top of page

Streets Raised Me: Now I’m Immune To It

Writer's picture: T.M JeffersonT.M Jefferson

Updated: Jan 18

There’s a certain type of education you get growing up in the projects—one no school could ever teach. It’s not about books or classrooms; it’s about survival, loyalty, and learning to move through a world that’s equal parts unapologetic and magnetic. Mobb Deep’s Streets Raised Me was a mantra. For those of us who grew up in places like the Robert Hartley Houses, it hit home because it was home.


The Hill That’s Real


Life on The Hill was a paradox. On one hand, it was a tight-knit community where you could count on the OGs to pull you aside when you were wilding out, where you knew the elders on your block had an eye on you. On the other hand, the streets showed no mercy. The crack epidemic came through like a storm, and with it came destruction that reshaped our lives overnight. The same corners where we played tag as kids became war zones for hustlers.


Building #80 Hartley Projects / Photo by Deane Archer
Building #80 Hartley Projects / Photo by Deane Archer
“The streets demanded quick thinking and even quicker decisions—most of which came with consequences…”

By the time I was old enough to understand the stakes, I had already lost friends to addiction, violence, and the prison system. The streets demanded quick thinking and even quicker decisions—most of which came with consequences. But there was beauty in the struggle, too. The streets raised me, but they didn’t break me. They taught me how to adapt, how to dream bigger than my circumstances, and how to protect what mattered most—my family and my vision.


Surviving The Times


But survival came at a cost. It took years for me to unlearn the tactics that made me numb to pain and to rebuild a sense of hope in a world that seemed stacked against us. Every dice game, every late-night conversation in the laundry room, and every dope fiend I avoided in those dark project stairwells shaped me. They became a part of my story—one I had to live through to truly understand myself.



Streets Ain’t Got No Love


The streets don’t apologize for what they take, but they also have a way of giving back in the lessons. Streets Raised Me is a chapter in my memoir, but it’s also a truth shared by so many. The streets may have built our armor, but they don’t define our future. They prepared me to see that while the world can be a difficult place, we have the power to rewrite our stories.


Join The Movement


Dive deeper into these chapters and read the full story in my memoir, Change The Game, available at www.tmjefferson.org


For those ready to tell their own stories, my CTG Writing Mastery Course provides the tools and guidance to transform your experiences into a powerful narrative. Together, let’s change the game

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page