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4/10/2006 What's up, Craig? I can't complain. I can't complain. Things are going decent. You've been quiet for awhile. What have you been up to? A whole bunch of stuff. Pretty much the same thing I've always been doing. I'm trying to be seen constantly in the underground scene because that's where it all starts. I did a couple of scenes for "Get Rich or Die Trying." I've done some ghostwriting. It's all the same thing. I've just been working on music. What's up with your group Silent Majority? Wow. Silent Majority! That consists of me and Will Pack. He's like my brother. He's been down with me for ten years, going on the road with me and getting on songs with me. We just did this album because he's been down with me for a long time. I moved out to Vegas and he's been working on the beats. I thought it would be great to do this album. Silent Majority was my old group and we're trying to carry the torch. I can do things here that Craig G wouldn't normally do, like get political. When are you looking to drop the album? The album should definitely be out by May. You can order copies from redlinedistribution.com. We're trying to show people that Hip Hop does exist for people over 25 and we just want to say things that aren't being said as far as the music business is concerned as far as life is concerned. It's a chance for me to express myself in a way that I've never gotten a chance to. Why are you reaching for the 25 and over demographic right now? I'm really gearing it towards people who are a little bit older because they've alienated us. They've made it so youth-driven. Once you reach 26, you're not supposed to love Hip Hop anymore. We still love Hip Hop, but we don't mind it when people say something in Hip Hop, like Talib Kweli, Kanye, Common, and Black Thought. That's the audience I want to reach. It doesn't matter who you are, everybody's welcome. Is it harder trying to reach the older generation? You know what's sad? It's not that it's harder, but they just wiped us off the radar. We probably are reaching them, but they wiped us off, so the younger generation will never know. That's what's really messed up about it. A lot of MC's that came up when you were coming up sound a little angry with the game. Do they have the right to be mad? I'm going to keep it 100% real with you. You always have a right to have your opinion. In some cases, it's absolutely warranted. Our generation doesn't treat those guys in the same regard as other people in music. The Rolling Stones can not have an album come out in five years and still sell out a stadium. They don't relegate that towards Hip Hop music. They have every right to be angry. But speaking from someone who was angry myself for many years, it does not help you creatively. I got over it and was like, "Screw it. Let me try to make some shit that's better." Did something specific happen to make you lose your anger? I was just getting too old to not utilize what I felt already had and what I had in front of me. At one point, I woke up and realized that I could sit here and complain all day and nobody would listen. I could make some hot shit and make everybody listen. I didn't need therapy or a psychiatrist. It just snapped in my head one day and since then, my pen's been on fire. I've been in the studio writing fire and I've been doing a lot of stuff for people overseas. They keep me going and they have a lot of hot beats over there. It works out. Why do you think age is so important in Hip Hop? That's the saddest thing. It shouldn't be. That's not just Hip Hop. It's the way of the world. When you get older, the young guys want to test you out. There should be more respect. I understand Lebron James going at Michael Jordan on the court without showing disrespect. That's just competitive nature, but you don't have to be disrespectful about it. I'm not going to sit here and say that without me, nothing would have happened. A lot of people tell me that, but whatever. Without a lot of these guys, a lot of these people wouldn't be in their positions. Do you get the respect you deserve? Really, I used to dwell on it. Now, I just want you to listen to me. I don't care if you respect me or not. If you like it, go buy it. If you don't, thanks for listening. That's helping me be more creative these days. Let me just make some hot shit and at the end of the day, you either hate it or love it. 2Pac said motherfuckers are going to hate you for whatever you do. I agree. If you don't like the song, thanks for your time, brother. Listening to your new music, it sounds like you haven't missed a beat. Never. Right now as I'm talking to you, I'm thinking of song ideas. Will Pack has a song pumping in the next room that we're working on. It stays in me. Not to compare myself to being great, but it's kind of like a dude going to Michael Jordan asking him why he's so ill. He doesn't have an answer because that's just what he does. I've been like this since day one. Ever since I felt Hip Hop in my soul I've been like this. I'm trying to surround myself with people that feel the same way and we're just trying to put out good music. It seems like it would be tough to stay focused all these years. There is a realistic approach to this. People ask me why I'm trying to come back. I'm not trying to come back. I just want to be taken seriously and heard as an artist. There are people in my camp that are prepared to be stars and I'm ready to take them there. I'm also just going to do Craig G. The pressure is off now. Now, it's just time to make good shit. Do you feel like you have to re-market yourself to people that have never heard of you? To the kids that never heard of me, I kind of like that better because then I can go into it with that frame-of-mind in my head. I can just go in with some fresh music and it can be a better way for them to hear me. All that matters is if the song is hot. That's how I look at it. Anyone else is welcome to come along, but I'm not trying to specifically target the younger audience. I'm really not. At this stage of the game, my shit is a little more thoughtful, not to be disrespectful to anyone. I'm a little more thoughtful and anything I'm associated with. Everyone is welcome to come along for the ride. What's changed from when you started to today? Aw man! A lot of people don't put as much effort into it as they should. When I was coming up, not to sound like I'm in a rocking chair telling stories, but when I was coming up, you had to be really special. You couldn't just be anybody. It seems like a lot of people get free passes. I