W

hile the sickle on Rawkus Records’ logo popped the jiggy balloon in ‘90s New York, Jurassic 5 led the charge out West. The six man crew combined harmonious choruses, sample-stacked beats, and tangible concepts to release the critically acclaimed Quality Control, followed by a respected Power in Numbers. However, in the three years since, Hip-Hop changed, and the group was forced to adapt.

For their third album, Feedback, Jurassic 5’s production team split with Cut Chemist, who decided to focus on a solo career. A member lighter, the group evolved by utilizing outside beatmakers, as well as giving the complete reigns to DJ Nu-Mark. Still with Interscope, the South Central collective is using the Dave Matthews assisted first single, “Work it Out” to reach an untapped audience. Whether the outfit can match the commercial appeal of longtime peers Black Eyed Peas will soon be determined. Charli 2na and Nu-Mark believe that J5’s reputation for raw Hip-Hop won’t be tarnished in the process.

AllHipHop.com: Quality Control really seemed to draw from Hip-Hop’s earliest days with the MC harmonies, the simple subject matter, and the fun. Then, Power in Numbers used guests like Big Daddy Kane, Percee P, and Juju to show its allegiance to the early ‘90s. With Feedback, does it follow this course?

Charli 2na: Man! It’s your perspective. I think it’s something entirely different from where I’m sitting. At the same time, on this Feedback album, we’ve got a song called “In the House,” which actually pulls from the underground, early old school Hip-Hop from Los Angeles. Things like that, we touched on, as well as trying to reach way outside of the box. You’ve got to blend the two within one pot.

DJ Nu-Mark: Believe it or not, it’s an East Coast record I sampled. DJs know what it is. I think it’s one of those things that fit the group; they really honed in on that sound. The music led the path. When we talk about a project too much before we start it, it comes out stiff. This album, the only real talk that we had coming into the record was that we wanted to work with some outside producers and guest stars. I don’t think it was blatant to sound old school or traditional. I think we more or less attacked each song with a specific topic and feel.

AllHipHop.com: Why did you choose to share the production after so long keeping it in-house?

DJ Nu-Mark: We worked on a song called “Brown Girl” with Scott Storch. It’s a bold move on J5’s part. We actually met Scott through The Roots years ago in France, when he was playing keys for [them]. Salaam Remy came in because we were just talking about who’s dope. Salaam worked with Nas, he’s worked with Fugees, he seemed really up our alley. The guys really hit it off with Salaam as far as getting along, and seeing things on a musical and artistic level. We actually recorded nine songs with [him] of the 35 we did. We just picked our best 15. Exile also came in; [having] worked with Mobb Deep and Slum Village and stuff. He’s just straight up dope.

AllHipHop.com: “In the House” brought a smile to my face. On that record, and throughout your career, you’ve really mastered the baritone delivery, while flowing very fast. All that said, how many takes does it usually require to get your verses right?

Charli 2na: Dog, studio and stage is two different things. On stage, you gotta be in the mind-state of a one-take type of thing. But in the studio, you can sit there and poke and pick at it til’ you feel it’s right. Or, sometimes it’s a one-take thing where you’re like, “Welp, that’s it” with a burst of energy. It’s been all kind of ways.

AllHipHop.com: We’ve all heard stories, like “The Symphony” with G Rap running off the reel, and the imperfections in there that we all come to adore. With a Jurassic 5, to keep that rawness and improvisational quality alive, what’s the recent studio sessions like?

Charli 2na: We’ll come in the studio, and joke for about an hour – laugh, giggle, and s**t. We just catch up with each other ‘cause we haven’t seen each other – ‘cause two of us live on the East Coast and four of us live on the West. We chill out for a second, then get down to the task at hand.

AllHipHop.com: With the last album, MasterCard was running commercials promoting a contest to let a die-hard fan chill with Jurassic 5 in the studio. How was that when it happened?

