In 1986, Eric B. (Eric Barrier) arrived in Long Island from Queens, looking for the

standout MC that the peninsula had to offer. As legend has it, Rakim

and the legendary DJ made the historic link even though Barrier

had his eyes on another young rapper named Freddie Foxxx. With the end

of the decade, Eric B. made albums with both MCs – one much more

storied than the other – who took very different approaches to their

lyrics and deliveries.

Twenty years later, a sweltering conflict has finally bubbled to the surface.

Both Rakim and Foxxx have evolved into their own legends, respectively, just in

vastly different ways. Rakim’s status has reached mythic levels, as a self-proclaimed Hip-Hop deity. Meanwhile, Freddie Foxxx’s star has risen

through an intimidating “Bumpy Knuckles” character, who proclaimed himself, “the king of the underground sound.” It may not be the ’80s, but these titans still clash as if it were.

In a recent online interview, Rakim explicitly stated that Foxxx was

“not ferocious” as an MC. Upon hearing this, Freddie Foxxx recorded

“The King is Down”, a scathing diss of Ra to be included on

Amerikkkan Black Man, Foxxx’s forthcoming studio album. The

album, featuring production from DJ Scratch, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier, overtly criticizes rappers as well, but it’s this one challenge, perhaps 20

years overdue, that has fans raising eyebrows. AllHipHop.com met

Freddie Foxxx in the studio, and spoke about Rakim, guns, and the glory of an American Black man.

AllHipHop.com: The problem with Rakim stems from an interview with HalfTimeOnline.com, where Rakim said, that “Foxxx ain’t ferocious.” What was your initial reaction upon reading that?

Freddie Foxxx: [Laughs] At first, I was mad, because I was like, “Here he go again.” Like, the thing about Rakim and me is, every time somebody ever said something to him about me, he always took it as what it was – even when he found out it wasn’t true, he never came back to me and said, “Oh, I found out that the s**t the n***a said about Foxxx in reference to me wasn’t true.” I said, “How could Rakim let this f**kin’ guy [J. Butters] who’s interviewin’ him, bait him into sayin’ this bulls**t, when he know [that] I know he ain’t built like that! I’m tellin’ you what I know: Rakim know I will eat his ass alive on any record, any stage, anywhere, anytime. He’s not built like that. Rakim ain’t never had no battles. In the interviews, he’s talkin’ ‘bout all these battles he had, he ducked [Big Daddy] Kane for years. Van Silk had a battle set up with him and Kane [for $70,000], he ain’t show up. How the f**k you gonna write six bars about Big Daddy Kane? F**k is that about? How dare this n***a say [that] I ain’t ferocious. Did the n***a hear “The Militia”? Did he hear “R.N.S.”? Did he hear “Stock in the Game”? Did he hear “P.A.I.N.E.”? Did he listen to the record? Did he read the interviews? This n***a know me. He know me! So I’m like, “Yo, this ain’t the first time that ever happened. Why this mothaf**ka talkin’ all that s**t like he believin’ his own press clippings and s**t?” That s**t is not real to me. I’m like, “Yo, f**k it, it’s on.” He drew first blood, now, let’s see if he can handle the aftermath of what it is – no pun intended.

AllHipHop.com: There is a history here. We have previously spoken about the studio session for “Eric B. For President” that Ego Trip wrote about – you not being there, Rakim being there, history was made. Does this difference between two people stem back to that?

