From 2pac to Monster Kody Scott
Alright, so trying to learn to Crip Walk for fun has led me to some interesting people and interesting reads. In a previous blog in January of 2022, I reviewed a book by a guy well known in the LA Crip world by the name of Big Tookie. It was eye-opening but, not like this recent book I read. Monster, an autobiography, is by a man name “Monster” Kody (Scott) an LA Crip. Let’s talk about this deep personal look into gang life in Los Angeles, California.
Like many people from my generation, I grew up listening to the East Coast West Coast rap feud. For me, I was on the Tupac side and still listen to his music today. Anyone who has listened to Tupac knows he uses a lot of street lingo and tells a lot of stories that sometime seem too crazy to be true. I think this was a question I had going into this read – how serious are gangs and gang members in places like Los Angeles? It turns that they are serious. Just how serious are they? Drive by shootings, planned shootings at funerals, lynching, hostages, drive a car through the front of a gun store to rob it plans, and even chopping people’s arms off with a machete to make a statement serious. This read makes Pac much more believable, not that I didn’t believe him.
Monster Kody and Tookie
Monster Kody Scott took an educational approach in his book and like Tookie wanted to help change things in the LA gang world. His approach was different as we’ll look more into further in this blog, but he wanted to help the youth, nonetheless. I can appreciate this. More on that seriousness I mentioned. Scott was recruited into the Crip gang at the age of 13 I believe. According to him it was almost expected in his community as a part of survival and manhood. Kody idolized the gang members around him and rose through the ranks to gain “street fame”, a term I’ve heard Tupac use.
Ray Charles and Monster Kody Scott?
It’s unfortunate but, Kody did not have the best childhood. Although, he did mention that he and his mother lived in a nicer community than most of his partners in crime. His father was an NFL player but, he rarely had anything to do with “Monster” and certainly wasn’t in the picture. Surprisingly, his god father was none other than the legendary Ray Charles. Kody didn’t elaborate on this point long but did say that Ray was more involved in his life than his actual father. Having higher education in Psychology, I found these facts interesting. This isn’t the only way that Monster is an educational read though.
Lessons Learned from Monster Kody Scott
Terminology was among the other things this book taught me. I learned about what words like “OG” really mean, how gangs use graffiti to label their turf and warn others. “Monster” explained how guns were handed off and hid for gang members. These techniques put weapons at quick access but never on their person. I learned what “sets” were and through some written dialogs how gang members speak to one another. These lessons are facevalue but there were deeper level lessons as part of this autobiography too though.
I learned more about human nature than I did graffiti and slang. Kody spent a lot of time talking about how important it was to never show fear. At one point he mentioned that he was conscious to speak carefully in a prison confrontation so that his voice wouldn’t “crack” and show fear. He explained how some people had never been tested in the street and how evident it was to those that had. One of my favorite stories was about a nurse who was “New African” in the words of Scott. A group of gang bangers arrived at the hospital to finish “Monster” off but, this nurse stopped it. She didn’t use a gun or her hands, only her bold and fearless character. It’s impressive to consider how much confidence can make a difference in any situation.
Leadership, A Stong Theme
Leadership was a big topic in this book. At times, it was a direct theme but mostly it was subtle. “Monster” Kody was a natural born leader. It wouldn’t have mattered if he was in the military or the LA Crips, this quality would have come out. In an interview with his mom, she stated that “…he would have been good at anything. He was that kind of person.” You can watch this interview yourself here. Kody stood ready to go and would be the first to retaliate. Kody arranged for fair fights between members of sets that were not enemies. These were subtle demonstrations. In prison, he plainly disciplined those who didn’t follow instructions. Kody was strategic in his actions and banging alike. He discussed situations and would analyze them in hindsight with a military-esc approach.
Prison Reform
Anyone familiar with the penal system knows that there is strong argument that prison doesn’t rehabilitate people but, this is not always the case. Kody Scott argued both sides of this coin. He expressed the same concerns as most others. Primarily that you put a troubled young man into a pack of even more troubled young me and expect a change. What can you expect except that one learns to be eviler? A young adult is now in the tutelage of hundreds of other criminals, some with new skill sets. While Kody saw this, he also did change after many trips to jail. In prison he was recruited by a larger body of Crips that were a political governing type group of the gang. Membership here meant he was required to read, write, and become educated on political ideas. His greatest change, though, came through Islam.
Originally, and Kody wasn’t secret about this, the religious meetings were opportunities for gangs to come together. Eventually Kody started listening though. He became friends with the teacher, Muhammad. This friendship would last for the rest of Kody’s life. Soon, Muhammad was not allowed to teach Islam to prisoners anymore because he was teaching radical Islamic ideas and principles. This was not welcomed in a prison setting so, they didn’t allow him back. It was this man seeing the strength in Kody’s character that changed him, I think. Muhammad taught him about Islam but also about being a revolutionary.
Different Name, Different Person
Finally, out of prison, he changed and no longer went by “Monster” but Sanyika Shakur. By the way, he was called “Monster” after a newspaper article labeled him as one for stomping a man in public for 20 minutes. Things had now oddly come full circle. Kody had gone to prison for many things including selling drugs. When he went the last time, it was for stomping a drug dealer who was selling drugs around kids. Kody had warned the dealer not to commit this offense around children but, he paid no mind. The thing he once did he now policed and enforced after his tutelage under Muhammad. It is amazing when the right voice falls on the right ear what can happen in someone’s life.
Surprise, Surprise
This book surprised me – what I read was not at all what I expected. Kody is a surprisingly good writer and articulates things very well. The writing style was one that was entertaining, intelligent, thought provoking, and holding all at the same time. According to him, he learned to write in prison. He was required by the higher Crip organization to read books and then write reports on them. If his reports missed the mark, he had to start over. This was a step in the right direction for him. He was considerate of readers too. All his audience would not be familiar with most of his lingo, so he took time to explain this. When you read about a subculture, not knowing their language can make things hard to understand. In the case of Monster, Kody helped to keep things understandable for readers foreign to the LA Crip world.
Closing Thoughts On Monster
In the opening pages of Monster, Kody explains that things changed a lot over the span of time covered in his autobiography. When “Monster” Kody got out of prison for the last time, he learned that a lot had changed. His former crew explained that they now had AK47 rifles that fire up to 70 rounds. Some groups even had LAW rockets available to them. When Scott started, he was lucky to have 8 rounds in a 17-round clip. When he was shot, it was the right time. His crew explained that people getting shot after his release were being hit 20 and 30 times with not much of them being left. The pages include hardships, leadership, life stories that show similarities in us all, show growth and change, and certainly are soaked in violence.
I’d love for you to link up with me on all social media platforms, follow my pages, check out my website, and read my blogs. You can find links to all of this here. I’d also love to hear your comments or questions on this blog. If you have any, leave them in the comments below. What do you think contributes to young men and women becoming involved with gangs? What can we as a community do to help steer young people away from this lifestyle?
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