Killer Mike interview

[Myrealname]

"To become familiar with Killer Mike is to know a revolution when it was a mere disagreement. His latest single, Askshun, is a rigid song backed by African drums and a message of empowerment. Outspoken brash and at times, contradictory, the OutKast affiliate may be the beginning of a massive change in hip-hop. With Monster, it seems like the only thing getting slain is the old guard of rap music.

AllhipHop.com: Why did you call the CD Monster?

Killer Mike: The reason it's called Monster is actually because poor Black, Latino, white kids in this country is villanized whether you from South Bronx, South Dakota, South Park Houston, South Central, South-West Atlanta wherever you from, whether you skateboard, a member of a neighborhood association [gang] you get looked at and treated like you're something unwanted.

AHH: Was it based on the book by....?

KM: No it wasn't, by Sanyika Shakur and Kody Scott. It wasn't based on that book although that was a really good book and the things that he experienced in that book - lack of a dependable father, the lack of real family structure, the temptation of being a part of a neighborhood organization some...people call them gangs but, that speaks about what happens whether you're in Chicago, Atlanta, New York, New Mexico. It speaks to the same thing I was speaking to. Actually the title Monster came from another book called Our America that was two 13-year-old boys that chronicled their neighborhoods for N.P.R. (National Public Radio) on radio tape. That's a good question; a lot of people don't even know the book by Sanyika Shakur much less the book Our America.

AHH: I noticed in almost everything I've seen you wear red, black and green, What does that represent to you, it's not so popular to represent that these days.

KM: Well people have to realize that African Diaspora reaches... like Puerto Ricans have African ancestors, Jamaicans, Haitians, Dominicans, Brazilians, most Cubans, most Central Americans. Wherever they brought you a part of our bigger history is the red for the blood that was shed, the black for the original color of the people and the green for the land that we was taken from, not just the land that was taken from us but the land we was taken from. That's why I even Rock red, black and green Air Force 1's.

AHH: You got some of the illest Air Force 1's ever.

KM: The red, black and greens are one and only, I had them made. Nike's going to jack me probably next year but just know it started here first.

AHH: I noticed a just a second ago you referred to gangs as neighborhood organizations.

KM: Yeah.

AHH: What do you mean by that?

KM: That's what gangs originally were. If you look at hip-hop "gangs" came out of an organizational structure. The black Power Movement, The Black Nationalist movement, the Civil Rights movement. Like P-stone nation, the original Blood and Crip gangs. These started as organizing tools for communities and they became through the influence of drugs, guns and rivalry something that thwarted the growth of neighborhoods, but that's not how it started.

AHH: Do you think it's possible that CoinTelPro pro infiltrated hip-hop?

KM: The way we talk about watches and chains and sh*t I'm convinced it had to be him and/or clothing designers. It's not above it. I didn't understand fully until I got older my grandmother would tell me that her father's father was in the Tuskegee experiment, so I'm not above believing that but, my firm belief at the end of the day is, whatever is seeking to destroy us is the people who is most depressed organizing themselves, the people who are most in need of help helping themselves, the people that are most powerless seizing power. I believe at the end of the day good or bad God is on our side. The take over is inevitable no matter what happens.

AHH: You think so?

KM: Yeah, the take over is inevitable, we on the side of good even though some brothers that are out here. I'm very serious about that, I refuse to be bullied by Bill O'Reily, Delores Tucker, and I refuse to be bullied by
corporations.

AHH: I was a little disappointed with Ludacris and Snoop to a degree because neither one of them really spoke out loudly against Bill O'Reilly. I feel they both have the power to fight and beat them. Snoop did a lil' this and a lil' that, but Ludacris didn't really do a lot either against Pepsi or Bill O’Reily.

KM: Well, Pepsi said they dropped Macy Gray also and Macy still has Mountain Dew commercials running. That's still a Pepsi company so a lot of times deals get made in the closet. I wish athletes and rappers would step up and say something, if they don't it's somebody coming that's going to say it. We got to stop cowering in fear, come at me 'cause I'm coming back at you.

AHH: There's no Jim Browns, no Bill Cosby's, entertainers like Marvin Gaye that were activist at the same time.

KM: We got them; look at Roc-A-Fella Jay-Z boycotted the Grammy's a few years back. Before we hate on people, like Jay get a lot of hate and I'm like who else would have had the courage to boycott the Grammy’s. I admire him and Dame 'till this day for that. It's about that integrity that you have as a person who comes from poverty, oppression. That's what I admire about those guys. When Wyclef was arrested at the protest here (education rally in New York City) that's when we should be gathering around 'Clef saying aight, you our Rosa Parks now.

AHH: Would you consider yourself Pro-black?

KM: I'm pro-people, I'm pro-oppressed people. I'm not so much caught up in colors; I'm caught up in the struggle. I like having nice stuff, I like money and nice things but in my background is poor working people and I can't shake
that.

AHH: I've listened to your conversation and you've used interesting words. What's your educational background?

KM: Public schools, Atlanta public schools. But I just realized early that being smart can protect you. My Grandmother was real serious about us being well educated. Being poor in this country in general you have got to learn how to speak two languages, and that's the language from the community you come from and the language of the oppressive group. I do them all well.

AHH: You're an affiliate of Outkast and some of their groups haven't done so well in terms of sales wise.


KM: Pretty bad if you want to be honest, most of the Dungeon family artist have not done well at all.

AHH: What are your thoughts on that?


KM: I'm scared 'cause I'm coming out in the fourth quarter; I understand that in the fourth quarter is when the big dogs come out to play. I'm hoping that this is going to be that sleeper movie, if we could compare it to cinema. I
want to do the impossible. I'm a sucker for the underdog.

AHH: What about your video, it's interesting. One thing I've notice is that you're constantly running through walls and then you finally come out and there are all these people, is there any symbolism there?

KM: Yeah, it's amazing you the first person that caught it everybody else like man, "I seen you running through those walls are they for real?" You kind of get it, it's like I'm here in this lab and a lot of times what we want to see is lame, it's like a sleeping giant, it's waiting but it never happens or comes until the people want it to and right now I feel like kids kind of want the energy I got because that's their energy.

AHH: I checked you out on Outkast's last album and the flow was real hard.

KM: Our sh*t don't mix like Yay and lukewarm water, better make it hot or splash ice and watch it rock up, I ought a duck tape ya infant daughter.

AHH: That was a classic verse, I seen you on Scooby-Doo and now it's like you got this...

KM: All come from a long night of hangin' out with shaggy, almost lost my last baggy of Scooby snackies.

AHH: So which is it?

KM: It's whatever I want it to be. It's what my 4-year-old daughter told me to do that. I was like "Yo, they want daddy to rap about Scooby-Do what you think?" She was like do it. I was happy when I got the check that's why she owns my publishing.

AHH: Your daughter owns your publishing?

KM: Yeah. but I actually did that [song] to show you I do whatever I want to do. "
(allhiphop.com)

[Braindead]

cool interview ,his album has been pushed back to 2003