Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp

- In this book,

I will take you, the reader,

With me into the secret

inner world of the pimp.

I will lay bare my life

and thoughts as a pimp.

The account of my brutality

and cunning as a pimp

Will fill many of you

with revulsion.

I regret

that it is impossible

To recount to you all

of my experiences as a pimp.

Perhaps my remorse

for my ghastly life

Will diminish to the degree

That within this one book

I have been allowed

to purge myself.

- If prostitution is known

as the oldest profession,

Then pimping

is the second oldest profession.

- Right now, it's been

taken out of context,

Because mainstream has adapted

and adopted that word

And adopted

the formula of pimping

And thinkin'

they know what it is.

But pimping is a player

Sending a b*tch to the corner

to get money.

There's a fascination

With any time you don't

have to work for money.

Whoever's doing

the least amount

For some cash,

that is fascinating.

It's, like, what-

what's he do?

She does the work,

he gets-

I gotta figure out how

to get into this, you know.

- You had to know

how to control

And how to operate a stable,

How to dazzle, befuddle,

Bewitch, entrance,

And hypnotize a woman.

And not only one woman,

but eight, nine,

And to keep them

in harmonious effort.

And if you think

that isn't a job, my friend,

You ask any married man.

Iceberg slim is the name

That is synonymous

with the pimp game.

He's a writer

who lived an incredible life

And wrote books

that I grew up on.

Every single time

I talked to him,

Because he was my god.

- Runs the ladies,

has the rap,

The clothes, the jewelry,

the drugs,

Has done time.

Street cred

by the truckload.

- Iceberg slim was a guy

who actually lived the life

That he was writing about.

- Pimpmight be

my favorite book of all time.

Yeah, I checked that out.

The p-I-m-p.

Pimp had a big impact

on the game,

To give basic instructions

of how to play the game.

If was just amazing,

the thought of that.

It was just fascinating.

- He would paint

beautiful pictures

Using ugly paint, you know.

You know, he was, like,

looking around

And just finding the beauty

and the appreciation

Of wherever you are,

Be it in the ghetto

or a high class neighborhood

And showing that

it's okay to stumble,

But it's not okay to fall,

you know.

Always get back up

and you keep going.

- His books told the truth

about the life.

There was no one more eloquent

than iceberg slim,

Or no one more poetic

or more accurate

In terms of describing

where he came from.

I was in a bar,

And there was a fella

arguing with another fella.

And this fella

drew a gun

And fired at the fella.

The bullet

went through my hat.

I was full of cocaine

at the time

And I didn't react,

So my friend said,

man, you were so cool.

He says, you were icy.

And they called me

iceberg slim.

thick thighs,

but she full of surprises

I swear

this b*tch is shady

it's what I know

sex on her mind

all the time

and you think

that that's your baby

you don't know

you a good guy

that's living a lie

but she dove

and played your safety

that's what I know

if you cool

and she's satisfied

how come that b*tch

just paged me?

you don't know

- When you're dealing

with pimps and hos,

They have to look the part.

So as a kid, you know,

Some preacher walks in,

it's, like, yeah, whatever.

Some pimp walks in,

and, you know,

You could hear a church mouse

piss on the carpet

It's so quiet.

- The first stages

of my own street poisoning

Happened when I was a boy.

My mother had a beauty shop

And she catered

to a colony

Of black hookers and pimps.

And these fellas

would be decked out

In all their finery

with all the diamonds

And all the rest of it,

and of course their women.

- A pimp

was held in regard,

Like an athlete

or entertainer.

He wasn't like an advocate

of peace or violence.

He was more of less

like a hero.

- A pimp is judged

by his flash.

You know what I mean?

His cadillac, his house,

his jewelry,

His clothes.

That's how you size up

a pimp economy.

- Well groomed,

smelled good.

You know, everything,

'cause you're trying

to outmatch this female.

You want that woman

to look at you

And say this is the finest man

I've ever seen.

- I mean,

immaculate dresser.

I mean, hair coiffed.

Brand new cadillac

every year.

When you're a kid, you know,

If somebody had a brand new

cadillac every year,

He was something.

- And that was the first time

that I was impressed.

Because you must remember,

Back in those days,

if you were black.

Your opportunities

were so narrow.

- A black person

born during that time,

What you were dealing with

was almost beyond words.

Those race riots in chicago

Started because a black kid

Swam into an area

that was whites only.

- Since the time when

she was six months pregnant,

My father had begun

to show his true colors.

After my birth,

he got worse

And had the stupid gall

to suggest to mama

That I be put on

a catholic church doorstep.

Mama naturally refused,

So he hurled me

against the wall in disgust.

I survived it

and he left us.

- He came from

a single parent home.

His mom, you know,

by hook or by crook,

She needed to put food

on the table, you know,

And to put food

on the table,

She had to be out and about

in the world to do so.

And it was just unfortunate,

you know,

That she, you know,

entrusted her baby boy

Into the hands

of the wrong person.

In the opening of pimp,

The way that he describes

his initial foray

Into the world of pimping

Is through

being sexually abused

By his babysitter maude.

- I remember more vividly

the moist odorous darkness

And the bristle-like hairs

tickling my face

And most vividly,

I can remember my panic

When in the wild moment

of her climax

She would savagely

jerk my head even tighter

Into the hairy maw.

Right off the bat,

He's subjected or dominated

By a forceful woman

who sexualizes him.

He's taught about the whole

nature of sexual dominance

And then later,

he has negative experiences

With his mother.

She hooks up with a man

named henry upshaw,

- A successful man,

loved her to death.

Loved her and loved her son.

It's the only man

in iceberg's life

That he talks about,

identifies with

And talks about in not only

a respectful way,

But someone who really

touched his heart and soul,

Because he really cared

about him

As a human being.

With henry upshaw,

things were idyllic

Until his mother

met a con man named steve.

- He was one

of mary's customers

In her beauty shop.

He was

a real slick hustler,

And he essentially

hustled her

And convinced her

to leave with him to chicago.

- His mother falls for the con

on henry upshaw

And fucks up everything.

Fucks up everything.

Fucks up all the stability.

Fucks up, like,

his, like, one shot.

Really.

It's the only shot he's got.

- What's so upsetting

to iceberg

Is not just

that his mom

Has ripped him away

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