The Four Horsemen collaborators have had quite a year: Kurupt moved back to Tha Row. Killah Priest dropped a highly slept-on new album. Ras Kass was arrested after being on the run. And Canibus got dog tags and joined the US Army. Like the others, getting in touch with Canibus these days is not easy. A devoted soldier, the artist divides his time between those two roles. With an already critically hyped album about to drop, ‘Bis and AllHipHop got together. The burning questions still unanswered from Spring needed clearing up. Also, we wanted to hear about Rip The Jacker from the mad scientist creator himself. Both topics are covered. In the late 90’s when Canibus was jack hammering verses alongside The Lost Boyz. Common, and others, we knew he was serious. Although he no longer sits on a major label, or parlays with the who’s who in hip-hop, this interview is dangerous proof that Rip the Jacker himself, is still serious. AllHipHop.com: Most obviously, what prompted you to join the service this Spring? The timing was certainly a focal point. Canibus: I couldn’t begin to sum up the events of why I joined the service in this interview and if for some reason I did decide to explain every detail then I’d be surprised if anyone understood my reasoning anyways. There are a variety of reasons that I decided to be in the U.S. Military. Anyone who requires more of an explanation, can go through boot camp, and I’ll tell them when we get deployed to the desert. AllHipHop.com: The hip-hop community seemed to be anti-war in the heat of things. As a minority, as a hip-hopper, how do you make sense of the war, and the duty? Canibus: Well, I’m in no position to be a spokesman for either side. Sure this is “Modern America”, but it seems so much like ancient Rome. The Senate makes decisions to serve the best interests of the people, but not always, and they feud as a result. The emperors were less important than they seemed in the long run. And no one political party or doctrine had the answers to engineer a perfect society. If the problem wasn’t a social one, then it was an economic one – which is probably the reason why we’ve combined the two today. It has never been easy to please everyone in society. Sometimes compromise can make a country weak. Not enough compromise and things fall apart from the strain of the pressure. The civilians that protest war don’t always have the resources to know the facts. Lack of the facts plague those who are pro-war as well. But I think you can be anti-war without being anti-America and I think sometimes people confuse the two. AllHipHop.com: Also, as a Jamaican…how is serving for a country that you weren’t born in while so many Americans turn tail? Canibus: Yes…I was born in Jamaica and I will always have a deep connection to the island where I was conceived, but I don’t live there. I live in America and I have to abide by the laws of this land. People divide themselves by instinct and the Army eats away at that instinct because when it come down to it, we all bleed the same color. In fact, there seems to be less racism among soldiers because of what each has sacrificed. As they say here “Mission First” not color, creed, or social status. They don’t trip off tattoos and how you talk off-duty. If you can adjust to the proper candor >to get the mission done then you’ll be ok. Unless you’re a total s###### you don’t have to change completely, just evolve….and evolution (mental and physical) is good in most cases. AllHipHop.com: How will this affect you as an artist? Canibus: As an artist my style is amorphous. Sometimes I adjust and adapt, other times I refuse to. My skill isn’t affected by my being here. The listeners of my music have the choice to either grow with me, move on to something more fulfilling or stay behind. I can’t choose your speed for you. I can only choose the tempo that fits me. It does seem that my style is more mature than it used to be. I stepped it up with imagery and vocabulary. I make references to other poets and writers in my rhymes more often than I have in the past. Running an independent label makes you more responsible by default. Sure you have less resources but it forces you to squeeze the most out of every opportunity. I have become a better artist by paying more attention to the art than the industry surrounding the art. AllHipHop.com: Larry Fishburne said “The Army is no place for a Black man” in Boyz In Da Hood. How true is that? Canibus: I don’t know…..How much validity would you say there is in Morgan Freeman’s role in “Glory?” AllHipHop.com: How do you manage to set asside time as an artist with these new obligations? Canibus: When you are in uniform the Service demands a certain type of quality and dignity. In return for your service there are a variety of resources and tools, which are totally at your disposal. These resources are designed to give you a better quality of life off-duty. Sure we could use a raise, who couldn’t ? (laughing) But there are programs that circumvent the need for cash, which turn out to be very helpful for some people. I love music so I can’t put it down no matter what, but I can share my recreational time with a sh*tload of other activities. AllHipHop.com: People harshly criticized your earliest works. Meanwhile theirs cult followings. How does that sit with you five years later? Canibus: Once I vocal I rarely ever change anything. Each project (album) is unique in their own way. Sometimes people interpret the albums differently in small or large pockets of opinion. I realize that once I […]

AllHipHop: Do you really want to get out the grind? You seem like the ultimate businessman. DD: Honestly? I’de rather party. I’de rather laugh then yell, but things have to be taken care of at this particular point in time. Everything I do is a direct vision that comes directly from my heart and soul. There is just no one else that can do it because no one else knows what I am thinking. Hopefully I can pass it off to my son or someone around him, so I can go and relax a little bit. Other than that, I’m not complaining because it’s fun. I get to actually make money having fun. When I wasn’t as successful, I had a good time doing it. I’ve been able to laugh and get to work and laugh as well for my whole life. Besides the obvious tragedies, my whole life has been a party. AllHipHop: What do you and your son do when yall workout together? DD: Box. If I box then he will be boxing and he gives a hundred and ten percent because I am around and hopefully when I am not around. AllHipHop: Does he spar with other kids or you? DD: He spars with little grown men, but if somebody gets too cute with him I step in. AllHipHop: Do you plan to have more kids? DD: I wouldn’t mind, but its not easy having kids, it’s a 110 percent responsibility, If I get with the right girl. I would like to be married the next time and have kids. AllHipHop: So are you ready to settle down? DD: I’m ready for whatever, whatever happens, happens. I don’t look for it and it’s not heavy on my priority list. I just went through something recently with Aaliyah . That sh*t hurt, so obviously I am going to have some apprehension about jumping into a relationship or exposing myself to that kind of pain again. AllHipHop: A lot of people seem to get the impression that after Aaliyah passed you was still feeling the pain, but some of the perception was that you were right back to business as usual. DD: Yea a lot of people depend on me and I have to lead by example so my work helped me through that. I have to definitely show my strength. I got right back into my life. Eventually I would have had to anyway so I decided to dive right into it. I have different ways and beliefs than most people. That’s what got me through it regardless to what I went through. I just dealt with it. I had to go to work. People were trying to take advantage of what they thought was a weak moment for me. AllHipHop: How so? DD: Certain business deal and things like that. People would try to get over. A lot you would be surprised at how f*cked up people are. Before she was buried I had to go back to work. I went to a couple of therapists. The first couple of days I could not move. Once I got my strength together, it was all about my faith. AllHipHop: I noticed that you have a hand on your arm. DD: Yeah, that’s my son’s. I think there’s a lot of opportunities for people to get money if they focus. I’m noticing a lot of people have lack of focus, so my job right now to some degree is to motivate the culture. If you cant get money now with all the doors that’s open, not just in the music business but in the television business, it’s your fault. There’s just so many ways to make money it’s not going to be anybody’s excuse but your own. I talk a lot of sh*t just to get people motivated. If people get angry instead of motivated then that’s a poor excuse not to work. I didn’t do nothing that no one else can’t do. I got my GED, my mother definitely put me in a situation where I learned how to read and write. I think everybody can learn to read and write it’s just about effort.. If you leave any money on the table and I’m aware of it, I’m going to get it. I’m on a paper chase I’m not going to stop until I have 1 billion after taxes. Then maybe I’ll slowdown a little bit. AllHipHop: What does Jay’s retirement mean to Roc-A-Fella? DD: It means I don’t have to be calling his office all the time to get features on other Roc-A-fella artists albums.

Dame Dash is that dude. You see him in the videos with his lil’ patented dance holding onto a bottled of Armadale equipped with a cocky smirk. Still, on the other side, he’s that dude that holds down several businesses along with his Roc-A-Fella cohorts. But, on yet another side, there is a more private, equally important Dash: the father of a young boy and girl. Dash’s son Boogie (Dame Jr.) and daughter Eva are his true pride and joy (in addition to his accomplishments as a businessman). The mogul even has his young ones on Roc-A-Wear ads that overlook his home-borough of Harlem, USA. Many of his personal exploits have been vilified in the news headlines, but he emphatically declares the tabloids have it all wrong. AllHipHop.com takes a rarely seen glimpse off Dash, the father. AllHipHop.com: Can you talk about you as a father and how you want to raise your children? Damon Dash: I want my kids to be regular. I want them to have the same opportunities as regular kids. He’s not the average kid just because of my life and because of the circumstances of my life. I’m a single father as far as my son goes. I got custody of him and I have to find time to put in that real father work. I got nannies, babysitters and tutors and I think its really important that I install personally the right values, so he does thing the right way, but then so on another level. I try to provide an atmosphere that is normal even though its not a normal circumstance. My kid is a reflection of me and if he goes through some kind of pain, I am going to feel it two times as worse. I try to protect him from certain things and make him aware of certain things. At the same time I want him to grow up respectful. I want him to know that he has to work for everything he has. I want to instill a lot of the hunger I have, but the thing is he has nothing to be hungry about. He’s a wealthy kid, but I still want to teach him 110% to be the best at what he is good at. AllHipHop: How do you maintain the regular aspect of life? DD: It’s a control environment. He still gets to be with the kids that don’t have what he has, so he get to appreciate it. He also learns to have that sprit of competition. I feel like if you can survive in Harlem than you can survive any where. Also his style and the way he is being as though he comes from Harlem. AllHipHop: How does he react to having a bodyguard around him all the time? DD: When I first got the bodyguard my son did not even know how to cross the street. He does not even have keys. I was taking the bus when I was eight and he’s eleven now, so I had to teach him how to cross the street. Its certain things that you can’t take for granted. Everything I know I got taught. I had to get taught how to cross the street and how to go to school by myself. Being as though he does not have to cross the street a lot, no one taught him, so I still have to make that effort, to make sure he learns normal things. AllHipHop: How were their early years, when they were infants? DD: Mostly what I am talking about is my son because my daughter is in a better situation. My daughter’s mother is a little more receptive to my situation and we have a better relationship, so thing are a bit more normal. My son was there in the beginning of the transition. He was born eleven years ago when I was first getting in the game, so he actually been with me through every success that I had. He knows how it was for me to make my first hundred thousand and my first million, then my first couple million thousand, so he’s been there, He lived with me in Harlem and he lived with me in Fort Lee, so he’s been through every step of the way. My daughter is three years old and I was pretty much well off when she was born, so she is somewhat like a princess and that’s pretty hard as well to keep her in check., cause she is pretty smart and knows how to manipulate already so I got to make sure she doesn’t. AllHipHop: What is your view of the media since you have had some glaring headlines regarding your kids? DD: My whole custody battle has been in the papers. No one is looking at it like what am I really fighting for. I am not trying to hurt my son or his moms. I am just trying to provide him with the best life I can. I have to stop and fight just so my kid can be alright cause I feel like he is better off with me, instead of looking at the negative part about it. Like when they said I got arrested and my son got arrested for smoking weed with me, whatever or brought weed [to school]. That was all bullsh*t. I could not even react to it. That was just his moms trying to make it look like I’m a bad father. They wasn’t doing any kind of fact check, they was just saying what they wanted to say. This sh*t was in Vibe Magazine like it happened and it really didn’t. Then when he was vindicated no one said anything about his arrest. Say I am going through a custody battle or having problems with my child. I should be able to deal with it privately just for the kids sake. Its just the press wants to carry whatever they can to make money. […]

