INTERN DIARIES /INDUSTRY INSIDER

   

                                  " DUST YOURSELF OFF AND TRY AGAIN"....  Pt3




       It was another rainy day  out when  Saquan , Payne and myself made our way to  Manhattan just like when me and my mom traveled on the LIRR for my interview with Vicky Charles  so again I thought OH no this is bad luck . Saqaun  who was 2 years older than me his birthday was  the day after mine November the 9th  so growning up we  always celebrated  our birthdays together  we even had matching birthday cakes  I remember we had a big birthday bash one year in the continental room out in  Corona queens  in  Lefrak . So when we arrived in manhattan  it took no time to locate the  Building we pulled up in Saquans  green 1997 honda accord  which was nicknamed “lucy”  I sat In the front seat  Payne was  in the back , Payne was an inspiring rapper like most niggas in the hood , He was light skin and had Braids that went a little passed his shoulders he wore glasses back in the day that looked like coca cola bottles now today he wore  contacts to fit his  more mature image .  Payne was my godbrother  and his Mother named lorraine was my godmother They lived  across town from Saquan  near Supthin and Linden  .  As I exited the car and started walking across the street    to enter the building I heard another car door slam directly after mine I knew it wasnt saquan getting out because I  know damn well he had about 3 unpaid tickets and he didn’t want  another  , it was payne , I should have known . He was into the music too so I should have expected him to want to come with, but I didn’t really want him to come inside with me , to me it just looked unprofessional  , but he promised he would be on his best behavior . so I just said what ever lets go . As me and Payne entered the building on 25th street  I remembered that  Jimmy Henchmen and Bryce Wilson had an office  down the block were they ran there Mangement company were Jimmy would later become 50 cent protégé’” THE G.A.M.E.’s manager. Me and payne walked into the elevator ,I  had those butterflies in my  stomach and the sweating started again but something told me I was goin to walk out of this interiview with some sort of position at  violator .


    When we arrived at the 8th floor of the building the  elavator doors opened and there stood  a Big Black Man clearly he was some sort of security dressed in  regualar street clothes talking to the a  receptionist . I walked right up to the  front desk Payne stood an appropriate feet away from me  near the  the Big Black Seccurity Guard who I would later come to know as Rich He was  Chris Lighty’s personal security . As I got  right infront of the desk and Said Hi Im Yamiek is Simone available ? I knew that  this wasn’t  Simone because it was a dude  sitting there answering phone calls and  directing them to the appropriate extenstion . He seemed like he knew what he was doing but he didn’t want be at that desk  there was a lot going on in  the lobby of  Violator , the smell of  Haze filled the air lightly and  a  bunch of thugs  friends(were there hanging out ) of  Chris Lighty’s younger  brother Mike lighty and his “company” durrty Money” was run out of the same office .  I asked the dude at the desk was Simone available and he informed me she stepped out for lunch and she would be back in about  twenty minutes so he  had Rich  the big black security guard es court me and payne  to the  lounge  but not before  payne could embarrass  me and ask Rich   “ yo  you Chris lighty Man “ ?  Rich  Quickly responded” No”  and said  to me is He  with you  I responded  with  no eye contact “ yea he wit me”  wishing I can say no!  follow me in here . rich said   he  brought  us to what  I Guess  you would call a there conference room / what ever room .  It had a Tv  A big  conference table and  lots of chair and  windows with a ledge that u can sit on .                                                                                                           




