BigSteff SA
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Product of Your Environment
The hood will teach you/ That to be good is evil/ Because to be bad as a crook is what Gs do/ A place where if they see you shook, you feeble/ Face it! That’s how it may look to most people/ Mad seeds will become a product of they environment/ Drug dealing, thugs chilling, they squad up & be firing/ The influence is so powerful/ It’s literally like a power-pull/ It reels you in like a fishing rod/ Kinda like Popeyes or KFC with chicken & corn on a cob/ You’re prone to be a statistic due to living conditions, it stems from the block/ You’re wishing to be far distant from the predicaments of your district, so you really need God/ Chances of being a square than high as the sky is slim, this is the odds/ Majority will smoke, sell dope & bang hoes, going by the code of no snitching while they do they job/ Listen it’s even ongoing at 57th Ave & Junction Blvd/ The hood will ultimately have you as if you stood out stripping like a thot/ You’ll be a target from the rip like a dude big pimping on a yacht/ Last thing you wanna be is a simp sticking his dick in a twot/ If you’re a product of your surroundings/ Then you have succumbed to the ills of the place you are found in/ You’re like a virgin when you’re first exposed to the street life, amped up with your heart pounding/ It’s slim to none that say they can’t be moved like mount zion, a mountain/ It’s either you in a single, multi family home or in public housing/ Every hood’s the same from Queens, Newark, East Orange to Irvington/ The hustlers supply the fiends the rock and they relapse, like satisfied customers at food joints with servings done/ Or like cashiers ringing up clothes customers wanna purchase at Burlington/ I have seen a whole lot in my early thirties son/ Lived in the Q-Borough, lived in Brick City, lived in the Crossroads of Jersey and live in Camptown/ Where you can be a product of your environment/ It’s only God that got us or else how would we stay afloat like old folks in retirement?/ Everywhere they fire led/ Everywhere they try to money order, autopay or wire rent/ Keeping up with trying to pay the entire rent/ Drinking and smoking is the norm, when bums are drunk they not a liar when they bent/ Weed is the thing in the hood, so you smell it in the hallway, it lingers like food aroma from a slob, plus / You smell it on the bus, you smell it even on the job front/ You’ll smoke it when you’ve been exposed to the ganja enough/ Your lips will turn black, that means you’ve become a product/ Trying to resist the temptation of getting pulled into that life is so unlikely/ At the age of 14 I was being called over to sling dope, chose to decline, I was fighting/ Gang violence, ambulance sirens/ Bullets flying, innocent bi-standards dying/ Cops timing, thugs on the block facing time and grinding while they stuck in fixes that are binding/ Dealing with they people flatlining in the hospitals on beds lying/ When you in the hood you need to be deciding how you will be surviving/ Fact of the matter is crime is always staring you in the eyes and letting dudes find something to take pride in/ Abandoned buildings, unsanitary neighborhoods/ Bombarded by garbage, waste is all over with street dudes we call goons that’ll take your goods/ It’s either you’re gonna overcome your circumstances or give into what keeps calling you/ The traps of the street are like mousetraps for the animal that goes squeak that be all in your room/ You can be a square and walk pass by the fellas on your block that you view as cool/ They’ll make fun of you, get all the girls, while you start high school/ You’ll be a bookworm and won’t get any pussy as food/ Then suddenly decide to one day switch up and be down with they crew/ Your parents will start to see a change in you like Nick Canon from Love Don’t Cost a Thing with what you do/ Peer pressure, conforming to your societal norms, can’t depart from it unless it’s a phase or a mood/ But it’s inevitable to go through it and that’s the truth/ So face the fact that you might be a product of your environment, but still try and fight it to the very end until you see it through/ And if not, well at least you’ll be that dude/
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in FYI
Funeral Tribute for My Dad
A son’s bond with his mother is a natural thing, but I’m here today to talk about my bond with my father. Sons cherish their mothers and are often called mama’s boys. Well, I was a poppa’s boy. I had a very strong bond and good relationship with my father since I was a kid in LeFrak City/Sherwood Village in Corona Queens, New York. My dad and I were the best of friends. We had a father-son relationship that was like no other that was admired by those that made us aware that they were acknowledging it.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Families