Allhiphop.com: Who are the top West Coast MCs, in your opinion, and what have they brought to the table of Hip-Hop as a whole? BLH: I got to go with Yukmouth, Crooked I, 2Pac…I usually go with people who got lyrics, you know? Hitman from RBL Posse (R.I.P.) had lyrics, too. X-Raided is one of my favorites, too, you know what I’m saying? Allhiphop.com: Talk about the new label and the new artists you got underneath your wing. BLH: The label is called Siccmade Music. I got an artist named Loki who appeared on Master P’s "West Coast Bad Boyz II" with me. That album went gold and probably platinum by now. He developed a name for himself, so he’s dropping his albums under me. I also got an artist named C.O.S., who’s been on all my albums. All the albums that did good, he’s been on all of them. Allhiphop.com: Have you ever had a major label deal at any point in your career? BLH: Actually, I was with Priority Records/Blackmarket Records. That was around 1994 up until about 1997. Then, the company I went to court with got kicked off of Priority because they wasn’t handling their business right. Priority wanted to sign me alone, but the company wouldn’t let me go. So, I’ve been stuck in court for a couple of years behind that sh*t. Allhiphop.com: I hear a lot of sh*t about Priority and how they screw their artists out of their deals with no Vaseline. BLH: That’s the thing, too, so if I was going to leave Blackmarket to go to Priority, my manager was like, "I don’t know if you should do that." Allhiphop.com: What sort of issues do you have with major labels and the deals they try to pass on to these artists? BLH: Shoot man, I’ve always been a firm believer in not f*cking with them majors. Of course, you are going to like the videos and the up front money, but I’m telling you, anything they give you, you got to pay back. I’d rather just go ahead and stay independent. Them major labels have too much control over how they promote you. If they want to throw $1 million into your promotion, and if you don’t sell that much, you are going to owe them. Allhiphop.com: A good example of that situation is our boy Ras Kass. You see what happened to him at Priority? BLH: That was kind of f*cked up. I didn’t hear too much detail, but I heard a lot about it. Even when Ras Kass was with them, I was on Priority back in them days. Allhiphop.com: So, you and him were label mates at one point? BLH: Yep, and that’s how I found out about him, man. Every time I went up to Priority, they was bragging about him. I said to myself, "I need to check this cat out." Allhiphop.com: Ras is a good dude, but they messed up his momentum and the rest is history, you know? BLH: It goes both ways, because they shot JT The Bigga Figga hella cash to do their joint venture, but he wasn’t able to come through with some good sh*t. They lost out on JT, so it’s like now, it’s hard for me to move around in Priority because n*ggas was so tense up in that muthaf*cka. Then, that Master P. sh*t started jumping off and muthaf*ckas started getting beat up at Priority… Allhiphop.com: (laughs) BLH: You know, I don’t even know nobody up there no more. Allhiphop.com: Now, you and C-Bo have another album coming out right? BLH: Yeah, we just started working on it. We are just pre-advertising it and stuff. It’s called "Blocc Movement 2." It’ll be better, too, based on C-Bo trying to stay out of the pen this time. Allhiphop.com: Talk about you and your old label parting ways and what has transpired since that time. BLH: This Blackmarket thing ain’t nothing nice. He (the owner) is a millionaire, and he wasn’t trying to pay me nothing. So, I’ve been in court the last two years fighting it. I finally got half of my money, but he’s going to make me sell more of my old records to get the rest of it. He can’t touch it. He can’t touch none of the money or the record company until the records are sold. Allhiphop.com: He owns a company that he can’t get anything out of? BLH: Nope. We go straight to the attorney until all my money is gone. It’s been a lot. That’s my underground story, man. But, it’s the shame sh*t that them big folks be going through. Allhiphop.com: But, there is more money to be made in the independent game than there is as a major label artist. BLH: The only ones getting paid in the majors is the major label. Allhiphop.com: (laughs) BLH: I’m telling you. Allhiphop.com: Explain to me how an artist can make a company $100 million dollars, but they aren’t rich themselves? BLH: (laughs) That’s some real sh*t. Allhiphop.com: DMX said one time that he sold three million albums, but the label "loaned" him some money. What the hell do you mean, "loan" me some money? This cat sold triple platinum, did mad shows, and kissed a lot of label ass, and they "loaned" him some money. BLH: That’s scandalous, man. Allhiphop.com: Well, I’m glad you decided to go that route because you have a better opportunity from a financial standpoint. You can get rich just selling 100,000 copies of this album. BLH: My preorder for the album was at 47,000 copies. Plus, I got this Sacramento scene sewed up. I sold 42,000 in the first week with my album "Loaded." It ain’t no Eminem sh*t, but it’s something to be proud of for out here. Allhiphop.com: After all the shrink-wrapping and things like that, how much is your album selling for? BLH: Blackmarket was selling my old sh*t for $9.00. I’m selling […]

If you look up the term "controversial" in the dictionary, you may find Brotha Lynch Hung’s picture somewhere close by. Arguably, no artist in Hip-Hop today has ever stirred up the public at large with the frequency and precision that Lynch has. Lyrics containing concepts such as "eating baby nuts," and having sex with his own mother have gotten him a rash of harsh criticism. As a guest on "The Leeza Show" in 1996, his lyrics were blamed for influencing a fan to commit murder. But, with over a decade of underground and independent success underneath his belt, there’s no telling where his imagination will take him next. His latest underground bomb, "Lynch By Inch: Suicide Note," is bound to take him places beyond where his last album, the 1995 gold-certified "Season Of Da Siccness," has taken him. The Sacramento, CA native released the album from his newly formed imprint, Siccmade Records, earlier this month. Allhiphop.com sat down with the pioneer of "horror-core" to discuss legal matters, maintaining respect in his hometown, and upcoming projects that will seemingly put him over the top. Allhiphop.com: Before we get started, I want to be able to conduct a good interview for the fans, but at the same time, I want to keep the atmosphere as gangsta as possible. Can we do this? Brotha Lynch Hung: That’s real, and I appreciate it. Allhiphop.com: You released a new album on June 10th. Talk about that and what you’ve been up to since the last joint. BLH: It’s called "Lynch By Inch." It’s not really a follow-up on my "Season Of DA Siccness," but it kind of is. What’s different this time is that it’s on my own label and people ain’t hollering at me about what I should and shouldn’t say on this album. Allhiphop.com: So, you are basically going back to the old blood and guts sh*t you used to talk about before? BLH: Even with the old stuff, they tried to refrain me from saying stuff. Allhiphop.com: How much slack and criticism have you taken over the years because of some of the lyrics you have spit on a record? BLH: I caught hella slack over the "baby killing" thing. Everybody kind of took it wrong and took it out of context. I was just talking about abortion. Then, they just took it the way that they took it. Plus the fact that I say stuff like "eating baby nuts and guts," they just put it in with that. They kind of built that, you know what I’m saying? Even Snoop said, " that n*gga got hella lyrics, but I can’t get with that baby eating sh*t." I was like, "where did he get that sh*t from?" I’m a meat eater, and that’s where all that sh*t came from. You got to force me vegetables because I won’t eat it otherwise. Allhiphop.com: Do you still have to deal with industry politics and publicists kicking you in the ass about certain things now that you run your own label? BLH: Not this time. This is all Siccmade right here. I’m going to make the right decisions about what I feel, but I’m letting my creativity go do what it got to do. Allhiphop.com: Who are you doing studio work with these days? Is it the same usual suspects or do you have some new cats on the horizon? BLH: Besides my Siccmade crew, I got Yukmouth on the new album. I usually get only one artist per album because I want people to recognize that I can do this sh*t. Yukmouth is one of my favorite rappers, and on the last album I got E-40, who’s one of my favorite West Coast rappers. I had Snoop on one of my albums, and he’s my favorite musical personality, you know what I’m saying? Really, I don’t like running around trying to get a lot of artists. In the future, I might mess with somebody like B2K since they are fans of mine. Allhiphop.com: Brotha Lynch Hung featuring B2K? I can’t picture that with a Kodak, to be honest with you. I got two daughters who are in love with those boys. If I hear that name one more time, I’m going to start breaking windows and sh*t. BLH: (laughs) Allhiphop.com: Name of some of the producers that you normally use when it is time to get in your zone and create that atmosphere. BLH: I use Bosko a lot. He did a song for 2Pac’s album just before this one that’s about to come out. He did the beat and the video. Happy Perez from Portland does some stuff, and me and Phunk Beta do the rest of it. Phunk Beta is from New York. Allhiphop.com: Word? I take it that there is no discrimination in what you strive for in your music. BLH: I grew up listening to all New York rappers. They taught how to rap in a sense, you know what I’m saying? That’s why my gangsta style is my gangsta style because I’m from the West Coast, but I’m able to do any style. I mix that style into my gangsta style to show versatility, even though I talk about my life and what I went through. Obviously, I ain’t going through the same things, so you know, I hit them with the rip guts sh*t after that. Allhiphop.com: I’m interested in knowing which East Coast MCs were instrumental in teaching you how to rhyme. You hardly hear about things like that anymore. BLH: I learned stage presence from Run-DMC, I learned lyrical skill and creativity from Rakim, KRS-1, and I learned longevity from LL. I don’t want to put anybody in front, but those are the ones. I got to give big props to the East Coast rappers, man. I ain’t with all the East Coast-West Coast feuding. I love to battle because I’m a battle rapper, but I ain’t with all that feuding sh*t, you know what I’m […]

