Have you heard?
Singer, and now rapper, Queen Bee, has just released her second studio album, Beware.
The album takes Queen Bee in a different direction from her debut - this time recording a 9-track long hip hop album, again under Residual Records.
Where is the album available?
Initially, Beware was set to release on:
Modern Spartans, inc., Brain Dead Records parent company,
commenting on copyright issues with Queen Bee's "Beware".
SoundCloud also houses Beware, but only the first 5 tracks are available over there, for now.
Because of the complications that arose, Residual Records announced that BandCamp will be the only location that will house the Deluxe Edition of Beware. The Deluxe Edition contains 2 bonus tracks by fan favourites Tri$ha and FranTiK that are only available once the album has been downloaded, and are not available for streaming.
For our review, we will be focusing solely on the Standard Edition, but we will have a section at the end dedicated to the bonus tracks found on the Deluxe Edition. How much does the album cost?
This is Residual Records' first paid release.
Although The Struggle EP and Life Hurts were meant to be paid albums, they were both released for free, exclusive to YouTube over fears that they would not be successful commercially. However, Beware was always intended to be a paid album, and Residual Records followed through on that this time, confident that the album would be a success. Because of this, Beware is priced at a very reasonable £4.99 (British Pound Sterling), and is available globally. Should you only want to purchase a single song from the album, individual songs are priced at £0.99 (British Pound Sterling). If this is out of your price range, the entire album is free for streaming on BandCamp, and will be coming to other locations shortly. Payment is only required to download the album. At the end of our review, we will discuss if we think the album is worth buying or not. Disclaimer
This review is sponsored by Residual Records and Queen Bee, but sponsorships have no impact over our reviews. This review, like all reviews, is completely impartial and contains our honest opinions.
First Impressions
The layout of the album is far better than it use to be.
Residual Records is the first NWC record label to distribute music in this way. Previously, all other record labels have sold music through YouTube videos that require purchase to be viewed. We think Residual Records have just changed the game. Though it seems like the obvious thing to do, it's just never been done before Beware, and we have a feeling it will be done by all NWC record labels in the future - especially for all of Residual Records' future releases. The page setup is very minimalistic and simple, and the album credits are clearly displayed below the play/buy section. Additionally, every track has an 'info' button next to it, allowing the listener to read the credits for that song individually. One song, Ashamed (Pre-Release Version), by The Beast, also contains the track's lyrics, allowing the user to sing along with The Beast. Track 1 The first track, titled Beware, throws the listener right into the album, and serves to set the tone of the first half. The theme of the song is very dark. Almost horrorcore-esq, but not really. The beat is very dark and creepy sounding, and the lyrics could be best described as telling the listener to 'watch their back', because this world is full of "snakes" and "fakes". One of the very first things that stand out, though, are the vocals. Forget what you remember about the sweet-sounding Queen Bee, because this is the new Queen Bee, and her vocals are harsh and to the point! Even though there is still a softness to them, the vocally damaged Queen Bee is gone, and a new one prevails! It will be interesting to see what Queen Bee has to say about her vocal performance and recovery during our Beware Interview (releasing soon). Track 2 The second track is titled Exclusive, and contains a lot of references to Queen Bee's youth, as well as 'bigging herself up'. The beat is very nice. It's more fun and upbeat than Beware was, and the hook is comprised from samples of old hip hop records - a real throwback to the origins of the culture they're representing with this album. What we can't get over, however, is the censorship in the song. We're not entirely sure why, but many of the words and phrases are distorted and censored, seemingly deliberately. It's a shame, because this could easily have been the best song on the album if it weren't for the constant and extreme censorship. It sounds weird, and it isn't even done very well, in our opinion. This is defiantly going to be one of the first questions we ask Queen Bee in our interview. Track 3 The next track is called No Hook. We don't really know why the song is called that, because it does, in fact, contain a hook, even if the hook is just; "No hook just bars, no hook just bars / No hook / No hook just bars, no hook just bars / No hook". Regardless, it's a very nice song with a chill beat. A break from the intense first and second track. Track 4 The fourth track is a little different from the rest. The beat is more modern than the beats on the rest of the album, and the flow and lyrics aren't up to the same level of the other tracks, in our opinion. The song has a single word censored, but it's still clear to make out what it means. We were curious over why the sound is so different, so we looked at the track credits and compared it to the other songs. Despite being titled Que Beast (seemingly a cross between The Beast and Queen Bee), this was the only track that was not written by The Beast, with The Beast being credited as the main writer for every other track. The overall crew involved was smaller, too, with only one Assistant Producer credited. Despite all of this, it was still a very good track, and some of our team thought it was one of the better songs on the track. Track 5 The fifth track is different from all the others, and marks an essential shift in the tone of the album. This song, titled Ashamed (Pre-Release Version), felt almost unfinished. The production value is very high, but it's almost as if it were rushed. Nevertheless, the track is very solid. What is different about this song, though, is that it only contains The Beast, and nobody else is even credited with the making of the song, other than Rujay, who received an engineering credit. The lyrics are somewhat juxtaposed with the beat and vocals. The vocals and beat give off a really sad and depressing feeling, but the lyrics are rather comical, telling the story of a person that poops their pants in school, describing that person's experiences.
It is here that an essential shift in the album is made.