Freddie Foxxx: You know, everybody got the story f**kin’ wrong, man. The real story [is] I didn’t have a session. Eric B. didn’t even have a rapper. The true story, the way it goes is that Eric B. came out to Long Island with a cat named Alvin Toney – you hear Rakim [now mentioning] Alvin Toney, and he ain’t never mentioned Alvin before. Alvin Toney brought Eric B. out to Long Island. Eric asked him, “Who’s the dopest rapper out here?” Alvin Toney, verbatim, told him, “My man Taheem’s brother. That kid Freddie is the dopest rapper out here in this part right here.” I was drivin’, and I had a big-ass Cadillac at the time, and I see Eric in the street with a fur coat on with a leather hat turned backwards with this jewelry all over the f**kin’ place, and Alvin flags me down. He was like, “Yo, this Eric B. He lookin’ for somebody to do this record for him.” I took it as “Okay, what’s up?” He was like, “Meet me at your house at five o’clock,” – I remember like it was yesterday, I was like, “Aiight, I’ll be there.” But as I was driving, I was like, this is just another cat comin’ out here, and he don’t want my guys. I was in [a group called] The Supreme Force, he didn’t want [members] Eric and Kirk, he wanted me. I had a plan with them. I wasn’t gonna abandon them to work with Eric. The second person he took him to, when I didn’t show up for the meeting, was Rakim. Rakim was in a group too – but he ain’t see it like I seen it. He looked at is as an opportunity to get his self in position to do what he do. I respected that. He did it, and I’m glad it happened that way. ‘Cause I don’t know if that would’ve been the same history, who knows?

I think Eric B. & Rakim as a group, made history together. Look at everything Rakim said in the interview about me. [Quoting] “I was dope in the group, but individually, I wasn’t ferocious.” But he made hit records with Eric B. and dropped all this bulls**t afterwards. The Master and all that f**kin’ garbage he dropped, that s**t was all trash! But nobody ever said that to his face! All that s**t was garbage. No classic s**t on them albums – even the stuff he got from Pete Rock and [DJ] Premier, without them beats bein’ what they was, it just another Rakim bulls**t, tiring, sleepy-ass flow doin’ that same ole’ bulls**t. But he tell you I ain’t ferocious – as an individual, throughout the years, without a major figure behind me, still kept my name poppin’ in the street. Now he’s in my position, and he ain’t poppin’. He doin’ old school s**t that he did with Eric, ‘cause that’s where his legacy lies. But his new s**t is bulls**t – all bulls**t, everybody know that s**t is garbage. And anybody who say otherwise is f**kin’ d*ck-riding.

He don’t go to the studio. He don’t show up to his f**kin’ sessions. I made the f**kin’ Freddie Foxxx is Here album ‘cause that n***a didn’t come to the f**kin’ studio. Eric said, “Foxxx, just work ‘til Rakim get here,” – 30 f**kin’ days, he ain’t show up, a whole month. [That’s your] f**kin’ job! That’s his M.O. But his ego is so f**kin’ big that he gonna get in a magazine – I’m f**kin’ fed up with that n***a, f**k him! It’s always the same f**kin’ s**t with this guy. If you’re really that nice, man, and you a legend, then put me in my place. Where you at? Put me in my mothaf**kin’ place, Rakim Allah, put me in my place then. F**k him, man! I’m p##### off because he ain’t gonna get on the mic and say nothin’, know why, ‘cause he think he helpin’ me. [MTV News] asked me recently, “You may just want publicity because your album comin’ out.” If I wanted publicity, I would’ve dissed somebody like 50 Cent or somebody big. I don’t have a problem with them, my issues with mothaf**kas is real issues. I’m tired of this n***a. Every time Rakim hear my name, he got some slick s**t to say, bring it!

AllHipHop.com: “The King is Down” is the record you’ve got that addresses this. Eric B.’s on the intro. Did he play any other role in this? Why’d you get him?

Freddie Foxxx: Eric didn’t have anything to do with this record other than, “Yo E, I need you to come intro this record.” And he came. Eric has been my man. Me and Eric have had our ups and downs, and there’s been times where me and Eric have disagreed on things, and I thought that Eric didn’t do some things right by me, and he thought I overreacted, but the one thing about Eric I respect is, he know how to come back to the table as a man and whatever his issue is with me, we talk about it face to face. I asked him to intro the record. I said, “If I’m lyin’[on the record] B, don’t do it. If I wasn’t the one that you wanted to rock with in the beginning – like Rakim says I’m makin’ that up – then don’t do it.”