Charli 2na: Yo, on the real, I’m gonna sit here and put MasterCard on blast. It was some bogus bulls**t, for real! They worked out a deal between themselves and [Interscope]. It was like, “Okay, we’re gonna have these kids competing to be your interns.” Also, they was gonna sponsor us on tour. They never came through with that sponsorship s**t, so that’s some bulls**t, but then the intern thing – we met the last 30 dudes [in the contest], and never heard s**t again. Those dudes never came and kicked it with us, or nothin’. So, MasterCard is “Masta Card”! [laughs]

AllHipHop.com: “The Thin Line” always blew me away as a well-written song with depth to it. Walk me through me the creation of the lyrical end of that song and its significance to you…

Charli 2na: First and foremost, “Thin Line,” because we did it with Nelly Furtado – before anybody heard it, we [posted the tracklisting] on our website. Our fans were s**tting on us: “You guys suck! Why would you make songs with Nelly? Blah blah blah.” So then, when people heard it, we heard all about how that song applied to peoples’ lives. That, to me, was amazing. “Thin Line,” for me… there is a sista I grew up with in Chicago. Her mom and my aunt were childhood friends blah blah blah. We’re around the same age. We knew each other like that – friends, almost family. Her and her mom moved to California. Years later, me and my aunt moved to California. [laughs] Our friendship turned to something a lil’ weird, and we been walkin’ that thin line ever since. When we were talkin’ ‘bout doin’ a song on love without it bein’ somethin’ corny for the radio, or something that’s already been done before… we said, “Let’s speak about an aspect of love that everybody went through it.” That’s what we did.

AllHipHop.com: That’s an interesting point about fans being critical about Nelly Furtado. Personally, I was a little off-put to see you guys working with Dave Matthews on “Work it Out.” Do you feel you might catch flack for that?

Charli 2na: Fortunately, because of “Thin Line,” I’ve developed a callused skin. People judge it before they listen to it. But after they hear it a few times… me personally, that’s one of my favorite songs on the album. It encompasses a lot of different things, and it reaches out to a set of individuals. Our modus for doing it was purely musical. When Nu-Mark created the music, we was like, “Who do you see on this?” I think it was Mark or Akil was like, “You know who’d be dope on this? Dave Matthews.”

AllHipHop.com: How do you think an absence from Cut Chemist will affect the group’s sound?

Charli 2na: With Cut gone, we missin’ our comrade, but we’re gaining room to do more stuff. If you come to see our show, you’ll know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. I’m not gonna give it away. As far as the sound, Cut’s sound is gonna be missed. I think we just compensated with what would have been there. While we were workin’ on the album, Cut was workin’ on his solo album at the same time. I don’t know if he was overwhelmed or what. It was just a bunch of different things. It basically came down to [him saying] “I gotta focus.” Go for it man. [laughs]

AllHipHop.com: What about you Mark? You guys were a production duo like Erick and Parrish or Eric Sadler and Hank Shocklee…

DJ Nu-Mark: It’s hard to say what would happen if he was in the group and contributed to this album because he didn’t contribute any beats. So it’s hard for me to say the record would’ve gone this direction or that direction. Cut’s changing, he’s changing quite a bit – and the group’s changing quite a bit. I will say that going into this record, it was mutual between all six members – when Cut was in the group – that we wanted to work with outside producers. With that said, this record would’ve still sounded the same [in that regard]. It’s definitely a different dynamic in the group without Luke there.

AllHipHop.com: Interscope is the powerhouse label in many ways. They make dreams come true for their artists it seems. But from the time you spent growing up in California, I’m sure Dr. Dre is a major influence. What have been the interactions between Dr. Dre and Jurassic 5 over there?

Charli 2na: Aw man, me and Dre were smokin’ some weed yesterday! That’s a big-ass joke. [laughs] Truthfully man, I’ve seen Dre up at Interscope all of about two times since ’98. I can’t necessarily say we’ve had any interactions. I don’t even know if the kid knows who the hell we are. I can’t front. [laughs] Definitely, he’s influenced 75 percent, if not more of the music that’s come out of this place. He’s influenced a lot of my thinking when it comes to Los Angeles, and he’s influenced a lot of s**t that’s happened up at Interscope.

