bigted

Bump for anyone that missed it!

this is something the rap world needs, 2 of the most creative lyricists ever coming 2gether like this!! :1-smile:

Yeah that's kinda freaky how "Like Toy Soldiers" video came to life with Proof dying in the video and Eminem rushing to the emergency room, a lot of people talking about that....

Yeah I can't lie, Rhianna's bangin', she's gonna be my future baby mama :wiggle:

This thread's still going? Bow Wow said in that interview that he respects everybody in hip-hop and he's just saying that he's one of the most successful out now, it's a harmless statement, somebody needs to lock this thread up, leave Bow Wow alone already, there's no beef anymore, if you ain't got nothin' nice to say don't say nothin' :tantrum:

Well 50 Cent has some intelligent songs too, don't be fooled by what you hear on the radio(even though a lot of those songs ain't really violent either if you think about it, they're just dance songs), he's not as dumb as people make him out to be, remember Will said when he won the AMA award he considers him his friend and that he's not referring him on "Lost and Found", he's referring to those who imitate what people like him do instead of being themselves, that's who he considers "Lost", in other words a rich kid in the suburbs who tries acting like a studio gangsta is what Big Will is referring to, Mary J. Blidge also said in a recent interview that she considers 50 intelligent and askshim for advice, I liked some of his songs on his "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" album like "Many Men"and "I Gotta Make It To Heaven", these are the type of songs that describe the struggles of the streetlife not quite as well as Ice Cube does but at least he tried there, lol, if he made more songs like that and spent less times criticising half the rap industry maybe I'd like him more, I understand though it's an image to sell his albums, now of course he ain't on the same level as Ice Cube but like Ice Cube he don't rap about violence on all of his songs, in fact what rapper makes all songs about violence? I can't really think of one, that'd be a really shallow artist that nobody'd listen to, probably some of those kids that post their songs on myspace, lol, fans look for versatility in their music and don't want to hear an album with everything sounding the same, if you don't like 50 Cent so much just don't buy any of his music and support who do like and don't spend so much time dissin' him, let him live damn it, I don't like him much either but you don't see me making a million posts dissin' him, I rather talk about LL Cool J and KRS-ONE instead....

Yeah I agree with that, that's what it comes down to who I like, if an artist is a great songwriter and could flow real well I'll listen to them, that's why I like Ice Cube more than 50 Cent, Ice Cube's much more talented but they both have violent elements in their music, I like some gangsta rap but I like listening to conscious rap artists more...

Yeah I agree that using NWA as an example is not a smart example for DMC to make that point, they were basically the G-Unit of their time, sure you could say NWA had some positive messages in their songs too but so does G-Unit if you listen to their albums so I don't see the difference except that NWA's legendary and G-Unit ain't yet, but he should of mentioned JJFP instead of NWA if he wanted to talk about their being non violent rappers then, there's still non violent rappers now too but labels don't promote them, diss the labels, not the artists, like I said in the other thread if labels promote a certain image, then the game'll be unbalanced, all artists need to be heard, there should be as much of an opportunity for the Talib Kwelis to be heard as much as the 50 Cents of the world, that also comes down to what the fans want to listen to, people sleep on Talib Kweli but yet they're the ones who all yell out 50 Cent's wack!, well if you feel he's so wack listen to somebody else then, violent music don't promote violence either I mean look at what happened to Jam Master Jay and Scott LaRock even though they weren't gangsta artists, when all the rap music was clean in the early '80s it was the crack era and violence was at an all-time high worse than now, so why do you say music has to do with the way violence is? That's silly!!! Turntable's right, it's only entertainment, it's not like I'm gonna shoot somebody after watching "Bad Boys"??!!, lol