Remember that hot-headed girl from the Funkdafied video with the baggy jeans on and the tomboy style? That girl has transformed over the years into a formidable MC and now a very sexy woman who now makes the men all pause. Coming up on So So Def with Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat has consistently maintained her well-known persona but now adjusts the format with her new album. Limelite, Luv, and Nightclubz demonstrates a confidence that promise, “I am going straight to the top.” Recently AllHipHop got a chance to chat with Da Brat. AllHipHop.com: Let’s just touch on what you have been doing the past three years since Unrestricted came out? A lot of your fans have followed your evolution from wearing baggy clothing and Timbs to who you are today. Brat: Yeah, I think I have definitely grown, I’ve matured. I’ve been through a lot and not just in three years, but through the course of my entire career. From Funkdafied the baggy clothes is still my thing, everyday I’m in 38 Girbauds all the time. But when its a photo shoot or a video I wanna give them something special, ya know, instead of the average thing that I started out with because as time goes on people change. I’m grown on now, and I’m not afraid to show a little cleavage or a little bit of skin. I’m cool with that now because back then I was like ooh no I’m not doing that. And all my fans have been loyal with me with this since 2000 when I dropped Unrestricted, my last album, I just kinda been chilling. JD has been working on different projects that I’ll jump on sometimes. I have been enjoying my life, spending more time with my family. I wanted a little down time ya know like every artist wants. I took vacations in St. Barts and St. Martin, and stayed over there for a few months and enjoyed the serenity of life. And when JD came over and said ‘you ready to do this album’ I was like ‘hell yah.’ AllHipHop.com: So what is the situation with JD right now, where are you two heading with the label? Brat: Well with he is the Senior VP of Arista so there is nothing but great things happening with So So Def too, him being the CEO of that company. Whatever JD does I have his backing and support, I’m supporting him 110%, he’s always been very supportive and caring, he has never pushed people to the side or whatever. I’m really happy with the JD situation, wherever he grow to, is where I’m going to grow to. LIke he already told me that later, once my record comes out, he is gonna give me my own label so instead of me trying to shop for it I’ll be in the position to do whatever I want to do. AllHipHop.com: Talk about the new album “Limelite, Luv, and Nightclubz” and what that will bring to the table that is new? Brat: The new album is just a more mature album. I wanted to choose different things to focus on and that’s where the album title came from. I didn’t want to choose one thing like my average things, I wanted to do something different. I’m always in the limelite since I became Da Brat and I became a part of the limelite. You give up your privacy, you give up everything if you have a passion for this. I automatically became a part of it. The luv songs focus on relationships and the first single “In luv with you.” Nightclubz, that’s where it go down in the nightclubz. After the show its the after party. I’m performing all the time and doing concerts and there’s always an after party. And that’s almost every weekend, three or four days a week ya know. Most of my life takes place in the nightclub. That’s where we kick it at. That’s where the title came from. AllHipHop.com: Some of the cuts on this album were produced by L.T. Hutton, who for a number of years was a producer over at Death Row Records (now Tha Row), can you explain how you two got down? Brat: I grew up with LT in Chicago, we used to dance together when we were like 16 or 17. We had like a dance group. And once the thing folded with Death Row he was just chilling and doing his thing I ran into him again, and I think everything happens for a reason. So I considered that to be a blessing and I was like you know what lets get into the studio and start making songs. The chemistry was just really good. And we started coming up with hits, and when JD was like “you ready to the an album” I was like “oh God I got like 100 songs already.” So I played him a lot of songs and we picked the best ones out of those and went with those and about half of what JD was doing. My album is definitely gonna be half JD because that’s my family. Like half from JD, half from LT. Because he couldn’t deny him. AllHipHop.com: Now one of the cuts on your album is a dedication to MC Lyte, can you explain why you chose her and why you have so much respect for Lyte? Brat: Yah, I got a song called “I Might As Well Tell You Who I Am” and it uses a sample from an MC Lyte song. I love MC Lyte. I grew up in high school and watched Yo! MTV Raps and MC Lyte was on there, Queen Latifah and Monie Love on there too. I love Monie Love and Queen Latifah, but Latifah was kinda on the African thing, and Lyte was on the tomboy style. She was a tomboy she had on those lil’ pinstripe suits. She really reminded me of myself. […]

AllHipHop.com: Can you talk about your history coming up? L: I can say one thing about all the trials and tribulations I faced getting to this point. A lot of it was a good learning experience. I don’t have any regrets of any of those situations as far as Mase retiring, Tommy Boy not fully understanding what we were trying to bring in ’96, L.A Reid having his hands full and not really being able to give me a fair shake. You got backlash from the court case with Shine, separation with Jennifer Lopez, leaving Arista and going independent, going through a war with distributor. Pressures that come with me, that’s like peanuts. I can say every situation from the beginning of my involvement until today has had the same level of importance. When I came to Bad Boy it wasn’t the flyest spot. n*ggas was taking shots at Bad Boy. Every question that was being asked was about Jennifer Lopez or the court case. It wasn’t no real acceptance for the new approach we taking toward the music industry, it was more of a gossip column. It was like signing to a gossip column instead of a record company. Any artist out there, a lot of this sh*t is in your hands anyway so it don’t matter if you go to Bad Boy, Universal, Def Jam or Death Row. A lot of the responsibility is in your hands. AllHipHop.com: Did you ever start to worry if this wasn’t the right situation or did you have complete trust in Puff and what he was doing? L: I know for a fact that Puff has relentless drive, he’s a brother that doesn’t want to look bad. He will go to any extremes financially or physically to avoid that. If you’re a person in the business that has a lot of great things working for you, but you might have minor flaws, he’s the perfect person to be with when you’re falling short on faith or support or anything. This dudes drive is like 24/7 – 365 days. To answer your question I never felt like this might not happen. I felt like me and Puff was put together for a real good reason, once we cut through the personal tape as far as initiating the whole relationship. You got to look at it from his point. This guy is putting his whole legacy in the hands of a guy that just came whistling along. It helped me out with a little compilation album back then and it helped him with a lot of situations. People might look at me and say "Loon saved Bad Boy." I just came where work was required. I did the work and now I’m here. I don’t take a lot of credit for saving Puff and saving Bad Boy; I don’t even know Jennifer Lopez. AllHipHop.com: So you don’t feel like you’re carrying Bad Boy? L: I have endured a lot of responsibilities that comes with that position, so initially you got to accept it. Mentally, I don’t program myself to think that I’m carrying Bad Boy. That’s a sycosis that can take an effect on you’re music. Your rhymes will start coming out like you’re the soul controller or savior of Bad Boy, and you’ll be spitting like that. I try to keep myself focused on what’s really going on around me and try to capitalize and elaborate off of that. Stay away from the whole Bad Boy movement and me being a force in it. I just accept it as credit, okay I’m getting acknowledged for my accomplishments, I just take it like that. AllHipHop.com: Can you talk about your growing up in Harlem and how did it affect you musically? L: Harlem has a whole lot of characteristics and talents that make up Harlem. It’s been a lot of old sh*t that’s been brought to the table that people are taking crazy. Like the “Harlem Shake." That was a dance put together by this alcoholic dude in the neighborhood by the name of Sisqo. His name is Al B. It was called the "Al B.," not the "Harlem Shake." This dude for a dollar or even 50 cent, he would do the Al B for you, for a shot of anything like a bottle of Corona or any type of beverage will get this man to perform the Al B for you. So with a dance that’s so accessible, for $1 you can learn how to do the Harlem Shake. That was just a whole dance lesson that just so happen to leak into the music industry. Just coming from Harlem the only pressure is being the way we’ve been represented. If people are aware of it we always represented Harlem the same way, any rapper that ever stepped in the game. Kurtis Blow had a jerry curl, with a top hat and two girls on his arm talking about "if he ruled the world." Everybody else was wearing adidas suits. Dougie Fresh, he had a fade wit the curls on top and the Sergio Velente velour, he kept rubbing his hair, he had a little smooth sh*t with him and he was from Harlem. Mase came in the generation where youthfulness was definitely a requirement because you had a lot of older and older looking artists. Mase was eye candy, just like Nelly, he was eye candy for a minute. Girls was tired of looking at these rough dudes in videos with dogs and all kinds of crazy sh*t. So just coming from Harlem there’s never any pressures, it’s more of a crutch. Harlem is something that will never fail you. Being from Harlem, the squarest dude in the world can go to a correctional facility in Wisconsin with a bunch of rednecks that just want to hang him, and he can represent his self. Being from Harlem can stand for something. It’s the way we put it down in Harlem for […]

Most people only recognize Loon as the guy who blew up when he was featured in P.Diddy’s "I Need A Girl" series of hits. As with most "overnight successes," it usually takes years and years of hard work to finally realize your dream. Loon is no exception. Loon comes from Harlem, where he says he was treated like a Prince, due to some serious street connections. Unlike most of his peers, Loon can also say that he also grew up around some of the most famous and infamous icons of our generation. Loon’s story is a must read. AllHipHop.com: Explain the journey to this point in your career? Loon: I was a victim of a lot of transitions, that’s how we going to sum it up. I was on Tommy Boy first, had a group called Harlem World, had an album called “Harlem World”. At the time it might have not been the appropriate thing for the music world, but it was introduced in ’97 by Mase on Bad Boy Records, so I left Tommy Boy. Then I pursued a solo career, ’cause unfortunately my partner got locked up. I ended up in the office of a gentleman by the name of Clive Davis. He offered me a solo deal, and with my solo deal on the table, I was also offered to be a part of the group Harlem World that was established based on the success of Mase’s solo attempt, his solo album named “Harlem World”. Unfortunately Mase retired, we lost the support from Sony and the group situation withered away. Which brings me back to Arista, solo deal still on the table, Clive Davis still granted me the same deal. Did the solo deal and 6 songs in here’s another transition. Clive Davis leaves and goes to J Records, LA Reid steps in with quite a few things on his plate, maybe more than what was required at the time. I just wasn’t considered a factor in his new reign, so therefore I was on the brink of being dropped. At that point I made a suggestion to work with Puff who was in Miami at the time, working on a compilation album, which became P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family. I was scheduled to go in there for 4 days and write 2 songs. I ended up staying 4 weeks and I wrote 11 songs. I pretty much been here ever since. So that’s the long version of all the transitions. I was a victim of the music business, but I was strong, focused and I was determined. AllHipHop.com: Who would you say is your inspiration? L: My inspiration first and foremost is God; I have a very trained relationship with God. It’s more like a brotherly relationship with God. My family once again is one of my inspirations because I came from a family that didn’t promise a lot of stars and success. To come out of that as one of the members in my family and be successful kind of makes me be inspired. Friends, peers, you got a couple of artist out there that definitely inspired me like Biggie Smalls, Tupac. One of my first inspirations was Kool G. Rap and Big Daddy Kane. All the artist that had substance pretty much inspired me to want to come out and establish my character and vibe that I bring to the table. AllHipHop.com: What makes this album different from anything else out right now? L: I think right now I took the initiative to kind of consider the radio and the dance floor. It’s like a primary target as opposed too me trying to establish some kind of street credibility, or credit as a emcee, or a dominate force in the game. I just pretty much tried to fill the void with the dance floors and just try to bring that classic Bad Boy vibe that Puff brought to the table in ’97. I got Puff with his producer cap on, he’s pretty much behind the scenes how we learned to love and appreciate him, not to try to take something away from him as an artist. We just try to really go and follow that old Bad Boy formula with a little new twist. To reach the new generation of music that is taking over the airwaves now. AllHipHop.com: Explain your rap style? L: My style is pretty much like me, laid back, smooth. I kind of elaborate off the positive things I see and pretty much the vibe that I get when I wake up. I don’t wake up thinking about killing nobody, I don’t wake up thinking about robbing and stealing. When I wake up I think about getting money. I think about partying, I think about girls, just all the finer things in life. I just try to take those things and elaborate on them without glorifying them. Like the way I use my dialog to talk to women, I don’t do too much promising jewelry and all the things that dudes think girls want to hear, but I try to talk from a more monogamist aspect. Really pointing out the things fellas take for granted, like opening the door, putting up the umbrella when it’s raining, that’s my approach. I got that little old fashioned, choir boy approach, with a little street edge. AllHipHop.com: Can you explain the growth from back then to today? L: Me in my early rap days coming from the streets of Harlem and Harlem not really being a factor to the real driving force in the music business, I tried to represent Harlem in a darker aspect. I really wanted to bring a more darker, realistic aspect of Harlem as opposed to what you see just riding past seventh. You can see all the fly sh*t, you can see all the kids out and all the activity in the street until like 3am in the morning. I wanted to try to expose the […]

