April 25, 2003, about 3 a.m.
Freekey Zeekey
was dazed, bloody, but alive. He had just been shot in the chest and abdomen
and run over by his assailants’ vehicle in the Chelsea area of Manhattan.
He looked down
and his friend Eric “E” Mangrum was lying on the ground with what
appeared to be a crimson faucet of blood coming from his torso. Shot in the
chest and shoulder, his friend was pleading for his life – sadly, he didn’t
make it.
Unlike his Dipset
comrade, Zeke was almost a murder victim. "The dude tried to grab my chain,"
Freaky said. "[Guns] came out. He was like ‘Give me your mother f**kin’
chain.’ I was like, ‘No’ and grabbed his wrist and you heard the shots let out."
Even after being
blasted he managed to wrestle another gun from another attacker.
Typically, with
survival comes wisdom and Freekey – no stranger to drama and madness –
now speaks of his latest trial and subsequent refocus.
AllHipHop: What’s
been going on with you lately?
Freekey Zeekey:
I been through a real recovery. Whoever see me right now they just see me smiling,
running, laughing, joking running around like aint nothing happen. Bust honestly
something serious id happen. It’s on that wall right there but I’m all right.
It’s like God blessed me. They found like over 40 shells on that floor, so that
goes to show you right there what they was trying to do.
AllHipHop: I heard
you on the radio wilding just a few days after you got shot..
Freekey Zeekey:
After I got out. I was amped up. You gotta understand these n*ggas tried to
murder me! After they tried to murder me. It was a situation where I just had
did a show at Jimmy’s [Uptown Cafe in the Bronx] and we all gathered up like
116th to go to the studio to work. The studio was closed so everybody went their
separate ways. I was riding around with 3 of my friends just looking to got
to a club or just to relax or go to party. I was like you know what I’ma go
and see Jim and before I could even park somebody hit the car. The only thing
on my mind is how much of a dent is in my car. So we got out to converse and
talk and when I looked it was like a $300 Poppi Poppi Hunts point job. I’m like
I’m good. So these kids, they running around saying please don’t make it a police
issue. I was young before so I know they probably had they uncle car and they
probably got a learners permit so I’m like whatever, aiight. I was like I’m
going to the club. They asked to go around the corner, which is 22nd Street
and Sixth Avenue. This aint like 138th between 7th and 8th, so I’m like aiight,
so we get around there. I was gonna ask them for a little bit of money. The
only thing on my mind was I was gonna ask them for $300 and they was gonna give
me a $100. Next thing I know, a gun is in my face now and the dude got his hand
wrapped around my chain saying give me the motherf*cking chain. So I’m awe like,
I’m shocked while all of this is going on. I’m like "aww man." I don’t
know what made me say no but I said nope and I just went with my instincts,
which was to grab him and stuff and from there it was all prayers.
AllHipHop: When
did you realize you were hit?
Freekey Zeekey:
I put the dude in a fold nelson I’m backing up in the street. The dude got as
close as to where you at to where I’m at and honestly, the guy that I had in
a fold nelson, he told his dude to hit me. So I saw him raise the gun and hit
me. After that it was a matter of hoping that I didn’t die, because when he
hit me I was under so much adrenaline, I just pulled him back down and we just
kept wrestling and fighting. He hit me in the mouth and all that and they ran
me over. They ran me over and dragged me and ran me into the building. I don’t
know how to explain it because like that could of happened to anybody, not just
because of who I am. They didn’t know who I was, I was inside the car. It was
a blessing that I made it out alive. Unfortunately my friend Eric didn’t. He
was a good friend of mine who I was actually giving a position to that night.
It was his daughters birthday.
AllHipHop: This
aint the first time you been shot before right?
Freekey Zeekey:
I got shot in a church before. This was a case of basically sticking up for
somebody else. I’m coming from a Catholic school party, going to a Catholic
church. What happened is somebody punched my man in the face so I was yelling.
I was 17 at the time. I’m in the back waiting for the fight to go on cuz I know
my man is about to crack this n*gga jaw. I’m like "yea n*gga." He
just grabs his face and he’s like "why you hit me so hard? So I’m looking
like being some type of Samaritan. I just got in between both of them and said
"listen it aint no beef, obviously my man don’t want beef." So the
dude punches me in the face, so now I’m getting ready to fight, but his brother
pulls his shirt up with his hand out and I caught vision of the guys gun. So
I went to reach for the gun and my man, who just got punched in the face, got
so scared of the gun he grabbed me by my shirt. Before I could get the gun,
now I’m down in the back. I ran in the church and he just shot me up. That time
when I got shot, it messed up my kidneys, my liver, my large intestines, my
small intestines and my pancreas. I died on the table for 10 seconds. That was
before my son was born. It’s just the trials and tribulations of the hood. I
didn’t never ask for it, so its just growing up in the hood actually. Its not
becoming a product of my environment, just going through the struggles and the
survivals of it.
AllHipHop: Didn’t
the cops try to pin the gun on you?
Freekey Zeekey:
Yeah they damn sure did, because when I woke up the next day I seen my face.
I’m drugged up. When I went into the emergency room, I seen my man [E] and I
seen it was a rap for him. He had bullet holes coming out of his neck, chest,
stomach. He got hit six times with a . 40 caliber. As soon as I got shot, Jim
heard about it because Jim was actually in cheetahs. He came and wrestled down
four cops trying to help me. He ended up scraping his arm. Like 8 cops trampled
over him trying to drag him down because he seen I was hurt. When I got in there,
shot the head, shot to the chest, shot to the stomach. Legs might be messed
up because vehicle ran over them. I’m like "ho sh*t," I’m conscious
this whole time I’m sitting there. They found out the dude hit me over the head
with the gun and it split my head and it was bleeding, just pouring, so they
thought it was a gunshot to the head. After that basically I’m talking to the
doctors and everybody. I’m like am I gonna die? what’s going on? Everybody just
got quiet. I’m like lie to me let me know what the f*ck is going down. Next
thing I know I got sedated and I went under and I went under without knowing
if I was coming back, then I did. Then I woke up and I seen me wheeled to the
room. I’m like "yeahh!" So I’m all good. I fall asleep and wake up
and I see my face on the front cover, so I’m like ohh sh*t. So I went to get
on the phone to call everybody. I’m in handcuffs. I’m like what the f*ck is
going on? So I’m calling everybody and the police come over and they was like
"listen sir you’ve been charged with illegal possession of a deadly weapon,
you might be the person who shot Eric Mangrum. I’m like "what are you talking
about? Yall n*ggas is buggin." I said matter of fact, "You seen me
with the gun." I’m like "that’s good then you gonna see how I got
the stupid gun you dumb motherf*ckers." I got mad at these motherf*ckers.
I’m sedated, I’m on everything. Then an old ass traffic ticket charge came up
with a warrant in NC like 2 years ago. Plus Im’a be real, I had a couple of
ecstasy pills on me, like about 4 or 5 of them. I do not use ecstasy, I just
wanna make that clear. So anyway because of who I am, they made this a big issue
now. I got the handcuffs on me, my wound are still fresh open. I got shot Thursday
morning. I was outside of their hospital going to jail Monday. I got shot to
the chest and my stomach! I ran off I’m like "what are yall doing? If yall
got this camera picture of me with the gun yall should see how." They was
like "don’t worry were gonna send you to the finest Rikers facility."
They asking me who did what and I don’t know what theses people looked like.
Now I’m in full population in the tombs I don’t who’s who or who like me or
don’t like me. It was mad love in there, not to say that’s good in being in
there, but people was like everything is cool, you gonna be aiight. I was in
there for about a month and then NC came and got me so I went down there, paying
off tickets and now I’m here back to business. You see the office you see I’m
working. Its back to being a Dipset President.