My Reality
This is what I have come to know as my reality/ Pops died, I cried, moms became a widow & pops side had sibling rivalry/ Not one of my dad’s ungrateful ass seeds came to his funeral, and it baffled me/ The Queens New York in me made me wanna get tight at those in Lefrak that didn’t show up to see we were bereaved/ No last respects paid, only Lin Iraq came! Rest? they forgot about us, bad memory/ Flip the page to today’s latest days, I’m with moms & the kids/ Left East Orange due to the sale by the landlord, had to move out, the end of this/ Struck a deal, what a treat, how beneficial this is/ Every man for himself and God for us all/ The only people hitting me up these days are those who are fam, till death do us part y’all/ So now I don’t give a damn who don’t check on me man, no regard till the day I fall/ In Ghanaian society someone has to die before you set your eyes on those that never come around/ No Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday call and that’s dumb yo, wow!/ Except maybe social media comments on posts, it’s become so foul/ But I guess that’s decent since everything’s social media based, so this is what it has come to now/ Some don’t even comment on posts or send you dms, come on now/ They just become WhatsApp status watchers, always checking your status and that’s somehow/ They will never hit you up, that’s facts, but they will look at your status, I’m done now/ I’ll ghost you from my WhatsApp contacts like a killer who runs wild/ This is what they do from morning till sun down/ People only hit you up these days when they want something/ Nothing more, I think I’m on to something/ Rappers these days are dying like crazy, many for trying to flaunt, stunting/ They really taunt those who have nothing/ Then they pull out the firearm and start bussing/ I prefer to keep to myself these days/ So now I don’t have much beef, well cause I don’t have much to say/ Seem antisocial, but truth is I like to socialize and sometimes stay away/ That’s just me, may seem weird but that’s just me/ Not many people these days you can trust, that’s my reality/I will always work hard to get mine, and that’s to get a salary/9 to 5 deadend jobs that kill your spirit, but put food on the table, but you living miserably/ Or you could be the type that works hard and plays hard/Enjoying yourself on your days off, life is hard, take heart/ Got 4 of em, try to make it count/My 3 days at LGA9 are one hell of a workout/Wifey making bread nicely in live in/Not used to her being there for over a month before coming home, I ain’t kidding/It definitely feels different/I’m once again dealing with long distance/And it’s something I’m a bit pissed with/Life as a loner with kids and/ A mom, I have friends but choose not to mix much/So I don’t really have to kick up dust/By making a big fuss/I chill at home and spend time with the fam/On the real, I’m good with that cause at home I’m the man/Mr. Uber taker/Riding around in it as I say hi to the haters/Got none really just trying to be creative, trying to get the loot, the paper/I don’t party much, but if you a party pooper, see you later/ I won’t be used like a loose leaf paper/My reality is my progress is a slow but steady process/I’m being very humble and honest/May be Tier 1 for 5 years, but I have shown I can outlast em all/Like Lebron James doing his thing on the court with his teammates that pass him the ball/IT will soon be my reality, no caps, I’ll be involved/
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Futurism
Physical Punishment
Children in my opinion should be punished with physical punishment because children of today are as stubborn as ever. They simply do not adhere to rules and conform to obedience. I have discovered from personal experience that it is when a child knows that they will be physically punished that they try to be on their best behavior. Even children know when to succumb or submit to their parents when there’s a consequence they must face following their action. Children can be told several times not to do something and will still do it, so far as there’s no physical punishment.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Confessions
The Void Can’t Be Filled
