(AllHipHop News) Some fans of Law & Order: SVU may be unaware that the man who plays Detective Odafin Tutuola was one of the pioneers of gangster rap and a co-founder of the heavy metal band Body Count, but Ice-T is ready to remind the world of musical beginnings. Ice announced on Twitter that he and BC are dropping a new album in the coming year.
We called last night the ‘TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE’ We’re BACK! The new BC album 2014. #MANSLAUGHTER
While the band has reunited for several festival performances, including an appearance at the Fun Fun Fun Fest this past weekend, Manslaughter will be the first full length album from Body Count since 2006’s Murder 4 Hire.
Their self titled debut LP originally included the controversial song “Cop Killer,” but was removed from the release after backlash from then President George H.W. Bush, Vice-President Dan Quayle, and police organizations.
Ice-T’s last music project was the collaborative album Urban Legends with Black Ice in 2008.
The Game has denied that he ever tried to suggest that he chopped it up with Tupac. He told VladTV that a fan sent him the image and he simply posted it. Makes sense. There’s another scandal with The Game and instagram, but I’m going to leave it alone.
As you probably already heard, Big Boi has denied those silly gay rumors with him and Andre 3000. But, we already knew.
Its highly unlikely that Kanye West KO’d a pair of papz, but it was fun to imagine.
Can, uhm, somebody help this kid out?
Did you know Rihanna is renting out a house for $65,000? Sheeeesh!
I never knew there were gay rumors around The Lady of Rage, who is one of the dopest females that really never got a shot. Death Row broke up before she came out. Here she addresses the gay rumors.
You know Lil Terio, right? Well there is this little protest movement to get him back in school. I thought he WAS in school since he’s so young. But, apparently, he’s not. I’m assuming he’s got a tutor or something.
He sure is putting on the pounds.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) The New York based lyrics website Rap Genius was among 50 sites to receive a take down notice from the National Music Publishers Association yesterday (11/11). The NMPA is demanding that the named sites obtain proper licenses to publish the lyrics of copyrighted songs or remove the lyrics from their sites.
Chief Executive of the NMPA David Israelite told Billboard that his organization’s objective does not include websites that legally publish lyrics, personal blogs, or fan sites. According to Israelite, the NMPA is “targeting fifty sites that engage in blatant illegal behavior.”
The take downs notice are the first step in the NMPA’s campaign. If the named sites refused to adhere to their requests then copyright infringement lawsuits may be filed. The NMPA recently won a $6.6 million judgement against the unlicensed lyrics site LiveUniverse and another against LyricWiki for an undisclosed amount.
“We can’t wait to have a conversation with [the National Music Publishers Association] about how all writers can participate in and benefit from the Rap Genius knowledge project,” said RG co-founder Ilan Zechory.
The NMPA’s list of 50 sites is based on a study conducted by University of Georgia researcher David Lowery with Rap Genius being named the worse offender. The rankings were based on specific methodology created by Lowery.
Happy Sequential Date Day (11/12/13)!Welcome to the second to last time a date will have sequential numbers for another century.Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to nothing that has anything to do with sequential dates… Just a random thought via my bro @ChuckCreekmur! (LOL!)Today’s Daily Word is really dedicated to making up your mind! Last week I stated…. Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change! This was a story about perception but how can your perception change when what you are feeding yourself has no brain nutritional value? Imagine if someone had nothing but Big Macs and French fries from McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; they did no exercise but were on a mission to lose weight! They look at themselves in the mirror and think positive thoughts about how they will look when the pounds come off!! While the vision is a step in the right direction, without the action of changing their eating and exercise habit, it is next to impossible for them to see any significant change! This is exactly what happens with some of us as we journey towards greatness! Somehow we tell ourselves we want to live a better life but are not willing to give up the destructive behaviors of what we watch, who we spend our time with, and so on and so forth! In order to live an abundant life you must make up your mind! You can have your cake and eat it too but just don’t expect to loose any weight! If you continue to feed your mind with the same destructive things that stopped you from greatness in the past, you will continue to get the same results but this time with more frustration because you are consciously trying to be better! Be careful of what you feed yourself (Physically and Mentally) because they both have a great impact on which way your life will go! Change your perspective, then change your habits! The Great life is yours for the taking…. Just be willing to put in the work!-Ash’Cash“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” -Francesca Reigler
“If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.” -Cavett Robert
“No life is so hard that you can’t make it easier by the way you take it.” -Ellen Glasgow
“The soul does not absorb negativity by accident, always by choice.” -Dodinsky
“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” -Bill Meyer
“If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don’t, you have achieved half your failure.” -David Ambrose
“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.” -Norman Vincent Peale
“A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” -Hugh Downs
TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD **CLICK HERE
Yo…on the b#### a$$ side of life, look at what kids are doing these days. There is a new “game” called Knockout. “What is Knockout”” you may ask. Well, let me explain. Seems like Knockout is a game where kids sucker punch an unsuspecting, innocent person for no reason at all. This is what people are SEEMINGLY considering fun.