Juelz Santana was introduced to the rap game in a major way. Featured on Cam’Ron’s hits "Oh Boy," and "Hey Ma," Juelz has seen some interesting things in his life. Now, the upcoming artist is ready to pick up where the gold selling album, Diplomatic Immunity left off. AllHipHop.com: You coming under the umbrella of Cam, a lot of artists that have come under others, haven’t done as good as the original or their mentor. Juelz Santana: I’m just trying to do me. Cam’s promoting me, I’m promoting me. That’s another reason why Cam tries, when I go do my shows, he lets me do me. Like a lot of artists, when they coming up, they use their mentors like right next to them. It’s good to do that too, but it’s like Cam wants me to go do me. Cam says "I want the people to see that you are Juelz Santana, you can stand-alone, you could do what you do by yourself." We family, like I can walk out and he’s right there. It’s always gonna be that, but it’s just like yo "now it’s your time, if you gotta stand alone, you gotta stand alone." AllHipHop.com: What’s going to be featured to the people? JS: The album is called Juelz Santana, From Me To You. Its crazy, super crazy. I put my all in to it. Its like a real long journey. I take you straight through my own life, I put together an album, not just something for the people to go buy AllHipHop.com: Who’s on it? JS: Really the family and me cause I know my album would be promoted by hype and all that. This dude on it, this dude on it. I f*ck with a lot of dudes; I’m about to start working with everybody now. I just wanted to do my album by myself and have people just really f*ck with me. I want people to say that Juelz Santana came out and did his thing AllHipHop.com: What about production wise? JS: I f*cked a lot with the Heat Majors, like ya know they got in house producers, I got a couple of beats from Charlotte Man. I got beats from D.R. Period on my album. I got beats from Jimmy Hendricks; he worked on Jay’s album. He did the My Way on Jay’s album. I worked with these dudes from Philly they are like Peddi and them’s in house producers, like Freeway and them. They do a lot of beats for them, so we reached out and touched bases with them. I’m saying, who else I go on there? Self which did the Santana sound joint. I worked with a couple of producers. Just Blaze got a track on there. AllHipHop.com: So what kind of topics are you touching on? JS: I touch everything. Like I said I got a song about like who am I and like my grandmother she got cancer. I got like the intro to the album, just talking about everything, all the people who passed away, Big, recollecting, Big L to Aaliyah, everybody. Just how The Diplomats was nothing to something to getting out there with Def Jam to Dame having first rights to the whole sh*t. I got a song called "Jealousy." It’s a song that I deal with my girl. We had a little fight and I hit her. I brought that up, ya know where a lot of people don’t like to hear that. I have another song called "Squally" its about the police. I got a couple of joints that I touch bases with. I got a song called "Why," its basically why I’m rapping the beat just keeps saying "why." I’m telling you why everything is happening in my life, like why this, why that. AllHipHop.com: Do you put your real life in the song? JS: Eight-five percent its me all the way and I try to bring as much as me as possible. I don’t know how to bring the bull sh*t in too much., so when I throw it in it ‘s not even me anyway. I try to stay away from it anyway. AllHipHop.com: You had said Cam took over the rock and it caused a lot of controversy. People are talking about that line. What did you mean when you said that? JS: I mean like I said, I speak eighty five percent truth and fifteen percent bullsh*t. What part did that sound like to you? That’s part is the eighty-five percent right there, know what I’m saying? Who’s rockin right now. We came over here and we rockin right now, its not like we took it over in a sense like nobody ain’t come out, but right now we poppin. Don’t deny what’s hot, if you hot your hot. Its not like anybody went anywhere. Cam came over and he does what he wants. It’s not like he took it over, but we get to do what we want, we got our own label. We don’t answer to no one. AllHipHop.com: Beanie apparently sent out a little diss to Cam. Have you heard that song yet? JS: I don’t think that’s possible and anyway, that was all cleared up. Beanie had stepped to Cam like "you know that sh*t wasn’t nothing." Cam ain’t even hear that sh*t, but what was it, do you even no what it was? People was stressing it. AllHipHop.com: It was on a mixtape in Philly, Cosmic Kev. The lyrics are out there, but nobody can back it up with audio for some reason. It’s hard to find. JS: Yea it was probably some indirect sh*t that they took. We f*ck with everybody. Nothing is going on in Roc-A-Fella like people think it is, just that everybody is different people. We come from different places, different homes. State Property is still State Property, Diplomats is still Diplomats. Why do they make it seem like Diplomats is not f*ckin’ wit Roc-A-Fella? State Property […]

AllHipHop: What was the climate within the group Rusty Waters? Was there any beef in the group? S: As far as Rusty Waters goes, it’s just like Run said. Jay was the glue behind everything. Now that Jay is gone, everybody is scattered. Ain’t nothing like it used to be. It use to be all of us hanging, running around the world, going to these different cities, all that sh*t is over. The same n*ggas that used to hang don’t speak anymore. AllHipHop: But before Jay passed, there was no problems in the group? S: Rusty Waters was cool, but Jay felt relieved when they got their deal. It was like he felt that he owed them, like I gotta get these n*ggas on. He got them out of his pocket and he was happy. He was like "Now we can start f*cking with these movies, I’m through with the rap sh*t." n*ggas didn’t even know that Jay wasn’t f*ckin with that rap sh*t no more, it was all about the movies. AllHipHop: Boe Skagz, Jay’s nephew, was absent when Jay was shot. He’s never been implicated, but what happened earlier in the day? I heard that earlier in the day before Jay was shot, they all went to get haircuts and for one reason or another, Boe was the only one that didn’t and that’s where he went the night Jay was shot, which is why he wasn’t at the studio? S: That’s true, that happened. Boe didn’t get his haircut and Randy was stressing for him to get his hair cut later. There is no question, if Boe was in the studio when that sh*t happened, Boe would be dead with Jay or the n*gga who tried to do that would be dead, no question. Boe would have givin his life for Jay just like me. AllHipHop: Why was Randy stressing so hard for Boe to get his haircut later? S: I am questioning so much sh*t now. After that sh*t I heard on the radio I’m questioning everything. I believed in Randy. I believed that dude loved Jay. Now I’m like what the f*ck is really going on? Why did he tell me that bogus story for no reason? He told me a bogus story for no reason. AllHipHop: Randy said that he chased the gunman down and that’s how the studio gun was found outside, right? Did he ever give a reason as to why he dropped it and never brought it back into the studio? S: He told me some bullsh*t about he didn’t want the police to find the gun in the studio so he put it outside. But then he told me they did find it and got his prints off the gun. He told em what happened and it could have f*cked him up cause he is a felon, but they gave him a pass. AllHipHop: So the police just gave him a pass in the biggest hip-hop murder investigation in hip-hop? S: Aye man, that’s what he told me. I heard him on the radio, I tried to call him today. All his numbers are changed, 2way, cellphone and everything. AllHipHop: Lydia sent AllHipHop a press release saying that she basically didn’t see anything. What did she tell you and how did Curtis Scoon come to be the major suspect, if she says she didn’t see anything? S: I spoke to Randy and then I flew back to New York. I called him when I got in. He told me Lydia looked him right in his face and said that Scoon did it. AllHipHop: Is that how the cops came up with Curtis Scoon being the main suspect? S: That’s what I thought. I got the million dollar question. I’ll give Randy the benefit of the doubt and say the killer didn’t know they were in the back. They shot Jay and just say they shot Pretty Tone. Why didn’t they shoot Lydia? You tell me why a man comes in and kills my man in cold blood and I’m talking about did not touch her? You answer that question for me and we can start figuring out who killed Jay. I heard so many different stories. The cops said they call her the drama queen, cause every time they try to question her she goes into tears and convulsions and sh*t. Man you don’t understand, we were all family! We flew around doing these DJ gigs and I can’t believe how these n*ggas are turning on Jay like this. They going to all these radio stations and sh*t. Why aren’t they going to the police? AllHipHop: So the building the studio was in and how it’s setup, there’s a barbershop downstairs. In order to get in, you have to be buzzed in and then go up the stairs to the studio. Someone had to buzz the door open right? S: They say the door was open because of a seminar going on. AllHipHop: How could the gunman just go into the studio and do this? The gunman must have been familiar with the building and the area, right? S: That’s real, that’s real. AllHipHop: What about Tinard Washington? I know he is locked up now for robbing some motels. He was reported as allegedly being the lookout. I don’t know how true that is, but what was his involvement with Jay? S: All of those people towards the end that ran with Jay, were all Randy’s people. None of them were people Jay grew up with. Everybody was from Randy. AllHipHop: Jay lived near some highways. I hate to say this but, why would they target him at the studio, when there is a police precinct right around the corner? S: Well Jay shot around so much, whoever did it was probably like we gonna get him now, or we may not get him. AllHipHop: Do you think he was being followed? Or was it spontaneous? S: I’ma tell you […]

