Ginuwine

Columbia INCITE | Oral History_Dom_Gineuwine

Q:

All right. Thank you. So today's date is Wednesday, March 6. My name is Dom. Dom [? Portish ?] of Bradley Tech. I am interviewing Gineuwine Scott. Do I have your permission to record this interview for the 2019 Art Star Portrait project?

SCOTT:

Yes.

Q:

All right. So we just going to dive right in. Tell me about the most memorable childhood experience that you can recall.

SCOTT:

The most memorable childhood experience. The most memorable childhood. Let me think.

Well, oh, yeah. The most memorable childhood experience was when-- it's a lot to think from, I guess.

Oh, most memorable childhood experience was when I first got into sports, I guess. Because growing up when I was little, I always thought about sports, watched sports. And then when I actually got into sports, like Little League football, stuff like that, it gave me something to do.

It was fun for me. It's something I look forward to doing in future. And it's something I continue to do. So that was most memorable because it's what I've been doing ever since I was little.

Q:

OK. So what were age were you when you first started playing organized Little League type stuff?

SCOTT:

I want to say when I was younger, I want to say I was fooling around with it. But when I actually started organized, I would say, I was about 10, 9 at least.

Q:

OK. So like fourth grade, somewhere around there?

SCOTT:

Yeah, around that.

Q:

OK, and what sport was it?

SCOTT:

It was football.

Q:

Football. Was it flag football? Was it-- what kind of--

SCOTT:

It was contact football.

Q:

Contact? So pass-- with the flags, though?

SCOTT:

Yeah.

Q:

OK.

SCOTT:

It was pads and everything type of football-- cleats, football pants.

Q:

OK. You remember what league you played in?

SCOTT:

When I first started, I think it was called-- what was it called? Not the NC-- it was--

Q:

NCSL?

SCOTT:

NCSL, yeah.

Q:

OK. I used to play.

SCOTT:

I think the team--

Q:

I used to play NCSL, too, man. That's crazy.

SCOTT:

Yeah. I think the team I played for was the Packers. That was my first team. And then later, I went to play for a different team. I guess it was the Raiders. And I think that was my last team.

Then I stopped playing football. That's when I actually got to like high school. The last time I played football, I think it was when I was in league-- I want to say, seventh grade. It was an age limit.

I was playing when I first started as a Junior. It was me and my little brother playing. He was a little Pee-Wee. And I was playing at the Juniors stage. And when I got to Majors, I got too old for it, so that ended. And then I just started playing in high school. But I didn't really play as much. My freshman year, I tried out. I made the team. But I didn't really go through with it, because I guess I was busy with a lot of stuff.

Q:

OK. So what was it about playing football that made that memorable for you versus a birthday party or learning how to ride a bike for the first time or--

SCOTT:

Me learning how to play football-- it was something I always watched on TV, like, that looks fun, when I was little. And me actually doing it and getting experience from it and actually winning games, scoring a touchdown and stuff, that's kind of a memorable moment there, like,

oh, my son's trophy is right here. I remember him doing this stuff when he was little, like, oh, I remember this. It was the most fun experience I have. I actually played contact football when I was little. And I actually liked it.

Something like you just saw, something I used to do. It wasn't really that memorable-something I did. And then as I got older, I just found new interests, like basketball and then wrestling.

Q:

OK. OK, so tell me a little something about your life? Where were you born? Were you born here in Milwaukee?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I was born and raised in Milwaukee. I wouldn't say I lived all over Milwaukee, but I lived mainly on the north side. When I was growing up, little, I stayed-- I don't know where. But I was-- I know it was in the projects. And I know my mom had a hard time-- break-ins and stuff like that.

But then she finally decided, I want to move, and got a better job. And then we just started-and then that's when my little brother was born. So I guess we'd been living there for quite some years. She's been doing pretty well, working and stuff like that.

So been born and raised in Milwaukee, all types of stuff-- just basically lived all throughout Milwaukee. I've been at a lot of different places other than Milwaukee, like out the state. But here is where I was basically grown up at.

Q:

OK. So how old is your little brother?

SCOTT:

My little brother is 12.

Q:

12. OK. Is that-- so you the oldest?

SCOTT:

Yeah. OK, how is that? How is it being the oldest? I'm the youngest, so I don't even got no-you know what I'm saying? How is it being the oldest?

SCOTT:

Being the oldest is like-- I guess, since it's just me and my mom and my little brother, it's like I'm just the oldest. I have more responsibility. Sometimes the little brother, he'll get irritating sometimes. He'll irritate me. But I do a lot of stuff for him, like take care of him, care after him, when I'm in charge.

It's basically, I grew up being a big brother. I always wanted a younger sibling. But when I was

little, I remember seeing my mom in the hospital bed. She was supposed to be giving birth. I was checking out the gender, stuff like that. I actually wanted a little sister. But now that I think of it, like, yeah, I'm glad I got a little brother.

