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8/29/2005 How have you been lately? Everything's cool. I've just been working on music as always and get the Source shit going, we got the awards coming up. I've just been working on keeping the magazine relevant and working on new music with the Untouchables. And I have a new album coming out soon. What's up with your new album? I finally got the "Arch Nemesis" out of my system. That sold 40,000 independently, so that did pretty good for us. It's a situation where I think it was a closing chapter for the whole situation with Interscope and Eminem. I closed that chapter. I'm happy with how that album came out. This new album, I'm going about it differently. It's more grown and sexy, and it's more musical. The "Arch Nemesis" took me about two and a half years, and this one only took me a good four, five months. Are you happy with how "Arch Nemesis" did? Of course you want to move more units, but at the end of the day, I'm happy because I put out a great album. Everybody that heard it, even with the hate I got, still gave it 4, 4 ½. That right there made me feel good. I do music for the love. Money's a great thing, but I do it for the love. I don't think I'll ever outgrow or out-age. I'll always do Hip Hop music as long as I can get up in the studio with my guys, Hangman3. I'm a producer, I write my own songs, that's just a labor of love. The funny thing is, every project I put out keeps getting better and better because I really put a lot of my time into it. I love making music. What kind of impact did Almighty RSO have on Boston? Wow. I think in the Hip Hop world, we had a huge impact. Boston, being the type of city that it is with Hip Hop, there's not too many shows there now. Back then, it was more pure, more new, so you had a lot more opportunities to showcase your skills there. I think now, they've pretty much shut Hip Hop out there. You're not going to see a lot of Hip Hop shows unless you go to the Fleet Center. RSO had a huge impact on the culture up there, because Boston had really held onto some very high standards. The politicians hold it to a much higher standards than everywhere else. And Boston still has it's racial boundaries that it has to get over to allow Hip Hop to really breathe well. Looking back, how do you feel about the Wiseguys project? That right there is pretty special with us, because that year was the lowest year of homicide rates. We had brought rappers together from different projects. That was a special. How do you budget your time between The Source and recording? I think it's all relevant, and I think it's all within Hip Hop, so it's kind of all the same situation. The magazine, that's the bread and butter, so my communication with Dave and the people up there has to always be on point. The music thing is my love. When I'm not doing music shit, I'm doing magazine shit, and when I'm not doing magazine shit, I'm doing music shit. Fahiym just quit, and all we've heard about it is that it's over the Little Brother album and how many mics "The Minstrel Show" would get. Is that what happened? No, no…actually, it's kind of a shame because it seems that everyone who gets in that position, it's almost like it's a curse at that position because they start out working with the powers that be, and all of a sudden they start taking turns. Fahiym had mentioned that he wanted to give Little Brother 4 ½, and I said that was all right. But at the same time, I think that Fahiym and his music editor didn't give Young Jeezy justice, and that's what you're not hearing. They gave Young Jeezy a "Mic Check." I don't think he really understood the whole movement of Young Jeezy, and that's the whole paradox of the job. To be honest, I haven't even heard Little Brother. But as far as Fahiym wanting to give him 4 ½, I have no problem with that. And they're still getting 4 ½. It's just that when you're paying attention to Little Brother, you also have to pay attention to what Young Jeezy is bringing to the table with his movement, and to me, that's where the conflict started. It really wasn't so much of Little Brother getting 4 ½, because when the next issue comes out, they're still getting 4 ½. We never changed it. It was just an issue where we felt that he probably didn't look at the Young Jeezy situation as thorough as he should have, and I just think there was a conflict up there where he didn't feel comfortable with the decisions being made up there. And that's in every business, but I think it's magnified more because it's The Source. Either the boss isn't happy, or somebody that works there isn't happy, and you have to go on with your life. I wish Fahiym a lot of luck. I know when he was there, he definitely contributed a lot to the magazine and to The Source being the number one newsstand magazine out there. What does one need to be head editor at the Source? You have to be able to understand the magazine business. When you're an editor, you have to understand the full ramifications of advertising. You have to know what advertising's about, and the impact that somebody has on Hip Hop. It's about running a magazine. It's not just about integrity. You can't be shitting on nobody that you want for advertising. How important is it for you to stay in tune with what's going on everywhere in music? I've always been the one that's moved and stayed in different places, and been a part of different cultures. I used to live on the West Coast, I lived in Texas for a little while, and I'm in Miami a lot. I get to travel and I get to understand a lot more about