    I was Nervous as usual besides from payne’s stupid question and the fact that now I had to wait around for  Simone  not knowing when  she would be arriving  because twenty minutes can easily turn into  forty minutes  for black people on lunch break .  I was waiting no longer than 15 minutes before Big Rich came back and  told me that Simone was here and ready to see me  .  I got up Off the window ledge I was sitting on were I was looking out the window outside at saquans car .  I got up  walked out the of the conference room were me and payne were at and walked back to the  front desk  there Sat a brown skin woman who appeared to be in her late twenties  blowing on her nails  trying not to smudge what looked like a fresh paint job , she  was sitting down in the chair  ignoring the phones  she looked up at me with a smile and said  Hey you Must be Johnny   Dham told me all about you . You can start  next week I just got rid  of one of my interns she explained .  I was surprised  ,  I said wow that’s it I got the job she said Yes you are officially an intern  be here Monday morning at 8 am sharp Mona Scotts  Assistant will let you in ,  Simone then pointed towards Mona’s office with a slight attitude which I couldn't read too deeply into  at that moment I was just happy that she hired me  for an Unpaid internship free lunch and a metro card  plus about 50 dollars every week for my pocket .  I could tell  Simone was a girl from the hood  who  got out of the hood and was quite different from the girls that she probally grew up with that satyed in the hood and had about 3 kidz . Simone was  about  my height at the time which was 5ft 6 she  had Beautiful brown skin and she wore her hair in a weave which was shoulder length . She  dug  into her Coach bag to look for something after hair nails dried  . She took out her Motorolla 2way pager and began returning an email  she then looked at me and  said do you know how to work one of these things and I  replied no  she said good that is what im going to teach you Monday morning you will need to know how to  work  one of these in this industry  on top of that your going to be running errands , answering phones and just helping out with thing that need to be done around the office .  I was so  excited even though I knew it would be no walk in the park .  After me and Simone chatted for about 35 minutes I forgot all about payne in the conference room  but that would be short lived as I turned around I saw Payne standing in the door way ,  Simone noticed at that point I was distracted and she said to me , do you know him and I said Yea that’s my God brother he came to accompany me ,  Simone then gave me a look I knew what that look meant  , that was the look like don’t bring anyone with you here again  look   the less is more look  which I totally agreed. Simone then said to me Ok Johnny  I cant wait to chat more on Monday remember 8 am sharp don’t be late  you most likely be the first person here besides Mona’s assistant , I will alert her that you will  meet her outside of the building.
   
       I then signaled for Payne  to come out of the conference room  he exited then we made our way out to the elevator Simone Buzzed us out and I waved back at Simone she then waved  back at me  with a smile and a wink .  As me and Payne waited for the  elevator  to come to the 8th floor  he wanted details  about what happen  he didn’t stop asking questions  back to back  and I didn't feel like repeating it 1, 000 times soo I told him to wait and I would explain it to him in the car were Saquan was still  patiently waiting . By the time we  got into  elevator and made it back  to  the car out side  It was sunny and Hot as hell out side  Saquan  was blasting some new mixtape he bought on the Jamaica Avenue   the day before  and rolling a blunt , I hoped in the back seat Payne got in the front  . Saquan wanted details and of course payne did too .  “ what happen my niggah “ saquan said , I said I got the internship I start Monday 8 am . It was a nice ride back to  queens   after getting the great news and not to mention we was high as shit from that blunt SaQuan rolled . It seemed Saquan and Payne were more excited than I was about  my internship  but I had a  habit of putting on my poker face real well .  I should have know that this was going to be a weekend of parting after receiving the good news  I mean it wasn't that major of a deal to be getting an internship but to niggas in the hood and the dudes in my family that was like  you got  your feet in the door   now make good use of it .  I don’t even believe that I knew how serious a deal it was that I got an internship at 17 its kinda un heard  of unless you were a son or a nephew of a High powered record executive or  if   you knew the right people or associated with the right people like I was .. this was  all the proof I needed to support the  term “ ITS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW BUT  IN FACT WHO YOU KNOW”  so true  especially in the Entertainment Industry .   


     Now when it came around to that Monday I had made arrangements with Payne's Mother  Lorraine but everyone in our family referred to her as “ rainey “ a childhood nickname that stuck with her . Rainey agreed that I can stay with her for the summer  while I was interning  , I was over joyed because I knew it would be crazy  confusing for me to travel from Dix Hills everyday  to the city  and further more, expensive  for  seventeen year old . Payne and his mom lived  in  in south Jamaica Queens  walking distance from 48 park   were my cousin would go to play basketball from time to time  Payne’s step father “DAY DAY”  would always have his annual summer basketball In Memory Of Molly tourtement  a speacial dedication to his brother who passed away many years earlier from a tragic car accident . But by this time  Rainey and  Day Day  had been legally separated and  it was just me Rainey and Payne living together and  my other cousin Lamont which was  Payne’s brother . Living with them was a big difference   from what I was used to  living with my parents in long island  I went from living in a 6 bedroom 3 bathroom house  to living in a 2 bed room one 1 bathroom house , but my godmother  rainey extened her home to me and I was more than gracious to accept . Staying in south Jamaica queens during the summer of 2002 was  nothing that I could have ever imagined boy was I was I in for a rollar coaster ride .