AllHipHop.com: In 2000, the label was very supportive of you all. But Capitol had Dilated Peoples, Common had gone Gold with Like Water For Chocolate, and Rawkus was peaking in sales. Do you still feel the label’s behind you as G-Unit, Shady, and Aftermath have expanded, and become more of a priority?

DJ Nu-Mark: I can’t answer it for this record because we haven’t gone through the cycle yet. I will say that in order for you to have a good relationship with a label, you’ve got to be around them. You’ve gotta meet with them and talk to them and discuss problems. So far, so good with this record, because this is the most we’ve ever involved them and this is the most they’ve ever wanted to be involved with a Jurassic 5 project. We opened up to Interscope and said, “What do you guys think about this song?” for the first time. Before, it’d be like, “Here’s the record. Put it out. We’ll see you guys on tour.” This time, it was different. We had an open line of communication with Jimmy [Iovine]. He said, “Before you put it in the plastic, let me hear it. Let me tell you what I think.”

AllHipHop.com: With the first single being the Dave Matthews-assisted “Work it Out,” will you be going to a harder, more fundamental second single to win back the skeptics?

DJ Nu-Mark: “In the House” is the B-side to that record, to answer your question. [“Work it Out”] is a commercial record. It is what it is. Every song has its place. There’s a whole other audience out there that we haven’t reached out to yet. There’s other singles on the way that are urban, and others that are underground. Our thing is – we never wanna make another underground record again, ‘cause I don’t even know what “underground” is right now. I can’t tell you who’s the king of the underground now. In ’95-’99, I could tell you Mos Def was the man, or Company Flow had it on lock. These days, I can’t tell you. So for us to make that kind of record right now, people wouldn’t understand it.

A

fter years of holding down as producer and DJ for Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, Cut Chemist’s love of music is hard to match. However, anybody who spends time with the record collector knows that his love of ‘60s and ‘70s dynamite Soul compares to his affinity for Star Wars. The Hip-Hop George Lucas shares his love for the light-sabre in all that he does.

On the heels of his debut solo release, the years-in-the-making The Audience’s Listening, AllHipHop.com sat down with the self-described “sandy, blonde-haired kid named Luke” to discuss the trilogy and discover what Hip-Hop cats he thinks resembles the main characters.

AllHipHop.com: What was your first memory of Star Wars?

Cut Chemist: I remember seeing it when I was four in Los Angeles, in 1977, and it was seeing that ship, the Star Destroyer, and I was just like, “S**t, when is that thing gonna end? It went on for miles.”

AllHipHop.com: How many times have you seen the original trilogy?

Cut Chemist: I couldn’t guess. I remember there was a time when I could count. But it’s off the scale at this point.

AllHipHop.com: Which one of the three is your favorite?

Cut Chemist: Star Wars. It has the best dialogue and best direction. Okay, great, [most people] like Empire [Strikes Back] ‘cause it’s darker, but that doesn’t mean it’s a better movie. With Star Wars, the music and scenery were very sparing, which means the dialogue had to be that much more poignant.

AllHipHop.com: Is there any connection to your Star Wars obsession and your music?

Cut Chemist: Definitely. I grew up listening to the soundtrack so often that I started to get the image of the movie burned into my mind. Not only watching the movie, but as I started just listening to the music. I think that kinda trained me to make music with visuals in mind as I was making it. I don’t think music is complete without a visual accompaniment. When I make music, it is very narrative and visual because [Star Wars] is how I learned to listen to it.

AllHipHop.com: Does this apply to The Audience’s Listening as well?

Cut Chemist: Oh yeah. Totally. There’s definitely a visual in every song. I’d love to do a movie on the whole album that has a video for each song. This is the first attempt at sharing a dialogue with anybody that’s so personal. ‘Cause everything else is either diluted with other members being involved or maybe it’s a mix that I did. People think they might know who I am and what I do and we’ll see if they can stick with this because this may just throw them off.

AllHipHop.com: Does being on your own now make you nervous at all?