They go around hitting women and old people. When somebody unloads a full clip then we gonna want Al Sharpton to rally a march.
But, this isn’t really new.
Does anybody else remember when “wilding” was all the rage? I do!
Anyway…the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are times that the media fuels these things so watch for the hook – literally!
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) Mother Nature calls whenever she good and well feels like it and the way you answer can change your entire day. At Cipha Sounds’ Take It Personal Hip Hop improv show last Friday (Nov 8th), the legendary hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun were the special guests and Steele was candid about his bowel movements.
Steeele, birthname Darrell Yates, informed the packed audience at the UCB Theatre on E 3rd St In addition to that, Steele gives his rules on bathroom etiquette (no small talk, ladies), his multitasking prowess when on his toilet and a lot more.
Smif-N-Wessun’s upcoming EP, Born & Raised will be released on December 3rd.
Cipha Sounds’ Hip Hop improv show, Take It Personal is every Friday at 9pm at the UCB Theatre in East Village.
Check out Steele explain all things regarding him and taking a sh*t below:
The latest on Yeezy is that he’s knocked out two papz down in Austin TX! Now, I find this hard to believe but they are reporting this as fact. And then there is the video! It seems to look like him, but its very grainy!
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
This is like the era of the 90’s return with all these anniversaries going around. Shout out to A Tribe Called Quest and Wu Tang respectively. The internet was crazy for them over the weekend. But, there is another crew coming up with a reunion year as well and they are preparing a new album to match.
Yep. These guys.
Their first album, To The Death, came out in the year 1994. I don’t know what they are doing in celebration, but they are dropping a new album, sources say. You know, I ain’t even mad. Time for some balance in the game anyway, even if it comes from 40-something year old men.
These dudes were called the Mash Out Posse, because in fights they would stomp people out so bad it was considered a mash out. I ain’t about that life! LOL!!!!
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Pyotr Pavelnsky hammered a large metal nail through his s###### and into the cobblestones in front of Moscow’s Red Square as hundreds of horrified tourists watched on.
Police eventually covered him up with a blanket before removing him from the scene.
He was taken to a clinic for treatment and placed under arrest.
In a statement posted on the grani.ru website prior to the demonstration, Mr Pavlensky had written: “A naked artist, looking at his balls nailed to the Kremlin pavement, is a metaphor for the apathy, political indifference, and fatalism of contemporary Russian society.”
This isn’t his first incident of this nature. In 2011, he sewed his lips together to highlight the plight of the jailed P#### Riot group and he later wrapped his naked body in barbed wire outside a government building in St Petersburg.
(AllHipHop Features) Struggle Jennings knew he wanted to be a rapper since he was eight years old. The grandson of legendary country singer Waylon Jennings admits to losing his way to the streets for a while, but when the man Struggle calls his “father figure” passed away while he was locked up in 2002 he decided it was time to take his rap passion seriously. With a goal of carrying on Waylon’s legacy and creating his own, Struggle set out on a musical path that has led to an international fan base that appreciates his heartfelt lyrics and personal story of redemption.