Beware is very much split up into two sides, we feel. The first side (tracks 1-4) is a hardcore hip hop album, and the second side (tracks 6-9) are more soulful, and, with the exception of track 8, would probably be classified as R&B, rather than rap. Overall, this was a good song. The beats of Que Beast and Ashamed (Pre-Release Version) fade into each other seamlessly, but the track still feels a little out of place in the album, especially considering it doesn't even feature Queen Bee herself. in fact, the track isn't even accredited to Queen Bee, it's credited to The Beast. It's almost as if The Beast is just trying to force himself into every nook and cranny of Residual Records. We guess he has the right to do so. He is, after all, the CEO of Black Dog Records, Brain Dead Records and Modern Spartans, inc., but even so... it just seems weird. Track 6 At 02:03, the sixth song is by far the shortest on the album. This is actually quite upsetting, because it's an amazing song, and the hook is extremely catchy. Track 7 Papier-Mâché Heart... what can we say about this song? It's good? It's great? We don't know. Regardless, it's a very song, and the decision to place it right after I'm Q was an amazing decision! Well done on this record! Track 8 The next song is called Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, and it takes a break from the soulful R&B side of the album, and, honestly, we have to say this was a fantastic call! The song really serves to balance out the pacing, and ensure that listeners that aren't a fan of the slower style don't give up on the album right before the end. The beat is very hard, as are the lyrics are vocals. It's very similar to Exclusive, just without all of the pointless censorship. The lyrics almost carry on from Beware, but are more aggressive towards people that are trying to enter the culture without the proper respect for it. We would have to say this is one of the best songs on the entire album, if not the absolute best. Track 9 The final track is called Sidekick, and it details Queen Bee's relationship with one of her ex-partners. Hopefully we'll be able to find out some dirt about their relationship in our interview. Anyway, the song is very well made, and it sound incredible. It feels final. You can tell the album is concluding, but it leaves you wanting more. At this point, we don't think bonus tracks are necessary. The ending feels good as it is. Positives
The lyrics are impeccable. I know we bashed on The Beast pretty hard for Ashamed (Pre-Release Version), but nobody can doubt that he is an impeccable lyricist and Executive Producer. If one were to argue that The Beast was up there lyrically with hip hop's greats, I don't think we would be able to argue with you. It's also nice to see that he can write songs that aren't raps.
The pacing of the album is very good. You feel hyped when Queen Bee wants you to, and you feel chilled out when she wants you to. It's also amazing how The Beast and Queen Bee are able to make the listener feel emotional about things we have no knowledge of. Sidekick is a great example of this. I don't even know who Queen Bee's ex is, only that he or she "left [her] for the side chick" - but that doesn't stop me from almost balling my eyes out. Negatives
The location of the album is a bit awkward.
Most people would have found iTunes or Spotify more practical, but we can't really fault Residual Records for this. It would have just been nice if they could have sorted these issues out before releasing the album. If you listen on a PC or Mac, it's fine, though. It's only mobile listeners that may find it awkward. I know we've said it before, but Ashamed (Pre-Release Version) feels so out of place. It genuinely is a very good track, we're not just not completely sure it fits in well with the rest of the album. Bonus Tracks
We have listened to and analysed both bonus tracks, and honestly, they are very solid.
FranTiK's song comes first, right at the end of the main album, and the transition into it is nice. The song is nothing special, but it's very good. It's probably the best thing we've ever seen from FranTiK before, which says a lot, doesn't it? However, Tri$ha's song is the real star of the show. We know it's what you're all wondering about, really, and it's okay to wonder about it. We sure were, and it completely blew us away. We think it's worth paying £4.99 just for this song, never mind the rest of the album. So is it worth paying to download the album? That's subjective, and we can't make that decision for you. This is just our review, and this is only our opinion, and whether or not you think it's worth downloading completely depends on your individual situation and whether or not you like the songs, and if you have been following Tri$ha's career and recovery as closely as some people have. But if you like it, it's only £4.99 ($6.57), so we would 100% recommend downloading it. Album Information
Total Run Time: 54:45 (60:37)
Number Of Tracks: 9 (11) Release Date: 07/01/2018 Artists: Queen Bee , The Beast , Tri$ha , FranTiK Conclusion
Interest/Retention --> 5/5
Sound Quality --> 5/5 Production --> 5/5 Sound --> 5/5 Lyrics --> 5/5 We give "Life Hurts" by Queen Bee a 10/10!! You can't deny that Residual Records have done an amazing job here. Seriously, we're going to go back and revise all our previous reviews soon, because they have been vastly overestimated. This one... this is a perfect 10. What we found amazing was just how long it is. It really doesn't feel like an hour long album, but is clearly is. Time really flies when you listen to Queen Bee, I guess. Sponsors
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What Is The Mafia
Within the New World Community, the 'Mafia' is an intricate criminal organization that sits at the very top of the criminal underworld. No other type of criminal organization has as much power, money or influence as the mafia does.
Reminder: We are only discussing the organization as it is known in the New World Community. We are not talking about The Mafia as it is known in any other community, such as the Roleplay Community or the Mafia Community.
Contrary to popular belief, The Mafia within the New World Community is not actually one single mob, but is, instead, made up of lots of smaller mobs. However, they are all a part of the same organization which is commonly known as The Mafia. The Mafia is very self governing. Everything within The Mafia is handled internally, and The Mafia has its own rules and codes of practice. Violation of such rules can result in consequences being handed out by The Mafia itself. The Mafia never involved the police or the government in their workings, and they try to keep all law enforcement as far away of their operations as possible. Even though The Mafia is made up of lots of different mobs (known as "families"), there are also dozens of mobs that are not part of The Mafia. These independent organizations are not simply referred to as "mobs" and are not given the title of families - though this is a common aspiration amongst such mobs.
Reminder: All Mafia-related terminology will be written in green text.
The Mafia is a very secretive organization, and, until the past year, the extent of The Mafia's influence within the New World Community was not really known. Once this information came to light (though Mafia informants) many people were shocked with how much power The Mafia truly has. Law enforcement and the government were particularly surprised with how much influence The Mafia has in San Andreas, as The Mafia was formerly known as an east-coast organization, and it was not thought that they operated in San Andreas at all. This was simply not the case, and The Mafia had been operating in San Andreas since early 2014 - although the amount of influence they weld back in 2014 in San Andreas is debatable. The Structure Of The Mafia
As we stated before, The Mafia is extremely well structured. However, you may be surprised to realise just how well structured The Mafia really is, and how everything works internally.
So lets take a look at how it all works then...
Reminder: Law enforcement has always had a very hard time infultrating The Mafia because of their strict induction regulations (we'll learn more about them later). Therefore, most of this information comes from Mafia informants (of which there aren't many).
Additionally, we were able to reach out to a few current mafioso and persuade them to take part in this episode, but they were very strict about what we would include from their interviews and what we couldn't include. They did, however, give us permission to use the recordings of their interviews as long as we distorted their voices and didn't show their faces. At the very top of The Mafia's ranks is the Chairman of The Commission. The Chairman of The Commission is responsible for leading all Mafia meetings. He or she should make sure that all meetings are kept on topic and that the purpose of each meeting is fulfilled in each meeting and no meetings ever conclude without solving the issue at hand. As you may have thought, The Mafia regularly conducts meetings with all members who have a seat attending the meetings. However, the Chairman doesn't have any additional direct control over The Commission, but he does oversee all commission-related decisions.
