It’s been a bit of time now since Jha Jha joined the fold of Dipset as their official first lady, yet, we still haven’t heard a great deal for her. That is all soon to change. She recently contributed “So Gangsta”, which is featured on More Than Music, the solo debut album from Dipset’s Duke Da God, and now she’s plotting her strike on the industry with her solo debut! Tentatively titled Bright Lights & Big Cities, Jha Jha is set to let her own personality to show. AllHipHop.com recently sat down to talk with Jha Jha, and not only did we get a chance to see how big she’s going to hit with her new album, but we also got a personal look into her life. Despite her surroundings throughout her childhood and adolescence, she still dreamed big, and managed to escape the many things that destroys the dreams of so many others. Now that she has made it, she’s pimping the industry in so many ways it’s rediculous. So you think you’re Dip-worthy? Read this.

AllHipHop.com: Growing up in Miami, did you always want to go to New York?

Jha Jha: I been rapping since I was eight years old, and Miami is not really a city where you can just break a new artist. I was with an independent label coming up, and I tried and tried until I was like 16 or 17. I graduated from high school and went to college. I was a third-year junior, and I’m like a year ahead of all my classmates.

AllHipHop.com: That’s impressive…

Jha Jha: Yeah, I’m not a stupid individual. My thing also, and I don’t want to get too far off the subject, but I’m intelligent, and I encourage kids to go to school and do all of that. I’m not one that’s like “Yeah, I was a stripper or drug dealer.” And there’s nothing wrong with it. If those are the cards that you were dealt, then that’s your thing. But my thing I that I grew up in the hood too! I didn’t grow up in no first class neighborhood. The crack head lived right next to me. The drug deals were right down the street from me. I could have took that route, but I chose to do better. The strip club was right down the street for me, and if I wanted to be a stripper, I could have been a stripper. I just chose not to go that route, so I encourage them to go to school, and become intelligent. If you want to rap, then rap, but you don’t have to be dumb.

AllHipHop.com: It’s good to show kids that you can be a product of a particular environment, but you don’t have to become a victim of the environment.

Jha Jha: Oh yeah, because I’m not no ‘goodie goodie two shoes’ or nothing. I’ll take you to where I grew up at. I had to sleep with my mother until I was like 16. I was never into fast money, because I feel like if it comes too fast, then it’s not going to last that long. So, I worked it out, and I encourage kids to do that. I know exactly what’s going on with my contract. When my attorney tells me something, we’re going through it together. I know what mechanical rates is, and I know about royalties. I know that when I sign that contract, I know exactly what I’m going to get. Some artists sign, and they don’t have a clue what’s going on.

AllHipHop.com: That is so great that you are paying attention to those things now, because just like you said, so many artist get into this business, and they don’t know these things. Then they wonder why they don’t get the money they thought was coming.

Jha Jha: Right, and they’re blaming it all on their management, but I feel like you can’t blame nobody for your mistakes but you. You heard the Toni Braxton story, and you heard the TLC story, so don’t come talking about they stole your money because you didn’t take the time to learn it, or because it wasn’t as important to you. I read a lot, and I watch how people like Diddy, they don’t compromise. So I don’t compromise. If I want it, I want it. So I tell kids if you want to rap, then rap, but know what you are getting into. You may actually be cut out to be behind the scenes. People behind the scenes make more money anyway. That’ why I produce, and that’s why I write for other artists. I want to be an all around entertainer.

AllHipHop.com: How did you get into producing?

Jha Jha: Basically, I have these two wonderful producers. One of them is Lance, and he is my right arm. I met him in Miami when I was with the independent label. The other, I met in New York. Basically, I just picked up from what they were doing, and I figured hey, I can do this. Let me go get me an MP3 player. Shoe me how you do this. That’s how I got into it. You make a lot of money off of that, and people don’t know, but you do.

AllHipHop.com: How did you end up getting down with Dipset?

Jha Jha: It was a coinky-d###! I’m from Miami, so being with Dipset was the farthest thing from my mind, even though I have known and heard of them. It was just by luck that I ran into their manager Joe. What happened, was I had finished school, and I made this three-week trip to New York. I figured, something is going to happen within this time. I ain’t know nobody in New York at all. I already had an album done. I just knew I was going to make it, and couldn’t nobody tell me nothing. My friends basically was like yea right, you better come go shopping with us and go to the beach. I was just like, “I’m going to New York.” I went on the internet. I didn’t know where any record labels were at, let alone how I would get inside if I found them. So I went on the net and pulled up the addresses to the major labels. So I went down there, and I went to Universal and Def Jam. It was raining so bad, and I was just standing so I would get wet. This dude named Big Joe came down like, “What you do”. I guess because I had this afro and my look was just distinct. My family had old me to look out for the pimps. So I thought he was trying to pimp me.

AllHipHop.com: Wow.

Jha Jha: Then he told me he managed Cam’ron and the Diplomats, and he was with Roc-A-Fella Records. I told him I was an entertainer and showed him by bio and demo, and he invited me upstairs. He was going to play my album in his office, but it didn’t work that way because it was during the time of Juelz Santana’s album listening party, so Joe was running around for that. I lucked out because we had to go down and listen to it in his truck. As he got into it, Juelz pulled up with Jim Jones, and once they heard it, they were bouncing up and down saying “That’s the s**t”. So from there, I was invited to the listening party, and I got to hang out with them. Joe was just like, if I wanted to do this, I would need to move up there to New York. It was a lot to think about because I had just got a new apartment, and I didn’t think my parents would go for it. In the end, I took the opportunity and moved to New York. It still didn’t happen all that quick, because Cam is like the head honcho, and they are really hard on women. I can understand why, just because of the things that some women do. So they had to test me out. I just let them see that I carry my business like a lady, and I didn’t have sex with nobody.

AllHipHop.com: Really?

Jha Jha: Nobody has ever tried me like that, but I just let it be known that I am not up for all of that. I was just around them, writing for like a year. I used to be real timid though, just sitting in the corner writing. Every song I would do though came out hot around them. It made them respect my grind. I wasn’t depending on nobody. I went and got my own attorney. At first my name was Styles, and then I changed it because there was already Styles P. I came up with Jha Jha. I paid for my own studio time, because I ain’t want them to think I was leaching or nothing. I had made this song called “Get from ‘Round Me”, which was featured on Diplomatic Immunity 2. When Cam and them heard it, the first thing Cam said was “That’s going on the album”. From that point on, I was inducted as the first female of Dipset….

AllHipHop.com: Have you started picking songs for your album yet?

Jha Jha: That’s the thing. I got so many songs to choose from, and I will not stop writing. I just can’t stop. Everyday, I write a song. What we’ll probably do is gather all the hottest songs, and then pick from there for the first album. I want like twenty-something songs on there. As many as I can fit on a disc. I’m from Miami, so I feel like I just got a whole lot of juices mixed up in my style. There’s a lot that I want to vocalize. I got a lot of stuff to talk about. It’s not just one style. I want people to know the things that I went through.

AllHipHop.com: Did you work with anyone else besides Diddy & Paul Wall?

Jha Jha: There’s a lot of people I want to work with, but I can’t disclose it right now. Of course Dipset will be all over it. I got a little R&B in me too. You know, I like to give what people call “more cluck for the buck”. I like to dance. When we were doing the video, they had to stop me. I can’t help it though.

AllHipHop.com: You have your own style…

Jha Jha: I have a Diplomatic attitude, but I have my own style. You don’t want everybody to sound the same in the group. Everybody is not going to have the same character.

AllHipHop.com: What else is going on with you?

Jha Jha: I’m in talks right now with a couple of companies for my own reality show. I’m still writing for other artists, and basically, I’m just getting ready for this album. We just did the video, and we’re about to go on tour with Jimmy for his album. It’s going down.

AllHipHop.com: Do you spend a lot of time online?

Jha Jha: When I’m free at home, I always online, talking with fans and whatnot…

AllHipHop.com: Do you have any final comment for your online fans checking this out?

Jha Jha: I just say look out for me! I’m coming. Bright Lights & Big Cities in the building. Gotta get that More Than Music too which is in stores now.

Renegade Foxxx is a whole other breed of artist, and he certainly shows it in an interview. In a conversation with AllHipHop.com concerning his Still Hustlin’ album, Renegade shares thoughts on every corner of the industry – and makes some bold commentary. But if you thought it was a gimmick, the Alabama turned New Jersey rapper even admits to his craziness at one point – for better or worse.

Regardless of whether Renegade Foxxx is crazy, he says things few will. From hood politics, to Rap bodybuilding, to Puffy and Oprah, and his friendship with DJ Red Alert, Renegade Foxxx is a unique spirit, an old soul, and a character for the ages. If you haven’t heard Still Hustlin’ yet, you’re likely to gravitate to it after checking this…

AllHipHop.com: I’m rather shocked to learn you’re actually a Jersey dude. Everybody seems to think you’re Southern…

Renegade Foxxx: Well basically, my moms who passed away and s**t, we was down in Alabama – grindin’, having fun. Then, I was young, a peanut-head, I got up in Jersey. Wherever you lay your head is your home, man. All hoods are the same – everybody wants to get out all of ‘em. It’s just a good situation. I just wanna shut this industry down – this industry is bulls**t.

AllHipHop.com: Why do you say that?

Renegade Foxxx: I did records with a lot of people – I see how people be vibin’. I didn’t wanna do records with nobody from New York, I wanted to do records with people from the South. The South shows love, man – real businessman. I can’t deal with egos.

AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that you have a lot of opposition from the people in New York?

Renegade Foxxx: Nah. Everybody cool. I pimp my car, drive. You see me in the party, I’m laughin’. The majority of the times, it’s just me and [DJ] Red Alert. That’s my dude, right there.

AllHipHop.com: That’s interesting. When people think of somebody like Red Alert, we often presume the pioneers to be not-so-accepting of a Southern sound. So many of those guys thought that Southern artists went soft on lyrics and too keyboard on beats…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, yeah. What it is, I give great respect to that man. A lot of these bulls**t ass DJ’s, they say they do – and they wanna be with him at the conventions, takin’ pictures and s**t – half of you motherf**kers don’t know Red Alert, or Kool Herc, or Kay Slay. Cats need to understand. Red’s been in this game for years. I’mma listen to him. I’mma listen to him before somebody else because you can only learn from an elder – older brothers who been there and done that. A lot of these cats with these crews today, they ain’t like that. That’s why you got all these gunshot n***as…

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got a skit that talks about that on Still Hustlin’…

Renegade Foxxx: Straight up dog, if you’ve got some beef with me – bark it. I won’t fight your boy, let’s fight each other. Just fight. Go in the schoolyard, go in the alley-way. Bust my s**t – I got money, I can go to the dentist. But when you start puttin’ up glocks and stuff, that’s ignorant. Ain’t nothin’ you can say bad enough for me to shoot you. You ain’t hurt my mama, you ain’t hurt my kids – I ain’t gotta kill you.

AllHipHop.com: Violence is running rampant in Hip-Hop right now…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah man, it’s f**king retarded. The littlest rappers in the world talkin’ ‘bout killin’ somethin’! What the f**k? These kids ain’t lived. They don’t even know what it’s like to do time – do a county bid. They swear they been on death row.

AllHipHop.com: At the same time though, you’ve got a song called “Royal Rumble”, where you say you’re iller than the Son of Sam, and tell the story of a 16 year-old kid really doing it. That’s violent in of itself…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, exactly – I was ruthless on that track. I was feelin’ the beat by my man, Alvin Johnson down in ATL. Before me and Bonecrusher got together to do it, I was actually feedin’ off his vibe. He’s a beast, so I’mma be a beast with him.

AllHipHop.com: Why’d you later add Pitbull and do a whole other version?

Renegade Foxxx: Because, my man Fireman from North Carolina flipped the beat – like wow. Plus, I’m cool with my Latin community. I think Hispanics are just like Blacks. I don’t look at Pitbull as Spanish or anything – I look at him as a Black man. He really shined on the record. To me, it’s his best 16 bars ever spit. I’m glad Lil’ Jon got him. I remember when Lil’ Jon wasn’t really rockin’ – we was all in Miami at Puffy’s party. Jon was up and coming. Now he’s getting his shine. First thing people do is say he don’t rap. S**t, if you don’t rap and you gettin’ paid – you genius!

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of gettin’ paid, what does Still Hustlin’ Records get its name from?

Renegade Foxxx: People think Still Hustlin’ [Records] is about the street. See, what y’all doing at AllHipHop – y’all hustlin’. What any DJ is doing, what any trick is doing – to get that money. Everybody’s tryin’ to get paid. A judge can be a hustler. A doctor is a hustler. Oprah hustles her life and she’s the richest chick in the world – she’s my favorite, I love her.

AllHipHop.com: She’s proved that fame is not ephemeral…

Renegade Foxxx: We all get 15 minutes. There was a time when Puffy was the king of radio, now look at him – don’t nobody wanna hear Puffy’s s**t – especially me. He still on his hustle with parties and Sean John. He on his hustle. He don’t really care ‘bout music no more. Boy N’ Da Hood is a good group. Will they get the attention they deserve? Hell no. ‘Cause the CEO ain’t hungry no more. If you asked me if I’d merge Still Hustlin’ Records with Bad Boy? Hell no. ‘Cause I’m hungry, I’m biting like a pitbull and he out there pettin’ poodles.

AllHipHop.com: From a dude in prison with a dream to running a label now with an album out, are you satisfied?

Renegade Foxxx: Nah, I ain’t even started yet. The day I get up on that stage and see my mama, I know I started. Other than that, she still up in Heaven, waiting… I know I’m a lil’ bit crazy.

AllHipHop.com: Sometimes that’s the only way to be…

Renegade Foxxx: Nah, I’m really crazy. I thought I’d just tell ya. I’m crazy enough to know the difference between success from failure. I want the best of both worlds. When I make this money, I’mma put this money back in the hood. These cats be driving ‘round in their 300,000 dollar cars and they’ll drive past the hood and won’t put a net in the basketball court. But the first words that come out these cats mouth is, “For my hood!” What the f**k you doing for the streets? Half of ‘em don’t even talk to they family no more. When the neighborhood bully was whoopin’ that ass, all you had was your family. Motherf**kers don’t know. That’s why I watch this industry. I got my favorite artists – my favorite is Tupac. That cat had tons of wisdom. I respect that cat. That’s the Black Elvis.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got “Royal Rumble” but you’ve also got “Wonderful World” – the complete opposite. Tupac was very contradictory too…

Renegade Foxxx: Exactly. You’re right, dog. There was a message in everything he said. I had the blessing of meeting his moms one time at the studio. It was like, “Damn, girl.” Anybody who can say on record, “You were a crack fiend, mama,” got my respect. When I was young, my family did drugs. I tried to hide that fact. That’s some f**ked up s**t. Kids never forget. That’s why, when I do this music s**t, anybody that rides with me is gonna watch a winner – I don’t bulls**t. I’m here to make you laugh, but I’m here to make you think that this motherf**ker is actually crazy enough to do it.

AllHipHop.com: We got Freddie Foxxx – another bald headed, tough guy, that’s been around for over 15 years. Were there any issues with your name?

Renegade Foxxx: You know what? I was gonna do a record with Freddie Foxxx. I really wanted to. It was gonna be me, Freddie Foxxx, and I was gonna call out for Foxy Brown. As time goes on, you start workin’ your deal – bit drifts away. I got a lot of respect for that brother – tons. I call myself, Renegade. Foxxx just came from my cousin who I was a big fan of, as a kid. Everybody’s confusing Renegade Foxxx with Freddie Foxxx – I’m just Renegade. Pay homage to that brother, he been there and broke bread. I’m a newjack.

AllHipHop.com: How’d you get Renegade?

Renegade Foxxx: I got Renegade just from being a bastard. I say exactly how I feel for some reason. I think a renegade is a person that just do – living on the edge. That’s me.

AllHipHop.com: Still Hustlin’ has been out a minute. What’s happening with it?

Renegade Foxxx: It released May 17th. I wanted a new deal. This my money, this my time – it’s a good record. I got a record that’s coming out next month that’s gonna knock the s**t outta everybody. It’s sick. I’m a shut down the Grammy’s – it’s a wrap. Dog, I just started! I ain’t got not no talent, I got a gift.

AllHipHop.com: The Grammy’s?

Renegade Foxxx: I did The Source Awards red carpet – I took the pictures, I did all that – and I left. I didn’t watch the show. I said, “I ain’t gonna stay in the seats if I’m not nominated.” I’m not gonna be a fan. I’m gonna take it over. When I take it over, you gonna say, “I talked to this motherf**ker when he said he was.” We gonna shut the Grammy’s down! I’mma let White America know.

AllHipHop.com: At one point on the record, you tease Missy Elliot…

Renegade Foxxx: Missy Elliot to me, is one of the most talented women in the industry, that fire is just burning out. I love her! I know her, I goofed about her in the skit, but I goof about people that I actually respect. I liked her better when she was thick. Don’t break the format.

AllHipHop.com: 50 Cent told us that he’s putting M.O.P. in the gym…

Renegade Foxxx: 50’s big on his body-building stuff. To me, he’s still light. He’s gotta bump them arms up, bump that chest up. I’m 240, I’m solid. You could put me on the Giants right now, and I’ll bust ass. LL [Cool J] did the liposuction. Damn, he did a lot of lipo. [laughs] I been locked up all these years, I can’t get that. I know he did work. [laughs] You got a lot of s**t out there that can enhance. I don’t believe in that s**t.

AllHipHop.com: I know you got E-40 on the album, his boy Celly-Cel is pretty cut too…

Renegade Foxxx: Yeah, yeah. Yo, E-40 is crazy. I don’t know what the f**k he’s saying! There’s a word he said on my record – to this day, I don’t know what a “bozzle” is. Dog, if you figure out what a bozzle is, call me. I don’t think he know. Bozzle? Damn, I gotta change up my lyrics. All the stuff you hear, Snoop’s [“dizzle” language], that brother did that – pay homage. I ain’t the first rapper to come out, and I ain’t the last – so I ain’t gonna say I’m the greatest. The greatest to me is them two brothers that died. Everybody else, they okay. KRS-One? He aiight. Rakim? They aiight. There’s no such thing as a great rapper no more. Freestyling? That’s bulls**t. Come on man.

AllHipHop.com: I will say that Jay-Z released a few verses this summer. He’s leaving the listener hungry at a time when rappers pump out too much material…

Renegade Foxxx: Exactly. That’s why Eminem outsold everybody. He ain’t gonna last. There’s nothing he can talk about. I was waiting for him to say that word, “n*gger.” I was begging for it. When they gave him the Greatest Lyricst Award – it p##### me off. I’mma be honest. I think Nas is nasty with his. Jadakiss is good. There’s a lot of brothers out there. He was just such a star. That’s f**ked up. I’m not taking Hip-Hop as a race war, but he’s a White boy. Respect – he must’ve had it harder than any brother out there. So? That’s the way I like to think. “F**k that!”

It has been ten years since the Lost Boyz stormed on the scene with Legal Drug Money. With Mr. Cheeks and Freaky Tah leading the way, the LB Fam carved their own niche with their creative party jams and energetic street anthems. Utilizing the formula that Naughty By Nature made popular, the Lost Boyz’ run during the mid 90’s was impressive to say the least. They were a staple in the rich Jamaica, Queens Rap tradition we see today. With nine singles/remixes off Legal Drug Money getting rotation in form or another, the Lost Boyz made their impact on the Hip-Hop game. Love, Peace, & Nappiness followed, and continue to grant the Jamericans airplay on feel-good street music.

However, since the tragic passing of Freaky Tah, the LB Fam has never been the same. While Cheeks went on to have solo success, the Hip-Hop public has seemingly forgotten about what the Lost Boyz have accomplished. Now with their ten-year anniversary album, Lost Boyz Forever, Mr. Cheeks and Pretty Lou are here to tell you that the crew is far from dead. With the duo intent on preserving the Lost Boyz legacy, and how making music still keeps them high.

AllHipHop.com: Take us back to when you were recording Legal Drug Money. What was your guys mindset going into the album?

Mr. Cheeks: We went into the album trying to vent our frustrations and problems. At the time we were making records, we were having wars in the streets and all of that, so it was a crazy time. We didn’t think we were going to be able to make music or be around long enough to do anything. But at that time, we were smoking mad weed and just trying to figure out how we were going to hit the world with our music. Legal Drug Money was a great album. We were in the studio having fun together and we didn’t think it would ever stop. We were making those party joints, feeding off the Naughty By Nature type of vibe.

AllHipHop.com: You mentioned Naughty By Nature. Historically, they are credited with the biggest entourage, but it seemed like LB Fam was right there…

Pretty Lou: I can’t say the city – I’ll say Queens – especially South Jamaica. We repped. We was like the biggest thing in the hood. We couldn’t even get a record deal up here, ‘cause our reputation proceeded us. We had a reputation for being these hard-headed knuckleheads. We started in like ’92 – didn’t get signed till ’95 – album came out [same year]. We moved to Virginia. We moved with some people from the Bronx or whateva. They were plugged in with Puffy and them. [“Butt-naked”] Tim Dawg was like at the time, right-hand-man at Uptown. That’s what pulled us in. The rest is history. It took a change of scenery for us to get on.

AllHipHop.com: VH1 or MTV said that rappers basically need to pay off members of the entourage…

Pretty Lou: We didn’t do it that way. We a family. At first, we was real local. It grew. I’d be the last one coming in the club, ‘cause I gotta get everybody else in.

AllHipHop.com: In the 90’s, it seemed you could have a street song and still get recognition. But now if you come out with a street joint, unless you have that big label and machine behind you, you are definitely not getting heard.

Mr. Cheeks: Oh, no doubt about it. Its like 50 is the only street n***a getting airplay. He makes good music and all of that, but there are other n***as out there making good music that deserve to be heard. They are just putting stuff out to sell. I remember those good days when n***as was putting out that good Rap music.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your perception of G-Unit, being that you’re from the same ‘hood. I know Bang ‘Em Smurf expressed feelings that they aren’t paying respect…

Pretty Lou: We known half them G-Unit cats all our lives. Half of them G-Unit cats crossed out they Lost Boyz tattoos. I’m not saying the major rappers. But the cats they got runnin’ ‘round in they crew.

AllHipHop.com: Why is that?

Pretty Lou: People go through different movements. LB Fam is a movement. We not some group some A&R put together, we known each other all our lives.

AllHipHop.com: One song everybody remembers from that album is “Beasts From The East” and Canibus’ verse. So tell us the story of how you hooked up with him?

Mr. Cheeks: We hooked up in Atlanta and used to come around with Tiz and Charles Suit. Freaky Tah really put that n***a on and getting him to rap and all that. From there, he started putting his pen to the paper and started working. So that’s how we hooked up with Cani – him driving around in his mom’s little Toyota Tercel, which you couldn’t smoke in.

AllHipHop.com: On LL’s “Back Where I Belong” off his G.O.A.T. album, he said that Bis was from Canada and he piggybacked you guys for a ticket out to Jersey? What did you think about that?

Mr. Cheeks: I ain’t know about that, I never heard that track. That was there little thing they had. That is what it was. He went after LL.

AllHipHop.com: I was just asking to see if ‘Bis was really from Canada and you guys helped him get to Jersey.

Mr. Cheeks: Oh na. [Laughter] I ain’t never heard that s###, word up. I didn’t know he said that s**t.

AllHipHop.com: Cheeks, did you ever feel like, “I’m doing all the rapping, I should get paid more?” A lot of people firmly believed that because you did the bulk of the rapping, that you were the group, so to speak.

Mr. Cheeks: Na, I just felt that everybody gets their fair share. I never thought about it like that, I just wanted everybody to eat. When we sat down with my man Tim Dawg, he said, “Do you want this 60/40 contract? Because there is going to be problems, and cats aren’t going to want the 40.” And that s**t sort of was, because n***as came into the game eyes wide open and ready to do things. It was never about the money to us, we just wanted to make it. When the money came, the money came, but it was never our main concern.

AllHipHop.com: With the release of Forever, this year, was your goal to keep the memory of Tah alive?

Mr. Cheeks: Yeah, we have to continue on for his family and our family. We had to bring out that Lost Boyz Forever album and try to take it back to what it used to be. But it will never be the same as when my n***a was backing me up with that hard ass voice he had. But just like how Biggie and 2pac are still living, that is how we are going to do for Tah and keep his memory alive. We have to let everybody know that LB is still here and Tah is still doing it with us. That’s where I’m at with it.

AllHipHop.com: I don’t really want to get into the tragic passing of Freakie Tah and stir up bad memories, but after he passed, did you think that the Lost Boyz were done and they could never be the same again? What were your thoughts on the group’s future?

Mr. Cheeks: Man, when my man died it was crazy, because we didn’t know what to do at the time. We didn’t know who bodied our man and there was a bunch of s**t swirling through our heads. And we knew it was never going to be the same when Tah passed, because me and him were the LB. Without that n***a, the music will never be the same. Without his voice the music isn’t the same. His voice is crazy and the fans definitely recognized that. He had his fans and I had my fans. But I know Tah touched a lot of people with his music and he definitely touched me while we were in the studio together. It’s hard when you are not rocking with your n***a anymore. I knew the Lost Boyz would still be around, but it was never going to be the same.

AllHipHop.com: What did you think of Super Head mentioning you in her new book?

Mr. Cheeks: Who?

AllHipHop.com: That girl Super Head, she mentioned you in her new book.

Mr. Cheeks: Oh word?

AllHipHop.com: Did you know about that?

Mr. Cheeks: Na. [Laughter] You know what she said about me?

AllHipHop.com: Big no h###, but she said you’re something to the effect of well-endowed…

Mr. Cheeks: What the hell is that about? That is crazy. These chicks are crazy these days. I heard about the book, but I didn’t know I was in it. But that is what they are doing nowadays. But I ain’t read that book, that’s another situation. Now I got to hear that from somebody, so now it’s going down. [Laughter]

AllHipHop.com: It’s rumored that you’re actually on the run, sorta…

Pretty Lou: Kinda, sorta. I don’t talk about it too much. It’ll be resolved soon. Somebody did somethin’ that had nothin’ to do with me. I was living in Virginia at the time. I was coming home late one night – I watched the cops kick in the door. They was like, “Do you stay here?” I said, “Yeah, I’m stuck down here putting together this album.” This was around the time Cheeks had “Lights Camera Action,” that was the number one song in the country. They was trying to walk me to jail. I’m not going to jail – not for somethin’ I didn’t do. It should be resolved soon.

AllHipHop.com: When you decided to focus on your solo career for awhile, did you feel like you had to step up and keep the group afloat so you could put out another album like Forever in the future?

Mr. Cheeks: Yeah, plus, people were always coming up to me asking for a solo album. So I felt it was time and it helped keep my name out there. That is the path I had to go at the time. But now we are trying to make it bigger. We should have capitalize on everything long before, but now we are here to do what we have to do to bring it back. We are bringing that new fire and it’s a whole new thing. Destroy and rebuild.

AllHipHop.com: Is there anything your fans can do to hold you down?

Mr. Cheeks: Cop that new album Lost Boyz Forever, its in stores now. Shout out to everybody who supported the Lost Boyz over the years.

Pretty Lou: Just pray for me, man. I’m doing everything I can to fight this. ‘Cause I’m not, what they thinkin’ I am. I’m waiting for certain people to come to my defense. I’m not a drug dealer. Let me fans know that, I know that!

AllHipHop.com: The name of the classic album and the label is Legal Drug Money. That says it right there…

Pretty Lou: Music is a drug. Music is in every culture. Drugs can change your state of mind. That’s what music does. It can get you up and dancing, down and crying. That’s what we are. We sell legal drugs – music. There’s no drug money fundin’ this.

Even with the tinted windows rolled up on his all-black ride, people are waiving at his car on Jamaica Avenue in Queens. Domination is really in the hood. There is a stack of posters in his the backseat to promote the release of the recently released God Giveth, God Taketh Away. With Bang ‘Em Smurf locked up till 2008, Domination has a lot on his shoulders to prove he can do on the mic, what many say he’s done in the streets.

Up until this point, most people know Bang ‘Em Smurf and Domination on the strength of their issues with 50 Cent. AllHipHop.com let the quieter of the two, Domination speak on some issues to promote the album. Is it more important to trash 50 or push the Gangsta Flip envelope? Domination airs out.

AllHipHop.com: Who are you influenced by musically?

Domination: Man, to tell you the truth I’m not really influenced by a lot of dudes. That’s how I keep myself different from everybody else. All-time, who am I influenced by? My cousin Freaky Tah, [fallen member of The Lost Boyz] I don’t know if you know that he was my cousin. I’m influenced by him because he represents the same struggle that I came out of. With him, I got to witness that first hand.

AllHipHop.com: Do you feel any added pressure to blow because your Freaky Tah’s younger-cousin?

Domination: Nah, I don’t feel any pressure because of that. I feel added pressure because of the negativity they put on us because of the G-Unit situation.

AllHipHop.com: Smurf told us that he told us that he felt blackballed…

Domination: [Cutting in] Oh no, we don’t feel blackballed, we’ve been blackballed! We’ve spoken to DJs, reporters and websites who have told us that 50 directly told them not to put us on.

AllHipHop.com: 50 told The Next Level magazine recently that he spent money to keep Bang’em out of jail.

Domination: [Laughing] 50 never spent money to keep Bang’ Em out of jail. He didn’t give Bang’em his money man. Bang’ Em had $325,000 with 50 while he was in jail and he didn’t bail him out of jail. 50 didn’t give him the money and then he goes on the mixtape talking about the $325,000 he took from Bang’ Em. In actuality he never saw that money. You know what I’m saying, nobody ever seen that money.

AllHipHop.com: When did you really decide to do “What’s Beef?” and front page this?

Domination: Smurf had just come out of jail. We wasn’t thinking about 50 Cent, we weren’t going to do no diss songs toward him. We were just going to forget him if he wasn’t going to mess with us. And we heard a DJ Whoo Kid mixtape and 50 was on the beginning of a pack song saying “Hey Smurf don’t think I don’t hear you out there talking about me, brush your teeth before you talk about me, wash under your arms you smell like Queensbridge. Tell them n***as about the $325,000 I took back from you. When I come back off tour and I catch you I’m going to rip the skin off your ass, n***a.” So, he just came at us back. We couldn’t let that slide, we was from the hood and we was his gunnas, so for him to come at us like that we got to go at his head. So, “What’s Beef” was true facts, we put down real talk about him, so that’s why other s**t occurred, but that’s neither here or there.

AllHipHop.com – The beef between G-Unit and Murder Inc. really divided Jamaica, Queens a little bit, didn’t it?

Dominatio: That whole time, even when I was with G-Unit, and we was beefin’ with Murder Inc., my friend was Black Child best friend. He told me I should stay out of it, but at the time I told him “F**k it! I’m riding for my team!” I’m swinging hard for my team and it turned out not to be the wisest decision. And since then I’ve spoken to Black Child, and it’s not a problem there.

AllHipHop.com: A lot of cat’s on DJ Mello’s “We Don’t Talk to Police” mixtape made reference that they think 50 is a “snitch” or informer. What do you have to say about that?

Domination: Yeah, he’s a dry snitch, he sure is. At first I didn’t want to believe it, but he’s a dry snitch if you listen to his songs and what not. The things that he says are not a code of the streets to say the things that he says. Like he says “50, Who shot ya?, is it ‘Preme, Freeze or Tah Tah.” He’s putting a lot of business out in front.

AllHipHop.com: Beefing with 50 Cent seemed to have introduced you to Yukmouth and C-Bo to do “He Ain’t A Thug”…

Domination: Yukmouth and C-Bo actually got up with us. They did they background work and research and came looking for us. We just got a call one day and it was like “What’s up, this is C-Bo from the West Coast, we want to fly you out.” At first we were skeptical, we didn’t know if it was a set-up or what. But then we though if God wanted us to go that way; that’s the way we’re going to go. Without any more hesitation we went out to the West Coast and met C-Bo, Yukmouth had told him about us.

AllHipHop.com.com: And you recorded the joint for their album?

Domination:com Yeah, we got on they album, but they didn’t get a chance to be on ours because they wasn’t on this side at the time and what not. [I do have] Kurupt, my artist Young Dice, and D.V. Alias Khrist. .

AllHipHop.com – Being that Bang’ Em doesn’t rap at all, how does your group work out creatively?

Domination – Me and Smurf, it’s 50/50 regardless. He has a great creative sense, sometimes he’ll give me something to rhyme about. He also had a lot of the connects and we just build together. We never took it as “Yo, I’m the rapper and he’s the boss.” We took it as that we’re both bosses and we’re coming in this game together and we’re trying to stay together.

AllHipHop.com: In terms of your own career, you have to feel like you benefited from the attention given to the beef between 50 and you and Bang’ Em.

Domination: Oh, hell yeah! That boy got eight million fans. S**t, all I need is five-hundred thousand and I’ll go five times platinum on Koch Records you know what I’m saying. Hell yeah that benefited us, I ain’t going to front on that. But that is not my intentions because if you listen to my rap, I have skills. If you listen to my album everything is not about 50.

AllHipHop.com: Tell me about the process of recording the album. Because you said you’ve only been doing songs for a few year now.

Domination : Making the albums was beautiful for me, because while I’ve [only] been doing songs in these two years I’ve learned a lot. I learned how to format a song-song, how to make the song perfect. How to make it work and speak about something, instead of saying, “I’m going to kill you,” 5,000 times or say it in 6 million different ways. I chose not to, I chose to make music that battered women could listen to and be inspired by, music that your homies could listen to and say “Yeah! That’s how I want my n***a to feel about me. That’s my dude.”

AllHipHop.com: How much input has Bang’em had on the project even though he’s been locked away?

Domination: Oh, Smurf is still the boss man. He still has major input; I go see him every weekend, he’s up in “Sing-Sing” correctional facility in Ossining, NY. It’s about two-hours away at the most. He’s going, he ain’t worried about nothing right now, just coming home. He’s good in the yard, give him his package, money in the commissary and he’s good.

Reef the Lost Cauze’s Feast or Famine is an ultimatum. The Philadelphia MC delivers his first nationally distributed album under self-created circumstances – all or nothing. From a feared reputation in New York and Philly battles, to his role on his group, Juju Mob’s Black Candles earlier this year, Reef has stayed devoted to his craft. In the last quarter of 2005, he seems to be raising his own stakes. In order to let go of a day-job and modern man’s worries, The Lost Cauze is willing to put even his last resort into his Hip-Hop career through an album.

After a month out, Reef discusses some of the gems of his project, the ills of being a battle-rapper, recent criticism of Eastern Conference Records’ work-ethic, college, and what he’d do if he were Eagles’ coach, Andy Reid. Live and direct from Brotherly Love, a brother that loves Hip-Hop – come feast or famine.

AllHipHop.com: Feast or Famine seems to be your philosophy with this album. All or nothing. That said, in your eyes, what’s sacrificed here?

Reef the Lost Cauze: The sacrifice is just me. I want this to be able to feed my family. I’ve been doing this a long, long time. I got my rep in Philly. I got a day-job, I hate it – I don’t want to be there much longer, man. Doing this, I love it. But I don’t know how much longer I can actually do this the way I’m doing it. We’re talking about leaving work, going [from Philly to] New York, doing a showcase or an open mic till eleven o’clock, then doing an interview afterwards, then coming back to Philly, only to be at work at six the next morning. That’s me. I don’t sleep. I’m always doing this – you have to!

AllHipHop.com: Do you still plan to stay in Philadelphia, if your career does skyrocket?

Reef the Lost Cauze: Yes, I definitely plan on staying in Philly if I blow up, and show these kids that not everyone leaves. I want to put the city on my back and be apart of that movement. I really like the way North Carolina [through Little Brother] has done that. I’d like it if we can do that here.

AllHipHop.com: At this point in your career, you seem to be above battling amateurs…

Reef the Lost Cauze: I feel like, at this point, it’s hard – because I still have it in me. I still have that desire. I’ll go to these battles, and sometimes I’ll be a host – and something could rub me the wrong way, and I’ll jump in. We all got skeletons in the closet, man. If somebody pushes my wrong buttons, I’ll go at ‘em.

AllHipHop.com: On the DVD to Geto Boys’ Greatest Hits, some dude from the crowd started battling Willie D on stage. Willie wasn’t prepared, but he turned around and came at the dude, and embarrassed him. Do you feel you have to be constantly on your guard?

Reef the Lost Cauze: Absolutely. I feel like I have to be. Look, that’s how KRS got on. That’s Hip-Hop. At any minute, somebody can say something. But just like you said with Willie D, it kinda could be a good thing. They tryin’ to take somethin’ from you. With me, I’ll get so enraged, I could easily turn into a machine. We’re gonna GO!

AllHipHop.com: Recently, Jin won 50 thousand dollars in the Bahamas and revived his career through battling. There’s that whole Fight Klub, Smack DVD movement. Do you think that’s different than your background?

Reef the Lost Cauze: Yeah, it is. It’s good for a reputation, if you want it. Nowadays, the audience has a very short attention span – it’s the way that generation was raised. In my battles, it’s about skills, wit, all that. In some of those mixtape and DVD guys, they’re more interested in talking about the streets – guns, money, women. Certainly, more people are probably interested in that. But in the end, you see what wins. A lot of those guys’ albums – if they even release albums – have nothing to say. That’s why I call ‘em “DVD rappers” – you only see them on DVD’s, never hear them. Until I hear the music, I can’t judge that. The underground is entirely different. When people ask me about my career, I’ve got albums [and other accolades] to show for it. Come on, I’m not about to hand somebody a mixtape and say, “Here, I’m one of these guys on here.”

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got a couple songs that really show the listener the ladder you’ve climbed – “Crown of Thorns” and “Crumbs”. Do you think today, it’s too easy to be a rapper?

Reef the Lost Cauze: I do, completely. I mean, when I graduated High School in ’99, there was maybe seven or eight rappers in my [West Philadelphia] High School. I bet if I went back today, there’d be 50 or more. Everybody has a record label, everybody makes lil’ albums. You gotta realize – coming into this Hip-Hop s**t, I studied the greats. I watched the Black Thoughts, the Last Emperors, the Chief Kamachis, as well as the Cool C’s and Steady B’s. I’d sit there and study them. It took three or four years before I ever opened my mouth! Didn’t say s**t! Today, these kids don’t know. They don’t do the research. They chew you up and spit you out.

