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5/8/2006 What's up, Maino? You know me, man. I'm on the grind. Hustle Hard. How's the grind going? I can't complain. Everything is going good. I got the Stomp record out with Kim that's going to BET next week. I can't complain. That's not even my single. That's just my set-up right there. We're looking to drop the official single in June and have the album out sometime by the end of the summer. Are you happy with how the album is coming? Definitely. That's my heart right there. It's called Death before Dishonor. I'm just into some real shit. I keep it so honest. A lot of times, rappers only talk about their wins without talking about their losses. I'm talking about the whole game. My life is real. That's what's so good about that. Are you happy with how things are going for you at Universal? Things are definitely picking up. You have to make yourself a priority. You have to show them that you're that nigga. When I first went over there, I thought they were just going to jump right on me. I didn't understand that I had to show them. Right now, I'm showing them and they're doing everything I'm asking them to do. I have no complaints with Universal right now. Are they trying to get you to do any songs you don't want to do? No. That's the good thing about it. They gave me all creative control. I did my album the way I wanted to do it. You're getting me. No A&R's even come to my sessions. Me and my team go in and we knock shit out. Nobody's in there telling me to make a song like this or like that. I'm in a good position because a lot of artists don't get that. How would you describe the album? How could I describe it? There are things on there that will make you cry, things that will make you laugh, and things that will make you think. It definitely has its happy moments. It's my life. In everybody's life, there are things that make them cry, laugh, and other things that make them contemplate. Every person's day is like that. You can wake up and be stressed out, and be laughing three hours later. My album is a real person's ride. I'm expressing things in my life that are so personal, from prison to jumping in the streets early as a child. You get my whole story. I think the game is missing a real person right now. I think the game is missing the nigga that comes for the people. Just real talk with no bullshit. The hood is still the hood, niggas are still poor, and niggas are still grinding for pennies. I don't want to sell the bullshit. Death before Dishonor has a lot of morals with being a thug and being a rat and being a G. I just want to bring that real nigga shit back into the game. How important is it in the game today that a rapper's story is true? The great thing about me is that I'm myself all the time. I tell these niggas, "You can't get nowhere trying to be somebody else or trying to walk in somebody else's shoes." I don't have to try to be extra. I spent most of my life in the streets and in jail. I ran around and got in a lot of shit in the streets with violence and drugs. I went to jail and spent ten years total in jail, and then came home and got into music. That's a story in itself without me having to be extra or put anything into it. That's who I am. I never had a job. I never went to college. I wasn't just a cool nigga in the hood. I was going hard. It is what it is. This is who I am. There are a lot of new artists coming out of New York. Do you see yourself in competition with them? In a way, but what's good about it is that we're all in our own lane. If we all sounded the same and had the same kind of style and we all jumped on the mic the same way, it would be harder. Being that we all basically have our own lane, it's good. Nobody's in my lane. Is it true that you and Lil' Cease had an altercation? They said some disrespectful things and I caught him and his manager and disciplined them, more or less. Nothing major. I had to punish the kid. I like to say that the hand of God touched him and healed him. We shouldn't be having no words from Cease again. After he was disciplined, he lost his jewelry. He shouldn't have anything to say again for a long time. For him and his manager, at the same time, to get, how can I say it, severely punished and for him to get his jewelry taken after that is enough for him to just sit down and shut the fuck up. What else can he say? Does he have the balls to say it didn't happen? If he does that, I quit. This is all real-deal shit with me, man. I'm not here to slam no nigga or make some shit up on a nigga. If I say it is what it is, it is. I don't think we'll be hearing from Cease anytime soon. I think he needs to take some time and reevaluate what his world really is. He stepped out of character and got dealt with. Have things gotten better between you and Gravy? Gravy is a fucking idiot. He's a big fucking idiot that pulled a stunt in front of Hot97, got robbed in front of Hot97, and then so-called got grazed and then walked into the building. The reason I say it's dumb is because if it happens to you, why would you walk in the building? It doesn't make sense. That, to me, is a nigga trying to get publicity. Those guys over there are idiots. I saw his bracelet just yesterday and the shit was faker than a motherfucker. That shit was faker than fried ice cream. That shit looked like some shit out of the back of the Source. Has anything gotten better between you and Foxy? It never really was no thing. It was nothing major. It's nothing major with none of these guys to me, man. She said some crazy shit about me on the internet, but I'm not even going to speak on her. She has a bigger problem. I hope she gets her hearing back. I'm not even going to get into that. Have you spoken to Kim lately? Kim is fine. We've been in contact. She's holding her head. She's got a little bit of time to do. What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. She'll be in a better position to come back and capitalize off of the whole situation. How was it being at her going-away dinner? It didn't really feel like a show was even going on. Me coming up in the DVD era, I'm used to cameras always being around. I do a DVD every day. It just felt like that. It didn't feel like a show was going on. It was all real talk. I was there for a lot of that situation. Is it good there are so many DVD's out right now? It becomes a bad thing when the DVD's are straight-up trash and have no theme to them. Shout out to Smack, All Access, Cocaine City, and Real Talk. The Crack DVD. There are a lot of good DVD's. The Raw Report, just to name a few. Forgive me if I don't mention your name, but there are a lot of DVD's out there that just flood the market with no real things. That's when I have a problem with DVD's. I like that they give artists exposure that normally wouldn't get exposure. That's how I got attention, through the DVD's and the mixtapes. How have the mixtapes helped you? It's the same as the DVD's. I'm good with all the mixtapes and the mixtape DJ's. A lot of people are flooding the market with a lot of filler and bullshit, but niggas have to eat and kids have to eat. The mixtapes are good because it gives artists a chance to get exposure in New York City. If you don't have a big artist to put you on, you only have the mixtapes and the internet. I think the internet is harder in a sense, but it's easier too because you can get direct feedback. I think the mixtapes are a beautiful thing, as long as they're quality. I don't want them to stop. What do you have to do to make sure your album comes out this summer? Keep working. I have to keep putting the fire out there and keep doing these interviews and DVD's. I actually have a new mixtape dropping now. It's called King of the City. I did it with DJ Keyz and MixUnit.com. I'm doing something with Kraze from All Access. The Stomp video featuring Lil' Kim will be out soon. That'll be my first real look as far as music on BET and MTV. I just have to keep working and keep putting out product and going hard. What do you want to say to all your fans? If you don't know me yet, get to know me. I'm your nigga. I'm. Your. Nigga. Hate me or love me, it's every day, real shit. Real niggas get money and live, fake niggas suck a dick and die.

By Brian Kayser

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