Reminder: The Mafia doesn't refer to itself by that name. Instead, it refers to itself as
"The Commission". Additionally, The Commission is talked about an its own entity. Therefore, one should refer to The Commission 'itself', rather than talking about the people within it - 'themselves'. Also up there with the Chairman is the Secretary of The Commission. The Secretary of The Commission keeps track of the minutes at Mafia meetings, as well as keeping hold of all Mafia documents - both legal and illegal. Though positions can change at any time, these roles are currently held by;
Reminder: Join in on the discussion on Twitter using #InsideTheWorldOf
The Mafia is lead by the families with seats. A seat is a metaphorical name for a position at meetings. Essentially, seven organizations attend Mafia meetings and represent all of the families under them. These major organizations (five of which are families and two of them are external organizations that are linked to The Mafia and help to run it) all represent various other less-influential mobs (other than the two external organizations). The leaders ("bosses") of these mobs tell the family that represents them about anything that they want brought up at a meeting and the major family will make sure to bring the topic up and fight for the interests of the family they represent in a court-like system. Because of this, it is very important that the morals and motives of the smaller mobs align with that of the major family that represents them. For this reason, major families are very particular about who they will represent. This causes countless unrepresented mobs to be considered "outsiders" (not part of The Mafia). Families With Seats (and when they obtained their seats)
However, as William "The Jew" Sternberg (a member of The Jewish Mob) is also the Secretary of The Commission, he does receive good Mafia protection. Leaders Of The Families With Seats
Don Stephen Caruso
Families Represented By The Caruso Family Levanti (Boss Danielle Levanti - formerly Boss Zac Levanti - formerly Father Rio Levanti) Leventi (Boss Kenny Thorburn {"Kenny T"} - formerly Boss Jackson Fraser - formerly Boss Leo Levantine) Leonetti (Boss Leo Leonetti) Santora (Boss Nicholas {"Nico"} Santora) Santoro (Boss Vincent {"Vinny"} Santoro) Giovanni (Boss Giovanni {"Gio"} Wormwood) Hillock (Boss Valfredo {"Val"} Hillock - formerly Boss Alfon {"Al"} Hillock) Sansonetti (Boss Jon Sansonetti) Martinez (Marcus Martinez) Families Represented By The Greco Family Lee-Gee (Boss Liam {“Lee”} Greco) Costa (Boss Mil Costa) Costo (Boss Ryan Costa) De Luca (Boss Remy Den Luca) Moretti (Boss Vinny Salone - formerly Boss Jimmy Moretti) Conti (Boss Sam Conti) Families Represented By The DeFranco Family Florentino (Boss Brucie Florentino) Padavano (Boss Lucy Padavano - formerly Boss Tennessee Padavano - formerly Boss Martin Padavano) Siciliano (Boss Luca Siciliano) Beneventi (Boss Giuseppe Beneventi) Pisano (Boss Francesco Pisao - formerly Boss Neo Pisano) Families Represented By The Ruso Family Ganetti (Boss Sammy McVay - formerly Boss Sam Ganetti) Bianchi (Boss Antonio Bianchi) Rossi (Boss Victor Rossi) Ricci (Boss Roy {“King”} Ricci - formerly Boss Mitch Ricci) Romano (Boss Roman Abbott) Mazelli (Boss Jeff Stines - formerly Boss Griffon {“Griff”} Mazelli) Gallo (Boss Salvatore {“Sal”} Gallo - formerly Vinny Gallo) Families Represented By The Acardi Family Marino (Boss Marcus Marino) Rizzo (Boss Lenny Curry - formerly Boss Georgie Rizzo) Ameliano (Boss Jeffrey Stines - formerly Boss Nicholas Ameliano) All of the families listed above make up The Commission - what we refer to as 'The Mafia'. Should any of the families listed have something they want discussed at a Commission meeting, the Boss of that family should contact their parent-family who should then discuss the matter at a Commission meeting. This parent-family (NOT the official name for the families) must also argue the case of the family they represent. It is their responsibility to try and bring about the change or action that their subsidiary wanted. It is also the responsibility of these families to protect their subsidiaries from outside forces - although should any outside forces actually attack or kill a Made Man, the entire Commission should seek retribution. Notice the two phrases in green text? Both of these phrases are ranks (positions) within a particular Mafia family. With that in mind, let's take a look at the structure of a Mafia family and see what each role entails.
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Inside The World Of
This is NOT a series you are going to want to miss!
Viewer discretion is advised.
With exclusive interviews with gang members, affiliates, federal agents and police officers, sit back and read the first episode in the new series of, "Inside The World Of".
Join in with the conversation in the comments section and by using the #InsideTheWorldOf on Twitter.
Introduction
Different Influential Gangs
Lets take a look at some of the most influential gangs in Grand Theft Auto, as well as some of their most influential sets (in decreasing influence):
- The Vagos
- The Families
- Grove Street Families
- Chamberlain Gangsta Families
- Firefly Project Families
- Yardies
- The Ballas
- Rollin' Heights Ballas
- East Side Ballas
- Grove Street Ballas
- Varios Los Aztecas
- Grand Theft Auto Online
- Grand Theft Auto IV
Gang Colors
Whilst there simply isn't enough colors within GTA for all of the gangs to have their own colors, all of the "major" gangs have their own colors, with the smaller gangs usually donning the colors of their "major" allies. They usually operate within the territory of these allies, too.
In Grand Theft Auto IV, where there is an extreme lack of clothing options online, most gangs whose colors are not in the game wear plain colored clothings.
Lets take a look at some of the colors donned by the "major" gangs within Grand Theft Auto.
However, that being said, street gangs do take their gang colors extremely seriously, and wearing the wrong colors in the wrong part of town can have deadly consequences.
Gang Rivalries
Should you ever find yourself wearing the colors of a gang that is in the middle of a "feud", watch out, because enemies of that gang may target you simply for wearing the gang's colors, even if you have absolute no affiliation to any gangs whatsoever.