Days when my pops was alive/ Were the best, he wasn’t just my pops, he was my pride/ I was shattered finding out he would not survive/ I would be in denial and whatnot and deny/ Thinking how could this cancer make him drop and die/ Seeing him on a hospital bed as I watch him lie/ It was stage 4 cancer in the kidney/ Therefore it was a disaster and it was a pity/ Even got a pastor named Big, see?/ To read a few chapters, pray to see if he would live free/ He was on hospice/ I’m giving you the gist of it, the synopsis/ They said the tumor was huge/ They wanted to know why something wasn’t done sooner, I was blue/ It seemed he was toomed, the thing was hard too/ Felt it when I touched his tummy, it consumed his kidney/ His life was in the hands of God, but it seemed it was in jeopardy/ Home health aide tried giving him meds/ He wouldn’t take it, he trusted no one at that point, he was living through in stress/ And I didn’t wanna experience his death/ But unfortunately come May 23rd., I bid him farewell, he was laid to rest/ Went to the beach that day/ Coney Island to be exact, Brooklyn NYC was the place/ I was at ease that day/ Until I received the news that he’s deceased, I was dismayed/ Rushed home/ Was in denial about his death, thought he was in a coma, felt like a crushed bone/ Got there, entered his room and saw his lifeless body lying there, seeing what’s wrong/ He died, oh why?! It’s a very depressing and sad story to touch on/ It was devastating, feeling like I bust my dome/ The body removal technicians came to cover my dad up in blankets and a comforter/ He was gone for good, it left a void that couldn’t be filled, opposite of a go-cart buffer, word!/ This feeling was the worst feeling ever, way more than wifey when I almost broke up with her/ You went through the Pearly Gates/ I strongly believed he’s left the world to a better place/ Leaving a world of hate/ My dad was a warrior, a fighter to the very end, poor King/ Weighing the two, Stage 4 kidney cancer vs the morphine/ The weakening was great on both sides unfortunately/ I thought death wasn’t gonna be his portion it seemed/ Like what my dad used to love to say when he was alive forcing, “believe me to be”/ He was bold, fierce and fearless since he was young in Ghana under the sun scorching, back in the Nkrumah regime/ He had to make funeral arrangements/ The following day called Social Security to report his death, was vulnerable, I couldn’t fake it/ Started working on his obituary, making sure it was suitabe as I made it/ Oh, as for the funeral it was beautiful how the day went/ Read the hardest tribute that I could ever write for my dad/ He was my father, my best friend, my older brother, I read it like I wasn’t mad/ That he passed away, reflecting on the good times, my life with him made me glad/ We were so close/ Infact we were inseparable, it was hitting me slowly as I watched him go below/Into the grave in his coffin, he was a good man, truth be told/ I want you to know/ We will surely meet again/ In the afterlife, so I’ll wait to see you then/ Be me, my mom, wife and kids’ guardian angle, watch us like a thief with gems/ I’ll never forget you, till we gather again, lyrics from one of the deepest hymns/
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Families
An Effective Leader
What exactly can be considered as effective leadership? What must a leader exhibit or possess? We have good examples of leaders in history that will never be forgotten, because of the kind of characteristics they had, which made them stand out. They brought on board amazing instances of leadership, which have been well-noted. The essential characteristics are what I am going to cover in the paragraphs following my introduction. As a leader, you must possess certain qualities that are unique and unmatched by the average individual.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Motivation
Storytelling My Life
Queens born and raised/ Will never forget my stomping grounds, it lives on as I age/ I’m bent on still remembering those days/ More like inclined/ Elementary I was known as an artist in his prime/ That got into some fights and wore vests a lot, when I wear it it shines/ In middle school I fell in love with Hip-Hop, so to my peers I got in line/ Started rapping and having more girlfriends, man I been the guy/ Loved 50 Cent and G-Unit music, plus they persona, no more in the binds/ Parents took me out of school mad lost track of counting times/ Finally in 8th grade they took me to GH to live, reside/ Recorded with 1Blaze, met May & Proph Steve kept my eyelids in the blinds/ Left to come back to the States, no win in my mind/ First experience returning without my parents, I was beginning to find/ Ways of adjusting to Jersey, it was bound