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7/25/2005 So what's good man? I'm chilling man. What have you been up to lately? I've just been doing the street thing. The street promotions thing. Just staying grounded, staying focused. I'm on the outside looking in. the game is real corny right now. A nigga's not really trying to be a part of that, so I'm trying to come out and fill that void. This shit is all about timing. What have you been working on? I just dropped the last single from A-Mob Entertainment, the "Wake-Up Call." The A-Side was produced by DJ Premier and the B-Side was produced by the legendary Showbiz. I was on the Gangstarr album, "The Ownerz." That's where I've been at, just doing a lot of independent shit. And you're working on that new album now… Yeah, I've been working on that album for awhile. There's been a lot of setbacks, the usual hood shit, you know. The Ghetto Child is still on the street. This shit ain't no phony shit. When you just called me like 15 minutes ago, I was in the midst of doing something that's why I had to call you back. So how do you balance street life and Hip Hop? Man, street life, Hip Hop, fatherhood…like, just like all those segments of my life, I got to keep it balanced because there's no other way I could have it. I have to balance it. Hip Hop is like my first love, since like yay-high. You know a lot of cats in my age bracket, I don't really want to discuss my age, but a lot of cats in my age bracket gave it up, they're probably still at it but they just sound old school. I just kept upgrading my shit because I've kept at it. You got locked up too, how did that hurt your career? Yeah, yeah…a few years. Those are setbacks. That really damaged my career man. I mean, I'm not gonna sit back and cry over spilt milk and shit, but that did put a major toll on my career kid. Because in the midst of getting locked up, we was supposed to do "The Realness" video, that was supposed to be the second single off the Group Home album. So that was gonna be my first visual display. And in the midst of all that, we were doing shows, traveling…to make a long story short I just got locked up on some ill shit. I was protecting my moms. Cops maced my moms, the rest is all history. That put a major, major setback to the career because that was the setoff of the Ghetto Child. "The Realness" was loved early, the Group Home, the Jeru…I feel like I'm the last dude from that era that can keep that shit alive. You feel what I'm saying? And make it appealing at the same time. But I ain't let that stop me as you can see. How did you first link up with Gangstarr? Me and Guru was doing a lot of shit. Guru was like a guidance counselor back then before he had his claim to fame. Me and Preem hooked up in like early '89 because I met Preem through Guru . We did the usual, after work come kick it, we'd rhyme…he had a little equipment. It wasn't really nothing major. But then soon, after that, Preem came on the scene. And from there, it was like us three, and them two became a duo, and I mean the rest is all history. How did it feel spittin on the "Ownerz?" Let me tell you something. The first feeling, if you need to know the truth, is "about fucking time!" Let's do this shit! What about spitting that verse on the Group Home album? It didn't go gold when that shit first dropped, but it's gold now. So it's like, I already know how to deal with them opportunities and shit…I've been grasping that for years. I look at it like shit, 700,000 people gotta know about Smiley the Ghetto Child. I mean that album is a classic. That single you put out and moved 7,000 units…how was that? On the single alone through Fat Beats we moved that. That's not telling what I've done on tours last year. I was on the road three and a half months last year. I know that single is over 10,000 now. And you know vinyl's been down for years. I sold 2,500 right out the gate. The initial press-up sold out in a few days. It was surprising. I know that I'm capable of that. It ain't like I'm inadequate to this shit. I've been doing this for years. But it was a good feeling to know that there's people out there that really, really respect and cherish the true essence of this shit. It was a good feeling man. And you're running your own label now too, what's up with that? Right now, the first thing we're dropping off of A-Mob Entertainment is Smiley the Ghetto Child, which is me. I'm gonna drop first, and then there's gonna be the five members of A-Mob…and you know I'm connected with Gangstarr, Bumpy Knuckles, M.O.P…the project is gonna be crazy, but I'm just nurturing and pampering it. That's the expectations for A-Mob Entertainment for this year. Now you never signed with Primo's label, how come? I mean, Preem…it would have been an honor, don't get it twisted. It would have been an honor to sign on my brother's label, because Preem is like my big brother. But at the same time, I got certain agendas too, and I got things that I like to do my way. And everyone has their own chemistry on how they work. Basically what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm the sole controller of my destiny and I have to control my art, my creativity…because that's what being a businessman is all about. I play a lot of positions in this too…I don't play just the artist aspect. I play the CEO, the artist development aspect, co-producing, ghostwriting, the list goes on…I just play all the positions. A big criticism that I've heard about Primo is that he doesn't grind for artists working for him and put his all into them. How do you feel about that? Preem is my man! That's my brother. But everybody got common knowledge and common sense. Everybody know right from wrong. And I mean, the consumer is king. And if that's what the consumers are saying and that's how they're viewing it, I guess they're just calling it as they see it. I ain't even gonna bullshit, I've heard that shit plenty of times myself. Being that I'm so affiliated with these dudes, over a decade, we're talking 15-16 years…you feel me? I get that too. And back to corresponding to what you were saying, as to why I didn't sign (with DJ Premier), is just situations like that. Situations like that that people view that people could really criticize off of it. People are going to criticize whatever your do. But for me, personally, Smiley the Ghetto Child, Preem is my big brother. I love him. I would never do or say anything to hurt him. But being that I'm affiliated with him, I've heard that too. But I've got to look at it for what it is. So that's why I gotta do my own thing. I'm a Scorpio man, I'm dominant. My moms always taught me, you want something, you gotta get it. Nobody's gonna get it for you. And that's just my whole principle of life. I can't wait for nobody. You feel me? Personally, I don't know why my brother Premier and my other brother Guru would wait for five years to drop the last album being that "Moment of Truth" was so hot and it went gold. I think they should have dropped the album a year and a half after that. But you know, the politics of the label, you know what I'm saying, you're dealing with other people's money as well, now you gotta submit to them somewhat in some kind of fashion, to where you got an independent jump-off, you could drop an album every five years. Is that why you want to be independent right now? Yeah, basically. I've got to be the sole controller of my own shit. I can't wait on nobody. And that ain't no offense to nobody. However somebody do their work, their routine, that's on them if that works for them. I know what works for me. I gotta have hands-on. I gotta own my masters. I gotta pay for my mixes. I have to do all that. Because at the end of the day, it's like "what the fuck am I doing this for?" I'm not going to be doing this for anybody other than myself, my family, and my fans. What's the next thing about to drop with you? I'm about to mix the next single this week. The next single through Fat Beats will be out in about five weeks. What do you want to say to your fans? To my fans, yo I carry this shit with the greatest of love. I just want my fans to just keep it alive because real Hip Hop ain't gonna die, the essence of it, the authentic form of it. It ain't gonna never die, because everybody gotta remember where it started from. 9 times out of 10, fans of Hip Hop do the knowledge so it rolls back to the birthplace, the Bronx. I feel that just like myself, there's other people out there that's gonna respect that and represent it to the fullest. And to my fans, just represent real Hip Hop to the fullest. And I'm gonna keep it coming.

By Brian Kayser

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