In his brief twenty-five years of life with us, Tupac Amaru Shakur touched millions of hearts.  His rebellious nature and innate passion were voiced through various platforms including both music and film.  On one of the busiest strips in the country, on September 7, 1996, Pac was suddenly gunned down in Las Vegas.  Succumbing to his injuries a week later, from jump his death has been surrounded in mystery as the case still remains unsolved.  Pac’s former bodyguard Frank Alexander has kept the legacy going through projects (Before I Wake, Got Your Back) offering an intimate look into the personal life of the fallen legend.  Now more than a decade after Pac’s murder, Alexander tries to piece together what actually went down that night of the Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon fight.  Tupac Assassination presents evidence previously unknown to the public, exposing holes in the LVPD’s follow up and talking to key witnesses never interviewed by police. AllHipHop.com gets the facts straight with the documentary’s two producers Frank Alexander and RJ Bond.AllHipHop.com: The movie was originally called Tupac Revelations.  Why the change to Tupac Assassination?RJ Bond: The title has actually gone through a series of changes.  The Tupac foundation is actually coming out with a project called Tupac Evolutions; it’s one of the records they are coming out with.  That was [our] first title.  As we developed the piece and moved along we changed it to Tupac Revelations just because we felt it was more appropriate because of the subject matter.  Finally in the last month we started looking at the piece as a whole and we had some discussions with the Shakur estate on what we were going to call the movie.  We basically came to a mutual consensus that Tupac Assassination really defines what the movie is really is about.AllHipHop.com: There have been a couple attempts of piecing together what happened with Pac’s murder, why is this documentary going to be any different?RJ Bond: None of the other documentaries unfortunately have any kind of people that are witnesses to what happened with the exception of Frank.  You have to look at more than one source that was there to put it into perspective and that’s what has been really been missing from a lot of these documentaries.  They are headed by book writers, journalists, and movie makers who are third parties.  They don’t have the first hand witness account of exactly what happened.  Frank really touched on that on Before I Wake.  What we started doing for this piece is that we started interviewing people and we happen to find out that several people weren’t interviewed by the police.  Where we segregate ourselves from the rest of the crowd is that we got a lot of people who were there that helped us open up a lot of doors.  Frank Alexander: There were other bodyguards who were with Tupac in New York at the MTV Awards the week prior leading up to him being shot.  There were three other bodyguards with him and I was on vacation that particular week and the police didn’t even interview them.  They didn’t go back that far to see who was with him the events that had taken place in New York with other rappers and stuff that happened on the radio.  Some of the fuel of the fire could have came from New York that they didn’t look into.  The body guards witnessed some of the events back there that were never talked to.  We dug deeper and interviewed these people.  AllHipHop.com: Why did you approach it in a court drama setting?RJ Bond: Well it lent itself to it.  This was the first time that it has been proven that the police have not done their job.  We have to take that as news, the information that was provided by people that have never been interviewed.  We see it more like a reporter weighing out the facts and providing guidance by the experts in those fields.  We leave it up to the viewer to be the judge whether or not this should or could go further.  AllHipHop.com: How do you screen the people you guys interviewed to be as legit?Frank Alexander: How we know the witnesses that we talked to are credible, I personally know everyone one of them.  They were never interviewed by the police.  This is not a documentary on Tupac’s life, this is a documentary on who killed Tupac.  AllHipHop.com: Do you guys think you might be a couple of years late with this film as we have a new generation of Hip-Hop fans that care more about the newest dance moves that are not too familiar with Pac’s work?Frank Alexander: It’s not so much that the people were not around that time because of their age then versus today.  What we are really concerned about is what happened to him and all of those people that were around at the time; the rappers and the fans.  Obviously there were thirty three million albums sold, that’s a lot of fans.  There is still no closure to his death and people want that.  We are trying to show some closure.AllHipHop.com: What in your mind do you think is the biggest obstacle in getting this case solved?RJ Bond: We can’t assume that the Las Vegas police are not doing anything because we haven’t seen anything.  I think that’s a bad assumption to make.  What we can say is that we haven’t seen any results.  I think they raised the bar so high to convict someone for a murder because it was to be proven without a reasonable doubt.  The police have told us personally that we only have one chance to catch our man because of double jeopardy, so it better be right the first time.  I think people would like to see any type of justice, whether it be a grand jury, or conspiracy charges.  At some point you have to take a look at what is available to you to be able to charge people with based on what you have versus what you don’t have.  AllHipHop.com: Will your movie bring this case to be being finally closed?RJ Bond: You should ask Cathy Scott about that.  