Rakim told the dude in the article that I wanted to battle him. I never said that. I never tried to big myself up over Rakim, ever. But had he picked up the phone and said, “Yo Foxxx, blahzay blah,” he would’ve known that. But this is the third or forth time. This was the last straw, man. I’m tellin’ you right now, if he go into the studio, I don’t care who do the beat, Rakim is over! People’ll respect him because of who he is, but he ain’t nice. He’s a wrap. It’s over! Over!

AllHipHop.com: On “The Militia”, you said you’re one of the livest MCs, ever. If we grabbed ten people on the street, I believe at least four would say Rakim is Hip-Hop’s greatest lyricist. Does this battle or call out allow listeners to compare those two qualities?

Freddie Foxxx: In the past, when he was doing stuff like “My Melody”, to me, they classic songs. I can’t knock them records. I’m sayin’, I know for a fact that Rakim wasn’t the best rapper out of the clique of rappers he came from. There were times I know when Rakim was supposed to be on stage, doin’ shows, and he wasn’t there, they put Snake Bliss on stage and pulled the hat down on his head, and you’d think it was Rakim – wasn’t Rakim. He’s lackadaisical. He get in situations where he move like a turtle. Everything is slow with him. Rakim knows how to pen certain things in, but where does all this “dope lyrical” s**t comin’ from? I think the dopest line I ever heard him say was, “I take seven MCs, put ‘em in a line / Take seven more brothers who think they can rhyme / And take seven more, before I go for mine / And 21 MCs…” What the f**k, he can add? Big f**kin’ deal. He ain’t nicer than Kane, Kane’s career was bigger. He ain’t nicer than LL, LL’s career was bigger. He ain’t nicer than KRS-One, KRS-One’s career was bigger.

He opened up a can of worms now, because I’m tired of his mouth. If Rakim is so nice, than hopefully Oh My God or whateva his album is gonna be called will represent. I’m dyin’ to see it. Hopefully, I can boost his heat up. But I don’t see it, dog, I’m sorry.

Davey

D.

Check out Part Two of Freddie Foxxx’s interview with AllHipHop.com.

AllHipHop.com: To walk around New York City on the fifth anniversary of 9/11 was a bizarre feeling. In my head all day, I had “When the Angels Sing.” Three years after you wrote it, how do you approach that song?

Freddie Foxxx: When I made “When the Angels Sing”, I was trying to paint a picture for people in Hip-Hop that this was bigger than Hip-Hop [or] rap. I knew that record would stand the test of time because that situation will stand the test of time. It always will be an import record to me, that’s why I did the song. But everybody in Hip-Hop is so caught up on who got the hottest 16 bars and all that type of s**t. This was different for me. For me, I thought about the janitor and the CEO of a company who got in the elevator together, that both went up to the top floor, that both became equal men.

I listen to that song sometimes, man, and I get caught up in it because it was a pure record from my heart. I got a few emails from some fans about the record, how much it meant to them and how much they loved it. But you know, then you got those people who got to go to work, and sit back on the computer and type all this stupid s**t about [what they don’t like on the album]. Nobody liked Industry Shakedown until Konexion came out. I mean, people bought it – but they didn’t get it. [They said], “Oh, I was disappointed ‘cause [Foxxx] wasn’t talkin’ about mothaf**kas.” What I was doing on Konexion was showing people I can make records in other ways as well – it meant a lil’ more.

AllHipHop.com: You rhymed, “I’m a five borough, thorough MC / Where I go, New York goes.” You’ve also spent a great deal of time in the South over the years, and even had a Southern-themed record on the Black Gangster soundtrack a few years back. How you feel about the Southern reign in Hip-Hop?

Freddie Foxxx: When I did the Black Gangster soundtrack, they asked me to do a song about pimpin’. I had uncles that was in that game; that was a part of my family history – dudes being players and hustlers and pimps. I reflected back on that, and what I got from the track is what I spit on the track. I felt that I’d give you the real history the same way I learned it – and I learned it from Alabama, [where] my family’s from. In my heart, I’m a country boy. I spent summers in Alabama. I can’t be mad at the Dirty South, know why, ‘cause that’s their reign – everybody gets it. California had it, New York had it, Chicago has been up and down with it – but they had their run. Everybody had their run. It don’t mean that [New York artists] have to come outside our element to do what we do. At the end of the day, when I go to other cities and other states, I do Bumpy Knuckles, I do Freddie Foxxx – I never had no huge hit records and all that, I just make music, and I still have a fanbase.

