that spiritually i'm just spiritually um i know um gravitated um talking to the
[00:50:06] talk to him and i feel like um some people have holy ghost me i feel like he touches me
[00:50:12] differently through people so um that's yeah that's that's what i mean by spiritually
[00:50:18] i love that man i love that continue to fan the flame that because you got you got legacy
[00:50:22] you got generations to impart that on man so man praise god for you jacquain we're gonna
[00:50:26] we're gonna keep talking about this more and more as time goes by man we're gonna keep seeing
[00:50:30] the evolution of your growth and maturity and we praise god for that man yo these bars right here
[00:50:36] are about courage and it takes courage to do what you quangest did and we challenge you in 2024
[00:50:43] to step into that courage right pray big prayers that scare yo behind right so this so you can see
[00:50:49] what gods can do um this woman and this man met and the man was a king he fell in love with her
[00:50:55] and he wanted to marry her well the young woman's dad said you can marry me or you can marry my
[00:51:00] daughter but you got to be a christian you got to get baptized so the man thought about it went
[00:51:06] process what it meant to be a christian and said okay i'm gonna go get baptized but i'm gonna have
[00:51:09] my whole military get baptized so he had his whole military out there on the ocean had all
[00:51:14] these priests just imagine like 500 priests 500 men getting ready to get baptized and as they
[00:51:20] go down to get baptized all of the soldiers and the king himself pulled out their sword
[00:51:25] meaning that you can baptize me which but not this sword you can have part of me but not
[00:51:30] all of me that's what courage means courage means that you can have all of me i'm going all in in this
[00:51:36] new transformation and the way god created me to be we always said in our rites of passage
[00:51:40] that the opposite of courage is is complacency or opposite of courage is conformity that you
[00:51:46] can form into everybody else courage means i'm standing out and i'm all in with what i'm
[00:51:51] committed to this year in 2024 step into that courage in the areas that you've been
[00:51:55] lacking in that you've been flaky in step into those spaces so that you can see all of god
[00:52:01] you know i'm will pass to i'm past the field i'm with uh dj ruckus past the jacquan church on the
[00:52:07] block closing out 2023 yeah i'm saying real talk about hip hop the church in the streets on
[00:52:13] serious xm radio channel 140 we're gonna be back next year yes the first sunday in january
[00:52:18] we're gonna be off the chain walk with us talk with us check us out thank you for listening
[00:52:23] to church on the block real talk about hip hop the church and the streets back here next week same
[00:52:28] time same channel holy culture radio serious xm channel 154 come with us