Cam’ron’s past is often overlooked. For instance, people don’t care to recollect that The Notorious B.I.G. wanted to sign the rookie. He also once spit bars with a shiney-suitless Murder Mase, McGruff and Big L (RIP) as a member of the Children of the Corn. Through his ever-changing career, Cam has shown many faces, all of which have exemplified his individualism. From the quick flippant lyrics of “Confessions” to the bouncy drawl of “Oh Boy!,” Cam’s never been a follower. He’ll certainly continue with his rugged individualism with Purple Haze, which is on the way – love it or not.

AllHipHop.com: Biggie “discovered” you through Ma$e. How did Ma$e introduce you to the legend?

Cam: Big was doing his second album, Mase took me to his crib after he signed to Bad Boy and he just threw on a bunch of beats and I just rapped for him. Every beat he threw on I had rhymes, I had mad rhymes back then and he said he wanted to sign me.

AllHipHop: What went wrong?

Cam: Nothing really went wrong they just was busy and then I caught up running around in the streets. That day he had called his partner Un up like I want to mess with dude Cam he nice. So after Big passed away I went to the video shoot for Big Poppa and I seen Un there and I told him who I was, he said I want to sign you ‘cause Big said we was going to do that. That’s how that went down.

AllHipHop: What happened when you got in trouble in college [in Texas]?

Cam: I got caught with some guns and drugs in my room.

AllHipHop: You were on the team?

Cam: Yeah, I was playing basketball.

AllHipHop: I never forget the promotion was real big like “Who is Camron” and “Who is Charlie Baltimore,” [when C.B. was with Untertainment] how was this?

Cam: Over there it was cool, we didn’t always see eye to eye creatively. No discredit to him, I can’t blame him but he was to caught up in the Biggie era. You got to do this like Big, you got to do that like Big, I’m not from Brooklyn and I’m not Big you got to let a n#### do his own thing. We didn’t see eye to eye creatively but Un’s a great guy he was working hard trying to get it poppin’, but we didn’t see eye to eye creatively.

AllHipHop: Early on your image was a little different from now, was that part of it?

Cam: Yeah Un was commercial, he want that one hit to get you out of that tight situation. Me I rather have longevity where I do 500 [thousand], 500, 500 then start doing millions, I rather get it at the end of the career. Not to discredit him ‘cause he did give me a shot and a opportunity but it’s just that he always want that commercial, he didn’t know sometimes that grimey leads to commercial…

AllHipHop: Y’all helped revolutionized the mix tapes; can you speak on that approach?

Cam: It’s been going on about a couple years, we made a tape ‘cause we always had music. We would put all the songs on a CD and put them out on the streets for free. We started selling them for $5 just to get our money back. So I did it then after I did it other artists started doing it too.

AllHipHop: So did that lead to your deal?

Cam: Yeah definitely. Def Jam wanted to take the deal, but Dame took the first rights and refusal and brought it over to Roc-a-Fella.

AllHipHop: Word is Dip Set lives like real Diplomats

Cam: [For one trip] I asked for a $100,000 airplane and come get a n####, fly him there and get everything I want. Like I was a###### about it, I don’t go out to countries and a war about to go on. Listen, if I go I need a world jet that means no passengers just me and my n#####, smoking flight there, five star hotel when we get there, American food, American chef, this all for 2 days. When you’re on a private jet, world jet or G-4 it aint no searching just get on the plane.

AllHipHop: Do you still have ill feelings toward Nas for callin’ you out? Jim Jones says stuff on the regular.

Cam: I don’t even pay that no mind anymore, you say my name I’m going to come at you it don’t matter who you are or what’s going on, leave me the f*ck alone. I did apologize about his daughter and his mom ‘cause at that time I didn’t know his moms passed away when I said what I said. So I apologized about that, but realistically like you said dude came at me for nothing. I used to like his stuff but I don’t even listen no more.

AllHipHop: Did you mean the apology, people felt like it was damage control to keep things peaceful?

Cam: What happened with me was when I heard it I went in the studio 20 minutes later and recorded the song. I don’t really take back nothing I say but I sat there and thought about it like his daughter aint got nothing to do with it. It aint got nothing to do with what his baby mother said or what he said, that’s jus me apologizing ‘cause I was dead wrong for that. Second, I didn’t know his mother died so that really made me f*cked up like damn I’m not that type of dude. I would say that if your moms is alive.

