Former G-Unit star Tony Yayo has explained that rappers from the streets, such as his old friend 50 Cent, are damaged goods. He believes their environment is the main reason why.
In a new interview with VladTV, the Brooklyn native discussed why he feels rappers from the streets are broken. He opined that this is because the only forms of therapy available are drug use or speaking to friends instead of professional help. He also added that they can’t speak to their friends about all their issues, as some are untrustworthy.
Per Yayo’s account, people from the hood fully trust their friends, leading to them becoming damaged. He then used his old friend and G-Unit co-founder, 50 Cent, as a prime example of rappers from the street having many issues because of their background.
“Listen, 50 didn’t know who his father was, and his moms was in the streets, and she got killed,” he said. “There’s no parents there, your grandparents are older, you’re damaged, bro. You was outside, the streets taught n-ggas. A lot of shootings you see, you see an 18-year-old kid stab his 16-year-old girlfriend somewhere in New York because he thought she was cheating.”
He continued: “Muthafuckas be damaged, bro. It’s what they see. It’s what they see from parents. It’s fucked up for certain places. Sometimes you want to help and try to fix people. Your mans say he do shit for the youth. That’s real shit. ‘Cause that’s where it starts at, trying to help them, but some people can’t be helped. They just fucking bad seeds, bruh.”
Speaking of contemporary times, Yayo used the examples of Bronx drill stars Kay Flock and B. Loveee, and how they live in a warzone. Notably, since New York drill took off at the end of the last decade, the genre has been heavily criticised for being responsible for crime rates rising in the city, although this point is widely contested.
Flock is currently in prison after being charged with murder for a shooting incident in Harlem in December 2021. In Yayo’s mind, figures like Flock need to leave the hood to avoid the trouble, as it will only damage them further.
He said: “Don’t be in the hood, bro, that’s it we already solved this problem with rappers. N-ggas want you to be in the hood but if you be in the hood you showing your street credibility, right? You showing n-ggas you still in the hood,” Yayo said. “Where do rappers get in trouble at? The hood. There you go, I’m trying to chill in Calabasas with you.”
