You took the acting really serious; you didn’t just jump into a role without studying did you?

I mean it was about my city and was probably one of the first accurate representations of my city ever you know and you know there have been others that haven’t been authentic and you couldn’t tell where you were, it didn’t represent the lifestyle and the culture where as this movie really gives you an idea of what it is like growing up in my hood, in my city. Just like Juice gave you an idea of what it was like for those teenagers growing up in that hood.

So this will give us as viewers a really realistic approach to growing up in Atlanta?

Yeah most definitely.

Was it just coincidental you got cast in this role with it being about Atlanta?

No, no, no. When I found out about it I phoned everybody who was in power. You know I basically pushed my ass to go and get it. It is just the result of a lot of hard work.

I just recently caught the MTV My Block: Atlanta and to see all those egos in one picture was a great thing. Was it important for you, as the show appeared to make you a main focus, to get everyone together for that photograph?

I definitely wanted to be involved; I mean I feel that a lot of people didn’t come through. You know Outkast weren’t there, Jazze Pha wasn’t there, but then there was a lot of family there, you know the ones that weren’t there for whatever reason, it was all love.

You involve yourself a great deal in the community and your Uncle was shown in that show and I believe you and him have a company called New Finish Construction?

It is really something that my Uncle had been working on, you know building houses from top to bottom and then when he came home that was what he was doing and I put some money into it and now we have done about 50 houses all in my neighborhood. That is in South Atlanta and now we are going to focus on bigger houses.

You do involve yourself in a lot of community work which is often goes unnoticed by many people.

That is what I saw coming up, you know all the respectable guys in my hood my Uncle included, they all gave back. You saw the cats that were getting the money and the cool cats always coming together to find a need to put back into the neighborhood and right now I find myself being like one of those cats. You know I was once the little kid looking at them dressed all nice and driving good cars and their gold chains as they were in a different industry as to what I was in, but now I am that same guy who can kick it with the kids and give them their money for ice creams, you know now? I am that guy and it is only right than since I was a kid and I received that and I reaped those benefits of being in the hood then it is only right that I give those same things back to the kids in the Hood. But I stepped out a little bit further with mine as I get to hit all kinds of kids from all different cities and states and regions. Continued on page 3 »