Powernomics

Part One

The deafening bass rattled the car as the melodic rhymes of Nas filled the streets of the Queensbridge Projects. A car full of misfits mouthed along to every lyric, rhythmically bobbing their heads.

The car sat stationary in a vacant parking lot. With the windows rolled down, the cold fall air creeped in as marijuana smoke billowed out. Daniel 'Case' Casey sat in the driver seat beside his younger brother. Case turned down the music as the song came to an end.

"One Time 4 Your Mind is the best song on illmatic," a voice said from the backseat. "Yo, play that one again."

"How can you pick one song, the whole album is a classic," another kid debated.

Benjamin Casey, otherwise known as 'Money', wasn't like the other boys. Protected by his older brother, he somehow escaped the typical trappings of youth growing up in that environment.

A hand reached forward with a smoldering joint, tapping Benjamin on the shoulder.

"Nah, he doesn't smoke," Case said, taking the joint. "This here," he said, taking a toke, "This will rot your mind."

"Ah, don't listen to him, Money. Weed is medicine. Look at us, none of our minds are rotten?"

"You got the most rotten mind of us all, B."

"That might be true, but it ain't from the weed."

"My brother's a genius," Case said. "He don't need to be messing with this stuff."

"Genius or not, what's up with that shorty I seen you wit? You hit that yet?"

"Never mind that," Case said. "Drop some knowledge on these fools."

"Yeah, drop some knowledge on us."

"The graveyard is the richest place on earth," Benjamin said, quoting one of his favourite authors.

"Speak."

"What the hell are you talking about?" one of the boys said laughing, which riled up the other boys to follow suit.

"Yo, pass that back here," another boy said, reaching for the joint.

Benjamin paid them no mind as he stared out the window pontificating.

"It is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream."

"What the hell does that have to do with us?"

"It's a quote from Les Brown," Benjamin said. "And it has everything to do with us. What we're doing right now, every day, living in this slum; none of us are maximizing our potential. It's a shame really. Victims of circumstance."

"Get out of here with all that."

"Nah, let the brotha speak. Whatchu mean by we're victims of circumstance?"

"Think of all we could be had we been born in a different place, to different families, a different race, and had a different group of friends... no offense."

"Yo homie, I'm mad offended right now. For real. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Chill, he don't mean anything by it," Case said.

"You should be offended," Benjamin said. "But are you going to do anything about it?"

"I might if you carry on insulting me like that."