Shaykh Uthman

Yeah.

When I went to elementary school, it was basically you were either black, white, or Mexican.

I was too dark to be white and too light to be black, so I went Mexican.

I never tried to join gangs, especially for a lot of the young people that are watching.

It's not a good life.

It's not something you should look forward to.

It's not like the videos.

It's not like the rappers make it out to be.

I never thought like that.

My mom was a very hardworking woman.

She was working two jobs.

She had two degrees from Pakistan, and she had a master's in psychology and a master's in law, but they weren't recognized in the US.

So she couldn't work to the degree that she was educated to.

So just to survive as a single mother, she was out there working in factories, making t-shirts, working as a security guard as a little Pakistani woman.

She was working so hard, amazing woman, very strong woman.

So I never thought I want to join gangs or anything like that.

I don't want to be cool.

I wasn't trying to make money.

I wasn't trying to flex.

I wasn't trying to get girls.