the people and the music. It makes me more universal. And I am Hip Hop I love it. How do you and Dave Mays work together? Me and Dave are great, because he's more organized and I'm more hands-on. Our relationship throughout the years have solidified The Source magazine and it's greatness. We have our good days and we have our bad days, just like in any partnership. For the most part, there's love there, there's loyalty there, and when you add those up, nothing can get in the way. How do you guys decide who to feature? Hip Hop is in a funny way right now, where you can sell a lot of records, but then be on the cover of a magazine and sell no magazines. That's happened to us a couple of times, but I don't want to bring up any artists' names. I think right now, you just have to find the biggest image and what the people want to read about. This Lil' Kim interview is going to be a big issue for us because she's giving us an exclusive. After Lil' Kim, we're putting out Bobby Brown and Mike Jones. Right now, it's about finding the biggest images out there that reflect the Hip Hop culture. What determines if an artist gets a "Mic Check" or a feature? That's always hard. "Mic Check" is for artists that are signed to a major situation, or have a major situation, and it's a good look for them. It's hard to juggle that around. Sometimes an artist may get a "Mic Check" when they should have gotten a feature, and some people have gotten a feature when they might have deserved a "Mic Check." We try to appease everybody and do the best we can. Does advertising ever come into the picture with who gets a feature? It would be silly for me to say it doesn't. Of course it does. You have to understand who's advertising with your magazine. A lot of times it doesn't, but sometimes, to be honest with you, it might. I'm not saying because of advertising that's why they're in there, because we have to really be careful of the integrity of the magazine. Because Hip Hop is so glossy and corporate right now, it's just really hard to keep the grass-roots of it in the manner that you want o. And with corporations and glossiness come the term "crossover" and "sell-out." We're trying to do the best we can to reflect the Hip Hop of our culture now. Do fans forget that the magazine industry is a business? I think fans right now are confused by what they're hearing on the radio. Right now, you're just getting a lot of fast food, you're not getting a lot of home-cooking. These radio stations are dictating the types of songs they play and they're stunting Hip Hop's growth. It's holding it back. I want to see the day when it's really back to the streets and the people decide what's hot or not instead of the radio force-feeding you. What made you guys switch from one "Unsigned Hype" artist a month to four? There's just too many. Right now, with the guys out of L.A., there's a whole sound out there. There's a whole sound in the Midwest, and a whole sound in the South. We wanted to regionalize it to give everybody a chance to get their shine. Right now, it seems like everybody's rapping, and there's a lot of great talent out there, but there's also a lot of average or below-average talent out there. We want to make sure that everybody gets their chance in the streets and give Hip Hop a shot in the arm. What can an MC do to make their demo stand out to you? I like originality. When I listen to these "Unsigned Hypes," it's something that doesn't sound like nobody else. I think we have a whole culture of kids sounding the same. I like somebody to try something different. Their vocal tone has a lot to do with it also, the tone of their voice and how they sound. What new artists are your feeling? (pause) I like the whole Dip Set movement and what they're bringing to the table. Of course I like the Untouchables and what they're bringing to the table. I like when Buckshot and them came back, seeing them doing their thing. Although they're not new. Really, I just like music and it doesn't have to be a new artist. If you put out a joint I like, then I'm with you. It's hard because everyone has mixtapes out. The whole market is saturated. It's hard listening to artists with an open view. I hear artists and mixtapes all the time. There's an artist in Miami named Snoop Monster I like. I've been listening to my man Ace from New Jersey… How important is it for The Source to keep breaking new talent? I think it's real important because you're showcasing the streets, and that's what has to happen right now. With Hip Hop going so corporate and glossy, we're getting lost where that real creative force is coming from, and that's the streets. Hip Hop comes from the streets. In my mind, Hip Hop has to come back to its roots. Do you see yourself in competition with other magazines? We've been out there the longest, so we put the blueprint out there and everybody else borrowed from us. There's always room for something else. I believe that that's just going to keep us on our toes. I always thought that The Source paid more attention to the culture than the other magazines. The Source is a real documented history of Hip Hop, so it makes us more of an important publication than the other ones. On the most part, especially XXL, I think they just copied us. They're not independently owned. The guys over there that are trying to run their magazine, anything that we do, they just follow suit. We established our brand as a global brand, and as a huge brand in Hip Hop, and at this point, we just want to make it bigger. Do you think that it's a problem that XXL and Interscope are so close? I think that's a huge problem. I think other artists don't' realize how much of a problem that is. When a record label takes control of a publication, all they're going to care about is their own artists, and everybody else is secondary. No matter who else is advertising, they have to take a backseat to Interscope artist's each month. I think out of the last 12 covers, nine were Interscope's artists. I think it's bad for artists, the people, and Hip Hop. I think the artists need to understand that it's a monopoly. It was a systematic takeover of Hip Hop. We believe that Eminem and Interscope's tactics were nothing different than what Microsoft did. You can't monopolize something. You have to let the little guy eat. The way Interscope is making it with retail and radio, they've made it to where only their people can eat. Where do you see XXL going in the future? I think there's always going to be room for two magazines, but I think the chickens are going to come back to roost on them once Interscope starts taking away that gift. They're not as hot as they used to be, they're not selling what they used to. Eminem and 50 Cent didn't sell the way they thought they would. Once that situation starts dying down, I think you'll start seeing the magazine start paying attention to other artists, but it might be too late. Have labels tried to get in bed with the Source… We've always kept healthy relationships, and at the same time you have to keep relationships with everybody. It's hard. You can't show favoritism to one label. Hip Hop is made up of a bunch of labels, a bunch of artists, and a bunch of different personalities. It's hard to just try to focus on one, and I think that's what XXL is doing right now, and I think it's a big mistake that's going to come back to haunt them. How has advertising changed throughout the years? Back in the days, there were a lot of independently owned record and clothing companies that have been wiped out. Now, everybody advertises with Hip Hop right now because they understand that's the buyer's market, that demographic of 18-25 and 18-35. It's just about staying true to it, staying to the core, and understanding that it came from nothing. Hip Hop wasn't made from the affluent people that had everything. It was made from people that were struggling and had nothing, and that's what made it special. There's always been rumors that The Source isn't doing well financially and it's going to get sold, or go under. Can you clarify everything on that? Right now, just like in any business, Hip Hop is in a strange way right now. A lot of people aren't doing as well as they did back then. By us taking that stand (Eminem situation), we lost all the Interscope advertising. Russell Simmons followed suit and pulled his Phat Farm advertising. We've taken some hits, but there are a lot of other advertisers out there, and The Source is still the number one biggest brand in Hip Hop, ever since 1988, and we're in good shape right now. Do you ever see yourself leaving The Source? Yeah. I want to do a magazine that pays more attention to the streets and independents. Hip Hop has gone so corporate and glossy, I think we need something that's going to have that connection on a national level to the streets. The advertising would be cheaper, and I would want to do it regionally on a national level. The same magazine with a different cover and everybody in that region. We need to get it back to the streets. Maybe after we do that, we can combine it into one magazine. And big-ups to all those other magazines out there who really do that real grassroots, street-type of thing, F.E.D.S., Don Diva… You were going to leave The Source at one point, what was going through your mind at that time? There was a lot of pressure. I started second-guessing myself about if I was what was best for the magazine. My staff wanted me to stay, and it was good for me to hear that. It was a situation where if me leaving the magazine would make the magazine better, then I was all for it. But close people around me didn't feel that way, so I took the advice they had to offer and stayed on, and I'm glad I made that decision because The Source is my life and Hip Hop is my life. There's a lot of Hip Hop mags either out or in the process of coming out, are you proud of that? I am proud. Anytime you have people putting out publications, it's a very strong form of art, and you have to understand that it comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility. I'm happy to see people out there taking things into their own hands. I like that. How much room is left right now for The Source to improve? There's always room for improvement. We always have to find new things and new ways to make the magazine better. I think just staying with the general premise of caring about Hip Hop music, culture, and politics, we'll be fine. A lot of people don't understand that we're not just about music. We're also about the culture and politics. We care about the people that actually live in Hip Hop. How important is it for The Source to cover social issues? That's what Hip Hop is about. It's about diverse cultures coming together and making something out of nothing, and I think we're a reflection of that, from one piece of paper to what it is now. How much weight does The Source have on an artist's career? I believe it's done wonders for a lot of rapper's careers. But we live in a different time now, where the media is different and advertising is the number one thing, so with your business, you have to adjust with those times. How's the