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LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU AND DOING A PROJECT W/ DMX
Me and X is doin a record together now.. (what’s
that about) it’s hot.. it’s crazy.. I don’t
want to blow it up before it comes out… Impact
LET'S TALK ABOUT MIXTAPE 101
You know you’re album is gonna come out 2 weeks
before it come out.. no way to get around the bootlegs..
mixtapes is entry level hip hop.. as soon as you go
in the studio and you make your record you gotta test
it... it’s important.. it’s the largest form
of promotion. Your poster boy don’t mean nothing
w/out music.. ain’t nothin gonna sell music w/out
music .. it’s like the strip.. the fiends need
a sample.. how do they know who they gonna cop from?
Or they gonna cop from he same people they already been
coppin from … trust me…
"WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET INTO THE GAME
OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO?"
“After I got shot I didn’t have money to
go to mixshow at radio with a record Wanksta I made
that record a year before it came out.. so I had it
sittin there.. I could’ve pressed it up, put it
on vinyl and sent it out to mixshows at radio and went
on my own. I had all these records recorded and could’ve
tried to put the record out on my own.. the finances…
I could’ve did it … look when I got shot
I was in the hospital for 13 days and I did a publishing
deal in the hospital...so I got 125K advance... I was
supposed to get another 125K after the album came out..
the company figured I got shot 9 times and I got in
the face so they figured I couldn’t perform so
they dropped the deal, I owned my publishing again and
I just got a free 125K… so as soon as I healed
up I could’ve put the record out myself but I fell
back and kept working the mixed tapes until I got the
right deal..I had deals on the table with Universal,
Jive, J Records…Capitol… but Capitol…that’
would’ve been like…you cashin out.. you might
as well buy guns with that and go back to the hood…
hard…cuz it’s not going down over there for
real…. Ha ha ha…
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW…ARE YOU AVAILABLE?
Available…I’m a bachelor baby...huh huh
YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU RECORDED WANKSTA A YEAR BEFORE
IT DROPPED? WHO PRODUCED IT? JAM MASTER JAY?
No… he didn’t produce it…that’s
what the newspaper said…the newspaper always be
sayin that… they put Jay all in the middle…
mix us all up…like I had something to that situation..[JMJ
being shot] I ain’t got nothing to do with that…
we definitely had a relationship.. he taught me about
song format… I didn’t even know how to count
bars til I got around Jam Master Jay…
HOW LONG DID Y'ALL KNOW EACH OTHER?
We met in ’98…Like I could rap but I didn’t
know how to put it in song format and the melodies and
cadences… I got used to it with Jay…
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DID IT HAVE ON YOU WHEN YOU HEARD
THE NEWS ABOUT JMJ GETTING SHOT
It’s crazy… but I know anything could happen…
You know I seen Biggie go… seen Tupac go…
nobody’s an exception…
BUT YOU SEEN THEM FROM THE OUTSIDE...
Jay’s a little different cuz it’s personal
I know him… but I know it’s not impossible..
nobody’s impossible.. you seen Aaliyah…plane
fall… it’s crazy anything could happen.. and
Left Eye…
-SORROW OR GRIEF WHICH DO YOU FEEL..DO YOU MISS HIM?
Yeah…He’s a good dude… but where I’m
from people get killed… things happen… where
he got killed…people get killed there… I got
shot not far from there in the same precinct…That’s
how I got tied up in that scenario... cuz they go when
you got a body and you have no answers you go…who
his friends and ask who’s this guy's enemies…cuz
the answers to who killed him is in there… you
see what I’m saying? so… and if they can’t
find him[the killer] by who’s your friends and
whose your enemies…trust me between those two lines
you’ll find out what just happened..
so when they say who’s his enemies and Jay doesn’t
have a bad aura around him…so they don’t see
anything much.. and then when they say “who’s
his friends” and they go through it and you in
the precinct where I grew up …you know .. they
[the police] go “50 Cent.. oh shit well he’s
not an angel.. he’s in the middle of some drama,
you know? like they got me down.. they put me down in
the newspaper next to Cat Pappy Preme and Tony Montona…
like I’m notorious.. c’mon I’m not the
hardest.. you know “homie”.. I’m not
that hard.. I mean they’re really mixing me up
like I’m somebody else like I mean and if I was
a superhero… then I wouldn’t mind it…
THAT'S HOW YOU PRESENT YOURSELF IN YOUR LYRICS...