I love Rick Ross! I think Rick Ross is bomb. I listen to Rick Ross, and I hear the New York influence in his work. That’s dope to me. I think Ludacris is mad lyrical. There’s others things about him I ain’t really feelin’, but I think he’s mad lyrical; he’s one of the most lyrical MCs in the South. But that don’t mean I’ma go jump on all these dudes’ jocks ‘cause they hot. That’s dope that they hot, ‘cause they have they run. New York cats disappoint me when they start d*ck-hoppin’ like that, ‘cause that’s wack! And any n***a that don’t see that is frontin’. I understand business – I do understand business. But where do your principles come in at? What would be the best show you can see? You know what would be the best show you could see: a New York artist doing New York s**t, a Dirty South artist doing Dirty South s**t, a West Coast artist doing West Coast thing – like Daz and Kurupt and them cats, and then you see a Chi-town artist and all these other people from different places – everybody with a different platform on stage. That way, the crowd gets the best of every world. The f**k you wanna go to a show for and see e’ybody doin’ the same thing? That’s biting, that’s the biggest “don’t do” in Hip-Hop, and everybody’s on it. It’s wack to me.

AllHipHop.com: From the days of “Reverend Glock” to now “The .45 Don”, you’ve been rhyming about guns. To many, that’s a symbol that’s as American as apple pie. Some thing of “the right to bare arms” as a White man’s symbol. Going along with Amerikkkan Black Man, what does a gun mean to you?

Freddie Foxxx: The gun, to me, represents a symbol of power. The reason I say that is ‘cause a lot of times, when you look at the cover of Amerikkkan Black Man, you’ll see a picture of me hangin’ with a bunch of dead Black people from the trees – the strange fruit concept. In the back, you’ll see pictures of Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King – and the gun was used to hurt and harm these guys. The gun was used as a weapon against Black people at one point. Then, when Black people got a hold of they own guns, ie Malcolm X, and people like that – it became a different thing [where] White America was so afraid of Blacks when they became armed themselves. So anytime you see a picture of a gun in any instance, who’s ever holding it, is a figure of some sort of power. Whatever you think about ‘em – whether you think they bad people or good people, it don’t matter, that person has a symbol in his hand that represents power. If you see two people with guns, there’s some sort of equal power – but now you gotta think: who’s the quicker draw? The bottom line is, you can have a gun in your hand all day long, you can be smart or be stupid, it’s not the gun itself – it’s the trigger-finger that’s the cause of the situation. No matter how big the gun, if you ain’t got the heart to pop it, it don’t matter.

I was part of the reason Hip-Hop became [associated with guns]. I brought them twin glocks to the table; I told people about that in ’94. Now everybody follows suit. It don’t make you a badder guy, it’s a symbol of power though.

AllHipHop.com: What about the motorcycle?

Freddie Foxxx: The motorcycle is somethin’ I did after my brother passed away. I rode bikes back in the days, but the motorcycle represents, to me, a symbol of freedom. You’ve got to have balls to get on one. It ain’t no doors to protect you on that joker. It’s a mixture of coordination. You gotta know how to maneuver your bike in a situation – you got a split second while you on that bike. I ride a high-booster 1300, and believe me, every time I get on it, I’m more aware than driving. To me, I get to think when I put a helmet on, I get to really reflect on a lot of my thoughts. I thought of a lot of my hooks and verses when I was ridin’ my motorcyle.

AllHipHop.com: What is the Krupt Mob?

