YOU’RE VERY ENERGETIC AND HAVE A LOTTA PERSONALITY. BUT ON VIDEOS, ETC. YOUR PERSONA COMES OFF VERY DARK, BROODING. ARE THERE TWO SIDES TO YOU? WHICH SIDE IS THE REAL GAME?
Well, what you see in videos, on television, or in song is the real Game. You’re talking to Jayceon Taylor right now. One minute it could be a smile, the next minute it’s Ras Kass getting dragged outside the club. People that know me best will tell you that I wrestle with a lot of demons inside me. It comes from how I came up- no father, my mother wasn’t around. My father molested my sister at an early age, so I grew up in a foster home, sleeping on floors, eating whenever they fed us. I like to call it kiddie prison- not good memories. It definitely wasn’t a good part of my life, so I missed growing up getting love and learning those positive values that would’ve made me be a different type of guy, or (be) a happy black man.
Usually I do a pretty good job of keeping that wall up so that those demons don’t come out. But every once in a while, one of ‘em will climb that wall and be like, ‘Hey, muthafucka, I’m out!’. I think we all got buttons that are pushed sometimes. And sometimes maybe my buttons got pushed more so than yours. Sometimes I can control it and sometimes I can’t. It’s my life and I’m gonna do my best to live it the way I need to live it. At the end of the day no one’s gonna crawl in that corner and hold my hand and die at the exact same time. My whole focal point with my life and my career is to secure the future of my family financially. After that, fuck what happens to me.
IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH YOU’VE GOT A LOT ON YOUR MIND ALONG THE LINES OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE ANY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND HAVE A YOUR PARLAYED THAT INTO YOUR MUSIC?
The two songs that I got the most response from on an inspirational or a spiritual level was ‘Hate It or love It’ and ‘Dreams’. I also had songs like ‘Like Father Like Son’ on my first record, which was about young black men and how we should learn to accept and appreciate our gifts from God. That responsibility is ultimately given to you and you can’t run from it. I have to- and you have to- accept it as an individual person, and as a young black entrepreneur, especially in this business. I’ve heard people around my way and other rappers say, ‘I ain’t no role model’ or ‘I’m not this or that’. Nah, it ain’t like that. You’re a role model, whether you like it or not. For the most part, I like to watch where I put my left foot so that when I place my right foot I don’t fall on my face. I try not to make the same mistake twice. Try is what I said. I definitely know and accept the responsibility of being a role model; I also accept the responsibility of the consequences of what I do. I’ve always tried to do what I could personally to shed light to the youth in my (actions) as far as giving back others. I’ve done a lotta things that I don’t need to go into to brandish me any type of limelight, but I’ve done a lot of things in my community and other communities to reflect that.
I GOT TO TOUCH ON THE WACK MUSIC AND WACK ARTISTS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER. IN ‘ONE BLOOD’ YOU MADE A PASSING REFERENCE TO ATLANTA AND RADIO AIRPLAY THAT SOME PEOPLE IN ATLANTA TOOK OFFENSE TO. WHAT DID YOU MEAN IN THAT VERSE IN ‘ONE BLOOD’ HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO TOOK OFFENSE?
Those are the average cats that may not know how to listen to the music. I think what I said in the song was praising A-Town in that sense. I was telling other people that don’t know what they’re doing to follow what Atlanta’s doing right now if you’re trying to get radio airplay. Because currently, Atlanta, Georgia- by itself- is holding the whole Dirty South together, you know what I’m saying? Kicking New York’s (and the East Coast’s) ass and kicking (the West Coast’s) ass with radio play and record sales. That’s the statement I was trying to make. I wrote it more praising Atlanta for how they’ve put it down.
A lotta cats heard me say ‘Atlanta’ and ‘snap’, with me being from the West Coast, and might’ve automatically thought, ‘oh, he’s trying to dis’. But if they took it that way, they don’t know how to listen. I’m not in the habit of having to explaining myself, but if I could go knocking on people’s doors and get a cat like you who listens carefully to lyrics and what I’m talking about it would be all good. But we don’t live in a world like that. You gotta say fuck it and take the bitter with the sweet at the end of the day.
If you’re kicking lyrics- raw lyrics- I fuck with you no matter where you’re from. I’d love to sign a Dirty South dude to Black Wall Street- a raw dude, though. I need that Outkast, old Goodie Mob, whatever.
WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU, THE BEATS, OR THE LYRICS?
These days you gotta have an ear for the music. You gotta get a beat. This ain’t 1985 where you can just pick a break beat like you’re Kool G. Rap, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, N.W.A. to pick a break beat and put a sample in it. You gotta have a bangin’ ass beat, and I think that solidifies everything else you’re trying to do, whether it’s trendy dance music or it is something good that’s lyrical. If you pick a good track it all balances itself out. I think a good beat goes a long way these days. I mean, ain’t nobody listening to no wack-assed beat.
I also definitely think women control a lot of what goes on in these record stores these days, because if women don’t like it, it’s garbage. If you’re not hot enough, cute enough- if you’re not spittin’- or they don’t like your voice- then they’re not gonna encourage the guy they’re sleeping with at night to go buy that album the next day. There’s a lotta dudes out there who try to hate on me or on other rappers, but their girl is banging (my music) or some other rappers’ shit, when their girl is driving to work- or pickin’ their nigga up ’cause they ain’t got no car- and the dude hears it so much that they eventually start liking the shit their girl is listening to. Plus, the ladies will tend to go the stores and support a little more than the fellas- sometimes. I know brothas still buy records, too though. No matter who you are. However you get it, I appreciate if you just support the movement.
WELL YOU KNOW URBAN RADIO’S PRIMARY TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC IS WOMEN AGED 18-34. AND SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR RADIO AIRPLAY YOU GOT TO SOMEHOW ANSWER TO THAT.
Yeah, you’re right- or lick your lips like LL or something. But I’ve successfully crossed over based on my hit singles. I’m gonna be who I am- a gangsta rapper. I’ve proven that I can be myself and do well. I can also be responsible too-somewhat, anyway- and still stick to my guns. But I’m not making any ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ type of records anytime soon.
There are a lotta artists out there who water their shit down or do just about anything except be themselves to get put on, period, let alone get on the radio.
WELL, IT IS SAID THE MARKET IS YOUTH-DRIVEN. SOME PEOPLE SAY THERE IS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY WITH HIP-HOP. HOW DO WE CONNECT THE DOTS?
I think I was one of the newer artists that brought all that back- like how I reach out to the legends, and making sure you recognize those jerseys hanging in the raptors- like how I push Eazy E & N.W.A, etc. I think that a lotta these cats nowadays don’t pay homage to the old school. They’re not showing that respect. They’re selfish rappers, and again, they don’t recognize the old school. They’re not appreciating the cats that paved the way. I call these days the 106 & Park age- everybody’s fighting for number one. Personally, I don’t give a fuck if my videos ever get played on (BET’s) 106 & Park or (Rap City’s) the Basement. As long as I’m selling records, man, and I’m keeping milk in the refrigerator it’s all good.
PEOPLE SEEM TO FORGET THAT HIP-HOP AND RAP ARE THE FIRST YOUTH PHENOMENON-BASED CULTURES THAT GREW UP. EVERYTHING ELSE IS A YOUTH CULTURE MOVEMENT THAT WHEN YOU REACH AGE 25 YOUR SENSIBILITIES CHANGE; YOU START LISTENING TO OLDIES, OR YOU START SWITCHING THE CHANNEL AWAY FROM WHAT YOU WATCHED BEFORE. BUT WE’RE MOSTLY STILL HIP-HOP BEYOND AGE 30, THE FIRST GENERATION TO DEFY THAT ‘SEASONS CHANGE’ AGE PHENOMENON. SO HOW DOES SOMEONE LIKE YOU, IN YOU R LATE TWENTIES, CONTINUE TO MAKE THAT PROGRESSION? IS THAT SOMETHING YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU ARE WRITING?
I don’t necessarily think about it when I’m in the middle of the writing process. I believe that’s something already instilled in me, and I’m already that type of person. I think that’s pretty much written in stone, speaking for myself, as far as my career’s concerned.
The question should be how do we get other hip-hop artists in the same age bracket that know better than kickin’ them wack-ass rhymes-how do we get them on the same page and get them to step it up and bring hip-hop back (stronger) as a unit? Because I can’t do it all by myself. Jeezy can’t do it all by himself. (T.I.) can’t do it by himself. All these new cats- Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco- cats like that, that have something to say, it takes all of us to bring the music back to where it�s supposed to be, not the bullshit being force-fed to people.