You may not know who Erik “Shake” James is. But you are about to meet him. As a personal friend of the late, great, Jam Master Jay, Shake was part of Jay’s inner circle from 1988 until the Jam Master’s murder in October of 2002. Shake traveled around the globe with Jam Master Jay and actually introduced AllHipHop’s owners/founders to the legendary DJ. When the rumors of Jay’s death started to circulate, AllHipHop’s Grouchy Greg paged Jam Master hoping he would dispel what had yet to be confirmed, only to receive the tragic confirmation from Jay’s pager, but with Shake responding. After hearing Randy Allen’s interview on Hot 97, in which he seemingly told an alternate version of what happened the night Jay was murdered, Shake decided to speak his mind. Allen and his sister Lydia High, were longtime associates of Jay. Both have recently been under scrutiny from various media outlets, the subject of various reports suggesting they may know more about the murder than they are revealing. In this exclusive interview, Shake comes forward to speak about the man he called his best friend, Jam Master Jay, and what may have happened to him. AllHipHop: What was your role with Jay? Shake: That was my best friend man. AllHipHop: You also worked with Run-DMC? Shake: Yeah AllHipHop: Jay was with you the day before he was murdered, no strange behavior? Shake: We just played video games and was just hanging man. AllHipHop: The following day he went back to the studio and was killed. Who was in the studio that night? Shake: He had told me that he had to get back home because he had to turn in the Rusty Waters album. He bounced and I was speaking to him off and on. We had went to the club that night and he left his 2way in there. I went out the club and grabbed his 2way for him. He told me to grab 50 Cent’s 2way out the pager cause he wanted to speak to him about this movie thing. I spoke to Jay when they were getting their hair cuts and he told me to not call his cell phone and to call him at the studio, cause that’s where he was going to finish up the album. I gave him the number that he needed. He went into the studio. Next thing I know, may man calls me up and tells me that terrible news. AllHipHop: Who were the people that were in the studio that night? Shake: First of all, I wouldn’t be doing this but I heard Randy on Hot 97 today (June 25). The story that he told on the radio, he told me a totally different story as to what happened. He told me that they met this chick and she wanted someone to listen to her demo. Randy said that him and Mike B. (Michael Bonds) Jay, Tone (Urieco “Pretty Tone” Rincon), Lydia and the chick whose demo they were listening to were there. Somebody knocked on the door, told Lydia to get down, popped Jay and Pretty Tone gets hit off the ricochet. Randy said that he sees Jay down, grabs the studio gun and chases the gunman. He runs out the back, Mike B runs out the front. They chasing the dude and they can’t find them. I’m like why didn’t you shoot? He said that dude was gone. My whole thing is this. All these dudes say they love Jay, say they’d do this and that. All these people owe Jay more than what they doing. To just sit back and say nothing and everybody is telling a different story. It ain’t like Jay got killed by a sniper from a million yards away, it was people right there. Then I hear him say there was 60 people in the hall? So now that’s 65 witnesses and nobody still saw nothing? Dude sat right in a car, looked me dead in my face. I said, “Randy, it’s just me and you. Who did that to Jay?” He said “Shake the ngga that killed your best friend and mine is Curtis Scoon.” And then he told me that bullsht ass story. But then on the radio today he sounded like he was protecting Scoon! I’m already sitting back fcked up about this sht everyday and now I have to figure why the f*ck Randy lied to me. AllHipHop: So one minute he’s telling you Scoon did it, and now he’s saying it might not have been Scoon. Shake: What’s real is real. He sounded like he was protecting dude. He said that their beef wasn’t big enough for him to wanna kill Jay. AllHipHop: OK so what do you think about Scoon? Shake: Man, their beef is so old, it was a money thing. That sht was in 1993. That sht is old but you can’t just rule sh*t out. AllHipHop: Why do you think Randy Allen and Lydia may not be cooperating with the police? Shake: I’ma tell you like this. n*ggas always talk about that street code. As far as that goes, that’s out the window. This is Jay. They supposed to be family. Jay would take his shirt off his back and give it to them dudes. I’m not saying they wouldn’t do it too, but they not right now. When you in the streets and your grindin’ and hustling and somebody get done like that, it’s a part of the game cause you living that life. When you not doing that and your on the right path, that’s not supposed to happen. That was cold blooded murder. AllHipHop: A lot of things have been printed about Randy Allen and the authorities are now investigating him. Has there been anything different about his behavior? Shake: Everybody needs to just get on the same page and focus on who really did this to Jay. To me, they didn’t give a f*ck about Jason Mizell, but […]

While mostly the voice, it’s more. Guru is hip-hop’s best PR Man, and he doesn’t need to rent out a fancy hotel to attract an audience. On the verge of releasing their sixth album over a fifteen year reign, Gang Starr’s main purpose is to cherish the woman we call hip-hop. Guru is quite possibly the crowned vocalist of hip-hop. He’s taught us a savy way to speak, a way to drive lyrics with subtlety, and he’s ressurected the Jazz appreciation in the streets. Guru and DJ Premiere are not just “one of the best yet”, they are just that, the best. With probably a million other things to be doing, Guru carved time out of a Brooklyn afternoon to unleash the updated Gang Starr formula, dispell the rumors, and teach a few semesters of hip-hop love…and the masses are lovesick. AllHipHop.com: The famous echoing Gang Starr phrase is the “updated formulas”. In words, how did you and Preem update the methods for The Ownerz? Guru: As far as the beat tip, Premiere always evolved his style for what it is. I mean, he always his signature, having heavy drums and key changes which goes back to his love of the game when somebody’d walk through with a big ass radio, (laughing), carrying a big ass radio! But he does different things with the way he bounces his beats now: different patterns, and a different bounce, sometimes different uses of the high hat. Technically, if you’re really into knowledge of beats, you can hear the little things he does that are different. Other people may not be able to hear it. Just the way he chops a lot of samples from different things. He plays some things, but he keeps it minimal too. ‘Cuz he actually plays drums, keyboards, and bass. It feels like it’s moving, or almost as if it’s being played live. Because what he does is he hears it once in his head and then he finds the s### that sounds like it. AllHipHop: And how did you update? Guru: My style is my voice. But the flow is always changed to the beat. We listen to everything. We’re always up on what’s new and current. That’s the difference between us and a lot of groups that fell off. We just didn’t get hung up in what we were doing, we were always aware of what was going on in the scene, in the market, in our competition, whatever you want to call it – game. We definitely keep that hunger and intensity. Me, I call it sparring. I spar with a lot of younger cats. There’s a lot of cats I’m executive producing. I’m always listening to beats, so my flow adapts to the times. I might mix a new flow with an old flow and come up with a whole different flow (laughing). I started rhyming in ’77, in no way could my style now be the same as then. Nobody would want to listen to me. It’s all about perfection, being versatile. AllHipHop: I love the concept behind the title, there are a lot of heads lending and borrowing the culture, you own it… Guru: Yeah, because our style can’t be duplicated and copied. Our style is pure. We are actually the resurrectors of the New York sound. A lot of New York rappers, aside from Nas and a few others, have left the New York sound for dead. Because they wanted to compete in the market with the South and the West. I don’t you have to do that. I think you can bring it to the forefront, the New York sound. Because right now everything is bouncing, and I like that! But that’s not all I like. I think there needs to be more of a variety in the market places, more of a balance of what the clout is getting. Right now New York is a monopoly. The same records that are on the radio are the same records that are in the clubs, they’re all the same! And there’s gotta be more good s### out. And there is. Like Premiere has an XM Radio show with Marley [Marl], and they have the chance to play different s### on there, breaking records. There’s a skit on the album about DJ’s, because they’re supposed to be the ones breaking new ground. But they’re not, ‘cuz they’re scared. I got no problem with the hustle. But you can’t hustle the hip-hop culture, but you got to know about it. A lot of these cats coming into the game don’t even know who Big Daddy Kane is and Public Enemy are. It’s like when you apply for a job. You better know about that company! So in order for these cats to last in hip-hop, they better do their homework. AllHipHop: This record was pushed back a few times. I had heard that you and Premiere were unhappy with the way the original record sounded… Guru: That wasn’t it. It wasn’t done [laughing]. Please, whoever you heard that from, correct them. I hate that s###. That is the furthest from the truth, ‘cuz I’m one of the most honest people you will ever know. If that was the truth, I’d tell you. How could we not be happy with our s###? [laughing]. We get excited about our s###! The only reason it was pushed back was because of the record company was gonna put out right after the “Skills” video with no set-up, with people not even hired yet. We have people on our label, rock-n-roll and s###, not hip-hop! We’ve never been on a hip-hop label. The closest was Noo Trybe. We’ve been in the EMI system since Step In The Arena. We’re still on EMI. Chrysalis was like Pat Benatar and Billy Idol and Virgin is Janet and Lenny! AllHipHop: It’s always been “Produced by DJ Premiere, and co-produced by the GURU” What is your role in Gang Starr production? Guru: Very […]

AllHipHop: I personally consider you the original G.O.A.T [Greatest of All Time]…you were the dominant rapper in hip-hop at one point and very visible unlike some before you. MM: Black people have short-term memory. That’s just us being ignorant, trendy and going with the fad. We are a part of history. If I was a white dude and I was the first, great rapper, I would have Rolling Stones status. Overseas, its totally different. Them kids know more about the whole spectrum of rap than kids here and its supposed to be our culture. The average Black kid don’t know who we are. Now 50 Cent is the guy, but when the next guy comes out that’s more grimy than 50 Cent, he ain’t gonna be the guy no more. White people are gonna do what the ni**as do and they gonna jump on that. But the ni**gas aint holding up their end in a cultural perspective. This is our history? How can a group like Public Enemy be passé, but a group like NWA move forward? AllHipHop: You recently made history. MM: “The Message” [The Furious Five’s] was the only rap record inducted to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. That just goes back to what I was saying, nobody’s trying to make music for an intellectual-type person. They just trying to keep it on one level with the street kind of vibe. They making records like they still selling dope. Its just ni**as selling dope. AllHipHop: So where are you headed? MM: I’ve got goals. I’ve got places to go. A point to prove, basically, not to the people but the music industry. I can’t prove my point doing shows with the Sugarhill Gang [with whom he toured intensely]. AllHipHop: So what are your goals and what the hell do you have to prove? MM: The point that needs to be proven to these industry cats is that you can’t tell a man when he ain’t needed in his own game. Its like Reggie Jackson can always get a job with the Yankees. The are to the point of ignorance where they won’t allow the greats of the game to be apart of game. If I can still do it, why am I not a part of this game? I am here to take back what is mine. I know Russell [Simmons]. I know Andre Harrell. I’ve met every dude in the a game and I’m better than most. I can rhyme with anybody at anytime. If they have a top 20, I’m in there and I haven’t had a record out in 10 years. I’m an entertainer. I’m a star. They are dope dealers, pimps and the broads, they are hoes. AllHipHop: What’s your take on Run DMC? They changed things when they came out. Run DMC had that off-the-street-type look. MM: They were the first to take that route. They were the first that had that modern marketing and promotion. We only made one video. Kurtis Blow made maybe two. Afrika Bambaataa made one. They were the MTV babies. They did things more like record a company. When Russell came, he came with the Fat Boys, Whodini and LL. Run DMC spearheaded that era. To the average person, you would think that Run DMC was the greatest rap group ever but their not. They’re the most publicized rap group ever. Jam Master Jay was not the best DJ, rest in peace, not even close. And Run and DMC weren’t the best rappers. Werent even close. Where put them with the production and the amount of marketing and promotion, you got RUN DMC – bigger than life. I do remember seeing them at a club and they got in a battle and got destroyed and booed. The last thing they said was, “When we come back, we’re gonna be stars” and when they came back, they were. AllHipHop: What’s your take on battle rapping? MM: You see these rap battles and they are talking about what the other guy is wearing. Its like real stupid sh*t. You don’t even have to have any talent to do that. “You look like you got on your lil’ brother’s shirt.” We just did what we had to do and if it was better than the other guy, we won. To me, today’s battles are corny. Your whole focus is what the other guy does. That’s what kids are doing today. AllHipHop: Rappers have used your stuff like Mobb Deep redid “White Lines.” MM: From a financial stand-point, you can only like it. It lets me know, they know that we are not old the way they are saying it is. Its classic. If a Mobb Deep or a Puffy can redo “The Message” that’s just goes to show you are classic. AllHipHop: I heard you were working as a male stripper [for females] for a while. MM: You gotta do what you gotta do. AllHipHop: Mickey, ya boy, told me to ask you about your p#### collection. MM: [Laughs] I’m definitely Mr. P####. That was from back in the day. I been collecting [movies and now DVD’s] since I was about 17. Its cool and it’s a part of life. People do have sex and I like to see all that sh*t. I’m excited to meet [the female p### star] the way others wanna see Denzel Washington. AllHipHop: I hear you are a workout fanatic. MM: I just love training. The girls love that. Ni**gs like a broad with a nice body and the same with them. Young girls – don’t look at me girl! AllHipHop: What do you think about the state of the game now? MM: All people know about rap is “Oh yeah, that’s dope. That’s street. Them ni**as is street, they hard!” Hip-hop ain’t about that. Hip-hop ain’t got nothing to do with that. [Street] guys like that never said rhymes. They never even wanted to say rhymes. Its been hijacked by these cats. All […]

The Original G.O.A.T. – Grand Master Melle Mel By Jigsaw Born Melvin Glover, Grandmaster Melle Mel is more than one of the pioneers of hip-hop – he is heralded, by those that know, as one of the finest lyricists hip-hop has ever seen. While we at AllHipHop deem him the original G.O.A.T., the notion is certainly arguable with greats before and after him. But. Melle Mel was certainly one of the first true emcees that graced the small screen, the big screen and hammered the upper and underground. Under the legendary Grandmaster Flash banner, Melle Mel joined Keith (Cowboy) Wiggins, his older brother Nathaniel (Kidd Creole) Glover and eventually Guy (Rahiem) Williams and Eddie (Mr. Ness/Scorpio) Morris to construct the Furious Five. The group hit with an immeasurable impact when they recorded, “The Message,” which was released in 1982. The song peaked at #4 on the charts and it forever changed the face of rap. While the masses had grown accustomed to the classic pop of Sugar Hill, lead vocalist Melle Mel repped the harsh realities of life in “The Message,” precluding social analysts like BDP, Public Enemy and NWA for several years. Melle rapidly became the lyrical lead in the group, admired for his mighty voice and ability to chew through MC’s. He continued to express and unseen reality in son with “White Lines,” a lyrical journal about cocaine use and abuse. When Flash filed a lawsuit against Sugar Hill Records, their label, the factions of The Furious Five parted. Melle Mel defected and got a number of feature roles in the likes of “Beat Street,” a campy hip-hop classic, and cameos on Chaka Khan’s Grammy-winner “I Feel For You.” In the past years, Melle Mel has continued to record and rhyme, even though its not widely known. After this interview with AllHipHop.com, the man who would become Grandmaster, hopes you don’t think he is finished. He’s on a mission. AllHipHop.com: So, I don’t know where to start other than the beginning. How did you get started rhyming? Grand Master Melle Mel: Going to all the jams, we used to breakdance. [Kool] Herc and [Grand Master] Flash, they used to have the mic and they would say all the catch phrases and I like how the brother – Coke La Rock and Timmy Tim, my favorites – said the lil’ phrases. We used to mimic them. Just because were weren’t DJs, we just took what they did and extended it. AllHipHop: How did things get big with the Furious Five? MM: Once we started getting the rap thing together, Cowboy [FF member] was already rappin’ with Flash. Flash didn’t have a real good DJ voice anyway so he just brought out the system and anybody could get on the mic. But me and Creole [FF member] was putting together our [dance] routines before we even got on the mic with Flash. We were just showing Flash. Me and Scorpio, before his name was Scorpio, we used to hang out and we pulled him in. We used to have battles we put Raheem down with us, because he was one of the best rappers out there. And we did and that’s how we became the Furious Five. AllHipHop: When did you realize you were going to be huge and that rap was too? MM: When I first saw Herc and them doing they thing, I knew, but I didn’t think it was gonna be something that anybody would be able to do. I just thought it would be something we could do. Obviously, I was wrong. If Sugar Hill could make something simple as "Rapper’s Delight," then its something anybody can do. AllHipHop: You had more of a breakout success visibility-wise than the rest of the group. Do you see any reason for that? MM: The main reason is the record that we did a video off of, "The Message," I had the lead in that record. When they saw the video, the saw me. The other reason is, I would do my own thing. When the group broke up and everybody went with Flash, I stay making records. I was fortunate enough to do a song with Chaka Khan, appear on the Grammys and then work with Quincy [Jones]. That’s the way I got started anyway. I said the breakdancing was cool, but let me [rap]. AllHipHop: What made you go solo? MM: Because Flash and them had a court case with Sugar Hill Records and I didn’t feel that I would need to lose that time [fighting in court]. A court case can take years and that’s what happened. I said, "Let’s go get these hits." I made "White Lines" [on Sugar Hill]. [Editor’s note: This song was a huge hit and was eventually remade by Mobb Deep and subsequently sampled by a number of rappers.] AllHipHop: So, "White Line" was solo from you, not the whole crew? MM: Yeah, the song came out as Grand Master Melle Mel because the group was associated Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five. Even up to this day, I can get on stage and say Melle Mel a thousand times, but soon as I get off, they say, "Yo, Flash what up?" The name was that big. AllHipHop: So you weren’t jacking Flash’s name? MM: No, it was business. My sound was associated with the name Grand Master Flash. Flash took it some other kind of way. Whatever. He gotta feed his family and I gotta feed mine. AllHipHop: Do you guys speak these days? MM: We cordial. We don’t do any work together though, but we speak. AllHipHop: Clothing-wise you dudes had a whole different style. Some say it’s the pre-Run DMC era with some other influences like punk rock in there. MM: It was simple. We came from the ghetto and just some ni**a-sh*t. When we were hot, we tried to be star and add an era of entertainment to what we do. We weren’t trying to go […]

Gloria “Glory” Velez. Most likely you’ve seen the face, body and the sensual portray in videos and print media, but she promises she is much more than a sexy image. The 24-year-old started in the seedy music industry 10 years ago in a variety of dancing contests in Florida that eventually lead to big budget videos like Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin,” 112’s “Anywhere,” Ja-Rule’s, “Holla-Holla”, and even Sisqo’s “Thong Song.” Furthermore the model’s allure has been raised in photo shoot’s by XXL, The Source and King Magazine and her own beauty. AllHipHop.com even featured the beauty in our latest mixtape, True Grit 2, in both site and sound. Nowadays, the model has turn rap mistress with the inception of her debut, The American Dream. Last year, Glo signed with platinum-plus producer Ty Fyffe’s company, TyBu Entertainment, and then Rodney Jerkins’ Darkchild Label. Now “the sexiest emcee ever” plans to deliver ear candy how she has provided eye candy for years. The American Dream,her first rap set, is slated to drop later this year. To see the interview, click here. AllHipHop.com: Why don’t you just give a quick overview of your history and how you got into the game. Glory: When I was 14 years old I used to club hop – teenage club hop in Fort Lauradale Florida. They had competitions like body contests and a couple of artist bass artists wanted me to dance on tour with them. So I started touring with them on weekends and holidays and stuff. People started saying to me I would love for you to be in this video. So the first video I’ve ever did was “Lobster & Shrimp”, with Jay Z. AllHipHop: You were down with Luke for a little while, right? Glory: Yeah we were cool, we were friends and then when I hit 19, I danced for him – I went on tour with him. I wasn’t his bag-of-trick girls. He have a bag-of- trick girls that would do wild sh*t. I was dancer so we actually danced. I did do a girl on girl show with one girl, but there nothing wrong with that. That was it and then we fell out, then he put that video out – get over it [Luke] it was Cancun 1999 and we are in the year 2003. I never sign a release or anything but he put it out any way. AllHipHop: Did you sue him? Glory: No I didn’t sue him because in court money fights money and I didn’t have money at the time. But he really tried to bribe on me and try to mess up my career but it helped my career because I got much more fans. AllHipHop: So you kinda new in the game – more new than not new? Glory: Yeah more new – like in the beginning I was singing – I put myself in the studio like 20 years old, and then I was working with this girl and then she was rapping she said you sing fast and you got that flavor you should do some bass rap, and I wasn’t too keen on it but I loved the music but I didn’t want to rap bass. AllHipHop: What made you go to rap music in this form – its not bass music? Glory: No. no. I have more a little bit of Mid West more Down South, a little bit of East Coast, a little bit of everything; I don’t think I sound like anybody, as you will hear. I love hip-hop, I think it is so open now for a female rapper to come and take it you it. AllHipHop: So being a model and in the videos, did that weigh in to getting you put on faster or anything? Glory: No, I think it was harder, cause they think you got a pretty face they think you can dance everybody want to be in the music business or acting. So I think you got to prove yourself more. They think you are a ditsy blonde or you have a pretty face or you have no talent so I had to put myself in the door. Nobody was like, “Let me sign you lets make this money” until I bumped into Ty Fyf. AllHipHop: How do you deal with people seeing you as a video hoe or a ditsy blond? Glory: It’s acting, a lot of it is not real. People think a video girl is up on a guy, but it’s acting. We really are getting paid to do that and it’s not like after the cut we are like “Oh Yes! We want to go home with you!” No, it’s “cut” I’m ready to get out and leave. Some girls do dip-n-dap, but not all. In the beginning bothered me, now it doesn’t because I know who I am what I did and what I didn’t do. Also, it helps, cause you get seen a lot. AllHipHop: How do you feel being a sex symbol? Glory: I like that. I think I’m sexy you got to be confident with yourself. I love the pictures that were out and little provocative. Some sexy and cute. It varies. AllHipHop: As far as getting into the rap game, what angle are you coming from? Glory: I want a little bit of it all, the Playboy bunny sexy but also I want to give a message not just talking about sex. Sex sells, but talk about important stuff too. People have think that I’m just some wild crazy girl ….no that’s not true, but if you want to fantasize and you want to buy my record do it. But I am more deeper than that. AllHipHop: Now you have a DVD on the way, right? Glory: It’s called “Glo’s Doing The Damn Thing”. So I have cameras following me all around – different states, partying, the home life, studio life, just everything about Gloria – photo shoots. Everything like “Girls Gone Wild.” […]

As hip-hop plows forward burrowing into history, more and more rappers are frozen in time or completely forgotten. Rap lyricist extraordinaire Chino XL isn’t about to be one of them. The rapper is readying Poison Pen, his next album slated for a fourth quarter release. But, in the interim period between albums Chino has turned to acting as a new career. The rapper has been in a number of films like “Playa’s Ball,” “Vatos.” “Barrio Wars,” “Osirus” and the now infamous “Crime Partners,” which is a subject of a federal investigation against Murder Inc. Now Chi makes his major feature film debut in the Rob Reiner flick “Alex and Emma” a movie that hits theaters June 20. AllHipHop.com talked to the budding thespian and got the lowdown on his movie career and what’s hip-hop got to do with it. AllHipHop.com: So what’s up Chi, how have you been? Chino XL: I’ve been good man, maintaining, knocking these movies out AllHipHop: Word. So what’s up with the whole Hollywood thing man? CXL: People have started calling me to do all types of movies. So I did one, I did another, and I did another and was like, “You know what Chi? This ain’t that hard at all.” So at that point I went and got a new manager, and agent and began doing my thing. I’m working on a few films now with one hitting called “Alex and Emma” directed by Rob Reiner and a couple straight to video flicks. AllHipHop: So what do movie producers and agents think about your other career with music? CXL: Well the thing is, I don’t use my rapping gig to get acting jobs. Most people in the movie industry initially have no idea about the music thing, and when they find out I do rhyme, they are pleasantly surprised. Not to disrespect, but to most movie industry cats, rappers don’t translate well over the screen. I think the reason being is that we are so accustomed to writing our own words, that when it comes time to act out somebody else’s words written for you, it becomes hard. I’ve learned so much in so little time about technique and I have become quite effective at adlibbing when I do my scenes. AllHipHop: So is acting going to be your new permanent hustle? CXL: Well it started out as a hustle, just something to pay my bills. But it has turned into something I can’t really control. I cant just stop acting for 4 months to go make an album, because based on my work thus far, my name is on breakdowns and there are people constantly calling my agent showing interest. It’s real man. AllHipHop: So what are some of the differences between the movie industry and the music industry? CXL: Man to be honest, movie money is so good. The people treat you treat you better, respect your ideas, the whole nine. Its so different having everything secure with the jobs you take in acting. When setting up a show in rap, it’s like what state am I gonna be in, what town, who’s the promoter, is he gonna pay me, etc, etc. With acting I have an agent who negotiates my money, and everything is set in stone with money in my pocket before I even step on a set. There are just not as many games being played either. Like right now we could call Robert Deniro’s agent, leave a message and he will call us right back. Not saying he gonna give you what you want, but he will show the decency and call you right back just like you was Al Pachino’s agent or something. People seem to be much more respectful. AllHipHop: So is acting hard for you, are you getting a grasp of it? CXL: It’s pretty easy for me. Because I have such a vast archive of rhymes in my head, there is no situation I will be in in a movie that I haven’t thought of in a lyric. I don’t play any parts that don’t reflect my music in some way. At first it was difficult because like with rhyming, I’m extremely confident in my abilities because I work very hard on my craft. When I step in a cipher, ni**as best rhymes wont save them cause they know what I’m about. But with the acting I felt like I was disrespecting the art form cause I couldn’t really rip it ya know? But with time it is something I have become much better at. Like now, I wont let an actor sh*t on me in a scene. I have too many verbals for me to back down. There is no fear and no line a writer can write that can shake me. Unless Kool G Rap wrote a script, there is nothing I could be shook by. Acting is really fun though. AllHipHop: So what’s’ cracking with Chino XL, the lyricist? CXL: Oh, I got Poison Pen coming real soon. And man let me tell you, straight up, I can’t believe some of the stuff that I’ve been writing. Dog I’m serious, it has been absolutely phenomenal. I’m not tying to gas ni**as, or pat my own back, but y’all just wait. I have a whole new control and method of madness when it comes to the lyrics. You’ll see very soon. AllHipHop: So just because your acting, I take it your still going hard with your rhyming career right? CXL: Listen dog, I could never stop rhyming. I would have loved to sell 10 million records on my own without bending over backwards for industry cats but I just had to fall back for a sec had to use the movie thing as a platform for another creative outlet But when it comes to my rhymes, I refuse to do it any other way than I do it. Whenever I write something I feel is not me, I just literally feel like […]

While the loss of perhaps the two biggest and brightest stars in hip-hop still resonates throughout the collective ears of hip-hop today, many of us still scratching our heads in awe. We all wonder: How could two of the most high profile murders in history go unsolved? It’s known the Feds were following them both. How could either be murdered in such high profile situations, with so many people around, yet no one has been brought to justice? The answer can be found in a documentary that came out of left field. Despite the flashy commercials hyping "Biggie & Tupac," the film documentary is far from that. It is filled substance. Information that, according to sources, could very well put the alleged perpetrators behind bars, much to certain peoples chagrin. Meet Nick Bloomfield. AllHipHop.com: Can you give a little bit of your background? Nick Broomfield: I am a journalist, but I guess I know a lot of people. I was going to do a film with Princess Diana at one point. I have been interested in lots of different kinds of stories. I was brought into this story when I was living in Los Angeles. AllHipHop.com: What got you so involved with Biggie and Tupac in particular? N: I liked Tupac’s music, I was a lot more aware of him than Biggie and I always wanted to do something about the LAPD, and also being aware that this is the richest country in the world and yet so many people are living under the poverty line. I read a newspaper article the other day saying ¼ of all the kids living in Harlem suffer from asthma and there is an enormous amount of deaths from asthma. Asthma is something that is easily curable, but in LA your always reading about people dying from bad water, or there are no medical facilities, bad schools and so on. This is like a big issue and I guess it’s the same thing in many American cities. I wanted to do something that involved that kind of situation as well so it was a portrait of a political situation in America. First I thought being English or being white would be a real negative factor, but I thought I could also bring something to it too as an outsider. As I started working on it I found that once people realized I was serious and that I was really interested and working hard at it they were really helpful. AllHipHop.com: Did you employ a certain kind of interview technique? N: I employed a couple of private detectives. Some of these police were arresting drug dealers and stealing drugs from the evidence locker and then getting other drug dealers to sell it for them. This has been going on for a number of years, so some of these guys were quite wealthy. They were supposed to invest some of the money into properties under various aliases. We were trying to find some of the properties. The thing is the LAPD has really not tried to get to the bottom of the story because it’s an embarrassment to the police force when their officers are involved. Justice somehow stops when other members of the police force are involved or it reflects badly on them ’cause they stop investigating. That’s why we hired the private detectives, ’cause we thought maybe we could come up with info that would embarrass the LAPD to get to the bottom of all this. I think we still got enough out there. I know that the case is moving forward and it has been reopened. There is a pretty successful lawsuit happening against the LAPD from the Christopher Wallace estate. A lot of the info that we got we gave to them and I’m optimistic that there will be developments. One of the things I have been trying to get people to do is see the DVD now that it’s in stores and to actually email the LAPD police chief William Bratton on LAPD online. Ask him why there hasn’t been any arrests? Why haven’t these murders ‘t been solved in 5 years, particularly when a couple of people are named in the DVD? I think police chiefs are influenced by public pressure; they don’t like being embarrassed or things reflecting badly on them. AllHipHop.com: What was your approach to doing the film? N: When you make these films if you remain very positive and determined, move a little forward everyday then you’ll get it made. I think everybody that we saw was at least 50 phone calls or more, you have to be very patient. A lot of the people you had to win their trust and their belief that it was worth there while taking part in the film and that it wasn’t going to be some stupid piece that they would expose themselves for unnecessarily. We read every single interview done by the police and read every interview with every single witness on the Biggie Smalls murder. So there’s a lot of information in there around David Mack, the people working with him, his gang members, his girlfriends, it’s all in the book. I found it unbelievable that Suge Knight said "I’m not going to talk to you." Death Row said "you’re not going to talk to him" and the president still said "if you want you can still come," so we’re actually walking around Suge’s prison yard asking other prisoners where Suge is. It was like a dream, not a particularly good dream, but a dream. Then we walked into the cellblock, there he was right across the room. He was shocked, he was sweating, worried like "how did they get in here?" We didn’t look like a professional crew, it was a ragged bunch. I think he did the interview through shock more than anything else. AllHipHop.com: There DVD suggests that there is so much evidence towards Suge Knight being behind the Murders of both Biggie and […]

One of the most interesting and intense interviews, I’ve ever conducted was with Tupac Shakur.. He had just hit it big with the movie "Juice" and everyone was wondering was he just acting or putting forth his real life persona in the movie. Although I had known him for a couple of years it was hard for me to tell. He had a loaded gun on him as we spoke. If I recall it was a .38….Pac explains in this interview his then recent encounter with the Oakland Police Department which resulted in him getting beat. Pac was out on bail after serving part of a 3 year prison sentence in upstate NY. He’s has signed with Death Row Records and released his album, All Eyes On Me. This early interview in March of 1996 lends some incredible insight to how he was before all the trouble. Enjoy..Davey D. Davey D: Give a little bit of background on yourself. What got you into hip hop? 2Pac: I’m from the Bronx, NY. I moved to Baltimore where I spent some high school years and then I came to Oaktown. As for hip hop-all my travels through these cities seemed to be the common denominator. Davey D: You lived In Marin City for a little while. How was your connection with hip hop able to be maintained while living there? Was there a thriving hip hop scene in Marin City? 2Pac: Not really..You were just given truth to the music. Being in Marin City was like a small town so it taught me to be more straight foward with my style. Instead of of being so metaphorical with the rhyme, I was encouraged to go straight at it and hit it dead on and not waste time trying to cover things…In Marin City it seemed like things were real country. Everything was straight forward. Poverty was straight forward. There was no way to say I’m poor, but to say ‘I’m poor’… Davey D: How did you hook up with Digital Underground? 2Pac: I caught the ‘D-Flow Shuttle’ while I was in Marin City. I’m referring to the album ‘Sons Of The P’ It was the way out of here. It was the way to escape out of the ghetto. It was the way to success. I haven’t gotten off since… Basically I bumped into this kid named Greg Jacobs aka Shock G and he hooked me up with Digital Underground… Davey D: What’s the concept behind your album 2Pacalypse Now’? 2Pac: The concept is the young Black male. Everybody’s been talkin’ about it but now it’s not important. It’s like we just skipped over it.. It’s no longer a fad to be down for the young Black male. Everybody wants to go past. Like the gangster stuff, it just got exploited. This was just like back in the days with the movies. Everybody did their little gunshots and their hand grenades and blew up stuff and moved on. Now everybody’s doing rap songs with the singing in it.. I’m still down for the young Black male. I’m gonna stay until things get better. So it’s all about addressing the problems that we face in everyday society. Davey D: What are those problems? 2Pac: Police brutality, poverty, unemployment, insufficient education, disunity and violence, black on black crime, teenage pregnancy, crack addiction. Do you want me to go on? Davey D: How do you address these problems? Are you pointing them out or are you offering solutions? 2Pac: I do both. In some situations I show us having the power and in some situations I show how it’s more apt to happen with the police or power structure having the ultimate power. I show both ways. I show how it really happens and I show how I wish it would happen Davey D: You refer to yourself as the ‘Rebel of the Underground’ Why so? 2Pac: Cause, if Digital Underground wasn’t diverse enough with enough crazy things in it, I’m even that crazier. I’m the rebel totally going against the grain…I always want to do the extreme. I want to get as many people looking as possible. For example I would’ve never done the song ‘Kiss U Back’ that way. Davey D: Can talk about your recent encounter with police brutality at the hands of the Oakland PD? 2Pac: For everyone who doesn’t know, I… an innocent young black male was walking down the streets of Oakland minding my own business and the police department saw fit for me to be trained or snapped back into my place. So they asked for my I-D and sweated me about my name because my name is Tupac. My final words to them was ‘f— y’all’ . Next thing I know I was in a choke hold passing out with cuffs on headed for jail for resisting arrest. We’re currently letting the law do its job by taking it through the court system. We had to file a claim. We’re in the midst of having a ten million dollar law suit against OPD. If I win and get the money then the Oakland Police department is going to buy a boys home, me a house, my family a house and a ‘Stop Police Brutality Center’. Davey D: Let’s talk about the movie ‘Juice’. How did you get involved? 2Pac: Money B had an audition for the movie. Sleuth [road manager] suggested I also come along. I went in cold turkey, read, God was with me…The movie is about 4 kids and their coming of age.It’s not a hip hop movie. It’s a real good movie that happens to have hip hop in it. If it was made in the 60s it would’ve depicted whatever was ‘down’ in the 60s…My character is Roland Bishop, a psychotic, insecure very violent, very short tempered individual. Davey D: What’s the message you hope is gotten out of the movie? 2Pac: You never know what’s going on in somebody’s mind. There are […]