AllHipHop: What do you think about rap beef, personally I think it’s getting kind of played out?

Cam: I never did like it, I never like when you have to use somebody else name to get fame. What happens then is people’s feelings get involved and get hurt. Most of these people that do music don’t just do music, so it may turn into something else. Everybody should just do music and keep their opinions about other people to their self. Like I said you don’t know what’s going on in another artists mind.

AllHipHop: So you try to stay pretty cool with everybody?

Cam: Yeah that’s what I’m saying, with me even if I didn’t feel your music you wouldn’t know it because I act like I do. You’re your own artist, you do what you do to eat. Even like with Hammer, I aint f*ck with Hammer but his sh*t was poppin’. Hammer may not have like what Hammer was doing but he knew what he had to do to get that paper.

AllHipHop: You seem to be close to your own family…

Cam: My son goes to school out of state. He’s young I don’t want to say where [he lives] but when I got a few days off I like to spend it with him. Basically, any free time I get I like to spend it with him.

AllHipHop: Can you talk about being a pop star? Do you consider yourself that?

Cam: Nah, I’m no pop star, that’s what people say but that’s their opinion.

AllHipHop: You sold a million copies, that puts you in another level.

Cam: I love the love, but that’s what the people say, I keep it straight urban. Pop fans are not loyal, pop means they like what’s poppin’. They like you today and tomorrow they hate you. I love the ghetto.

AllHipHop: I saw you the other day when you left the office, you didn’t have any bodyguard or anything.

Cam: I don’t have any bodyguards.

AllHipHop: Any reason why? It’s kind of standard for a star to have one.

Cam: I don’t feel the need for it; I always keep one of my friends with me. If I aint got my jewelry on or dressed all flamboyant then, I’m not a big dude and I’m not real small so I kind of blend in. The only time it really get crazy, one person will see me and if they get the heart everybody else would come over, but most of the time I fit in. They rush me, but not like that. One time in Walmart we was shopping and …

AllHipHop: At Walmart?

Cam: We was in Georgia on tour, they [fans] just was rushing. I’m trying to get frozen meat, the produce managers and all that, they was bugging. At times like that it’s just like you know I’m trying to grocery shop, it’s cool ‘cause they buy your music.

AllHipHop: You don’t seem the type to shop at a Walmart?

Cam: When you in the middle of Georgia on promo where else you’re going to get food?

AllHipHop: You have a unique style that attracts hate. Do you take your stylist everywhere you go?

Cam: When it’s something important. I take her anywhere I got T.V. or photo shoots. Also, [as] far as me wearing pink, I do what I want. Period.

Kids and hip-hop

are an odd couple. On one hand, most people love kids when they are lil’ and

adorable.

However, when they

begin to grow and that voice starts to deepen, the masses have a way of turning

a deaf ear when they same beloved prodigy begins to spit about grown-up topics

and matter. Bow Wow intends to escape fate.

Before him, groups

like Illegal, Da Youngstas and Kriss Kross all demonstrated legitamate talent

and long-term potential, but eventually faltered after puberty. With his persona

changing before hip-hop’s collective eye, Bow Wow says he not like his predessessors.

With Unleashed, his latest, already gold, he might make good on his promise.

AllHipHop talked

to the manchild and he explained where his mind is. It is far more than dumping

the ‘Lil.’

AllHipHop: So what

separate you from the younger Bow Wow now musically?

Bow Wow: Just everything like I talk about I on a whole different stream as

far as my music. Its on a more teenage mature type of level its like real Hip

Hop not saying that what I was doing back then was not real, but its like a

real Hip Hop rap album it get no better than this as far as on a Bow Wow status

and this is ridiculous. I’m going to say this is my best album that I’ve

done because I’m talking about thing people are not use to hearing Bow

Wow talking about as far as ya know. I have a song dedicated to my mother ya

know then on top of that I got another song called the movement was basically

expressing ideas and things coming from a teenager’s head which the Neptunes

produce for me and that song is crazy, It just so many things on my album that

really separates me and when it comes out and compare it to me people are like

wow it’s a big difference. Everybody is going to know when I drop records

or when I do certain different things I always try to make it better and better

and this album is just kickin’ Doggy Bag like completely out the door.