Freddie Foxxx: Krupt Mob is originally a crew that was put together by my brother, Taheem. What I did was I gave them the insight on how to make it noticeable by turning the K around backwards [in the logo]. People will say, “What the f**k is a backwards K for?” It made them look. It represents my brother’s whole idea. When he passed away, I decided that instead of me going through all these changes to keep his memory alive, the best way for me to do it was to do it with somethin’ I knew was dear to him, and would carry over into somethin’ that could go on forever. Krupt Mob, I hand-picked everybody that’s in the club. I know my brother was personally involved in the Krupt Mob’s design, and when he passed, I took that, and I made it to what I thought would be helpful to me. So when I started ridin’, I said to my man Lil’ Rocky, “Krupt Mob is a dope name, let’s make it into a club.”

AllHipHop.com: Being in the studio, seeing the first album [Freddie Foxxx is Here] on the wall, it got me to thinking. Your stage show is highly talked about by fans and artists alike. If people were to ask you to perform something from that 1989 album, could you?

Freddie Foxxx: Yeah, once I hear the music, it kicks in. I got a lot of records. I made a lot of songs that came out and that didn’t come out. I never stopped recording, I’m always recording. I’m one of those guys that if I wake up in the morning and I’m dealin’ with an issue, I come to the studio, and I spit it on a record. I got 21,000 songs in my catalog. People look at me and go, “21,000? Word?” I got piles of DATs that I can just dump out on the floor, and you’ll see. [Moments later, he pours over 100 DAT tapes on the floor – including unreleased full albums with Pete Rock.]

When I do a set, I’m always ready for anything – whether it’s somebody heckling in the crowd, or whateva. That’s the way I was trained, along with De La Soul, and other guys that come from Long Island. I was trained for these things. Back in the days, we was gettin’ into battles and stuff like that – you had to be ready. I got a buddy who’s like a hype-man and a rapper for me, his name is Cap. He’s a human computer of all my songs. He knows every word. If I say, “Cap, I can’t remember how the second verse starts,” he’ll know it off the bat. It ain’t because of my lack of [memory] or anything, it’s ‘cause I got so many songs. I may be focused on my newer start, but I can go back. I can go as far back as “The Master” which is my first single.

AllHipHop.com: On “Give it to the A&R” you said, “If a man got a dream, and his goal is to follow it, leave him alone.” How would you apply that to your life?

Freddie Foxxx: A lot of times, when I try to do things, the preconceived notion is that I’m a hard guy to deal with, I’m a tough guy, I’m a bad guy, I’m very hot-tempered. Most of the people that say that, never met me before. My dream has always been, like anybody else’s, is to succeed at what I do. You get bumps in the road. I apply that statement to my life. [Quotes verse] The reason I say that is ‘cause I’m sick of people always behind my back, makin’ secret phone calls either, “Don’t play this record,” or “Don’t sign Foxxx, ‘cause if you f**k up his record, he’ll shoot up your office,” – all that s**t is bulls**t. I also said in “Real N####”, “To the major labels, please don’t fear me / I just want them to know that I ain’t no b*tch that slaves to be popular while y’all get rich.” I’m a real n***a, don’t cut my balls behind my back and then give me the story. I’d rather you say to me, “Foxxx, right now, this is what it is,” and I can deal with that. But don’t let me find out later that you doin’ it ‘cause some coward-ass mothaf**ka told you not to f**k with me, that’s b*tch s**t! That’s what I meant when I said that statement. If I got a dream, why you wanna cut my dream?

Let’s face it. The South is running Hip-Hop. Everybody should just say it out loud because it’s real. The East Coast has been dry for a long minute. The West Coast is limping along, and looking a bit unfocused. The South though, stays dirty. When Chamillionaire won the MTV Video Music Award for “Best Rap Video” several weeks ago, the proof was in the “moon man” trophy.

2006 has been a massive year for the Houston veteran. Chamillionaire reflects back on all the changes he sees in his day-to-day, as well as in Hip-Hop together. When 50 Cent tells you that you’re a winner, you know you’re undeniable. Chamillionaire speaks on why he’s gonna ride on this fame as long as possible.