Well some of these rappers like G-Unit give to charities privately though, that's just when people say that Will is a sell out that don't help out the community but he does it privately too without press, right? Btw AJ, I read an article a month ago on Allhiphop.com about how G-Unit is gonna be doing a celebrity golf tournament with your boy Nick Cannon, with proceeds going to kids with cancer so you can't say they don't s***... EDIT: I tried searching for that topic there I couldn't find it, I know I read it on some site but there is an article here about how G-Unit and Luda did something for kids during Christmas: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5182 I think that the press should cover more of the good things that rappers do and stop focusing on negativity 'cause they're not as bad of people that they make them out to be, some of these thug rappers are like actors, their music don't really reflect who they are, record labels hype their image for high sales, lol, and btw why mention G-Unit in this post? This is about Pras not G-Unit anyway, there's no need to go off-topic but since we're there.... I really hope that Fugee album comes out soon, we need some real artists like them at the top of the rap world and music world in general on top 'cause there's a lot of boring stuff out there, more innovative artists needed, I personally must admit that I don't like how record labels throw true artists to the side but they want money though, it's the gift and the curse that hip-hop became a billion dollar buisiness to me, it helps talented artists have a better life and that's a good thing but there's a bunch of greedy people out there running these labels that know that negativity sells so they promote it, there's a lot of conscious artists out there but they get pushed off to the underground or the back of the label with no promotion for labels to promote the thug images, the rap game became the porno industry, we need more executives like Russell Simmons that care about displaying the heart of hip-hop not just monopolising off of it for themselves, keep in mind that the executives and presidents of the labels are the ones that give the green light to the artists to release the albums so if they really had any integrity they'd tell the artist to clean up some of their songs before releasing the albums but they know it won't sell so they let the artists release the albums the way it is, shouldn't they be held accountable too? It's just like what Suge Knight did to 2Pac's image is what these executives do to a lot of these rappers out now, change their images so they become more profitable... Labels actually want the artists to be more violent so it could sell it's like the skit on Wyclef's "Carnival" album: "Guys you have to be more gangsta, more bloody, more hardcore, I'm not feeling this, more", lol.... Chuck D said this before in one of his terrordomes that record labels don't care if rappers go around and kill each other, as long as they make money off of their catalogue, I bet more people bought Proof's album this week 'cause he died and it'll be the same way if Eminem kills himself, they'll do a million tributes to him and he'll sell another 30 million albums from the grave putting more money in Jimmy Iovine's pockets, hearing people focus on negativity so much makes me sad sometimes, I wanna hear more feel good stories like this with Pras helping out homeless becoming more public to show that these rappers are human like any of us :shakehead:

:word: People focus on the negatives more than the positives, Will gets way more love than hate....

I know a lot of people on this board including myself have been critical about Eminem's music but I think we need to keep Eminem in our thoughts 'cause he's has a lot of drama in his life right now with his friend Proof dying, dealing with his divorce, he's having thoughts of suicide, hopefully he could get it together with his life and lead an example to the millions that buy his music and look up to him: ****EXCLUSIVE**** April 13, 2006. In an exclusive interview granted to MediaTakeout.com, a close friend of Marshall "Eminem" Mathers is worried that the rap star may be suicidal. The friend, who has asked to remain anonymous, claims that Eminem's break-up with his two-time wife Kim and the recent death of his best friend may be too much for the rap superstar to endure. According to the friend, "I'm not sure that [Eminem] can handle all this ... I'm worried that he may try to hurt himself." The past year has been particularly trying for Eminem. Eight months ago the platinum-selling artist checked himself into a substance abuse clinic to recover from a sleeping pill addiction. Last week, Eminem announced that he was divorcing his longtime love Kim Mathers. Shortly afterwards, Kim suggested on a Detroit radio show that Eminem is still addicted to sleeping pills. And two days ago, Eminem's best friend Deshaun "Proof" Holton was gunned down in a Detroit nightclub. Eminem is no stranger to suicide. The rapper has admitted to attempting suicide in 1997. After his then girlfriend Kim left him and barred him from visiting their child, Eminem unsuccessfully tried to take his life by ingesting more than a dozen pain killers. Two of Eminem's uncles, however, were successful in their suicide attempts. In 1992, Ronnie Nelson, the brother of Eminem's mother, shot himself with a shotgun. In 2004, Todd Nelson, another brother of Eminem's mother, shot himself in the head as he sat in his car. These suicides are particularly troubling since studies show that a person with a family history of suicide is two and a half times more likely to take their own life. Developing... www.mediatakeout.com __________________

