AllHipHop.com: First thing, can you tell people
about your new project, what people can expect?
Drag-On: On this album, it’s just straight hard.
It’s not being like too commercial. Got a few joints on there like "bang
bang boom." Did a joint with Eve. The rest is just hard. Like straight
up. I got like a lot of homie producers on there. Swizz Beatz, Rockwilder, Needles
just a lot of hungry dudes. Got the family on the album, Kiss, Eve.
AllHipHop.com: What made you take that approach,
like a non-commercial rap album?
Drag-On: Because, I’m not really a commercial
n####. I’m from the hood so I can only speak that. I can’t really speak that
"palm trees" and all that.
AllHipHop.com: The album, I really like it. Who
did the song with you and Styles?
Drag-On: Just a lot of, you it’s a lot of new
dudes.. straight up. Because you know, I ain’t got time to be waiting three
months for a beat and all that. I ask you for a beat, you have it, well come
on, let’s work. It only takes one day to do a beat. You don’t need two, three
months.I ain’t got the patience for that.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking about that, patience
you been, you know it’s been a minute since your last album. What you been up
to since then?
Drag-On: Working. Well you know, like as anybody
can see the promotion for Drag-On, it’d be weak for me if not for Ruff Ryders.
Drag-On don’t get heavy promotions like that. But, I mean you know, it’s like
the game is making me walk the long way. I been on the grind. All my fans, they
just got to follow me.
AllHipHop.com: Do you feel like with the LOX
kind of doing D-Block, X doing this, Eve doing TV and all that, clothing line.
do you feel like you the main one carrying the Ruff Ryders flag right now?
Drag-On: I’m carrying Drag-On. You know, but
I’m still on Ruff Ryders you know, but I’m thinking about Drag. I’m focused
on myself. I’m trying to get my name up there. I mean the Ruff Ryder, that name
is already. I’m focused on Drag. You know I got love for the R, but I’m doing
me right now.
AllHipHop.com: Do you feel sort of slighted from
like none of that promotion because it seems like the album should be, it’s
good enough at least to get a little push.
Drag-On: Oh it’s all good. I mean you know, it’s
just that every MC get their time. I’ma stay on my grind. I’m a stay nice.
AllHipHop.com: You got any other stuff going
on? You know like a label businesses or anything like that?
Drag-On: Right now I might start my own record
label soon, just so I can show like these other record labels how to do it.
To prove a point.
AllHipHop.com: Growth wise, how have you grown
since the last album?
Drag-On: I wrote, "H2O’ when I was seventeen.
And that was like ’97. I wrote, like most of those rhymes I was like seventeen,
eighteen when it came out. Now I’m twenty-four now. It’s not really like a big
difference but it’s like a six seven year difference. A lot done happen in that
time. I learn.
AllHipHop.com: Now on the album, it say you have
a song dedicated to your first born. Is that a true story?
Drag-On: I didn’t quite happen that way. Actually
it was twins and she gave birth to still borns. So I always thought what it
would be like thinking when like both of the boys was there. Like on that song,
its like I painted a picture for you. Like me raising him and him coming out
and me raising and going to school. Then he going do this, then he getting older.
And come to find out he was never really there. It was just a thought, because
___ really had an abortion. Had to throw a little twist in there. That’s for
those that copped the album.
AllHipHop.com: What’s your take on stuff like,
well first of all is Ruff Ryder still like a family unit like the way people
have seen in the past? Or is it more or less people do for each other appearances
or not?
Drag-On: Well nah, I mean Ruff Ryder is a family
just how Def Jam is a family. Def Jam is a family too and Ruff Ryder is a family
too. It’s all the same a record label is a record label that’s just what it
is it’s business. That’s what it is. But I mean we all got love for each other.
AllHipHop.com: How close you and DMX?
Drag-On: Real cool, real cool.
AllHipHop.com: How was that.the whole acting
thing?
Drag-On: I love it I mean right now I’m searching
for a movie angent right now. I’m really trying to do it on my own right now.
I’m trying to get my own thing.
AllHipHop.com: Was it natural for you?
Drag-On: Yeah I guess so. I got a lot of like
good reports and all that straight up and straight up I didn’t take no acting
class or no coaching like that. X is like "yo we got a part for you’ you’d
be my little brother and everybody is saying we look similar so it was perfect.
