Nasir Nazz Salaam - Once Upon MY Time

Once Upon My Time

Making The Best Of It While Its Available

Painful Profit

Once Upon My Time

Making The Best Of It While Its Available

Copyright 2021 Nasir Salaam

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The reader should seek the services of a competent professional for expert assistance or professional advice. Reference to any organization, publication or website does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the author or the publisher. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from using or applying any information contained in this publication.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Introduction

GOOD HEALTH IS WEALTH

Its October 2, 2021, around 3:33 PM, well into a year of this pandemic. As of late, Ive been doing a lot of cardio (running, jumping jacks & jumping rope) & calisthenics. We describe calisthenics as push-ups, pull-ups, and dips since the pandemic got me for good by causing me to gain a lot of weight due to a lack of movement. I was always active in this prison in New Jersey called Rahway (East Jersey State Prison), especially playing basketball, where the calories were readily burned off. But circumstances have changed, forcing me to review my lifestyle more thoroughly than before, beginning with my health. I was exactly 198 lbs when I weighed myself three months ago, just 2 lbs short of 200. Once Upon My Time, I set a weight target of 200 pounds, but that was when I wanted to achieve it with more muscle than fat, and look at me now. You can see why I increased my cardio game, given my stomach was humongous!

Im feeling a lot better now. I havent weighed myself since then, but Im confident I shed at least 10 pounds. 185-190 pounds is a good weight for me; its where Im light on my feet while yet hitting as hard as a Mack truck without brakes! (Iron Mike Shit) In addition, I changed my eating habits. I stopped drinking milk a long time ago, not just because Im lactose intolerant but also because its terrible for my skin and makes me fat. We dont have the same possibilities in jail as we do on the streets, where we may choose from brands like coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, and various other options. I switched my sugar intake to a substitute called the PINK PACKS or my favorite Sweet Mate. Theyre generally for diabetics, but Im on a mission to avoid diabetes myself, so I made them for me. Im trying to dodge THE SUGARS ! Ive been a regular H2O (Water) drinker most of my life, so my water intake was never a problem. I can have a case of soda underneath my bed for 2-3 months unless I sell them. (The Barter System) I take four vitamins everyday; Vitamin E, D, a multivitamin & a fish oil pill I purchased from the food package. (Street food the prison allows us to purchase from select vendors) I had to increase my vegetable intake, so I found a shortcut & started buying V8 drinks. I throw that thing in my cooler (ice container) & drink half of it with my dinner. Speaking of dinner, I now eat early, between 4 PM- 6 PM, so my food can be properly digested. Sometimes, I eat a snack late when something good is on TV. My newfound snack is Graham Crackers while dipping them in peanut butter.

I always labeled myself a fat, skinny nigga, which meant I had an exquisite taste for the finer things, which usually are greasy, unhealthy shit, but delicious, might I add. Now its all about survival & coming home as healthy as possible with no surgeries to speak of or a cocktail of medication to ingest. With that, health is just the beginning; it takes a healthy mindset as well. Im not a health expert or a workout warrior; Im just explaining how its a must to take care of yourself, especially under duress with something as epic as a worldwide pandemic. I read something once that said: IF SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE NEEDS CHANGING, CHANGE IT BEFORE SOMEONE MAKES THAT DECISION FOR YOU!

Change doesnt necessarily mean youve changed, it just shows the evolution of who you define yourself as...

Chapter 1

PORT OF THE CITY

(Atlantic City Ocean)

My habits when I was home was no better than the fiends I was once serving dope to. I had a habit of getting money, dressing fly, buying what I wanted when I wanted. Let me give you a backdrop before I continue. My mom (Daphne Reynolds) moved out of our projects in our hometown Uptown Atlantic City, New Jersey, called THE COURTS A.K.A VAC A.K.A Virginia Ave Courts around the time my sister Medinah was born because my grandmother told her if she had another baby, she gotta get the fuck out of the house! At that time, she already had me & my older sister Dashima who is two years older than me. Staying true to her word, my grandma kicked my mom out & we moved Downtown on Georgia Ave. A few years later, we moved to Wabash Ave right across the street from the third Village. (Stanley Holmes Village) For those familiar with the landscape, yes, there were homes exactly where New York Ave school stands. There, my identical twin brothers were born named Aquil & Asmar. Our next move was to the Westside of Atlantic City on Reverend JJ Walters because they knocked those homes down to build that school. That move allowed my mother to finally become a homeowner. Around that time, I was moving back & forth between my dad (Nashid Salaam) & mom when he was living in Mayslanding, NJ. A lot of great memories in Mayslanding.

I was going to school at Martin Luther King Elementary, AK.A The Westside. You had to be built a certain way to withstand the bullying. If not, you were shrimp on a platter. If the jokes getting cracked on you werent enough to quit school, then the hands getting laid upon you will. We all wore uniforms, but what stood out was always your sneaker game unless its casual Friday & then you got to throw whatever delicate fabrics you had on. If you wont fly, be prepared for the jokes to fly your way. I didnt have the best gear, but I had what I needed, not what I wanted, as my mom used to say. The thing about me is I had jokes ready. Even if they werent the funniest, I still defended myself. If it escalated, I had no problem defending myself in that manner as well. Win, lose or draw, I was ready for a brawl! One time I fought this dude named Laklee (whos now a friend of mines) like three times in a row after school because I won the first round by Goldberg spearing him repeatedly. He got the best of me in the second round with a group of onlookers as he put on these tight ass OJ leather gloves for visual effects, I guess. The third round is blurry for whatever reason, maybe because it may have never happened, but I wanted my get back as well. Ill have to ask him what happened? We eventually got cool when we were walking to school together & he showed me a porn magazine.

I started hustlin not because I was in dire need like so many of my peers. I started hustlin because I got tired of asking my mom for new Jordans, A-1s, throwback jerseys & fitteds (New Era hats), just money period then hearing no, or hell no, get your grades up first. She didnt understand that I was under pressure to have some semi-decent kicks. Thats why I appreciate my cousin Nu-Nu so much because he was hand-me-down central for me. I used to take his old sneaks, wash & polish the hell out of them. You could only tell they werent new from the creases, mainly in the front.