Cut Chemist: Yeah, this could just blow it for me. [Laughs] Like, I won’t have any more remix work. The main dialogue I like to have with my audience is that they stay open-minded and keep exploring.

AllHipHop.com: Cool. You ready to do some Star Wars/Hip-Hop match-ups?

Cut Chemist: [Laughs] Bring it on.

AllHipHop.com: Luke Skywalker.

Cut Chemist: Cut Chemist – He’s the dreamer. He’s looking out at the sunset wanting to explore and venture into the unknown and that’s exactly how I feel. I want to explore new music and it’s out there somewhere, I just got to go out and find it.

AllHipHop.com: C-3PO/R2-D2.

Cut Chemist: Zaakir aka Soup/Marc 7even [of Jurassic 5] – The way they interact together. Marc’s the computer literate genius that can put anything together and Soup just keeps dissing him and hitting him over the head. It’s hilarious watching those two. It’s like a sitcom.

AllHipHop.com: Han Solo.

Cut Chemist: Nu-Mark [of Jurassic 5] – The ladies man. The Bad Boy. Han Solo’s a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. That’s totally Nu. He’s the guy driving the ship or working the MPC and telling these side-busting jokes.

AllHipHop.com: Princess Leia.

Cut Chemist: Amanda Blank [of Spank Rock fame]. She won’t give in to the influences of corporate world-America – The Empire – and sign with a major label. She just wants to go out there and have fun so there’s a noble cause there. And she raps like a motherf**ker.

AllHipHop.com: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Cut Chemist: DJ Shadow – Very well-spoken. Very articulate. And just knows the most, out of everyone I know combined, about where everything has gone and where it’s going.

AllHipHop.com: Yoda.

Cut Chemist: Q-Bert [of Invisibl Skratch Piklz] – Along the same lines [as Shadow], but his skill is so extraterrestrial. I rarely see him get down, but when Yoda gets down, he gets down. In Scratch, when he’s sitting next to his fountain and everything’s real Zen, I’m just thinking, “This guy’s Yoda.”

AllHipHop.com: Darth Vader.

Cut Chemist: [Laughs] Chali 2na [of Jurassic 5] – The deep voice. You just get seduced by his voice.

AllHipHop.com: Ewok.

Cut Chemist: Akil [of Jurassic 5] – He’s so adorable. He’s just such a cute little guy.

AllHipHop.com: Jabba the Hut.

Cut Chemist: Fat Joe – Just ‘cause he’s fat. Although he might actually have a girl tethered to his belly that he licks or something.

I

n the tight-lipped political world of Hip-Hop, perhaps Jim Jones is a revolutionary. The Diplomats’ movement has grown to one of the biggest forces in Hip-Hop, and their Capo still kicks it with street-corner candor. Maybe that’s why, if any rapper’s voyeuristic documentary appeals, A Day in the Fastlife lives up to its name.

In celebration of this realistic look into Jim Jones’ life, AllHipHop decided to follow up on some juicy talk involving Jones and his company. True to his reputation, the Dipset commander dodges nothing. From talking about food, to Hip-Hop cops, to Tru Life, it’s all there in authenticity. Going into his next album, the tentatively titled Bright Lights, Big City, Jim Jones has much to discuss, and plenty of watchers, listeners, and readers along for any ride.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, so your new DVD gives us a glimpse of what your life and Harlem is all about?

Jim Jones: It doesn’t all revolve around Harlem. Harlem’s my birthplace, Harlem’s where I learned to hustle and s**t like that. I take Harlem around the world with me, you understand?

AllHipHop.com: What’s on there?

Jim Jones: The DVD is A Day In The Fastlife. Get you a glimpse of what real life thugging is about. I keep telling people thugging ain’t about how wild you is, or how many n***as you could bust in the face. If you keeping your family fed, you got shelter over your head, and you doing the right thing, that’s first. Anything else after that is what you do, but that’s what you call thugging, n***a. ya nahmean? Keeping your kids fed, clothes on your back, and living like a man, ya dig?

