Do you feel that you do better work with BCC as a unit or in your solo works?
By myself.
Why is that?
I don’t know, cause Boot Camp is what it is. Once you go through that training you’re a soldier now, you’re ready to go, so I’m a soldier. I been trained through the Boot Camp and I’m a soldier. If I wasn’t ready then I belong back in Boot Camp.
Do you feel like you can get more creative on your own?
Of course. It’s just me, there’s a lot to do.
With your new album, Jesus Price Suparstar, what are the most important accomplishments to you?
Just being able to feed my family, doing my responsibilities as a man, you know? That’s it, really.
Have you done anything new on this album that you haven’t tried before?
I rhyme better, but I get better every album, that’s why I work on my craft, you know? I felt like it was causing too much… cause Monkey Barz, I was happy with that so I didn’t go too far left with my next one. I stay on the same path.
You often talk about the negative changes in today’s Hip Hop. Have you noticed anything positive in the recent past?
Yeah, I noticed that a lot of MCs is weaker, so it’s better for me, knaw I mean? It’s much better for me.
How much emphasis do you put on beats and how much on the lyrical part of things on this album?
Beats are everything, cause this is how I do. I don’t have a book of rhymes, I don’t write a lot of rhymes in the crib… Like I don’t have a fresh rhyme right now. But I put a beat on that light, I got a rhyme for you. So beats tell me what to do. If there is a beat and I got nothing down in an hour? That is cause the beat is really corny to me and I’m trying to force it. Like I know me, you feel me?
Do you feel that too much commercial Hip Hop takes up all the Hip Hop space thus leaving no room for less conscious music or has this always been just 2 different sides of the game?
As far as radio, yeah. Otherwise, no. If you go for real Hip Hop to the radio, then you might think that all the shit that’s on the radio is it, but there’s so much more. Expand and you’ll hear all kinds of shit.
So you think it’s just 2 sides to the game, the radio and the more conscious music?
It ain’t even like that cause there’s some negative shit and that’s how it is. My shit ain’t conscious, you know? I’m smacking the shit out of n—-s, I got guns on me, I crack jokes, I yell n—-s out, but if you know me… I’m not saying that I’m a gansta rapper or nothing like that, but if you know me you know that shit is true and hard what I’m saying. I got into this but there’s room for everybody.
Hip Hop music has always been a voice for those without a voice. In your opinion, what are the most important statements in Hip Hop today?
Well, it gotta be the voice of the streets, cause the streets make everybody what they are as far as the game, knaw I mean? By the time A&Rs get there, the streets already knew it. So the streets are the A&Rs. Always have been to a certain degree.
How has your fan base changed in the recent past?
I got a lot of white people at my shows. A lot of white girls with tattoos all over their body and shit. A lot of shrooms, a lot of E, a lot of drugs. I love it. It changed for the better.
What is your favorite type of a fan?
Come fly, come get high and enjoy yourself.
You released this album under Duck Down Records. What does this label mean to you?
It’s the best label in the world for a n—a like me. They let me know what it is, straight up. They don’t sugarcoat nothing, don’t bullshit me. I see how labels do people. I really can’t even go to another label. If I do go to another label, Dru’ll run it. I’ll just do my part, Dru (Ha) knows how to run it, he got good management, knaw I mean?
Music labels have notoriously failed to provide the adequate support for most artists. What labels do you feel do a better job than others thou?
DefJam for sure, not even cause of [nothing], I just see the work they put in. Nature Sounds, that’s pretty dope label. DefJam is official, they do their thing, knaw I mean?.
LL Cool J and Method Man have complained that they did not receive much support from it…
There’s always gonna be people complaining about labels. You show me a label I’ll show you an artist complaining about it. Not saying anything about Method Man or nothing, but you know, man?
Who are doing distribution through on this album?
I’m on Duck Down and Duck Down has a deal with Navar. I don’t know nothing about Navar, ask Dru about that. Solid Duck Down.
Do you have any upcoming NY area shows?
I got a party on the 15th at Club Sutra. Album release party. Not performing, but partying. So come on down, party with the kid man. Have some fun.