AllHipHop.com: You have a day job through the Philadelphia Court System. It’s ironic that when we talk about Philadelphia rappers, from Cool C to Steady B to Beanie to Cassidy – they all pass through those courts. In your estimation, why is that?

Reef the Lost Cauze: Well, on the Beanie and Cassidy thing, I think it’s some of the people around them. You’re only as good as the company you keep. With Cassidy, it’s just a shame, ‘cause from what I know, he didn’t even do it – his man did. But he’s locked up. And what really sucks is I’m a Hustla is a dope-ass record, I own it myself. Because of what happened, the label stopped working it. I can’t even blame them.

AllHipHop.com: Where do you see yourself in the Philadelphia scene?

Reef the Lost Cauze: People tend to look at Philly like you’re either on some street s**t, like State Property or on some more organic s**t, like The Roots. I’d like to think I’m some where in between those two worlds, somewhere between the streets and the Neo Soul conscious crowd because I am apart of both of those worlds and I feel like my perspective is and was shaped by both of those ways of thinking and expression.

AllHipHop.com: You were a student at The University of the Arts, but dropped out your freshmen year. Ever since Kanye West, Hip-Hop loves to care about this stuff. Can you tell me why?

Reef the Lost Cauze: Basically, Kanye really hit it on the nose. On College Dropout he has a song, “School Spirit” where he says, “This n***a graduated at the top of my class, next year, when to Cheesecake [Factory] he was a mothaf**kin’ waiter there. That’s sorta what it was. The dudes I was cool with, these 25 and 26 year olds, they graduated and didn’t have s**t. They were just sittin’ around smokin’ weed. I was a film student. It’s very hard to get to Hollywood, and most of the people there, didn’t go to no school to do it. The ratio of success is very low. Music is a little different. So after I left [college], I had an extremely, extremely tough year, and then I ended up getting my job. I pay my rent every month. Honestly too, if I stayed, I probably wouldn’t be sittin’ here having this interview either. It was a blessing in disguise.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve got a song on your album, “Coltrane” which really tells the stories of some great music from Philadelphia, but just Soul music in general. What prompted you to right that?

Reef the Lost Cauze: First, I’m just a big fan of those records. The same way that Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane influenced me, I’ve got to tip my cap to Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye. Right now, we’re very much about this Soul-sampling, sped-up vocal stuff. What I wanted to do with that record, is let us hear their voices. Slow it down. Appreciate it. A lot of my fans and people who listen to the record might not know who these people are, it’s a way for me to say thank you.

AllHipHop.com: Sort of like Nas did with “Unauthorized Biography of Rakim.”

Reef the Lost Cauze: Exactly. We’re so caught up in our own stories. We’ve got to say thank you. I looked at that record and Gang Starr’s “Jazz Thing” as inspiration.

AllHipHop.com: Over the summer, Cage told us that moving from Eastern Conference Records to Def Jux, he really saw the lacking work ethic of Mighty Mi and Eon. That’s his opinion. But coming into Eastern Conference, through Good Hands, what do you say?

Reef the Lost Cauze: I don’t know, man. We gotta remember that Eastern Conference was one of the biggest independents ever, at one time. Those two dudes know what they’re doing. I do realize that EC is not what it once was. That’s nothing new though, happens all the time. They were great, and were a great avenue for artists – and certainly, Cage was part of that. Mighty Mi has been a huge help for me, and never given me issues. He was DJ’ing at my album release party. Eon too. Those guys put me on their record. I don’t know, it is what it is. Cage put out a classic album [Movies For the Blind] with EC, and I think when people look back on the history of Cage and the history of EC, that’s what they will remember: not the fallout, but the music that was made while he was there.

AllHipHop.com: You mention your mother and your grandmother a lot on this album. What kind of support system are they in your life?

Reef the Lost Cauze: My mom is my heart. She’s truly my best friend, everything. She raised me and my sister, and did a hell of a job doing it. She’s a strong woman who left two husbands, and put us first. My grandmother and grandfather are the world to me. I’m to blessed to have been raised by and around three wonderful women. I would love to be able to buy my mom a new house, and my grandmother an Atlantic City condo. She and my grandfather love to gamble.

AllHipHop.com: Few MC’s with a serious battle background make good storytellers. “My Father’s Eyes” is an interesting true story. Tell me about it…

Reef the Lost Cauze: My father left when I was very young. He was around, but not much. It basically just me and my mom, then my sister came. So later on, once I was getting around, my father tried to make an effort. It was hard, especially when the younger man has to be the bigger man. But whatever. I said okay. I invited my father to a showcase. When he didn’t show, I said, “F**k it.” That’s pretty much where I’m coming from. Sometime soon, when I’m a father, I’ll learn from his mistakes.

AllHipHop.com: To close on an offbeat note, what’s good the Eagles this year? You make a lot references to them. I liked the Reggie Wright / Troy Aikman line on the record…

Reef the Lost Cauze: Rest in peace, Reggie! I don’t know, man. I think McNabb needs to heal. But they won’t let him do so. That’s big. The NFC has changed a lot from last year. I mean we were destroyed by the Cowboys. Yeah, I’d let McNabb heal and then come back later in the season. That’s when my season starts, really. DJ Excel was telling me the other day, “Philadelphia is a city of ‘Almost Champions.’” I agree. We never do it, but we get so close. Look at the Eagles last year, or the 76ers in ’01. Do I think we’re gonna make the playoffs? Yeah. The Super Bowl? I don’t know, man.