Life’s a documentary
It was 1995 and T.J Jackson was the first 13 year old to have earned a place in Compton’s basketball team, The Compton Craze. He went to a free trial and made it in to the team. T.J wasn’t a very lucky teenager and had a bad childhood, his dad beat him and his sisters and nearly killed his mother which made his mum stay at her friends sometimes, and he had to beg on the streets at the age of 7 because his dad couldn’t pay the rent for his 2 bedroom flat, also he watched his father put a gun to his uncle and shoot him because he went too far with a joke and was told not to mention a word or he would die. At the age of 12 his father was arrested on drug allegations. Now at 13 years old he was playing for the youth team of The Compton Craze who offered T.J $200 worth of equipment such as, a full kit, basketball shoes, and a basketball to practice with. T.J’s mother was a former Crip affiliated gang member. T.J spent most of his early life in a crip gang neighbourhood called Santana Blocc. Crips were rivals with bloods. Although being born in Los Angeles, California he grew up in Compton, California. Rachel, his mother, started to hustle after her husband was arrested and this was the easiest way to make money. She sold drugs and old clothes to make money for T.J and his sisters to go to school.
T.J went to school at Compton high school and was a shooting guard for the school team, he was well known for scoring 20 points or more during every match. Basketball was T.J’s one love after his mother and he was best at it, although he averaged B’s in every subject. His mother told him education is the most important thing in life, because every day you learn something, even after school is finished especially if you want to play in the NBA.
At the age of 15 T.J had won his school the championship final in the National school Tournament 1996 and lead The Compton Craze to the semi-finals of the National youth’s tournament 1996. He was now known to be a very popular basketball player. He continued to improve by practicing at his local school court after school for more hours. At 17 he had improved so much that he had received a basketball scholarship after graduating from Compton High School in 1999 and attended Compton State University on that basketball scholarship. During the summer before he attended the university his best friend from high school, Craig, visited him. He had changed a lot within weeks. He had a red bandana around his face and was wearing red clothing. He also had what seemed to be a cigar in his mouth. “Yo homie, since when did you become so rich and since when do you smoke?” T.J asked him surprisingly. Craig looked down and up at him and laughed out of the blue. He replied, “ Its Phat Roach to you now T.J and I been hustling recently, my cousin Dirty hooked me up with some dope and I sold that shit easy, made about 1 grand in a day and the cigar was something my cousin gave me as a welcoming present because I’m now an affiliated blood gang member.” T.J seemed jealous of his friend and asked him how he can make money so easily. “Look T.J it isn’t as simple as it sounds, I can ask my cousin what you got to do to make some money but you going to have to become a Blood first, nothing bad, your momma was one or some shit like that, anyway why you need the money, your momma be hustling. I see her down 5th street selling my boy some dope.” “My momma don’t know that I no she be doing that shit man, she think I think she working and she wants me to be a NBA player. I want to make money man. It’s quicker than waiting 3 more years.” T.J had suddenly changed his mind of being a basketball player to being a hustler within a matter of minutes just by hearing what his friend told him he did to make money. He was peer pressured into it.
