Don’t you remember being a kid and realizing that your older cousin was the meanest person to ever slither across the earth?

From tricking you into raising your middle finger

to your grandma to locking you in closets for an hour, they were your first taste of what it meant to be cruel AF.

You finally got a little dough that your great uncle sent you for your birthday, so you walk to the corner store to grab some chips and a pop. On

your way, the guy on the corner is selling not just any CD, but the hottest, newly released Nas CD for the low-low.

And of course, you absolutely need it.

Silly you are in for a surprise when you get back to the crib to a CD that won’t play on not one electronic device in the entire house. #FirstTimeGettingDuped

Puberty and teen years were a b*tch with you and your parents always going at it. Those were like the worst a** whoopins because your Ma always hit you with

the, “Oh, so you think you’re grown now?” Then she proceeded to show you that indeed you were not.

Your very first kiss had you sick to the stomach but excited to be feeling all those weird, mushy feelings for your crush.

As inexperienced as you both were, the

sloppy lock of lips wasn’t as smooth as you originally thought after much recollection.

The first time you heard either Hova or Pimp C, you didn’t know exactly what was happening to you as you nodded your head to the bass-heavy beats, but you

knew that whatever it was, you were down and forever sucked in.

Your parents weren’t feeling it, but that just made you even more drawn to the rap CD aisle

at your local store. #ParentsJustDontUnderstand

Going to your cousin’s crib was the worst when they had roaches galore crawling in and out of cracks. The crazy part was seeing your cuz brush them away like

they weren’t nothing. SMH.

And then your ma had the nerve to make you spend the night. #BackInTheDay

Most kids’ first jobs were horrible and some kids enjoyed them. I know you remember coming home from your first gig at that Ma & Pop restaurant smelling like grease

and the former employee whose uniform they passed down to you.

Remember how you weren’t impressed with how much work you had to put in for just a dollar? Oh,

to be young again!

Kids dreamed about sneakers so you know getting your first pair of Jordan’s was a big deal and going to school the next day meant you had to stunt.

It

also meant that you were at home with a toothbrush and cup of water that night cleaning off any and all scuffs. Yes, it was that deep.

Talk about awareness.  Either if you’re from the hood or had fam in the hood, part of realizing that there was a distinction was a part of growing up and

getting hip to a lot of BS.

Whether you were getting dropped off at the movies or the skating rink, this was the time that dreams were made of! You felt an incredible amount of freedom when

you were able to just kick it with your day-1’s without your ma breathing down your neck.