Most mixtape DJ’s these days are overly concerned with the future: breaking new songs, new artists, new beefs. Occasionally, a posthumous blessing from a late MC may make the mix. Otherwise, expect nothing from yesterday. A Brooklyn DJ with the capability to be a mega-bomb dropper, opted to do otherwise. In June, DJ J Period released a mixtape chronicling the immense career of hip-hop’s most stylish innovator, Big Daddy Kane. The mix not only features Kane’s well known hits, but also the better efforts of his later work mixed and remixed to sound so sweet. If that weren’t enough, J Period added an exclusive unreleased Nas collaboration, as well as rare freestyles and Juice Crew cyphers. You’d need to rob a milk truck alone to hold the records that J Period used to capture the man, the icon. This mix was so tight that we at AllHipHop had to shine some light on it. We chopped it up with J Period on the elements of a quality mix, the reason behind his efforts, and much much more. If that wasn’t enough, Big Daddy Kane came through to drop some knowledge of his own, and speak up about J’s efforts. Does AllHipHop represent for the DJ’s? Bet your Vestax. In terms of the art itself and not the image, Big Daddy Kane is arguably the most influential figure in the way MC’s recite their lines today. According to J Period, thorough Brooklyn resident, "Kane influenced Biggie, he influenced Jay-Z, just in terms of their lyrical styles. But he doesn’t get the notoriety the others do. I haven’t been able to figure out why that is." True when spouting off your favorite rapper, do you really mention the Kane? You need to. J Period knew that, and it was part of his inspiration in making the mix: "Kane was one of my favorites growing up. I memorized every word and just knew him backwards and forwards. [Then] he kinda went off the radar for a while. I did this [mix], because I wanted cats to be like, ‘Oh s###, I forgot about Kane.’" But what exactly is it about Kane that caused such impact? We all have our own opinions. The man behind the mix, J Period provides his: "Kane is the combination of all the elements of hip-hop in one MC. He can do it hardcore and raw. He can [also] do a smooth, pimped out style [too.]" It can also be the fact that the mix equally portrays Kane’s dedication to providing the audience with a distinct message. At times, Kane breathed words of encouragement to the Black community. Other times, it was peace and positivity. But don’t get too coy rudeboy, ‘cuz Kane was more than capable of rhyming out a blueprint to just he thoroughly he could get up in that ass. All of these messages and styles are organized and demonstrated on J’s mix. The motivation for the mix came in two parts. While J Period would’ve likely done this anyway, he was approached by Lyricist Lounge to make the mix for the Big Daddy Kane tour. While many "Best of" mix CD’s seem to benefit the DJ and not the artist, Big Daddy Kane himself says otherwise of this mix: "I truly believe that it does benefit me. There’s a younger generation out there buying mixtapes. I made a whole lot of songs. This [mix] is giving cats not familiar with my work a chance to hear it. Stuff you not gonna hear on radio stations." Kane’s right, and this mix is hitting the hands of a whole new demographic. If the word of mouth benefit weren’t enough, J Period went a step further: "Out of respect to Kane, I sent him a couple hundred CD’s to do with what he pleases. So he can make a couple G’s. I don’t know if other mixtape DJ’s do that, and honestly, I don’t care." Actions like these are living proof to the lost belief that there is generosity and compensation left in hip-hop. Are other DJ’s really keeping it fair? If they were, why would this sound so unique. Still, in classic Kane style, when asked what he thought of the action, and if he was pushing the CD’s, Kane smoothly stated as he chuckled: "The CD’s still sitting in the crib." Clearly, you ain’t gonna catch King Asiatic on Canal Street. So that leaves the mix itself to question: what makes it good? First of all, by ‘Best Of’, this is not simply a greatest hits collection. Instead, J Period cataloged the entire Kane career, including things us lightweights overlooked. With some help from Q-Unique of the Rocksteady Crew, almost every Kane drop was accounted for. From the solo records, to the guest spots, to Juice Crew cutouts, and one moment in particular that touched Kane: "He put the whole version of the Madison Square Garden with Biggie and ‘Pac on there. Other people have used it and only used other n##### parts, and that’s my show! That was real love." See, even Funkmaster Flex and Big Kap need to re-look the Kane. And speaking of that freestyle, J remixed it with some Neptunes jams that will leave you handicapped. Another highlight of the mix that cannot be ignored is the Nas feature. While many say that G Rap was the most obvious influence on Nas, J Period left us with questions. On the classic, "Young Gifted and Black" you’ll hear Nasty Nas rip it on time, and with good reason. "I heard this [rare] Nas freestyle that just fit. He was rhyming over [Kane’s beat] and into a Biz beat. I felt whatever the vibe Nas was on when he [spit] that freestyle, it fit." The collaboration comes so smooth that you’ll swear it was intended that way. These two tracks are just faces in a crowd of flavorful cuts. J Period updated a lot of the sounds, and this mix serves as a moment […]

Ice Cube has been a fixture on the hip-hop scene for almost 20 years now. Many watched in awe as a group of N##### With Attitudes burst on to the hip-hop scene and changed the landscape of the game’s terrain. After a split from NWA due to money, a consciouss awakening through religion and politics, a film career that ranks among the most successful of hip-hoppers who have jumped to the silver screen, Cube’s back with Dre and things seemed to have come 360 for the man who helped usher in "Gangsta Rap." AllHipHop.com: Is the hood flick dead? Is that genre dead now? You know boys in the hood, Menace To Society, that gritty urban drama? Ice Cube: I don’t think so. I think it just has to be presented in a different way. There’s a million stories out there to be told. I think the over sensationalized version of those movies are done. But a real story that kind of sucks you into that world, there will always be room for that. I think in many ways, a movie like Barbershop, even though it’s not an urban drama, it’s like damn, I didn’t think that story would ever get told. AllHipHop.com: I really enjoyed that movie. At the end of the day everybody is skeptical, because a lot of time black movies are really…. I: They want to show the real, but they don’t really want to show the real deal, so it’s kind of glossed over. Like your grandma trying to sweep something under the rug. It aint done in a way we let it all hang out and say this is us. AllHipHop.com: That’s why I aint have a problem with the controversy of Cedric The Entertainer, because……. I: That’s how n*ggas talk in a barbershop! AllHipHop.com: Right! I: When it comes down to it, that’s the reason why the barbershop is the place to go for that, because aint nobody going to judge you on what you say about another motherf*cker. I was like we must of hit this right on the money! AllHipHop.com: Any plans for that NWA reunion or is that a wrap? I: I don’t think its a wrap. I don’t think we gonna talk about it. I just think by me being over there at Aftermath, just the opportunity for it to happen is gonna be more and more realistic. AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about working with Dre again? Clearly he is one of the best producers to ever hit rap. I: This is where I started and I haven’t been able to work with Dre 11 or 12 years on one project. We’ve done singles, one record here, one record there. We haven’t be able to marinate, we’ll see what we can conjure up. AllHipHop.com: To this day I play your albums, especially the first two. Those are my favorites and of course some NWA stuff. Being that your a veteran now, how do you feel about the rap game and the music out here that’s really getting major play when you guys really kicked the door in for that? I: It’s all good man. I always liken it to the NFL or something. The youngsters that come up in the game that’s fresh out, they gonna get all the love. That’s just the nature of the business. That’s how it was when I came out. Everybody’s gonna get their three, four years of sunshine. And then it’s all about, in those three, four years, have you developed a fan base that will be able to follow you when your the Emmett Smith of the world. Smith is still the baddest running back as far as legends go, but as far as physical play, there might be a couple guys out there that’s faster and stronger and bigger. They still can’t hold Emmett’s jock strap, even though this Sunday they might get more yards than him. That’s how the rap game goes. AllHipHop.com: Was acting a way for you to stay in the entertainment game even though the rap career might have not been doing as well as you wanted it to do? I: Well its kind of like one thing didn’t kick off the other. What happened was I got turned on by the movie business. I wanted to devote some energy to making sure it worked. Priority as a label was getting weaker and weaker, so it was a combination of thing. What I did was say I been in this game a long time and in rap years, this is forever. I do need to establish another career for myself because I couldn’t vision at the time any 40 year old rappers. I knew I could envision some 40 year old actors so. AllHipHop.com: What about Cubevision and what are your upcoming projects either rap or film? I: Well you know the rap project but we also trying to get this new Westside Connection album done. As far as the movie projects, it’s like we’ve done so much this year. We kind of want to take some time to clear our heads and then we’ll jump back in it. We haven’t really dug in with what we’re going to do next as a company! AllHipHop.com: As an actor you’ve done your share of comedy. Do you’ll do dramatic roles anymore? I: I want you to know it’s just kinda like only if the opportunity present itself in the right way. I’m not out to prove nothing to nobody. I’m not going to jump at a dramatic role just because I want to show people that I’m a good actor on that level. I just want to do good movies and if the script is good and I’m supposed to be dramatic in it and I can help the movie I’ll jump at it. AllHipHop.com: Do you think, is hip-hop getting to violent in terms of reality? It seems like there is a merger between the worst […]

AllHipHop: What are your duties entail as the president of Diplomat Records? Freekey Zeekey: With Diplomat its no set duty. I can have the camera or the tape recorder. I answer phones. I write checks, to sweeping floors. That’s my duty, because this is my business and we still up and running fabulous. Thank Dame for everything. We don’t allow people to know our position and we try not to flaunt it. Right now my friend Degar, he can come in he can come up with an idea that will make us millions and he’ll just run it. We’ll give him the paper, that’s just how we work. But everybody know the position they gotta play. AllHipHop: Why does everybody consider you the Eddie Kane (from the “5 Heartbeats”) or the crazy dude out of the Dipset? Freekey Zeekey: I just bring the charisma. I actually come up with a lot. I help with everything. Just because my name is not on it doesn’t mean my hands was not in it. I wouldn’t be labeled the President. You don’t just get labeled a President in that type of position because you just know somebody. I also just put back a lot of business information and I just tell Cam. I work threw Killa to get a lot of things done. AllHipHop: How did you and Jimmy Jones meet? I’m sure yall been friends forever. Freekey Zeekey: Basically it was with Jim, that’s how we really tied into each other. I met Jim in Summer School. I had to go to summer school for math in the third grade, so I walked in there and I was just sitting by this real short lightskin dude. We was telling people who our mothers names was and he said sally. That was his grandmother and my mother name was sally so that was the connection. Then he lived on the fifth floor and I lived on the fifth floor and he lived in Harlem, you know that little third grade thing. Then how it really sparked off. This is the truth. I wasn’t gonna say it but f*ck it. This kid dropped a token on the floor and I looked at it and Jim must of looked at it. So we went to get the token and then we both was like damn near fighting for it almost. Then he was like what you gonna do with it? I was like buy a pizza and we ended up splitting it. We found a token that was a good token. And then after that I ran into Killa. AllHipHop: So you were with them in the Big L days and the Mase days? Freekey Zeekey: Yeah I was supposed to be Mase’s hypeman, that’s how that started. I was gonna be Mase’s hypeman because Cam is like "Yo, somebody gotta be the hypeman. Puff took that. Puff ended up doing that. Killa was like don’t worry about it. Once I get on its on. They we rhymed for B.I.G. and then it rocked. AllHipHop: So yall got a lot of success. Besides Jay-Z, you dudes have the platinum formula at Roc-A-Fella. What do you do to maintain that? Freekey Zeekey: We gonna stay rapping, working hard. What it is with us, we always come up with ideas. Somebody might snap on somebody and just because of that, it leads into a reason to get them. AllHipHop: Do you got a lot of businesses? I know Cam, Juelz and Jimmy got a lot of stores, marketing companies, car services and all that. Freekey Zeekey: All of that is tied in with all of us but like me myself, what I’m was gonna branch off and do its coming up soon. I was gonna start buying abandoned buildings and housing aids patients. I’m looking into that. Its real serious. It should be coming up soon. I got a movie coming out. Its called "Come Home With Me." Its like a biography of all of our lives. AllHipHop: Before when I talked to you for a different story, we couldn’t find you. Cam made it seem like he might fire you because you were gone for so long. Freekey Zeekey: You doing an interview with me, right? There are certain things-I cant really talk about, but put it this way. There’s no way in the world Cam, Jimmy or Juelz will actually really, really not know where I’m at. AllHipHop: Did you feel bad about missing a cover story for The Source because that was a big story? Freekey Zeekey: I felt bad as a motherf*cker, believe me. You know that actually a lot of other people started calling me and they wanted to make Eddie Kane/Freekey Zeeky t-shirts. A lot of marketing things came up with that. That’s crazy. Actually I made a couple dollars off of that. I made a couple thousand shirts. AllHipHop: Any last words on Dipset or you personally? Freekey Zeekey: I don’t wanna say last cuz nothing ever last about Diplomats. Just stay tuned. We about to do the damn thing. Just stay tuned and be prepared. Freekey all day everyday.