to happen, all in due time/ Newark was where I found myself living/ The remainder of my teenage years until my early twenties, felt like I went down to hell in an instant/ Right from the rip I could tell here was different/ Went to high school, graduated/ Off to college, somewhere along the line realized I couldn’t make it/ Then started working/ From one place to the next, but loved interning in Ernst & Young, it regarded IT Risk & Assuring/ Worked at UPS the longest at this point/ First preloaded, then unloaded, feeling stressed but the strongest in the joint/ Got with wifey/ Then planned to tie the knot, get married/ Bought my first plane ticket/ Ebola caused problems with travel, what a plague that made people kick it/ The disease was driving the world insane, it was wicked/ January 2015 we flew to GH, finally came with British/ The wedding took place/ What a beautiful ending, it was great/ Everyone was there/ Afterwards we were very hung, seeing what food will be prepared/ My moms, pops, bestie at the time was in attendance/ It was lit, the MCs were live and you just had to love it, it was epic/ Fast forward a year later/ My first born, a girl named Emily, congrats she was certified on mere paper/ She was as adorable as she once appeared, more greater/ Facial needed some fixing, courtesy Operation Smiles/ They did some operating purposely to get rid of this thing, so she can really smile/ Went to Apam/ Then the North, I meant to tag along/ Except I wanted to go see my dad and my mom/ It came to an end, like convicts lives that are kept in Nsawan/ That are left to get eaten up by it like sharwama/ Opened a foot modeling studio/ Took clips and made sales, they be posing as they look modest & beautiful/ Then came Omega, became a bother/ Walked and it was far away, I say it was farther/ Felt financially abandoned by my father/ Was a security guard as a result at Tema harbor/ In the trenches/ Inspected vehicles near the entrance/ And later worker IDs, I also guarded a private residence/ Rented by CHEC, the company extending the port/ But the main office first, sitting in front, some people tried entering with force/ Stressing ya boy/ Luckily no deading any scuffle or tussle/ Guys stole things at the residence, got Will and Pioga in trouble/ They got locked up, it was really supposed to be subtle / Had to eventually take over there/ Guarded both the main office and residence/ Omega bosses remained thoughtless, it was evident/ Skip ahead a lil, I decided to quit Omega/ The pay wasn’t quite cutting it, precisely I dipped for better/ Returned to the U.S. and got Amazon/ Almost returned to UPS, applied even to Security Secuitas, but I had to opt for Amazon/ Best thing that ever happened/ Rest is history and I never looked back since/ Based in Ship Dock/ It was just perfect for BigSteff, yeah that was his spot/ Where I learned a great deal and did a lot/ Filed for wifey/ She came in 2019, it put a smile on my face, I was happy/ Emily followed a year later right into the pandemic/ Went and got her, returned the next day, it was epic/ A Covid-19 take over was where we were headed/ It became deadly and everyone was staying at home/ Social distancing, masking up, and praying it would be gone/ Virtual learning, Zoom video calling, stimulus checks and getting vaxed/ Covid testing, tracking cases and trying not to get in mishaps/ Sanitizing hands, lockdowns and working remote, a blessing for some, facts/
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Confessions
Current State of Things
Let my tombstone read “I tried” when I die/ That means I did my best in my eyes before my demise/ Did everything that I could, within my power to succeed, go up like a dick and rise/ Gave it my all, so they’ll be no regrets in the grave where I’ll lie/ But the fact remains I’m still alive/ Doing everything I can to make ends meet with a strong will to survive/ Gotta put food on the table for my two kids/ So I work 9 to 5 to provide, making sure I do this/ No excuse when it comes to raising children, no loose ends/ Trying to make passive income and build my own kingdom, as I pursue this/ See, I learned the hard way in this life that there’s no true friends/ It’s either you persevere or you don’t, don’t be clueless/ If you don’t check on me, hit me up or care for me now, don’t if I’m no more/ I don’t pretend to be something I’m not, so I won’t go hardcore/ Other than being a man and handling my business, why would I act hard for?