Children of Vallejo
A documentary centered around Benny, a rapper and songwriter from Vallejo, California. Benny discusses the conditions of the environment in which he and many others grew up in and how that made them the people they are today. This film aims to explore and expose the parts of the Bay Area and its identity to those unfamiliar with the culture. Submitted as my final for my Documentary Production course at the University of San Francisco. Powered by Thizzler on The Roof. GRAPHIC LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT.
Transcript:
Benny’s aunt: You got potential, you going to be somebody, period. Don't stop. Keep doing what you do. I don't give a fuck how many haters you have. If they're not speaking on you. Hey, no, you didn't. You're not really been a factor or whatever, but as long as they keep it in your name up in they motherfucking mouth, you somebody. Benny: Y'all just be in the video when we get to the north,
Friend: when are we going to the north?
Benny: After we go to this church by everybody come to after rights here.
Kiko: Where are we at right now?
Benny: Shit, Cerritos Village. This is where just be hanging at. This is where everybody comes to kick back and smoke and shit...this is the NoNo house right here…
Benny: I was born in North Vallejo, but my dad, like my parents, they was staying in Vacaville. You know, when we was back and forth with my grandmother, my aunt on my mom's side. Eventually, my parents, they split up and shit and my dad moved to Sac. And then we were staying in Vallejo and finally, you know, my mom let us move with them or stay with them a little bit. That's just basically how we moved out there and then my mom even... like, they got back together, eventually came out to you here...whoop de whoop. Benny: My mom, she's Filipino, my dad is black. My mom came from the Philippines standing there before she went to high school. And my dad, he’s just been in Vallejo. That’s all life and shit. He wasn't really the reason I really got into music, but he had influence fake wait on me because you know, me and my sister, we would always sing. We have vocals and shit like that. I could write, you know, I used to write stories, rap... whatever. And then, you know, my dad, he was just, growing up, he was always in the church. So he will want me singing in a choir, making church beats and shit like that. And that's not something, uh, do you feel me? It's a, it's a story. You feel me? He got me into, you know, even trying or thinking about it because like my first time singing in front of people, people at Church and shit. Benny: We started at the High...that’s a point where niggas were just like, fuck it. We Finna do the talent shows or whatever at the high, like just get our shit out there and Niggas was fucking with it. Like my first talent show niggas was nervous as shit. Like, all of us was shaking. I forgot like...it started with me, you… who else was on that shit? Julius
Friend: Yeah, we had like a cipher.
Benny: My first video was “It Was All a Dream”, you know? After that, like I was able to go places and be like, “oh you benny” like they would just, recite my lyrics and all that type of shit. I'm like, “damn, this shit, this shit go crazy.” Benny: After ninth grade, that's when I started fucking up and shit because I ain't going to lie, that was when we came back to Vallejo. We was in the house, no power, no gas, no water. They got holes in the roof and feeling nothing. We was basically living with nothing. It wasn't just being broke, you know? Niggas had family problems, street problems...hella different problems coming at a Nigga at once at a young age you feel me? So they went to where Nigga built. He's not like no regular ass kid or no regular ass adult that would be now. It was just seeing a lot at a young age in didn't get a chance to like fill the innocence of being a kid and shit like that. Just being outside. Like going over people houses and having best friends or whatever you feel. Just regular kids. Shit Niggas. Niggas was worried about other shit.
Benny: Black and Filipino fight that shit over on Pierce Street just like after school. And, uh, black and Mexican, right? Ended up getting popped at after school.
Benny: I was supposed to graduate since you know, kindergarten you feel me? I ain't want nobody else's ideas. I didn’t want my life to be run by nobody else and shit like that. So the reason why my mom kicked me out, I ain't graduate. She just was so mad that she kicked me out. I'm putting out his whip and adjust, we being in Cerenno and uh, after Niggas couldn't be at my house no more, Niggas just was slipping the whip. Like it was points in that whip where like, I was like, “fuck it. I feel like going to jail, I need somewhere to stay. I want some real shit.” Like, I really thought about just doing some shit to go to jail on purpose. I'm just dumb. One week we were staying in like nigga we was selling weed and shit like that. You got caught up for shit. Lost the core on some dumb shit trying to hit.
Benny’s aunt: I got up one day and I'm looking like where's all the kids? And they like, uh...and I’m like, “where’s Benny?” They're like, “Benny’s outside.” So I went outside and I got the Nigga. That's how I found out. Anything I got, they welcome to, whether it's my house, my car, my whatever. As long as it's for the right thing, you know what I'm saying? My job is to protect and make sure these kids are all right. Try and keep them off the street. Raising them to be some good, you know, US citizen law abiding citizens and be somebody, somebody successful, not just, you know what I'm saying? No chimney ass niggas. Bums and shit. We trying to do a big elevate, you know what I'm saying? Elevation is the key. So yeah, my Nigga can be sleeping in a car. We ain't having that shit. Benny: Like if I was still in that whip and shit and didn't have this music, I wouldn't, I'd be doing time because it is, it's like an opportunity for, for me as an artist to get my, you know, my voice of people out for to feel me. Benny: And that's all people really want everybody to…. just feel what talking about, feel what they coming from. Benny’s aunt: I knew that, that, that little Benny had potential. When I was sitting at the table, me and my uncle and we was getting, you know what I'm saying, off the cookies and stuff like that and listening to some music and um, I heard the song and I was like, hold on, hold on, rewind that back. It just touched my heart. Benny: Through my experiences growing up within the lifestyle is, living and shit. we live in a shape. One thing about me, like I don't give a fuck about dying. Because like everybody gets shot, Everybody like...People got popped this... If it happens it happens. Vallejo do feel like home though, that’s some weird shit. It makes us built for it anywhere else, you feel me? It just let me be ready for war.