April 25, 2003, about 3 a.m. Freekey Zeekey was dazed, bloody, but alive. He had just been shot in the chest and abdomen and run over by his assailants’ vehicle in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. He looked down and his friend Eric “E” Mangrum was lying on the ground with what appeared to be a crimson faucet of blood coming from his torso. Shot in the chest and shoulder, his friend was pleading for his life – sadly, he didn’t make it. Unlike his Dipset comrade, Zeke was almost a murder victim. "The dude tried to grab my chain," Freaky said. "[Guns] came out. He was like ‘Give me your mother f**kin’ chain.’ I was like, ‘No’ and grabbed his wrist and you heard the shots let out." Even after being blasted he managed to wrestle another gun from another attacker. Typically, with survival comes wisdom and Freekey – no stranger to drama and madness – now speaks of his latest trial and subsequent refocus. AllHipHop: What’s been going on with you lately? Freekey Zeekey: I been through a real recovery. Whoever see me right now they just see me smiling, running, laughing, joking running around like aint nothing happen. Bust honestly something serious id happen. It’s on that wall right there but I’m all right. It’s like God blessed me. They found like over 40 shells on that floor, so that goes to show you right there what they was trying to do. AllHipHop: I heard you on the radio wilding just a few days after you got shot.. Freekey Zeekey: After I got out. I was amped up. You gotta understand these n*ggas tried to murder me! After they tried to murder me. It was a situation where I just had did a show at Jimmy’s [Uptown Cafe in the Bronx] and we all gathered up like 116th to go to the studio to work. The studio was closed so everybody went their separate ways. I was riding around with 3 of my friends just looking to got to a club or just to relax or go to party. I was like you know what I’ma go and see Jim and before I could even park somebody hit the car. The only thing on my mind is how much of a dent is in my car. So we got out to converse and talk and when I looked it was like a $300 Poppi Poppi Hunts point job. I’m like I’m good. So these kids, they running around saying please don’t make it a police issue. I was young before so I know they probably had they uncle car and they probably got a learners permit so I’m like whatever, aiight. I was like I’m going to the club. They asked to go around the corner, which is 22nd Street and Sixth Avenue. This aint like 138th between 7th and 8th, so I’m like aiight, so we get around there. I was gonna ask them for a little bit of money. The only thing on my mind was I was gonna ask them for $300 and they was gonna give me a $100. Next thing I know, a gun is in my face now and the dude got his hand wrapped around my chain saying give me the motherf*cking chain. So I’m awe like, I’m shocked while all of this is going on. I’m like "aww man." I don’t know what made me say no but I said nope and I just went with my instincts, which was to grab him and stuff and from there it was all prayers. AllHipHop: When did you realize you were hit? Freekey Zeekey: I put the dude in a fold nelson I’m backing up in the street. The dude got as close as to where you at to where I’m at and honestly, the guy that I had in a fold nelson, he told his dude to hit me. So I saw him raise the gun and hit me. After that it was a matter of hoping that I didn’t die, because when he hit me I was under so much adrenaline, I just pulled him back down and we just kept wrestling and fighting. He hit me in the mouth and all that and they ran me over. They ran me over and dragged me and ran me into the building. I don’t know how to explain it because like that could of happened to anybody, not just because of who I am. They didn’t know who I was, I was inside the car. It was a blessing that I made it out alive. Unfortunately my friend Eric didn’t. He was a good friend of mine who I was actually giving a position to that night. It was his daughters birthday. AllHipHop: This aint the first time you been shot before right? Freekey Zeekey: I got shot in a church before. This was a case of basically sticking up for somebody else. I’m coming from a Catholic school party, going to a Catholic church. What happened is somebody punched my man in the face so I was yelling. I was 17 at the time. I’m in the back waiting for the fight to go on cuz I know my man is about to crack this n*gga jaw. I’m like "yea n*gga." He just grabs his face and he’s like "why you hit me so hard? So I’m looking like being some type of Samaritan. I just got in between both of them and said "listen it aint no beef, obviously my man don’t want beef." So the dude punches me in the face, so now I’m getting ready to fight, but his brother pulls his shirt up with his hand out and I caught vision of the guys gun. So I went to reach for the gun and my man, who just got punched in the face, got so scared of the gun he grabbed me by my shirt. […]

Most people know Randy "Macho Man" Savage from his legendary bouts in the professional wrestling arena. Most don’t know that the man who took wrestling to the mainstream, hopes to do the same with his debut hip-hop album, Be A Man. The album drops October 7th on Big 3 Records. Savage convincingly does the hip-hop thing with the best of them and even throws a diss record at his wrestling enemy, Hulk Hogan on the album. Peep Macho’s game. AllHipHop.com: People are definitely eager to hear what you have to say about you actually becoming a rapper. I heard some of the album and it sounds like your serious about it, is that true? MM: I’m serious about the project, I’m having fun at the same time though. I’m openly telling everybody that. I’m just trying to entertain my wrestling fans and bring some crossover for people to the hip hop genre. I got thirteen songs on the album. Me and my crew the rascals, have been doing this since November and we’re going to definitely come out with a couple albums. We are working on those right now as we speak. AllHipHop.com: So, what got you going with the thought of a rap album? MM: Because I’ve been a fan of it, I’ve listened to music all my life. Being a fan of LL Cool J, Run DMC, Eminem and The Beastie Boys, you know. AllHipHop.com: So how difficult was it for you to rap? MM: Well in the beginning it was different, but the guys over here were like "just keep at it like everything else, it will come" and that’s what happened. I had such a love for it that it started to come natural. AllHipHop.com: So what’s the deal with you insulting Hulk Hogan? MM: That’s the number one question that people ask. They want to know if that’s scripted because in our history we’ve been friends on and off the air. It’s a for real deal. A lot of the time in wrestling, we had feuds on the air. We’ve had them off the air too, but this one here is a situation where he went to the airwaves and started insulting me with the media, instead of calling me out like a man. So like two years ago I challenged him. I gave him two weeks to except right before Christmas. All the money would go to the St. Petersburg children’s hospital in a neighborhood where we live and I felt like it didn’t matter if he won or I won, the kids would win. That way we could settle it man to man in the ring. I gave him a week to except the challenge otherwise I would donate 10 thousand dollars to the children’s hospital, which was a good present but not like a pay-per-view would have done. A pay-per-view would have been crazy with all the merchandise and all that. So he chose not to do it. It’s the only diss song. The other twelve are a variety of songs, club songs even a love song, one song is dedicated to me and Hogan’s situation where I really box with him lyrically. AllHipHop.com: Are you being hated on in the industry? MM: Not really, I mean I’ve been away from there for a little bit, and Hogan was just there and he just left, so its kind of like we both freelanced. Like last time I caught up with him, there was nothing stopping him from taking the challenge. We’re both free agents and we both could agree to wrestle at Wrestlemania 20. AllHipHop.com: Some of the people on AllHipHop wanted to ask you some questions. They seem to have more knowledge of wrestling than me. A lot of people want to know who’s on the album and who you worked with. MM: One of my songs was with DJ Clue, a couple of the artists on Big 3 and we also have Primary Colors. AllHipHop.com: What about the actual process of writing the rhymes. Did you do any of that? MM: I did a little bit on the Hogan song! We all threw in a couple of good ideas, it was just a mixture. They call themselves collectively the Rascals but it’s a group with about five different guys. AllHipHop.com: What are the song concepts and stuff? I hear one is a love song and then there’s one dedicated to a wrestler that died. MM: Mr. Perfect, he was a very close friend of mine. We called him Mr. Perfect in the WWF and I just expressed what had happened and paid tribute to him for his family for the kids. AllHipHop.com: What are your views on wrestling right now? It changed a lot since I was growing up it seems more like a drama and plot oriented thing. MM: It’s always been that way but a lot of the fans out there are saying its even more. I think Wrestlemania 20, I’m open for it, Macho Man and Hogan. Bring the hip-hop into it, it could be the kind of platform for 20, kind of like Def Jam Vendetta what there doing with the rappers, maybe that could be a little bit of a spring board and stir up some other interests. AllHipHop.com: What’s a stage show like for you? MM: It’s great, we just did one called Payback for Big 3, and the whole town turned out! We had fights in the parking lot and everything like that, we actually made a mistake with the venue we picked but we turned out the town and it was crazy. AllHipHop.com: I heard you had a problem with hecklers, do you think that will be a problem with Hulk Hogan fans? MM: I think it’s great I love it; I swear most of them changed from haters to lovers right in the middle of the song. They took off Hulk shirts and put on Macho Man shirts. AllHipHop.com: So how […]