Part of that connection was established by Struggle’s latest video “Black Curtains.” The song serves as a message to his son, “Little Will,” who actually stars in the clip. The video also made headlines earlier this month after Tennessee’s Davidson County Sheriff’s Office accused the incarcerated emcee of misleading jail officials in order to film jailhouse scenes for the video. Struggle, currently housed at the Northeast Correctional Complex, has denied that he tricked DCSO officials and wanted the opportunity to set the record the straight about the situation.
AllHipHop.com connected with Struggle through his reps via e-mail to get his side of the story. The Nashville native also discusses the inspiration for his video, when he’s scheduled to be released, and what his fans can expect from him next.
AllHipHop.com: Why were you placed in jail and what is the current status of your incarceration? When will you be released?
Struggle Jennings: I was arrested on charges of conspiracy with 200 keys of cocaine and 300 pounds of weed, but it was dropped down to conspiracy of cocaine “of special amounts,” and they gave me 13 and a half years at 30%. The DEA had a three-year investigation on a suspected drug ring from Nashville to California, and my voice was caught on phone taps with suspected cartel members.
I really can’t talk too much about it though because they’re still going to trial on it, and I don’t wanna incriminate any of my charge partners. I’m also serving time for a federal drug charge that I caught in 2010. I’ve been incarcerated for 2 years now but I just made parole on my state charges, so I’ll be transferred to federal custody in February. I’ll be home by the summer of 2014.
What was the inspiration for your Black Curtains song/video?
Man, a couple of years ago my brother Jellyroll said something to me about my son. He said, “little Will is gonna be just like you bruh.” And it took me back to when I was younger, remembering people saying that to me about my dad. I remember always hearing stories after he was killed about how he was hustling and he had all these cars and guns and jewelry.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but my whole life I strived to be just like that. It was like a curtain blocking my view of any other option. So when Jelly said that it finally clicked. I gotta change that. I gotta tear down that black curtain so he’ll have a clear view of his future. You know I got 5 kids, and I want them all to reach their full potential and live out their dreams, not get caught in the same cycle that I did. You know, it’s dark when you’re living in the shadows.
What exactly was the arrangement between yourself, the production company, and the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office concerning the filming at the site?
Well here’s the real deal, from the horse’s mouth. We were shooting a documentary before I got locked up. I was at a crazy point in my life, facing 30 plus years, struggling to record the album I always wanted to make, and lay down my testimony. Trying to hold my family together at the same time. My brother Yelawolf and my whole extended Slumerican family pushed to get a film crew to follow me and document everything that was going on, but we were interrupted by the U.S. Marshals.
So while I was at Davidson County Jail awaiting trial, we asked to get clearance so we could shoot more footage. It was a long shot, but they allowed us 45 minutes supervised by an officer and a public relations representative from DCSO. I signed all the release forms saying I was allowing them to film me and interview me. During the shooting we asked if we could do a performance scene of me rapping the verses to one of my songs. Of course they said yes, or we wouldn’t even be talking about this. There was an MP3 player sitting right on the table in front of me playing the song while we filmed four or five separate takes of the whole thing. Then they let the film crew walk me back to my unit.
We even asked if they needed to review anything before it was released, and they declined the offer. So when “Black Curtains” was released, I guess someone got in trouble for the decisions they made, and they tried to push the blame off on me. So it is what it is. We’re still working on the full version of the documentary. We’re actually about to launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to finish it. I’m in prison so it’s not like I’m in here making money, but as soon as the rest of the budget’s in place it’ll be finished. We didn’t try to “trick” anybody. We just used a bad situation to put out a positive message, and we didn’t let any obstacles stand in our way.
Have you been admonished or punished in any why by jail officials?
Nah, everybody up here at Northeast is cool. It’s all love and respect as far as the staff and everybody goes… so far. I mean, I might end up in the hole after this interview, but we’ll jump that hurdle too.
Has there been any word about the suspected lawsuit by the DCSO?
Nah man. There’s no word of lawsuits. We didn’t break any laws. What are they gonna do? Sue us for the money that we charged people to watch a free video on YouTube?! Like come on, for real? If they do, it wouldn’t be my first time in a courtroom anyway.
Do you have any plans to edit the video like the DCSO has requested?