Even more concerning is that many gangs will not take kindly to non-gang-members wearing gang colors; which, at this point, is practically every color.
Some gangs, especially "mid-tier" gangs, adopt a 'no bang, no brass' policy, essential meaning that, unless you're a member of their gang, you can't wear their gang colors. If you do, you will, supposedly, have bad things happen to you as a result.
Thankfully, this policy is rarely every actually enforced by any street gangs, and, in situations where it has been, it has only ever been known to happen within the territory of a gang.
Unlike most other types of criminal organizations, street gangs will, usually, represent their gang colors everywhere. Their clothes will usually be of their gang color, their cars will usually be of their gang color, etc.
Some street gangs take this further than others, but most see representing their gang colors as a prideful duty, and aim to do so wherever they can.
This has also been known to cause some problems.
Many street gangs, especially "mid tier" and "low tier" street gangs, will gather a car that is the color of their gang (and, possibly, even put their gang/set logo onto the car) and then drive it onto enemy territory, where they will simply leave it and walk away.
This is known as "tagging".
To leave the car in the street is to "tag a street", to leave the car in an alleyway is to "tag an alleyway", to leave the car in a driveway is to "tag a driveway", etc.
Simply driving a car like this through a gang's territory does not count as tagging. One must actually leave the car, and the scene, for the location to be considered "tagged".
As you could imagine, this can cause a lot of issues (or "ruckus") between gangs, with gangs not taking too kindly to tagging.
Tagging was seen as a sly way to non-violently attack another gang, because not only does leaving the car there represent and promote their gang, as well as giving the appearance that the gang actually controls the area they tagged, but it also means that, should the other gang wish to remove the car, they will have to drive it away, and driving a car that dons to colors or emblem of an enemy gang is not something most street gangs are willing to do. This can cause an uncomfortable feeling for the gang that has had their territory "tagged".
However, tagging is also done by gangs on their own territories to tell other gangs, and civilians, who owns a certain location. It is somewhere in-between a threat and a polite notice of ownership.
Tagging is usually not done as an act towards higher 'ranked' organisations, such as motorcycle clubs and the mafia.
Gang Friendships
As it stands at the time this episode is being created, all of the major gangs we have been looking at in this episode (Vagos, Families, Ballas, Yardies and Aztecas) are all on very good terms with each other which vastly reduces all of the conflicts.
The reason all of these gangs are currently on good terms (and have been for almost two years) is, largely, because of their respective alliances.
For example, the Mexican Cartel are in charge of the Vagos and the Aztecas. Because of this, the gangs cannot fight each other or they will suffer the wrath of the Mexican Cartel.
However, the Families, Yardies and Ballas work independently (though extremely close with) a certain Motorcycle Club, and it is in the best interest of all three of the gangs to remain friendly with the club and, therefore, each other.
Additionally, the Motorcycle Club in question (which will remain nameless) also has alleged ties with the Mafia, and the Mafia and Cartel must maintain a very close relationship for their respective enterprises to work.
If that sounds complicated to you, don't worry - it is complicated.
However, this complicated string of relationships means that, for around two years, all of the major street gangs have remained on good terms with each other. This was briefly threatened a few months back when some members of the Ballas street gangs shot and killed a member of the Families street gang, but this temporary feud was soon calmed by all of the bigger players mentioned earlier.
Gang Activities
One such example includes racing their cars. Many gang members ("gangstas") enjoy racing each other.
From what we have seen, gang members are often open to racing people from other gangs provided their relationship is not extremely hostile (often referred to as a "kill on sight" relationship). However, in most such situations we oversaw, the races turned hostile after they ended - usually with the loser(s) accusing the winner(s) of foul play.
However, there are more organized street races, not just impromptu street races. These races are usually arranged prior to the race - usually with at least a few days notice. We never once saw such organized races turn violent. These races do, however, often have bets placed on them. Usually, a gang set will organize the race and, when people turn up to the race (or RSVP) they will send the entry fee (via PayPal) to the hosts who will then give the money they took to the winner(s), as well as taking a percentage of the earnings, too, regardless of whether or not they win simply for organizing the event (the Vagos gang seem to take a 20% cut). Contrary to the impromptu races, these organized ones often have specific entry requirements; similar to something like Formula V. These requirements can be in relation to the car (such as low-riders only, or only cars of a specific performance range), but they can also be in relation to the drivers (such as they must be of a certain rank within their gang, have a certain reputation level within the community, be from a major gang, etc.).
Another popular activity that takes place in-game is battling rapping.
Rap-battles are when two people use their microphones to create an impromptu rap (known as a "freestyle") and perform these raps. These raps are often used to defame their opponent(s).
And, whilst it may seem basic, these gangs members tend to just stand or drive around talking to each other and having a good time. This is not something that most other gang types tend to do very much, other than Motorcycle Clubs, but even they don't seem to talk to their members whilst on the game(s) as much as gangstas do.
Gang Organization
Some street gangs are extremely organized (such as the Vagos), whilst others have a very loose structure (such as the Families). Because of this, it's quiet hard to give you an accurate insight into the structure of a street gang.
However, there are some things that seem to be universal, and we can talk about the structure of the gangs we worked with to create this episode.
OG
Life as a gangsta in the New World Community is hard and dangerous, and, as one of our correspondents put it, "Life expectancy in the game ain't too good right now".
Because of this, a universal reference system is used amongst street gangs to add prestige to gangstas that have survived in the community for a long time.
At the time of writing this, the community has been around for almost 10 years.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for less than one year is known as a BG.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for one year is known as a G.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for two years is known as an OG.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for four years is known as an OOG.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for six years is known as an OOOG.
A gangsta that has survived in the community for eight years is known as an OOOOG.
This system originally came around in 2011 as a way for people to boast that they had survived in the community for two years - longer than 99% of people at that point.
Then, in 2013, when Grand Theft Auto Online released and some gangstas visited Los Santos, the same gangstas as before added an extra ' O ' to their title to show that, even though Grand Theft Auto Online is out now, they had been around since the first days that Grand Theft Auto IV had been out. This was a big point of pride amongst such gang members.