Harlem’s smoke is still rising. But this time the fire burns from the rap industry’s latest artist, battle rapper Jae Millz. Our first introduction to Jae Millz on a mainstream level stems from his guest appearance on P.Diddy’s “Making the Band,” when he went toe-to-toe against the group captain Ness. However, Jae Millz is ready to step into his own arena and gain attention not so much from battling, but from his first solo effort. “NO, NO, NO,” Millz hot new single on the Warner Brother’s label pounds the streets with its reggae effect coupled by slick-stabbing lyrics. Mixtape shows from New York City and beyond are now requesting the track heavy. The song is a definite crowd-pleaser that will make rooted Yardies throw up their lighters, and Hip-Hop fiends lick-a-shot. All-in-all, Jae’s persona for a rookie exceeds the norm. Maybe that’s from an independent drive to succeed, or maybe his desire to excel is paved from the lessons taught by some of the leading legends in this game. Only Jae Millz has the answers, but I do know he is proud to say that cats such P. Diddy are instrumental to his career. Allhiphop: What’s up? You’re pretty new on the main rap scene. Inform the audience about Jae Millz. Jae Millz: I got in the game through battling. Battling was my little, well not my gimmick, but my little way of getting in the game. Everybody who was hot….they had to come see me. If you was in the hood and you was hot, they had to bring you up…you gotta battle my man Millz. Then the Making the Band thing happened. Making the Band came you know what I’m saying? Then Puff called my peoples…they were like… Yo! Puff wants you to come down there and do a little Making the Band thing. And then that was my claim to fame. Allhiphop: Now there are a lot of rappers in Harlem. Jae Millz: There are a lot of rappers in New York. Allhiphop:How did you formulate that plan to get yourself seen (by P.Diddy) verses a million other rappers coming out of New York, Harlem preferably? Jae Millz: I started once again by battling. I mean, I used to battle like everyday. I would battle like three people at one time. Then it got to the point…I was doing you know a little mix-tape here or there. I was just doing anything. I didn’t care. I just wanted to be on anything. Then I started doing a public access show, you know what I’m saying? It only came on in Manhattan, but I was killing it like I was the king of that show. They made an intro just for me! It was crazy…like after that the whole NY started finding out about me. People would just be watching TV and catch the show and see me. People from labels started calling my house off the fact of what I was saying on the public access show. So it all built up. Then I started being on a lot of DJ Enuff’s mix-tapes and Kay Slay. I went on the radio…I was here…I was there, there, magazines, it just blew up and the Making the Band thing of course. Everybody wanna know what happened on the “Making the Band” show. Allhiphop: Tell us a little bit about that whole Making of the Band and going against the lyrical Ness? Jae Millz: Our homeboy P. Diddy, I met Diddy when I was crazy young. Like when he first met me he was like you’re nice and a good rapper. You know what I’m saying? He was like there’s a difference between a good rapper and a great rapper. Someone who can really hold somebody’s attention…if you can’t hold my attention then what’s the point of me listening to you? So when I went into the battle, I always remembered when he told me that from when I was younger. So I started out crazy. I started out crazy calm, wild, cocky, wild-sarcastic, but I was talking about something. It wasn’t like I was just saying something to be saying something. I was talking about something and that’s what caught his attention. He was just like…Yo! You’re crazy!! But I think before it got out of hand…he didn’t want it to go there. We kept it real respectful for the cameras. Allhiphop: So what is gonna be your pitch to stay in the game? Are you riding on that battle theory? Are you gonna be that storyteller rapper? What’s gonna be your edge? Jae Millz: I do everything. If I want to tell a story, I could tell a story. If I want to tell you how I was raised, I’ll tell you how I was raised. If I want to battle through a track, I could battle. If I want to party, I could party. If I want to tell you how beautiful you are…I’ll tell you that I want to ride in a whip with you. I could do all that. So it’s not really like I’m gonna try to stay on the hardcore side. I’m gonna do whatever I feel like doing. Allhiphop: Now you know that the game is funny right now, real sticky, real clicky. How are you gonna side pass that? Jae Millz: You gotta do you. People fall into other peoples tracks wanting to do what other people do. Everybody sees 50 Cent doing him and how he’s handling his business. Now everybody wants to handle their business like that. Everybody wants to make DVD’s and have their guns out. You know what I’m saying? Everybody’s a killer. Now just a minute ago ya’ll was nice rappers. You know what I’m saying? Ya’ll was cool. All of a sudden ya’ll killers. Everybody gotta do what works for them. If you do what works for you from the beginning, you’ll always be alright. Jigga ain’t never changed his style. It worked for him. […]

AllHipHop: How did you join the Panthers? GJJ: I never joined the Panthers. My function, after Martin Luther King was killed, was to come and defend our community. That was something we had to do. So, when I came out, I worked in the South and then East – New York. I didn’t get to California [main location of the Panthers] ‘til last. So, California has control of the media so when history is written, California gets so much credibility that it doesn’t deserve because they write these things. When I got to California, the name of that group was the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. There was an office in Oakland, a half of an office in San Francisco and an office in Los Angeles. I took that assignment as an challenge. I did the same thing with the New Republic of Africa. I worked with that group, I worked with S.N.I.C. [the 60s group Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee] with Stokely Carmichael aka Kwame Ture an any number of other organizations. I come from the Deacons of Defense down here. We were assigned to help train them [the Panthers]. Teaching our soldiers to defend themselves. We were very successful. AllHipHop: As far as you personally, being set up, by the government – did you know you were being watched by CointelPro? GJJ: No. Our ministry was the first to become suspicious. We had no idea it was being orchestrated at such a high level of the government. We knew that it was beyond the local borders but we had no idea it was such a widespread operation against us. AllHipHop: When you were accused of killing a school teacher, did you feel that you were going to get convicted? GJJ: Well, I was accused of quite a few cases. The first and most notable was the one Charles Mansion was convicted of. I was picked up on that before him. And then there were quite a few other murders or 187s that they would put on me so I couldn’t make bail. So, this was common practice and when the killing of teacher came up, I thought it was another tactic that they were using to keep me without bail. AllHipHop: And, at that time, Johnny Cochran was your defense lawyer, right? GJJ: I would teach all of my Panthers that if you are charged with a murder or any crime that means taking your life is: The Last thing you wanna do is turn around and say “Hey, I got an attorney to take care of me.” That’s the last thing you want. I was my own attorney. He would come in and assist – Johnny would be one the attorneys that we would get to assist the Panthers. He’s like my brother. We are like family members. AllHipHop: One thing that I felt was really inhumane is, after they convicted you, you spent eight straight years in solitary confinement. What state of mind were you able to maintain to survive that period? GJJ: You talking a long period of time, through a lot of torturous situations. You name it, I went through the gambit. I struggled to survive at every turn. It was the resistance that deep within me. We were born into struggle – we didn’t joint. You born seeing the Klan lynching people and all sorts of racist terror. After Viet Nam and all that stuff, I was tempered to anything they had coming. It wasn’t easy, because California had the worst “hole” (solitary confinement) at the time. AllHipHop: Did you have support from your peers or family? GJJ: Yeah, but you have to understand it wasn’t [a lot of communication] similar to the way they are doing suspected Taliban and sh*t like that. The country was up and arms about anything militant. We were cut off from newspapers, television, radios – that was unheard of. And visits. AllHipHop: How did you manage…were you struggling to get a new trial? GJJ: Well, the initial reaction was to escape. Because, in our minds, we were in a liberation struggle. We were taught, when you are captured by the enemy, you escape. Its hard to do that when you are in a box. By the time I got out of the hole in 1978, I had more privileges and I was able to use their judicial system to affect the release of other prisoners. And also, get myself out. At that point, the FBI’s CointelPro operation was being released to the public. I had documentation that showed that I wasn’t around during the time of the murder – way back then – from the FBI. AllHipHop: In getting out, Johnny Cochran was then instrumental, right? GJJ: Johnny was always there. It was a white boy named Stewart Handlin was my runner. I met him in ’74 when I was on death row. During those years, he was the one right across the bay that would make runs if I needed any outside legal assistance. And he also had Johnny’s personal telephone number. Anytime he called Johnny, Johnny was there. If you go to jail, you go and get yourself. I want to let you know that Johnny was instrumental in a lot of tactic. He is a media personality. Johnny is family. AllHipHop: Can you speak on the $4.5 million settlement you made? GJJ: I never settled. It was a suit I filed after getting the FBI’s documents years ago. They were clearly engaged in criminal activity against us yet we were held as criminal. To me, something is wrong with that, so I filed a suit. The FBI and the Los Angeles [police] admitting their wrongdoing and they gave us $4.5 million. I didn’t settle that. I wanted to go to trial because I got comrades in jail. I got Assata Shakur [Tupac’s aunt] in Cuba. I got Peter O’Neil in Tanzania. We wanted to use [the trial] as a platform as absolve them of […]

For real, for real: To understand – better yet – to know Tupac Shakur, you must peer beyond hip-hop into history. The family tree that bore Tupac has a lineage of political activists, Black Panthers, and a tightly woven unit all rolled into one prolific individual person that was stolen from the Earth on September 13, 1996. His mother, Afeni, was a Black Panther, one of the Panther 21, and Mutulu, his stepfather, was a staunch activist that remains in jail for crimes he says he didn’t commit. Both Common and Paris have written songs about his Aunt Assata Shakur, who has sought asylum in Cuba. And then, there is Geronimo Ji Jaga (Also referred to as Geronimo Pratt). Geronimo is Pac’s godfather and he too has a story. Geronimo recalls Tupac has a child bustling with energy, but soon he, like many others in empowering movements of the 60s was taken away from his life’s work, friends and his family. Geronimo spent 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, the victim of the then-president J. Edgar Hoover’s “extermination campaign” against the Panthers and similar groups. Eventually, he was freed after declassified FBI papers proved his innocence and that the government was guilty of illegal persecution. When he got out, his godson, Tupac, was dead. Still, Geronimo’s recollections of Tupac are fond and his experience, like many of those surrounding the rapper, are related. Now, Geronimo lives near Mount Killamanjaro, Africa, where he fights the rampant AIDS epidemic, but he took time to talk to AllHipHop.com about Tupac and himself. Not surprising, his story is as riveting as his godson’s. AllHipHop.com: As his godfather, who was the real Tupac? Geronimo Ji Jaga (Pratt): Tupac, to me, was this beautiful little boy that used to climb all over me that was so full of energy. He was not a well known person then. And then, as I saw him grow, I felt that Tupac had this thing in him and he was just so special to me. And so was his sister, Sekyiwa. And the point where he became famous is the point of our departure, because I didn’t hear from him but 2-3 times. Indirectly from him mother or something, but he was busy – I understood. But, it was a Pac I didn’t really know. The only Pac I knew was before he got famous. He was my man, my man. AllHipHop: A few members of the family that I’ve talked to said similar things that they lost touch after the family went to the West Coast. GJJ: I was shocked when I [found out] that Pac was a millionaire. I had no idea that Pac had any money. I heard his name on the radio a couple times. And then I come out here and he’s dead? And his mother is telling me all these things: Pac did this, Pac did that. That just goes to show how alienated I was. I was generally proud when I heard his name – that’s my god boy. AllHipHop: What do you think about the legions of fans that follow him? GJJ: That something. It’s like Elvis not being allowed to die. The won’t let Pac die. And when they ask me, I say, as long as I breathe air Pac is never dead. This is what they want to hear. I always say that anyway. These kids come up and hug me and I say, “Damn, these kids love Pac.” I cannot figure it out other than the chemistry that existed, that he was a genius and he knew how to reach his people. He reached them, they love him and they will not let him die. I love him, because he’s my godson, he’s family and I struggle to understand as I grow. AllHipHop: The Pac that I personally related to the most was the one when he first came out, when he was a lot more political. Do you think a lot of people forget “that” Pac? Seems like people relate to the “Thug Life” side? GJJ: Most of the people that came into the Panthers, that violated, were send by the police. And so they glorified that image of the gangsterism and they shunned all the s### we were doing in the community-feeding children, medical care and whatnot. That’s the enemy at work. So, with hip-hop, they will glorify the destructive elements and try to subdue the positive side. I think Pac had a good balance. AllHipHop: You were a proven victim of CointelPro [The FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program]. Is it possible that CointelPro is still active today. GJJ: I do believe [that], as I stated when I first got on hip-hop. Hip-hop is indigenous and its powerful and it scares the hell out of these people, right? So, they have to get control and employ CointelPro-like tactics. They work easily. I saw it with Pac. Before he was murdered I mentioned that to him. I believe to this day that they were involved in his death and they were involved in other deaths. AllHipHip: AllHipHop.com definitely likes to have a bit of education for our readers and ourselves. So can you give us some background on you? GJJ: I was born and raised in Louisiana in the swamps. I eventually ended up in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and, of course, Los Angeles and San Francisco. After coming home from Viet Nam [I started] training Black people how to defend themselves militarily. So, that’s the jist of my background. AllHipHop: So you were the minister of Defense for the Black Panthers? GJJ: I was the actual Minister of Defense. Huey Newton was the nominal Minister of Defense while in prison. He knew nothing about military. It was more of an organizing tool to have Huey’s picture there, because he has been in prison. I was the actual minister even though we never tripped on titles. I was in charge of the ministry of defense. […]