AllHipHop.com: “Ridin’” is and was such a popular song, it’s been the song of the year to many people…

Chamillionaire: “Ridin’” is a song I just wrote. It wasn’t intended to be a single. It felt like something I thought a lot of people could relate to. Of course the goal is to make a catchy hook. So, I made a catchy hook. It does not fit the normal idea of a hit single. But I think it was because so many people could relate to it.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about the “moon man” you got at the MTV Video Awards.

Chamillionaire: I was real surprised. I didn’t make a speech or nothing. 50 Cent was sitting in front of me. He told me he thought I was gonna win. I was shocked. It felt real good though.

AllHipHop.com: Talk to me about the rap culture of Houston. Where was it ten years ago? Where is it today?

Chamillionaire: In the beginning, you had Rap-A-Lot. They were like the pioneers of the whole Houston rap thing. They were gangsta rappers. But it wasn’t the same kinda gangsta that it is today. Now everybody wants to be gangsta. They were doing the gangsta thing when it was a rebellious thing to do. I remember how people were trying to stop them and silence them. They were still putting out Scarface, the Geto Boys and all these groups….UGK is another group that was making a lot of noise. Then you had Suave House…8 Ball and MJG. Then Houson came into its next wave. Like Lil’ Flip, me, and Mike Jones – Slim Thug and Paul Wall [too]. We’ve been about this for a while. The candy paint, the grills and all that. But we started taking it to the next level. Now it’s like when people get off a plane they think that’s all you gonna see. It’s almost like it became more materialistic.

AllHipHop.com: I’ve heard a lot about the stress that the evacuees from Katrina put on the city of Houston. Can you talk about that for a minute? Is it overblown?

Chamillionaire: I hear people complain and stuff all the time. But, from what I can see, it’s going pretty well. It’s not as bad as people try to make it out to be. People like to point fingers and stuff. They tried to make like all these evacuees were robbin’ cars and stuff. I was on the road when Katrina hit. When I got back…when you go to the clubs the DJ will play a New Orleans track and say “How many people in here from New Orleans?” and a huge number of people will scream back. So, I think it’s good. Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland, lots of people are dealing with the aftermath of that.

AllHipHop.com: Where is a place you found yourself that you never thought rap would take you?

Chamillionaire: Jay Leno [and The Tonight Show]. It was crazy sitting in the green room, watching him on the screen. Then he called my name, and I went out there. I looked out into the crowd and saw all these people that I’m sure are not familiar with rap. To be in front of them, it was like we brought the hood to Hollywood.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your shows overseas.

Chamillionaire: I went to Canada, London, all over Europe. I felt like the crowds overseas appreciate Hip-Hop more in general. Now it seems like American fans seem so spoiled. With iPods and all this technology they expect so much out of an artist. Overseas, you can grab one mic and just rip the whole show. They remember it for a longer period of time. The only thing was trying to get used to the food in all the different kinds of places.

AllHipHop.com: What kind of food did you eat?

Chamillionaire: I ain’t gonna lie. I found a Pizza Hut and I pretty much ate there everyday [laughs]. I ordered like a cheesecake in London. They gave me something sitting in a shot-glass. It was nasty. I was somewhere else and ordered a salmon. Man, it looked like somebody reached into the water, snatched up a salmon and put it on a plate [more laughter]. I think that was in Berlin.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of other regions hate the South. Some people in the East have big hatred. Out here in the Bay, you get a lot of love. But then a bunch of other folks out here feel the South jacked their turn…

Chamillionaire: I can’t be mad at them though. I mean, the whole South felt like that [neglected] for years. I mean, I remember when Death Row and the whole West Coast was just it. Man, I remember when Wu-Tang came out. At that time, anybody from the East Coast could come out with a record, and that was just it.

Everybody used to dress like New York. You’d say names like Scarface and UGK and people would look at you funny. It’s just a circle that goes around and now we gettin’ our time. Of course, we’d be silly to think this is going to last forever. People always love something new. So, when they get tired of us, they’ll go so something else. It could be Hyphy, or something nobody has even heard yet. So, people are just gonna have to perfect their craft and with their turn. In the meantime, [they need to] try to find a way to fit in. If something else was hot right now, I’d find a way to fit in.