/ Married life ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, but I manage it/ You can’t be as you once were, a bachelor, and no true freedom, that’s the disadvantages/ But you get someone you can spend the rest of your life with/ And fact of the matter is that’s priceless/ Life’s kicking my butt like crazy/ Demanding that I make more money/ On a never ending search for cash, finding ways to prevent being bummy/ Rent taking away most of what I earn/ That counted money is limited, it goes like calories I burn/ See the reality is earned money is old and it keeps you broke, that’s what I learned/ One must strive for multiple streams of income/ One must be an entrepreneur, be business minded , no one’s at fault but you, I need some wisdom/ I acquire it as the years go by, so I’m pleased to know where it stems from/ Paying bills endlessly like I owe the system/ Well, utilities are based on my usage, I know, but it’ll still show I’m pissed son/ Taxes are taken out your pay check before you get it/ I don’t even bother to look at the gross because I can’t spend it, and that’s so upsetting/ When you use your card and it declines/ You’re tempted to go hard and try several times/ As you do, what you’re trying to buy still don’t get paid for/ People around looking at you funny, it becomes embarrassing, know the feeling? I’ll say no more/ It’s frustrating, like life itself when you’re struggling/ It feels everything be falling apart sometimes, kinda like cookies crumbling/ I try to keep my head up and not get fed up/ But it’s easier said than done in actuality, but when you fall get up/ Stressful nights at work slaving for Amazon/ Coping with it, it’s amazing how I keeping going on and on/ Best job I ever had, so I keep racing to it when it’s time to leave home, am I wrong?/ I believe they’re better days ahead/ So until then I’ll storm the weather and get this bread/ Dad is gone forever, won’t ever forget his effort/ He did a lot for me, true story, most definitely, word!/ He was the heart of the Ardey family, make no mistake/ He held it down until old age caught up with em, taking no breaks/ He was fearless, bold, he loved life and love God/
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Confessions
The Typical Man Must Provide Drama
EXT. — ON A HOT SUNNY DAY ON THE STREETS OF TEMA - MORNING A 24 YEAR-OLD YOUNG MAN WHO LIVES IN TEMA IN THE GREATER ACCRA REGION OF GHANA NAMED ALEX IS DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH A 26 YEAR-OLD GIRL NAMED BRIDGETTE. THEY HAVE BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR A YEAR. ALEX HAS PROMISED TO MARRY BRIDGETTE THE MOMENT HE GETS ON HIS FEET, BUT HE’S FACING A TROUBLING DILEMMA THAT’S PREVENTING HIM FROM DOING SO, WHICH IS THAT HE HAS BEEN JOBLESS FOR 2 YEARS NOW EVER SINCE HE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA. THIS IS GRADUALLY LEADING TO BRIDGETTE RUNNING OUT OF PATIENCE AND LOSING HOPE THAT HE’LL MARRY HER. ALEX RETURNS FROM A LONG JOB SEARCH FROM TOWN AFTER APPLYING TO VARIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS SUBMITTING HIS RESUME (CV). HE IS VERY DISCOURAGED AND DISAPPOINTED AS HE JOURNEYS ON FOOT BACK HOME AFTER GETTING OFF AT HIS STOP FROM A TROTRO NOT TOO FAR AWAY. HE PONDERS HOW HE’LL ONCE AGAIN BE TO BREAK THE NEWS TO BRIDGETTE THAT HE HASN’T GOTTEN ANY JOB YET.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Fiction
Life Partner
Having a lifetime partner is a very serious matter. Don’t venture if you’re not ready. It’s serious business. Marriage is a life long journey. It will try you time and time again. Only patient, tolerant, perseverant people can handle it. It will drive you crazy. Can you cope?
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Families
Crossed the Line
There’s certain lines you don’t cross, and when you do there’s no turning back. So you think before you speak and before you act. Out of respect for the other individual, there’s certain things you don’t say and certain things you don’t do. Disrespect and disobedience can only be tolerated for so long. One must not have a no holds barred approach to it. There are restrictions that apply. Certain things are off limits. There’s cetain boundaries you don’t cross. Stay in pocket and know your role. Play your position, and let it remain as such. Guess what I’m talking about.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Confessions
Earliest Computer Usage
I have seen technology transform in my own life by the way it has advanced over time. During my childhood I remember it being mainly the desktop computer, which some people had at home. It seemed like a luxury at the time because most people went to the library to get access to or use a computer. Also, not to mention in school.
By BigSteff SA3 years ago in Futurism
