DX: I remember reading something about you spending some time in Buena Park back in the days?
BL: That was early '80s when I lived in Buena Park. You had gangs out there called The Lads, and there were different Aryan Nation gangs too. I remember dealing with that racism everyday going to school. I’d get into fights everyday. There was only like 20 blacks in the whole school. Out of those 20, only 10 actually said they were black. The rest didn’t wanna be black, and said they were everything else.

DX: Like Tiger Woods with the whole “Cablanasian” thing?
BL: Yeah, all that made up bullshit like, “I’m this or that. I’m not black.” Nigga, you’re about the same shade as this speaker! Shut the fuck up. So there were fights everyday at school, and all you heard was, “A fight, a fight, a nigger and a white.”

That’s why it’s so serious to me to attack racism, because I remember being in those fights. Who would have my back? Other white kids. We’d be fighting together, because we were all poor together. We were all living in low-income housing and fucked up apartments, sharing the same experiences—food stamps, sugar water, powdered milk, fried bologna. No matter what, we all deal with the same bullshit. Call it whatever you want, but it’s the same thing. So you’d have those fights everyday.

Then, trying to get home, you’re running from these motherfuckers after school. What does the bus driver do? She kicked us off the bus to let more white kids on. So we’d have to wait another hour for another bus to come, and here we go again. They’d go get some more motherfuckers from their neighborhood to fight us.

DX: I don’t want to sound like an after school special, but obviously something from that stuck with you after all these years for you to make that the theme of one of your mixtapes.
BL: God is good, man. All that gave me the knowledge and the spirit I have now to deal with shit like that now. My team is colorful, and I fuck with everybody. I reach all people because I know that we are all one. There are only good and evil people. People talk about white people being the devil, but I know a lot of black devils. I know a lot of Chinese devils and Mexican devils. The devil can come in any form; it’s just about good and bad people.

That experience gave me that understanding and that fire to fight against shit like that. I’m outspoken about shit like that. We didn’t have anybody say, “That’s fucked up. You shouldn’t be doing that to those kids—kicking them off the bus so they get their asses beat more and have to keep fighting. That’s fucked up.”

I wanted to knock the shit out of that bus driver. God says forgive, but I’d fuck that bitch up right now, or have somebody else do it. That bitch is probably older than dirt now, and she probably looks like Large Marge from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. [Laughs]

DX: That’s the side of California that a lot of people don’t see.
BL: Yeah, man. That was Buena Park in the 80’s. It was crazy because we lived right across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm. During the summer we’d break into that motherfucker and ride every ride.

DX: Logjammer all day.
BL: Exactly, and churros and shit too. We did that.

DX: Not to beat this “Nigger Noize” thing into the ground, but I heard you had people break-dancing with KKK robes on during your performances.
BL: Yeah to “Planet Rock.” That shit’s gonna be so stupid. We got some shows and it’s gonna be a surprise…well, the cat is out the bag now. Thank you, O. [Laughs] But, nah the scene is gonna be stupid. I just believe in entertaining the people and doing stupid shit. It’s not just the music; it’s the connection to the people and making them have a good time.

When people come in they’re supposed to have a good time. Don’t be ice-grilling niggas in the club. Get bitches, nigga. Be happy that you’re all there together, because you like the same things. You have shit in common—you like dope music and you want to have a good time. Everybody should be able to laugh, zone and take away some good feelings for their mind and spirit. You want to leave rockin’ and drunk, because if you fuck with me, you gonna be drunk. Fuckin’ with Taje, you might get high, but you’re gonna have a great time and you might get some pussy that night too.

DX: Alright, the next mixtape was Caltroit [click to listen]. How did you, Black Milk and Hex Murda hook that up?
BL: Motherfuckin’ Hex Murda, man…I don’t even know how that happened. I was always a fan of the Detroit movement—Slum Village, D12, Kareem Riggins, Royce [Da 5’ 9”] and everybody else. They were really doing it up there, and I had been a fan. I forget who hooked me up with them. I think it might’ve been Dave New York. I went to the video shoot and we just hit it off. Hex is a idiot. I had just started lifting weights and getting buff, and I had some shorts on. You know when buff niggas first start working out we have that prison build, where the legs are all small and the upper body is like Bluto? Hex was like, “Look at you, nigga. You’re an old prison nigga.” He was comedy, and we just hit it off. T3, Elzhi and all of us just really hit it off. Continued on page 5 »