I could agree with some of the stuff you're saying guest, I mean if this was a rapper we all like on this board like Busta Rhymes saying that "Will's a real n***" I bet we wouldn't criticise him so hard for saying it and we'd be more happy about him giving Will props but since we don't like TI we criticise everything he says, even if it's a good thing he said about Will, you want Will to come out now and start beef with him or something, lol? But at the same time even though a lot of people say the "n" word doesn't mean it's a good thing, it's a negative word no matter what way you twist it the way I see it and I don't like saying it personally 'cause I don't know how some people'll take it but if one of my friends says "what's up my n***?", i'm cool with that 'cause they mean it in a positive way and that's the way it is here too with TI, he considers Will a real dude like I said earlier, hate him or love him, he respects Will...

Rapper Pras Of The Fugees To Feed Homeless On Easter By Mike Winslow Date: 4/14/2006 12:20 pm Fugees member Pras Michel has agreed to help feed homeless people in Los Angeles, where the rapper recently filmed First Night, a documentary on homelessness in America. Pras will discuss the homeless epidemic Sunday (April 16) at The Midnight Mission, located in downtown Los Angeles. For First Night, the rapper spent nine days and nine nights undercover as a homeless man in a 50 square block area of downtown Los Angeles known as "skid row." Pras started filming his exploits on March 26 and finished on April 5, using only the clothes on his back and $9 dollars. The documentary also contains six inspirational stories from people who overcame their impoverished situations.

Well maybe he might record another "Men In Black" song for it :hmm:

I don't think Cassidy is referring to the emcees, he's referring to how the older generation wasn't guiding the youth down in the right direction when the "crack era" took over in the inner cities during the 70s and 80s in inner cities, he's not talking about music, he's talking about street life, he means that parents weren't leading their kids down the right direction 'cause they were caught up in the pimping and drugs themselves, and it still exists now, it's good to see that he understands that and it sounds like he really wants to be a positive role model for the youth that might listen to him, I wish him the best...

Eminem's comments on Proof: "You don't know where to begin when you lose somebody who's such a big part life for so long. Proof and I were brothers. He pushed me to become who I am. Without Proof's guidance and encouragement there would have been a Marshall Mathers, but probably not an Eminem and certainly never a Slim Shady. Not a day will go by without his spirit and influence around us all. He will be missed as a friend, father and both the heart and ambassador of Detroit hip-hop. Right now, there's a lot of people focusing on the way he died. I want to remember the way he lived. Proof was funny, he was smart, he was charming. He inspired everyone around him. He can never, ever be replaced. He was, and always will be, my best friend." -EMINEM http://www.d12world.com/index.php?s=...44986075,66471

Yeah this is DMC from the group Run-DMC, lol, anyway DMX actually said something in an recent interview when he signed to Columbia Records that he doesn't let his kids listen to rap 'cause he thinks there's too much violence and sex in it, probably not his music either, lol: "To be sure, hip-hop has changed in the past three years and Simmons considers today's gangster/bling rhymes vapid. "It's music I wouldn't even let my 13-year-old son listen to," he says, sitting in his recording studio in upstate New York. "It's not real. No one is saying anything. It's not rap, it's crap. There is no soul. I refuse to conform." But then again he don't rap about killing in all of his songs so he probably burns a CD of some of his songs for them to listen to,if you actually heard any of his albums you'd know that he ain't like most rappers out today since he makes quite a bit of songs with positive messages in them, he's another mc that could clean up the rap gimmicks out now when his album drops, hopefully it blows up like his first album but with Columbia promoting who knows if that'll happen...