No. There’s no reason to. We didn’t depict anybody in a negative way. The message of the video is positive, and I’m not going to change that.
Despite the story of you “tricking” officials, the response on our site has been overwhelming positive towards your music. Do you see the whole situation as possibly being a blessing in disguise?
Yeah, it’s definitely been a blessing. It helped a message that needed to be heard reach an audience that I might not have been able to reach. The song, the video, it’s all part of my testimony. And God works in mysterious ways, you know? It shows that if something needs to be heard it will be. You can’t hold back the truth, and the world is in dire need of some truth and optimism right now. So I don’t even care about the backlash, as long as people hear the message. If it changes one person’s life it would be worth a few years in court anyway. So I’m gonna keep making music that’s true to me and hope that it reaches the people that need to hear it.
Any other music projects on the way?
Yeah this is just the beginning. Of course we got the documentary coming up real soon, and we’re about to drop some more videos over the next few months. I just released my debut album I Am Struggle a couple of months ago. We’re talking about doing a remix album based off those songs because there’s a lot of producers reaching out to my camp right now. We also came up with the idea to do a live album using just my vocals with a band replaying all the tracks, so we’re working on putting that band together down in Nashville right now.
I recorded a lot of music before I got locked up though, and we held on to some of my biggest records, so I’ll definitely be putting out some new songs this winter. I’m just riding the wave man. Seeing where this all takes me. I had a vision to speak the truth and put a positive message out there, but do it in a way that people would really pay attention. So just to know that they’re listening is really all that matters.
For more information about Struggle Jennings visit his Facebook page.
Stream/purchase Struggle’s I Am Struggle album below.
(AllHipHop News) Anger can be an invaluable motivator but it can equally be debilitatingly blinding. Unfortunately, Spike Lee falls in the latter category as he is currently being sued by an elderly couple, Elaine and David McClain in Sanford, Florida for helping disseminate their personal address to hundreds of thousands of people.
Following the February 26th, 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman, Lee retweeted a tweet from Marcus D. Higgins which gave out George Zimmerman’s address. After discovering the address was in fact erroneous and belonged to the , Lee quickly apologized and attempted damage control:
The apology did little to subdue the negative attention the McCain couple experienced. Due to the high volume of hate mail, death threats and social media harassment, the two were forced to move to a hotel to avoid it all. The couple’s attorney Matt Morgan informed The Los Angeles Times shortly after Lee’s apology that Lee also compensated the couple.
The mixup of addresses apparently stemmed from Elaine McCain’s youngest son sharing the same name as George Zimmerman, however not sharing any familial relations. The couple is suing further as they claim the abuse they experienced that started with Lee’s March 2012 tweet extended until the conclusion of George Zimmerman’s trial in mid July 2013.
Since it is a slow day, I can lean on the quickies for a few!
The prostitute is making more known about Justin Beiber. As far as we know, this is any person posting some bucks next to the same pic of The Beebz.
I don’t freakin’ know why we’re talking about this, but is what it is.
FANS WANNA BOYCOTT BEYONCE…
Beyonce seems to have a real issue. Her own fans plan to boycott her for going to Kanye and Kim’s wedding. Who ARE these people?
“Beyonce you always have something better to do than to attend a Kim Kardashian wedding. The Kardashians are nothing but fame wh—s who live on blood money and p### money,” one fan wrote in response to the petition. “(Beyonce) could be drawn into the ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ circus. The last marriage was a joke and sham. She needs to stay away.”
The wack job that posted it eventually claimed he was joking and yet almost 400 more people thought it was a good idea to boycott too. I think he was serious.
Her fans have also been bodying her over her shorter weave hair. They are kinda crazy. She’s a dime.
WIZ WALKS!
Wiz Khalifa is a pretty laid back dude. So, if he walks out on an interview, it must have been REALLY bad. Check out the video of him bouncing.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Some folks probably thought they’d be seeing a Love & Hip-Hop wedding special starring Tahiry and Joe Budden but nope, it’s not happening according to Tahiry.