I was like "whatever we do it’ .
AllHipHop.com: What do you think about him (DMX)
retiring?
Drag-On: I think it’s bullsh*t.
AllHipHop.com: Why do you say that?
Drag-On: Because I know X man, I mean X love
this Hip Hop too much like to just give it up like that because of his personal
things or whatever he going through in his life. I know he can really do it.
But, I be trying to talk him out of it. I’m not really feeling that. You only
drop five albums and you going to quit, nah.
AllHipHop.com: You think he real with it? Most
people think Jay is like faking it.
Drag-On: I think Jay faking I don’t know, I think
Jay gave some hints that he’s coming back. It’s all a matter if you catch it
or not. He ain’t never said he quitting.
AllHipHop.com: How come Jin wasn’t on the album?
Drag-On: Because he new. Yeah he’s new to the
label. You got to put your work in but Jin definitely putting his work in though,
Jin definitely is putting his work in hard. But I mean it’s like once Jin came
in it was like the album was pretty much done like but I mean I done did a few
freestyles with him all day straight up. Did a few joints bugging out. That’s
my dog. 19. You going to hit the mix tape circuit and all that?
Drag-On: Yeah. I’m about to really start crushing
the mix tapes like to the fullest maximum like to the whole maximum.
AllHipHop.com: What’s your take on the whole
Presidential race and all that? You got any views on that?
Drag-On: What you mean by that?
AllHipHop.com: Like on the voting or whatever.
Drag-On: Oh me I don’t really get into that.
I don’t really know I don’t really care who win. Me, I’m voting for a black
President if there ain’t no black President I’m not voting. It don’t matter
I mean on life, I mean this world is corrupted anyway.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think the elections are
fixed?
Drag-On: Yeah for sure, I mean all that is fixed.
Everything is fixed. This rap game is fixed believe it or not. It’s fixed. I’m
saying if the record label wants you to blow trust me you going to blow. So
you know everything is fixed. I don’t ___ trust me. Like I know for a fact people
did not elect Guiliani again. Straight up dog, after that first time not again?
And he won again? Get the f*ck out here I’m not down with that. After that I
was like "oh I quit’ . Please I don’t believe that.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think there’s a Hip Hop
task force like a Hip Hop Police?
Drag-On: Cops oh yeah, for sure. On the real.
I got pulled over like a lot of times and cops was yelling out my real name.
"Hey whats up Smalls how you doing?’ Just yelling I’m like "Wow, I
mean how you know my name’? My license plates punch up real fast so they know.
That’s all day, word up.
AllHipHop.com: You spoke about 9/11 on the album,
like how did that hit you personally?
Drag-On: Like my mans from the next building
like I play ball with him and all that he had an office in there, and yo straight
up I didn’t even know he worked in there. Word up, and it was crazy man he died
when the first plane hit. He was on the floors when the plane hit so it wasn’t
even like he tried like he probably got hit by the plane you feel me? Like it
was crazy like that, like so that really touched me so I had to write about
that.
AllHipHop.com: What’s your views on Hip Hop in
general as a whole-
Drag-On: I love it. I love it. A lot of people
down play it. Hip Hop is beautiful, its just the people they got orchestrating
Hip Hop right now is just it be kind of funny. Like you got a lot of people
that actually get up in the morning and go to the office of whichever label
they work on and it’s like they going to the office is like a regular nine to
five. Nah. No way if you want a regular nine to five go get you another job.
This music thing is us artists livelihood. Because a lot of us was getting money
from the streets doing this doing that and the third so we kind of quit and
gave up that so we could do this and be positive and do this. So like when people
get up and they want to act like this is just a nine to five or when rappers
want to act like they going to the studio like "ok damn I got to write
to songs I got to be in’ nah this is not supposed to be like a nine to five.
This is like a career this is supposed to be something that you love, this is
supposed to be something like a fashion I mean passion. It’s supposed to be
something you love. Like when you get up in the morning you’re supposed to be
like "yeah I’m going to this office and help this artist succeed’. Straight
up and down executive that’s what you do if the artist is signed to that label
that’s what you do. So that’s just what it means.