Azie Faison, a former drug kingpin who now works to deter youth from drug use, saw his life nearly come to a premature end after being shot nine times during an unsuccessful robbery. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Harlem was significantly impacted by the widespread availability of affordable crack cocaine, significantly harming the local community. Among the notorious cocaine dealers who emerged in Harlem during this time were Alpo Martinez, Richard Porter, and Azie Faison.

In a notorious turn of events, Martinez killed Porter in 1990, only to meet his own demise in 2021. Faison, however, chose to pursue a different path, transitioning from a life in the drug trade to becoming an author and screenwriter, highlighting the less glamorous aspects of the lifestyle he and his cohorts once led. His memoir, “Game Over,” details his experience growing up impoverished in the Bronx with seven siblings, while his on-screen portrayal in the successful film Paid in Full shared his story and those of Martinez and Porter. Faison’s father tried to instill the value of responsibility in him, but growing up impoverished pushed him into the drug business. His decision to leave school and turn to drug dealing stemmed from a desire to escape poverty. After meeting another drug dealer, Lulu, Faison fully committed to the illegal drug trade by peddling cocaine.

Around 1983, Faison earned significant wealth from cocaine sales, becoming the primary breadwinner for his family. However, this sudden shift in financial status led to a strained relationship with his father, who voiced opposition to Faison’s involvement in narcotics. Faison was later shot nine times in a robbery gone awry, resulting in a strained relationship with his fellow drug-dealing partners, Porter and Martinez. However, after Porter’s murder and Martinez’s arrest, Faison decided to stop drug dealing and veer away from the criminal lifestyle.

Faison retired from the drug trade and founded a hip-hop group called MobStyle in 1989, releasing an album and working to turn kids away from drugs. He also co-wrote and produced the documentary “Game Over” and wrote the autobiography “Game Over: The Rise and Transformation of a Harlem Hustler,” both of which were released in 2007. Faison remodeled his life, working to deter youth from drugs and to spotlight the negative impacts of drug selling and use.