Here's the second part to the interview: Cassidy: Jail, Lessons & The State of Affairs Part 2 By Jigsaw W AllHipHop.com: Not to get all philosophical, but Proof of D-12 was killed today and it seems like rap music and Hip-Hop is going through this over and over. What’s your opinion of the state of Hip-Hop on the level and specifically the state of the Black man in America. Cassidy: It’s definitely going down real crazy on the streets and the Hip-Hop community - and as you said, not just the Hip-Hop community, as far as the minorities. As far as entertainers, I’m sure somebody else [that wasn’t famous] died yesterday too. That’s stuff we ain’t hearing about. Violence is at an all-time high. There are so many reasons why it is, that we’ll be here for months talking about it. Its like, you know, there are a lotta reasons that dude’s are responding the way they are responding. Dues ain’t eating, they hungry out there. That’s one of the main reasons. They don’t have access to the paper [money] that’s out here in the world. That’s one of the reasons violence is at an all-time high. It’s a lot of ways to be successful and a lot of ways to make paper, but the dudes in the hood, the minorities don’t know about it. So, they feel all they can do is be a drug dealer, rapper, or a sports player. They feel if they ain’t one of those three things, they are left out so they gotta take what they want. That’s not true. There are a lot of other ways to be successful and probably generate more money than a celebrity or a sports player. But they don’t know those things. Knowing those things is not in the hood. The people doing those things is not in the hood. The only think that I see in the hood is the dude moving these birds [drugs], so Im’a try to be like him and not this doctor. I don’t see this doctor [in the hood]. A lot of these successful [people that got] good careers, they need to step it up and be positive role models for the people that’s stepping up. So, they I wanna be like him instead of Scarface [Cuban druglord played by Al Pacino] or Nino Brown [drug dealing character in 1991’ New Jack City. If you don’t see it, a lot of dudes ain’t gonna go in a book and read and kids ain’t gonna try to do they own research. They need people with status to promote other things besides clothing lines, besides sneakers. Show these dudes another way and how to generate money, how to love each other and how to build a foundation over time. It took a long time for it to get this way. It ain’t just happen over night. Its gonna take time for to get better. AllHipHop.com: Do you feel the older generation has let down the Hip-Hop generation, or at least neglected them? Cassidy: [Pauses] The older dudes, it might not have necessarily been their fault. [The 70’s and 80’s], that’s when the drugs hit major, that’s when crack hit, so a lot of the dudes that’s older than us, teaching us the right way to go, they were lost themselves. Either they were lost up in hustling, or lost in using the drugs or caught up in pimping or being pimps. They wasn’t able to be the positive role models that they could have been. I don’t necessarily point the finger at them, because everybody is responsible for their own decisions. But they did play a role in why the generation after them went so crazy. To make a difference, the dudes that’s young like me, Juelz, T.I., Fab, step it up and show a difference. Then the younger kids that’s five, six, 11 years old, they might take a different direction, gradually change. And then the generation under them, might gradual change and you might see improvement. AllHipHop.com: What would you say your career stands at right now, musically? Cassidy: I’m in the best shape of my life, man. I feel as though when I drop this next album, my third album, This Time Around, I’m gonna reach the most success I ever had. I’m gonna reach the level that I always dreamed about bein’ at – then continue to rise. AllHipHop.com: Okay, I want to move forward with your music. You are one of the illest battle MC’s and definitely have good songs too. Are you working on anything right now? Cassidy: When I was in jail, I wasn’t writing a lot of songs, because I didn’t have music, but I stayed on my job lyrically. That’s what I do so it’s like a habit for me. I stayed on my P’s & Q’s, because I am so competitive. I always wanna be the best, and I always wanna sound better than I did the last time. AllHipHop.com: You got any mixtapes or anything like that coming out? Cassidy: I’m looking forward to it. Every DJ is looking for a freestyle from me so, I’m looking forward to putting out a bunch of mixtapes. And, also coming out with my third album soon. So I got a lot on my plate right now. AllHipHop.com: No release date yet? Cassidy: Nah, I didn’t even go to work yet. Its probably gonna take me two months to get everything finished. So, I should have a single out this summer and probably looking to release the album fourth quarter.

