The Real Cost of Fast Money – What the Streets Won’t Tell You

Let me keep it all the way with you…Fast money? It looks good until that knock hits your door at 6am… until you're cuffed in the back of a squad car… until you’re sittin' in a courtroom watching your so-called “day ones” fold under pressure. I’ve been there. I lived that life. And I’m telling you straight, that fast life comes with a slow death. They Show You the Flash, Not the Fallout Back in the day, I was into skateboarding, Bmxing, drawing and designing clothes. To be honest, if I would have stuck with anyone of those I would have never gone to jail or prison. One thing you realize once you get locked up around people who embrace a life of crime is that they never really had any passions or hobbies. Doing dirt in the streets you never know where you will get the other side of karma. You can’t expect to do dirt in an already dirty game and not get your hands dirty. 

Me and Big Ant, my business partner, talk about this all the time. The game’s designed to use you and throw you away. Ain’t no exit plan in the streets unless you create one yourself. Without financial literacy, knowing what to do with your money as you make it, you’ll be stuck like cement. Not advancing anywhere fast economically. Some guys had good mentors from the street and were able to flip their money into real estate and businesses, but for the majority of hustlers out there they just tricked off their profit. You might think you're playing smart, but trust me... the game plays you.

When You're Locked Up, None of It Matters. I did 9 years in the feds. Sitting in that cell, I had time to think about every wrong turn, every dumb decision. And not one of those “fast money” moments was worth the birthdays I missed, the people I hurt, or the time I can’t get back. Behind them walls, nobody cares how much you made or who you ran with. You’re just another number. Another dude waiting on chow, wishing you could hit reset. Today, talking about street cred and hustling is laughable. There are so many other hustles you can do that are legit without the headaches it doesn’t make sense to jeopardize your freedom. The block or the hood as referred to by some is burned out. Real hustlers evolve. They find a way out. You wanna win? Build something that can’t be taken. Something with your name on it, not a case file. If I had it to do all over again I would focus on either coding in big tech or a trade such as HVAC or auto mechanics. You can be your own boss and work on your own schedule.

When I got out, I flipped the hustle. I took that same drive and put it into something that lasts. That’s how Fresh Out was born. Me and Big Ant built this platform to give people the real, not that watered-down, TV-show prison story BS. We wanted to spit real game that helps you stay out, build up, and break the cycle. While I was in prison I studied the law, wrote books and flipped that into mentoring when I touched down and self published my story. I’m conscious of who I socialize with and am always trying to pick up new game to expand my horizons. It’s ok to be a student and listen. You Don’t Gotta Learn the Hard Way and I’m not trying to tell you what to do with your life. That is strictly your choice. I just hate when I see young men through their life away over something so stupid and short term. A lot of the situations you encounter if you just thought about them before you made your decision and played out the different scenarios you have a much better outcome.

So if you’re in the mix right now, ask yourself: Where’s this headed?

What are you really building?

What will your son or daughter think when they hear your story?

Let’s Build Something That Lasts. If you're ready to step into something bigger, we're here. Fresh Out ain't just content—it’s real life, real lessons, real support.

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We’re not here to play—we’re here to break cycles and build legacies.

Stay focused.

Stay free.

Stay sucker-free.

—Big Herc916 & Big Ant