Saturday, June 16, 2012

ICEBERG SLIM/ ROBERT BECK: ... Urban American Street Life Author ... (For HARMON LOFT PT.4)



Mr. Robert Beck aka "Iceberg Slim"



Part 4 of "For Harmon Loft" will be to highlight the book's of Mr. Robert Lee Maupin (Beck) aka "Iceberg Slim" and also be included into the "RCJ Music/ Art's Honour Roll Society", and I will say that also the video / audio below is graphic to say the least, this is an intro to the book called "Pimp", and it can hit a sensitive nerve to some, especially women, concerning pimp's/ mack's and prostitution, so if this is kind of subject is sensitive for you, DO NOT LISTEN to it, simple. Also I do not condone to this treatment of women/ prostitute's, having myself as a teen been taken off the street's in Montreal by prostitute's and taken in to live and work for them , who took care of me as if I was their own child/ teen. But the thing's that Iceberg Slim wrote about is a reality, whether it was in that era or even today, and todayz standard's for some of these women are even more harsh than then, believe me. But Iceberg Slim was a hustler who lived it like a religion, and his book's tell it like it is, period. He knew the game better than anyone you can say, and no matter what the game was ... and his book's are in a category of their own and a very blunt read at that.

It was Mr. Harmon Loft that turned me on to Iceberg Slim, my childhood was kind of short and unconventional to say the least, and I learned some harsh realities at a young age that many kid's are not exposed to let's say. Back as a young teen shining shoe's in Harmon's billiard's and gambling hall up in New York for awhile, there was a teenage girl who worked at a sandwich shop next door, and she would drop by and say Hi to me once in awhile, while she delivered sandwiches, even brought me a Pastrami/ Rye or whatever a couple time's (for free) while I was steadily trying to shine all the shoe's I could and make all the money I could, making run's or whatever made a buck ... she was a cute lil redhead too, 16/ 17-ish (I was a tad younger than her). One day Harmon just told me when shining his shoe's something like (Harmon was a very blunt man) "When you gonna give that girl what she want's?" ... I was young and a lil slow still, and asked Harmon "What?", Harmon said ... "Give her what she's been tryin to tell your hard- headed ass, that girl is over here every week bringing you shit, throwin her shit in your face, tryin to rap to your ass and everything" ... I just said "yeah" or something, still shining them shoe's though going for that extra buck, then Harmon said something like ... "If you dont get your ass over there and take care of business, I'm gonna ... so git! ... you got plenty of time later to shine shoes! ... Goddamn, you'd never make no Iceberg Slim, that's fer sure!"

It was then when I asked Harmon what the fuck was an Iceberg Slim? Harmon later sarcastically gave me the read/ book "Pimp" and said ... "you know how to read, eh?" with a laugh. It was very compelling and I was young and didnt even quite understand it all at the time, I never heard any shit like this, but it was certainly alot more interesting than some of the shit we got in school, for sure. So that was my first contact of the book's of Iceberg Slim, shortly after that a movie also came out for the book "Trick Baby" which was a whole different game about street game and hustle's, and other book's of his ... which are so unique, not just in that era, but even today, that they will be honoured in this journal. Harmon though was a man who also helped me in some of my most troubled time's as a teen, as well as taught me alot as a kid! ... and I owe him, and am grateful to live in an era where I can write/ post of those who helped me, who otherwise dont have anything wrote about them ... so this posting is for you Sir!



***** "RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY" A THRU M


***** "RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY" N THRU Z



Iceberg Slim - Game ... Thanx to COMEUPMOVE (intro audio from the book "Pimp")






***** RCJ: "FOR HARMON LOFT" PART'S 3, 2 & 1



****************************************************************************

2 comments:

  1. I'll have to look up Iceberg Slim, it looks like something that could really educate me on street life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He is a good read for that type "life" very accurate ....

    Thanx for your interest here Bum ....

    ReplyDelete