It is the winter of 1987, and on a lonely damp side street
in the east village, Raymond Chevis feels the cold metal
of a sawed off shot-gun placed snugly at the base of his neck.
His eyes click eagerly to the side only to see that another
shotgun is now firmly lodged in the back of his Samoan
bodyguard. Most human beings when faced with similar options,
would either be shitting or pissing in their pants. But not
Raymond,he is only consumed with the notion that he has been
set up. but by whom? And why? Have his efforts to distribute hip
hop globally come back to haunt him? His mind wanders to a
different time, and to another place in the city. He seeks a
resolution to his current dilemma in the recesses of his memory,
to his childhood in East Elmhurst Queens NY. Quickly Raymond
think back....
As his brain synopses fire, he quickly recalls a scene from his
youth. Its 1972, and his father has just been assaulted in
front of him. At the time this was a very traumatic event that
taught young Raymond a valuable lesson. "Know how to get help,
when there is none". His father’s actions on this day provided
him with a signal, which he seeks to use now. Raymond
provides the signal, that only Masons are familiar with, and
quickly the crews minder calls them off. The minder is an
associate of a crime family and a big earner for them.
Raymond knows him as Uncle Vinny, from the neighborhood. Vinny
informs Raymond that he was not "the Mark." Vinny also explains the
further orders to "Send a Violent Message" to the mark about "Growing
too Fast." Vinny and Raymond take a walk, and negotiate a price on
Raymond's future. What Vinny shares with Raymond
will cost him 50k and 10% of his next venture, but it will also
set him on a path of finding out who has set him up. The
problem? He has 72 hours to put this right. Fortunately for
Raymond, he has always had a plan b. something that he never
thought he would need to use but now is the time to put this
intricate plot in play. It starts with his best friend on earth,
whipping his ass, and a bit of technology that has yet to
emerge around the world, the compact disc.
Friends will fall, would be lovers, and snakes in the grass all
exposed. Plans turn into plots that morph into schemes which end
up in double crosses. Raymond has a riddle to solve, and it
will take most of his memories, courage, and experiences to do
so, because the Rise of the Chulo cannot be stopped.