I’m not a gangster, I’m not a thug.. I’m
just me… and if I feel like someone is trying to
hurt me.. yeah I’m gonna hurt ‘em.. if you
come and you ain’t coming right…I’m gonna
blow your head off. The State of New York City says
in defense you can use as much force as you feel like
the person that is coming for you with .. so… so
OK if I’m wrong than the law is wrong you know
what I’m sayin … that’s really the way
I felt…you know.
YOU AND YOUR PARTNER (Forgive me for forgetting his
name) PERFORMED SOME TRACKS TODAY…
Oh.. his name is Lloyd Banks… Tony (?) my other
partner he’s still in the joint… man he had
an own warrant…I gotta work on that… straighten
it out… they locked us up for a gun charge…
YOU AIN'T GOTTA TALK ABOUT THAT...
that’s alright.. I’m gonna beat that one
The police… I don’t think they really like
me… cuz I say what I wanna say…movin around..
they don’t think it’s cool for you to do what
you do….and now they got CRASH in LA .. their gang
division.. like our CRASH out here is like Hip Hop Police…
so they wanna follow hip hop artists figurin cuz they
got entourages, finances and most of us look like this…you
know what I mean.. so they target it specifically..
you know what I mean… I probably got a bullseye
on my forehead.. I’m the biggest one they wanna
get up out of here… so I get the pressure fast
like you know the car’s not even movin and they
come take us out of the car to search
TELL US ABOUT THE TRACKS YOU PERFORMED FOR US TODAY..LET'S
START WITH “WANKSTA”
Wanksta.. that’s my joint right there…that’s
the first one that broke for me off the 8 mile joint..
I’m happy with that.. like for me and sales on
the soundtrack
WHAT PROMPTED Y'ALL TO PUT IT ON THE 8 MILE SOUNDTRACK
It took off by itself… we was gonna do “Places
To Go” at first and then the record…I had
gave it to um.. we started on the mixtape with it and
then Funkmaster Flex got it and he liked the record
and they just went crazy on it .. you know…so it
worked out for me I’m blessed with that.
“ME I CALL THE SHOTS ROUND HERE”
“Me I Call The Shots Round Here” that was
off the ‘ 8 Mile’ Soundtrack too… actually
Rakim wrote to that record and I did it over you know?
YOU'RE ON PRODUCTION
That’s a Dre joint and I took the beat .. cuz
that’s what I do… like I take the beat.. heh
heh.. I did it over cuz I thought the beat was hot and
I put my own song together on it.. and I be runnin around
performing…
Right now my whole show is somebody else’s show
and I’m runnin around probably getting more they
they getting to perform right now…that’s crazy..
it feels good… my momentum is like.. right…it’s
worth all of the other stuff that happenin… it
feels so good like when I go out in the club… &
it’s five thousand, 3500 people there and they
know every word to the song.. that’s why I’m
not mad at the bootlegger.. cuz when they know it I
mean at least they got it as long as I’m reaching
the people.. even if they don’t buy this record..
they’ll buy the next one… they’ll feel
like.. “you know what I’m gonna get that and
it’s worth me spending my 15 or 16 dollars.. so
it don’t even matter to me.. they gonna get it
.. eventually they’ll catch up catch onto it and
buy it… you can’t stop it anyway…
IN DA CLUB”
In Da Club – I just wanted to have some fun on
this record.. I know when the intro come on and people
be like you said “Go Shorty, It’s your birthday”..
like that’s really.. NYC they don’t like dance
much they don’t really get out there and go…
like I think The Benjamins was the last time I seen
a record really like rock the crowd..… you know
like crazy and Busta’s joint “Put your Hands
where my eyes can see”.. that was like bananas
in the club…when I see the response I’m getting
from this record like when they go in the club and when
they playin it 4 or 5 times back to back.. I’m
like “Yo.. that joint worked”
WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION OF A REAL MAN?
Of a Real Man? that’s a difficult question.. I
think it's someone who handles his responsibilities..
take care of all of his responsibilities. I mean no
matter how by any means take care of your situations..
I mean that’s a general question.. for a real man..
that’s a hard question to answer.. I know I take
care of my responsibilities by any means.. that’s
why I said that… so it might be considered the
wrong thing.. what I would do.. I really feel like the
only excuse for you being broke is being in jail.. I
said that on “Hide the Law" If you’re
not doing something.. like hustle.. do something.. get
“rich or die tryin’… I mean if you’re
not doin anything and you got… like you don’t
have goals and you got nothing to do.. thetn you might
as well go jump off something… you know you just
wastin the air.. you know what I mean?