Q:

Why is that?

SCOTT:

Because if I have a little sister-- I play sports. So of course, I'm going to be rough and stuff like that, or want to play. But if I have a little brother instead, he'll want to do the same stuff. My little brother, he does football and basketball. And then me and him will play around and wrestle a lot. And it's like, he wouldn't cry about it. But he's pretty tough.

But if I have a little sister, I got to be delicate on her. But it's like a protective role. It's a lot of different stuff. But if I have a little brother, it's somebody I can conversate with. We have a boyto-boy talk, stuff like that.

Q:

OK, but at the beginning, you wanted a girl, or a little sister.

SCOTT:

I was about--

Q:

So you wanted to be more of that protector, versus now your little brother, he can not necessarily figure stuff out on his own, but you can interact and engage with a male sibling a little differently than a female. That's interesting. OK, so who has been the most important people in your life?

SCOTT:

The most important person-- well, I want to start like the most important person was my mom, because she's my number one supporter. That's basic for everyone. But she's always been there for me. She'll do stuff that she doesn't even have to do. But that's why she's my number one supporter.

I have plenty other supporters. I wouldn't say they're good influence. But they're there. They're family. They're there to support me. They may do stuff. And they went through the same thing I did when I was in school-- done bad decisions and stuff like that. But they're still there, just like my grandmother and my uncle.

My uncle, from time to time, yeah he's done some stuff when he was in high school and been around the wrong crowd. And then he gives me advice and information, like, oh yeah, you shouldn't do that, because this is what happened to me. I don't want that to happen to you. It's good advice to notify me, don't do this type of stuff, because if you want to go through the

same thing I did, it's not going to be good. And it's good info. It's like, I know how to do this now. I know how.

And it's help with girls, too. My dad wasn't in my life. So it's basically my uncle, like, if you want to talk to a girl, it's what to do. And don't be-- just because you're a boy, you don't have to be all tough, and stuff like that. It's just male stuff that he can help me out with. It's grown up hygiene. Make sure you're always smelling good. Just make sure you take care of yourself.

That's the number one important thing. Take care of yourself.

It's a lot of stuff like that, because I think when I was born, my uncle was like, I'll say, about 18.

I don't know. I think he was about younger than that. But when my little brother was born, he was about, I'd say, about in his 20s or something like that. But it's like he's been there ever since-- my mom's little brother-- he's been there, so.

Q:

So it's your mom little brother?

SCOTT:

Yeah.

Q:

OK. OK, so even though your pops wasn't around, you still had a male influence that was very positive, you know what I'm saying, to pour into you. OK. And so you want to take that same approach with your little brother.

SCOTT:

Yeah.

Q:

OK. How has his influence, your uncle's influence in your life, impacted you? You know what I'm saying? Aside from the lessons that he giving you, what does that really mean for you?

SCOTT:

It's impacting me. I want to say mostly a lot, without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't say that entirely. But it's a lot of stuff that he did for me and showed me that I can bring up as my own character. Don't be like anybody else. Just find yourself, and stuff like that.

He made me into the person I am.

It would have been a father figure, basically. But he's my uncle. It's lessons, and he showed me how to play sports, stuff like that. He was an athletic person and stuff back in high school and a little younger. And it's a lot of stuff that he's done taught me, and taught me well. It's in a way that I know he'll speak. It wouldn't be oh, just all sentimental. It's tough love and all types of stuff like that. It's what you need to know and how you need to hear it.

Q:

OK so thinking about your mom, your uncle, even possibly your little brother, how do you think that they would describe you? What is their perception? If I asked them-- but you not in the room-- how is Gineuwine as a person? What do you think some of the things that they would say?

SCOTT:

Well, first my mom-- I would think she would say, oh, he's a good kid. But he'll have his times.

She'll exaggerate and say, oh he's bad. He's acting bad. It's like when I was younger-- but she'll tell and be like, he's improved a lot from before. He doesn't fight in school. He doesn't argue with me. But he's improved a lot. He's gotten mature. And that's what she's been waiting for, basically. Now, I help her a lot.

And then with my uncle, it's like, that's my nephew. I grew up teaching him a lot of stuff. And I just have to still teach him more to help him out along the way. Then my little brother, he'll probably say, oh, he irritating. Oh, he always trying to tell me what to do.

That's before-- I tried to teach him certain stuff. He wouldn't want to listen. But me and him probably argue or fight or something. But it's not really anything serious. Me and him play around a lot. And he'll get mad. But just overall, me and him both have brotherly love. It's a lot of stuff that I taught him that he would be able to use. And it's a lot of stuff that he'll need help with. And I'm always there for him.

Q:

OK, so what do you think, let's say, some of your teachers would say?

