Bottom Boy Survivor
they were using language to hide what they were talking about while they were doing their street job. Many people who grow up in a bad environment have relied on selling drugs to make a living. These people are called “trappers.” A trapper is a person who puts his life on the line by selling illegal substances to make money. Bottom Boy Survivor is a boy who wants to make it out of the struggle and accomplish his dreams, not by making his name in the streets but by making it in the rap game. Many people don’t want to be in the mix of the streets. Being in the mix may end up with something happening to you because nowadays many things can happen to you as a person. Rod Wave is my inspiration for writing this because he made nothing into something. Without his songs I don’t know how I would feel. What Rod Wave speaks about in his songs is about how he grew up. He had trust issues and was trying to move on up through the difficult stages of life. He grew up with his grandmother. He was also a trapper, but then he found out about the rap life, and it changed his whole mindset. He grew up listening to rappers, such as E-40, with whom he later made a song called “Calabasas,” and Kevin Gates with whom he later made a song called “Cuban Links.” Rod Wave’s songs have inspired me. One of the best ones in my opinion is “Rags2Riches,” which shows that he came from nothing. He is a hero for many people because his life proves that anyone can make it out of their situation. No matter what problems are occurring, you just have to believe. Eldon is a first-year student at Calvert Hall High School, Baltimore, MD, and a second-year student with Unified Efforts, Inc., Out of School Time Program.
By Eldon Clarke, Jr.
A bottom boy survivor is a boy who came from nothing and has to make his stages through deep parts of the projects. He wants to make it out and be something in life other than adding on to the negative. Growing up in the projects is hard. The system wants you to be one of the statistics and be like everyone else—either dead, locked up, or injured. That’s harsh to hear, but it’s true. Some people don’t want Black people to be successful. They will harm your soul. They see you and judge you by the color of your skin and your looks. That’s why it is sometimes hard to get a job. That’s why people end up in the street. Going home from school I used to see this type of stuff: people had nicknames, and
Page 19 I BelongMagazine.com, Autumn 2020. All rights reserved. Published by Unified Efforts, Inc., Baltimore, MD, https://unifiedefforts.org
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