When Tupac Shakur exited this physical plane called Earth, he left behind millions of fans. One of the biggest was fellow Immortal Outlaw Fatal Hussein, who is still in the world living Thug Life. Tonight is another one of those nights. A hot summer night in the city where tension is climbing steadily. New Jersey native Fatal and his entourage of wild ass brothers prepare to perform at a small community center in the innermost city of Wilmington, Delaware. Nappy headed children scamper about the streets, up way past their bed time and the teenagers grow up a little bit faster tonight. The crowd outside is fronting on the $10.00 cost of the show and only a few trickle in the heavily guarded doors. Eventually a couple hundred die-hard fans will enter and get rocked aback by Fatal. Seeing Fatal perform is disturbingly similar to watching his old mentor and friend Tupac Shakur thug it out on stage. He sports many of the same tattoos, including the "Thug Life" arched across the stomach. And even though Pac is dead, Thug Life is very alive. Fatal talks at great lengths about Tupac and Kadafi – Pac’s cousin who was also murdered. Kadafi was gunned down in a New Jersey housing project, apparently because he prepared to testify as to who murdered Tupac. Both unsolved deaths still haunt Fatal and it’s evident because it dominates his conversation when interviewed. He is often assailed with criticism from those who say he resembles Pac too much, in sight and sound. But those who say he is a deception are mistaken. They don’t know that he and Kadafi visited Pac two hours everyday while Pac was incarcerated for rape. At times, he even refers to Pac in the present tense, as if he were still alive. And that he often receives word of revenge and death threats from cats that love Biggie Smalls just a little too much. His crew packs heat wherever they go, even to little urban community centers like this. Even though during much of his show he rips some of Pac’s greatest hits, the crowd seems to pretend that it is Tupac Shakur before them. It would seem that the stage is the only place where Fatal is completely comfortable. AllHipHop.Com: What are you giving people? Fatal: I just gave (the people) some s###. I was just letting n##### know. I came home. My man Pac got killed. My man Kadafi got killed. I ain’t get hit. It ain’t like I bounced on Death Row either ’cause I’ll still be on the Row if I felt like rockin’ that. I ain’t feel like rockin’ or rappin’ then. F### rapping. F### rocking. (Getting louder) My n##### died! I went the f### home. When Kadafi died, when Pac died, we left California. Me and Kadafi, we were on some straight Jersey s###. Kadafi died in Jersey so we ain’t never want to go back to Cali. It ain’t like I left the world. I still be chillin’ over there ’cause it was dope over there. It was love. Even when I go back now, s### is still off the hook! All the n##### down with Pac are cool with me. I guess all the people that are enemies with him are enemies with me, but I don’t give a f###. AllHipHop: Being from New Jersey, do you ever have problems on the East Coast? Fatal: N##### playa hated on me one time over some Mic Geronimo b#######. AllHipHop: What do you mean? Fatal: That (song) "Usual Suspects" I guess they felt I stole his show ’cause I said, "One deep from Jersey on the Island doing sticks." So they felt a n#### from Jersey can’t go to Rikers Island, but it ain’t nothing like that, jail is jail. AllHipHop: With all the heat surrounding Tupac, did that affect the last album you dropped? Fatal: Hell, yeah. It affect my album. I don’t know the whole s### on how it affected it. Everybody knows what’s going on, politics is politics. Everybody knows who controls New York, who controls the radio. (Everybody knows) who’s funny, who’s twisted, who’s gay and s###. If I had it like (those in power), I would control it too. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, but I got to show them that Pac’s s### ain’t never gonna die. I gotta be strong. The mainstream to me ain’t really nothing. As long as I got the streets, m############ can’t shut me down ’cause these n##### (points to his crew) gonna be here. Other n##### is losing they job, hiding in Hawaii or staying home. F### that staying home. AllHipHop: In terms of your career, do you feel the whole Tupac situation helped or hindered it? Fatal: (Yelling) Oh, hell no! That’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me in my life. On the real, I don’t care what else happens to me. That’s the best thing that could’ve happened to me because I wouldn’t be able to provide for my kid, if I had one. I was able to come up outta that slump when my n#### died. Pac died. That f##### me up, but if it wasn’t for Kadafi, there would be no (connection between) me and Pac So I’m saying, "F### rap." What the f### is rap? It ain’t got nothing to do with n##### dying. AllHipHop: Does that scare you, the fact that those close to you have been murdered like that? Fatal: Nah. It don’t scare me ’cause I know s### like that happens everyday to m############. I can’t fear it because it will make me more paranoid. As long as I don’t smoke no weed… But it keeps me paranoid. I stay one point when I’m paranoid. AllHipHop: What do you want people to get out of you’re music? Fatal: Really if n##### don’t like it, I don’t give a f###. It ain’t gonna be easy. And that little bit of play I’m getting now is […]

"Rip it ’til dawn, flip it ’til dawn. Hip Hop is the fix, or else we be gone" Ladybug Mecca, "Where I’m From" The mid-90’s saw a great change in Hip Hop as we knew it. Trading in Adidas for Timbs, and gold ropes for bubblegoose jackets, the culture took a turn into a different direction. The Golden Age was born, where braggin’ rites went beyond punchlines, and real lyrics came to life. Never before did both intellect AND street credibility permeate the music as it did during that era. From the Golden Age came Digable Planets, a group who’s success and popularity came and went, but left a permanent mark on Hip Hop and set a standard for future emcees to follow. Now, Digable’s former femme fatale, Ladybug Mecca is back! Armed with a Grammy and a conscious mind, Ladybug Mecca is ready to place her twist back on Hip Hop and reaffirm the reputation of not only the Female Emcee, but the Emcee as a whole. In this in-depth interview, Ladybug Mecca discusses life, culture, and her long awaited album, "Rebirth of Mec". AllHipHop: First off, welcome back! You’ve been missed. Ladybug Mecca: Awww thanks! AllHipHop: Briefly, what has been going with your life and career following the release of "Blowout Comb"? Ladybug Mecca: During the recording of "Blowout Comb", I discovered that my mother was terminally ill. Shortly after recording that, she passed away. So that was kind of the immediate thing that comes to mind since "Blowout Comb". As well as the death of my father a few months later. Between that and taking the time off to deal with the emotions of that, and just looking for answers and having children and getting married. A lot has happened. It’s been a beautiful, very eye opening journey. AllHipHop: After what happened dealing with Red Ant, your former record label, what made you decide to come back and start recording again? Ladybug Mecca: I would never let an experience like that completely discourage me from what I came back to do in this life. So, it’s my calling and just a matter of really just making the right decisions as far as business is concerned. The best place for me to put my music, or funnel my music through would be through an independent company. I basically left from that experience and kept it moving. AllHipHop: So how is Nu-Paradigm treating you, creatively speaking? Ladybug Mecca: They just allow me the freedom to be who I am; I feel great. It’s not all cookies and candy all the time, because of course when you’re dealing with other people, you’re dealing with other people’s opinions and viewpoints. But, it’s not an unhealthy relationship. It’s very positive and healthy. So they’re treating me great and I’m treating them great! AllHipHop: That’s great. Ladybug Mecca: Yeah we love each other, we’re in love right now! laughs AllHipHop: That’s what it’s about! laughs Ladybug Mecca: Yeaaaaaah. laughs AllHipHop: Now, "Rebirth of Mec", the long awaited album, last we heard was scheduled for a Fall release, is that still holding firm? Ladybug Mecca: Yeah, still scheduled for Fall. AllHipHop: What can we expect from this album? Ladybug Mecca: Wow, many many colors, many emotions. Many different styles of music. Fusing different genres of music together in a sensible, experimental way. I’m also able to explore my singing voice. So there’s a lot of singing going on, rhyming too. I was able to sing in Portuguese and sing in English and just really express the vastness of who I am. And I just love it, it’s like one of my other babies that has just been in the womb for a long time. AllHipHop: Will there be any of the Ladybug Mecca that we knew from Digable Planets, style-wise? Ladybug Mecca: Oh yeah, no doubt. But, an evolved Ladybug Mecca. My flow is still the same kind of way I guess. My cadences are kind of just different from other MC’s. All of that is still the same, because that’s just who I am. I got to really experiment with my rhyming and have kind of fallen somewhere in between rhyming and singing on the album. So I got to really expand and evolve as an MC over the years, and I’m able to display that on this record. But there is definitely that Ladybug that people can relate to, but just understand the growth and its gonna make sense. AllHipHop: Will there still be the social consciousness that you’ve been known for? Ladybug Mecca: Oh no doubt. I’m a conscious being and very aware of my environment, my surroundings, and that hasn’t changed. That’s who I am, it wasn’t a gimmick, for any of us (Digable Planets) I believe, so it definitely hasn’t changed. And with having children, you can’t help but be more conscious of your environment and what’s going on. AllHipHop: Production-wise, who can we expect? Ladybug Mecca: Myself. There is a group of brothas out of Los Angeles called Sa-Ra. There is a gentleman here in New York named Shane Conrey. There is another gentleman from the West coast name Mad Aris. I collaborated with a lot of up and coming cutting edge credibly talented people that you’ve never heard of, but you will be hearing of. I don’t really go for the name brand and the labels in the department store, I go for the sound and what feels good and what speaks to me. Then I can write to it, you know? AllHipHop: So true. What was it about their production style that was so fitting to your sound? Ladybug Mecca: Like I said, it’s (sound) not really one particular genre that you’ll be able to place my album within. It’s all of my influences; who I am. So the first music that I was introduced to was Brazilian music, and then from there when I got to make my own decision as to what I wanted […]