The Heart of the City’s Podcast

Crackmatic and Drip Gualla aren’t just two kids from the Bronx — they’re the storm that changed it. One is the hottest unsigned rapper in New York City, a lyrical powerhouse whose verses double as street codes. The other is his ruthless right hand, an enforcer who built their empire one corner at a time. Together, they formed SGS — Shiesty Goon S...

Antonio “Bullet” Moretti grew up between two worlds—Black and Italian, accepted by neither, shaped by both. Forged in isolation and raised on survival, he learned early that precision hits harder than anger. The streets gave him a nickname. Malcolm James gave him a purpose.

Bullet became Malcolm’s enforcer, protector, and quiet storm—the man who didn’t...

Detectives Ethan McDuffy and Caleb Stone pride themselves on one thing: following the rulebook like it’s scripture. Not the smartest men in the precinct, but the most rigid, they move in perfect lockstep—mirrored desks, mirrored habits, mirrored scowls. Together they’ve earned a reputation as the “By The Book Guys,” two officers who never i...

The Heart of the City: Back Stories — Jody Ann Watson “Queenie Glam" The Beauty and The Badge.

Jody Ann “Queenie Glam” Watson lives two lives—one in diamonds and designer gowns, the other in shadows and classified files. Raised across embassies as the daughter of a U.S. diplomat–spy and a former Miss Dominican Republic, Queenie was destined for the FBI… until she went so deep undercover she no longer remembers where the assignmen...

Nicole “Nikki” Garcia was born into a Colombian cartel but raised to outthink it. Using Vargas to fuel her vision, she partnered with Malcolm James to flood Queens with product and quietly build her own empire. When Queenie Glam infiltrated her world on a covert mission, the two women formed a powerful, sister-like bond—until an explosion shattered everythi...

He’s the detective with the style of a movie star and the instincts of a street hustler. Luis “Pretty Lou” Martinez talks smooth, dresses sharp, and solves cases with charm instead of force. Partnered with Detective Mike James, Lou’s charisma makes him a legend on the streets — and trouble off the clock.

But behind the designer suits and easy smile lie...

Every city has a man who knows everything — and in this one, his name is RunTell. No gun. No badge. Just dreadlocks, dark shades, and an ear to every street corner.

In Tings A Gwaan, we uncover how a quiet hustler from Spanish Town became Brooklyn’s most connected man — the whisper between cops and kingpins. From Kingston dancehalls to Flatbush backrooms, RunTell moves t...

Before he was a detective… before the badge defined him… Mike James was just a kid trying to live up to his father’s shadow.

In The Good Guy, we follow the rise of a man who believes integrity still matters — even in a city built on compromise. Raised by a cop and standing opposite his hustler twin, Malcolm, Mike carries the James legacy into law enforcement with purpo...

Before the empire. Before the badge. Before the war between brothers — there was blood.

Bloodlines dives into the origins of Malcolm James, the man who turned family legacy into an empire. Raised between two worlds — a father in blue and a grandfather in the streets — Malcolm learned early that power comes with a price. While his twin brother Mike followed their father’s path into law enforcement, Malcolm chased the shadow of a leg...

The city is on edge. Malcolm James’ empire is cracking under federal heat, and new players like Crackmatic are seizing the streets of the Bronx. Detectives Mike “LL Big Mike” James and Luis “Pretty Lou” Martinez are trapped between corruption, loyalty, and love—while Queen Glam maneuvers through chaos with dangerous ambition. In this third installment, power shifts, alliances break, and every move could tip the balance of the empir...

The streets of New York grow darker as the Oak Street Goons push from Yonkers into the Bronx, forcing Malcolm James into dangerous alliances. Nikki’s loyalty to him crumbles under the Cartel’s grip, while MayBac and the ruthless Aqueduct Hittas unleash chaos across the boroughs. Detectives Mike and Pretty Lou face mounting pressure from Internal Affairs, even as Lou’s affair threatens to expose him. And in the shadows, undercover a...

The Heart of the City is the first installment in a gripping detective thriller series by Milton Johnson and Cole Manning. Set in New York City, it follows detectives Mike “LL Big Mike” James and Luis “Pretty Lou” Martinez as they navigate crime, corruption, and betrayal—while Mike’s twin brother, Malcolm James, rises as a powerful criminal kingpin. This is the story that launches a saga of loyalty, secrets, and survival in the cit...