Adisa Banjoko is a Hip Hop historian and author of “Lyrical Swords Vol. 1 & 2”. For more information, visit www.lyricalswords.com.

As Def Jam was a building empire in the mid ‘80s, Russell Simmons would have been working the phones, handling important business for LL, EPMD, and Slick Rick. Perhaps along the way, Simmons heard of Too Short, a slow-talking rapper with pimpish lyrics, that was selling boxes of records from the trunk in East Oakland, California. At that time Def Jam couldn’t get behind it, but Zomba/Jive Records did, where Short remains over 15 years later. However, Russell’s got a better knack for the market outside of New York, and that may be why the teenaged Short Dawg is his prized asset today.

Raised in Houston, moved to Detroit, and relocated to Atlanta, Short Dawg has portions of three hoods already behind him. The Russell Simmons Music Group star has an album backed by T.I. producer, DJ Toomp. But even before one mainstream verse has hit, the young rapper has been scrutinized – including some strong words from Pimp C – on his name. Short Dawg introduces himself, speaks of meeting and impressing Rush, as well as the paperwork that held him back from promises of making impact in 2006.

AllHipHop.com: From older people in the Hip-Hop community, when we hear the name “Short Dawg,” we think of Too Short. There’ve been issues before with younger people not respecting pioneers in their namesake. How do you address that?

Short Dawg: Like you say, [it’s] older people. A lot of younger cats, not necessarily people my age, but younger than me, you’d couldn’t say the name “Short Dawg” and think of Too Short because they wasn’t a Too Short fan, or they didn’t listen to Too Short music. Me, myself, I’ve been following Too Short since I was little. Coming up in the hood, I got the name [Short Dawg] for being the shortest kid on my block or on the basketball team. I really didn’t start rappin’ ‘til a few years ago. When I did, I used the nickname that was given to me in the hood. I never expected to really to be at this level that I’m at.

AllHipHop.com: So you look at it as something that kind of fell upon you?

Short Dawg: If there was any problem with [Too Short], I’d correct it. I [met] Too Short, and we kicked it, and he took me out to eat and everything. We put things together, and it was all cool. The reason I had to go legally with it, was because there’s somebody in California who has the exact [name] as me.

AllHipHop.com: That’s why you spell it the way that you do?

Short Dawg: Exactly.

AllHipHop.com: Because you kicked it with Too Short, Hip-Hop loves that old to the new collaboration, like G Rap and Big Pun or Snoop and Bow Wow. Is that something we can anticipate?

Short Dawg: Oh yeah, definitely – an old school, new school collaboration – definitely.

AllHipHop.com: You were born in Houston, spent time in Detroit, and now you’re in Atlanta, at a young age, no less. Walk me through that…

Short Dawg: Born in Houston, went to school and everything. Once I decided that rap was what I wanted to pursue, it came to me. Two years ago, Atlanta was so poppin’. I knew if I could just get around, and I could just be heard, then somebody’d pick me up. Houston is a big independent market, but it’d be harder for me to start fresh, start my own label. I went to Atlanta to try and steal that shine and bring it back home. In the process, I ran into my manager, [who hooked me up with some guys from Detroit], and my fanbase in Detroit started with The Dirty Glove Network, a TV show we had everyday for two hours in Detroit. Once the Detroit fans caught a whiff of it, my buzz started getting bigger in Detroit. I already had a nice buzz in Atlanta. A lot of producers that I was working with started sending my music to different A&Rs at labels like, “This kid’s from Houston, check him out.” That’s how my name got poppin’ in the industry. My CD ended up in Russell [Simmons’] office, and I caught a meeting. That’s how I met Russell, and I figured Russell’s a good person to be in business with.

AllHipHop.com: Spending time in three places, do those local identities affect the way you made music?