She is the reporter who has been covering the murder case from the very beginning.  We actually interviewed her for the piece and we actually showed her a final copy of the movie and in an interview she did on her own separately from us she said that the case is closed. Frank Alexander: Keep in mind we are not saying the case is closed but we are saying that was her opinion after watching our movie.AllHipHop.com: Where does Afeni Shakur stand with the conclusion you draw to at the end of the film?Frank Alexander: Every project I have done about Tupac I have done with the blessings of Afeni because she knows I love her son and I care for her son.  She knows I would never put anything out that’s going disgrace Tupac.  I don’t like how things when down when he passed and that’s why we are doing this project.  I know she is aware of it.  If you are asking me if she has seen it, I would say she has not.   AllHipHop.com: What are some of the events that actually happened concerning the case versus things that are speculated that you discuss in the film?RJ Bond: I’ll give you a good example. Most people believe that Suge Knight had some ownership in Club 662.  Suge did not own that club.  He was looking to buy the club, it was owned by a business woman in Las Vegas.  AllHipHop.com: A lot of individuals speculate that Suge is the main player in this homicide as he owed Tupac millions in royalties.  Additionally, it has been noted that Tupac was about to leave Deathrow Records.  How plausible to you guys is that rationale?RJ Bond: We plead the fifth on that.  AllHipHop.com: What is your comment on the alleged conversation where Russell Poole says Snoop had a conversation with an unnamed police officer saying the following:Officer:  I think I know who killed Tupac.Snoop: I do too.  The guy who was seated next to him.Officer: Suge Knight?Snoop: Yes.RJ Bond: We can’t speak for Snoop.  If we had an interview with Snoop we could have gone into that but we really can’t say whether that is a fact or not.  AllHipHop.com: Frank, before the shooting of Pac the infamous jumping of Crip Orlando Anderson happens inside the Casino.  Where you present for that?  Frank Alexander:  Yes I was.  Someone whispered into Tupac’s ear and he took off running.  He ran over to Orlando Anderson and swung on him and Orlando swung back.  The rest of the entourage goes over there and I’m pulling Tupac out of it.  I had him up against the wall.  My job was to stop him from catching cases and to protect him.  AllHipHop.com: Did you grow suspicious when they asked you to falsify that Orlando attempted to snatch Pac’s pendant the night before?Frank Alexander:  Something of that nature did come up.  It was said that Orlando Anderson tried to snatch Tupac’s chain, which wasn’t true.  It was Orlando and Travon [Lane] who got into that fight at the Lakewood mall and the chain was taken there.AllHipHop.com: Frank Alexander, allegedly you were the only body guard appointed to Pac the night of his death.  Frank Alexander: Before the fight no, after the fight yes.  AllHipHop.com: Did you find that strange?Frank Alexander: Absolutely.  It was strange period that I ended up being the only security for him and Suge.  Normally Suge’s security was the head of the security firm.  It was twenty three of us total, so there should have been more security.  AllHipHop.com: Is it true you were instructed not to carry any weapons on you?  Frank Alexander: Yes.  We were instructed that earlier.  AllHipHop.com: Was Pac aware of those orders?Frank Alexander: No, that was something that had taken place earlier that day.  It was a meeting.AllHipHop.com: Who instructed you at the meeting not to carry any firearms?Frank Alexander:I will have to plead the fifth on that because it wasn’t just me.  The question is making it seem like it was just me.  It was a security meeting with everyone.AllHipHop.com: Another rumor is that Tupac was instructed before the left the casino to take off his bulletproof vest?Frank Alexander: Tupac barely wore a bulletproof vest. He was not instructed to take off a vest.  RJ Bond:  Brent Becker [lead homicide detective] does comment in the movie saying that was something the police believed.AllHipHop.com: After Tupac was killed there were over twenty shootings over a ten day period in Compton.  Does the documentary touch on that?  What do you attribute that to?RJ Bond: Yes, we go into detail on that but that is all we can say for now.  AllHipHop.com: It is rumored that Kadafi who was in the group the Outlawz saw everything and vowed to testify but he was killed two months later.  Does that have any connection to what you guys present in the film?RJ Bond: The Vegas police have made two statements regarding Kadafi.  The first one is that he can identify the shooter and there is what Brent Becker said.  That Kadafi never said that and he could only identify the driver and not the shooter.  We touch on that briefly.  AllHipHop.com: There has been one conspiracy theory floating around in the urban neighborhoods that the government was behind the murder of Tupac and B.I.G.  From your perspective is there any truth to that?RJ Bond: I’ve come across that several times in my research that there are people that believe that but they are probably the same ones who see the black helicopters flying around.  We talk a little about government but ultimately that’s not where we go with this film.  AllHipHop.com: In closing what’s next for you guys?RJ Bond: We are just going to sit back and see what everyone’s reaction will be about the film.  Frank Alexander: One of the things we kind of end our interviews with is a saying by Martin Luther King.  “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” And Tupac’s death to me it matters.  I’m not going to be silent about it.  

