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6/14/2006 What's up? I'm good, man. I'm feeling real good right now. What can you tell us about your debut album Since 1981? That's coming June 12 on Crown City Records. It's a real serious album and a real personal album that I put together with my family. You have to feel it. It comes straight from the heart. It's that real hip-hop shit that's been dying. Can you break down the title? That's my born-date right there. I've been through a lot in my life and I had to take this journey and look back on my life. I had to get this personal album out. You're either going to love me or hate me. Is this your Illmatic? That's exactly how I'm feeling. That's how I went into it. I was like, "We have to bring back that vintage New York sound." That was the inspiration for this record. Are you pushing this record yourself? Yeah. We're doing this independent. We're all coming from Corona, Queens. Everything's falling into place. We're working with the Beatnuts and things are looking real good. What are your goals for Since 1981? Basically to set the standard. We're going to set a mark in this game. People have to let this real hip-hop shit come out. I feel like that's what I want this record to do. I want it to bring that real, raw, New York gutter sound back. Why do you think that sound is missing so much these days? Right now, there's just that real commercial sound and the labels and radio only want what's hot right now, which is the south. It's crazy how it is. It's like it's all programmed. You have to like only one sound. Everyone's using the same sample and nobody's being creative no more. That sound and creativity has to come back. Ghostface recently said, "Fuck New York" and blamed the DJ's for the bad music. Do you agree with that statement? Yeah, that's definitely what's going on. These DJ's aren't pushing the right records out. People don't get to hear the real, raw, uncut hip-hop sound. What have been your experiences with the DJ's? Pretty much, it's payola. Everybody wants to get paid to play the records and it shouldn't be like that. If it's real, let it rock. What was your inspiration for "We Ridin'"? "We Ridin'" reminds me of my hood. That reminds me of my hood, Corona, Queens. We're out there and we're riding. I always rep my hood, Corona Queens, 37th Ave. I was showing you a side of my hood. Do you feel any pressure coming from Corona? Nah. I feel like the timing is right right now for Corona. There's a lot of talent in Corona right now. I feel like I'm opening the door for all this talent to come out. Everybody's starting to stick together in Corona. They're getting together and it's going to be a crazy movement once it happens. "How I Feel" is a crazy track. That record is inspired by all the classics. That's how I feel. That's the sound we have to bring back. That's a real nice record right there. I appreciate the fans who felt that record. That was something that came from the heart. I'm glad that people still actually listen to the lyrics. That Demo of the Month has been a good look. It's opened some ears and a lot of people are listening now. It was definitely a good look. What's up with your group Jihad? We're the most controversial group out there. That was something Juju from the Beatnuts brought to Corona. We're the up-and-coming niggas. It's going to be crazy. It's me, my man Ritch E. Rich, Moonshine, Skeemask, and Marley Metal. Marley does stuff for the Beatnuts. He was on their album. We're about to take over the game for real. It's going to be real hard for niggas. How do you guys work together? It's beautiful when we're working together. It's a beautiful thing. We've known each other since we were little kids. The chemistry is definitely there when we work together. What's your relationship like with the Beatnuts? Me and Juju are working together. We're trying to come out with a little hood compilation type album to show everyone the artists coming out of Corona. We're family, straight up and down. What's the next move for you? We're doing a lot of shows and we're pushing Since 1981. We're making sure everything is right with the album and that it gets in the right hands. We're also working on a Jihad mixtape that has all the stuff the hood wants. That's what we're going to continue to do. We're going to keep rocking the shows and making good music. What do you want to say to everyone? To all my supporters, we're going to keep rocking. To all my up-and-coming artists, we're going to make it happen. The doors are going to open. To my Jihad family, you already know what time it is.

By Brian Kayser

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