A memory. One evening when I was eighteen years old I came home after my night shift at McDonald’s to a police officer standing in my driveway next to my second used car, a fly burgundy ’78 Volvo. He informed me that my car had been seen leaving the scene of a crime. Allegedly someone had driven my car to break into another car in my neighborhood and steal an amplifier. Since I had walked to work that evening and had left my car at home I knew I hadn’t committed the crime. So I turned to look at my younger, more “criminally active” brother who was standing on my front stoop and was welcomed by the guilt ridden expression on his face. It was then that Mr. Officer leaned over and whispered into my ear, “I know your brother did this, just get him to say he did it.” After the pig asked me to snitch on my own brother, I turned back around and stretched out both of my arms to be handcuffed. That evening cemented in my mind, along with years of personal experience and healthy doses of N.W.A., Geto Boys, and Eightball & MJG, that pigs have an ethical responsibility to be as unethical as possible in patrolling and controlling mine and your community. So when I got a chance to speak with the lead investigator in the Tupac Shakur murder case, Sgt. Kevin Manning, my level of trust in his integrity regarding this case was nil. Unfortunately, nothing Sgt. Manning had to say to me in our conversation reversed my initial wary feeling. You see, much like David Roger, the District Attorney in Vegas, Sgt. Kevin Manning just doesn’t appear interested in this case. So if you feel the need to motivate Mr. Manning into submitting a case to the District Attorney for prosecution in the murder of Tupac Shakur, give him a call at (702) 229-3521 or send him a motivational message at: k2434m@lvmpd.com. Everyone needs motivation once in awhile. [The views expressed by this writer don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of AllHipHop.com] Allhiphop.com: Who do you believe murdered Tupac Shakur? Kevin Manning: Who I personally believe (murdered him) doesn’t matter. It’s the evidence that matters, not my personal belief. Allhiphop: According to Det. Brent Becker in a statement he made to Primetime Live, in 1996 your department knew who murdered Tupac Shakur. So why then wasn’t a report with recommendations for prosecution submitted to the District Attorney in this case? Kevin Manning: As of this date, and its been this way since day one, there is no evidence to submit to the District Attorney for a prosecution of anyone. Allhiphop: So that statement that he made to Primetime Live in 1996 – “we know who did this, we just don’t have anyone willing to come forward” – was that accurate or inaccurate? Kevin Manning: He had his belief as to who’s responsible; I have my belief as to who’s responsible. And as I said from the beginning, my belief doesn’t matter; it’s the evidence that matters. Allhiphop: Is there still a lack of witness issue, as he alluded to, with this investigation? Kevin Manning: When I say evidence, that includes direct evidence that would come from witnesses and any circumstantial evidence. And as of today we have no evidence that would implicate any individual. Allhiphop: So you don’t even have a prime suspect? Kevin Manning: Once again, we have no evidence, circumstantial or direct, which would implicate any one or more individuals. Allhiphop: Was there any circumstantial evidence at any point to try and take this case to a grand jury? Kevin Manning: If we had that we would have done that. Allhiphop: In most gang killings there are no willing witnesses, so why couldn’t this case have been proven without witness testimony? Kevin Manning: The only direct evidence that we have in this case is nothing that can connect to an individual, and so the only thing left is either circumstantial or witness testimony, and since we don’t have any witnesses who’ve ever come forward to say that they recognized or saw anyone commit this crime there’s nothing to submit to a grand jury or to the District Attorney for prosecution. Allhiphop: Do you believe that there were any eyewitnesses to the murder in addition to Yafeu “Kadafi” Fula? Kevin Manning: There was a bunch of eyewitnesses, including Suge Knight himself. Allhiphop: Do you believe Mr. Knight was deliberately uncooperative in the investigation? Kevin Manning: You’d have to ask him that question. Allhiphop: Why weren’t ballistics test done on the .40 caliber Glock that was believed to belong to Orlando Anderson to see if the gun matched the bullets found in Tupac’s body? Kevin Manning: I don’t know where you’re getting your information from, but we’ve done testing on numerous weapons over the years. And I’m not gonna get into specifics, who’s weapons we have or have not tested. Allhiphop: There wasn’t a .40 caliber Glock recovered from the house that Orlando Anderson was believed to reside in? Kevin Manning: I know for a fact that the information from the cartridge cases and the like has been entered into the national system and there has never been a match. Allhiphop: Why wasn’t Tim Brennan’s affidavit (see Chuck Philips – “Me Against The World”) enough circumstantial evidence to seek an indictment against Orlando Anderson for Tupac’s murder? Kevin Manning: Because it has no evidence in it. There’s a lot of hearsay, and that’s not sufficient for prosecution. Allhiphop: Can you tell me if the information in the affidavit was ever followed up, were those witnesses ever re-interviewed by your department? Kevin Manning: We’ve talked to hundreds and hundreds of people over the years. And once again, as of today, no one has ever provided any evidence that’s substantial and would be needed for an indictment. Allhiphop: According to a statement made by Orlando Anderson to Chuck Philips, as of October of 1996 your […]

Grand jury. What is a grand jury? According to the American Bar Association (no liquor, but lots of drunk lawyers) "the primary function of the modern grand jury is to review the evidence presented by the prosecutor and determine whether there is probable cause to return an indictment." Basically, the grand jury was designed as a safeguard against tyrannical prosecutors, preventing them from prosecuting in their own interests and not the people’s. Unfortunately, the grand jury hears only cases brought to it by the prosecutor. And in the case of the murder of a hip-hop legend, one man, David Roger, has decided that the people don’t deserve to take a look. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Roger, the District Attorney of Clark County, Nevada, and absorbing some good ‘ole fashioned prejudicial gibberish. As you will read for yourself, selective prosecution was alive and well in this great land of ours long before 9/11. The man who decides which Vegas hookers go to jail and which get sent back to Hollywood seems a little apathetic about the Tupac Shakur murder case. He just doesn’t seem interested. Well, all public officials need to be encouraged once in awhile, prodded into actions deemed necessary by the people they’re sworn to serve. So if you feel the need to encourage Mr. Roger to have a grand jury convened to investigate the murder of Tupac Shakur, give him a call at (702) 455-4711 or send him an encouraging message at: rogerd@co.clark.nv.us and remind Mr. Roger that he can’t ignore this case any longer. 7 years is long enough! Allhiphop.com: Did the Las Vegas Metro Police submit a report to your office with recommendations as to what charges should be filed in the Tupac Shakur murder case? David Roger: Not that I’m aware of. I’m the present District Attorney, I took office January 6th, and so anything that happened in a prior administration would not be within my knowledge. But I don’t think they submitted a case to us. Allhiphop: Why then wasn’t a grand jury convened in this case to see if there was enough evidence to prosecute Orlando Anderson or anyone else for the murder of Tupac Shakur? David Roger: We use the grand jury primarily to present cases that we intend to seek indictments. The procedure is that the detectives present us with their reports when they believe that they have sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. We review the case and if we agree with their statement that there is sufficient evidence, then we either file charges in Justice Court or we proceed to a grand jury and we present the case to them. And it’s my understanding that they did not present a case to us. There was no evidence to present to a grand jury. There are times when detectives will ask us to assist in the investigation and subpoena witnesses to testify before the grand jury in its capacity as an investigative division, but to my knowledge that did not occur. Allhiphop: Since you’ve been in the District Attorney’s office have you ever had a grand jury convened in a case where no suspect was clearly identified by the police? David Roger: No sir. Allhiphop: Have you ever prosecuted a murder case where there was no witness to the crime? David Roger: No witness to the crime? Allhiphop: No witness to the murder itself. Have you ever prosecuted a murder case where there was no witness to the murder? David Roger: If you’re asking me whether I have personally prosecuted a case where there are no eyewitnesses to the murder but instead strong circumstantial evidence which would suggest beyond a reasonable doubt that a person committed the crime, the answer is yes. If you’re asking me the broad question of whether I’ve prosecuted a case where there are no witnesses period, the answer is no. As prosecutors we have an ethical obligation to proceed only with those cases where we have an abiding conviction in the truth of the matter, and that we know that we can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. When you have a case with no witnesses period, it’s obvious that you can’t prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore there’s no attempt to prosecute the case. Allhiphop: Have you ever been successful in a case like that, where there was no witness to the murder, have you ever obtained a conviction in such a case? David Roger: I guess you need to clarify what you mean by no witness. Allhiphop: Basically, you have circumstantial evidence, but you have no person, no witness to the actual murder itself that will get up in a court and testify. David Roger: You mean no eyewitness? Allhiphop: No eyewitness. David Roger: I have prosecuted many circumstantial evidence cases. Allhiphop: Have you been relatively successful? David Roger: Yes I have. Allhiphop: Did you personally ever review the initial police report or any case file on Tupac Shakur’s murder? David Roger: No. Allhiphop: Did anyone else to your knowledge within the DA’s office review this case? David Roger: Not to my knowledge. Allhiphop: Can your office choose to prosecute in a case without a specific recommendation from a police department? David Roger: It’s rare that we get involved in investigations that are initiated by our office. We rely on law enforcement to present complete, trial ready cases to us for prosecution. We file approximately 22,000 felony cases each year and we don’t have the manpower to have our own investigative branch of the District Attorney’s office. Allhiphop: So basically a majority of the time it is based on police recommendation? David Roger: Correct. Allhiphop: As I understand it you were Deputy District Attorney at the time of the Tupac Shakur murder correct? David Roger: Yes. Allhiphop: Were you involved in any investigative element of that case via your position at the time? David Roger: No. Allhiphop: Do you believe that […]