Like the allhiphop.com review says this is for the mature fans only, those who want to hear about murder, drugs, and pimpin' in 90% of their songs will avoid this album, LL is talking grown man stuff here...

The majority of fans that complain about how the state of hip-hop is trashy are the same ones who sleep on supporting mcs like DMC and actually support some of that stuff that they complain about, in order for a change fans need to be more conscious in what they choose to spend their money on, I'm damn sure that there's at least a million fans out there that don't like the way the rap game is going and could get his album to go platinum no doubt, everybody here has to get DMC's album, that's probably one of the most creative albums of the year so far, it's like people question whether an LL album is worth buying but come on now he's one of the realest mcs ever, support real hip-hop, people avoid Rev. Run's album 'cause it's too short but they run out to buy 90% of the crap out today and expect a change, come on now, lol, like I was saying that other thread too I'd rather even buy Nick Cannon's album than most commercial rap albums 'cause even though he ain't the most skilled at least he's putting out something positive, Kanye West gets on my nerves sometimes and could be at times corny like Nick Cannon but it's the same way with him too, I'd rather see them sell 5 million than Ying Yang Twins, if you're gonna complain do something about it, if you're buying into everything out there that's trashy I think you have no right to complain, some of these so called rap fans sound hypocritical, I think fans should focus on the positive side of rap instead of just complaining about the negative side of it, these popular rappers won't change their image if it's selling, if it hits their wallets though they'll be forced to put more content and be more creative with the messages in the music that they make or else they won't have any fans....

This is like the point made in Public Enemy's "Swindler's Lust", if you don't own the master the master owns you, artists getting cheated by record labels for what they deserve to receive: A Dollar A Rhyme But We Barely Get A Dime If You Don’t Own The Master Then The Master Own You Who Do You Trust From Swindler’s Lust From The Back Of The Bus Neither One Of Us Control The Fate Of Our Soul And Swindler’s Lust Hickory Dickory Dock Hand In My Pocket Robbed Me For My Chocolate Mo Dollars Mo Cents For The Big Six Another Million Led To Bled Claimin They Innocence Is It Any Wonder Why Black Folks Goin Under Cause Niggas Be Sold In Bundles No Pressure Tell Me Why They Don’t Care Rap And R & B Pavin The Streets Of Belair From The Sales Of Singers No Longer Here The Bigger Killer Gets The Bigger Share Now The Ones I Attack The Negros Got Their Back And Know 80-20 Is A Whack Contract Forever Lack The Voice Of Real Black Stole Rock And Roll And Ain’t Gave It Back Started Off My Defense Now They’re The Ones I Defend Against Who Fell Up Into The Tricks **** The Fight The Power **** Get That Chuck D Nigga Fixed And Keep Him Up Outta The Mix Well Hell Tell Em Chuck Don’t Suck No Dick Be An Ass And The Ass Get Kicked Hand In My Pocket Robbed Me For My Chocolate Watch Em Swindle Yo Ass And Turn A Profit If You Don’t Own The Master Then The Master Own You Who Do You Trust From Swindler’s Lust From The Back Of The Bus Neither One Of Us Control The Fate Of Our Soul And Swindler’s Lust They Don’t Care About Me They Don’t Care About You They Don’t Care About You And Ya Crew Ya Family Neighborhood And Plus They Don’t Give A Damn About Us Profit Off The Soul Of Black Folk Turn Em Into Bitchez And Niggas And Stupid Ass Jokes Laugh Wit Us Or Laughin At Us That Is What I’m Guessin We Interrupt This Program Wit That Question Laughin All The Way To The Bank Remember Dem Own The Banks And Dem G-Damn Tanks Now What Company Do I Thank Ain’t This A Bitch Heard They Owned Slaves And A Ship That Sank If You Don’t Own The Master Then The Master Own You Who Do You Trust From Swindler’s Lust From The Back Of The Bus Neither One Of Us Control The Fate Of Our Soul And Swindler’s Lust This Is For The Blues People In The Delta This Is For Everybody In The 50’s That Didn’t Get Their Money Little Richard Gettin Half A Penny A Penny All The Super Soul Singers Of The 60’s All The Bands Of The 70’s On The Outside Lookin In All The People That Didn’t Make A Dime Off Their Session Playin And Even The Rappers In The 80’s And The 90’s Still Tryin To Get Paid For What They Put In If You Don’t Own The Master Then The Master Own You Who Do You Trust From Swindler’s Lust From The Back Of The Bus Neither One Of Us Control The Fate Of Our Soul And Swindler’s Lust