Then, after seeing the pattern that both events took place in two year intervals, gangstas started to adopt the system, adding an extra ' O ' to their title for every two years they have been a member of the community.
Should a player die within the community and move to a new account, they do get to keep their title - though this was, obviously, not always the case.
The Vagos
The Vagos are extremely well structured for a street gang.
At the top of the Vagos food chain is their leader, Chico. Chico oversees the actions of the entire gang and rules from the top.
As of 2014, Chico started working for Don Eladio, the leader of the Mexican Cartel. After a short while, Chico was promoted to the rank of Capo within the organization (don't worry, we'll explain how the Cartel works in a future episode) and the Vagos started working as direct muscle for the Mexican Cartel. This is, now, where almost all of their income comes from.
Just bellow Chico you have the Five Elders. These elders each oversee a different aspect of the gang and run it completely with Chico's oversight.
Whilst the names of these elders is a tightly kept secret within the Vagos gang (not even members of the gang know, and the elders don't know each other by name, either - though they do meet on occasion), it is known what each elder is in charge of;
Foreign Relations
This Elder is responsible for overseeing the relationship that the Vagos maintain with other organizations. Should another organization threaten the Vagos' way of life in any way, this Elder is in charge of determining an appropriate course of action to take in order to ensure the Vagos way of life is not challenged.
Additionally, should another organization be in trouble of any kind, this Elder is responsible for determining whether or not to help said organization, as well as how to help them.
Protection
This Elder is responsible for making sure that all of the Vagos' business interests are protected and run smoothly. For example, if the Vagos are doing some work for the Mexican Cartel and are transporting a Mule full of illegal firearms, this Elder is responsible for making sure the firearms reach their destination safely and in good time.
Additionally, in cases where the Vagos are paid to protect someone or something, this Elder is responsible for ensuring they are well protected and that nothing bad happens to them/it.
Arms
This Elder is responable for making arms deals with other orgaizations as a means of additional income independent of the Mexican Cartel. This Elder, along with the Protection Elder, is responsible for ensuring that the deal(s) is carried out and that the Vagos walk away from the scene with whatever they traded the arms for.
Additionally, this Elder is also responsible for ensuring all Vagos gang members are armed appropriately for putting work in, as well as making sure they are armed adequately and appropriately at all times when not putting work in.
Finance
This Elder's job is to manage the finances of the Vagos - both their legitimate and illegitimate gains. From there, they then disperse these earnings out appropriately. From what we were able to gather, when the Vagos earn money, it is dispersed like this:
- 25% is kept for the Vagos for future investment.
- 25% goes directly to Chico.
- 25% is dispersed amongst the Elders - each one gets 5%.
- 15% goes to the members that were involved in the activities that earned the Vagos money.
- 10% is dispersed amongst all gang members (including those involved in earning the money).
Disciplinary Chairman
Where a Vagos gang member breaks the unwritten rules of the Vagos, they are to be placed in front of the disciplinary board. This disciplinary board consists of all five Elders. The Elders then proceed to question the member and then the other four elders (not the Disciplinary Chairman) quickly come to a decision on how to proceed and what the member has to do to redeem themselves. In really bad cases, this can include the member being assassinated. Once the board has reached a decision, they inform the Chairman of their decision. The Chairman then uses his/her own judgement to make the executive decision of how to proceed - taking the word of the other Elders more as advice than direction.
Before the gang member is placed in front of the board, Chico should be informed of the situation. Should he wish to, he can then make the decision of what to do himself (including giving the member a full pardon), though this is not common for him to do, and he usually leaves it up to the Elders to decide.
We weren't privy to that information, so we named them ourselves based on their duties.
Bellow the Elders, the Vagos have the role of Set Coordinators.
Because the Vagos do not have sets like many other large street gangs do, they, instead, have what is known as a Set Coordinator.
Each of the many Set Coordinators rule over a portion of the Vagos' territory and oversee the actions of the members when they are in his/her boundaries. Usually, Set Coordinators will be the ones to receive instructions when the Elders make their decisions, and it is their job to rally a Captain and inform them of the situation. Where any deals happen within a Set Coordinator's territory, they will usually take a cut as if they were involved (be a part of the 15% and the 10%).
Below Set Coordinators is the role of Captain.
Captains are people who are in-charge of a small group of members (always exactly 12) and they lead these Vagos members into whatever situations the Captain is told to lead them into. These groups of gangstas are known as cliques.
When Captains' cliques earn money for the gang, the Captain takes 5% of the money earned, leaving the other 10% allocated towards the clique to be dispersed amongst the members. In situations where more than one clique is used, the 15% budget remains true, but everyone's share is divided between the number of cliques that were involved.
Just under Captains you have your Gangstas.
Gangstas are just regular Vagos gang members that belong to a Clique. They do what they're told and earn money for doing so.
Then there are Lil' Gangstas.
Lil' Gangstas are Vagos members that are not yet members of a clique. This usually occurs when there are not enough Captains to take on all of the members. Because Gangstas that prove themselves can easily be promoted to the position of Captain, members do not usually remain a Lil' Gangsta for more than 28 days.
In this time, Lil' Gangstas usually do petty work for Set Coordinators and earn a small amount of money doing so.
Unlike most other gangs where it is encouraged, the Vagos are not allowed to peruse their own ventures - even if they cut the gang in on them.
So, for example, if a member was able to acquire some weapons, they would not be able to sell the weapons without the expressed permission of Chico (the Elders). We are unsure why this is the case, but it is actively enforced. The only times members are permitted to make money through the community is when they have been told to do so by their superiors because Chico and the Elders found a way to make some money.
Families
The Families gang is far less structured than the Vagos. However, they do still have somewhat of an organizational structure.
As opposed to most gangs that have set out ranks and positions within the gang, the Families doesn't. Instead, it works on a respect level. The more "work" you put in, the more respect you get. And with respect comes all of the benefits that are enjoyed by the higher ups of other street gangs.
However, it's not just members that are ranked based on their respect level, but also their sets. Some sets within the gang are treated with far more prestige than others, and are, therefore, almost considered 'in charge' of the other sets.