next Source Awards going to be? It's going to be big. We're working on it now, it's going to be in Miami Arena. We'll have a few surprises of course. And at the end of the day, The Source Awards are the only awards show that really does represent the streets. It's all good to put on tuxedos and ties and button-up shirts, but at the end of the day, Hip Hop was anti-that. You could come out with a t-shirt on and be accepted. For some reason, it's taken a turn and we have to wear these sweaters and button-up shirts. I don't understand that part. We've just got to keep it for the streets, and I think The Source Awards represent that. What do you think of the Vibe Awards? I think that Vibe is a confused magazine that wants to reap the benefits of Hip Hop advertising but doesn't want to fully accept the culture from the streets. They don't want to accept the local street guy. You have to put up a pink button-up shirt and a long trenchcoat to be accepted by Vibe. But at the same time, if you make it big from your own movement, Vibe wants to be right there covering you, and they want your money for advertising. I don't think fully accept the culture for what it is. Can you speak on what is happening with Kim Osorio and the lawsuit she filed against you? We're still going through that. I can't talk to much, but I am 100% sure that we will be vindicated in the end and the lawsuit will be dropped. I'm guessing you can't say much on the recent shooting that just happened either… I can't discuss that too much either because that case is still going on. All I can say is that when that is said and done, anybody, as far as The Source's involvement will be vindicated also, 100%. Looking at yourself as an artist and how you also work directly with other artists, is there a fine line that can be crossed when you decide how much coverage to give your projects in your own magazine? It's a gift and a curse. If Interscope has nine of their 12 artists on the cover, me having an ad or two in the magazine doesn't compare nothing to that. The Source once gave your album 4 Mics, what do you think of that today? We were going through some situations back then with the staff. If there was one mistake that I've made, and that I will admit, it's that rating right there. After that, we decided that I can no longer get ratings in The Source. If you look at my album, it doesn't get rated, but they'll write about it. The Source magazine to my music career has been a gift and a curse. Do you ever see yourself on a future Source cover? I don't know. If it's the situation where 'Zino deserves the cover, then 'Zino will be on the cover. If it's a situation where I don't deserve the cover, then I won't be on the cover. Do you still have beef with Eminem today? I think that chapters been closed. I think it's a done deal. I think people will understand as time goes on what we were really talking about and how we brought up this whole thing with Interscope and Em. I think that's over. I think we have to move on. Life is about moments, and I think that moment is over with for now. I think that there will always be an eyebrow raised when it comes to Eminem no matter what, because of what we've done. When you look at your site, and all the different sites that are out there, it has spawned a lot of conversation and debate. And when you've got people talking about the betterment of a culture through race, or sociology, that's just a good thing, because you have to keep the kids talking. When they stop talking, that's when you have to become worried. As long as somebody's using their mind to pinpoint something that might not be right, that's a good thing. What keeps you motivated? Life. And I would have to say people not giving me the credit that I think I deserve as far as being an artist and being creative and what I've brought to the game. All of that keeps me motivated. What's a normal day like for you? No day is ever normal. I'm in the studio, I'm doing Source stuff, I'm taking care of the awards, I've got a family, I'm a father, I've got a bunch of guys that look up to me, so I'm kind of like a guidance counselor in a sense, like a big brother. There's a lot of hats that I have. As long as I can go in my closet and pick one out every day, I'll be all right. Where do you want The Source to go in the future? I just want it to still be The Source. If my grandkids want to read about the history of Hip Hop, and what it was like back then, then they'll be able to go back to The Source. I think that will be a great thing. It's not about the life you live, it's about the legacy you leave. I believe The Source Magazine has left a strong mark on this culture of Hip Hop, and I think Hip Hop is the number one driving influence in the whole world today. It's a worldwide movement. Where do you see Hip Hop going? I don't know. I don't ever try to think to far ahead and try to predict. I try to stay with the times and just try to adapt to whatever happens, and just try to understand it. What do you want to say to everyone out there? Before you judge a man, definitely try to understand him, as far as the whole scope of a person. Never judge anybody from what you read or what somebody reports on him. You've got to give him an open mind. And understand that Hip Hop is more than music, it's the way we run our lives. It's the way people raise their kids. Everything about Hip Hop is beautiful, and we need to take the positives from it and apply that to everyday life and stay away from all the negativity.

By Brian Kayser

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