There is a conflict in the brain and a disdain for a prolonged, consistently destructive, inadaptable attitude toward the definition of a word whose place in our history is a place where the site of humanity has grown too old. Thinking back to the value of a hustler and finding someone who could hustle their way out of slavery and then find a modern use for their skill. The adapted hustler on the street - that gagster in a sense who found his place housed inside the elicit chamber of life, trying to create value for a community who is besieged by conflicted social injustices, one who had to become the chameleon in business and out of business. And be that hustler who legitimized the dollars of those places where he traveled and slept during the day while working at night.
The plight is the evolution of the hustler who is no longer the pimp, but instead has adapted the more diplomatic term, preacher. Found in the places where the collection of money could be had and the sideline man could produce and promote events or maybe house a drinking parlor turned club. People still hustle and use the term emphatically. These are among the ones who found the drug trade a wonderful place to be, while creating a franchised opportunity. Before we knew it we were franchisors. Now the hustler no longer has to pimp someones daughter - he has a new game, the music game or maybe more of the same game. It is the despicable idea of translating what was, into something that is, and we have no idea that we are operating in a slave trade no longer just human kind but human mind. We despise and hate each other and as a result of that self-hate, we hustle away from each other trying to destroy the community through a new more destructive hustle.
No, it is not the eradication of an old hustler, but it is the very new hustle of hustling against our fellow brother. Even though hustlers may have the ability to hustle the world they find comfort in saying that they hustle and destroying their own precious communities.
Such appreciation for hustlers is the dynamics as to why the hustler and the nigga have hustled together in history and have found this word useful. Although the term hustler should be like a dinosaur, no longer recalled no longer having a place, we hustle each other in saying that it is a term of endearment. Its almost like calling a woman the most undesirable, profane word we could find and expecting all women to embrace and find use for this title. Or maybe we have become too comfortable with hustling each other by words, we now have no room in our vocabulary and no place in our society for anything uplifting in connotation. Yet were presently conflicted by people who use it against us. We have some illiterate Neanderthals who are stuck in the ice ages, suited up in ignorance ready to hustle anything that will produce dollars for him and inevitably damage our community - all in the name of hustle. There are valuable lessons to be learned from the hustler who has evolved, I cant hustle another hustler. The community needs to see that the term hustler as well as the term nigga need to become distant memories of a yesterday, before we had the opportunity to refurbish a way of thinking that is now antiquated. We have evolved into different beings so that we understand when we are being hustled by another hustler or uplifted by another brother. They cant hustle the word upon those who have reached a higher intellectual, self-loving plateau. It is a despicable word used to our own demise, used to denigrate our society and our history and yet they implore us and all the other hustlers of the world who are too happy to get in front of cameras and in front of recording mikes and on radio and television programs to defend the use of a berating word and hustle the community to believe that we should debate instead of eliminate its use.
No other culture has taken words like hustler and embraced its corrosion on their mind and community. Those who lay down but get back up and work until they find a way to legitimately survive and to overcome, thats hustle. Hustle is not taking advantage of young girls who are to young to know the difference between an old man who couldnt relate to the women of his day, to trying to mitigate himself on young girls. The same unintelligent, unintellectual persuasion of the music game finds too much solace in being the piped piper and not understating the effect it has throughout the entire community, destroying itself for pay. This is reminiscent of the slave trade. Its a trade of mind and soul where the body follows and yet no one takes responsibility. Let us not hustle each other or find ways to enslave ourselves to words or ideas or accomplishments, for we no longer live in the ghetto. Crime does not pay at all and intelligence and education are still the tools to social mobility and prosperity. Education, whether institutionalized or self-taught still has its place. Booker T. and Dubois were both right and yet they at least made an effort to fight for the community, enabling it to be better than it once was. Let us not hustle each other, but hustle together as brothers and sisters to get above where we once were so that we may be able to substantiate our place in the community and redefine our place in the world. Peace.
 Munson Steed, Publisher |