SCOTT:

Oh, none of-- well, some of my teachers now?

Q:

Yeah.

SCOTT:

I would say some of them would say, like, oh, I might slack off from here and there. It's been times where I wouldn't be focusing in class. But then I'll end up redirecting that, because I understand I have to do what I have to do. Some teachers might like, oh, he's on his phone in class, or he's not listening. But then the next day, it will be different. And they'll see that. And it's like, he'll have his moments. And then he'll have his moments where he's literally all focus.

He's a good student, overall.

But we never know what teachers think or say. But I try to give off a good impression. I might have my goofy moments. At times, I might clown. But at the end of the day, it's all seriousness.

I'm there to get my work done. And if I don't get my work done, it's going to be hard catching up. So I don't want to play catch up, basically.

Q:

OK. How do you think people in general perceive you?

SCOTT:

My group of friends?

Q:

No, just people in general. It can be strangers. It can be adults in the building. It can be a neighbor-- but somebody outside of your circle.

SCOTT:

Well, I wouldn't know what other people think of me. But once, I guess, when I was walking to class, one girl was like, I heard you disrespectful. I was like, I don't think you really know me.

But people might have different opinions on you, like, oh, he's just a copycat. Or he-- people have plenty of different opinions on me. I really don't pay attention.

But if people had an opinion on me, I would like-- I would think for it to be right. I'm just a normal person. I goof around. I get mad. I tend to make mistakes or slip up or do some wrong stuff that we're not supposed to do. But I'm a well-rounded kid. I don't really bother anybody.

So I wouldn't think anybody has something bad about me to say.

Q:

So your perception don't really-- it don't matter to you.

SCOTT:

Right.

Q:

How other people feel about you don't matter to you. Would you agree with that?

SCOTT:

Yeah.

Q:

OK so what about youth in general? Because what I hear you saying is basically, I know myself. So your perception, whether it's right or wrong-- if it's right, then it's right. But if it's wrong, it don't really bother me, because I know myself.

So in those scenarios where you don't have an opportunity to prove who you are, right, so when you walk into, let's just say, a store for the very first time. And this clerk or this sales person, they going to read you, all right? They going to develop their own perception of you based on something that you can't-- you don't have any control over it, right? It could have been they own lived experiences. It could be the news. It could be something that they read.

When a situation like that comes around, do you still feel the same way?

SCOTT:

Well, I would just take it as like, oh, he might think I'm somebody that I'm not. He might be comparing me to some other guy on the street. Or he might be comparing me to a stereotype

that a lot of people make these days. But it's my job-- as in my youth and my generation-- just prove people wrong, show them I'm not that type of person, like the way when I come out or go in public, I talk respectful. I act nicely. I wouldn't really try to have an attitude.

I would come off as a person that's open-minded. I'm open-minded, a good listener. I come off as a person that's friendly. I wouldn't-- I would just come off as what I always would do. If you think of me that way, that's what you think.

And then when I prove you wrong, I'm not that type of person. I'm very different. It just looks that way, because the way how you view me. It just looks that way, because of our youth and our generation. People have to prove people wrong. In order to do that-Q:

OK. So you said youth. And for some reason, I thought you was going to say race. But you said youth, which I think is very interesting. So what is the perception on youth? How do-- not even-- yeah, how do adults view young people to you?

SCOTT:

Yeah, well, I chose instead just to say youth, because it's actually youth in general, because nowadays, it's not all just black kids. It's the urban youth, every youth. Some youth-- kids steal.

It's not just blacks that do everything. I know it's focused on blacks. But it's a lot of different things, like other races doing things that they wouldn't expect. So it's just basically the youth all in general.

Our youth does a lot of dumb stuff-- drugs. Go out to parties. Do illegal things. It's not just focused on us. It may-- us may be the targeted problem or the problem they focus on more.

But it's mainly just the youth that makes their decisions. And if we weren't the targeted focus, what would it be? And I would say, it would be the youth. Because if it's just not targeted on black people. And it's just all the youth that messes up everything.

And it's the youth that's looked at different, because they're young. They're unpredictable.

They don't know what they're going to do. They might just rob you or do certain stuff. We're young and we're wild. And we do stuff that-- it's like we're teenagers. He's a regular teenager.

That's why I wouldn't say it's black people, because I know it's already focused on black people and targeted.

But it's also targeted-- where I say it should be targeted is on youth, because it's something that should be focused on. It should be helped out. It's a lot of kids in our youth-- urban youth, black youth, white youth-- that are in the same position. But not-- they go about life a few

different ways-- same way. We're not really all that different, just skin color and views on other people's perspective on how they view us.

Q:

So you saying that youth culture in general-- we don't really harness the talents of the youth, or we don't even guide the youth's energy in the right way.

SCOTT:

Right.

