Right before Labor Day, back in Brooklyn, I called the kids in for a meeting.
“Make sure all of you are here,” I told their spokesperson, Pierre. “Even the ones not on my payroll.”
They all strolled in the next afternoon, ready to claim victory.
It was a Friday, so I handed Mundo and Pierre their pay envelopes and smiled and nodded at Biz and Lucci.
Then I got right to it.
I let them know Bolo had authorized me to release funds for the following:
· Monthly rent on an apartment, to exceed no more than $750 a month, payable by money order at the first of every month
“If the landlord wants first and last month, then you kids are going to have to come up with the extra $750 yourselves,” I told them.
· $3,000 for laptops and software
“Anything that costs over that $3k is going to have to come out of your own pockets,” I said.
· $0.00 for furniture
“You’re going to have to hit your mother up for that,” I told Mundo.
Olmando gave me a fake smile.
Then I finished up with my last point.
“And all utilities- electric, gas, telephone, you’re responsible for all of that. Whoever has the best credit history, put it in your own name.”
Mundo immediately started asking me about when I was going to “shake loose Bolo’s fundage,” but I stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Before you kids can get your clubhouse going, there’s something else that has to take priority,” I said.
Then I filled them in on Bolo’s upcoming shipment.
“As soon as that hits town it’s going to be all hands on deck,” I explained. “We have double the weight and half the time to offload it. Nothing can sit around here for any longer than necessary. We need to get it in and get it out.”
“What about inventory?” Pierre asked.
“There is no more inventory,” I replied. “We are no longer balancing loads.”
“In and out,” Pierre said, quietly.
“In and out,” I agreed.
I turned to the other kids.
“Mundo, stop by tomorrow and I’ll give you the cash for the equipment. I’ll need you to buy it from somewhere like J&R Music World and you’ll need to give me receipts for every single thing you purchase. None of this buying stuff from your homie who got it off the back of a truck. You hear?”
Mundo nodded and gave another fake smile.
“And the quicker you all can find an apartment, the more time you’ll have to play at running your own HQ. As soon as you find a place, you’ll need to bring me a lease or some other sort of proof of rent. Month-to-month might work out better for you. Keep that in mind.”
They all made excited noises amongst themselves. These kids really were young.
“But do not forget,” I cautioned, “As soon as Bolo’s shipment arrives, play time is over.”
“Should we formalize this with shots of rum?” Mundo asked, half laughing.
“No, we should not,” I said. “Meeting is adjourned, gentlemen.”