Cathy Scott, the author of the bestseller The Killing of Tupac Shakur, as well as the jaw-dropping The Murder of Biggie Smalls is one ambitious lady. In addition to her teachings (journalism at UNLV) and her column ("Crime and Punishment" for Las Vegas CityLife), she even manages time to solve a murder or two. Her ambition as a writer (get it) is to always tell you, the reader, the truth. ALLHIPHOP.COM: Who do you believe murdered Tupac Shakur? CATHY SCOTT: It’s pretty common knowledge and widely believed that the Crips killed him, specifically the triggerman, Orlando Anderson. ALLHIPHOP: Are you 100% certain of that? CATHY SCOTT: I’m about as sure as you could be. ALLHIPHOP: Why do you think he did it? CATHY SCOTT: I don’t know if we’ll ever know why he did it. The motive is there obviously, he got beat up by Tupac and others and went and got his buddies, it wasn’t difficult to find Tupac that night, and shot him. Who knows if that’s what it was, because he was roughed up or if it’s just some bad blood. It’s just street justice that’s all it is, real simple. ALLHIPHOP: I don’t really want to cover too many details of the case that most of our readers already know, so is there any new piece of info regarding the shooting that you can divulge? CATHY SCOTT: I’ve included new interviews and that sort of thing in my book, but as far as anything new, it’s really just the same thing, the cops have not pursued this case actively for a very, very long time. And they’ve said themselves and I’ve got in on the record and in my book that they know who killed him, but they say they didn’t have the evidence to arrest him, and low and behold that person (Orlando Anderson) is dead now isn’t he? ALLHIPHOP: Yes, unfortunately. Now, let’s address a couple of the more shocking claims surrounding the shooting. First, Biggie Smalls is staying in a penthouse suite at the MGM Grand Hotel under a false name the night of Tupac’s murder, fact or fiction? CATHY SCOTT: Fiction. Absolutely fiction. You’re talking about Chuck Philips’ article in the L.A. Times right? ALLHIPHOP: Yes. What was your impression of that piece? CATHY SCOTT: I talked to a couple of gang cops there who’ve been in Compton for years and years on the streets, and they said they told Chuck Philips before he came out with the article, "you’re wrong, you’re dead wrong on this," and he came out with the article anyway. They told him, "you are wrong Chuck," and he came out with it anyway. His source was some gangbanger, some little kid who’s probably never left Compton and is probably laughing his head off right now and saying, "look what I just did." ALLHIPHOP: Here’s another one of the more shocking claims surrounding the shooting, Suge Knight is shot in the head, where the bullet remains logged to this day, fact or fiction? CATHY SCOTT: Fact. It’s actually shrapnel. He’s got some shrapnel at the base of his skull, top of his neck. ALLHIPHOP: So why do you believe Nick Broomfield said that he was only struck by flying glass in his Biggie & Tupac documentary? CATHY SCOTT: I don’t know why, he’s got Russell Poole for a source, a disgruntled cop who worked on the investigation for about five minutes. You know the cops here don’t elaborate about a lot and when something comes out on the details of a shooting, they’ll tell you who was shot, and Suge Knight was one of those who was shot. And yeah, he’s got some shrapnel stuck in his head. ALLHIPHOP: I basically wasn’t asking why he said what he said, but if he’s basing his claim on a medical report, do you know for a fact that Suge was struck by something other than glass? CATHY SCOTT: It’s based on the facts that came out early on in the case that were released from the hospital. The hospital released facts on the shooting, as far as the victims, which there were two victims, Suge and Tupac, and then the police initially on the condition of the victims, and Suge was one of those victims, and they gave out condition reports. ALLHIPHOP: During your research did you explore the theory that Suge orchestrated all of this? CATHY SCOTT: Yes I did explore it. There is absolutely not one shred of evidence that backs up that theory. And you know how badly the cops want him, if he did have something to do with Tupac’s shooting he’d be in prison for that right now, and not on some stupid parole violation. ALLHIPHOP: In the Biggie & Tupac documentary, Nick Broomfield seems to suggest that Orlando Anderson was merely a Lee Harvey Oswald-type patsy hired by either Suge or members of Suge’s crew to just be there in the casino that night. CATHY SCOTT: That’s absolutely fictional, and let me get this straight, Suge is a Blood, and Orlando is a Crip, yet Suge supposedly hired the Crips to do something for him, I mean they’re a rival gang, it’s just all a bunch of nonsense. It’s just people who don’t have anything better to do with their time and they’re trying to point fingers at people and it just didn’t happen that way. It’s a very simple shooting, it really is. ALLHIPHOP: Also from that film, Russell Poole says, "Suge’s people, people that Suge hired" were used in the shooting. In any of your research did you ever come across any other possible shooter than Orlando Anderson? CATHY SCOTT: No. Now, there were four people in the car, three others with Orlando, but all of the evidence, the gang sources, it all points to Orlando being the shooter. Plus, Orlando went back home to Compton and bragged about shooting him, plus he had a .40-caliber Glock, the same type of gun […]

E.D.I., so named for his physical semblance to former Ugandan President Idi Amin, may be an outlaw by moniker, but he’s a hustler by nature. The Co-CEO of One Nation Music Inc., along with his Outlaw partners, Young Noble and Kastro, has managed to triumph over tragedy and advance through adversity to become a major figga in the independent rap game, powerful and savvy enough to turn down numerous major label offers that would have stripped him of his independent hustle in favor of the one major (can’t spoil the surprise) that will finally bring the Outlawz to their well-deserved place on the world stage while allowing them to stay on their indie grind. Currently wrapping up his work for the soundtrack to this fall’s Tupac: Resurrection feature film documentary, a compilation album entitled Outlawz: Reloaded, as well as work for the major label debut from the Outlawz due next year, E.D.I. agreed to revisit the night that forever changed his life, offer some shocking insight into the murders of both his mentor, 2Pac, and his outlaw comrade, Kadafi, and shine a light on the darkness of a purposefully sabotaged police investigation. Allhiphop.com: Who do you believe murdered Tupac Shakur? E.D.I.: I don’t think it was one person, I think several people had something to do with it, several persons had something to do with it. I can’t point the finger at one individual person, I just feel it was more of a conspiracy type of thing, and you know conspiracies involve more than one person. Allhiphop: Is there any particular theory out there that you align yourself to? E.D.I.: No. Allhiphop: Where were you in that caravan of cars that night on the strip? E.D.I.: I was in the car behind Tupac. Allhiphop: Where in the vehicle were you? E.D.I.: I was in the back seat, passenger side. Allhiphop: What did you see? E.D.I.: I just seen a white Cadillac roll up and start shooting. Allhiphop: This has been reported different ways; did you happen to see if someone got out of that Cadillac? E.D.I.: No, nobody got out of the Cadillac. Allhiphop: And were you able to make out any type of description of the person who actually did the shooting? E.D.I.: No. Allhiphop: Did you happen to see how many people were actually in the shooter’s car? E.D.I.: I thought it was only three individuals, I’ve heard there was four, I heard there was only two, I thought I saw three. Allhiphop: Did the Las Vegas Metro Police interview you after the shooting? E.D.I.: No, they didn’t interview me that evening; they more or less sequestered us. They were more or less thinking that we had something to do with the shooting. Allhiphop: Were you actually placed into custody, were you put in handcuffs? E.D.I.: For a short period of time, then they took the handcuffs off of us and we just sat on the strip. Allhiphop: Did they order you to sit there? E.D.I.: Yes. Allhiphop: How long did all of this take place before they actually let you go? E.D.I.: It was about two, three hours, maybe even longer than that. Allhiphop: So they put you on the sidewalk, and then they take you to the station to interview you or they interview you there on the spot? E.D.I.: No, they just asked the questions, "what did we see," "did we see the vehicle," "did we see the shooters," and that was pretty much it, they just had us sitting there. And then they started getting into a whole bunch of other questions that didn’t even have anything to do with the shooting, like, "what gang are you from," "who got guns on ’em," "who got weed on ’em." Allhiphop: So they had automatically assumed this was gang related? E.D.I.: Yes, especially when they saw we had tattoos. When they saw our tattoos, they were like, "what Outlaw gang is in L.A., is it a Crip gang or a Blood gang?" Allhiphop: How would you categorize the overall treatment that you received from the police? E.D.I.: I’ll put it to you like this, anybody that’s been to Vegas know how Metro get down. Metro is basically the same as LAPD, probably even a little bit worse. When ‘Pac and Suge spun out we all ran up to the vehicle and the police immediately approached us with shotguns to our face and said, "don’t step an inch further." Allhiphop: Did the police ever follow-up with you after that night? E.D.I.: No. Allhiphop: They never called you up and asked you to come down to the station or anything like that? E.D.I.: No, not at all. Allhiphop: Were you ever shown any kind of photo lineup to identify anyone you may have seen in that car? E.D.I.: No. Allhiphop: What are your personal feelings overall about the police investigation? E.D.I.: I don’t wanna weird people out, but I really think they are under direct orders from some agency, somebody, someone not to really investigate this any further. It’s Las Vegas, nothing that big can happen on the strip without a whole lot of people being involved. I feel like it would behoove them not to pursue this anymore. Allhiphop: I interviewed Cathy Scott and she has spoken to cops who were close to the case and they said they didn’t pursue it because it was bad for tourism. E.D.I.: Right, there it is, money! There it is right there. And if it ever got out to the general public that something like this can happen in Las Vegas on the strip tourism goes down. And that goes all the way up to the origins of Las Vegas, the people that started Las Vegas, and even higher than that. Allhiphop: Do you believe Suge Knight had anything to do with Tupac’s murder? E.D.I.: I don’t really have an opinion on that, my opinion is time will tell, and that’s where I’ll leave that at. Allhiphop: Do you believe […]

