Money Talks, But It Doesn't Always Have The Last Say

by Zach Ready (New Zealand)

A leap into the unknown USA

May 24, 2011, it was announced that Lauryn Hill, Nas and Erykah Badu would headline the world-famous Hip-Hop Festival, 'Rock The Bells' on Governor's Island, in New York City. Each artist would be performing their renown "classic" albums, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill', 'Illmatic', and 'Baduizm' in their entirety as part of the monumental event. Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, Mos Def & Talib Kweli aka Blackstar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Souls Of Mischief, Cypress Hill, Slaughterhouse, Immortal Technique, Mobb Deep, and almost every member of the Wu-Tang Clan would also be performing, among others. To me, this line-up was the stuff dreams are made of. I was working as a glorified labourer at the time making less than the living wage, helping out with local events. Having shouted a friend overseas to Australia earlier in the year, after deliberately losing a bet in order to encourage them to quit smoking, I was damn near strapped for cash. I had already put almost all of my savings towards a 6-week long road trip around New Zealand later in the year as part of the rugby world cup tournament. I'd somehow managed to obtain tickets to 11 games, including the quarter, semi and grand final the All Blacks would go on to play in and win. This was precisely why buying a VIP ticket to a festival in the US, before considering how I would even get to New York for the first time in my life, let alone accommodation and everything else, probably wasn't the brightest idea. Or was it? I remember taking risks successfully betting what was large sums of money for me at the time on sports games and subletting my room in a shared house, among other things, in order to book return flights and make things work. As it turned out I was able to sleep on the floor at a relative's place that had recently moved to New York after receiving a green card, for all but one of the nights I was in the big apple. While there, I did a helicopter tour around the city, flying past Central Park, where on only my second day there I'd stumbled upon a concert celebrating the 25th-anniversary of Rakim & Eric B's iconic 'Paid In Full' album, with support from EPMD & Funkmaster Flex. I also flew over Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, where I'd later watch the home team defeat the Toronto Blue Jays. I witnessed Kendrick Lamar perform at the notorious SOB's aka Sounds of Brazil before the release of his major-label debut 'good kid, m.A.A.d city'. I day tripped out to New Jersey on a Sopranos tour, visiting the infamous Bada Bing strip club. Still one of my favourite television series to this day. I went to the top of the Rockefeller Center by day, and the Empire State Building by night. I visited legendary mural space 5 Pointz before it was demolished. Marcy Houses where JAY Z had grown up, 226 St. James Place where Bigge Smalls had once lived with his Mum, and 1520 Sedgwick Ave, the so-called birthplace of Hip-Hop, all as part of celebrity guided tours with the impressive Hush Hip-Hop tours company. I ate cheesecake at Junior's, sandwiches at Katz's Delicatessen, a burger, shake and fries combo from Shake Shack, sliders from White Castle, tacos from Taco Bell, fried chicken from Popeye's, and the novelty and gluttony continued. I recall being at Le Bain with some friends one night, a penthouse discothèque and rooftop bar on the top floor of the Standard Hotel. We were spinning yarns over drinks not far from the plunge pool when the old cliches "money makes the world go round" and "money talks' came up in conversation. To the latter, I confidently quipped, "yeah money talks, but it doesn't always have the last say". Touche, everyone could only agree, even if they didn't. I spoke from the place of someone who had leapt into the unknown, travelling with faith, hope and love that everything would be okay. I felt I had been blessed with the type of life experiences money could not buy, prosperity beyond riches. Traveller's jewels. I tell this story in the hope of inspiring more.