AllHipHop.com: Okay. Where’s the best place to get a plate of food in Harlem?

Jim Jones: The best place to get a plate of food in Harlem. Well, I go to this restaurant called The [Harlem] Grill on Seventh Avenue between 132nd and 133rd Streets. But um, there’s a lot of restaurants in Harlem that I eat at. I eat at Chinese Restaurants, you got Seafood places we eat at, got Jamaican restaurants we eat at.

AllHipHop.com: Nice. On the DVD you curse the “Hip-Hop Cop” Derrick Parker. Why’d you do that?

Jim Jones: Why is everybody asking me about Derrick Parker?

AllHipHop.com: It’s out there, we gotta ask.

Jim Jones: That’s that n***a’s title. If he the f**king Hip-Hop Cop, that n***a’s a pig. [Laughs] [To someone in the room]: I just said I was alright with Derrick. I ain’t got no problem with Derrick, they keep asking me why I’m cursing Derrick out. Derrick’s my man. It was a misunderstanding. [Laughs] That’s my n***a.

AllHipHop.com: I was saying you’ve been outspoken about not snitching. Did you feel that Lil’ Cease was wrong for testifying against Lil’ Kim, but in the case of Busta Rhymes, do you feel he should speak out if he knows who murdered his friend?

Jim Jones: Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay, see? That’s what… see? And now…I fault myself for going too far speaking on behalf of other people’s business when it comes to the law. Like, I shoulda never said that comment about Lil’ Ceasey, that lil’ snitch, uh Lee, uh Lil’ Cease. [laughs] But, I ain’t mean to say that because, not because I didn’t want to, because that was just a lil’ bit far beyond me, ya dig?

AllHipHop.com: Right.

Jim Jones: I… like I tell n***as, don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, point blank, yanamean? I ain’t liable for nobody else’s mishaps, and I can’t mention about nobody else’s, how they handle they business, ya dig? I know I handle mine, man. I know what lane I’m moving in. So, I take everything that comes with the game and I ain’t mad, ya dig?

AllHipHop.com: True. With Suge Knight currently going through his problems is he a “certified gangsta” to you?

Jim Jones: Suge?

AllHipHop.com: Yeah.

Jim Jones: Uh, I never met Suge.

AllHipHop.com: Okay.

Jim Jones: Smell me? So if you wanna go on heresay, s**t I hear, he’s a pretty hard individual from what’s been going on, but, you know, everybody got they own lil’ s**t, you know. I ain’t really got nothing to say. I know one thing: he do his time like a man and come home like a man. I never hear him snitching so…

AllHipHop.com: Earlier in the year, there were rumors that you and Cam had a little tension, especially since you got the A&R gig. It was said you were outgrowing your role as part of the Diplomats, and Cam was hating on you because, you know…

Jim Jones: [raising voice] Do you believe that?

AllHipHop.com: Nah, I didn’t believe it, but I gotta address the rumors, the speculation…

Jim Jones: Ah, come on, man. Like I told you just now, me and Cam are brothers. This is something we started. This is a movement. This little separation, and this, you know, divide and conquer… money was always second when it came to us, and s**t like that, so for people and the rumors, we don’t even listen to the rumors, that’s why you don’t never hear us say nothing about it. Not going deep into nothing, [but] when we was living our life, it’s nothing I can’t do without [Cam’ron], nahmean? Like me and him go through the whole stretch of this s**t together, like, you see me you see him regardless, n***a.

AllHipHop.com: That’s good to hear because this industry is good for breaking people up…

Jim Jones: Nah, we here.

AllHipHop.com: Aight. It was also reported that you and Fabolous got into it in Miami during Memorial Day Weekend. What can you tell about what went down?

Jim Jones: Ain’t nothin’ go down, man. Ya dig?

AllHipHop.com: Okay. So y’all relationship’s cool? You’re cool with Fab. You talk to him?

Jim Jones: Shout to Fab. You smell me? We ain’t trippin’.

AllHipHop.com: Aight. We gonna go into another rumor real quick. What’s the deal with you and Tru Life? There was a report that his Roc-A-Fella chain was stolen, and y’all had diss records back and forth. Where’d the bad blood stem from?