Does life imitate art or does art imitate life? We have pondered that question for ages, but one artist has lived both sides of the line. Percy Carey a.k.a. MF Grimm has lived a life full of so many twists and turns, you would think it was fiction. From a shady criminal past, to microphone salvation, to karma exacting its balance, Grimm’s history reads like one of those urban novels. Paralyzed in a drug-related shootout, Carey was once deaf, dumb and blind. Through pain, hard work, and perseverance, he made his way back to life, back to reality and back to the microphone. What’s next? Along with the recent release of his, The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man, turning that real life into a graphic novel. Follow us to Candyland, through the looking glass, into the world of Gingy Breadman, better known as MF Grimm.

AllHipHop.com: How do your beginnings, coming up, affect the content of your rhymes?

 

MF Grimm: I would say..hmm.. good question.  Actually it’s the foundation, my exposure as a child, things of that nature, growing up and seeing things, it instilled inside me, you know, and I processed it and turned it into what I consider [my content].

 

AllHipHop.com: You used to run with MF Doom. Can we get into your former partnership at all?

 

MF Grimm: Actually I want you to. MF Doom, that’s my brother. I would like to run with him again.  I don’t know if he would feel comfortable with me due to the very well known dispute between us.  That’s behind me, you know? He’s a brother to me and that means more than, you know money and financial status and just ego.  If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.  There’s a lot of things I’ve done that are wrong in this circumstance. There’s certain things that I feel he’s done wrong and things of that nature.  But as for him, he’s a genius, that’s my brother, I wish him nothing but success.  I would love to work with him again.  But if he felt like that could not happen, I will always support his music.  He’s Doom!

 

AllHipHop.com:  He uses Dr. Doom as a visual representation of his character.  I know you are an avid comic book fan.  Was that a part of your friendship? Have comics always been a part of your life?

 

MF Grimm: Yeah to a degree.  Me and Doom, we watched a lot of comics and animation. I don’t know if that was the structure of our relationship, but it was a part of it.  I’ve always been a DC [Comics] man.  Superman and Batman.  Most people are Marvel [Comics] dudes. [I was a DC dude] except for the Hulk.  To this day I’m with the Hulk. If I could I would write for the Hulk.  I like what Greg Pak is doing with the Hulk in World War Hulk.  Outside that I’ve always been a DC person. That’s why this was a great opportunity for me now that I’m a writer for DC comics and I could put my spin to it. I also got love for the villains, yunno? The Joker.

 

AllHipHop.com: The Vertigo line has allowed DC to be grittier than their normal line so I’m sure that would fit right in with your content and some of the ideas you are trying to bring forward.

 

MF Grimm: Yes, it’s definitely a blessing that I’m with Vertigo. We’re considered the HBO of comics.  There’s a lot of things I do that I can’t…that I couldn’t get to do with other publications or distributors.  Vertigo, I have free rein.  Karen Berger, she’s the best. I’m constantly learning from her. Look at the caliber of writers she has groomed or brought in. I mean, V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, uh… American Virgin.  I mean even the new ones. Stardust, that’s Neil Gaimon, she brought him in. Karen brought him in and that’s how she works with me on a regular basis. She works hard with me, so you know I’m thankful to be at Vertigo.

 

AllHipHop.com: Even though you’re confined to a wheel chair, recovering from where you were could be considered superhuman in its own right.  Can you tell us about that journey?  You couldn’t see, hear, or touch, basically Helen Keller status.  Now you’re strong enough to give an interview, still put out albums, and run a company.  That’s a pretty big deal.

 

MF Grimm: I have to say that’s the strength of the people I surround myself with and also The Creator.  I can’t even take credit for any of this because there’s so many times I wanted to give up.  I’ve been shot 10 times in my life, I’ve had two collapsed lungs, I’ve been blind and deaf, like you said.  I was told I would never talk again; I was in a coma.  It’s just fighting through all that.  I take more so that it’s about blessings and not about me like I’m some tough guy or something of that nature, or I’m superhuman.  I might feel sometimes that I’m superhuman, but it’s really about The Creator. 

