Sigel n Freeway

[Crenshaw_blvd]

With State Property, the move and the Philly based group, self-proclaimed bully of rap Beanie Sigel emulates mentor Jay with a run at taking over. The star of the Dame Dash directed feature film brought his young gun, Freeway, to discuss all the issues in orbit around Planet Roc.

Allhiphop: What’s the meaning behind the title of the group, State Property?

Beanie Sigel: A lot of people say, “I’m going all out ‘til am [the] state’s property.” Its like we criminals with records but we got a second change, A lot of people don’t get that. People can turn their life around, look at me.

AHH: Ya’ll do a lot of songs together. Ya’ll seem to be real tight.

BS: [Screaming] That’s my young’un!

AHH: So, Beans how did ya’ll come together?

BS: Free had on a black hat. It was to the front real low. I couldn’t see his face in the club. I wasn’t even on. I was on stage rapping and Free got on stage. We exchanged numbers or whatever. And I ran into him again and I was on. And I remembered him like, “That cat I met that night was crazy!”

AHH: What year was that?

Freeway: About 98-99, hooked up with Mac!

AHH: Now, Free you bring a different style to the game. It’s nothing like out there in the game right now. Where does that come from?

F: I just do me. Like whatever I feel, I put it together. Like how I got my flow together, I try to make it all fit. Mac would tell me you can’t make it all fit. And once I started learning different techniques of taking the words out, it was getting crazy.

AHH: Now, I saw ya’ll on the Blueprint tour in Philly and in DC. Free, the crowd went nuts when you performed your verse on “1-900-Hustler.” How did that feel?

F: Man,that felt crazy. It’s unexplainable.

AHH: Now, Beanie, I know you the main cat in the State Property movie. The first time I interviewed you, you didn’t have no skits on the album, because you said it was no acting – it was The Truth. And now, here you go and you acting in a feature film. What’s it all about?

BS: This is a average hood tale, rags to riches. Its just like dudes taking the street route, grind up what they want and once they get everything, they find out it ain’t cool cause one that road to the riches, we was driving on cobblestones. Its just letting you know the ups and downs of the street hustle. You can do this but this is the outcome.

AHH: Now, the main characters name is Beans…How close is this to the truth.

BS: I just did that.
F: Its based on a true story [laughs].

AHH: Also, Beans when I interviewed you, you said, “I’ma rap forever.” Then, I interviewed you a second time and you were like, “I’ma be behind a desk in a few years.”

BS: I just been grinding up. Now, I got Oschino and Free and Sparks and Young Guns. And Dame came in the studio like, “We got to get you your own label.” I’m early in the game with only two albums. I got my own label now. I’m on my way, I got my own clothing label now – State Property Block Wear.

AHH: When’s that jump off?

BS: The full line is going to be out in the fall crazy but we going to have clothes on some exclusives. Real hot – Block wear. The new millennium hustler’s gear.

AHH: Now Free, you have an album on the way, right? What can people expect?

F: I’m telling my story. I got so much to say and so many ways to say it. No fast forwards.

BS: We gonna see a lotta little Freeways running around. And it’s going to be obvious because you can’t compare Free to anybody.

AHH: Let’s switch gears and talk about something that everybody wants to know about…

BS: THE DRAMA! I know where ya getting at!

AHH: Let’s start with Jadakiss. Where is that situation now?

BS: That ain’t no situation. I put him in box. I roll with a circle, I can’t fit in a square. Its like my man [Jadakiss] ain’t poppin’ off and they looking crazy right now. I’ll give him like one crazy joint like, “UGGGGGHH” and shut ‘em down. And he’s still poppin,’ poppin.’

AHH: Yeah…

BS: I can come to New York and do my joint, shit on my man [Jadakiss] and they gonna be there rocking with me. But [in Philly at Powerhouse] soon as my man said my name, “Get him outta here [imitating the crowd booing Jadakiss]!” I’m like, fall back. They love me [in Philly].

AHH: Was that a freestyle you kicked that day?

BS: Kinda, sorta. I had crazy thoughts and they were just poppin. I was like, “OK,” because we don’t write nothing down.

AHH: Free, you have gone head up, dissing some big dogs like Nas and Jadakiss.

BS: I heard that you don’t judge the power of a man by his friends, but by his enemies.

ÅHH: What made you come out dissing them like that?

F: What made him say my name?

BS: He didn’t say his name after [Free’s diss]. That was a gay move [by Nas] too. What he say [on “Ether”]? - “Compared to Beans you wack.” What I look like Fredro Corleone (The Godfather’s traitorous brother)? Ain’t nobody falling for that over here.

AHH: Let’s talk really quickly about the Jay/ Nas beef. How is that situation panning out?

BS: We still moving. We constantly doing us there is nothing they can do to blemish our character or what we do.

AHH: Now, these other Philly cats [Major Figgas] and ya’ll seem to be beefing hard.

BS & F: Don’t give them that, don’t give them that!

BS: That’s like the new cat in the hood and in order for him to fit in he gotta go after the big dogs. Knowing its dangerous to cross them grounds but he goes just that far….dude’s not crazy. We ain’t going to give them that,

AHH: I heard them barking at ya’ll.

BS: You heard them running off at the mouth. I am a hustler, man, I am doing what I am supposed to do.