Mike Tyson’s Interview With Lil Boosie Spotlights Much-Needed Black Self-Healing

They both reek of the abuse they’ve suffered. I can tell because I reek of the abuse I’ve suffered.

Andrew Ricketts
LEVEL

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Photo: Hotboxin’ With My Mike Tyson

When I entered the corporate world in my first full-time role, I felt terrified.

I was pumping a Black entertainment brand. Inside the company skyscraper, men strutted in the latest Jordans and designer hoodies or Italian suits. Everyone, from the assistants to the creative directors, had a prominent social media following. Some had summer houses, others big city dreams.

Fortunately, I had a mentor. He had impressed me early on with his sharpness. He dressed sharp, sure, and could stand out even among the bespoke men marching in that cool, crystal office. But he was mentally even sharper and had taken me under his wing.

He gave me a vote of confidence that I’d rarely experienced in my career or life: A Black man some years my senior that encouraged me, sought to build me up, and guided my decision-making. Our relationship was imperfect as I struggled to keep up with his frenetic pace, and he sometimes wanted more effort than I thought I could give. Still, he entrusted me with major staff moves, budget decisions, and strategies.

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Andrew Ricketts
LEVEL
Writer for

I’m a Caribbean and American writer from New York. My stories are about coming-of-age, learning how to relate, and family. It’s a living, breathing memoir.