.:Rollin' Heights Ballas - Character Stories:.

Jumped In

Born to a single mother in a crime-ridden neighborhood located off of Southeast Jefferson, Teshaun "Clutch" Jones was a frequent target of assault and harassment for much of his childhood. Tired of constantly fearing for his life, a twelve year old Jones began hanging around with members of a crew which claimed his neighborhood as part of their territory; the Rollin' Heights Ballas. Displaying a fierce loyalty to his comrades and a willingness to do anything to survive, Clutch was accepted into the set. Relying on his fellow gang members for protection, the young boy discovered that he possessed a surprising knack for hotwiring and stealing cars during a gang raid outside of the Jefferson Motel (hence the origin of his nickname).

The Paper Chase

No longer at the mercy of the neighborhood's established thugs, Clutch turned his attention to pursuing that which had eluded him before; money. Having grown up in a poor household, the young boy convinced himself that everything he knew was lacking in his current life could be attained through a fast money making scheme. Making use of his unique skillset, Clutch began breaking into cars parked throughout nearby neighborhoods, stealing cash, valuables, sound systems, and whatever else he could find. After narrowly escaping several close encounters caused by alarm systems, Clutch enlisted the help of some of the gang's senior members, who taught him how to steal much more valuable car parts without the risk of tripping alarms; tire rims, catalytic converters, hood ornaments, etc. Eventually mastering his trade, the youngster carried out thefts on between three and five cars every few weeks, delivering either their valuable components or the vehicles themselves to an RHB-run chop shop for a decent cut of the profits. It was through this cycle of theft and delivery that Clutch met Barry Kingston, a young RHB member also working for the chop shop. The two entered a de-facto partnership, with Clutch retrieving valuable items from vehicles and Barry selling them to opportunistic buyers on the streets. With a steady source of income and a powerful group of allies surrounding him, Clutch was happy. However, reality would soon find another quick means of doing away his contentment. One night, while Clutch and his younger brother Darnell "DJ" Jones were spending time with their homies outside of the East Los Santos Cinema, the family home became the target of a break-in. The burglars, two Hispanic men nursing PCP addictions, attempted to steal what few valuables Clutch's mother kept in the house. The robbery soon turned sour as the noise generated by the men's forced entry awoke Shaniqua Jones, who lay asleep in the next room. Stepping out into the hallway, she was shot point blank with a .357 revolver and bled to death as the two burglars fled the scene.

Running Away

After his mother's death in the botched burglary of the family home, Clutch disappeared from the set, running away to San Fierro in an attempt to escape his troubles. The youngster soon hooked up with an upstart gang of criminals known as the Cash Money Brotherhood, resulting in his spending the next few years of his life carrying out car thefts for the CMB chop shop and driving getaway cars for various mafia groups. The luster of fast cars and easy money soon vanished, however, as the Sindacco crime family ordered a hit to be placed on all CMB affiliates. Deciding to return to Los Santos and make up for lost time with his homies, Clutch traveled by bus to his former neighborhood of Rollin' Heights and joined his old friend Barry Kingston in representing the set once more.

"MC Mafia"

As a young gang member growing up in Los Santos, Clutch never displayed much interest in the city's hip hop and rap culture. Although he respected and enjoyed hearing the styles of early rap and G-funk artists, the closest the boy came to pursuing the genre as a hobby was participating in occasional freestyle cyphers amongst his peers. As the years passed, however, and the spirit and solemnity of the rap game began to evolve, so did Clutch's own persona. After his mother's death and the young man's subsequent escape to San Fierro, Clutch began to take more and more of an interest in hip hop as a form of expression and an outlet for creativity. The CMB affiliate was quick to break into the scene and become an active participant in San Fierro's freestyle and battle rap circuits, even making a few appearances on underground hip hop radio stations throughout the city. Upon returning to Los Santos and re-connecting with his gangland roots, Clutch wasted no time in pushing for a spot amongst the Balla-affiliated MC's of Base 5 Records, a label now owned and operated by his estranged brother, Darnell "DJ" Jones. Under the title "MC Mafia", Clutch's lyrical prowess is now featured on two mixtapes and has been put to the test in a heated feud with Green Masta Records, a rival record company.