Urban War Zone

It's hard out here for a pimp. Or an employee at 395 Hudson Street.

For those who don't know, that's the address of one of New York's hip-hop radio stations, "Hot 97" aka "the O.K. Corral". The building also happens to house other businesses such as the Carpenters & Joiners Union, Thomson Financial and publishers Foundation Press.

Unfortunately for them, Hot 97's hip-hop visitors often bring drama with them. In recent years, the building has played host to a series of hip-hop-related shootings, including a 2001 incident involving members of Lil' Kim and Capone-N-Noreaga's crews which left one man injured and saw Kim's bodyguard Suif Jackson sentenced to 12 years in prison for firing his gun at least 20 times. Kim was found guilty of perjury after she told a jury that she was not present during the incident, and was sentenced to 366 days in prison.

In February 2005, Kevin Reed, a member of the Game's crew, was shot outside the Hot 97 lobby minutes after 50 Cent took to the airwaves to announce he was dropping the Compton rapper from his G-Unit stable.

And on Wednesday, a rapper named Jamal "Gravy" Woolard was shot in the buttocks outside the building, allegedly by a man who was upset that Woolard did not let him sit in on a Hot 97 interview.

Now...can you imagine being a poor working schlub who has to wake up every morning, knowing this is what he can expect on his way to work? I wonder; do they have service announcements in the building?

"Attention all tenants...please be advised that there is a hip-hop artist in the building. All necessary precautions should be taken to ensure your safety until they've left the area."

Or, standing outside the building on a smoke break and suddenly someone yells "Escalade!" You can tell the people who have worked in the building the longest; they're the ones who drop to the concrete like they were in Iraq and they heard "fire in the hole!"

I bet instead of putting water, bandages and a face mask in their employee emergency kits they put flak jackets, riot gear and tasers. Every employee probably has to wear an ID bracelet with their blood type and donor info on it.

Hey...do you think the companies offer hazard pay as an incentive to work there? Can you imagine the interview process?

"Well your resume looks good Mr. Smith, but we were wondering: do you have any combat experience? Can you handle a rifle?"