After a long bid on the mixtape circuit and an unsuccessful run with Universal Records, Alfamega found a home on T.I.’s Grand Hustle, via Capitol Records. His soon to be released debut is titled I Am Alfamega and at 6’4” and 260 pounds there’s no question why he’s been dubbed the Grand Hustle Muscle.But what isn’t so apparent is how he has used Hip-Hop to change his situation from negative to positive. Six years after being released from prison, Alfamega is taking advantage of his opportunity to give back to his community and create his own identity in the Hip-Hop world. Respect this big man’s hustle.AllHipHop.com: Are we going to hear something on this album, I Am Alfamega, that we haven’t heard from another artist before?Alfamega: You can’t say you never heard it, there’s nothing new about it, it’s the same. Everything’s being recycled, but I’m bringing that good feel back. I’m bringing storytelling back. You know when Biggie used to tell stories? I’m bringing that back to you. I’m giving you some party music, and I’m giving you some reality. I tend to see that in music a lot of people have strayed away from reality.T.I. f/ Busta Rhymes & Alfamega “Hurt” VideoAllHipHop.com: You’ve been compared to Tupac and Biggie, they’re calling it the Gemini Trilogy. Where did that come from?Alfamega: Pac, Biggie and I are all Geminis, but it came from the media. People like y’all did that, probably from listening to my music. It’s when they get to know me, you see me on the blogs, you see me on YouTube walking around talking to people, you see me on the “Hurt” video; you’re like he’s real street, what’s up with this dude? That’s when they say, “He’s like Pac.” Then when you meet me I’m real funny and I kick it and then that’s how Biggie was. Then, they compare them together. I didn’t come up with that. I’m just trying to make music. They’re trying to mess me up. Those are two big shoes to get into. I did a song titled “You Can Never Be Me” with the Outlawz, we’re about to get Lil’ Kim to do the intro, and I said it on the song, “Here I is big Alfamega the heart stopper, the hottest n***a since Mackavelli and Big Papa”. I got the Outlawz on there co-signing it. Alfamega “Uh Huh” VideoAllHipHop.com: What’s the inspiration behind your first single “Uh Huh”?Alfamega: “Uh Huh” is a celebration song. When I made it, the whole hood made it. I’ve been doing the cookouts in the hood with my mixtape money. Each day I hustle for the kids, paying people’s rents and stuff. My children may want some Air Forces, I’m like, Nah you can’t get the Air Forces I have to help somebody, but I can get you some regular Nikes. That’s coming from my heart. I don’t do it for publicity. I don’t ask people to come by and cover it. I do this for me. That’s what “Uh Huh” is, it’s to celebrate your boy doing the right thing. I’m going to get money and help y’all out, because y’all knew me before I got in, and still accepted me.
“One dude was like. ‘I only have $7,000 on me homie, but you can take it. Don’t do this to me man.’ I’m like, What you talking about? I’m not here to rob anybody. Just buy some CDs.”
AllHipHop.com: You were signed to Universal, what happened with that?Alfamega: I came home in 2002 out of the penitentiary. I met Beanie Sigel, and he wanted me to get down with State Property. I respect Beans, Beans is a good dude no matter what anybody says. No matter what trials and tribulations he’s been through he’s a good dude. He had so many people on State Property I just couldn’t wait in line. So, I’m like, “Nah respect, boom boom boom, but we can work together.” I did my deal with Universal Records six months later. With that deal, the finances was cool, it was the creative differences. Crunk music was popular at the time. They wanted me to get crunk, look at me. I’m 6’ 4” 260 pounds. What I look like jumping across the stage all night? I could do it. I can do any type of music. I did it because I wanted the deal and I didn’t want to go back to prison. Then it just got more political. We didn’t part ways on bad terms. They let me go no problem. I went back to the A, sold my mix CDs. Me and TIP were talking, at the time I had TIP on the album with Universal. I was the only dude who had TIP and Lil Flip on a song together while they were beefing. It was a mutual understanding, both of them respected me. TIP was like come meet me we’ll go down to the pizza spot. So we’re eating and talking and he’s like you’re selling your music? I’m like, Yeah. He’s like, “Give me a hundred. How much you selling them for?” Six dollars a piece. He said, “Give me 200. What you got on besides doing your mix CD? When they coming out with your album?”I was like, I’m not with Universal anymore. I’m a free agent. He shook my hand. He’s like, “Welcome to Grand Hustle. Do You. I want you to be you. You’ve got a story to tell man, it’s needed in the music.”Alfamega “4 Or 5 Ways” VideoAllHipHop.com: Tell me about when you were incarcerated, word is you did some really interesting things.Alfamega: I wrote 1700 songs, three screenplays, and a book. I got one [screenplay] I wrote about AIDS, it’s titled Cold Blooded and it really gets so deep to where you’re like, Oh s**t. It’s about five dudes, they cool. One of them gets married and his bachelor party has strippers. He has sex with the stripper and his partners walk in and see it. They have sex with her. A year later, he’s the only person his wife has had sex with. She pops up pregnant, gets tested and she’s positive. It has twists and turns. Me and T.I. are in the works of putting that together.
“You got dudes saying they did something and didn’t do it… Dude, you were a computer genius in school and now you’re a hardcore rapper? It’s not right, it doesn’t go together. Be you.”
AllHipHop.com: What did people say when you tell them that you were going to be a rapper when you got out of prison?Alfamega: They doubted me. I was atrue knucklehead. It’s a funny story. I come home. I’m rapping, people don’t believe it. You have to understand I was the boy that would put that ski mask on and come and get that. Sometimes I wouldn’t put a mask on, I’d come get you and you’re going to take me to where it’s at. So I come up at this spot where everybody’s gambling. I get to the door, I’m like what’s up baby? They’re like, huh? What’s up? When you got out? I’d be like, “Let me up in here. I’m rapping now. I got some CDs for y’all.” I come into the room where everybody’s shooting dice, and everybody looks. They’re all like, Aww this n***a. One dude was like. “I only have $7,000 on me homie, but you can take it. Don’t do this to me man.” I’m like, What you talking about? Nah, I’m not here to rob anybody. Just buy some CDs. They were looking around like, I don’t care what you say he is not rapping he’s scoping. My cousin was in there, and told them I was really rapping. They got CDs, and they saw that I really stuck to it even when times were bad. My mindset was if I use all this energy to do negative and I was winning, I can use that same energy and drive to do something positive and win. Like I say in the song “You Could Never Be Me”, a lot of these dudes in the industry are make believe. You got dudes saying they did something and didn’t do it. We being human we can see it. Something isn’t there, it’s not right. Dude, you were a computer genius in school and now you’re a hardcore rapper? It’s not right, it doesn’t go together. Be you. AllHipHop.com: You have a foundation, it seems like you’re doing a lot of different things with that. Alfamega: It’s called KOTU. We getting that crunk up now, Kings of The Universe. We do real estate, music, and different things. Our slogan is “the earth is our turf.” I may be from Atlanta, but I was put here to be a king. I can go anywhere, as long as I have people on the same page that I’m on. I also have the Hundred Kings Foundation. It’s like the movie Pay It Forward, I get a hundred underprivileged youth from around the country and wherever they want to be in life I put them with someone who’s successful in that [field] who can mentor them. AllHipHop.com: How do you help young people not follow your old path?Alfamega: I tell people I’m not a role model. You can’t live by what I did in the past. What I did in the past, today my head would have been opened up. I can tell you my experiences, give you my good advice, but we’re all human. We’re going to do what we want to do. I tell people, whatever you choose to do, do it, and do it well.