 

It’s really about the people that support you, that give you the emotional energy that’s needed to get through those times because it’s not all fun and games.  There’s many times when I’m down.  There’s  a lot of times when I’m in pain and I don’t know how I’m a do tomorrow.  I have great people around me to help me.  So it’s a joint effort.  It’s still a struggle but I always look at it as there’s people under worse circumstances than myself who don’t know what I’m going through, so who am I to complain?

 

AllHipHop.com: You have one of the few triple album in Hip-Hop history, plus ghostwriting credits that people may not know about. Speak on that.

 

MF Grimm: Well the ghostwriting credits I don’t really want to get into, but the triple album I don’t know.  I was told that I was the first independent solo artist to come out with a triple album with 60 songs.  If anyone else did, I’m not sure who they are.

 

AllHipHop.com: I know 8 Ball (of 8 Ball and MJG) had a triple album.  I don’t know how many songs he had.

 

MF Grimm: From my understanding, it was a double album and a compilation of other stuff.  My stuff is all brand new material, 60 tracks deep.  Independently pressed up, and I did it, with the help of others but independently and I only did it because it had never been done.

 

AllHipHop.com: Is that your motivation now, as an artist, to create what hasn’t been done before?

 

MF Grimm: You hit it on the nose and you’re the only person that did.  That is my total motivation. My only motivation is to do what’s never been done. I just created The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man, The Mixtape. I rhymed for 32 minutes and 4 seconds about ingredients.  Strictly ingredients.  And it’s never been done, so I said you know what? I’m a do it.  I burnt my brain out trying to rhyme about ingredients for a half hour.  Strictly ingredients. I talk about nothing else. That’s what motivates me.

 

AllHipHop.com: What would you rank higher? Having your life story become a graphic novel, creating that triple album or creating things that never came before?  Which is higher on your achievement list?

 

MF Grimm: Creating things that never came before, cause that’s what motivates others to continue to do things of that nature.  So I can motivate someone that buys my triple CD to go “You know what? I’m a do that. I’m a do it in all Arabic. I’m a rhyme in Arabic and do a quadruple CD with 80 songs,” whatever.  It’s just a foundation , a stepping stone for someone else to achieve.  It might make them think about doing something totally different.  It’s just the fact of doing something that has not been done.  

 

AllHipHop.com: Jay-Z named his album Kingdom Come, after the DC graphic novel. You got Ghostface as Tony Starks the Iron Man. Comic books are intertwined in a lot of lyrical content. Do you draw inspiration for the books themselves?   Rather than having your life be in the books, does it work the other way around?

 

MF Grimm: Good Question.  Now that I am behind the scenes as a writer, for the majority of the things you just mentioned, it influenced me, more so on the imagination side.  I have a lot of characters that I’m trying ot bring to the DC universe and to Vertigo so it just opened up another door. A side of me.  Like yeah back in the days, I’d be more influenced by a comic book or a character in a comic book, but now I know how to create characters to comic books.  So my influence is more internal.  Comics still have influence you know? But more so I’ve gotten to the point of being a creator.

 

AllHipHop.com: How does the creative process differ? Writing a 32 minute song has to be mentally taxing.  How does that compare with creating characters with the intent that the character lives on and isn’t finite like a song would be.

 

MF Grimm: Actually I was able to do that because I combined the mediums.  I learned that the mediums were equivalent; musically writing a song and creating a graphic novel is all designing new characters. Once I learned that, the formulas, and I combined them and made my own formula, which I have to say is similar to Bruce Lee. He learned many styles and then created his own.  For instance, now that I’m dealing with graphic novels and animation and writing and dealing with film structures, and I’m also in music—I got my own style; I call it Win Chun Tung.  It’s like a martial arts of the tongue and it’s just my own style. I’m not afraid anymore.  I’m not a fraid to create a style or an album and it be structured and they be like “Yo dude, that sh*t is wack, I don’t know what you was trying to do, but I’m not feeling it.” I think people get caught up into a realm where they always gotta do that.  They do what you expect.  I’d rather deal with the unexpected.  And expect the unexpected from me.

 

AllHipHop.com: Who would win, Batman or Daredevil?

 

MF Grimm: Batman

 

AllHipHop.com: Boston Baked Beans or Lemon heads?

 

MF Grimm: Lemon Heads

 

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite beer?

 

MF Grimm: Root Beer

 

AllHipHop.com: I’m going to say a couple words and I want you to say what comes to mind.  Candyland.

 

MF Grimm: Crumbs

 

AllHipHop.com: Gingy Breadman

 

MF Grimm: Percy Carey

 

AllHipHop.com: Gretel Honeybun

 

MF Grimm: Percy Carey’s Wife

 

AllHipHop.com: [Al] Sharpton

 

MF Grimm: Contradiction

 

AllHipHop.com: Ni**er.

