DX: Word. Lots of people glorify the hustle and the good side of committing crimes. Let's talk about the dark side. Let’s talk about being behind bars.

S: Oh man, I’ve seen good shit in life, and when the reality came that I had money, I thought that I could spend it on a lawyer, I’ll beat it the case, I’ll bail out, etc… They didn’t care, they were like, “You little black nigga you’re going to jail. We don’t want your money.” To be placed behind bars and be a rapper or a celebrity or whatever and you’re nothing but a number- 0283873. That’s the reality. I didn’t have the pleasure of being in protective custody. A lot of celebrities or rappers that go to prison, they really don’t see prison. Don’t get it fucked up… they’re not in general population. The prison that I was in was a different prison that they were in. It was fucked up. It was weird because, all the niggas in the streets knew me from gang life, so I got in a lot of fights, drama and a lot of crazy shit. I grew up in that shit. I [realized] that it was time for a change.

 

White C.O.’s had choked me, I’ve seen them with nooses, and black babies tattooed on their arms, being hung. I’ve been called, “nigger” and I was out there like I didn’t give a fuck. I figured that I never wanted to go back. I never will sell drugs again and the time spent serving and being in jail not making anything isn’t worth it. I’d rather get a job. I could have made more money working at McDonald's, than hustling on the block. Ain’t no more big drug dealers- that shit is over. It’s about education. You’re gonna work, regardless. Isn’t no sitting on your ass in prison. You’re gonna mop floors or do something. You either gone do it there or you can do it and be free. When you’re free you can open your refrigerator, you can have sex, or do whatever you want to do on your own or do it under the jurisdiction of a white man. You’re gonna do it.

 

When you get out of jail with a felony, what are you gonna do then? People don’t want people with guns and drugs, running their establishment. Who wants that? When you educate yourself, about business, you start to think that way too. Do you want a muthafucka working with you whose been convicted of armed robbery? We need to educate the people. These little niggas are dumber than we were. They’re dumb as a doorknob. The realness to them, are the rappers from the late '90s. At least we had respect. I think my generation was the last generation. They didn’t have a KRS-One that told them about self-destruction. After 2Pac, there was nobody. They don’t got nobody tellin’ them nothing except to sell drugs and those guys haven’t sold drugs in 50 years.

 

When was the last time you packed a gun or sold a drug to glorify this shit? I don’t believe these dudes walking around with $500,000 bracelets and niggas are poor in the community. Niggas going to jail, 'cause they’re selling crack for survival… man, c’mon. All the rich niggas, should just put up something. Niggas put up money when the Twin Towers dropped, let’s invest in some black teachers, re-constructing our community and we dying everyday. It’s genocide here. Let's build some schools. We were stripped of our shit… we were stripped.

 

Spanish people, Africans and everybody got some shit to go back to- to their countries. We here, with nothing- our history, language… fuckin’ nothing. But the government allows them to talk that shit. They don’t wanna hear the shit I gotta say. That’s why I don’t get no radio play now… they don’t know what’s gonna come out my mouth. I’ma tell it like it is. These niggas are lying and they lied to me. I believed that shit. My daughter ain’t gonna go through that shit, B. When I came home from prison, I had a daughter. I’m playin' the game, for 18 years from now.

 

S: He’s himself. That’s what I respect. Bottom Up. My slogan is “Be you, cause you can’t be me.” When I listen to Kanye, he touches on his emotions. You can never be wrong for that. I felt him. It made me feel him and I don’t feel a lot of rappers these days. Even though I’m not his type of dude. Kanye don’t talk about being tough, and he hasn’t been through, what I’ve been through, but I can relate to him. He seems cool. I can tell he’s not tryna be Common. I listen to a lot of niggas, like, yeah he tryna be like this nigga.

 

S: I got a lot of memories but I think my most memorable one is my man Big L. L was just a real dude. Everytime I was in his presence, it was Hip Hop. He was Hip Hop. He wasn’t a rapper, he was a brotha and somebody you can kick it with on some everyday life shit. He was a real nigga.