Comin’ up, what did you learn from working with the Juice crew and the likes?

I remember comin’ up and being around Big Daddy Kane, you know how fucking nasty Kane is? You don’t wanna open your mouth. You’re sitting there like … It’s equivalent to anybody who wants to make it in the corporate world or whatever, going to like Princeton or like fucking Yale. You’re having sessions with Rakim, do you understand what that means? I been in the corners of these sessions, like I was a little dude in the corner just sitting there…You ever find yourself becoming so receptive that you leave your physical body? Like, you’re not conscious of your body. You’re just in this moment, in this place, in this energy. That’s what that shit was like, every time. Because you gotta remember not only are these dudes the illest in the game, they were the game. Like you don’t understand what that feels like to echo across your building while you walking through the block with some Filas on and no socks on and a tank top and you like, fucking, 80 pounds, 16 years old you don’t even have fucking facial hair. Just walking through the block. You’ve been there, you see how the buildings are, imagine that shit bouncing off the walls and it’s like it’s touching you while you walking and you like, “yeah this is my moment.” That’s what that shit feels like. That shit is the illest high, like G. Rap. Come on, man. Amazing. But you know, I hope that there’s young artists or young listeners who feel that way now about somebody ‘cause if they don’t they being robbed.

So what do you say to the kids who come to you for advice, who look up to you, or just around-the-way kids?

Be true to yourself. Love yourself. I think one of the greatest crimes that anyone could commit is not loving themselves and I think that translates to a lot of other bullshit. I think it’s ultimately the lack of love for self. When you love yourself, you’re not trying to sell death to nobody. When you love yourself, you’re not trying to physically hurt nobody. And do your dreams…and if people are not with you, they are against you. If they can’t be supportive of what you doing and what you really love and you’re true to, then you gotta leave them alone. Sometimes it hurts but you don’t ever wanna be in that situation. See, I’m lucky and I’m blessed. I’m so blessed sometimes, on some real shit, tears come to my eyes when I think about it. When I sit back and look at the shit I’ve been through, I’m like “damn, I’m not even supposed to be here right now. How the fuck am I here? I got holes all in me.” Sometimes your parents don’t understand, sometimes your “significant other” doesn’t understand, sometimes it’s you - you might not understand, and it’s hard. But you can’t let them get in your way, and you can’t get in the way of your own self ‘cause nothing comes with sleeping but dreams. And in this day and time for young people to have dreams, I think that’s beautiful. Dream big. Taste your dream. Appreciate everything, ‘cause you could be in a different situation. And I’ve been in all of them, except death damn near. I didn’t die yet. I’ve been shot, stabbed, car collision... I’ve been in jail so much. But you gotta keep that passion; keep that focus on your dream. Continued on page 4 »