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| Fellow Herschelwood Crips Duke and Trap greet each other with the Herschelwood/Houston H. Photo by Peter Beste | | HAND JIVEHow to Talk With Your Gang Hands
Setting aside for a moment the cred supremacy of inner-city housing projects—if the ghetto had a ghetto of its own, it would be Herschelwood. It is basically your favorite ghetto's favorite ghetto. Herschelwood's parent neighborhood is South Park, a primarily black post-WWII development on Houston’s south side where the late DJ Screw, Fat Pat (RIP), H.A.W.K. (RIP), Lil Keke, K-Rino, Z-Ro, and the entirety of the South Park Coalition and the Screwed Up Click were spawned. It is the birthplace of Syrup (codeine cough syrup mixed with soda) and Screw’s trademark chopped and screwed mixtapes. It is also one of the most dangerous areas in Houston.
“The kids here grow up watching us,” says Duke, a Crip and member of the rap group Herschelwood Hardheadz, “Wondering why we’re wearing blue clothes and whatever. It’s a big influence. We just gotta guide them in the right direction so they don’t get mixed up in all of that. We got coaching to do.”
The Crips run the neighborhood. Blue is not a prominent color—it is the only color. By this point the Crips’ control has become a simple matter of reality rather than a nuisance or a threat, and the neighborhood accepts it as such. When we were there on a Saturday afternoon, two gunshots went off no more than a block away and no one fucking blinked.
“There’s crime everywhere, bro,” Duke says. “That right there’s the ghetto. It’s just like any neighborhood—ain’t no telling when something’s about to jump off.”
“It’s crazy out here,” says Trap, a 24-year-old Herschelwood denizen who sports a trickle of ice-pick puncture wounds along his right ribcage. “Everybody trying to eat and survive. People don’t wanna be around here, man—real talk. We shed blood out here. Before Lil Keke, back before rap even came around this motherfucker, we be doin’ some gorilla-type shit.
“A real nigga is a lower-type dude that’s gonna stick in your corner and never turn his back on you,” he tells us. “That’s what’s real. A real nigga’s gonna be there through thick and thin. There’s some hood love out here. This here is a jungle—I know I’m gonna need other people’s help, and other hoods’ help when I drop. A lot of gorillas running around, straight silverback. I’m telling you, if I ain’t locking them up, they doin’ something. But we’re running the race—real talk. We done got rid of all the roaches, everything sprayed. I done killed this block off. It’s a blessing. Lord gave me a sign, and I ain’t get too many signs cause it’s hardball. I’m gonna play my cards right and I ain’t gonna give up. I’m gonna make it up out this motherfucker.”
LANCE SCOTT WALKER
Photos by Peter Beste |
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Our buddy Duke shows us how to make the Herschelwood H and W. Keep in mind these are for other folks to read, so they should be backward to you.
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| Here Duke and his pal Knock do two variations of the Crip Cs. How you throw your C can say a lot about your personality. See how Duke’s are all rigid and compact while Knock’s fan out like the wings of a soaring eagle? |
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If you’ve got a drink or gat in one hand or just have a really good lean going you can just throw W for “the Wood.” Folks will know what you’re saying. |
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| Same as above, but Duke is using the H as a pointer to emphasize the W. The H can also stand for Houston if you’re signing at an out-of-towner. |
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This knuckly little number is a double BK for “Blood Killa.” |
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| Trap shows us his Cs while Duke shows us an advanced Herschelwood sign in which a crossed double H forms the W. |
See all articles by this contributor Anonymous, on Oct 8, 2009 wrote:
it’s all about the $ at the end of the day... oh, it is impressive when these guys have turned one street into a neighborhood... I’m white and I’ve seen that porch and flip down the blvd... If yall don’t know what the blvd is it’s MLK bitches... from the nawf to the south imma run my damn mouf...lol fuck all you haters get a grip. | |
| catbird, on Aug 24, 2009 wrote:
that’s good, I always wanted to know how to throw gang sign’s at people when I’m in the hood | |
| hi fructose, on Aug 24, 2009 wrote:
"Are fat white chicks with shitty 4-door cars the mule or the 40 acres? "
okay that made me laugh but 2-door cars are trashier than 4-door. you need to change that up. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
The guys name is big hawk | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Those three are made of dark matter and that porch is a black hole. That is not a metaphor. They have so much gravity that bullets are attracted to them. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Personally, I prefer my gang negroes with a little more vocational aptitude. But kudoes to the one with the ventilated shirt, high marks for ingenuity. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
I bet there is a dead white woman buried under that porch. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
That porch is the Briar Patch of Doom. Those three should be treated like Levar Burton. They should be air dropped into Darfur. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
They need Ben-Gay and some heating pads. They’re gonna get granny hands if they keep that up. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Those cats could eat Kanye West and crap Phillip Michael Thomas. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
They look like air traffic controllers for RC planes. I bet they’ve actually shot people from that porch. That dude is wearing the Magic Bulletproof T-shirt that was passed on to him by the last guy who thought it was a Magic Bulletproof T-shirt. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
I want some of those gang negroes to do that on my front porch. Très chic!!! I’d be the envy of my gated community. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Are fat white chicks with shitty 4-door cars the mule or the 40 acres? | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Aryans run shit in the can. Those fancy hand gestures won’t stop a well sharpened bed spring from perferating your face like a vegetable collinder. Yahtzee!!! | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
i got shot in my Crippin’ hand and now I have to use my foot on that side of my body. When I throw the ’W’ I have to weave my toes together in the middle. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Gang culture breeds ignorance. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Flashing gang signs is considered to be a method of removing any trace of DNA from a walking, talking Homosapien. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
What’s the hand sign for "a bird just shat on me head?" | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Wait! Let me get this straight? There’s meaning to this type of sign language? I thought this was just a bunch of arthritic folk sitting on the the porch. | | Anonymous, on Aug 21, 2009 wrote:
Holy fuck. I’m glad I am not doing that on a daily basis. I’d have to end it all. | | Anonymous, on Aug 20, 2009 wrote:
Tango Blast runs TX. | | Anonymous, on Jul 16, 2009 wrote:
Evolve mother fuckers! racist people have soft heads. | | Anonymous, on Jul 15, 2009 wrote:
Black Crazy runs a lot deeper than White Crazy. | | Anonymous, on Jul 15, 2009 wrote:
I like to stick with the Fonzie thumbs up. | | Anonymous, on Jul 6, 2009 wrote:
to Anonymous on July 5th that said
’The darker the skin, the dumber the race. FACT....’
Come on down to Houston, we’ll show you some ’Facts’ | | Anonymous, on Jun 30, 2009 wrote:
wow i have never seen afro pigtails before. that is fucking incredible. | | Anonymous, on Jun 30, 2009 wrote:
his shirt has ghetto air conditioning units. | | Anonymous, on Sep 22, 2008 wrote:
what ever happend to the pimps and playa’s...is houston turnin into los angeles...like NY did | | |
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