Q:

OK. What are things that we can do to one, bridge that gap of understanding? And two-because I think what I'm hearing you say is there's this-- when we become adults we kind of like turn our heads and have this view of youth as if they're doing something that we didn't do when we were younger, right? And so rather than try so hard to bottle y'all energy up and have you act a certain way, present yourself a certain way, that we should be--

SCOTT:

More opening.

Q:

Yeah, OK.

SCOTT:

More opening to answers and understanding, because our youth is the biggest thing that we have right now. They're the next adulthood. And if that youth doesn't really do anything, their adulthood could really be messed up. The youth is 17, 16-- like high school. It's like before the next step to becoming an adult, you want to make sure your youth is good and you have the skills and people to understand you.

And a lot of people don't understand our youth. It's like, we really have a weird youth. We're hard to understand. But we'll express ourself, but not in a way that you want to. We give off different types of feelings. And we might close up and not express ourselves. We might. You never know.

But if we have that guidance and have those opportunities and tools to do stuff that we actually want to do, we could be the next adulthood. We could actually change something. We're the next generation. We're up next. We're basically the people that everybody are leaning on, basically looking forward to.

I know you have responsibilities because you're going to become an adult soon. You're going to take over that place of being a parent. It's like, we want to make sure you're straight, and you're all right. And you're good. And you have that mindset to have that motivation.

A lot of our youth doesn't have any motivation. That motivation is what we need. And a lot of people might not want it. But I wouldn't say, try to push to give them motivation. But try to be there. Try to give them advice, get them to understand this is what we want to do for you.

And a lot of our youth is depression, drugs, a lot of things that it's not really good. It's a lot of our youth that's actually doing stuff like valedictorians, scholars, doing a lot of stuff. But altogether, all of our youth is basically full of ups and downs. You have the good ones. You have the bad ones. But they can all come together and do a lot of the good things with their lives, if they just put their focus to and have that guidance like this program here.

Q:

OK, so if I told-- if I said, all right, Gineuwine, your generation is taking over in, let's say, 2022.

So what? We got three, four years before we just hand y'all the keys. What are things that you would need just in general, not necessarily from us? But what are the things that you need to be successful, to be able to carry-- to hold it down for the next generation?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I want to say, for our generation, what we actually need is somebody to be there and advice. Something to drop a little hints and notes, like, you have this right here going for you.

Keep it going. Just drop a little advice, like some support, because a lot of our youth and a lot of the generation really need support. And it's a big thing that they don't have in our lives, especially the urban youth, black and Latino, all that. We don't have that support.

But if we have that support system-- I wouldn't say a system. But if we have somebody in our life that can help us and drop off little hints-- even though you're far away, it doesn't matter where you are. I'm here. I wouldn't say, I'm in your life. But I'm here to help. All you need is motivation and advice. And if we have that advice and motivation, we think to ourselves and take that advice and motivation and push it and put it into ourselves and make something of ourselves. It's a really good help, a really big help.

It's like motivation-- people are like, oh, I'll motivate you with money and stuff like that. This program is not at all about that. It's showing you, other people, the older generation, oh, this is our youth. They're up next. This is our youth. They're ready to do something. They're ready to be big.

And motivation and advice from older people and wise minds is the biggest help we can get. It just can't be handed to us. The motivation and advice that's giving to us, it'll help us get to the places where we want to go. And that's basically I'll say all we need.

Q:

OK. So what is your motivation? What motivates you?

SCOTT:

What motivates me is basically my mother. She tells me a lot of stuff. I may not get it. But it's a way that I'll understand it, the way she puts it off. She shows love, but she shows tough love.

It's like, oh, it might be a little yelling. It might be some anger. But it's all love at the end of the day. Like, I want you to understand. And then she's like, if you really want to do something, you really got to understand.

My mom's my big motivator, for what she does in her life now, and how she is. She is a black woman, a single woman. And she's also deaf. It's a big motivation for me, because I'm seeing her do a lot of stuff that other people would look at her like, I wouldn't expect that kind of person to do that, especially a deaf person. It's really a big motivation.

She's doing stuff to motivate us and provide for us. And one day, I want to provide for her and motivate myself with that same energy and just provide for her and give her all the help she needs. And I wouldn't say owing her back. But it's what she deserves, because she works hard.

And she's here for a reason. She didn't just raise us just do nothing with life. She didn't raise us, oh, just to become a nobody. She raised us to be our own person and do something in life.

So basically she's my big motivator. That's what motivates me in life.

Q:

OK. When I say community, what comes to mind for you?

SCOTT:

Community-- what comes to mind with me? I would say our youth is the community. I wouldn't say it's just our race is a community. Our youth is a community, because we're all the same age bracket. We're all-- just because we're different genders, it's not really anything to it. But we're all youth. We all have something to look forward to in the future if we put our minds into it. And we all have some things in common.