This is crazy and after Unleash I’m try to make another album that kicking

Unleash out the door and I try to make my stuff better and better, as I get

older.

AllHipHop: How

many songs did you write on your new album?

BW: I wrote a lot can’t really tell you how many cause its so much. I wrote

just about every song except three and then TI and my man ROC they helped write

with the album as well.

AllHipHop: Now

you dumped your trademark braids…was that supposed to be an adult statement?

BW: I just got tired of the braids; it’s really nothing to explain about

that. When you cut your hair it’s because it’s a reason behind it

and the reason is that I just got tired of my braids that’s all. That’s

how it is man.

AllHipHop: If you

could change one part of you, what would you alter?

BW: If I could change one thing about myself, what would it be? I’d be

covered with more tattoos right now, yeah if I could change myself It’ll

be my arm, I’ll put way more tattoos in my arm, I have two now. Free know

was sup, she’s seen my muscle before.

AllHipHop: Are

you going to college and if you do, what’s your major going to be?

BW: That the topic that I am always talking about now since I’m almost

finish with school, so it kinda like I have it in mine, but right now I’m

just trying to focus on what grade I’m in right no. Whatever the future

hold that’s what it is, so I’m just trying to focus on right now,

but its not erase out of my mind like I’m still interested.

AllHipHop: Would

what you want to go into be music related?

BW: yea if I went I would want to major in business it all depends because I

want to go to the NBA, so if I go to college I want to be on an NBA scholarship,

not an NBA scholarship but a basketball scholarship, so I can play and then

from there and then from there I can go to the NBA, but if that does not happen

if I went I’ll probably major in business because I want to have something

to do with sports, so I’ll probably have to become a sports agent and from

that I’ll probably have to go to law school and that would take forever

and I don’t have patience, so its kind of like law school for six years.

I don’t know about all that, that just too much school so I don’t

know.

AllHipHop: As a budding adult, what bothers you?

BW: Me going broke.

And when you’re a celebrity, a lot of celebrities probably feel like “dang

I buy all this stuff it’s like yo, I’m going to go broke.” It’s

kind of crazy how it is, but that’s the one thing I tell myself, I have

my own money and keep buying stuff, I gotta chill with that.

AllHipHop: What

gets on your nerves that people ask you?

BW: “Why did you drop the ‘lil’ off your name?” I get that

question so much. Don’t nobody ask me that no more.

AllHipHop: If you had super

mind-reading powers, whose brain would you invade?

BW: I’ll probably

like to read a girl’s [mind], definitely. you know when a dude walks up

to a girl and sometimes they be like you know, like “I’m feeling you”

or whatever and girls be like “Yeah yeah yeah whatever.” And you be

really wondering like “Okay, I wanna know what’s going on in this

girl’s head.” she ain’t paying me no attention, and while she’s

doing that “yeah yeah,” she probably like “I wish this dude will

get out of my face.” I want to read a girl’s mind, especially when

you walk up to them and you actually try to spit game to them. That’s a

good time to read a girl’s mind, if you could read anything.

AllHipHop: I hear you are

doing some TV work. What’s the deal?

BW: As far as TV

appearances and different things like that I have my sitcom coming with Warner

Brothers WB, ya’ll can check that out. I just finish this movie called

the Johnson Family Vacation with Steve Harvey and Cedric The Entertainer ya’ll

can look for that next year and then also I’m getting ready to start a

new movie called Mr. President with Will Smith, James Vassiter Over Brook entertainment,

which is there company, so check out for that.

AllHipHop: Can

you tell us the name of the sitcom?

BW: Actually we don’t have a name for the sitcom right now cause its still

in the early stages were still in the beginning of casting campers, but you

know I’m a let ya’ll know.

AllHipHop: What

took so long to come out with the new album

BW: Because when we work on those movies its kinda like movies take forever

it seems like it takes forever and working on a movie its almost impossible

to promote and to do a movie at the same time, so when you confirm to doing

a movie this is what you have to do for three movies and that’s the three

months you take off from being on T V so much and recording and making records

and doing things in that nature, so it was kinda difficult, but you know, its

all gonna be good because now the fans and people see me now, its kinda like

pretty soon they gonna be like damn lil bow wow is everywhere, so its kinda

like the movie is going to play out, its going to come out, so all the good

stuff I‘ve been doing is gonna in the long run and the fans are going to

see why I took a three month break, so ya’ll can go see this hilarious

movie I did.

AllHipHop: Is there

anything new that you’ve seen that’s out already that you want?

BW: Anything I’ve seen that’s out that I want as far as gadgets. Nah

I got everything. When it comes to gadgets, I got that. I’m good with gadgets.

My camp, we always got the hottest gadgets. That’s really it. There are

really no hot gadgets out right now.

AllHipHop: What’s

your favorite video game?

BW: NBA Live still. I got it on in the hotel right now. Still running up the

Four Seasons [hotel]copy. Like that is my favorite game of all time. That and

Madden game sports is like the best when it comes to sports video games like

they always hold it down.

AllHipHop: What

teams do you play with the most?

BW: Lakers, all day. The Lakers and the Sixers

AllHipHop: Somebody

at home was like playing against somebody saying that they was using the Lakers,

like are there any type of plays that you would recommend to help them like

beat one they peoples?

BW: I don’t tell any secrets. Ask Cedric the Entertainer what happen to

him on the set. He got so mad at me ya’ll. I don’t tell any secrets.

I don’t tell nobody nothing when I play because I don’t like to lose

I like to win. If you play online and look up LBW 204 that’s me online

playing NBA Live crushing everybody, so when you see LBW 204 on there that’s

Bow Wow.

Grafh’s legend

is already sprouting wings. The streets are buzzing, talking about the battle

between the young Queens native and P.Diddy’s Da Band down at the Mixshow Power

Summit in Miami.

While there is

no official word of a victor, the word is Grafh held it down all by his lonely.

His mixtape, "The Bangout," has been selling like Bronx crack and

he shows no signs of decline.

AllHipHop caught

the Epic Records/Blackhand gunner as embarks on war.

AllHipHop: Tell

me about yourself.

Grafh: My name

Grafh yall. Blackhand is the label Blackhand is the gang. Queens Is the borough

and I just rep everything and I’m just doing it. Right now I finished two albums

and the "Bangout" out video. I’m on the "In Those Jeans"

remix with Ginuwine’s song. I’m on the grind. That’s it man.

AllHipHop: What

does your album consist of?

Grafh: My album is well rounded. I talk about my life in general, the sh*t I

seen and the sh*t I been through and my people been through. With me, there

was a lot of pain coming up. At 14 my pops was gone. I aint got no father in

the crib. My only role model was the street. He got murdered right in front

of me. I was in the street. My moms was in the street. I tried to stay out the

street but that sh*t aint work. My pops came back around when I was seventeen

and they blew his brains out so now I’m here and rap is kind of like my last

hope.

AllHipHop: What’s

your style of rhyming?

Grafh: Dirty, new, different not like them. Its Grafh. I just talk about real

sh*t. I try to get creative and witty with the topics. I’m a sarcastic n####

so it’s a lot of sarcasm in there. I think today’s hip-hop is in a state where

it just sucks. I’m trying to put a whole bunch of cool sh*t in one spot. I’m

just doing me.

AllHipHop: Where

you get the name from?

Grafh: I been had that name since I was young. I spit a motion picture. I spray

paint art. I even spray paint walls and sh*t. My name is Grafh. Its graphic

art. I spit a motion picture. Spray paint your brain a little bit.

AllHipHop: Is there

a certain place that you wanna get in the game?

Grafh: I wanna get to the top quick, but not too quick though. When you blow

up too quick then you don’t have no longevity and n*ggas will get washed up.

When you blow up real quick your music gets saturated and today’s hip-hop is

based on saturation. You gotta saturate the industry in order to win and as

we all know saturation make sh*t corny. That’s why hip-hop got a short memory,

because music get saturated.

AllHipHop: Why

do you think hip-hop is going down?

Grafh: It aint going down. Its stagnant. It aint going no where. Everybody is

doing the same sh*t. Everybody’s a killer everybody’s a hustla blah blah blah.

Sure. So if everybody’s a hustla where the f*ck are the fiends at. It aint impressive.

The music sound the same and n*ggas is picking the same type of music same hooks.

AllHipHop: Can

you explain Blackhand Entertainment?

Grafh: Blackhand that’s the label. It’s a street label. Street business, now

we doing music. Rap and the street is all the same sh*t. Rap, crack what’s the

difference. Its all the same sh*t but we doing music now and trying to take

it to the top. I’m the President of Blackhand. We just do music for everybody

that can feel my pain. If you poor and you aint never have sh*t then this here’s

for you.

AllHipHop: I heard

you got song with Shyne.

Grafh: Yeah its called get "Dirty." That’s in the street driving n*ggas

crazy. I did a song with Jay-Z and Juelz Santana. I’m on that Ginuwine remix,

its playing on the radio right now. I’m on 2 songs with Lil Flip and I got a

song with Juvenile.

AllHipHop: How you get Shyne?

Grafh: Magic. I put a mic under the f*cking cell block and we just made it happen.

Magic

AllHipHop: You

got an album coming out?

Grafh: The album is called Autografh. It will be out in February. Check

your local bootlegging table. I also got the CD out on the streets called Bangout.

I made an album for the streets because I make like a song a day. I got too

much music I can’t do nothing with, so I just give it to the street. I just

feed n*ggas. You only win in this game with music and I want n*ggas to understand

who I am and understand my story understand while I’m here.

AllHipHop: Can

you talk about your mixtapes?

Grafh: The mixtape

is just street sh*t. It’s for the street and whoever else wanna listen, be my

guests. As far as mixtapes period I’m on everybody mixtape. Kay Slay, Funkmaster

Flex, Enuff, Clue, Kool Kid, Whoo Kid, you name it then I did it.

AllHipHop: It seems like all these rappers are coming from Queens What separates

you from them?

Grafh: You gotta

listen to the music. The concepts I come up with the with. A lot of my sh*t

go over n*ggas heads. It aint complicated but I don’t know, maybe I rhyme too

fast and n*ggas think too slow. Its definitely fire.

AllHipHop: Can

you speak on people referring to you as the black Eminem?

Grafh: That’s a compliment because Eminem is a dope mc. He’s one of the few

MC’s the game got right now. My imagination goes far out, so in a way I grab

the words together my word patterns are just incredible. I don’t even know how

the f*ck I do it. I just say what the f*ck I feel. It just happens to be shocking.

That’s a compliment though so I take that.

AllHipHop: I heard

you ghost wrote for Joe Buddens.

Grafh: Wow. [Laughs] I heard that too. I ghost wrote for a lot of people. I’m

trying to be ghost writer slash actor slash everything. I do it all. Any of

these wack ass rappers that need ghost writers for them male or female hermaphrodite

or d###, I don’t give a f*ck what u wanna be. Holla at the kid, I do it all.

AllHipHop: How

did you get into rap?

Grafh: I was getting

tired of hustling and all that and I need to support my family and I was like

f*ck it, this gonna be my last hope and Ima go hard at this sh*t. n*ggas can’t

be thinking that rapping is all just fun and you spit. I aint gonna front, the

sh*t is fun. I don’t know how people get in this game and be like ‘I’m stressed’

or ‘man f*ck that’.. this is the easy hustle. It’s hard work but so what hard

work pays off. I don’t care what you do. If you work in an office go hard. If

you sell crack on the block do it all day. If you rap go hard. Work hard on

whatever you do, the sh*t pays off.

AllHipHop: There

are so many rappers that’s out like Cassidy, J-Hood are you trying to compete

with any of them?

Grafh: I aint

compete with nobody. I got a joint with J- Hood and Cassidy. I like them n*ggas.

I appreciate other n*ggas music but I aint competing with nobody I’m doing me.

AllHipHop: Where

do you see yourself in the long run of rap?

Grafh: Up there on the roof at the top of the game. If I don’t get to the top

I’m just gonna keep going until I get there. Aint no turning back and there

aint no losing.

AllHipHop: If

there was one rapper you would like to take out the game who would it be?

Grafh: I can’t even get into that sh*t. I aint sh*tting on nobody. All that

sh*t do is hurt they sales. Everybody tryna eat and feed they family, so I aint

gonna sh*t on none of them rappers, but its a lot of n*ggas I don’t like.