Chuck Philips is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the Los Angeles Times, he’s also the man who shocked the hip-hop community and the world in September of 2002 with his two-part investigative report on the murder of Tupac Shakur. The first part of his piece introduced claims that had never previously been made public, namely that the Notorious B.I.G. supplied a bounty and the murder weapon for the execution of his then rival, Tupac Shakur. For the first time since his piece was published, Chuck Philips offers new insight into the alleged involvement of Biggie Smalls in Tupac’s murder and elaborates on the half of his piece that was erroneously overlooked by us all. Read carefully! ALLHIPHOP.COM: You expressed to me previously your frustrations with the lack of focus placed on the second part of your piece, so what I want to do is go through that part of your piece and just give you quotes from the piece and have you expand on each one for our readers. Alright, the first quote is: "Las Vegas police were slow to grasp that the roots of the killing lay in a feud between rival gangs in Compton, and were slow to act once they did realize it." CHUCK PHILIPS: This was basically about MOB Piru Bloods and Southside Crips, and you know Tupac was with some MOB Piru Bloods who beat up a Southside Crip member at unfortunately for him a time when Las Vegas was full of Southside Crips. There were a lot of Southside Crips there that night, and they retaliated. And if you go back and read through some of the original press releases and watch some of the news footage from then, the police did not think that the beating of Orlando Anderson in the lobby of the MGM Hotel had anything to do with it. ALLHIPHOP: "Gang killings are extremely difficult to solve because there is usually little evidence and few witnesses are willing to talk. Shakur’s associates were particularly unlikely to volunteer information." CHUCK PHILIPS: I’ve done a lot of stories about gang killings and it is very difficult to get people to talk because the people that really know about the killings usually are in the gangs themselves, and/or have relatives in the gang, or live in the neighborhood where the gang operates, and it is not a safe thing for these people to talk. One of the biggest code violations in a gang is to snitch, to speak to anybody about anything related to a crime. Even the Mothers and the Grandmothers, the really sweet, church-going people are not fond of the police in these gang neighborhoods. They feel the police will not help them, do not help them, to prevent these crimes, and the police expect them to risk their lives to help solve these crimes. And frequently the police don’t protect witnesses in these cases. This crime was particularly difficult because the gang members who committed it didn’t live in Las Vegas, most of them; the gang was based in Compton, California. ALLHIPHOP: "Las Vegas police worried that the Compton investigators were too close to the gangs and their rap-industry patrons and might leak information." CHUCK PHILIPS: At the time of the shooting the guy who ran the gang unit in Compton, Reggie Wright Sr., who everyone I talked to said was one of the best gang detectives there is, his son, Reggie Wright Jr., worked for Suge Knight. Reggie Wright Jr. used to be a Compton cop, and he went and ran a security agency for Suge Knight. So the police from Las Vegas were very apprehensive to take information from or tell anything to the Compton police officers, because they thought Reggie Wright Sr. was going to tell Reggie Wright Jr. and Reggie Wright Jr. was going to tell Suge Knight. There were a lot of people involved in the investigation who were very suspicious of Suge Knight because he wouldn’t talk. So there was speculation, and there’s still speculation as you know, and other theories that Suge Knight set this murder up. I don’t believe that to be true at all and my sources said that that is not at all what happened. ALLHIPHOP: "Immediately after the shooting, the assailants returned to Compton, where they bragged to their friends and girlfriends. The Compton gang unit was soon deluged with tips implicating the Crips and "Baby Lane," Anderson’s gang nickname." CHUCK PHILIPS: Well, you’ve read the affidavit right? http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/tupaclv1.html ALLHIPHOP: Yes I have. CHUCK PHILIPS: The affidavit pretty much spells that out, how that went down. And I’ve interviewed a lot of people, the officer who wrote it, and a number of other detectives in that unit, as well as the police in Las Vegas, and they got calls in Las Vegas about Baby Lane. They got calls from people in prison out here who heard about the shooting the next day and the name Baby Lane from the Southside Crips came up from them immediately. That happens a lot of times with gang killings, they got even more tips because Tupac was such a huge star. ALLHIPHOP: "Las Vegas police had heard about the beating in the MGM Grand lobby and reviewed a security videotape of it. But they did not know who Anderson was or why the incident mattered." CHUCK PHILIPS: Yes, that’s true. They just didn’t know who it was. All of the sourcing, all of the information surrounding this shooting lied in Compton, it didn’t lie in Las Vegas. They would have to take special trips to go there. ALLHIPHOP: "A week after the shooting, Compton gang investigators reviewed the videotape at the request of Las Vegas police. They identified the beating victim as Anderson, explained his gang affiliation and said the bodyguards seen flailing at him were Bloods." "Las Vegas police stuck to their position that the beating was irrelevant. (Sgt. Kevin) Manning told an interviewer, ‘It appears to be just an individual […]

California-based emcee Paris is a throwback to an era when red, black and green medallions were standard issue, and hip hop, still a pre-teen, was deemed unmarketable and something to be feared by corporate America. In 1990, Paris released his debut album and single, The Devil Made Me Do It, and became part of a growing movement of artists determined to use hip hop as a mechanism to speak out against society’s ills. His initial success, driven by now defunct label Tommy Boy and corporate giant Time Warner, was no surprise to those around him. But with tides in the genre slowly turning, there was no room in corporate America for his ranting among the emerging imagery of gangsters and ghetto affluence. Flash forward to 2003. The country’s commercial kingdom, the World Trade Center, has fallen, thousands of U.S. troops are at war in Iraq for the second time in a decade, and hip hop is a multi-billion dollar musical and cultural mainstay in society. One gets the sense from listening to Paris that he has been waiting for the planets to align at just the right moment to unleash his new brand of fury. In 2003, some four albums later, it’s called Sonic Jihad – the type of music that ‘Parental Advisory’ labels were created for. Not made with the light at heart or the red-white-and-blue all-American sort in mind, Jihad is old school West Coast flavor meets militant Black Nationalism. With lines like, “It’s the return of the Bush killer/ Back to bust/ Just us for the justice/ In God we trust/ I rush truth to the youth/ And shine the light/ Take the red pill/ Open up your eyes to light” from the track “Field N#### Boogie,” Paris isn’t pulling any punches or seemingly concerned with what you really think, so much as what you don’t really know. Conspiracy theories run rampant between his clever and sometimes shocking verses; and although Paris denounces the term ‘conspiracy theory,’ he knows his information sharing will ruffle more than a few feathers, even among his own. Raise the terror alert to Level Orange. Paris, like many others in this current climate of distrust, is convinced that the Bush Administration orchestrated, and possibly even funded, the horrific events of September 11, 2001. He’s even gone so far as to produce a documentary on DVD, "Aftermath: Unanswered Questions from 9/11," answering several questions you’ve always had about all of those 9/11 conspiracy theories you’ve heard. An impressive and diverse mix of scholars and government agents lend opinions and “truths” on everything from Unanswered Question # 3 – “Why wasn’t the U.S. military able to intercept the hijacked planes?” to Unanswered Question # 10 – “How has recent legislation like the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security bill affected the lives of American people?” The result is a well-researched, over-the-top dose of true-reality TV. But what bothers Paris the most isn’t what he says whites in power are perpetrating against the Black community; it’s what the community is doing to itself. He pleads, “Take it back to the days when we raised us up. Before coward ass rap made the game corrupt.” Sonic Jihad is lent credibility by longtime “progressive” industry names like Public Enemy, Dead Prez, Capleton and Kam, Paris’s own militant army of superfriends. The guest appearances on the album leave one wishing that Paris would tone down his rhetoric a notch so his brand of knowledge could be pumped freely over the airwaves; after all, Public Enemy and Dead Prez have both enjoyed mainstream success. However, hip hop is more “iced-out” medallion than red, black and green these days, so they, like Paris, linger on the fringes like time bombs waiting to explode. The good news is, Paris, by most standards, can flow. And with the right album backing – this time around, his own – and a bulletproof vest, he may even start a revolution. AllHipHop sits in with Paris to find out exactly why it won’t be televised. AllHipHop.com: You’ve got a lot to say about September 11th, but first, what has your overall mission been in the years since you released the album The Devil Made Me Do It in 1990? Paris: From the beginning, I’ve always attempted to make music that inspires and incites thought that serves as a catalyst for people to want to know more, aside from what they’re given everyday by the media. It’s has always been intended to engage people and make us correct. That’s always been the overall objective, and always to do it in a way that’s entertaining and that serves to counter-balance a lot of what’s already out there. AllHipHop: Back in the 1990s, you were on Tommy Boy and Time Warner wasn’t too happy with your outspoken views, and you were eventually dropped from the label. Did that experience ever make you have second thoughts about the things you were saying and how outspoken you were? Paris: Well, actually, it made me stronger. It made me realize blatantly who my adversaries were, and who they continue to be. With the industry as corporate and consolidated as it has become, it has become an increasingly difficult place for people who have something other to sell than negativity to be heard. When you look at the imagery that’s inundating our communities, then you realize that it has to be a deliberate attempt on behalf of labels to only release material that keeps us on a brain dead state. My beef with Tommy Boy occurred after The Devil Made Me Do It. When that record came out, it sold roughly 300,000 copies back then, when hip hop wasn’t really mainstream. That was released during a time when it really was an uphill struggle to get hip hop played on the radio and to get hip hop videos shown on mainstream outlets. It was a much different situation than it is now. It was only upon the delivery of my second record […]

To a nation of teenagers and kids in their early twenties, September means only one thing: Back to School. And after a long summer basking in the sun, and hugging the block like quarter water, it’s time for students to get to stomping in a fresh purr of Air Force Ones. And for Murphy Lee it’s no different. The self-proclaimed “School Boy,” is leaving the safe confines of St. Lunatic High and enrolling at the University of Derrty Entertainment. Where he hopes to major in Solo Superstardom. With a supportive dean in Nelly, he has already been published, penning verses on hits like “Batter Up,” and the summer smash, “Shake Ya Tailfeather.” AllHipHop.com caught up with Murphy Lee at the student lounge and asked him to expound on the theories of Murphy’s Law, his debut album set to hit stores soon. AllHiphop.com. Can you talk about the album? How is it different than an Ali album, or a Nelly album? Murphy Lee: It’s just a lot of me. That’s how I separate myself, by being myself. So it automatically separates you. AllHipHop.com: So what are you talking about on the album”? Murphy Lee: I bring up a lot of females, of course. I hit every point that could be brought up. Everything’s been said, I just say it a different way. Hot tracks, though. It’s a whole album, it’s not just a single, not just a couple singles, it’s a whole album. Manny Fresh did a beat, Jazze Pha did a beat, and Jermaine Dupri did two beats. It’s crazy. Lil’ Wayne, Lil’ Jon is on there. Diddy on there, “Shake Ya Tailfeather” is on my album. AllHipHop.com: I know you were recently at the VMAs, and all the chicks were done up, can you give me a ranking of Mya, Beyonce, and Christina Aguilerra? How would you rank them in order? Murphy Lee: Mya, Beyonce, and then Christina. Just them three? AllHipHop.com: Well, um, we could talk about more; there were a lot looking good. Murphy Lee: I bet you would want to talk about more. [Laughs] AllHipHop.com: So you like Mya the best? Murphy Lee: Yeah, she was right. AllHipHop.com: What type of chicks do you like? Murphy Lee: Smart and sexy, at the same time. AllHipHop.com: I wanted to ask you, typically with groups, it seems fans want to anoint one member the superstar. And when other members of the group come out, they have a hard time breaking away from that. Like they’ll say, that’s Nelly’s boy, or that’s Eminem’s boy. Do you have any thoughts on that? Murphy Lee: You just gotta get some spins, and sell some records. Then that will get off of you. AllHipHop.com: Your verse from “Welcome to Atlanta,” the remix, you blazed that one. Did you have a solo album planned before that? Or after the reaction from that, was the idea put in place? Murphy Lee: I always had a solo plan, but I was waiting for the buzz first. And anything we do is a Lunatic project. We got a Nelly album; it’s a Lunatic project. We got an Ali album; it’s a lunatic project. So, I was just waiting for the timing. AllHipHop.com: With that verse, did you go into it trying to get people fiending for the solo? Or is it all the same when you write? Murphy Lee: Um, I don’t know? AllHipHop.com: Cause with that track, you were with heavyweights like J.D. and Snoop. And when I heard that verse, I think you outshined all them. Murphy Lee: I didn’t get the chance to hear anybody’s verse before I did mine. I just went in there and did me. And that was like a beat that every time it comes on, you probably rap your own verse. For the remix they kept the same beat, and I was like, ‘it’s on.’ AllHipHop.com: In your career, you’ve had the chance to work with Snoop, Diddy, J.D., you boy Nelly. Is there anybody else that you’re looking forward to getting on a track with? Murphy Lee: Outkast, Meth and Redman, Ole’ Dirty Bastard. AllHipHop.com: So you kinda like big personalities? Murphy Lee: Yeah, different s###. Trick Daddy, too. AllHipHop.com: This is your solo debut, but you got a lot of experience. You’ve did tours, and videos, is there anything new your looking forward to as a solo artist. Murphy Lee: I kinda want to get into the acting thing. I wanna get on a sitcom or something. Pull a Will Smith off or something. Fresh Prince of St. Louis, or something. AllHipHop.com: What kinda things are you looking forward to doing besides rapping or acting? Are there any entrepreneurial type plans in store for you? Murphy Lee: Yeah, I’m trying to get into everything. From restaurants, to laundry mats, to grocery stores, to shoe stores, to clothes stores, to everything. I got my own potato chip company, man. We trying to do that. AllHipHop.com: Word? What kinda chips are they going to be? Murphy Lee: They some hot chips. It’s from St. Louis, and we trying to bring it to the world. AllHipHop.com: Can you explain what St. Louis is like to those who have never been there? Murphy Lee: It’s small, but big at the same time, just a small New York. A lot of things going on in St. Louis right now, so it’s moving fast. Right now, it’s like as far as entertainment, it’s not big right now, but it’s growing.

AllHipHop: Everybody thought you and LaChat were enemies because people started calling her the new Queen of Memphis. Gangsta Boo: That was all a conspiracy started by Hypnotized Minds. Juicy (J), me and Chat talk on the phone quite often. We was just brainwashed. I was trynna figure out why she was saying certain things or why were they making her say certain things. Once me and her talked and exchanged stories, you wouldn’t believe how much these n*ggas try to start stuff between me and her. Now she’s in the same predicament I was in a long time ago. She still in the raft with them n*ggas and I tried to tell her along time ago them n*ggas aint gonna pay you. She said she aint received not one check off of Murder She Smoked! Not one! AllHipHop: Is she still signed to them? Gangsta Boo: Yea she’s still signed to them. She trynna break it off with them right now, but she is still signed. I’m pretty sure she’ll give you a story. AllHipHop: She wasn’t even on the new album or nothing! Gangsta Boo: They took her off the album. They called me bragging about it, bragging about how they do their artists and then called them telling them that I called him trynna be back in the group. I’m like n*gga please! Never that! It’s a wrap. I left yall. I did that because I was a hundred percent loyal to them n*ggas but I was traveling more, getting smart and I had certain industry friends that were giving me advice. Not just rappers, but CEO’s giving me advice. I felt it was a decision that I had to make for myself. AllHipHop: Now the sound that you have with Hypnotized Minds, you know they have that sound that nobody is doing. So what kind of sound will you be coming out with now? Gangsta Boo: It’s still the same sound. They enhanced my sound but they didn’t create it. If anything they all sound like Project Pat to me. But aint nothing different but the beat and I’ve worked with good producers that weren’t rookies. They knew exactly what I wanted. AllHipHop: So you work in Atlanta now? Gangsta Boo: Yeah, well this is where I handle most of my business. I’m just going back and forth from here to Memphis. I usually handle most of my business in Atlanta. AllHipHop: What made you make that move? Gangsta Boo: Memphis is a great city. It’s got a lot of talent in it, but it feels so closed in. I feel kinda sorry for my hometown as far as the music scene because the way Hypnotized got it set up. You see the way Atlanta got it set up? Everybody is off the chain from T.I. to Youngbloodz to Killer Mike. Paul and them have it set up and they telling the radio stations not to play certain music. Even my new single from what I’m hearing! AllHipHop: When is your new album dropping? Gangsta Boo: The album drops October the 14th and its called The Soap Opera. The single is actually heating up the mix shows as we speak. It’s called "Sippin’ and Spinnin." It was just a single that we put out for the DJ’s. AllHipHop: What’s that about? Gangsta Boo: "Sippin and Spinnin" there’s three verses and each verse is talking about something different. In the first verse I’m talking about my life. In the second I’m saying I’m still the underground queen, so its basically just a street song. Nothing commercial. I’m trynna to be on that underground queen type of stuff. I’m not a pop head but………whateva AllHipHop: So are there any guest appearances on this album? I know you’ve worked with Foxxy Brown. Gangsta Boo: Nah. I wish all the females that are underrated could just get up on one song and stand up like the n*ggas is doing it. There’s really no guest appearances. I did everything on the album. I think people are really going to appreciate the time and effort I took to working on the album. AllHipHop: So you took a lot of time making sure this was the best thing you could make including lyrics and stuff? Gangsta Boo: I’m not gonna say the best thing because I consider all my work as the best even when I was writing poetry. I did put a lot of time in it, no question.

As a member of the Three Six Mafia, Gangsta Boo was part of one of the most successful independent rap groups to emerge out of the south. She shocked the rap world last year when she announced that she would clean up her profanity laced rhymes and was actually seeking out god. In this candid interview, Boo talks about beef, business and being independent. AllHipHop.com: You’ve been out of the limelight for a few minutes, what’s going on? Gangsta Boo: What everybody would be doing when they take a break from the game. Just chilling, working out, writing, preparing myself for whatever. AllHipHop: So what’s your label situation? Are you independent? Gangsta Boo: Yes basically I’m 100% independent. I’m with York Town, Jacob York, and I got a label deal with him through my own label, which is Crazy Lady Entertainment. We are distributing the album and we just doing it 100% independent. I did the major and I said I’m not gonna go back. This album I definitely wanna to do it independent, we got several proposals from labels, but I don’t know. Jacob is a good friend that helped me out with the whole Hypnotized Minds situation so, I try to respect his work ethic. AllHipHop: Independent seem to be the best route for a lot of rappers money wise and control of the music. Gangsta Boo: Yeah and it’s just like I never really had the opportunity. I had creative control, don’t get me wrong, with Hypnotized when I was doing both albums, but I only to a certain extent. I just didn’t feel comfortable or as free as I do working by myself. I missed being with them in the studio, but it was just a big difference. Like I said its all about the money, so I did the pain. Now I’m like, listen I’m trynna to get paid. I have a family to feed. AllHipHop: Do you have any kids? Gangsta Boo: No I don’t have no children. I’m single. When I say family, I mean my mom, my dad, my brothers, I got people that depend on me to a certain extent to eat. I gotta do what I gotta do no matter what it takes. AllHipHop: What happened to you doing Christian rap? Gangsta Boo: Never did I say I was going out to do Christian rap! What I did say was I wanna clean up a lot of stuff because I would be embarrassed when my mama or my grandmama would ask me to listen to a song from my CD. I actually wanted to do something for them for a change. You aint hearing the same Gangsta Boo that you’ve always heard. AllHipHop: I really like your last album, I think it was definitely under promoted. Gangsta Boo: I was definitely getting no support from Loud and Hypnotized Minds. I felt like it was me all alone on the road. I was like ‘I cant take this,’ so I decided to be like ‘screw this’ and I just left the road. Now that I look, I wish I had some type of management telling me well ‘Boo you can leave the road and can still promote.’ I may have done stuff different but at the same time things happen for a reason. I really don’t have no regrets at it. AllHipHop: So what was your main reason for leaving? Gangsta Boo: Like I said I felt there wasn’t no love and there wasn’t no support. They real quick to say they love each other but them n*ggas aint got no money. They be out on TV acting like they got money. I still love them cause I grew up with them, them like my brothers. But I’m like yall still live in the hood. Yall cant even go to the dentist. LaChat cant even pay her $800 dollar rent and she gotta little boy. n*ggas was not getting paid over there and to say people weren’t loyal? I really don’t understand that but I guess that’s a cover up!

Jedi Mind Tricks is the name – once you hear it you can’t forget it. The subterranean duo began somewhere around early 1996 in Philadelphia. Producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind and Vinnie Paz have dropped acclaimed records like Amber Probe EP in 1996, 1997’s Psycho-Social, Chemical, Biological & Electro Magnetic Manipulation(which was recently reissued) and Violent By Nature . Nowadays, Jedi has finished their latest, and possibly greatest work of art, Visions of Ghandi. The mysterious team speak on their roots, their demonstrate their ability to confound and why when you hear their music you can’t forget it. AllHipHop.com: There’s a lot of people who may have heard the name may not know what you guys are and what you represent. Can you break that down a little bit? Vinnie: We basically been a group since the early nineties. We grew up on Philly sh*t. We met through a mutual friend back in the day and we’ve been working with each other for about 12 years now. This is our third record and we put out an EP too in like ‘96. AllHipHop: Cool C Steady B, are Philly legends and they meant a lot in terms of the overall history of rap. I interviewed another act out of Philly and they kind of alluded that those groups were corny – I was like “You gotta be kidding me.” Vinnie: I think maybe people who refer to it that way – maybe they are younger. To me 3XDope , Hilltop Hustlers , that was everything to us. With New York it was like Philly was the step child of New York and when cats started coming out with that sh*t it was like we felt like we had something of our own. And then Lady B had a show on Power 99 (“Street Beat”) and she was playing all the raw sh*t so I would hear a lot of s### for the first time from her. Even with like Schoolly D and sh*t pretty much made the first gangsta rap. It meant a lot to most of us because that’s what we were coming up listening to. AllHipHop: What’s the name Jedi Mind Tricks mean? Vinnie: We were just Star Wars fans and it was just basically a Star Wars term that we thought sounded dope. So we just rolled with it AllHipHop: Can you speak on this current album? Vinnie: Its called Visions of Ghandi. We primarily recorded it in New York at Chung King studios with Chris Conway. He won the Grammy for the Marshal Mathers LP so just being there like a lot of classic records were recorded there. A lot of the old Def Jam sh*t . Being in that environment was just a crazy feel just to be in a place where people like that recorded. We got to work with a lot of people either we grew up with or people we consider to be real talented cats. Our first single was with Kool G Rap that’s like my idol. He’s like the dopest of all time and we did joints wit Ras Kass , Canibus…. AllHipHop: How did you guys connect with somebody like G Rap who is a legend in the game? He’s kind of hard to get at. Vinnie: Well what had happened was the owner of our label (Chuck Wilson) is tight with the people over at Rawkus so he called them and they were feeling the idea and the beat. They gave it to Kool G and he was feeling the beat. He came to the studio with his wife and his son chilled with us and drank some Hennessey and wrote the verse on the spot. It was all lovely. He’s a real cool cat. AllHipHop: How was your experience at Rock Steady? That’s where I saw you guys for the first time performing. For people that might not of heard you, it was a good introduction and for people who probably already are fans I’m sure it was a good treat. Vinnie: It was dope man because it was a lot of people singing the words. That was a good feeling. AllHipHop: You have some odd names to your album like Violent by Design . Obviously there’s something more to you guys that meets the eye a little bit. Vinnie: Absolutely. AllHipHop: What’s going on in the background? Vinnie: Were both kind of heavily into film so film plays a role in a lot of our sh*t. We use a lot of movie samples and sh*t like that and I read a lot so I use a lot of weird references. One of the names of a song is “Rage of Angels” and that was the name of a book. We just try to absorb everything that’s around us rather than fit the stereotypical cliché titles and cliché concepts and album covers. We’re trying to keep the music raw and represent that era from like ‘88 to ‘92 but, at the same time create something different visually and sonically. AllHipHop: Would you consider your music to make people think a little bit? Vinnie: Yeah that.s the other thing, today’s music is either like thug sh*t or conscious. Back in the day people mixed s### where it was still hardcore but it still made you think like X-Clan , Public Enemy there was music with a message but that s### was hard . You can make a wrong record and have people like it for its wrongness but they still said something at the same time. I think that’s a lost art right now. We definitely try to slide messages into our music and we don’t wanna compromise like the hardcore aesthetic of hip-hop. We try to still make it raw but let people know that there’s still things going on out there. AllHipHop: How did you link with Canibus, another dude that’s difficult to find? Vinnie: When he did his last album Mic Club his manager […]

On the cover of his first LP, 1996’s Soul On Ice, super emcee Ras Kass ominously appears reclining in the belly of the beast – behind jail bars. Even back then, Ras’ artistic efforts were pushed back a number of times despite the million dollar price tag, pre-album acclaim and hype. Nevertheless, through all of the red tape, die hard fans have continued to support Ras as one of the best, albeit under recognized, that hip-hop ever offered. In January 2003, his continued woes with Priority boiled over and the matter was exacerbated when Ras collected a third DUI conviction. A 9-month sentence turned into a flight from the State of California when he failed to turn himself in an effort to protest his "slave" deal with Priority. Amid the conviction, his anticipated Goldyn Chyld CD was pushed back again – never too see a release. Previously, his masterwork Van Gogh suffered a similar fate at the hands of rampant internet bootlegging. Now, Ras has settled into a Cali prison and took time to reflect his life and the 23-hour lockdown he experiences daily. AllHipHop.com: When can we expect you out of jail? Ras Kass: Mid to Late 2004/early 2005. AllHipHop: How are you being treated in jail? Ras Kass: I’m good, getting’ a lot of support inside and outside of these prison walls. AllHipHop: Is anybody supporting you within the music industry and have any or your associates visited you while you are in jail? Ras Kass: From what I’ve heard I’ve gotten enormous support. I’ve spoken to Xzibit often, Canibus wrote me. KRS-1 and Kurupt gave me words of encouragement. Eminem said, "Free Ras Kass" in a new song. The visiting process is more complicated. You nee pre-approval that takes 1-2 months. Mos Def & Howie McDuffy said they wanna visit, Tyson Beckford too. AllHipHop: Are your children maintaining and what do you tell them? Ras Kass: I don’t think children should be traumatized; they should enjoy their childhood. I’m "on tour" as far as they’re concerned. AllHipHop: Do you regret any of your career decisions? Ras Kass: Of course, but obviously this was God’s plan so I’ma ride it out. There must be a purpose. I think God is preparing me for my turn to apply all this sh*t I’ve learned. I won’t make the same mistakes again. I am fortunate too. These things happen to a lot of artists and nobody cares, industry wise, and they never recover. AllHipHop: Once out of jail you will sign with Open Bar (Xzibit’s imprint)? Ras Kass: No. AllHipHop: Are you off Priority, who would you like to sign with? Ras Kass: Ask my lawyer (if I am off)! I’d like to be anywhere where my talent is recognized, appreciated and cultivated. I’d like to go to Shady/Aftermath, or Def Jam through Roc-A-Fella would be cool. AllHipHop: Could the deal with Priority ever have worked? Ras Kass: No, the problem with Priority isn’t the street team, or art department. I mean to say that there were a lot of great people at Priority who gave 110% to me and every other project. Like Tom Reid, Robert Redd, Julio Trejo, Dawn ect…sorry if I didn’t mention all y’all. The problem with Priority is its management. AllHipHop: Is the reason for your silencing at Priority due to your lyrical content about white supremacy? Ras Kass: I don’t know. AllHipHop: What projects are on the way from you and what is the new label situation? Ras Kass: The album (which was recorded while he was a fugitive) formerly catchmeifucan is in negotiations. Re-Up Entertainment is my fledgling label. We just startin’ from the underground! What up 6 and Scipio! AllHipHop: What artists and producers do you want to work with? Ras Kass: My dream song is- well, actually 2 songs, produced by Dr. Dre and D.J. Premiere. Ras Kass, featuring Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, and Rakim. A concept song and I straight spit off. I’m such a fan of so many rappers, singers and producers I could go on forever about who I’d like to work with. Outkast, Bilal, Scarface, Redman, GZA, The Clipse, Neptunes, Kanye West etc……. AllHipHop: Will Van Gogh or Goldyn Child or ever get released? Ras Kass: Maybe not officially but I’m sure bootlegs will hit streets soon. AllHipHop: Can you give advice to anybody about what to look for on a contract? Ras Kass: Only that you should always be looking for guaranteed release dates, specific sums of money to be used as the artist sees fit for outside promotions (creative marketing), and a guarantee of 2 videos per album. Also, stipulations that say you’re free to leave the contract if any of the terms are breached. Very clear and concise stipulations. Have a great lawyer. Your entire career depends on whether you have a lawyer who truly cares about you or if you have a lawyer who on the low, is working with (and for) the record company. It’s illegal but it happens all the time. AllHipHop: Do you still got beef with Alchemist and Jadakiss? Ras Kass: I never had beef with Jadakiss. I’m not mad at Alchemist anymore either. I just don’t respect him so therefore whenever I feel like it, I’ma diss him. Because I can. It’s not Jada’s fault. He just bought a hot beat. The shoe could have been on the other foot and Alchemist could have sold it to me after he sold it to Jada, feel me. Either way, Alchemist broke the code of producers in hip-hop: "Don’t play a beat anymore if it’s sold." AllHipHop: Would you rather have timeless material or a platinum record? Ras Kass: I want both. AllHipHop: Off the topic, what do you think about Canibus joining the U.S. Military? And what’s the status of the Horsemen (the unreleased project with Ras, Canibus, Killah Priest and Kurupt)? Ras Kass: I don’t have an opinion about Canibus joining the military. The status of the HRSMN (Horsemen)….. (doesn’t […]

Dwelling from the newly unearth underground hip hop scene of Detroit, King Gordy is determined to make you believe the name. With his hair braided into the configuration of horns and an unapologetically big-b#### crew called the Fat Killahz, King Gordy’s is not your usual emcee. His skills on the mic and who-the-f###-are-you confidence attracted the crowned king of Detroit, Eminem, to do three tracks on his debut album, The Entity. A hardcore Kurt Cobain fan, King Gordy dubs himself the “ghetto Edgar Allen Poe,” and like Poe he is able to poetically delineate the depression he has witnessed in the streets of Detroit with foresight and a passion that is both dark and real. With every new hip hop act sounding just like the next hip hop act, King Gordy’s visually-shocking lyrical style, grimy reality themes, and affinity for rhyming of rock like beats make him stand out. After playing the part of Big-O in 8 Mile and dropping his album, all of Detroit is starting to recognize, now he wants the entire hip hop community to know King Gordy. Allhiphop: Describe the feel of your album, The Entity. King Gordy: It’s hip hop with a rock edge, it’s something new. It’s something like people ain’t really doing. It’s a whole new feel for hip hop. Allhiphop: You said that you feel hip hop saved you life, what do you mean by that? King Gordy: Cause I was selling crack in vacant houses and sh*t. All my n##### was robbing n#####, making n##### get the f*ck on the floor. So it’s like that sh*t saved me man. Cause I know if I’m broke, broke as hell and I know you got it, I’m gone take that sh*t flat out, cause I’m not gone starve and you eating. So this rap sh*t saved me. Allhiphop: You did have a problem where you went to jail? King Gordy: Yeah, I’ve been to jail, selling heroine and sh*t man. I got caught in a raid and ended up doing 9 months, which wasn’t sh*t cause it’s the county and I knew everybody. Plus I was still written rhymes will I was in there. Allhiphop: When you came out, what made you want to put 110% into the rap thing? King Gordy: People was saying I was hot, people was say I was there, so I pursued it. It’s easy for your friends to tell you it’s hot, but when other people that don’t know you saying you hot cause they just hearing you rhyme, then you got something going. Allhiphop: So it was that buzz on the street that propelled you to full commitment? King Gordy: I was knew I wanted to be something, I was always gone do something in music cause I’m musically inclined. I put a 110% into because this is my life this is what I do, and if I’ve been writing since I was eight years old something told to do this, so that’s what I did. Allhiphop: Getting back to the album, it’s pretty dark. King Gordy: It’s morbid. Allhiphop: Talk about that. King Gordy: It’s how I be feeling at the time, sometimes I feel violent, sometimes I feel depressed, sometimes I feel morbid or whatever, so I’m just giving you how I feel at that time, it’s my emotion, that’s all. Allhiphop: Why is the name of your album the Entity? King Gordy: Because I’m my own spirit, so I feel like there are no boundaries with that name. Allhiphop: How did you land your deal? King Gordy: My man [Bizarre] from D12, he heard me and like what he heard so he hooked up with me and took me under his wing. I started doing songs with him and he started introducing me to people. And one he had come up to Web Entertainment which is Mark and Jeff Bass, they are the CEO’s and the cats that pioneered Marshall [Eminem]. And so I was playing some sh*t for Bizarre, they heard it, they liked it, so they called me in for a meeting like man we think you got something going, you got horns on your head, you a good guy and you rhyme fierce, so we broke Marshall, now we’re gona try to break you. Allhiphop: How was making the album King Gordy: The album was headed a whole bunch of different directions until I said let me do me, let me do what I feel I would like to do, cause see I make music for me, I don’t make music for the average consumer. So the average consumer might not buy it, but they might buy it if they tired of listening to the regular s###. Allhiphop: How did you get your part as Big-O in 8 Mile? King Gordy: I just went down there and auditioned? Allhiphop: How did you hook up with Eminem? King Gordy: I’m on Web Entertainment, so it was bound to happen anyway. Em had been seeing me in the studio doing my thing and my manager had talked to him about giving me some beats or whatever, so one day he just walked into Web like ‘man Gordy I heard you wanted some beats,’ so he gave them to me and it’s history. Allhiphop: How was it working with him? King Gordy: It’s beautiful, Em is a work horse, he inspires me to just stay in the studio even when I ain’t doing nothing, just to be in the element of it. So I love Marshall. Allhiphop: You said your music has a rock edge to it, what do you listen to? King Gordy: I listen mainly to Kurt Cobain. Allhiphop: Does that influence your music? King Gordy: It doesn’t really influence it, but I relate to Kurt so that’s what I listen to. It’s like Kurt felt how I felt, that’s why the name of my second album will be The Kurt Cobain Theory. But right now the album is in stores […]