Let’s backtrack. There were some photos and Instagram footage leaked last week of Joe Budden allegedly proposing to Tahiry in the middle of Times Square. It was neither confirmed nor denied that it was actually a proposal *wink* but word on the street is, Tahiry said no. She claims that she’s done with Joey for good this time and that he was probably never the one anyway.
“I never saw me walking down the aisle and him not being the one at the end of it. Today, I don’t know what God has in store for me,” she told Necole Bitchie adding, “I got 99 problems but a ni99a ain’t one JOEY!”
In other Tahiry news, we know that she’s focusing on opening a bar in Miami. It’s in the development stages but we’ll be seeing it soon enough and we hear she has some fitness DVDs in the works. They’ll both be fine.
Drake is ready to show the world what him on his worst behavior behaviour looks like exactly. After previewing the video at a recent tour stop in New Orleans, he unveils the full 10-minute plus video for Nothing Was The Same‘s “Worst Behaviour”on his October’s Very Own website.
The video was co-directed by Director X and Drake, shot in Memphis and Atlanta and includes cameos from Drake’s father Donnie Graham, Juicy J and Project Pat of Three 6 Mafia. Near the end of the video an alternate version to Drake’s Jhene Aiko collaboration “From Time” was featured.
This one is actually a WTF and a fail rolled into one special post but let’s start with the WTF part first. Dave Wilson, a White anti-gay activist, won a local election after leading voters to believe he is African-American. The Texas politician, who unsuccessfully ran for Houston mayor in 2011, narrowly won a seat on the Houston Community College Board of Trustees after pretending to be Black in his predominantly African American district, according to KHOU 11 News.
Via KHOU:
Wilson, a gleeful political troublemaker, printed direct mail pieces strongly implying that he’s Black. His fliers were decorated with photographs of smiling African-American faces — which he readily admits he just lifted off websites — and captioned with the words “Please vote for our friend and neighbor Dave Wilson.” One of his mailers said he was “Endorsed by Ron Wilson,” which longtime Houston voters might easily interpret as a statement of support from a former state representative of the same name who’s also African-American. Fine print beneath the headline says “Ron Wilson and Dave Wilson are cousins,” a reference to one of Wilson’s relatives living in Iowa.
Wilson defeated 24-year incumbent Bruce Austin by just 26 votes. Wilson’s opponent, called the tactic “disgusting,” and told the Houston Chronicle that he will seek a recount of the extremely close race.
“He never put out to voters that he was White,” Austin said. “The problem is his picture was not in the League of Voters [pamphlet] or anywhere. This is one of the few times a white guy has pretended to be Black guy and fooled Black people.”
Wilson, however, insists he won the race “fair and square” because voters disapproved of Austin and the HCC board’s actions.
Ok so, why were people naive enough to believe that Wilson was Black based on pamphlets featuring photos of Black people but not the actual politician? Seriously? Sigh…Anyone who votes for someone based on the color of their skin is a living #fail.
This is a struggle post. ain’t nothing happening right now. So, over the weekend Iggy Azalea
had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction. But, she seemingly addressed it right there on the red carpet at the MTV EMA’s and her cooch parts were exposed!
This isn’t really what I am looking to run in the rumors, but its like a desert right now. So, thanks Necole Bitchie.
And, in typical fashion, Iggy posted the untouched image on her own instagram.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) Kendrick Lamar is “usually cool with the same n*ggas I’m rhyming with”, however “this is Hip Hop and them n*ggas should know what time it is.” In a recent interview for GQ’s Man of the Year issue, Lamar let everyone know he’s not fighting for his peer’s friendship.
In the interview, Lamar spoke on the pair’s meeting at the MTV Video Music Awards, a week after his “Control” verse was released and gave an update on their friendship:
[We’re] Pretty cool. I mean, I would be okay if we weren’t.
Lamar then stated that “we all peers” after admitting that Drake informed him that he took the “Control” verse as a diss.