 

MF Grimm: *Pauses* Wow. That stopped me in my tracks right? Umm…Overrated

 

AllHipHop.com: What’s the Future for MF Grimm?

 

MF Grimm: Films.  Working with Preston Holmes and Nyima Holmes, executive producer of Juice, New Jack City, and several other films.  I’m going into film writing.

Hurricane Chris obtained his name from devastating battle competition,  causing havoc, and leaving crowds in silence, in the similar fashion of a Hurricane storm.  His first single “A Bay Bay,” inspired by an

event for DJ Hollyhood’s “Bay Bay” in a club,  garnered him the

attention of Mr. Collipark and a contract with Pologrounds Music/J Records.  Hurricane

Chris’ 51/50 Ratchet  hit stores on October 23rd.The Pack

is derived of four teens from Berkley, California: Lil B, Stunnaman, Uno,

& Young L. The Pack are Too $horts protégés who gained his attention

from the skateboarder “Vans” song through Youtube and Myspace and instantly

became a cult classic.  Their album Based Boys

is available for purchase October 30th.  Mistah Fab’s

nationwide success stemmed from his controversial single “Ghost Ride

It.” He is becoming a central figure of the Hyphy movement, a musical and cultural

offshoot of Hip-Hop from the Bay area that emphasizes having fun, or

“getting dumb” in the local slang. Mistah Fab’s other notable

mentions stem from recently crushing his competition, Royce Da 5’9”

in  AllHipHop.com’s freestyle battle at SOBs.  

Read on to learn how these

rising artists gained momentum in an already flooded market of rappers. 

AllHipHop.com: Coming out as a

new artist, how tough was it getting the attention of good producers

for your album?  

Hurricane Chris: It wasn’t

hard because I came into the game with all of the producers I needed. 

The movement we were putting on the forefronts is what they wanted when

we got into the game and it would have been stupid to switch it up. 

It was a blessing we had all the producers we already needed to make

our type of music. 

Lil B: Hard work.  We

have our in house producer Young L who creates all of our beats. 

We picked out the producers that we like to work with and that matches

our style of the direction we are heading towards.  We want a producer

that doesn’t mind being different.  

Mistah Fab: It’s very tough

because a lot of good producers value their production, which they should. 

Many producers don’t like taking chances with new artists because

they could give that beat to a renowned artist and it would probably

have done ten folds what it would do for the new artist.  As for

new artists, you have to show that you belong and not wait on big names

to blow up because the Timbalands and the DJ Premiers were once in-house

producers.  

 

AllHipHop.com: What have you personally

done to get your song played by DJs in the clubs or radio? 

Hurricane Chris: Personally,

I do stuff everyday to make sure that I am on the radio.  Before

I was signed, I got an independent record label called “Go Live Entertainment,” that was our launching pad.  It was the only resource we had. 

We Gassed up our own vehicle, driving state to state to radio stations,

and performing shows.  Whether it took spending our money to get

songs played on the radio, personal relationships or favor for a favor,

we did it. 

Lil B: We are walking billboards,

everywhere, interacting with everyone, on the street making friends

and fans.  We did everything we could.  For the DJ’s, we

would be at all clubs and parties with a burned CD with our contact information

on it.  The clubs would play our songs because the streets already

knew about us and we would get a big response.  It’s a struggle

but you have to make people mess with you and DJs were hating at

first.   

Mistah Fab: You can have the

hottest song in the world but if you don’t have a relationship with

a DJ, it will not get played.  It has a lot to do with egos and

DJs feeling like “F**k that artist he thinks he’s this” and

vice versa.  The airplay and exposure you get in the clubs and

radio is definitely about relationships.  Fortunately, for artists,

the internet is a great thing with certain outlets where people can come to

and listen to your music.  They don’t have to go to a club or

listen to the radio.  Off a relationship, you build a rapport with

DJs.  That shows him that anything you bring him, is spin worthy,

a history of no let downs, but you first have to generate a fan base

from the streets. 

AllHipHop.com: What attempts if

any have you guys done to get your first street credibility? 

Hurricane Chris: I didn’t

have to attempt to do anything for street credibility.  All you

had to do was say my name and everyone knew me in Louisiana.  I

have a background; the last name Dooley goes a long way. I didn’t

have to go out of my way to do a bunch of dumb stuff because people

already knew who I was. 

Lil B: Promoting, be in everyone’s

face introducing ourselves as “The Pack.”  We pressed up promos

such as flyers in our in-house studio. We were at the malls, streets,

bathrooms anywhere you can think of.  Our first song was “Booty

Bounce Bopper.”  People from down South, East coast, and over here

heard of the song and we got our first street credibility because it

was cracking in the clubs.  The girls were behind it 100% because

they could shake their butt to the song. 

Mistah Fab: You can’t have

street creditability without being in the streets. You have to be out,

and people have to see you. Also, don’t just hang in your neighborhood

but neighboring neighborhoods.  You have to go to other hoods and

generate a street buzz and you can say whatever you want in your lyrics

because people know you that you be around.  They see you in the

hood with your jewelry on, riding through.   

 

AllHipHop.com:  With the state

of Hip-Hop, do you think it is easier or harder for a hip-hop artist

to do well? 

Hurricane Chris: It isn’t

easy, but it isn’t too hard because you see all of the people who

are making it.  It’s hard but there are ways around all of the

mayhem but it depends on your relationship status and the kind of resources

you have. The state of the music game right now, it is easier to get

on and make a hit, but it is hard to stay in their ear.     

Lil B: It’s on the artist

to make or break themselves.  It’s harder for the artist to break

big because you have to have a hit single for anyone to even mess with

you.  On the other side, the underground is starting to come back

and you don’t have to be mainstream anymore to be making money. 

Record sales are hard nowadays because many artists don’t have die

hard fans.  The fans aren’t buying their albums because they

only like a single.  We are around touring with a solid fan base

that rep The Pack.  Some artists sell a lot of ring tones but don’t

sell many albums because the fans aren’t stupid anymore and can tell

what’s a gimmick.     

Mistah Fab: Definitely harder. 

The dollar is scarce nowadays.  If people spend their dollar, it

has to be a guaranteed album.  Spending a dollar on a new artist

isn’t always a good thing to do.  We live in the day of ring

tone rap.  You have many new artists come with a big single and

that is the only thing you will ever hear from them, modern day one

hit wonders.  No one wants to spend his or her dollar on one song

when you can just go download it or have it as a ring tone. The grind

is definitely harder.  It’s all about what artist is going to

get out and work the hardest and show that he belongs.   

AllHipHop.com: Does the hate from

the public push you harder or slow you down? 

Hurricane Chris: The hate makes

me go harder.  The hate is like gas in a car. 

Lil B: It will push us harder

because the hating means we are doing something good.  It’s hard

when people hate on you but they can only hate on you for so long. 

Mistah Fab: I’m never worried

about hate.  I’ve been hated on all of my life. It’s motivating

because the more people that say I can’t, is the more that I say I

can.  It doesn’t slow me down at all.  It speeds up my progress.   

AllHipHop.com: From your area,

what are you adding differently to the rap game? 

Hurricane Chris: I am adding

versatility to the game.  I don’t see anyone out there right

now that are keeping the club and the streets of white and black folks

jamming at the same time. We have the “Hand Clap” in the clubs and

“A Bay Bay” is a street and club banger.  We just dropped a

new single, “How Players Rock” for the grown and sexy.  

Lil B: We are creating a new

genre of music called “Based Music.” Our album is coming out October

30th.  Many rappers have the same formula of what they

are doing, rapping about the same stuff. We are bringing a new sound

to the table for the future of Hip-Hop.  

Mistah Fab: The rap game today

is so sugar coated and I don’t think we have a problem saying what

we feel in the Bay Area. Everyone wants to be so safety cautious that

they don’t say what they really want.  Personally, I am going

to say how I feel and exhibit that in my music.  I’m not afraid

to lose.  I can take a chance and start again if I have to. 

I will give it my all because I’m not afraid to go to zero 

AllHipHop.com: How do you think

affiliation to a rap mogul helps or hinders the game?     

Hurricane Chris: It helps when

you get power but it all depends on how you use it. Many people in the

game have power they can use to help better more situations than the

one they are in currently.   

Lil B: We are affiliated to

Too Short. It’s a big step, he’s a legend.  We learned so much

because he has been through the game for so many years.  He’s

teaching us the game. 

Mistah Fab: It can only help

you.  In some cases, it hinders you because you become a shadow

rapper.  For instance, someone signed to Jay-Z, it’s hard because

you will always be compared to the predecessors.  But, when you

come under a great producer and you put together music, it can only

help you because great and great equals greater.  And the fact

that it is a producer and not an artist, there isn’t any conflict

of interest. 

AllHipHop.com: Do you think Soulja

Boy Tellem’s popularity from the internet is a good balance because

his success didn’t stem from programmers or DJs from radio stations

and or mixtapes? 

