Crime Mob: Role Models

As a five-person unit, Crime Mob might have made collective impact with their 2004 hit “Knuck If You Buck,” but the individuality of the members are lost in the shuffle. Diamond and M.I.G. speak on behalf of the Atlanta quintet, explaining the roles of the members to AllHipHop.com.

Diamond comes to grips with her sex-symbol status within the group, as M.I.G. breaks down the appeal of their sophomore album Hated on Mostly. Can the group compete with the Jay-Z and 8Ball & MJG’s they study, or has the former teen Crunk-group already been antiquated with wisdom? Before you brawl, read what Crime Mob has to say.

AllHipHop.com: What kind of promotions are you guys doing for this album?

Diamond: Basically the same thing that we have been doing, going on the road doing shows doing interviews, doing radio stations, giving out autographs and flyers, making appearances giving back to the kids, and letting people know to go out and get the album.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about Hated on Mostly…

M.I.G.: We got a production company going on, we DJ Unk who did “Walk it Out,” we got mostly Crime Mob production on there, the album is just really crazy.

AllHipHop.com: How is it different from Crime Mob?

Diamond: We are different this time because we are older and more mature now. We’ve had a chance to sit on the sidelines, we know what we want to talk about and know how we want to come at the game, how we want to take it over. [We] see what people are doing and aren’t doing, and at the same time, [we] take bits and pieces from everybody else.

AllHipHop.com: What kinds of bits and pieces do you speak of?

Diamond: We like everybody, from Jay-Z to 8Ball & MJG. We like their lyrics and their deliveries; we listen to their whole package. We really want people to see the whole group as individuals, like, “Oh, that’s Diamond or that’s Psycho Black, or that’s Princess or that’s M.I.G.” Whether it’s a Rock & Roll track or a Hip-Hop track, we’re just trying to reach a bigger audience this time.

AllHipHop.com: Diamond, when you came out you were only 15, what was it like to be on the national stage at such a young age?

Diamond: It’s a blessing but at the same time, but it could be a curse if you don’t play your cards right. I could start really young and it’s okay for you to make some mistakes and learn from it because I had time to grow. Other people who make it to the point we’re in are already in their mid-twenties or whatever it may be. I know a lot of females are looking up to me, so I know everything I do there is someone who is trying to imitate or trying to mock you. I’ve been just trying to keep it as real as possible and just be myself, because that is just the easiest way.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think the imitation is a good or bad thing?

Diamond: Personally, it’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s not a good thing because I’m human and I make mistakes. People think because I’m an artist, and I’m in the public eye, so I have to be peachy all the time and we try to do that. I make mistakes and I have to learn from my mistakes so if there is someone watching me constantly, I feel like I have no room to mess up. But it also keeps me motivated to keep trying to do good for the people looking up to me.

AllHipHop.com: M.I.G., what are the roles of all the members in the group?

M.I.G.: I would say Diamond is on stage getting crunk shaking her head and stuff. Me and Cyco more laid back and chilling.

AllHipHop.com: If there was one person who was a sex symbol, who would it be?

M.I.G.: Diamond.

Diamond: Why do you have to say my name?

M.I.G.:[Laughs] Because it’s true.

AllHipHop.com: Why do you say it’s true?

M.I.G.: Just request our video on [106 & Park] man, “Rock Ya Hips”, see Diamond shaking you know what time it is.

Diamond: Oh my God [Laughs], anyways…

AllHipHop.com: What do you think about that Diamond?

Diamond: It’s flattering. I just try to do me. I don’t go around thinking I’m this and that, because you could go around thinking that, you could get brought back down real fast. So I try to stay on earth because I’m not trying to get brought back down to earth.

AllHipHop.com: Diamond, what roles do you think each member of the group plays?

Diamond: Cyco, he just keeps it real, he says things that you wouldn’t expect someone to say. He says things that he thinks, like, “Damn I really just said that.” Like, he really just said that. He just keeps it all the way real. Lil’ Jay, he’s more laid back, scoping out his scenery and surrounding before he conversates, he has to feel you out for a minute. Princess has that raspy tone you look at her and she’s jazzy classy and sassy, but when she opens up her mouth, it’s like damn I didn’t think that would come out. M.I.G. on the other hand, he has that voice and that whole delivery, sometimes he’s rapping I don’t know what he’s saying, but I’ll like it because of his whole swag. So we all have our own personalities and that’s what makes the group so unique.

AllHipHop.com: What was the concept behind your “Rock Yo Hips” video and Crime Mob College.

M.I.G.: We were just trying to get the college people involved. [On the] last album, we catered to the streets a lot and this album we’re just trying to get the college crowd in there. That’s where the whole thing came from.

AllHipHop.com: What kinds of tracks are you guys going to have other than Crunk?

M.I.G.: We got music for everybody on this album, we got one for the ladies, when you’re just chilling with your lady, we’re getting everybody involved in Crime Mob.

AllHipHop.com: Diamond, tell me the relationship between you and Princess.

Diamond: Yeah, Princess is very business-oriented. Together, we’re perfect because she’s like the business mind and I’m like the street mind. So if I have some issues with some money, she can help for reasons like she’s older than me, but at the same time, I’m younger than her but I’ve been through a lot, and I also have brothers and sisters that I’ve been around, so I give her advice on a certain level. So if she’s having some issues, it’s just someone else to talk to.

AllHipHop.com: I hear you guys are going to come out with an album for just the two of you.

Diamond: Right now, we’re just focused on the Crime Mob album. But eventually, that is a possibility.

AllHipHop.com: There used to be a member called Killa C on your first album.

Diamond: Legally, we can’t speak on it, sorry.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your second single going to be?

Diamond: We have an idea. We’re debating, but we’re pretty much going to let the streets and DJs decide. A week before the album comes out we’re going to have a listening session with some DJs people from the streets or whatever. We’re going to have a party in New York and here in Atlanta, so we’re going to find out what’s hot and what direction we’re going to move in.

AllHipHop.com: How much importance do you place on business?

Diamond: We feel like that’s important, because the first time around, we were having legal issues. We were just kids and we were really eager, and we really just didn’t think about it, but once we got in it, we saw that without business everything is really irrelevant. Ninety percent of this game is about having your business straight. We live and we learned from our mistakes in the past, we fixed it so that certain things can’t happen anymore.

AllHipHop.com: Can you give me an example of a mistake you made?

Diamond: The first time we had bad management. We were eager and young, and we just wanted to get in it like it was our big break, we just put trust in this particular person. You need to realize that it’s nothing personal; it’s just business.