Every young person who enters the street life believes they are different. They believe they will beat the odds. They believe they will make money and get out clean. They believe they will not get caught or killed. Benjamin Hall believed all of these things. He entered the hustle at a young age. He made thousands of dollars a day. He drove luxury cars. He had women and respect. He also lost his health, his freedom, and his best friend. He spent twenty-three of his forty one years locked inside juvenile halls and adult prisons. His memoir Free Benzo offers a powerful warning to anyone considering the street life. Hall shares the lessons he learned the hard way. Here are five things he wishes he knew before he started hustling.

The Money Is Never Enough

The street life promises unlimited money. It promises that you will never struggle again. It promises that you will have everything you ever wanted. Hall made thousands of dollars a day at his peak. He had more money than he had ever imagined. But the money was never enough. It disappeared quickly. It attracted people who wanted to take it from him. It created new problems that money could not solve. He could not keep the money because he could not keep the lifestyle. The hustle demanded that he keep chasing more. The money was a trap, not a solution.

Loyalty Is Rare and Fragile

The street life promises loyalty. It promises that your crew will always have your back. It promises that your friends will never betray you. Hall believed this promise. He gave his loyalty to people who ultimately betrayed him. He watched younger homies set him up. He witnessed friends turn against him. He saw people he considered brothers abandon him when he needed them most. Loyalty in the street life is conditional. It lasts only as long as it serves the other person. Hall learned this lesson the hard way. He wishes he had known that loyalty is rare and fragile.

The System Is Rigged Against You

The street life teaches you to distrust the system. It teaches you that the police and the courts are your enemies. It teaches you that you cannot rely on anyone but yourself. Hall learned this lesson early. He entered the juvenile justice system at eleven years old. He spent decades fighting a system that was rigged against him. The police targeted him. The courts punished him. The prisons broke him down. The system did not want him to succeed. It wanted him to fail. Hall wishes he had understood this earlier. He wishes he had known that the system would never give him a fair chance.

Freedom Is Not Guaranteed

The street life promises freedom. It promises that you will live life on your own terms. It promises that you will not be controlled by anyone. Hall experienced the opposite. He lost his freedom repeatedly. He spent twenty-three years locked inside juvenile halls and adult prisons. Each arrest took him away from his family and his life. Each release brought new restrictions. The hustle did not give him freedom. It took it away. Hall wishes he had known that the street life would cost him his freedom.

Your Health Is Your Most Valuable Asset

The street life never tells you about the physical cost. It never tells you that stress and violence will destroy your body. Hall developed rheumatoid arthritis at forty-two years old. He spent months in a wheelchair. He struggles with chronic pain every single day. The stress of the hustle damaged his immune system. The violence damaged his body. The poor nutrition weakened his health. He cannot reverse this damage. He can only manage it. Hall wishes he had known that his health was his most valuable asset. He wishes he had taken better care of his body.

Relationships Will Suffer

The street life destroys relationships. It creates distrust and paranoia. It turns love into transactions. Hall experienced this destruction firsthand. He lost relationships with women who could not handle the chaos of his life. Lashon divorced him. Keke betrayed him. Vonna cheated on him. He lost time with his children. He missed their growing up. He lost his best friend Killa to gun violence. The street life took away the people he loved. Hall wishes he had known that the hustle would cost him his relationships.

There Is No Easy Way Out

The street life promises an easy way out. It promises that you can make money and get out clean. Hall tried to leave multiple times. He sold books. He tried to grow weed. He tried to start a legitimate business. But the hustle kept pulling him back. The system kept pulling him back. The streets kept pulling him back. There is no easy way out of the street life. It demands everything you have. Hall wishes he had known this earlier. He wishes he had found a different path.

Writing Can Save You

Hall discovered the power of writing during his incarceration. He educated himself behind bars. He discovered his talent for storytelling. He published three memoirs, including Free Benzo. Writing offered him a way out of the hustle. It offered him a voice that the system could not silence. It offered him a purpose beyond survival. Hall wishes he had discovered writing earlier. He wishes he had known that his words could set him free.

Read the Book

Order Free Benzo now from Amazon and all major online retailers. This book offers the hard-earned lessons of a man who survived the streets and wants to warn others before it is too late.