DMC On Violence In Hip-Hop: 'Something Has To Give' 04.13.2006 6:34 PM EDT After deaths of Proof, Jam Master Jay, veteran rapper wishes lyrics were more relevant, less violent. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels Photo: Andrew H. Walker/ Getty Images NEW YORK — D12 rapper Proof's death is a tragedy. But why this violence keeps occurring is another tragedy altogether, according to hip-hop pioneer Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, who lamented that rappers getting in violent altercations has "If you're going to rap about a gun, rap about not using a gun." — DMC become so commonplace that it's expected. "There's a lot of that going around lately," he said when MTV News caught up with him Tuesday at a Saturn auto show/ charity bash for the bone marrow donation center DKMS, for which he's a spokesperson. "It's not a good thing. Something has to give." McDaniels, who lost Run-DMC's DJ Jam Master Jay in 2002 (see "Jam Master Jay, Run-DMC DJ, Killed In Shooting"), said that while the music doesn't cause crime, it's not helping matters either. Imitating a thug life, even just for image's sake, helps keep the cycle of art-imitating-life-imitating-art on repeat. "Everything that these rappers try to get away from is everything that kills them," he said. Plus, when it's not about projecting a tough image, it's about bling, which doesn't address or solve any problems either, he said. "We know what they're doing, what they're wearing, what they're driving, who did what last night in a club, who're they dating. You get a lot of rappers saying, 'Yo, we got money now, everyone's eating, everything is good, you know what I'm saying?' Well obviously everything isn't good, and I don't know what you're saying, because a lot of rappers aren't saying nothing on records right now." What DMC would like to see is a little more balance and substance, he said. If hip-hop is the black CNN, as Chuck D once suggested, then make it more well-rounded, more objective, and use the power of communication for more than boasting and posing, which can only cause more problems when rappers start believing their own bluster. "If you're going to rap about a gun, rap about not using a gun," McDaniels said. "If you're going to rap about a bitch and a ho, let them know there's aunts, grandmothers, good people in the world too. We rap about the kid selling drugs on the corner, but what about the kid flipping burgers at McDonald's so that he can not sell drugs? We laugh at that kid, but that just might be more gangsta than being out on the corner hustling." Citing Public Enemy, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and N.W.A, DMC said hip-hop used to be "all relevant and universal" and that a lesson could be learned from the old school: "You've got to say more than one thing. You've got to have more than one image and concept in your music. You're missing the universal concepts that keep another person from shooting another person. "The only reason I'm saying what I'm saying is that I have experience on my side," he added. "I'm not in jail, I didn't OD, I didn't get shot." Just in case anyone thinks he's just nostalgic and wants a return to the way hip-hop was back in the day, DMC has a retort ready — he doesn't want it mired in the past, he's more concerned about its future, "so that the younger generation can understand that it's not all about what you see and hear on the records now." — Jennifer Vineyard

