Everyone has heard about Rayful Edmond, the infamous Washington, D.C. drug lord turned snitch, but less is know about the crew behind him that put him in power. The majority of them stand up men of honor, who kept their mouths shut and have been buried in the belly of the beast since the late-80s crack era. Antonio “Yo” Jones is one of those men. He was the thug of enforcement for Rayful Edmond. When Rayful had a problem to be handled, it was to Antonio that he turned to. Antonio has kept quiet on this situation for over 20 years. But recently he wrote a street lit classic “As Quiet as Kept” about his time in the streets as one of the main enforcers and leaders of the Rayful Edmond crew. The book is a street banger that takes readers deep into the intricacies of the drug game and into the inner psyche of the Rayful Edmond crew. But don’t take our word for it, you know Gorilla Convict gets it straight from the penitentiary. Introducing Antonio “Yo” Jones:
Gorilla Convict- What is As Quiet as Kept about?
Antonio “Yo” Jones – “As Quiet as Kept” is a story about some of my past experiences during the early to late 80’s as it relates to the drug trade, mainly in the North East section ofWashington,DC (specifically Orleans and Morton Place N.E). The book explains in some detail our objective, which was keeping our crew safe at all times and more importantly keeping Rayful out of harms way by any means necessary. For the record, I do not condone this sort of lifestyle nor do I want to glorify it in anyway shape or form, I’m simply clarifying some stories and providing a source of entertainment.
GC- When did you put it out and why?
Yo- My book hit the streets for publication around May, 2011. I decided to generate an authentic story for the public eyes, mainly because I got tired of hearing this or that from people who didn’t have a clue as to what really took place throughout our organization. I also wanted people to understand that there were a lot of good men in our crew who stood tall when called upon. Most of these guys would’ve went to the end of the world and back if it helped us.
GC- How have you been promoting it and how is it selling?
Yo- Promoting the book has been a challenge, but we managed to move a decent amount of units via our website: jonesenterprise.net and the most vicious tool of all…word of mouth. We also have worked hand and hand with a few local book stores trying to gain an edge. We have a few other options that we will explore momentarily.
GC- What can your book tell people about that era that they don’t know?
Yo- My book gives readers an intimate look inside of the RE organization from someone who was knee deep into it from the beginning. It connects readers to a time when the town was like no other, people was getting paper all over, but we pretty much connected the dots. It also shows how difficult it is to run a successful organization, especially when family is involved. I almost had to send a few for a long dirt nap. In addition, the book shows just how corrupt Law Enforcement Agents were in that era, those punks tried to put a hit on me and my partner Jerry. We heard they had a bet going on that we wouldn’t make it past August 1986, what they didn’t know is that we had plans for them too!
GC- Back in your day DC was called Murder Capital of the World, describe that era and what it was like?
Yo- Back in the days was like living in a war zone, bodies were dropping all over the place. It was like the Wild West. People were putting in major body and fender work. DC had a lot of soldiers from all parts of town trying to come up. Money was flowing everywhere, but if you got stuck looking the wrong way to long and wasn’t strong enough as an individual or a crew you would have gotten jacked point blank. Your family would have been making funeral arrangements real quick. Even the women was strong, they would have took your shit one way or the other if you were soft. For us, it was business as usual, get money, handle business, mixed in with some pleasure.
GC- What other books would you compare your book too?
Yo- If I had to compare my book to another, I would say “Is It A Crime” by Roy Glenn. I really related to his portrayal of the character Mike Black, because slim was consistently on a paper chase. My mind was always on money, I didn’t care about all that other shit in the streets i.e drugs, women, parties.
GC- How long did it take to write and what was the writing process like?
Yo- It took me 15 years before I even started thinking about writing a book. The process was a slow one, but with the help of my son Antonio and a few other folks, specifically Ms. Newborn and Mr. Arrington the process became much easier. Writing this book allowed me to talk about a lot of good soldiers who get left out when discussing Rayful or his crew. Guys like Red Jr., Blue Black, Anthony Jones to name a few.
GC- What authors have influenced your writing?
Yo- I can’t say anyone influenced my writing, but I like authors who are real and provide the reader with a clear visual of the story.
GC- Tell us about your website jonesenterprise.com?
Yo- My website jonesenterprise.net was designed by my son Antonio, he put together this site mainly to provide people the ability to order the book online, while getting a visual of some dudes who were involved in our day to day operation. The thing is we’re the kind of guys who prefer not to be in the spot light, but we want to make ourselves visible when its legitimate business involved, so I gave him the ok to do whatever he feels necessary. He is the one making all the decisions; I’m just here along with my youngest son Antoine giving him a guided hand.
GC- What other books or ventures will you all be getting into?
Yo- Well our NUMBER 1 goal is to turn our book into a movie (DVD) and really show our creative side. We have other ventures that are in the works for instance, I have already started writing another book, I think both of my sons will be writing one as well. We want to eventually establish ourselves and build something for the future. I will be home shortly and I want to put something together where I can become a positive influence on young men and women who might be misguided.
The book can be purchased by sending a money order for $14.95 to-
Jones Enterprise
13030 9th Street
P.O. Box 81
Bowie, MD 20720
or on www.jonesenterprise.net with any major credit card. And will be available on Amazon.com soon.