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5/15/2006 What's up? I'm chilling and shit, just working on this music shit. It's straight street music. I got the single "All Summer Long" and "Shit Ain't Sweet." I'm just locked in the studio working on the music trying to become who I want to be in this industry from the music side to the business side. You've been quiet for a minute. Yeah, I've been on the road. I've been taking care of the homies and the streets and shit. I'm back. I didn't go nowhere, but I'm back. How's your album coming? It's perfect. I have that fire. I have that street shit that people want to hear. I have a lot of different songs where I'm trying new shit. People are really feeling my shit right now, I just have to put it out. Is your album overdue? Oh, hell yeah, but not really. I feel it's overdue because of politics, but not really because everything happens for a reason. If you're not ready, then you won't come out. If you're ready, then God will make you come out. I guess it was all for the good because now I have control of my shit. I'm just going to eat from now. It's not like I wasn't eating before, but now I'm have control of my shit. I know how to get more money from the label and I know about points and all that. I really studied the game and now I know what it's about. I came into the game young, but now I'm a grown man and I'm ready. What held back your album? When I was behind Nas and Nas was up at Sony, Sony is not really a hip-hop label and they didn't know what they had. I didn't do that deal and that saved my life. God didn't let it go through. I just laid back, played the streets, went on the road with Nas, and I'm still here. I'm young and fresh like Muhammad Ali. I'm only getting better. I'm ready to put that shit out. Was there ever a time you felt like leaving the rap game? Hell no! This shit is in me. I talk from the heart, I don't just rap. This shit is in me. I'm never going to give up. It's not about giving up. It's about putting in the work if you really want to make it in this field because this is a hard game. I'm never going to give up. I'm always going to be an artist. Why is your album titled Napalm? I'm talking about fire, the bomb, explosions, something that will really change the world, something that will have shit in shambles, having after-effects. It's not just going to drop and that's it. I'm trying to kill every street. That's what I'm talking about, word, everywhere. When niggas listen to my shit, I got it. Once I get your ear, you're a fan. That's how I figure it. What's your plan for this album to succeed? Just work hard and put it out, get on the mixtapes, hit the streets hard, show my face at the clubs, be out there…I just need to remind everyone who I am. They all know me but I have to remind them. I've never put out anything that they haven't played. I just stopped and went to work and really dug in this shit. I wouldn't be putting out any bullshit or half-ass shit. I want to have structure and really make an effect on the world. My first shot I want to score. Who's Napalm for? The streets. It's for the people. All the hood dudes, all my jail niggas, for the women who really think about the street shit, and anybody who's growing up in the ghettos or the hoods and whoever wants to know about the streets and the hoods and what goes on. That's who this is for. As time goes on, I'm going to grow, but when I'm in the streets, that's what I talk about. Right now, I'm going to let everyone know what's going on, but I'm going to play with it. I'm going to be happy about it and be sad about it. I'm not going to be in one dark zone. What producers are you working with? I had a couple of Alchemist tracks. I love his tracks. LES, I fuck with his tracks. That's my dude. Swizz gave us a track me and Nas did. We just did this Cool and Dre track. We're trying to see what's good with that. We got with the Ying Yang Twins. It's me, Jungle, Nas, and the Ying Yang Twins. I have a lot of in-house producers too, like P-Lex. He's on the rise. I'll work with anyone who wants to work with me. Why did you go with Cleopatra Records for this release? I was running around trying to get everything together, and dude came to the studio and asked me if I was under any contracts. He offered me a 50/50 deal and I was like, "Fuck it, let's do it." That's how that came about. I just need to know that I'm going to make some money off it. I just can't be rhyming. Fuck that. This is from my heart. What does your company Money Machine do? We do everything. We work. We find talent, we sign artists, we do everything. We're just looking forward to the future. We're going to come out with a clothing line and movies. It's all set up. Anybody who makes money is a money machine. That's what we're trying to do. We do everything. We do our own promotions, everything. How do you and Jungle work together? Perfectly. We have an album done together. He has his solo album and I have my solo album. We have solo mixtapes together, we have DVD's…We know what it's about and we're trying to get money. Now we're going to corner the market and get this money and open up our own business. You and Jungle have good chemistry on tracks. Our chemistry is real. It's not phony. I think our album will do great. It's all real shit. We're going to put it out there so everybody can get to know us. We don't think enough people got to know us off Bravehearted. What's up with the Bravehearts right now? We did half of the album but we're missing a couple of songs. We have Bravehearted 2: Money Machines which is going to be me and Jungle together, and my solo album will be out June 6 for that summer buzz. I have great singles. What's up with Wiz? He's chilling. I haven't seen him in a minute but he's supposed to be working on a movie. He's doing his own thing. What do you want the next Braveheart album to be? I want it to be for the future because we have that future shit. That's all we want to capture, the future and that new New York shit. We're going to show everybody who we are. Are you happy with how Bravehearted did? It could have come out better, but it was great. We went gold, that's a great accomplishment. That's a success for our first album. How has Nas helped your career? Beautifully. That's a blessing for me even knowing the dude. He's the greatest. He's proven he's the best MC. I fucks with him to the grave. He put me on 100%. Without me even rhyming on his tracks, it's a blessing. That's my dude forever to the graveyard. I love what he's done for me. It's a blessing. He's given me that guidance and structure. He knows a lot about the game and it was a great experience coming up under him and having him as a friend and learning what I should do in the game. He taught me how to read contracts and not just sign shit. You'll never get paid if you don't know your shit, so you have to just know your shit. He helped me a lot. I love him for that. A lot of artists who have worked with Nas have come out against him. How do you feel about them? I say dudes like that are assholes. If you're in the streets and rapping, and somebody says, "I dig how you rhyme" and he puts you on one of his songs for the world to hear, then you diss him, you're a dickhead because everyone knows who you are. Any rapper that rhymes with Nas gets their name known. That's a plus right there. Even if he doesn't talk to you another day in your life after that, and you diss him, you're a dickhead, especially if you never had any words with him, then you're disloyal. Do you like Nas' move to Def Jam? That's beautiful for him. That's going to open up a lot of opportunities for the dudes that are faithful. If Nas thinks you're nice, then you've got a chance. He's like a president up there. He's signing artists. He's got a beautiful position up there. Him and Jay together is beautiful for New York hip-hop, period. I'm going to come out and everybody will know what I have to say this time. I'm ready. Will Nas' move to Def Jam help the Bravehearts? I don't know if it's going to help the Bravehearts but it's going to help Money Machine. It's perfect. They know what's real and what they should put out. All you have to do is be a dope artist on Def Jam and you'll sell some records. What's the next move for you? Right now, me and Big Mike are about to do a mixtape. We're going to put that out and look out for the DVD coming soon. What do you want to say to everyone? To everyone who digs my shit, pick up my shit and let's roll. Close your eyes and let's ride out. Let's get it.

By Brian Kayser

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