Lets take a look at all of the Families sets and rank them from most respected to least:
- Grove Street Families (GSF)
- Chamberlain Gangsta Families (GCF)
- Firefly Project Families (FPF) (FFPF)
- Davis Neighbourhood Families (DNF)
- La Mesa Mafia Families (LMF)
- Vespucci 13 Families (V13)
- Carson Avenue Families (CAF)
- Chumash Range Families (CRF)
- Moho Avenue Families (MAF)
- Procopio Beach Families (CBF)
The founder of the Families gang is still leading the gang today. His name is OG Riffs and he is the leader of the Grove Street Families. Being as Grove Street Families (GSF) is the head Families set, OG Riffs is the leader of the gang, and most of the members follow his lead.
However, the Families gang differs from every other street gang we know of because of one simple reason; they fight each other.
Ever since the second families set, the Firefly Project Families, was founded, it started beefing with the Grove Street Families. The two sets no longer fight and are on really good terms, but other Families sets are in bitter rivalries with each other, and the rivalries that are still around go far deeper than any external rivalries.
Current Families Set Friction
Firstly, the Vespucci 13 Families set is in an extremely deep rivalry with all other Families sets, even Grove Street Families. Vespucci 13 Families do not follow the lead of OG Riffs and are extremely violent and aggressive towards other Families sets.
Also, unlike any of the other set rivalries, Vespucci 13 Families actually go out of their way to take the territory of the other sets, whereas the other sets will, at most, have a brief shootout, but usually nothing more than a rap battle or verbal defamation occurs. The rivalry between the Vespucci 13 Families and all of the Families sets is far more intense than any of the other set rivalries, and this is reflected in their abbreviation. They are the only families set that doesn't adopt an "F" at the end of their set abbreviation, and, instead, using "V13".
Some tension exists between the Firefly Project Families and the Moho Avenue Families. This is likely because their territories border one another added with the prestige that Firefly Project Families holds.
Fights and shootouts are common place between these sets, but the two have also been known to protect each other and each other's territories, even dying themselves to do so.
Carson Avenue Families and Davis Neighbourhood Families also have an odd relationship. When we asked members of the Families gang, none of them stated that any members of the two sets have ever killed each other, and this was further confirmed by police records. However, there is an undeniable feud between the two Families sets. Whilst their relationship may not be violent, there is deep contempt on both sides.
What's more prominent that inter-set battles, though, (other than those that include Vespucci 13 Families) is fights between members of the same set.
For years this was a huge problem within the Families gang. If two members had an issue they would shoot it out rather than resolving it peacefully. This is likely because there is no formal structure, so there is nowhere that they can take their problems too.
However, in the past year or so this has improved drastically. It is still a big problem, though, especially in Davis Neighbourhood Families and Moho Avenues Families. This is largely the main reason for Moho Avenue Families' low "rep" - because they in-fight too much to make a big external impact.
The reason that Families is such an influential organization is because of their relationships with other powerful organizations, such as certain Motorcycle Clubs and, to a lesser extent, the Mafia.
However, these connections only exist with the Grove Street Families. All of the other sets are largely left to fend for themselves and don't have any business coming in from these connections. Because of this, some sets and members (such as those in the Grove Street Families and Firefly Project Families) dress well, drive nice cars and conduct themselves in a mafioso-reminiscent manor, whilst other sets (such as Moho Avenue Families and Davis Neighbourhood Families) conduct themselves in a very petty and "street" manor.
Most Families sets make their money through extortion, not protection and arms. Firefly Project Families, Grove Street Families, and, to a lesser extent, Chamberlain Gangsta Families are the only ones that are prominent in arms and protection sectors.
Yardies
We'll admit it - gathering this information on the Yardies was hard. We talked to a lot of people and we just couldn't gather reliable information. Then, eventually, the Underboss of the Yardies gang, Lil' Rajae, contacted us back and we were able to meet with him in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY and talk to him for two hours about the Yardies gang.
The Yardies gang is not separated into different sets. All members patrol all Yardies territories but there is no formal segregation between members.
At the top of the gang is their Leader, a Jamaican male by the name of Top Shotta.
Top Shotta was once a very well known hitman within the New World Community. Whilst he did not carry the same prestige as other notorious hitmen such as The Viper and Six Shot Tony, Top Shotta actually had, and maintains, the largest confirmed 'in-house' (kills within the New World Community) kill count - over 2,300.
Top Shotta was actually not the founder of the gang, but he has been a member since 2008. The original founder of the gang was Lil' Rajae - his second in command. Lil' Rajae founded the gang but then handed the reigns over to the more charismatic Top Shotta, who was, and remains, a very close friend of Lil' Rajae.
Top Shotta does not handle the day-to-day running of the Yardies gang. Instead, he tells his Underboss what he envisions and the Underboss makes it happen. In late 2014, Top Shotta dropped from the public eye and retired as a hitman. Though he is still very much involved in the Yardies gang, he is not the public face of the gang, and he largely lets Lil' Rajae run the gang.
The rank of Underboss is what directly follows the Leader.
The Underboss makes sure whatever the Leader asks for is done. Sometimes these directions can be fairly specific, and other times they're vague. From what we can see, it seems that Top Shotta is really just holding the Yardies back (and Top Shotta DEFIANTLY), but Lil' Rajae is far too loyal to remove him from the gang that they have built together for almost 10 years.
From here is the rank of Don.
Dons are highly skilled, highly respected and highly loyal members of the Yardies gang. Dons make sure that anything the Underboss asks of them is done. Usually, this is things like vetting members and rallying the members for a certain job that the Underboss has planned.
Below Dons are Stars.
A Star is a member that is extremely skilled and very loyal. Stars are the people that the Yardies use for important jobs.
After Stars, there is no formal structure to the Yardies gang, and, despite this distinct lack of structure, the gang runs very well and smoothly.
Unlike most other gangs, the Yardies take loyalty extremely seriously. They are very loyal to their gang, each other, and their friends. If you're friends with a Yardie, you're friends with him or her for life.
Unlike the majority of gangs where members earn money by "putting work in" , the Yardies don't. Instead, they can do whatever they want, and, through loyalty and respect, do whatever they're told to do. In return, Lil' Rajae "takes care" of all his followers, regardless of what they have or haven't done for the gang.