Drake has mentioned that he has no immediate plans to work with his former collaborator and addressed the VMA run-in with Kendrick Lamar on The Angie Martinez Show in September:
It just wasn’t real to me. I saw him after that and it was just like love, so it’s like was that real or was that for the people? Those were harsh words, you can’t just say that and see me like, ‘Yeah, man, what’s up,’ pretending like nothing ever happened. That’s not real
Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, mAAd city album recently won Album of the Year at Friday’s (November 8th) Soul Train Music Awards.’
The GQ Men of the Year issue is on newsstands now and the Soul Train Music awards will air on Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 9:00 PM EST on BET and CENTRIC.
M.I.A. has crafted an album that’s energetic and mirrors her rebellious soul through jarring production and explosive verses. The production on Matangi is diverse to say the least, but each song on the album fits her expressive style. For Matangi, M.I.A. recruited a few surprising producers for the album, including The Weeknd’s go-to producer Doc McKinney, The Dutch production duo Partysquad, British house DJ Switch, and even Hit Boy. One of the standout songs is Double Bubble Trouble, which mixes hard-hitting trap elements with dancehall flavor. The influence of international sounds are very heavy on Matangi, mostly from Middle Eastern culture.
One of the biggest situations acknowledged on the album is the middle finger incident during the 2012 Super Bowl performance. Other than tackling controversial issues, M.I.A. does take time to show her personal struggles as well. Even with The Weeknd as the only guest feature, Matangi prospers as a project from M.I.A. The sound might attract an acquired taste, but the diversity in production and M.I.A.’s attitude makes the album stand on its own. With all of that being said Matangi is an incredible album with a fighting spirit. Something that is needed in an industry that doesn’t have much of it anymore.
AHH’s RATINGS
Lyricism– 7/10
Production– 9/10
Album Cohesiveness– 9/10
Replay value– 8/10
Overall– 8/10
Personal Favorite Tracks: “Double Bubble Trouble”, “Warriors”, “Bring The Noize″
I recently came across an interview regarding a Muslim rapper from Saudi Arabia named Skinny who had moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music, and in doing so has managed to upset a lot of Saudi’s and Muslims due to his controversial content, behavior and look. I agreed to meet up with Skinny out at a studio in Glendale, CA while he was working on his debut album Ghetto Disneyland to see what the controversy was about and to hear this young man’s unusual story. It turned out to be an interesting tale about Hip-Hop and its effect in other parts of the World dominated by traditional Cultures, one’s that aren’t necessarily open to the type of influence, power and expression that Hip-Hop can bring. Is the Arab Muslim world ready for an artist like Skinny? Is America ready too? Well ready or not, he’s coming. Read our exclusive interview below!
AllHipHop: What part of Saudi Arabia did you grow up in?
Skinny: I grew up in Jeddah where it’s hot and filled with beautiful covered women.
But you can’t look at any of them!
You can’t look at them but the city I grew up in was a little more open than what you see on television – you know with the ninja face cover. They kind of let their hair down and stuff like that. We got to see some girls at the beach. The culture is incredible and the food is delicious.
How does Hip-Hop become a part of your culture in Saudi Arabia?
To this day it’s not uncommon to see someone rockin’ a bandana wearing a 2pac T-shirt. That’s what was big over there – Michael Jackson and 2pac T-shirts. Even though Hip-Hop was so restricted, we knew where to go get the music. We had that one secret shop that we knew would have that Mixtape or CD. It was way low key even though now it’s a bit more open with the Internet but before it was super low key. I was lucky to be able to come over to America every summer because my mother lives in Los Angeles. Having the opportunity to come here and listen to so many great artists was a great experience. Relatives from my mother’s side of the family had musical gifts and that’s where I got my musical creativity from. My father’s side is where I get my culture from and the two sides are mixed together all inside of me for an interesting product.
What’s the Hip-Hop movement like in Saudi Arabia?
Like I said before, it’s a bit more open now, but you can’t really do a show or anything. They are struggling out there to really keep the Hip-Hop culture alive. The youth like it though. We love soccer and Hip-Hop.
I take it that the Conservative establishment doesn’t like it though.
Not just Hip-Hop but music in general. That’s a no-no to them. Their idea is that we have to only pray – that’s the old generation though.
Do you think that generation will die out and the new one coming in that’s been exposed to Hip-Hop will allow a more accepting society?
I think it will be more open but it will never be truly open. Culture is something that is instilled in to us when we are born. They say that music is against my religion.
Do you feel that music is against your religion?
Not at all! I wouldn’t be doing this if I felt it was against my religion. I stay close to God and I pray all of the time. No way, this is what God put me on Earth to do.
So how do you justify yourself to the Religious Conservatives? I imagine that you’ve had to defend yourself a lot.
Oh my God, just from the comments on YouTube! I don’t get the comments that just say that they don’t like me. I get the comments that say that I’m going to Hell! My hate comments are so much different than the average hate comments that other rappers get.
Judging by the comment section posts that I see every day on sites, that’s saying a lot!
My hate is stuff like, “I’m going to Hell or Jail, I’m not allowed to say that I’m a Saudi, I’m being disrespectful to my Culture,” statements like that. I also get things like, “We better not catch you if we ever see you.”
Your life has been threatened?
It’s been threatened and I’m just barely starting to make moves! If you Google “Skinny Saudi rapper,” it will come up as “Skinny Saudi rapper real name.” There are people trying to find out my real name and who I am. Who knows why they want to know my name? People out there are crazy. It’s a dangerous game.
Do you feel safe?
I feel safe. I don’t walk around looking over my shoulder. I have God and that’s who I put my trust in. When I become more known, I’ll have some big guy push people off of me (laughs). Other than that, I can’t go through life being scared. People say that I’m going to Hell but I know my relationship with God.
You’ve got songs like “P*ssy, Money, Kush.” You’ve also got the tattoos and you’re firing up some weed right now. How do you justify all of that with your religion?
I think that being a Muslim is trying to make God be true in you, protecting your family, being kind and being good to other people. It’s not about a tattoo or words. It’s about creativity. This is entertainment and fun to hear. It goes back to judging a book by its cover. You’ve got to read the whole book to really know the ending.
Some might think that this is all a gimmick.
This is no gimmick. I waited a long time to get the tattoos. Everything I say is real. I take the Hip-Hop craft seriously. This is not a joke. This is my life.
I saw your new “PMK” video. What’s with the Midget/Catholic priest? Some might take that as you disrespecting their religion.
“PMK” stands for P*ssy, Money and Kush – and honestly when I was in the studio looking around the place there were so many people from different races and religions. The one thing that brought us all together was all of us talking about P*ssy, Money and good Kush to smoke. Nothing else about our backgrounds mattered and that was the inspiration behind the record. The midget Priest, Rabbi, Muslim, Twerkers and girls covered with ski masks, was just to show that everybody can come together and have a good time. It doesn’t have to be about Politics. It’s not a record talking about being the best, it’s a fun song. Let’s all get along and be happy. People trip too much and life is too short to be tripping.
What’s your opinion on how Americans view Saudi Arabians through our media?
It’s interesting that you ask that because I moved here to America when I got my green card. I was here for the September 11, 2001 bombings and I experienced the change in attitude. It went from, “You’re Saudi? What’s it like there?” to “You’re Saudi? Wait here. We have to check you.” I’m not complaining. It is what it is. God rest the victim’s souls and I hope they are comfortable in Heaven.
You probably have interesting airport experiences.
Especially now after my tattoos and growing out my hair – they don’t know what to think! I give them my passport and they do double-takes. They’re like, “I don’t know about the name but he kind of looks like one of us.”
Going back to the comments, I get a lot of “You’re ruining our Saudi reputation,” and I’m like, “Have you heard about our reputation already?”
Any concerns at all about being in a business where a lot of Jewish people are in high places?
No concerns at all. I have a lot of Jewish friends. Another person’s religion is not a big deal to me. If that’s what you believe in, cool. They shouldn’t judge me because of where I’m from because I’m not judging them for where they are from. Let the music speak and sell itself.
Is your goal to be able to go back to Saudi Arabia one day?
That’s my dream. My dream is to go back and hang out with the King and tell him thank you for the incredible childhood and be like, “I need to do a show. I need the biggest stadium you have so I can shut it down.” I want to give the people entertainment. It’s not a bad thing.
