Prince Bonaparte (Westbourne Park)

Avon Barksdale (The Wire)

String man. He all about business.

That’s a'ight cos me and him's tight. Was. Like brothers. But n*gger always talking about moving into real estate and all that lawyer doctor bullsh*t. And I ain't talking about real estate like drugs real estate - motherf**king subways and school yards - I'm talking about actual property he be buying. String be going round in suits and building waterfront condos so we can keep our money clean. He figure you buy legit and then run the street money through it. Next thing you know dirty money become clean money. And we all be sat in a penthouse running thing's from on high. Let the clown-ass street niggers handle the distribution.

That's all good. And String was one smart cookie. But somewhere down the line, we was losing where we came from. I ain't no businessman. I's a soldier. Soldierin's what I do. Simple as. I guess I'm just an old fashioned gangster at heart. Miracle I made it this far. You turn this Kangol hat round my dome and even I look like a Green Beret. I told you I's a warrior.

As far as dealing drugs go String say it’s all about "product". All I ever hear about now is how good Proposition Joe's product is, how we can stamp all over it. Cut that package with talcum powder like one thousand times and the s**t still be real. But it ain't all about product. And Proposition Joe? Hell... that fat dude get up in the morning he can't even see the end of his own dick. Later for all that bullsh*t.

I say it’s all about real estate. My kind of real estate. Selling drugs outta the tower blocks and offa street corners. Things started going wrong for us when we let the Trellic Towers fall. If String coulda held on to the towers while I was doing my time then we'd still have some muscle to step up. As it is we got diddly sh*t and we got to share the spoils and share the corners. Since when do the Barksdale's share corners? That's some weak-assed sh*t.

We reap what we sow, and if don't stand up and be counted then it's gonna come back and bite our ass. Take Marlo for example. They'll always be some young'un like Marlo, waiting round the corner. No Marlo, no game. But if we ain't strong then he be ready to punk our ass. For him we be one of them good problems. Like I say it’s all about the corners. I want my corners back. So I say we go the streets and take them back. I've been gone too long and you all been quiet too long. All these streets should be ours. Great Western Road, Tavistock, All Saints, Colville. All Saints ain't no girl band, motherf**ker.

My boy Cutty said he saw some Italians rolling in here the other day. Apparently they was holed up in that Metropolitan joint over by the low rises. I-talians? F**k that. Why they got to mess with the program? Sh*t stops here. Problem is all my men are either gone or dead. String.Wee Bey. D'Angelo? Most def. I got my boy Slim Charles now but it ain't like the old days. Yeah well, the thing about the old days.... they the old days.

Maybe I should talk to Omar. Tell him it was the I-talians that done for his pretty boy. Then he come down here with his big ass shotgun again, get us some turf wars going on. Word up, it’s all in the game, yo. You feel me?

Anyhow that's enough from me, I'm gonna stew on this one a while. Work out my next move. Like a motherf**king chess player.

Meantime, this area's moving up I see. Not like West Baltimore. Man, a place like this a good-looking fellow like myself can find some fine fillies.

Like I say… it ain't all about business.

Avon's rating for The Prince Bonaparte - 7 / 10

Savage Cheyne

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