Ballas
The Ballas gang is organized into sets. All members are part of a set, even if they don't "roll" with their set very much.
There is no overarching leader of the Ballas, and sets generally don't communicate very much. However, unlike the Families, there are not any feuds between Ballas sets, and there never have been.
At the top of each set is the Set Leader.
It is the job of the Set Leader to look out for his or her set and attract business for the set.
The Set Leader is the leader of the Ballas Council.
The Ballas Council consists of the Set Leader, Shot-Caller, Enforcer and Advisor and every set has its own Ballas Council.
Below the Set Leader is the Shot-Caller.
Shot-Callers assume leadership of the set in the Set Leader's absence. Additionally, whilst the Set Leader leads the set from the front and says what he/she wants to happen and how he/she wants it to happen, it is the job of the Shot-Caller to make sure it happens and facilitate it.
Underneath the Shot-Caller is the Enforcer.
Enforcers are in-charge of set security. It is their job to make sure that deals are going to be safe, and it's their job to relay information pertaining to "drive-by"s (driving past somebody and shooting from inside a vehicle) or attacks to the set's home.
Enforcers have the power to halt deals if they think it's too risky. They generally look out for the well-being and survival of the set and it's home locale, not the actual members that make up the set.
At a similar level to the Enforcer is the Adviser.
The Adviser is generally far more tame than the Set Leader and Shot-Caller and usually tries to think with their head more than their heart. Whilst they have no direct power within the set, the have a lot of soft influence, as it's their job to advise the Set Leader and Shot Caller of how to proceed - although they do not have to listen to the Adviser.
Corner Kings follow Advisers.
Corner Kings are members that "run" their own "corners" on Ballas territory. Every corner in Ballas territory has it's own Corner King. The Corner King watches out for his or her corner, and usually conducts small arms deals there, or use their corner to provide temporary paid protection to somebody who is in trouble.
Corner Kings take a 30% "cut" of all money made on their corners. Corner Kings then "send" 20% of that money up to the Shot Caller and 30% of that money up to the Set Leader.
Soldiers precede Corner Kings.
Soldiers are members whose sole purpose is to stand around in Ballas territory and defend it. However, usually Soldiers are asked to follow members they respect and do some "work" with them. This is how they make their money.
After Soldiers are Hustlers.
Hustlers are fairly similar to Soldiers, and soldiers aren't in-charge of hustlers. The main difference is that hustlers are left to make their own money how they see fit, rather than being called up to do work for other people.
Hustlers don't have to send any money up to their superiors unless they make the money on their corners.
Finally, we have Lookouts.
Lookouts are the newest Ballas members that have only just joined the gang. It is their job to spend their entire time watching out for Ballas territory and sending information pertaining to any gang or police threats to their Enforcer.
Unlike most other gangs, Ballas members are rarely asked to do anything by their leaders, and, instead, offer to put work in. This isn't to say that members don't ask each other for favours or backup - just that Set Leaders, etc., don't force their members to do anything.
Varios Los Aztecas
There are two cliques to the Varios Los Aztecas - the Grand Theft Auto IV clique and the Grand Theft Auto Online clique. Each of these cliques have their own members, and the two don't interact.
The highest rank in the Varios Los Aztecas is Leader.
The Leader does just that - leads the clique. He or she makes all of the decisions on his/her own and doesn't need to involve anybody else in the decision making.
The next rank is the position of Vice President.
The Vice President assumes the powers of the Leader when the Leader is not around.
Underneath the Vice President are the Loyals.
Loyals are members that have shown their upmost loyalty to the Varios Los Aztecas.
Everybody else is known as a Street Soldier.
Street Soldiers try to do everything they can to become a Loyal.
Like the Vagos, the Varios Los Aztecas also work for the Mexican Cartel.
This relationship only came about about two years ago. Before that, the Varios Los Aztecas (which has been around since 2009) was always an extremely weak gang that was on the verge of death. The only think keeping the Varios Los Aztecas alive were the Vagos who are known for looking out for other Hispanic gangs. The Vagos were the ones that got the Varios Los Aztecas doing small time work for the Mexican Cartel.
However, when the Mexican Cartel disbanded about a year and a half ago, with 90% of the gang breaking away from their leader, Don Eladio, the Vagos remained loyal to Don Eladio, but the Varios Los Aztecas broke away from him. This squeezed whatever life was left out of the Varios Los Aztecas and they went from being a gang that was on its way to becoming one of the most powerful gangs to an almost dead gang with less than 10 members across Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto Online.
However, the Vagos gave the Varios Los Aztecas another chance after almost causing extinction, and the Varios Los Aztecas took the offer gracefully, and now work for the Mexican Cartel again, which is once again under rule from Don Eladio.
Despite this, the Aztecas (including Aztecas MC) still have less than 45 members, and are rather fragile. The only reason they remain one of the five major gangs is because of their close relationship to the Vagos and the Mexican Cartel. Without these connections, the Varios Los Aztecas gang would likely be taken over by another crew and would no longer exist.
Gang Sets
Lets take a look at all of the sets, cliques and divisions of all 5 of the major gangs in the New World Community and order them all from most influential to least influential:
Vagos
- Vagos Street Gang
- Los Vagos MC: San Andreas
- Los Vagos MC: Alderney
- Los Vagos MC: Liberty
Families
- Grove Street Families (GSF)
- Chamberlain Gangsta Families (GCF)
- Firefly Project Families (FPF) (FFPF)
- Davis Neighbourhood Families (DNF)
- La Mesa Mafia Families (LMF)
- Vespucci 13 Families (V13)
- Carson Avenue Families (CAF)
- Chumash Range Families (CRF)
- Procopio Beach Families (CBF)
- Moho Avenue Families (MAF)
Yardies
The Yardies are not segregated into different divisions.
Ballas
- Rollin' Height Ballas
- Kilo Tray Ballas
- East Side Ballas
- 69th Street Ballas
- Davis Ballas
- Murda Heights Ballas
- Murda Park Ballas
- Grove Street Ballas
- Murda Block Ballas
- Ballas Lockup
- Broker Ballas Crew
- ꟻamilies Ballas Ʞillaz
- South Rancho Ballas
- Ballas Purpuhtr8az
- Glen Park Ballas Set
- Original Covenant Ballas
Aztecas
- Varios Los Aztecas
- Aztecas MC
We have focused exclusively on the five major gangs only because the way they operate acts as a blueprint for how other gangs operate. Most other street gangs conduct themselves in a manor similar to one or more of these major gangs.