Hurricane Chris: He’s been

on Myspace doing his thing.  He had fans before he even got his

deal.  Most of Soulja Boy’s fans that he acquired before his

deal are the same fans he has now.   

Lil B: Personally, I like Soulja

Boy because I heard his underground mixes before he blew up.  It’s

a blessing he got that exposure from the internet.  It’s true,

it’s what the fans want.  The DJ’s play a huge part because

they run the music s###.  

Mistah Fab: Reiterating what

I said earlier, he created the demand.  In this day and age, radio

only enhanced what he did himself.  Public and personal are two

different things but both are pivotal to your success.  A DJ may

not like you and would feel Soulja Boy corny and because of their biased

opinion, they won’t give the public access it or reject it. 

Soulja Boy sold 117,000 in his first week so it shows people are still

buying records and I love what he’s doing.  He’s a young kid

and he’s representing his vibe and music.  

AllHipHop.com: If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?

Hurricane Chris: I would change

rap beefs, critics for the way they are approaching artists and record

labels. I think the labels should care more about the artists. About

rap beefs, I am not a fan of addressing a problem that you have with

another grown man over a rap record.  Music is made to express

yourself but I feel that if you have a personal problem with someone

than you approach them like a man.  I don’t understand where

that came from putting your business in the streets.  I don’t

feel the world should have to know about your problem with another human

being. 

Lil B: Rappers stop lying to

the kids, stop promoting what they really aren’t doing and  weak

producers should stop charging all this money for beats that aren’t

all that tight.    Be real.  Change the ego that comes

with the rap game.  Lots of people have egos and don’t deserve

it.  I understand if the street loves you and you are making hits

but if you aren’t, you really need to cut it out.  Many rappers

come out and talk about dope dealing and killing each other but a lot

of these rappers are rich.  I came from the hood and I see what

these rappers are doing to my people.  If you do talk about it,

talk about the struggle and talk about what u did to get where you are

at instead of glorifying it because everyone’s in jail. I am not going

to lie to any of my people.  

Mistah Fab: I would stop the

region hating.  People are region racist. I would also stop the

radio politics and I don’t have a third reason because everything

is the reason why you do it.  You need fake rappers for people

to respect the real rappers when you need them.  I think everything

is what it is for a reason.  It makes you live how you live and

make the decisions that you make.  Like, my father died from A.I.D.S.

and I wouldn’t change that if I could because it made me as strong

as I am. I think that God has a mission for everyone. 

Nas announced he was naming his 8th album the N Bomb. Once again, the N done started something.History has a funny way, in a Paul Mooney kind of sense, of repeating itself. Just when we think that the power of innovation has no bounds, the proverbial artistic rug is pulled from under our feet, leaving us suspended in mid-air hoping for a more familiar place to land. But for trailblazers likes Mr. Nasir Jones, pulling a carpet from up under his stance is similar to a magician yanking a table cloth cleanly from under dishes—Nas remains unaffected.Nas has been an innovator in his field since his explosion on the scene in ’94. His peers were either one of two things; influenced by him or were “too much of a man” to say they respected him. It wasn’t about hit singles to Queensbridge’s Five Star General; he strived to push the music that he holds so dearly to his heart, forward. But when he hit, he hit hard and strong, achieving milestones and etching his name in the stone along the way.To recognize innovation is to understand that, in the public eye, your efforts to push a medium forward can easily be framed as controversial. On December 11th, Nas will walk the line between innovation and controversy with his ninth studio album titled, NI**ER. From the initial break of this news, lines have been drawn between the supporters and those that opposed Nas’ decision. Internet message boards, talk shows, barbershops and salons across this country have been set ablaze with opinions, which either brought everyone together, or systematically tore them apart.More seasoned debaters were cunning enough to bring up the fact that Nas isn’t the first to title his project the N-bomb. Maybe in Hip-Hop, but not across the board [Ed. Note: If you want to get technical, let’s not forget N.W.A]. Few brought up the fact that author Dick Gregory along with contributor Robert Lipsyte wrote, NI**ER – An Autobiography published in1964. The book sold seven million copies. And most recently, NI**ER – The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, written by Randall Kennedy was published back in 2002. So why all of the media attention for Nas in 2007? Nothing more valuable to a heartfelt debate than the here and now. Nas is here, and Nas is now. And similar to the daring men before him, Nas has solid support where he needs it most, with Def Jam Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid telling MTV News he had the label’s support. But on the other side of the coin, Nas has his opposers. Among them Reverend Al Sharpton who also told MTV News he was, “opposed to anybody using the term.” It doesn’t take Jadakiss of the Lox to ask the question that everybody in the know would like to ask Nas–and that question is, “Why?” AllHipHop.com spoke with a few people about their thoughts on the controversial album title. Here’s what they had to say:Chuck D: First of all, you can’t get rid of the word. When I spoke against the word, I was placing it in its proper context; and the proper context is bad. When people started saying that the word ‘ni**a’ is a word of love and started using it to embrace each other, I thought that it was stupid. But there is such a word and it describes the attitude and behavior more than anything. Once a person decide to get in the frame of a ‘ni**er’ state of mind, it becomes counter productive. The difference with Nas taking this word and using it as the title of his album, let’s give him the artistic right to go into it, just like we gave Dick Gregory the artistic right to go into his book. Dick Gregory published his book called “NI**ER (The Autobiography),” was actually saying how he was looked upon by America. I give Nas at least the opportunity to address this word from a context that will actually be educational. And not educational in a way that we all should call ourselves ni**ers, thinking that it’s all good. My question is, which rocket scientist came up with this theory? My thing is, everybody can have an opinion, but we need to evaluate who’s giving their opinion. We should also look at their resume of who’s saying what. Everybody can’t just say everything without a proper background. If you don’t have street education or book education, you’re just making up sh*t in your head. Nas has a background and a resume of conscious thoughts. And it has been a growth pattern in what he says. Nas goes into a wider realm of accepting that he is a man and can never turn back to being a boy again. That’s unlike a lot of cats who are in their thirties or into their mid-thirties all of a sudden feel that they can conveniently step into their adolescence to sell records; which I believe is some bullsh*t.Alicia Keys:

DJ Irie: Knowing Nas to be the prolific artist that he is, there’s a strong social statement and message behind such a name. I’m sure Nas has a positive twist on it that will be communicated in the music. Nas isn’t your average MC. His body of work not only consists of some of the greatest music in the history of Hip-Hop, but delivers some of our culture’s greatest lessons. After all, can the man that gave us Illmatic really do any wrong?If it were any other artist to choose such an album title, I would quickly dismiss [it] as a marketing ploy. Not the case for Nas. Yes, the title alone will draw all kinds of attention and criticism, but let’s not rush to judgement. Nas is no fool… there’s a method to the madness. Just watch and see.Cormega: To the media and to any Black person making a big deal out of this: “Ni**a please.”David Banner: I think that it’s genius! I’d tell Nas that he can name his album however he want it. Tell him that he should call his album, “NI**ER to the Tenth Power.” I understand that Nas wants to save the world, because I am one of those type of rappers as well, but just get back to making jamming a** records dude. It’s cool to be creative and it’s cool to be thought provoking, but Nas, you gotta get back to “New York State of Mind,” get back to “Live at the Barbecue.” He needs some straight to the point beats to rock to. He needs to just give me his album, sit back and rap. Get back to the old Nas where all these producers would give him tracks and he was just sitting there writing. I want the first Nas; not the second Nas or the fourth Nas. I want the Nas fresh off of the “Live at the Barbecue” joint.Everybody has an opinion. When I did that stuff with Al Sharpton, people wanted to know whether it was a media ploy. No it wasn’t, and who really gives a f*ck? All of this title, all of this hype sh*t, everybody talking their records up and then the s### be wack. I don’t really give a f*ck; he can name his album “Africa”, he can name his album “Ni**a”, I don’t give a sh*t as long as when we turn that record on, it is jamming.DJ Drama: I respect Nas to the fullest! I’m ridin’ wit him! That’s my ni**a!!I believe anything that creates dialogue in Hip-Hop is healthy for the culture.Raheem DeVaughn:

Mick Boogie: It’s not my place to say whether it’s good or bad. I think it could be good, because an intelligent artist like Nas always has something brewing to back up his statements. But as a white man, I can’t really walk into Best Buy and say, “Hi, can you show me where the ‘Ni**a’ [album] is?  That’s not happening. It’s Nas. He always has something to say, even on radio singles. But like he said, if Cornel West did it, it would be revolutionary.  So I’m curious to see what happens after it drops.Polow Da Don: I love the title… Nas is very smart. Bruce Waynne (Midi Mafia): It’s overall bold, and we need that in entertainment right now. We need to get people excited, as well as thinking.Rich Boy: “I feel like Nas naming his album NI**ER is Nas being Nas. Political and thought provoking and at the same time going against the grain. Hip Hop Is Dead sure made major headlines and was great for marketing. It’s going to make people think what’s the positive message from such a negative word. Its going to make people want to hear the lyrics and message that an album with the title NI**ER and what does the title stand for.Grandmaster Melle Mel: