Town Tax

By Mark Frey

In West Oakland it can be dangerous to jump into the Rap game, especially if the studio is playing a major scam on every new artist it signs. Juicy, the head of STFU Records is grinding every new artist he signs until the day he plays the wrong guys. When they try to sign with another label, they encounter Juicy's wrath, propelling them into a life and death struggle where only one side can win.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Frey
• Release date: Jul 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466100824

Mark Frey

Mark Frey is a high school teacher in the Oakland Schools. He also teaches Speech at Contra Costa College. He has an MA in Speech Communications from SFSU (1992).

Book preview

Town Tax

Published by Mark Frey at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 by Mark Frey

A dictionary of slang terms used in this book may be found at the writer’s website:

www.voxcommunications.com/slang.htm

West Oakland’s Lower Bottoms sits right alongside the Port of Oakland. The West as it’s called is no less dangerous than East Oakland, but it is quieter except for the gun shots late at night. Hanoix Lefois likes the decayed, but quaint look of the abandoned brick warehouses and tattered Victorians. Sure, some of the buildings are disappearing along the edges, turning into high tech condo conversions by the hip young white folk from San Francisco looking for a cool place to live that’s not too pricey. Hanoix LeFois was born and raised here, in the hood. Hasn’t done too badly. Lives in a brick building that used to be a metal shop.

Someone’s banging on the side door. Someone’s always banging on the side door. Hanoix looks up from his Wall Street Journal. It’s one of his patnas who lives in the back, JR.

JR says, Wassup, bruh, I bout to pick me up a pup.

Hanoix looks back at the paper. You gettin’ a dog?

Fo sho, gotta get me one.

Enthusiasm slippin’ out all over himself now.

What breed?

Pit. Maybe a Blue nose. What else?

Haniox puts the paper down now. What you mean, what else? There a million breeds out there. Why it gotta be a pit?

A pit the only real muthafucka out there. They keepin’ it gangsta.

Oh, they real bad, huh?

Dat’s right. And I want me a beasty one.

You gotta gat, why you need a pit?

A pit’s not just a pit. He’s a …

Symbol of just how bad ass a muthfucka you think you is?

Hanoix stands up. Time to give this cat a speech.

A pit is like a shark, only he on land. He sometimes acts cool, but when he grabs a hold a some meat, maybe your patna’s arm, he ain’t neva gonna let go. I tell you one thing, you even thinkin’ a becomin’ the Michael Vick a West Oakland, I will personally beat ya ass.

Man, you comin’ at me sideways. You ain’t neva even had no dog in ya life. And now ya gettin’ all high and mighty bout it.

I had me a dog.

When?

Elementary.

What kind?

Just a dog. Regular dog.

Breed?

Wasn’t no breed. Just a mutt. Momma found him outside on the porch one day.

He mean?

What you think? Some kid in elementary gonna have him a mean ass dog? Hell no, he wasn’t mean. You gotta problem with that?

You had one a dem Lassie dogs? A chew wawa maybe?

You ain’t go no idea what it means to have a dog. You gotta feed him every day, take him for walks. Not just when you feel like it, or when you wanna show him off to yo patnas.

I know what I’m gettin’ into. See, is like females. Somes you wanna round cause you like ‘em. Somes you wanna round cause they make ya look good.

So a pit bull gonna make you look good?

R-e-s-p-e-c-t, my man. Respect a true hustla.

Don’t think you’s a gonna bring his ass down to the spot, cause I ain’t havin’ it.

JR stretching out his legs in that baby blue running suit now like he always does when he thinks he’s right. Putting his Nikes up on the coffee table.

You gonna like him when I get him. Say, what you think a JZ? Asking like who wouldn’t like him?

Hanoix pauses, sucking on his ice cube for a second, knowing JR ain’t gonna like his answer, but oh hell I’ll just fuck with him.

He okay. Can’t rhyme worth a dime.

What you mean? JR almost choking on his drink. We talking bout the same JZ? The quadruple platinum one?

Bingo, knowing he’d react like that.

I ain’t saying he ain’t popular. Just can’t rhyme is all.

"This shit again. As soon