GIMME THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT CODES OF THE STREET ACCORDING
TO 50 CENT?
1.)Stay to yourself… just listen… do more
listening than talking… the more you speak the
higher the chances you sayin the wrong thing… it’s
funny cuz they always place me in a position where I
gotta talk
2.)Be aware of your surroundings… be aware of
who’s around you.. .you know?
3.)If you start hustling… then don’t pay
a person what they deserve.. pay them what they accept…that’s
good business… even if you’re not hustlin’…pay
them what they accept.. because you can capitalize off
of people.. In business there’s people who have
talent and there’s people whose talent is to take
advantage of people who have talent.. that’s their
talent like Steve Stoutman.. the guys behind the scenes
get a lot of money
4.)Be prepared to do whatever you have to do…
if you get put in a situation where your back is up
against the wall… let your gun go off… you
know.. I mean I think if that doesn’t happen…if
that’s missing from you that you’ll be a victim..
you know sometimes either or.. either you are a victim
or you victimize someone and in the hood it’s no
holds barred… there’s no way around that..
the kid in the schoolyard that doesn’t want to
fight always leaves with a black eye… you know
what I mean? you can believe that….the situation
come you gotta response….you have to prepare youself
cuz everyone is not a bad person.. when you walk in
your home you don’t have to maintain the same attitude
that you had out in the street.. you can be different
with your people and your family than you are with a
person that you run into in the hood.. even them they
have to know to respond to you differently in the hood
cuz if people see something out of the character that
they portray you.. they’ll try you.
5.)Concentrate on your money man.. try to hold your
paper… it takes money to make money so save your
money… opportunites come .. if you don’t have
finances to jump on them or at least room to support
yourself while you’re tryin to move into new situations…
then you can’t even evolve…like you may see
someone in your neighborhood that makes music or do
whatever else.. & I would say to the hood.. get
into the music business.. this is the business that
you have absolutely no requirements… you listen
to music.. you need no college degree… you don’t
need no.. matter of fact you could’ve been whoopin
some heads.. and people seen you and they afraid so
they need you around for support… you know..some
artists wanna portray that they gangsters …they
need gangsters around em to support them to make them
feel that .. it’s ok to say that or portray what
they are portraying because you co-signin it.. you know..
WHY DON’T 50 LIKE JA RULE?
Me?, I don’t really dislike Ja Rule… I dislike
what happened to Ja Rule… It's like he’s not
strong enough to stand on his own in any situation…
right now he’s probably terrified… without
the support of people he would have around… he’s
gonna be lost. See I’ve been on my own so I’m
comfortable…you know what I mean? in situations…
and he ain’t gonna be comfortable in that situation..
you still gotta move forward.. you know so we’ll
see what he is…now is mood changed.. things he
said he stopped sayin them… now there’s certain
people not around to help him
SO YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT HE'S BECOME? ..
Yeah… when you get in a point when you generate
finances for people like you generate finances in a
circle of people… they gonna treat you different..
they gonna treat you like as if you’re gonna bring
the money.. you’re the cash cow.. so they ain’t
gonna disrespect you… they gonna treat you like
you one of the crew.. you’re a member of what’s
goin on.. But in all actuality.. you haven’t been
in the trenches .. you haven’t done any of the
things that these guys did.. you need them around in
order for people to go “Naw don’t do that
to him… cuz homeboy be holdin him down…cuz
this guy is cool with them”.. but it’s never
because of you… you see what I’m sayin? I
think he kinda got pushed over into that situation
SO HE'S A PRODUCT OF THAT
yeah…like what I was sayin about the gangsters
getting involved with the music business… I think
that happened to him.. you know what I was sayin…I
try to be general when I speak about these situations
since because they try to make like.. people try to
make like I’m responsible for situations that go
on.. like Murder Inc just had some issues with the Feds
and they’ll say .. 50 cent be sayin this and that…
like they don’t see these “idiots” they
supposed to be gangsters… jumpin around in videos
like rappers.. you see what I’m sayin.. like ME..
like “I” made the police look and say “Oh
that’s this guy”.. Everybody and your mama
see you on TV fool.. if you’re a gangster.. what
you doin on TV? You see what I’m sayin? it don’t
take me to tell you.. “You’re John Gotti boy..
you like fancy suits.. you want people to notice you
when you go to the clubs you want to do everything else
and you go down like John Gotti go down when you do
that..