I know some of y'all don't like his music much, I personally ain't really his fan either but he seems to sound like a real dude, check this interview: Cassidy: Jail, Lessons & The State of Affairs Part 1 By Jigsaw On June 8, 2005, it appeared that all remnants of 23-year-old Cassidy’s life - the recording artist and a free man - was a decrepit thing of the past. A warrant was issued for the Philadelphia rapper due to his involvement in the murder of a 22-year-old man during an April 15, 2005 shooting in his hometown. The case, which was wrought with twists, turns and contradiction, played out like an episode of Law & Order. But this murder case was real life for Cassidy, a father of one named Barry Reese. At the time of his arrest, he had the streets ablaze with his song “I'm A Hustla,” but the album of the same name languished during his months-long in the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. The rapper dodged a grave murder charge, but was convicted on possession of an instrument of crime, involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault. Unlike the other man, Barry Reese’s life didn’t end in any form. And the rapper is back, having after serving his time. The Philly native spoke eloquently about the changes he’s undergone since jail, the tragic loss of life, the state of Hip-Hop and how urban America can get it together. AllHipHop.com: Was the jail-time a hindrance to the last album? Cassidy: Without a question. It dropped when I was already in jail. I didn’t get a chance to perform none of the songs, do a promotional tour, none of that. I didn’t get a chance to shoot anymore videos, it really hindered it. At the same time, it benefited me as a person, so I’m happy I went through it. AllHipHop.com: How did it benefit you as a person? Cassidy: I’m more patient, humble. I’ve got a better relationship with God and my family. I know my real friends. I just learned so much from it. I was able to clear my mind up – not drink and smoke and party and not deal with the business every day. I was able to think – get my priorities together. I came to the conclusion of where I wanna go and the type of artist I wanna be. AllHipHop.com: A lot of people considered you to be a Pop rapper. The last album cleared that up a little bit. Are you going to talk about this jail situation? Cassidy: I’ve never been a Pop artist. I started my career doing mixtapes, bitin’ n***as heads off battlin’ in the streets. I never was a Pop artist. But when I came out and signed to J Records, they wanted me to do Top 40 records. It was they decision to bring out “Hotel” and “Get No Better,” which was when the world first met me – my first big look. That’s why they think I was a Poppy-type artist. So the second time around, they wanted to set it straight. That’s why they dropped two hard singles like “I’m A Hustla” and “B-Boy Stance,” so we went all the way left. The first album was all the way right. The second album was all the way left. The third time, we learned so much from them two albums, we gonna land right in the middle – the way we should of did it the first time. AllHipHop.com: How did you do, SoundScan, when you had a major hit and all the publicity with the trial and everything? Cassidy: I’m not even sure. Personally, I ain’t even ask how I did, ‘cause I just swept that album out from under the rug. I ain’t even try to check up on the album, to be honest with you. I’m just glad to look ahead to this third album. The people that heard it know the type of music that I bring to the table – quality music. AllHipHop.com: What are your priorities now? Cassidy: Continuing to build my relationship with the Lord. Staying close with my family. I’m spending more time with them than I ever did before, because I’m realizing that my family is there. I wasn’t able to spend time with them when I was locked up. Not just my blood family, but my street family. I’m looking other ways of generating money and success, besides just music. AllHipHop.com: They’re using your mugshot on the cover of the “Cassidy Anthem” what’s that about? Cassidy: That’s a song I had did a long time ago. They just put that out to keep my name out in the streets and with the DJ’s – to let people know that I still do music. But that’s not the new single. AllHipHop.com: Who made the decision to use your mug shot on “Anthem,” the last single from your previous album? Somebody could say you are promoting or exploiting your jail time. Cassidy: That’s definitely not what we set out to do. I not trying to use the situation to try to benefit my career, because I don’t need to. If I was a gimmick artist that really couldn’t spit, in the industry, I might try to use that to my advantage. A lot of other artists get into a situation and try to use it to their advantage, but not me. I know I can make quality music. I was still locked up when they