“Those say sticks and stones will break your bones but the nine-millimeter, it will bore your dome.” Such are the opening lyrics to “Tried By 12”, a song that documents the harsh reality and choices that at-risk youth and young gang affiliated men continue to make. It also took the underground Hip Hop scene by storm in 1996.
East Flatbush Project is actually the moniker of Spencer Bellamy, a Brooklyn native and former DJ for Howie Tee. The project was created to feature local Brooklyn rappers, and “Tried By 12” was the first single to take off. It features rapper DeS and a prominent sample of a guzheng, from Odetta’s “Sakura” which was actually an adaptation of the traditional cradle song “Edo Lullaby.” “Tried By 12” is a notable track for fans of the genre, and not just for its hypnotic loops, but also its chilling chorus of “I’d rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6”, a sentiment and reality still troubling our city streets to this day.
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