AllHipHop.com: When you left Death Row, what was your relationship like with Rap?
Lady of Rage: Basically, I was through with it. After Tupac died and Biggie got killed, it took the love away from me. It seemed like it was turning to something ugly. I didnt wanna be on stage performing with someone and because you have beef with this guy Im performing with, you taking aim at him and Im skipping along singing, and I get killed because of somebody elses animosity for who Im with. I didnt like that. DMXs album is what made me want to get back in this.
AllHipHop.com: Which album?
Lady of Rage: The first two:Its Dark, and Hell is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.I was listening to him, and I was like, Yeah, thats how you do it! I was in awe with him. Im gonna do this s**t. They need me. I like his single now with The Ruff Ryders, Get Wild too. I can relate to his passion for it. I rhyme with conviction, and thats how he strikes me.
AllHipHop.com: I need some clarification though. Youve got this line on a song on the mixtape: Arrest me if ya catch me, playa / I was locked on Death Row, so misdemeanors dont impress me, playa, Are you dissing Missy, who is also from Virginia like you?
Lady of Rage: Im glad you asked me about that. When I did that song, I didnt think about it. I didnt think people would take it as a diss. When I went to Virginia, two people asked me if I was dissin Missy. When I got back to California, one person asked me if I was dissin Missy. No! Not at all. I would love to work with Missy. Beef is not my thing unless you do something to me, personally. It had no reference to Missy at all. I admire her work, plus shes from Virginia. Thats not my style.
AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your relationship with Tupac
Lady of Rage: My relationship with Tupac was I dont know what it was. He thought I didnt like him. What I didnt like was the vibe that seemed to have come with him to Death Row. Because he was beefin with Biggie, he wanted me to diss Lil Kim and Foxy Brown. Before that, he told me that I was the weak link on Death Row
AllHipHop.com: He told you this to your face?
Lady of Rage: Yep. Because at [1995] The Source Awards, when Suge said at that stuff, most of the people from Death Row stood up, I didnt. I didnt agree. With Biggie, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and Lil Kim came out, I stood up. I liked the song. Im the type that you cant make me dislike somebody cause you dont like him. So I said, I dont think that makes me the weak link, I think it makes me the strong link. Im an individual. He thought I was the weak link okay, thats fine. Me and Foxy Brown never had any type of beef. Secondly, me and Lil Kim used to talk on occasions. I liked her stuff. He said, You not my homegirl? I said, Yeah, Im your homegirl. He said, You not gonna diss someone, they tried to kill me! I said, Why dont you see em face to face. He said, Im not trying to kill the motherf**ka, Im tryin to kill his career. This is what he told me he didnt wanna kill Biggie or Puffy, he just wanted to make it bad for them to make money.
We had another incident. We were always coming to stuff. In the studio, he was always coming in on my time. I told him that. He said, When I call up to the studio, and they ask me what studio I want, and I tell them, they say, Okay, itll be ready for you. I went to the office. They were like, What it is, nobody wants to tell Pac no. Im like, What about my stuff? Its just not important? There was no answer. I told [Pac] what was said. The next time, he was like, You need more time? He was trying to work with me. He was more concerned. He asked me if I was gonna be on the One Nation album. Hes like, I got East Coast mothaf**kas on there, we need you. I said, Aiight, I be on it. Thats why I wasnt on his album. I didnt want to be in any controversy. Thats how I played it.
The Saturday he got shot, they went to Vegas, they came over. I was staying at Suges house at the time. Everybody left from there. I cant see too good. Im supposed to wear glasses but I dont. I believe he waved at me, but I dont know. After I got in, I was like, Damn, was Pac wavin at me? I never got to say bye to him. He never came back. Other than that, he was a cool guy. I remember he told me, Rage, I dont like big girls. But theres something about you I do like. I said, Yeah? Okay. He expressed hisself. He didnt bite his tongue and I didnt bite mine neither. I guess we had a respect for each other.
AllHipHop.com: Was Big Bad Lady on your album an actual collaboration? Or did the label do that?
Lady of Rage: Yeah, he did that.
AllHipHop.com: Your comments on Lil Kim are interesting the friendship. I remember on Charli Baltimores first album, you were on a posse cut called, Thorough B*tches. I always thought that was an answer to Ladies Night
Lady of Rage: Oh, I dont have a clue! Wow. I was invited to do Ladies Night. Uh, the powers that be, being that they had creative control and all that, I couldnt do it. Thorough B*tches, Jacob [York] asked me if Id be on the track. I never thought of it as an answer or anything. I think DaBrat was on [both songs].
AllHipHop.com: Touching on acting briefly, was your character in Next Friday at all a reflection of the Lady of Rage?
Lady of Rage: No. Rage is not that character. When people meet me, Dont beat me up. I think my rhymes my style of rhymes is so hard. I separate Rage from Robin. When people meet me, they getting Robin they expecting Rage. Rage is when Im really angry, when Im on stage, or when Im writing. Im not like that in person. I tend to play these roles very well. If I had my ideal role, itd be showing a range of emotions. But I cant knock what gets me from point A to point B. I dont wanna keep doing those roles, cause I dont want to be typecast. In two or three months, Im gonna start auditioning again. I would love to be on The Wire though.
AllHipHop.com: Lastly, Jean Grae is a staff member of AllHipHop. On your outro, you shouted her out. What do you like about Jean?
Lady of Rage: She reminds me of myself. Conviction, a passion. You can hear it in what shes saying. Shes not rhyming about her diamonds, or what anybody else is rhyming about. Because Im not rhyming about what everybody else is, I might not get too much play. But the people thats checking for the realness, they know Jean Grae. The [women MCs] I didnt mention [on the mixtape outro] are because theyre not underground, or they didnt come to my mind. They blew up. Im mentioning the ones that didnt blew up. DaBrat blew up, Eve blew up, Foxy blew up, Kim blew up, Missy blew up. Im [shouting out] those that didnt. But, in time in time.
AllHipHop.com: Where can fans get the mixtape?
Lady of Rage: Very soon at www.bossladyent.com [as the site finishes construction, deliciousvinyl@cs.com