Jim Jones: Whoa, whoa, whoa. [a long pause] First of all, [laughing] I don’t have no idea who you talking about. Second of all…

AllHipHop.com: Tru Life is the dude on Roc…

Jim Jones: Who?

AllHipHop.com: Tru Life. He’s from the Lower East Side. He got that record out “The New New York.”

Jim Jones: Who own Roc-La-Familia? Juan? F**k Juan! Put that on there: “F**k Juan!” F**king Mexican ass n***a. I’ll put a cocktail in 40/40, n***a. F**k outta here. F**k Juan, n***a. I get at bosses, n***a, I don’t get at soldiers.

AllHipHop.com: But isn’t it true you challenged [Tru Life] to a fistfight for money?

Jim Jones: [calmly] Yeah, but he ain’t really never holla back. Feel me? I don’t know if he ain’t have the money or… but, you know, that’s here nor there. Smell me? I deal with bosses, so if it’s Roc-a-Fella, it’s f**k Jay-Z! And if it’s Roc-la-Familia, it’s f**k Juan.

AllHipHop.com: This seems personal. A lot of people perceived the beef with Jay as a marketing tool. What do you say to that?

Jim Jones: It ain’t no marketing tool. We been known for kicking ass, so why would we use that as a marketing tool?

AllHipHop.com: Ok. I just wanted to clear that up. What do you think about Nas signing to Def Jam? I know he was another dude you called out in the past…

Jim Jones: Ay Ay. Like I just told you, I don’t give a flying f**k about, um, Nasir. Feel me? I’ll slap the holy living s**t out of him. He got a nice lil’ song right now [“Where Y’all At”] that I kinda like. But, like, I don’t care about him personally. I don’t care who he signed to, or s**t like that. I don’t care if he feeling the movement.

AllHipHop.com: On a lighter note, how did it feel to close out Hot 97’s Summer Jam?

Jim Jones: Yo, that was a beautiful feeling. Now that’s some gangsta s**t. When you mu’f**kin’ talk about headlining and s**t like that, and you think about Run-DMC coming out saying “Who’s house?” you think about B.I.G. at the Apollo, n***a, now n***as gotta think about Dipset when they closed down Summer Jam, ‘cause it was raining and it was still 50,000 people out there waiting for the boys to come out. They stayed around, smoked blunts wit’ us, they got they drink on. It was beautiful. It just felt like a block party out there for us. Imagine how that feel, ya dig? On some old school Run-DMC, Big Daddy Kane come through the park, jump up on the speaker and do something.

AllHipHop.com: That’s great. What made you sign Katt Williams the comedian?

Jim Jones: It was all business. Like, me and Cam been working with comics and comedians and s**t like that for a minute trying to get our whole s**t together. It’s another business venture.

AllHipHop.com: You never planned to rhyme in the past, but now you’re approaching your third album. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist?

Jim Jones: Um, I think I’ve grown as an artist… I don’t even consider myself an artist, like… I got a chance to be the voice of the people. I’ve seen things go on in the hood, n***as is dying and mothers is crying, n***as is coming up on corners hopeless and s**t like that.

AllHipHop.com: Right.

Jim Jones: I’m trying to be they inspiration, trying to let people know what we going through and s**t like that. I know we perform around the world, but it shows like everybody could get up outta the ghetto, and at the same time, we all like to have a good time, and us as black people we like to stay fly and go through the motions. It’s all about the fast life, making more money. Like B.I.G said, it’s more money, more problems, yeah that may be true and s**t like that, but I’m trying to prepare for the problems. I ain’t trying to get caught up in nobody’s mistakes. I been watching the game, so I learn my lessons from other peoples.

efore anyone cared who Mike Jones was or how Chamillionaire was riding, there was Lil’ Troy. One of the first rappers out of H-Town, Lil Troy has been in the game for nearly 20 years. Oddly enough though, Troy quickly asserts that he’s long been more of a businessman than an MC. Still, the man’s grind’s been strong in three different decades, though the pinnacle came in 1999’s “Wanna Be a Baller,” a H-Town local hit turned crossover anthem.

That was seven years ago. Since, Troy has been battling another Houston veteran, Scarface, in court and on wax. Disputes over copyright led to a $225,000 lawsuit amidst Troy’s successes. Then, more recently, Scarface labeled Troy on a snitch on The Geto Boys’ “G-Code” last year. With his documentary, Paperwork, Lil’ Troy pulled a Michael Moore in retaliation. The film alleges that ‘Face is a police-informant himself, and has some weighty cosigns to prove it. Troy, however, says that his film is being ignored – a product of an industry blackball.

Unstopped, Lil’ Troy and Short Stop Records surge onward. With an album slated for autumn release before distribution is even secured, Troy continues to show his hustler ambition. Catch up on the H-Town baller that seemingly taught Chamillionaire a thing or two about catchy choruses…

AllHipHop.com: For those who don’t know, tell me a little about the history of Houston rap and where you fit in?

Lil’ Troy: Houston rap goes back to the early ‘80s. We were all listening to Sugar Hill Gang and all that and then when the gangsta rap came out in like ‘88 or ’89. I put the rapper, Scarface out. There were only like two or three other companies in Houston that were making moves. There was Southpark Coalition and the people on the North Side: Rap–A–Lot. There weren’t a bunch of people out here putting music down.

AllHopHop.com: What do you mean by “put Scarface out”?

Lil’ Troy: I had Scarface when he was 16 years old. I was the first person to put an album out on Scarface. The song [“Scarface”] that y’all all hear and like, “I started a small time dope game cocaine/ pushing rocks on the block and never broke man,” Lil’ Troy put that out in 1988. Lil’ Troy is the one that gave him his persona. His rap name at the time was Akshen. I gave him the name Scarface.

AllHipHop.com: So what happened with you two? He went on to something else?

Lil’ Troy: Yeah, he went on to become the new Geto Boy with Rap-A-lot.

AllHipHop.com: Were you part of the legendary Screwed Up Click?

Lil’ Troy: Nah, but I had songs on some of their projects. I started the Houston rap scene. I was the first person on the South Side…in H-Town period, to put out a rap album. There was no one putting out rap records at the time except Short Stop [Records], which I own, and Rap-A-Lot. I was the first person to put a Scarface song on the radio, in the club or anywhere. And that was in ‘88. I started the rap scene. And the Screwed Up Click, they all from my neighborhood. Those boys are all under me. I raised half those boys up. You ask them and they’ll tell you, “Yeah, Lil’ Troy is a real pioneer, he started it around here.”

AllHipHop.com: Would you say that you paved the way for other Houston rappers like Paul Wall, Chamillionaire and Mike Jones?

Lil’ Troy: I helped pave the way, from the beginning, by putting the rap scene down in Houston to now. When I came out with “Wanna Be a Baller,” that really opened the door and put a lot of light on Houston. And at the time I had a lot of local guys on my album and they got national attention. That helped the Houston scene so I gotta say that I’m a big influence. I’m glad that those boys took advantage of it and got the door open which allows me to come back and drop an album. It takes all of us to build a city like this.

AllHipHop.com: That record was on Sittin’ Fat Down South in 1999. For those that don’t know, what have you been doing since then?

Lil’ Troy: I released an album with Koch Records, Back to Ballin, and I had a video with Lil’ Flip. Before he came out, he was on an album with me. The album came out on September 11th when the planes hit the World Trade Center. I didn’t put anything else out except for this Paperwork DVD that I have out right now.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about the project? It’s getting a lot of controversy…

Lil’ Troy: It’s a brief DVD about the rapper Scarface. Me and Scarface been going at it for a long time. I’ve been letting him get away with a lot of stuff, and now it’s time for me to retaliate. Scarface is on a four page affidavit introducing his friends to the [police] as a cocaine supplier. They call Scarface by his government name, Brad Jordan. The guy who went to federal penitentiary for six years is on my DVD talking about it. And Scarface has misled the people that he’s a real gangsta, hardcore street rapper when he has otherwise violated the G-code. And the public demands to know this. Everyone who’s been calling over to Scarface, he won’t answer any of the allegations. A lot of magazines won’t report this ‘cause they don’t want to think that Scarface is a rat.

