Author Topic: Shorty of da Lench Mob is dissin Ice Cube? (Read 233 times)

Dizz · « **on:** August 29, 2002, 07:50:43 AM »

THis from the DaveyD Newletter:

SHORTY OF DA LENCH MOB SPEAKS OUT

Ice Cube abruptly departed N.W.A in 1989 and embarked one of rap's
most remarkable solo journeys. Although his persona on record and
film was frequently that of a politically minded, grizzled L.A.
gangbanging vet, just like the hot-tempered character Doughboy he
portrayed in 1991's Boyz N' The Hood, the menacing individual Cube
produced on record was fictional. According to one man who knew him
during his 1990's heyday, O'Shea Jackson was often quiet and
reflective away from the microphone and never went through the
gangland battles claimed to experience in his recordings.

Contrary to his often rough and tumble guise, Ice Cube had a fairly
uneventful suburban upbringing in South Central Los Angeles, was a
solid student and short of some minor criminal acts, never joined a
gang. This information leads to the question of how Ice Cube
maintained his gangster image for legions of frequently rugged fans
that accepted his tales of urban violence as first hand accounts. Was
it the well-ironed khakis, glistening jheri curls, black baseball cap
and ominous scowl? Perhaps, but more importantly it was the people he
surrounded himself with.

In the post N.W.A. days, Ice Cube recruited folks who lived the life
he portrayed in song. One of these people was Shorty of the gold
selling rap trio Da Lench Mob, a one-time gangbanger who began his
criminal career as a teen and became a feared presence in L.A.'s
notorious Marvin Gangster Crips. Weed smoking, guzzling 40s, skirt
chasing and of course, hardcore violence were normal activities in his
existence.

After finishing up a robbery bid in California's Corcoran maximum
security state pen--also home to Charles Manson--Shorty got back with
an old pal, future Da Lench Mob member J-Dee. J-Dee had just returned
from a trip with Ice Cube to New York to record Cube's solo
full-length debut, Amerikkka's Most Wanted. Soon after in 1991,
Shorty finally met with Ice Cube through J-Dee who fraudulently told
Cube the two gangbangers were cousins. Not knowing much more than
what he saw on Yo! MTV Raps, Shorty assumed Cube was a gangbanger
like himself. "The style of dress that they had, you'd think, damn,
these ****** gangbanging," Shorty said about N.W.A. and Cube from his
West Side L.A. home. "We went over to Cube's momma's house and I'm
sizing him up. I'm looking like, 'O.K.,'I don't know. It's a trip
how TV can lie to you. I'm like damn.

This dude is square as hell."

Square or not, Shorty leapt at an opportunity to tour with Cube as a
member of his security team on Cube's first series of solo concerts.
The early touring crew was deep-sometimes as many as twenty--and full
of Cube's Street Knowledge posse including Yo Yo, Sir Jinx, J-Dee,
T-Bone and Chilly Chill.

As Shorty tells it, a typical tour stop went like this: Shorty and
J-Dee would venture into the hoods and hang with local ghetto dwellers
representing Ice Cube, thereby validating Cube's gangster persona in
the absence of Cube himself. "This is something I grew up with all my
life," Shorty said. "Hanging around cutthroats and weed smokers and
heroin addicts, alcoholics. This is all we knew. So of course, any
state we go to, that's what we comfortable with.but Cube, it was
uncomfortable for him."

Shorty maintains that he and his pals legitimized Cube's gangster
character on tour. "We made it comfortable for Cube to go to these
states man. Because, now they seeing tattoos all over my back. They
seeing J-Dee's tattoos. They like damn. Keep in mind, everyone hear
about Crips and Bloods, but damn, when you like in Oklahoma or in
Nebraska, they up front close talking to a Crip.It's like
damn. These Lench Mob ****** is real."

According to Shorty, future thespian Ice Cube kept his rep through
what might be described as stellar acting. "Brother was never a
street dude man," he said. "He would never let nobody see him out of
character. Hear me? He would always be in character when you see
him."

Despite serving as Cube's shield from the public, Shorty didn't have a
problem with his methodology. "We wasn't really trippin' like 'Damn
homie, you using our image to capitalize on. We didn't trip because
we felt that it was family."

And of course, it was business. Shorty admits to being cool with the
situation because he was promised a record deal (Da Lench Mob released
two LPs on East West records) and the allure of seeing all of America
was too great to pass up for someone that rarely crossed the
California border.

Not only did Ice Cube utilize Shorty and J-Dee's gangland image, but
their battle tales as well. Shorty says during a flight from Dallas
after a gig with the Geto Boys, he and J-Dee told Cube about how some
of their out of town Crip brethren got into a St. Louis gang brawl.
"After landing, we walked through that tunnel thing," remembered
Shorty. "We walking. [Cube's] like 'Listen to this.' This dude's
like busts a whole rhyme. I'm like 'Damn *****, you write pretty
fast. The story that we told, he just put it on paper."

That story became Cube's graphic gang laced track "My Summer Vacation"
on his Death Certificate LP. Shorty didn't have a problem with how
Cube got his info at the time, but now reconsiders, "I'm not tripping
on that ****. But I wish I would have man [laughs]. You know. I
would have cashed in on it.then I started really looking to the other
stuff and like damn. We're hustling, [he's] taking ****and writing,
putting our story on paper and capitalizing on it man. But that's
just how he was. None of the things that he ever kicked as far as in
the street, the ghetto stuff, he never did none of that man. None of
that."

Even with the way Cube used Shorty's background for his benefit,
Shorty remains thankful for his experience and the two LPs his group
Da Lench Mob put out. "I learned a lot from that dude," Shorty
admitted. "I love him to this day even though we got some unfinished
business we have got to deal on. By going on tour with him, it
changed my life completely around."

It was a change that involved becoming a Muslim in 1991 after a
lifetime of not even knowing what a Muslim was. The transformation
came after he befriended a Public Enemy soundman that toured with Cube
who introduced him to the Nation of Islam. This ultimately led to the
end of his gangbanging days and taking on the name of Jerome Muhammad.

On the music side, Da Lench Mob enjoyed gold selling success in 1992
with their first album Guerillas In Tha Mist, largely written by Ice
Cube. According to Shorty, their money wasn't properly divided
because other Ice Cube prot g s Yo Yo and Kam released albums that
didn't fare nearly as well. Additionally, the crew went through heavy
turmoil when J-Dee was arrested for attempted murder and eventually
landed in prison. Instead of disbanding, Da Lench Mob returned in
1994 with the poorly marketed and disappointingly received Planet of
Da Apes featuring a new member, Oakland based rhymer Maulkie. Shorty
says someone may have been trying to break up the group and one day
his anger over the unforgiving record biz and woes over music
friendships gone sour led him to want to "kill everybody at Street
Knowledge" with 100 rounds of ammunition at his side. Instead, he was
coincidentally called to his mosque and reflected on the situation in
tears.

Now in his mid thirties and having often scraped by financially in his
post Da Lench Mob days, Shorty is aiming for a comeback. He spent
several years in the late 90s learning the music business from people
like producer QDIII and Wendy Day of the Rap Coaltion. After a
lengthy industry education, he's releasing a solo album in September
called Short Stories on his own imprint, Bow Tie Entertainment. Among
the guests slated to appear are Coolio, one time Cube pal (and
frequent Cube critic) Kam, Boo Ya Tribe and RBX. His former partner
J-Dee continues to be housed in same California state prison that
Shorty himself was in and isn't due to come home until 2004. Shorty
has also commissioned L.A. marketing firm The Radio Bums to create a
website at www.dalenchmob.com and has multiple documentary film
projects in the works.

Although Shorty claims Da Lench Mob is owed over 1.5 million dollars
by Ice Cube and his former boss turned his back on the group when the
chips were down, he still has love for the man who put him in the
game. "If none of this had went down and J-Dee never went to jail,
we'd probably be some arrogant ass rappers to this day. It really
humbled me," Shorty said thankfully. Even with years of acrimonious
rap game experiences in tow, Shorty remains optimistic. "I'm not
bitter because I'm gonna get mine regardless."

Unfortunately, Cube's high profile perch has prevented the two from
speaking since L.A.'s 1997 hip-hop summit after the death of the
Notorious B.I.G. Nonetheless, he'd still like to see Cube dish out
some well-earned payback and "do what's right and take care of those
who helped you."

kuniver · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2002, 08:18:58 AM »

Dang... thats crazy, i think its true because if though he tells the truth, he still shows the guy love and thanks him... so its like if he was dissing him then he would be dissing him the whole time and not thank him or show love..