I

n Los Angeles’ notorious Watts section, Jay Rock is bidding for the spotlight in the West Coast rap revival. This artist might not have the prolific personnel backing of peers like The Game or Ice Cube, or the highbrow affiliations like rookies Bishop Lamont and Glasses Malone. But, Warner Brothers has taken a chance on the potential of a rapper from Nickerson Gardens Projects, known as one of the roughest hoods in all of California.

The 20-year-old talent carries that brooding lifestyle into his music, whether it’s through the highly touted “Watts Finest” mixtapes, or the upcoming, Somebody Help Me soundtrack. During a chance meeting several years ago at a local mall, Jay Rock and The Game battled on the spot, resulting in a mutual handshake and info being exchanged. Now, Compton and Watts will be sure to collide on Jay Rock’s upcoming, yet untitled album. More recently, it was Jay Rock, who brought Spider Loc and Game to a peaceable agreement. In doing so, Rock realized that he is related to G-Unit’s next artist. This olive branch extension would not have been possible from a street spectator. From the tales in his verses, it’s clear that Jay Rock’s life once reflected the ills of his community. Watts’ next rap star intends on bringing the same respected force to the music that seemingly still echoes in the menacing Cali streets.

AllHipHop.com: How did you get the name Jay Rock? It’s kind of got an old school quality to it…

Jay Rock: My name is J.R., I’m a junior. Everybody calls me Jay, but I got this knot-head, it’s kinda big, so everybody used to call me Rockhead. It’s a lil’ nickname. So now, they just call me Jay Rock for short. N***as around my hood call me that.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about that hood for a second. Nickerson Gardens is widely considered one of the toughest, hardest to get into places in Los Angeles.

Jay Rock: It’s the biggest and most notorious projects on the west side of the Mississippi. Watts, California. A lot of things go down in there: drug deals, gangbangin’, so that’s where a lot of this s**t originated from – the projects in Watts.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of people in the East got a glimpse on the Watts projects through the film, Training Day. I know it’s just a film, and that was actually Imperial Courts, but how true is that to your lifestyle in Nickerson?

Jay Rock: Yeah, man. It’s the same thing. Everything you seen on there, from crooked cops, everything, it’s all right here. We’re where everything is at. I’ve seen a lot of s**t like that. That was a real cool movie. They really portrayed what goes down in Watts, that’s how it happens.

AllHipHop.com: Nickerson is also the birthplace of the Bloods. Is that true to your understanding?

Jay Rock: Yeah, the Bounty Hunters. They originated as the Bounty Hunters.

AllHipHop.com: I don’t believe in asking you if you’re in a particular gang. But, hypothetically, could a successful rapper come from Nickerson Gardens on a major level without being part of a gang?

Jay Rock: Yes, it is. It’s possible.

AllHipHop.com: Wouldn’t people in the neighborhood want to get invested in that?

Jay Rock: It’s like this: me personally, I can say from my experience, soon as I stepped out my house, that’s all I seen. I seen drug dealers. I seen gangbangers. Growin’ up as a kid, monkey see, monkey do. You see what that person’s doing, and it catches your eye, that’s what you’re gonna do. The s**t I talk about, I seen it from the time I stepped out the house.

AllHipHop.com: A group that I remember being from your neighborhood was O.F.T.B. [Operation from the Bottom]. They were from Nickerson. Kam is also from Watts. What were your influences in terms of Watts Hip-Hop?

Jay Rock: O.F.T.B., they were doin’ they thang. I don’t know if you’d remember it, but they had a song [“Crack ‘Em”] on the Above the Rim soundtrack. That was a big song. They influenced me a lot to start rappin’, especially comin’ outta my neighborhood. All them influenced me. Not too many dudes from my city are out like that. Compton is big. Dre, Ice Cube, a lot of rappers came out of Compton. Not that many came out of Watts.

AllHipHop.com: Why is that?

Jay Rock: A lot of people is scared to go to through Watts. Watts is gutter, it’s grimy, it’s one of the most gutterest, grimiest cities there is. Watts is the place where crack was at an all time high, homicides was at an all time high, that’s where it goes down at.

AllHipHop.com: As groups like O.F.T.B. were on the street stuff, there were artists like Kam, about political and social issues. Does Watts have enough positive outlets for young people?

Jay Rock: Where I come, my big homies got this company called Kush. It’s this organization helping kids with they school homework, keepin’ ‘em off the streets. They create after-school programs to keep youngsters out of trouble. They get all types of programs – field trips even. When I was growing up, I didn’t have none of that. We had to be in before the streetlights come on. Now it’s getting better.

AllHipHop.com: As your profile rises, how will you dedicate your time back to these kids? It’s been a while since Watts kids had a rapper to look up to. I’m sure you believe you’re gonna be that dude.

Jay Rock: What I wanna do, man, I see myself being successful in this game. I want to make a lot of money and sell a lot of records, but when that time comes, I’m gonna come back, and give back to my hood. I want to make sure these kids won’t have to go through some of the stuff I went through as a child. I just wanna give back – studios for the kids, scholarships, anything that’s gonna benefit them.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of artists will say when they’re on tour, the first thing they do is go straight to the hood. You said you’re from the grimiest. What are some of the out of towners rolling through Nickerson to keep it gutter?

Jay Rock: As far as I can remember… Eazy-E, Hammer, N.W.A., everybody. A lot of the Compton cats. Have you ever heard the song back in the day called “We’re All in the Same Gang”?

AllHipHop.com: Yes sir. I have it on vinyl.

Jay Rock: Yeah, they [the West Coast All-Stars] done that in my hood. I was a young n***a. You probably seen me [in the video] somewhere, ‘cause I was real little. We had The Game come through to play basketball a few times. A lot of cats comes through.

AllHipHop.com: I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Brooklyn, Queens, or the Lower East Side. Gangbangin’, drugs, those are the same. But how do you think the West Coast PJ’s are different?

Jay Rock: I been to New York, man. I was blessed to take a trip out there. They gutter too. They projects is stacked. It’s crazy how they projects is. It’s somehow the same, but things is a lil’ mo’ different too.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk music. "That’s My Word" is produced by Aqua. Is that the same Aqua who did “My First Song” for Jay-Z?

Jay Rock: Yeah. That’s right. I hooked up with him through Warner Brothers. He told me he did somethin’ for Jay. Jay a big name in the game. Any track Jay gets is big. I’m like, “I look forward to doin’ somethin’ to this track. I wanna pen somethin’ to it.” That’s how that came about. I got to talk to him a few times over MySpace. I never got a chance to really meet him. But he’s a real cool dude.

AllHipHop.com: There is a perception that’s is hard to survive as a nationally recognized West Coast artist who doesn’t get that track from Dr. Dre. Going into this album, I don’t know if you are or aren’t, but how does that concern you?

Jay Rock: Me personally, I think it’s about who’s backing you up. If Warner Brothers is backin’ me 100%, and puttin’ that money into everything I’m doin’, I can go as far as I wanna. Like you said, with Dre or not, if your team is strong, y’all can do anything. Who gone stop y’all?

AllHipHop.com: Regardless, you need a veteran endorsement. Dre’s endorsed people like Game and Bishop Lamont. 50 endorsed Spider. Snoop always has artists. Who is backing you up?

Jay Rock: I got Game on somethin’. I got Jada[kiss]. I got Mike Jones. I got Jahiem on a track. When I was in Jersey, I did some stuff with Kay Gee of Naughty By Nature. I worked with him. L.E.S. produced some of my tracks. I got it.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me what your label situation and album’s timetable is looking like…

Jay Rock: I’m in the studio as we speak. Hopefully, my album will be out by the end of summer. I’m with Top Dawg Entertainment through my big homie, Dude Dawg. He seen out there slangin’ and bangin’, just f**kin’ up. He seen potential in me. Where he heard me spit a couple times, he said, “Man, you don’t need to be out here doing this dumb s**t.” He took me off the block and put me in the booth. I been here ever since. That’s what I wanna do. I wanna build and come back and take my homeboys off the streets like that, to do somethin’ good.

AllHipHop.com: Between Murs and E-40, the Warner Brothers umbrella seems to be rooted in California for 2006. How does it feel to see a major label shell out support to an area that rap critics have said was stagnant for so long?

Jay Rock: Man! It’s crazy. E-40, he’s a legend. He got a big name for himself. I see that Hyphy movement he doin’, and that s**t is crazy. It feels good. I support the West Coast 100%. Not many labels look at Watts. It’s an honor to be signed.

AllHipHop.com: Now, Sony also looked at Watts, when they signed Glasses Malone. He’s from a rival neighborhood. Musically, do you anticipate releases that spark a head to head rivalry on the mic?

Jay Rock: Yeah. Yeah, man. It ain’t nothin’ wrong with a friendly rivalry. This game is real competitive. It ain’t nothin’ – I can go blows with anybody, man. I can stand toe to toe with anybody. From Game, Spider Loc, whoever – it don’t matter, I’ll go to toes with any of them cats, man.

AllHipHop.com: Cocaine rap is very big in New York right now. From AZ to Ghostface to Cam’ron, everybody’s on it. I remember when Ice-T had “Ziplock” or N.W.A. had “Dopeman.” Your songs are rhyming about slanging, such as "Killa

Kali"

Do you feel it’s time for the West Coast to retake ownership of it’s origins like that?

Jay Rock: Yeah. Everybody knows Hip-Hop started in the East Coast. A lot of dudes gotta pay they respect to the East, ‘cause they started it. But you know, that real deal G s**t, and sellin’ crack and gangbangin’, the low-low’s, it originated here. Dudes from the East Coast gotta pay respect respects to that. That’s what I’m pushin’ right there.

AllHipHop.com: It’s nothing to brag about. But there aren’t that many crackheads runnin’ around New York anymore. I’m sure that’s different in Watts…

Jay Rock: Crack city late night! Smoker’s city. Fiends be hittin’ hard, especially out there on Skid Row [a notorious part of Los Angeles between 5th and 7th streets and Central Avenue]. The feds are crackin’ down on that s**t, man. It’s tearing my hood up.

M

ike Jones was the only student of Houston’s 2005 graduation class that has experienced platinum success [Who Is Mike Jones.] despite the region’s industry takeover. Jones swears he was also the stepchild of the lot, which included acclaimed artists like Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Chamillionaire. A budding mogul, the rapper says he’s now peaceably departed the Swishahouse home that helped groom him. While the former stepchild runs away from home, his frequently repeated moniker and famous phone number remain the same. Through all the grills, candy paint, and lean, Mike Jones stands before his own empire, Ice Age Entertainment, and a future that includes big phone bills, more tippin’ and a colossal toy collection.

AllHipHop.com: Okay, what’s really good with you and Swishahouse?

Mike Jones: I just felt that Swishahouse did some foul stuff. I still got respect for those guys. It was just the business; they did a lot of stuff I didn’t agree with. Now, I got my own thing. If you look, there’s nobody on the Swishahouse team doing what I’m doing, you know what I’m saying? I got much respect and love for everybody over there, but we going to see how everybody move without Jones.

AllHipHop.com: Can you elaborate on the alleged foul stuff that went down?

Mike Jones: Man it was just a lot foul stuff. A lot of people didn’t believe in the Who Is Mike Jones project. But when the album started taking off, everyone wanted to have their hands in on it. I couldn’t be around stuff like that, know what I’m saying? People will tell you, ‘Oh this s**t is tight,’ and when they turn they back, want to say the album is wack. That’s why “Back Then” made so much sense and why a lot of people took up on it. A lot of people go through ‘back then.’ On The American Dream, you are going to see a whole different side of Jones. I’m still going to represent the street side, but I’m just going to hold it down.

AllHipHop.com: What’s cracking with Ice Age?

Mike Jones: I’m with Warner and Asylum, but now that everything is up I’m going to get a big Ice Age deal. I’m about to get a 20 million for this Ice Age deal! It’s going to be crazy. We in talks with [Lil’] Mo, I got King Mello, he up next. We had the D4L which was really really big [with “Laffy Taffy”].

Allhiphop.com: You had a big hit with “Back Then.” Does that song have more significance now that you sold 1.5 million?

Mike Jones: It’s not really the groupies; it’s everybody from guys to girls. People want to holla at me and show me love, they all on me now like, ‘Man, remember we used to go to school together?’ Everybody want to be all cool. “Back Then” is something everybody can relate to; kids, grown ups, old people. That’s just how it is.

AllHipHop.com: Was there any money issues included in your dissatisfaction?

Mike Jones: Nah, the money issue was cool. But sometimes it’s not always about money. Dave Chappelle, he passed up $50 million to be happy. I rather be happy any day. I was making money coming into this game. I was already over a half a million in the bank saved before I even got signed. That was the most important thing to me. I got to make sure I’m somewhere comfortable where I love being at. I got full control of marketing and everything here. I’m cool with everyone over there. I’m cool with Paul [Wall]. I’m cool with [Lil’] Keke. I’m cool with everybody. It was just the heads [of the company] that was I going back and forth with. I really respect those guys. I hope they do their thing. I’m taking my project over with [my label], Ice Age. As of now in Houston Texas, I’m the only one that went platinum. People saying they platinum, but I’m the only one that sold platinum over. I sold 1.5 million.

AllHipHop.com: So to get this all the way overstood, it’s not really beef but it’s just a better situation for you?

Mike Jones: Yes. Just like you said- it’s a better situation. It’s basically the idea of people not believing in your project and then they want to believe in it when they see the record sales going up is crazy. Now y’all do your thing over there, they got some stuff they got going on; I got a lot of stuff going on my end. [So] we both going to work hard.

AllHipHop.com: That’s what’s up. I think the beef stuff is played out.

Mike Jones: I totally agree with you on that. Even me and Chamillionare, we were going at it at one time, but I seen him not too long ago, we shook hands and we put it to rest.

AllHipHop.com: The Source did a photo shoot with a lot of the prominent Houston rappers and both of you guys were there. I was wondering how did everything go?

Mike Jones: Yeah, we was there. Actually, we shook hands after that. The Source magazine came out a little late. I mean I know people be shooting [darts] at me, but as long as we know that when we see each other, it’s all good [I’m cool]. Bun B invited me to a party. He invited Cham too. I didn’t know that. So Cham came on stage and basically said that all of this s**t was crazy. I looked at him and he looked at me and we shook hands. We gave each other dap and showed each other love. So it’s all good man.

AllHipHop.com: “Still Tippin’” put the stamp on the Houston Rap explosion. How did the recording session go down for that song?

Mike Jones: Really, they say the song was big because there were three big Houston artists on it. My buzz was already big [though]. First, it was really me and Chamillionare on the song. And then they took Cham off and threw Paul Wall on the song.

AllHipHop.com: What’s The American Dream looking like?

Mike Jones: It’s looking crazy, man. I got Jamie Foxx on there, Chris Brown on there. I got a joint with Lil’ Mo that’s sick. And when I say the song is sick, you can quote me that we’re going to the Grammy’s with that one. I got some stuff with Slim Thug. I’m talking to Jeezy. I’m trying to hook up with Mary J. [Blige]. A lot of people been showing me love. A lot of people out here in Houston hate on your boy, but they know that they can’t take it away from me that I sold all these records.

AllHipHop.com: How did you link up with Lil’ Mo?

Mike Jones: I met her in Indianapolis. She was a fan of mine and I definitely was a fan of hers. That song “Put It On Me” with Ja Rule was one of my favorite songs at the time. I mean, I loved that song. The way she sang on it, she really put surgery to that song. I wanted to do a song like that. And the song we got it’s crazy. It’s called “I Know.”

AllHipHop.com: With T.I. selling Gold first week, do you feel pressured now?

Mike Jones: That’s my dude. T.I. showed a lot of love to me. Matter of fact, I got him on a track on the album with Bobby Brown. It’s a “Tendoroni” remix. It was for his album, but he didn’t use it. I asked him if it was cool [for me to put the song on my album] and he said it was cool. So the track is fire. So when he [sold those numbers], I was happy, because he still doing him. He motivated me to at least move around that number.

AllHipHop.com: With a lot of the Houston rappers talking about grills, candy paint and slabs, do you think the outside markets like New York and California will get tired of it?

Mike Jones: A lot people are tired of it. On American Dream, you are going to hear it, but not as much on Who Is Mike Jones. That was every line; paint, lean, grills. There’s a meaning to it. I got the American Dream album on me. I could let you hear some s**t.

Check out part two of AllHipHop.com’s Mike Jones interview…

AllHipHop.com: What’s good with Paul Wall? I heard he just had a baby.

Mike Jones: Yeah. Congrats to Paul Wall. He just had a little boy. I hit him on the day he was born.

AllHipHop.com: Can you get into your Punk’d episode?

Mike Jones: You know what’s funny? Bow Wow accidentally told me, so I was prepared for it. I was just getting my acting on. I knew about it before hand. We were shooting the “Freshazimiz” remix and I was on it, and I was only in LA for a day. Once somebody gets punked, they ask them who they want to punk. They punked him and asked him who he wants to see get punked and I guess he said me. When I got to the video shoot, he was like, “Oh, they punked you, huh?” He was like they told me they were going to punk me before I left LA. And I just got to LA and I had to leave the next day so I knew it was coming. I was just getting my acting on. During the beginning of the show, I kept asking where’s Ashton Kutcher, y’all trying to punk me. They bleeped all of that out and they edited it real good.

AllHipHop.com: How did you finesse the shoe deal? Did Reebok approach you with the idea?

Mike Jones: Man, Reebok been watching me for a minute. They showed me a lot of love. They’ve seen my grind, they’ve seen my hustle, so they came on with it and I got down with them. After they saw all the records I sold, it was a no brainer. A lot people say they platinum and say they gold, but their numbers don’t show it, you know what I’m saying? They put that in my ear, and I was like ‘Damn, that is true.’ When I say I’m platinum, you can check soundscan and see I sold 1.5 million.

AllHipHop.com: Who designed the kicks?

Mike Jones: Reebok came up with the design and wanted to know how I accepted it. First time I saw it, I fell in love with it.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think the kicks represent your style?

Mike Jones: Most definitely. It’s something that’s very casual. Something you can throw on any time.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about that Ice Age Piece you’ve been rocking. That joint it sick. It look like a dinner plate.

Mike Jones: Wooooo. Man I had to do everything big. I got a bigger plate now. I got the Ice Age label and I had to let you know the name of the label was. So I knew if got the piece upgraded [that would do the job done].

AllHipHop.com: Do you think the grills are getting played out?

Mike Jones: I think so. I haven’t been wearing my grill lately. I haven’t been wearing it for a while. I mean, it’s all about value in this game. If you come out with the same album, everybody going to get tired of hearing it. So everybody got grills now, everyone looking for the next big trend to do. So the grill thing is definitely on the way down. Next thing out of Houston is the Grilling Lady. If you don’t know what the grilling lady is: on a car, that’s when you got a customized grill and the lady hanging off the car. That’s that new s###. You know on the [Rolls Royce] Phantom when the chrome thing come up on the hood, in Houston we got something like that called the grilling lady. The grill be a billy grill. Above the grill, you usually see an ornament like the Mercedes Benz logo or the Lexus logo right there. Once you put that right there, the lady going to be leaning forward. So when you pull up they going to be like that boy got that grilling lady!

AllHipHop.com: Do you feel like the South has gotten so popular that the East Coast has started to hate?

Mike Jones: I got respect for the East Coast. I got respect for everybody. I really just think that a lot of people listening to some songs and they aren’t feeling them. Nobody has said anything negative to me. Everyone entitled to their own opinion. I don’t take it as anyone hating or whatever.

AllHipHop.com: In a recent interview Raekwon was referring to the South as “country” and ‘bamas.” Do you take offense to that?

Mike Jones: Nah, because when I met Raekwon, he showed me love. He was like, ‘Dude, you doing your thing.’ I was like, “I appreciate it. I’ve been a fan of yours for years.” When I talked to him it was all love. I got love for dude.

AllHipHop.com: I saw Big Tigga on 106th and Park rocking an Ice Age piece. Is he down with y’all?

Mike Jones: Yeah, I know you seen that. He got down with us. That was like a week ago or so. He had put down a verse on the album, and said he really wanted to get down with us. We still putting everything together, so it’s still not set in stone, but we went ahead and gave him the piece, because we know it’s about to definitely go down. Big Tigga with the Ice Age boys! Ice Age Entertainment finna take over. You thought the cartoon did 71 million? Wait and see what I got coming out. We about to freeze the game up; we call ourselves Ice Age because we keep that ice on us and we live big. I got a big house, I got twelve cars. All of them black.

AllHipHop.com: Why the color black?

Mike Jones: That’s my favorite color. Black is power.

AllHipHop.com: What kind of whips are you working with Mike Jones?

Mike Jones: Oh man. I’m at my house now. I got a ‘07 and a 2006 Bentley four door. I got a 2005 Dodge Charger in all black. I got a ‘07 Cadillac black. I got the Hummer black. I got an Excursion black. I got a ‘95 Chevy Caprice black. I got the Ferrari black. I got the Lambo’ black. I got the Range black. I got a lot of cars. I got the S-600 coming in next week black. I got the 747 [BMW] black. I also got the Aston Martin. I’m not playing any games with these boys, man.

AllHipHop.com: Funny how you got all the whips in black but you stay spitting about candy paint.

Mike Jones: Because, I mean, the slabs are for entertainment. But when I pull up in that train of nine to eleven cars deep, it’s a problem!

Allhiphop.com: Were the rumors true about you cell phone bill? People were saying it got out of hand…

Mike Jones: Yeah, my bill was crazy man. It was a little over $100,000, but we got the lawyers in on it. So we got it straight. I was getting around 40,000 calls a day before the album came out. They was charging me still, when I told them to cut it off since I didn’t need the number anymore. I had an old number and that was a whole different number. I got the 281-330 number. I kept that number on to have all the clientele call. I kept on the phone on for three months, so all the fans can call me. After three months, I told the company to cut it off and they never cut it off. All I had to is pay for three months. The number is still the same though. 281-330-8004.

C

elebrity publicists are almost as famous as the superstar clients they represent – they’re the hottest trend! For superstar rapper Lil’ Kim, her PR accessory is Tracy Nguyen.

It is Nguyen who appeared in the background of BET’s reality show, Lil’ Kim: Countdown to Lockdown. The series chronicled a time in Kim’s life that revealed her stoicism amidst a pending prison sentence. While Kim gathered her thoughts and put her career in order, Nguyen was faced with the task of spreading the disappointing news to the masses. She alleges that at times, she was misrepresented on the show.

The 26 year old speaks candidly about her concerns with representing Kim in a difficult time. Tracy Nguyen touches upon the acclaimed, but commercially misleading album, The Naked Truth. The publicist also speaks on misperceptions about her field. One thing is certain, through controversy: condemnation, and classic albums, publicity has always made Kim a cover-girl.

AllHipHop.com: Once Kim was sentenced with mandatory jail time you had to move quickly into crisis mode as a publicist. What steps did you take in preparation for this ordeal?

Tracy Nguyen: Oh, gosh! Well the thing is, we did a lot of media training with her, and a lot of filtering, and really getting on the phone and making sure that the reporters who were reporting the story had factual information, because a lot of the news that was being reported was very exaggerated. We were under a very, very fine microscope and we just had to be very, very careful in just making sure that the message that we were sending across was very clear and concise – that they were consistent. I mean, obviously, you can’t stop a writer from writing a biased story that might not be in her favor for whatever personal reasons they may have.

AllHopHop.com: How have you handled the many stories and untruths that have surfaced about Kim since she went inside?

Tracy Nguyen: Actually one example, and I’m not going to say who the outlet is, but it’s probably one of the more respected weeklies that are out there, if not, the most respected one. They pitched me to death saying that they wanted to have exclusivity to do this really in-depth story on Kim, and I gave them two hours – one hour to do a photo shoot, then one hour to interview Kim. And she really sat down and she poured her heart! The one thing about Kim is she gives a great interview. If you can get her to sit down and talk to you, she doesn’t hold back. She shares her story; she’s got a great sense of humor, a lot of personality. She poured her heart out to this reporter, and keep in mind with the whole trial situation and her going away, we had very limited time with Kim to do any type of press at all. So I had one day to work with, about eight to ten hours to do media. I gave this reporter two hours of that day, and when the story ran about a week later, it was one page, five question Q&A only about the legal situation, and they ran a stock photo…they pulled a photo of her walking out of the courtroom, and it was the most negative story…and it was just…I mean it was…. I was horrified when I saw that. That reporter got an angry phone call from me, and I also called his boss and I informed them that we would never, ever work with them ever again.

AllHipHop.com: You spoke about pictures. There was something about XXL not being able to take pictures for the article. Can you shed some light on that?

Tracy Nguyen: XXL was not allowed to take photos for the story because the Federal Detention Center would not approve it. There’s a whole approval process for interviews and for press and given the situation, any press interviews that are to be done with Kim have to be done over the phone. There’s a whole approval process that needs to happen.

AllHipHop.com: So all in all, you would say the reality show, Countdown to Lockdown, was positive?

Tracy Nguyen: I have mixed emotions in regards to the show. There were a lot of issues I will say that were a lot of drama mixed for good TV. We all know that. Overall, I think that fans had a chance to see the softer side of her, the side of her that’s very caring and loving of her friends and her family, and someone who really leads somewhat of a very normal life aside from her job responsibilities [as] an entertainer. But I think that the way that the show portrayed some of the people that were around her was very exaggerated. I will say, at least in my situation, the show producers had edited and cut Episode Four, where I was probably most visible in with the whole Marc Jacobs fashion show situation – they made it look like I had stole a shirt from Kim, which wasn’t the case at all. What had really happened was…did you see this episode?

AllHipHop.com: Yes.

Tracy Nguyen: Well, what happened was Kim had had a photo shoot to do three weeks prior to the actual party and the fashion show. Kim and I went into the showroom to pick out all the clothes that she wanted to wear for the photo shoot because she wanted to style herself. We did the photo shoot, and we had to return all the clothes the next day. I had to go back to the Marc Jacobs showroom three weeks later, the day before the actual party. When I went back there, a lot of the stuff she had wanted was no longer there. So I did my best to remember what it was that she had picked out. In addition to that, I had her stylist with me and her stylist picked out a lot of things that she thought could work for Kim. So when they cut away on the show and Kim’s holding up the clothes saying, “I’ve never seen these clothes before. Where did these clothes come from,” it was because it was all new merchandise that wasn’t there when we had gotten there. So after going through everything, we literally walked out of the showroom and both Marc Jacobs stores with like ten garment bags worth of clothes, like ten shopping bags worth of shoes and accessories and everything like that. In addition to that, I picked out some stuff for Hilary as well, and the shirt that I had picked out coincidentally happened to be a similar shirt that Kim had picked out previously, but in a different color. You know, I didn’t remember – it was three weeks ago. So that’s what happened with that whole shirt scenario, but in the way the show producers edited and cut it, they exaggerated and made it into this huge thing, and if you actually watch the show very closely, Kim’s not even that…Kim’s not even mad. It was the people around her that were really blowing up and speaking very negatively about me.

AllHipHop.com: Well yeah, it made you kind of look like an opportunist instead of a publicist.

Tracy Nguyen: Yeah! It made me look like an opportunist, and any client or anyone that knows me knows that I’m an absolute professional. So it was an honest to God mistake. I am not an opportunist in any way. Again, the Marc Jacobs relationship, that party, the whole ad campaign and tee-shirts and everything like that was my doing. So after watching that episode, and seeing how they had me portrayed, I was definitely really hurt and disappointed just because I knew, and even her manager came to me and the people around us came to me and said I was definitely portrayed in a very unfair light, especially after everything I’d done for her.

AllHipHop.com: What about Kim? Has she been able to see the reality show herself?

Tracy Nguyen: From my understanding, no. She has very limited resources. I know she’s able to listen to the radio in prison. But as far as being able to watch DVD’s and TV and stuff like that, from my understanding, she’s not allowed to.

AllHipHop.com: In your honest opinion, would you say fame is somehow indirectly part of the celebrity publicist’s agenda?

Tracy Nguyen: No. Well, I think I can only speak for myself, and I know in my situation. I think people recognize me only because my clients get photographed and are on TV so much. I’m usually two steps behind them. It just happens to be that way. Being a part of the reality show was something that I never, ever, I mean, I had no choice but to be on the show. Fame is something that I’m absolutely not interested in at all. I really enjoy my privacy and I don’t ever want my celebrity clients to feel uncomfortable with their publicist being as famous, or more famous than they are.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about the album. To some, The Naked Truth is the best album Lil’ Kim has put out to date, yet the project seems to be struggling. As Kim’s publicist, what role can you play in attempting to salvage this project, if any role at all?

Tracy Nguyen: Well, I think in getting people to continue to talk about Kim, and continuing to spread the word out there. [I’m] just constantly feeding them with information and letting them know what’s next for Kim, what the next single’s going to be, or what’s in the pipeline for her with this project that is definitely not dead – it’s very much alive. I think we’re in this day and age, especially when it comes to Hip-Hop music, unless everyone is selling 2-500,000 in its first week, it’s considered a failure. There are a lot of amazing albums [that] eventually do go platinum over a period of time, and I think that with this project, again, it is her best work to date and I am very confident. Kim has never gone less than platinum with all of her previous albums, and I think that especially with Kim coming out in the next two months where she will be here to be able to do press and promotion and talk about the project, I feel very confident that it’ll pick up.

AllHipHop.com: Do you see Countdown to Lockdown as a new trend in reality shows? Do you think this will continue?

Tracy Nguyen: I think so. I think people want to see celebrities go through struggles. Everything is not as glamorous or peachy keen as it appears to be. These celebrities go through real emotions, they go through relationship issues, they go through financial issues, they go through legal issues, they go through career struggles. I think that when people are watching TV, they wanna be able to connect with whoever it is that they’re watching. I think that’s why The Newlyweds was so successful. You look at Jessica and Nick, at the time when they were newlyweds, just seeing the things they went through as a new couple, I think a lot of people were really intrigued and could relate to some of the things that they went through.

AllHipHop.com: Last question: What strategic steps are you planning to take for Kim on her return home?

Tracy Nguyen: Right now, there are so many opportunities on the table for her when it comes to endorsement opportunities, film and TV opportunities; the press is lined up requesting interviews to speak with her. Again, we [currently] have a fantastic album that we still [need to] promote. She’s also got her clothing line. There were a lot of things that we had to kind of put on hold with her being away that again, when she gets out, we’re gonna continue where we left off. There’s definitely a lot to do and I can only imagine, especially with her being away, being the hard worker that she is, she’s gonna wanna go very hard and very strong when she gets out.

D

uring his formative years, a young Torhi Harper’s close family stressed that luck was a delicate combination of preparation and opportunity. When most teenagers slaved at their sorry part-time jobs and prepped for the SAT’s, Torhi, or Murphy Lee and friends, the St. Lunatics, worked to fulfill their dreams as rap stars in the music industry.

A chance encounter with Jermaine Dupri at a party provided that life-altering occasion for the St. Lunatics to pass a demo tape of their material. Since, Murphy Lee, Nelly and the crew have gone on to garner Grammy Awards and platinum albums, but life has changed significantly for the St. Lunatics youngest member. After putting his young son to sleep, Murph talked frankly about these transformations and the growth he’s experienced in the not-so-distant past.

AllHipHop.com: The St. Lunatics get criticized a lot due to the fact that you sell a lot of albums and have crossover appeal, does that bother you?

Murphy Lee: It’s not an issue. When people say that kind of stuff it sounds like they never left home before. Those are what I call “basement people” like, “Man, we’re from the basement, this is real Hip-Hop!” You’ve got to get out of the basement and travel and see these different cultures. New York may have their way, but if you go to Philadelphia, it could be a whole different style, or if you go down South, they have a different feel too. There might’ve been a lot of types of music that I didn’t like at first, but once I started traveling and seeing all of these types of people and the types of music that represent them, that let me know what Hip-Hop was really about. It’s about showing the world what your culture is like everyday. People always want it to be one way, but you can’t tell me N.W.A. wasn’t Hip-Hop, they were letting you know what was going on in that area at that time. That criticism never gets to me. I’ve got a song called “Who Says St. Louis Ain’t Hip-Hop?”

AllHipHop.com: On the last album, you made it a point to keep profanity and negative references to a minimum while still reaching out to the ladies, do you plan on using the same approach?

Murphy Lee: I’m just growin’ right now, we’re going to call the album The Package. That package consists of me growing, and everything that’s happened after Murphy’s Law. The last album got labeled as being “for the ladies,” but that was just in writing; my music is for everybody. In the last two-and-a-half years, I’ve opened up three different businesses. I’ve got my label, which is associated with Derrty Entertainment, called U.C. Me, plus a restaurant and a promotional company.

AllHipHop.com: It looks like you’re handling the business side as well. When Murphy’s Law debuted, you had an exclusive deal to play your video in Champ’s Sports stores and you also own the Good For You Café in St. Louis, right?

Murphy Lee: Yeah, we’re looking for franchising right now. So if you got that money, we can talk business. It’s a beautiful thing. We just opened another location in downtown St. Louis. We’re also trying to go back and work with Champ’s too. Speaking of exclusives, my promotional company is called Exclusive Promotional Products. So any artists can come to us for shirts, pens, anything you need that can be written on that you can’t get out of a normal store.

AllHipHop.com: That’s big business. Would you say that some of that was influenced by Nelly buying a piece of the Charlotte Bobcats, or was that the plan from the jump?

Murphy Lee: That’s an influence for us to get another basketball team! But, nah, my cat makes moves and that’s a big influence on me. That was amazing.

AllHipHop.com: Murphy’s Law debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart it’s first week out by selling more than 134,000 copies, then was certified Platinum. You also won a Grammy Award for “Shake Ya’ Tailfeather.” Do you feel any pressure to exceed those numbers?

Murphy Lee: No. I’m with all of that stuff, but that’s a lot of people comparing the music instead of just letting it be. They almost have us artists competing against each other, when there are enough buyers out there to make sure that everybody can eat. I’m just trying to make good music, I do it for my fans and for the people that need it. Any moment you need it, music does it for you; whether you’re ironing or dropping off your kids, or whatever else.

AllHipHop.com: The latest group effort, Who’s The Boss, features unreleased material from the whole crew. Can you tell the fans a little more about the project?

Murphy Lee: That wasn’t us. I mean it’s physically us on there-we’re the artists, but I don’t want to help them promote that. I had to go buy one my damn self, I’m thinking, “Hold on, what is this?” We were with another company back in ’96. I’m not even going to mention their name. They still had that material and they decided to put it out.

AllHipHop.com: So that explains the lack of promotion?

Murphy Lee: Exactly. If we have something out, it’s getting promoted like beer. It would be out there, running on back-to-back commercials. That ain’t us, if you want to get deep into them boys, if you’re a die hard St. Lunatics fan, you might want to purchase that. I wouldn’t help them promote that for nothing. I don’t want to even bring it up. I just hope the check comes.

AllHipHop.com: Earlier you mentioned that you wanted to take it back to the days of The Fat Boys and Kurtis Blow, when rap was fun, did you have any other influences?

Murphy Lee: I’m younger, so my influences came from the 90’s. I was with Spice-1, Ant Banks ,and stuff. I remember trying to be like LL Cool J from listening to my aunt’s tapes. Everybody else was on LL Cool J, but the first tape that I remember actually buying was The Chronic. That’s the era that I represent, and you can see it in my music. But, I still know where it came from as far as the roots in the 70’s and 80’s. Until just now, I didn’t even think about it like that, but that was my era; 8Ball and MJG, MC Eiht, Tela, and all that stuff.

AllHipHop.com: Nelly opened the door and then the rest of the St. Lunatics came after. Are you guys planning on doing the same with King Jacob and Jung Tru?

Murphy Lee: Actually, King Jacob and Jung Tru are already Derrty [Entertainment] artists. Me, King Jacob, and Prentiss Church are looking to form a separate group called The Young Dudes. We’ve done like 20-30 songs, we’re just waiting on the right time. The album is basically done already. I’ve also got my little brother’s group called The Camp, and an R&B artist named Zee coming out on U.C. Me Records.

AllHipHop.com: You and The St. Lunatics try to make it a point to keep a positive vibe, were you angered when the media started giving you negative press about the charge you caught last November?

Murphy Lee: Nah, we just paid them off man! No, but, honestly, we just try to stay away from negativity, dog. We did enough negative stuff in our past to not want to do anything negative right now. I promise you, that’s why we’re called Derrty Entertainment. We’ve got kids. We’re grown. And that’s why we came into this game to form a career so we don’t have to do things that will get negative press. Some people like that attention, but I don’t.

AllHipHop.com: You had a cut on Murphy’s Law entitled “God’s Don’t Chill,” are you down with the Five Percent Nation?

Murphy Lee: I study everything. I’m a realist, I don’t look at religion in terms of putting myself in a certain division. I don’t put a label on myself.

AllHipHop.com: When you guys debuted, you joked about writing your own names on the St. Louis Walk of Fame at the Delmar Loop. Have you gotten your own star yet?

Murphy Lee: Nah, I haven’t got a star. If they do it, we’d really appreciate the love, because we work hard. So if someone recognizes it, that’s love but I’m not really asking for it. I don’t have to be accepted anywhere, I can put a star right in front of this big crib I got, with my baby’s footprints on there. I’m a star already. I’m the reason why the day is going to come.