Short Dawg: My raps and my rhymes, they pretty [timely]. If you ain’t heard from me in a month, then next month, I’ll tell ya – I’ll give it to ya. What I’m going through right now, the situations I’m in, it comes out in the raps. If I give reference to everything that I do, of course I’m gonna have to give reference to what I’m doing in Detroit, Atlanta, and home.

AllHipHop.com: Russell Simmons is no doubt the mogul of moguls. But the label, RSMG doesn’t have the strongest track record from the gate. Rev Run was panned. A lot of rappers might see that as a risk…

Short Dawg: When I made my decision, the only artist over there was Black Buddafly and Rev Run. Everybody has to fight for a position, but they seemed to be based around me, hopefully. If I can get this rappin’ poppin’, they can put the label on my back and bring it home. I can be the center-point, the focus. That was part of my decision. Plus, there’s Russell.

AllHipHop.com: If you were a center-piece, why aren’t the Waist Deep soundtrack? That’s a big project for the label…

Short Dawg: I had a lawsuit with a guy out there in Detroit over copyrights, tryin’ to steal my songs, frauds, and stuff like that. That caused me to be in litigation, and not able to come out on a lot of different things, like the Letoya Luckett remix, the Yung Joc song I did on his album couldn’t get released, all because I was in litigation.

AllHipHop.com: Those were big breaks missed. How did you react to that?

Short Dawg: It was very frustrated. I was frustrated when you a young kid, comin’ up, and you get an opportunity to make something for yourself, and you got people who tryin’ to take it from you, and they’ll do devious things. As a kid, it’s frustrating. I never expected people to be like this. In one breath, it’s like, “Damn, that’s f**ked up.” But in another, it’s like, “Work harder.”

AllHipHop.com: On Run’s House, viewers saw, firsthand how hard Russell can be on prospective acts. What kinds of things, or changes were made in your development?

Short Dawg: That’s funny, ‘cause when I first met Russell, we had the cameras rollin’ for our TV show. It was amazing to me, ‘cause I know Russell’s not the type to front for nobody, and while we were playin’ my music, Russell’s reaction was the same as a fans. I never seen that from nobody that’s high up [in the industry] before. A lot of people try to s**t on you, “Work on this, work on that.” Russell was like, “Yo, this is amazing.” He gave me a couple of criticisms on this here and this there, but his words were, “Yo, this is amazing. Let’s sign this kid.”

AllHipHop.com: You’re cursing a bit in the interview, but I know you don’t use profanity in your rhymes. Why is that?

Short Dawg: It’s something that I’ve done since the beginning of my career. I’ve never been enthusiastic with the curse. When you represent yourself in a form of art, don’t [show] negative stuff. When I’m expressing myself, I don’t have to say f**k or s**t to get my point across, my message.

AllHipHop.com: I know you’re very close with DJ Toomp. Tell me about the logistics of your album, and the people you’re going to get the final product you envision…

Short Dawg: I was in Atlanta, and I was gettin’ a lotta beats from producers, and I really wasn’t feelin’ ‘em. I was like, “This is Atlanta. Somebody gotta have the crack, man.” What I did was, I got tired of runnin’ around. I bought T.I.’s album, Trap Muzik, and I saw that most of the beats was done by DJ Toomp. I said, “I gotta find this dude. If I don’t find this dude in the next month, I’m goin’ home – for real.” Finally, I ran into Toomp. [My friend] had him in the living room after school one day, listenin’ to some freestyles I did. Toomp said, “I like what I’m hearin’.” He gave me his number, and a few months later, we was in the studio makin’ magic. This dude works hard. He just inspires me to work harder.

AllHipHop.com: At the end of 2005, Murder Dog magazine said that you are the artist to watch for 2006. It’s nearing the end of the year. What kind of pressure do you feel?

Short Dawg: I don’t feel no pressure, man. Everything is cool. There’s not really no pressure. Every time I step in the studio, I don’t think about anything that’s goin’ on me. If I do think about it, it’s ‘cause leads me that way. Until I have finished product, no pressure. The pressure comes when I turn it in and [executives] make decisions for me. God blessed with talent, I feel like I’ll always be able to deliver.