made that decision to use that. But, that was a picture that was floating around at the time and I think they used it as it was a [mock] newspaper article. So, that was a smart idea since I was going through was I was going through. I was still locked up. It kinda caught your eye and you thinkin’ there is something about the case and it’s just something to promote the single. AllHipHop.com: How were you treated in jail? There were rumors that you were raped in jail, assaulted and all sorts of things. Cassidy: It’s always people that show love and there’s always haters. The same thing [happened] when ‘Pac was locked up, saying he got raped. It’s always gonna be a rumor about somebody that’s a celebrity. Ask people that’s really in my city, that was really in the jail. I was in general population every day, going to church every day, reading my books, exercising, getting outside food from C.O.’s [correctional officers] that were showing love. I did me. It was a situation that I was forced to go through and I went through it. And I’ma go through it the same way I go through my life in the streets. I’m out here in general population and on the streets by myself, you know, with wild jewelry on so, of course, I’m just gonna be in jail with my blues on. I never even got into an altercation in jail. I passed a couple words to a couple dudes, but any situation that happens like that, and somebody tries to touch me or disrespect me, I would have had another charge, fighting another case. AllHipHop.com: The guy that was murdered, did you consider him a friend? Cassidy: Friend is something that’s a touchy word. Yeah, I considered him a friend. Yeah, that was my man at one point. AllHipHop.com: Even if it’s a former friend, how does it feel having a role in that whole matter in hindsight? Cassidy: Well, now that it’s all over with and you look back on the situation, I wish things could have went differently, but in the heat of the moment, things go the way they go. It was God…you can’t go against God’s will. It was meant to happen. I don’t feel no type of way about it. It is what it is – it already happened, it’s already done. You can’t go back in time and change it. But if I could, if that was possible, I probably would do certain things differently. Because, whether it was my friend or not or I didn’t know him from a can of paint, still somebody lost their life and a couple other people got shot. That’s never a good thing. I don’t wish that on nobody. But, at all times, I’m going to protect myself and make sure that I come out all right too. Would you rather it be you that died? If you change the situation, and do something differently and you [could] die or you got shot. I don’t know. I wish the best for his family and pray that God blesses his soul. AllHipHop.com: Is there a lesson to be learned here? Cassidy: Man. Like, the lesson is to see how the judicial system tries to target entertainers without the proper evidence, with out the proper investigation. Back in the day, there were [TV investigators like] Columbo and Matlock that go out there and and find out what’s really going on. Now, people can just make a statement with no hardcore evidence and take time out of your life, don’t give you a bail. And you still innocent until proven guilty, or they say you are, but you really guilty until proven innocent. No matter how much paper you got or what never you on, you not exempt. They can do the same thing to you if you get yourself in a situation – even if you around a situation. AllHipHop.com: We never heard about anybody else being charged. Was anybody else charged with a crime? Cassidy: I don’t know about that. I ain’t have no rappies [co-defendants] in my case. I was fighting my case by myself. Like I said in the previous question, they tried to target the big name, the person they feel they gonna get some light off…

LL Cool J is like the James Brown of the rap game, mind, body, soul, and longevity, with his desire he'll probably still be performing many years from now still, btw, it seems like we're turning back the clock this year with all the ol' school rap artists droppin' albums, it's gonna be 1990 again, they're gonna show the new artists how it's done, if everything goes right we'll be getting albums from, they should all do an ol' school tour together: Public Enemy already came out LL Cool J just came out Rakim Busta Rhymes Ice Cube Slick Rick MC Hammer Dr. Dre??!!! and of course the return of the magnificent Jazzy Jeff maybe with a Fresh Prince cameo??!!

Poor MC Hammer, damn near his whole catalog is out of print, he lost his publishing a couple months ago I think, most of Big Daddy Kane's albums are out of print too, I really wanted to get some of his albums too, it's sad to see that the ol' school rappers are gonna be going broke since their albums are going out of circulation... :paperbag: