Working with Alex Hermosie, he began acquiring a following and was always in Kareem’s presence. The speaker describes this person as one of his closest friends and the first person to not just provide the speaker with support, but also to begin to demand responsibility from the speaker for his words and deeds, for words he uses especially with regard to money. To this day, Kareem's no-nonsense attitude and ability to speak the truth speak directly to the speaker's heart.