AllHipHop.com: So this project is all about Scarface?

Lil’ Troy: It’s between me and Scarface ‘cause we got history together. Scarface called me a snitch on “We Don’t Talk to Police” from the last Geto Boys album. He called my name out on that song. Anytime you reference another man as being a snitch and you don’t have no paperwork, then you’re less of a man yourself just for calling somebody out just to make yourself look big. This is my response to Scarface. I got you on a four-page affidavit. I ain’t just call you no name, this is what the government said you did.

AllHipHop.com: When did the beef between you and Scarface begin?

Lil’ Troy: The beef first started when he sued me and got $225,000 out of me.

AllHipHop.com: Why did he sue you?

Lil’ Troy: Copyright infringement on a song [“Scarface”] that me and him had put together in 1989. I put the same song [“Small Time”] back out in ‘99 on my album with Universal and he sued me for it. But they, Scarface and Rap-A-Lot, had gotten big off of the song when they released the same exact song. I never sued them, but they sued me.

AllHipHop.com: How long has this DVD been out?

Lil’ Troy: It came out about three months ago. I’ve been promoting it, and like I said, none of the magazines won’t touch it. They’ll just make a little comment about it.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have an album coming out too?

Lil’ Troy: Yes. It’s called Hush. It’ll be out in October on Short Stop Records.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the sound of the album?

Lil’ Troy: I’m fittin’ to incorporate a new sound out of Houston. Right now, Houston has that laid back, slow screwed up feel. But I’m gonna incorporate that slowness with a little crunkness and twist it a little bit to give it a Southern feel. And add some guitar and bass back into our music instead of just all drums. I want to reach more than just the little 15-16 year olds. I want to reach the 30 and 35 year olds too. And in order to do that, you gotta have some music, some rhythm up in your songs.

AllHipHop.com: What cosigns do you have riding with you on this one? That’s also an important thing in H-Town…

Lil’ Troy: My new single is with the late, great, Fat Pat. He died a little while back, he was on the song “Wanna be a Baller” with me. I have Lil’ KeKe, and my camp The Go-Getters, Cool & Dre, Drew-ski, The Assassins, and I have the East Side Cheddar Boys from Detroit on there. I did some moving around.

AllHipHop.com: How have you grown as an MC from your last project?

Lil’ Troy: I haven’t just grown as an MC, ‘cause I ain’t no MC. I’ll go ahead and spit some game and tell you about what’s going on in these streets. That’s what I’m going to tell you. I ain’t never said I was an emcee. I’m a businessman. I make business moves and business decisions.

AllHipHop.com: What happened with your distribution deal with Universal?

Lil’ Troy: They didn’t have enough money. I’ve been putting out records independently for years. It’s like going from getting $7.50 a CD to $1.25. They want to put stipulations on when you can release the album and what can be on the album. I’m my own A&R. I don’t need anybody to A&R me. I just need your machine to push it. So now I got off their label so I can find me another situation for an independent distribution deal, that way, we make more money.

AllHipHop.com: So you still need distribution for the new album?

Lil’ Troy: Yes. But I’m gonna do like I know to do: Release a single, and make it hot in the streets, and on the radio and then they’ll come and call me like they normally do, “Troy, what can we do? We want to put this album out.”

AllHipHop.com: In the past 10 years, you’ve been in and out of jail. What landed you there?

Lil’ Troy: I’m a hustler. I go and get it. I go get it and come back with it, or I don’t come back at all. I got caught up each time for drugs.

AllHipHop.com: What does the future hold for Lil’ Troy?

Lil’ Troy: Back on top, back as a household name. Success for my record company, clothing line, and movies. I’m just back at it. It’s like I’ve been given a new birth with this music again.