like some of them and I like to have fun, but a lot of this stuff isn't really Hip Hop. How's your album with Marley Marl coming? We have eight or nine joints done. It's fire. I'm sure everyone's heard "Letter to New York." When do you want to drop that? In the Fall. Has anything changed working with Marley today? Marley's got heat! Marley's sitting on heat! Marley's got the same attitude as me. At the end of the day, it's about the music. Don't even think about what we've both accomplished when you hear our new music. The album is 75% done. He only did one joint on my last album and we were talking about doing some other shit. It's coming out nice. I've always had respect for him and it's coming out crazy now. Are you happy with how "This is Now" did? It could have done better, but it was a great album. At the end of the day, that's all I could do. To me, it was some of my best work and I'm really glad that I did it and that I did it with D&D. The day the album dropped, the studio closed. Technology changed things because now people record from home. There also wasn't a lot of marketing. In the independent game, you can sell a certain amount and drop two albums a year. That album gave me an opportunity to let people know that I was still here. If you didn't get it, you should. That album is crazy. Are you doing anything differently on your new album that you did on "This is Now"? No, not really, I'm not doing too much different. I'm Craig G. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm speaking to my people on my albums. Everybody is welcome to come along on the ride. My last album was really nice. Do you feel like you've shut up the critics that say battle rappers can't make songs? Never. You can never shut up critics. They're like the balance of nature. You can't shut them up. They're always going to be there. As long as ten people disagree for every one of them, I'm good. Battling is everywhere right now. How do you feel about how these new battles are being presented to the public in DVD form? It's good. The problem is that a lot of rappers think that after they battle, everything will be all good. You have to have the balance. That's only one element. Some of the battles are over the top. Waving your pistol around has nothing to do with how nice you are. At the end of the day, the battles are a way for you to earn your stripes and it's good for Hip Hop because it's getting the music out there. A lot of dudes came from the battle circuit. Out of everyone in the battle circuit, two or three of them might become a great rapper. Do you pay attention to the battle scene? No. It's cool, but I've been there already, so it doesn't really pique my interest. I'm too busy working on songs. Would the kids battling today give you a run when you were heavy in the battles? No one's nicer than me. I don't care who they are. It doesn't matter where they're from or who they're with. That's just my attitude. I don't feel I have to prove anything anymore except to make good music. A lot of them are good, a lot of them are really, really good, but none of them can beat me. That's what keeps my lyrics sharp. I have to feel like someone's chasing me even when they're not. Have you battled recently? No. I'm in the corner watching. What would it take to get Craig G in a battle now? I couldn't even tell you. It would have to be how I feel that day. I'm always ready. Do you have a different perspective on music being in Vegas? I have a nice house and I really like the atmosphere. I don't really party too much. I'll be on the mic rocking the crowd and I'm usually just out there chilling. Most of my time, I'm at home chilling, writing, and listening to new joints on HipHopGame. How is the internet changing things for you? I got a song coming out in every part of the world because of the internet. I'm working with a lot of people overseas. A lot of people utilize the internet and I'm getting a couple of dollars out of it. If you want to get at me about doing a joint, hit me on the MySpace. It seems like you still have a lot of fans checking for you. I love every single fan, wherever they're at, on the computer, in a cab, driving a Bentley…I feel so fortunate and blessed that people are still listening to me. Being that you get play on the internet, do you even worry about getting play on radio? Radio, schmadio. A lot of my fans don't even listen to the radio unless it's Future Flavas or shows like that. Satellite radio is getting it cracking. Shout out to Lord Sear and the Wonder Twinz. Are you just throwing the songs out and seeing who catches on? That's what it is. It's about seeing who's sincere. Sincerity is what's missing. What's up with the new Juice Crew that's forming? I don't know. I heard about it, but I haven't spoken to anyone on it. How come you're not involved in the Juice Crew right now? I'm kind of in my own world right now. No disrespect when I say that. I'm just not really involved in that right now. Do you like the idea that they're adding new members? If they're nice on the mic. If they stink, I'm not going to like it. Everyone in the Juice Crew could hold their own at a particular moment. A lot of people have misconceptions about the Juice Crew. I was 13 when I was doing that. I never hung out with anyone except Marley and Masta Ace. I was a young kid. We'll see if I have something to do with it. Right now, let me see what they got. What do you think of Marley Marl and KRS doing an album? I've always respected KRS-ONE's mic skills. At the end of the day, how could that go wrong? How important is it for guys like yourself, Marley, and KRS to set an example for the younger generation? I just hope that some people hear it and are inspired when they do joints. It's not about keeping people out of the game. It's about letting people in with the right stuff. Not all of Hip Hop sucks. There's a lot of good albums out there. Slum Village's album is bananas. Medaphor's album is nice. Kanye and Common are nice. Jay Dee, rest in peace. Posdonous and De La Soul are still nice. Black Thought is nice. There is still a lot of hope for the game. Everybody has to try and learn from it. Nas is still sick. I hope people learn from it and Hip Hop becomes better. What do you want to say to all your fans? Thanks for listening. Look out for the Silent Majority album and the Marley Marl album. Thank you to everybody, my family, my peers, everybody. Make friends with Craig G at www.myspace.com/craigg To stay in tune with Silent Majority, check out www.redlinedistribution.com

By Brian Kayser

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