PT. 1 OF ERICA'S LIFE AS WE KNOW IT: ERICA WAS BORN IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA ON JANUARY 8, 1987. SHE WAS THE SECOND OF TWO CHILDREN HER MOM HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO. ERICA SPENT HER NEW BORN YEARS LIVING IN LYNWOOD, CALIFORNIA, ALSO HOME TO WEIRD AL YANKOVICH. TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF LYNWOOD'S LOCATION, IT IS ADJACENT TO COMPTON, CALIFORNIA. AFTER A FEW SHORT YEARS, ERICA AND HER FAMILY PACKED UP AND MOVED TO CALIFORNIA CITY, CALIFORNIA. POPULATION 50. THIS SMALL TOWN IS LOCATED IN THE MOJAVE DESERT RIGHT NEXT TO RED ROCK CANYON. IT WAS THERE ERICA AND HER FAMILY EXPERIENCED A GREAT DEAL OF RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION. THIS DID NOT SLOW DOWN ERICA'S FAMILY, HOWEVER; IT ONLY MADE THEM STRONGER. ERICA'S PARENTS WENT ON TO OPEN UP A CLASSIC 50'S RESTAURANT WHICH BROUGHT TOGETHER THE HICKS, THE BLACKS, AND THE FIRST 2 HISPANICS TO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA CITY. ERICA'S FAMILY GREW TIRED OF THE SMALL RACIST TOWN AND DECIDED TO MOVE BACK TO THE INNER CITY, SPECIFICALLY COMPTON, CALIFORNIA. IT WAS THERE THAT ERICA ENROLLED IN RALPH J. BUNCH ELEMENTARY. BUNCH WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO WIN THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE, NOT MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. THIS IS WHERE ERICA GOT HER FIRST TASTE OF BLACK CULTURE. ERICA AUDITIONED TO BE IN A DRILL TEAM CALLED THE STREET BEAT HIGHSTEPPERS. SINGER BRANDY WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THIS DRILL TEAM BUT HAD LEFT A YEAR EARLIER TO PURSUE HER SINGING CAREER. THAT SUMMER BRANDY'S SMASH HIT "I WANNA BE DOWN" WAS BLOWIN UP THE CHARTS. THINGS WERE NOT SO GOOD FOR ERICA THOUGH. THE AUDITION DID NOT GO WELL AT ALL. ERICA HAD NOT AN OUNCE OF RHYTHM IN HER. IT HAD SEEMED AS IF THOUGH LIVING IN CALIFORNIA CITY HAD TOOK AWAY ALL THAT WAS BLACK IN ERICA EXCEPT FOR HER SKIN. BUT LUCKY FOR ERICA, HER DAD WAS STILL VERY GHETTO. HE TOOK ERICA HOME THAT NIGHT AFTER THE AUDITIONS AND TAUGHT HER HOW TO SHAKE HER BUTT AND SWITCH. THIS WAS A REVOLUTIONARY MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME, ERICA UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT MEANT TO DANCE ON BEAT AGAIN. AFTER THAT NIGHT, ERICA BECAME A DANCIN MACHINE. ERICA WAS ONE OF STREET BEAT HIGHSTEPPER'S MOST ELITE. THEY PERFORMED IN LOCAL PARADES AND COMPETED IN LOCAL COMPETITIONS. MEANWHILE, THINGS WERE NOT GOIN SO WELL AT HOME. MORE SO, THINGS WERE NOT GOIN WELL IN THE LOCATION WHERE ERICA AND HER FAMILY STAYED. IT WAS THE 1990'S AND THE CRIME RATE IN COMPTON WAS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. IT BECAME 2ND NATURE TO ERICA AND HER FAMILY TO ALWAYS HEAR POLICE SIRENS OUTSIDE THEIR DOOR AND THE HELICOPTER (GHETTO BIRD) ABOVE THEIR ROOF. ON ONE TYPICAL COMPTON NIGHT, ERICA AND HER FAMILY WERE SOUND ASLEEP. THE POLICE SIRENS WERE BLAZIN AND THE HELICOPTER WAS SOARING OVER THE CITY. ERICA AND HER FAMILY WERE SUDDENLY AWOKEN WHEN AN ESCAPED CRIMINAL HAD BUSTED THROUGH THEIR FRONT DOOR, RUNNING STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HOUSE. NOT A SECOND LATER DID POLICE COME RUNNING THROUGH, CHASING AFTER THE CONVICT. IT WAS THIS MOMENT THAT ERICA'S PARENTS DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO MOVE AGAIN, TO A MUCH SAFER CITY; INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA. ERICA WAS 7 AT THE TIME. MOVING ALSO MEANT CHANGING SCHOOLS. SINCE NEITHER ERICA OR HER OLDER BROTHER ERIC LIKED ANY OF THE SCHOOLS IN INGLEWOOD, PARTLY DUE TO THE HEAVY POPULATION OF HISPANICS AND NO BLACKS, THEIR MOM DECIDED TO ENROLL THEM IN SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF THEIR DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED. ERICA ATTENDED 54TH STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH WAS ALSO HOME TO FAMOUS GANGSTER "MONSTER KODY," A NOTORIOUS CRIP IN THE LATE 80'S AND 90'S. "MONSTER KODY'S" FIRST KILLING WAS IN A LOCAL STORE CALLED BUDDHA MARKET, ALSO THE FIRST PLACE ERICA EVER WALKED TO BY HERSELF AND BOUGHT A BAG OF HOT CHEETOS. ERICA'S BROTHER ERIC WENT TO PERRY JR. HIGH WHERE HE WAS ROBBED FOR A PAIR JORDANS. TIL THIS DAY, ERIC HAS NEVER OWNED ANOTHER PAIR OF JORDANS. ERICA'S BROTHER HAD BECAME A CRIP BY NATURE. THOUGH NEVER ACTUALLY AFFILIATED WITH ANY CRIP GANG, ERIC JUST WORE THE COLOR BLUE ALL THE TIME FROM GROWING UP IN A PART OF COMPTON THAT WAS HEAVILY FLOODED WITH CRIPS. SO WHILE LIVING IN INGLEWOOD, AN EXTREMELY WELL KNOWN BLOOD CITY, ERIC ADAPTED AND WORE NEUTRAL COLORS. AT THIS TIME, FAMOUS BASKETBALL PLAYER MICHAEL JORDAN WAS AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS CAREER, PLAYING FOR THE CHICAGO BULLS. ERIC WAS A BIG FAN AND SHOWED HIS ADMIRATION BY WEARING A BRIGHT RED 23 JERSEY. WHILE WEARING THIS JERSEY ONE DAY, ERIC WAS WALKING ERICA TO THE LIQUOR STORE UP THE STREET FROM THEIR HOUSE TO BUY SOME HONEY BUNS. THE TWO WERE APPROACHED BY A TALL DARK MALE SPORTING CORN ROLLS, A FLAMING RED TEE, SOME KHAKI DICKIES, AND SOME RED CHUCK TAYLOR'S WITH RED FAT SHOE LACES. THE OBVIOUS GANG BANGER ASK ERIC, "AY, YOU WANNA BE A PART OF THE INGLEWOOD FAMILY, BLOOD?" ERIC RESPONDED WITH A SIMPLE, "NO" AND KEPT IT MOVING. MONTHS PASSED AND IT WAS NOW ERICA'S 8TH BIRTHDAY. ERICA GOT A BRAND NEW SHINY PINK BIKE. NOT A WEEK HAD EVEN PASSED BEFORE THE BIKE WAS STOLEN OUT OF ERICA HOUSE ALONG WITH THE DOUBLE CASSETTE TAPE OF 2PAC'S ALL EYES ON ME, WHICH ERICA HAD LISTENED TO FAITHFULLY. EVERY DAY AFTER ERICA'S FATHER GOT OFF OF WORK, THEY WOULD DRIVE AROUND, LOOKING FOR THE PRETTY PINK BIKE. IT PAINED ERICA'S DAD MORESO THAN HER THAT SOMEONE HAD THE AUDACITY TO COME INTO THEIR HOME. NONETHELESS, IT WAS TIME TO MOVE AGAIN. THIS TIME TO LOS ANGELES. ERICA WAS IN HER FINAL YEAR AT 54TH ST WHILE ERIC BEGAN HIGH SCHOOL AT WESTCHESTER.