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Make sure to join in on the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag: #InsideTheWorldOf
The next episode will be considerably shorter than this one, and the episode after that will be far more audio-visual based, containing a lot of interviews, etc.
Where Have We Been?
Well, we never technically left. Whilst we rarely tweeted or updated our Facebook page, we were still, technically, around, and we were still engaging with our audience daily. However, now we are back. Like... Really back. Actively back.
We will be posting to our website and our Twitter feed as regularly as ever.
So, as for why we were gone.
To put it all simply... Funding.
Weazel News is a large organization and takes a lot of personnel and, therefore, a lot of money to run smoothly. Our director refused to fund Weazel News anymore, causing us to, for the most part, go away. There was nothing that we could do about it.
Remember how we were taking on a lot of sponsorships just before we went away? Well that was, essentially, a desperate attempt for us to remain afloat and funded.
But, thankfully, all is good now and our proper funding has been and will continue to be allocated to us.
We have secured funding for the next 12 months, meaning we have the capabilities to run well for a very long time now. However, in order to ensure that we will retain funding after those 12 months are over, we will have to take on minor sponsorships, endorsements and advertisements. These won't be of any distraction or annoyance to yourselves. In fact, you will probably barely notice, but it is necessary for Weazel News to stay relevant in the long run.
What Happens From Here?
We will remain exactly how we were before we 'went away' and will act as though it never even happened.
Any of our old actions or series, such as Inside The World Of, will continue as before.
We know that we have missed up on reporting a lot. Sorry about that. But from now on, we WILL remain the largest and most influential news site in the New World Community, and, hopefully, take back our spot as the best in the entire of Grand Theft Auto.
Renaming Of The Community
Sponsorships
New Sponsorship
We now have our first official sponsor in a long time, though!
As you can see from the interactive layout above (which you can click on to visit his Fiverr profile), it is rapper and songwriter The Beast's Fiverr gig.
If you remember, a few days ago, Weazel News made a story where we showed everybody this gig that a fan had sent into us. We had speculated a little about it and then got in touch with The Beast. All of this can be found on our website. However, what you may not know is that The Beast actually got in touch with us again not long after that story offering to sponsor Weazel News with his gig.
We took him up on this offer.
GIVEAWAY
EVERYBODY who purchases one of his Fiverr gigs (it can be ANY of them) and tells him that Weazel News sent them there are AUTOMATICALLY entered for a HUGE giveaway.
What Are The Prizes?
However, they could win some pretty neat prizes.
Not just that, but because it costs $5 (~£3) to purchase one of his gigs, we doubt that many people will enter - GIVING YOU EVEN MORE OF A CHANCE TO WIN!!
PRIZE TWO --> $1,250,000 Grand Theft Auto Online Great White Shark Card.
PRIZE THREE --> Exclusive opportunity to create your own Weazel News story to be featured on our website and Twitter.
You have a very good chance of winning this giveaway - far more than our others.
We recommend that you partake in it.
This Article Was Brought To You By
Who Is She?
On August 22nd, 2017, she was involved in a car accident. She is only 17 years old.
The car crash almost killed her, but she was able to escape with her life. Unfortunately, however, her larynx suffered extreme damage (we are unaware of exactly what happened) and she was left unable to use her voice box at all. She could not talk, sing or make any other sound with her voice.
She was told there was an 80% chance that the damage war irreversible.
Thankfully, though, she has made a recovery.
The Modern Spartans MC and Residual Records often mention her in tweets saying that she is recovering well, but we, like many other, we're sure, had no idea just how well she had recovered; especially considering that, as shown in the video, she could hardly produce any sound less than three months ago.
Her Recovery So Far
It's been almost five months since our sister's car accident and her recovery has been incredible!
— Modern Spartans MC (@MSMCinc) September 2, 2017
Her last operation is on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/rtmTvNkd5j
Change To Her Voice
It also just sounds a little different in general, but we had never spoken to her before her accident, so it could likely just be a voice that she does for her music and she is using ehr more natural voice for this song.
The lack of power is what you can definitely notice, though.
Before her accident, she had an incredibly powerful voice. It was absolutely tremendous just how powerful it was.
Now, however, it seems far weaker.
This is likely why all of her pre-accident songs were loud rock and this new song is more folk - because she can't make the same music any more.
This Article Was Brought To You By
You can find the post below:
thebeast_ : I will ghostwrite your music for you for $5 on www.fiverr.com
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We speculated various reasons why he could be doing this. Why is he writing for anybody, rather than just the label that he owns. It wasn't until just now that we actually thought to just ask him.
Not A Residual Records Venture
Instead, it's just The Beast offering his solo abilities as a music ghostwriter.
"Because I love music. I want to be able to write for different people of different styles. Not just people in Residual Records. I wanna grow as a writer, and this is the best way I could see how. I ain't really doing it for the money; nobody's really purchasing any of my services, it's just for fun." - The Beast
We Won't Be Reviewing This
And, whilst nobody said no, nobody said yes, either.
For that reason, we won't be reviewing this Fiverr.
However, we did go and take a read of the gig we were sent (and his other ones) and they do seem pretty cool. We'd recommend going to him if you want songs written,
This Article Was Brought To You By
When Is The Presidential Election?
General Elections are held every three months and govern Grand Theft Auto Online and Grand Theft Auto IV.
How Can I Run For President?
If you would like to find out more about how to run for president, and also more information about how all of this stuff works in the community, please click ANYWHERE in this sentence.
How Can I Vote?
This is the official poll. The outcomes of this poll will determine the outcome of the Presidential Election.
This Article Has Been Brought To You By:
thebeast_ : I will ghostwrite your music for you for $5 on www.fiverr.com
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Judging from the work that he has done writing and organizing for Residual Records, we would recommend that you go and check his gig out.
We know that many of you would like somebody to help write lyrics for your songs but are wary of paying them real money (even for prices like this), so should we do a review on this?
Do people even care?
Let us know in the comments!!