Gangsters behind the scene don’t say nothing…
they keep putting in work.. they gonna keep doin it..
you see what I’m sayin.. there’s a line that’s
drawn…there’s some gangsters in NYC…
NYC is run differently.. Los Angeles…they got a
gang structure… they run LA from the pens.. cuz
the older dudes in the structure are already down doing
time for other things so they still call the shots in
the joints…so NYC is more like on a drug situation..
so if they not eatin out of a situation .. they don’t
care.
I could buy 10 bricks break em up.. we got 20 different
spots… we got 5 people down on each ½ a
brick… next thing you know the city is G-Unit and
we shootin anything. That’s not my intentions..
that’s not what I want to do.. that’s not
what I’m after. Now that I have the opportunity
to do something positive, I want to stay positive..
it’s hustling backwards in my eyes… when I
can earn money legitimately… this is what I want
to do anyway.. know what I’m sayin? like I found
what I’m supposed to do… you get shot 9 times
you feel like you here for a reason specially when the
guy shooting you is as close as you and I… you
gotta feel you here for a reason… besides the fool
being a professional leg shooter… you gotta feel
God made the shells land where they land… so I
look at all my situations and everything that I go through..
I know I kinda got off of Ja Rule… but I try to
not focus on Ja Rule cuz that boy is not makin me sell
records and now he’s actually on the down spiral…
he’s goin down.. all that lollipop.. him and Ashanti
is damn near a group… this is the second duet they
did together… and when I look at her.. am I trippin
or is her sideburns thick like Eddie Munster… you
see what I’m sayin… take us away and get her
groomed and get her a choreographer.. cuz all of this
the same flippin her hair.. . that ain’t gonna
work…how many videos you gonna do the same thing?
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT EMINEM?
I think Eminem is the best period.. the best…
I think he raps.. he may not be my favorite person to
listen to all the time… but he does rap about his
real life issues.. if not you wouldn’t know how
he feels about his mother.. who Hailey is, who Kim is…those
situations.. he’s using his real life situations..
that’s what I do. You see what I’m sayin...
so I respect it when I listen to it. I enjoy it cuz
it’s really what’s going on with him and how
he feels .. he’s expressing it through his music.
I do the same thing … so I look at and go.. he’s
one of the best to me like when I listen to him I go
.. dag.. and then I get to work beside him so I know
how much he puts into how his music comes out…
like it’ll be 2 days he’ll be working on one
song.. he’ll stop and then after it’s done,
the actual making of the song process is not a long
process, but he’ll sit there and keep working on
it til he’s like.. he’s a perfectionist…
think he get it from Dre but they really perfectionists…
HOW ABOUT YOURSELF-IS THAT STARTING TO RUB OFF ON YOU?
It’s starting to rub off cuz I start to make sure
before I send them a record.. cuz I would do a record
and send it to them to see what they think and now I
kinda put it together better because .. after Dre records
vocals with you .. you pick up things from him.. cuz
he’s the best producer I’ve ever worked with
and when you record with someone and they change your
process … means you learn something in that situation
so now when I go in the booth and record records on
my own.. they could be in LA, Em could be in Detroit
and I’m working on a record here, I kind of record
it how I think Dre would do it… you see what I’m
sayin…so I know that I’m pickin up new things
from bein around them and they should expect my music
to be even better
YOU HAVE A CLOTHING LINE COMING OUT?
Yeah… G-Unit – Guerilla Unit.. like in the
military… I could’ve used Gorillas but the
Gorillaz came out – “I got sunshine a bag
and I’m useless”… ha ha ha
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF YOUR NICKNAME 50 CENT?
50 Cent is a metaphor for “change” But originally
it was a gangster from Fort Greene Projects named 50
Cent and I took the name when he passed…and because
he’s not active, I thought it’d be cool to
take it and now everytime they hear it, they go ”Yo
Remember.. and they remember him so through me you’ll
hear him and you won’t forget him…even if
my situation is gonna make him remember it for a long
time.. I took somebody that I thought wouldn’t
be remembered and made it into something else.. it’s
cool you know…
Interview by Davey D. for Daveyd.com
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