New Crooked I Inteview (Possibly working with Quik, talks on Snoop, Dre, Suge)

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

HHNLive.com writer Over links up with Crooked I as he discusses his rumored restraining order against Death Row Records/Suge Knight, the death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, why he signed with Suge in the first place, the Bad Boy/Death Row wars and his beef with Snoop Dogg.

HHNLive: What's new in the world of Crooked I?

Crooked I: Tryin' to put a new mind set in the game, especially on the west coast, a man can only do so much but the idea can spread. My Idea is beginning a whole new era of bosses on the West Coast.

HHNLive: Expand on that.

CI: We need more savvy people out here, we need to display a more business minded type of attitude. We need to get better deals on the West Coast; we need more unity on the West Coast. Not just havin niggas come and spit a hot 16 every once in a while but actually unite this shit. The West Coast body is sick and I'm trying to heal it from that, that's my push.

HHNLive: So when you're young one answered the phone when I called it got me thinking..what's REALLY Hood? Is it taking care of the fam and not letting nothing stop you, or is it about being a 100% street soldier and putting in work?

 
CI: It all depends on what you think, but my feelin' is: keeping it hood is being active in the hood..be a form of inspiration to come up out..and you can't do that if you ain't from the hood. That ain't possible if you ain't in the hood, can't come to the hood and you never goin' to the hood. It's a lot of dudes out there who speak it but don't fit it. Also you got to keep your identity don't be switching up when you get up. I will always be who I am and never switch up and play myself with success. Lots of dudes been successful out here, but they been walkin around with Bodyguards and Yes-Men for 10+ years and never get to really see what's changing in the hood over this time..success can be a blinder, but even a bum can tell you things you don't know..stayin hood is as easy as being IN the hood enough to really see what's goin on.

HHNLive: I think the rapper is the spokesman for the gangsta life style but not necessarily the gangsta himself, what are your thoughts on that?

CI: It can and has been both ways and I got no problem with either one. I say: quit getting mad , but we do need to reshape the meaning of gangsta. Once we do that, the term will apply to a real nigga: coming from nothing, built something with the hood at my back and one who actually stood on their own two feet in a society where it's set up for people like us to fail. We need to change the meaning back to what it was..John Gotti was no gang banger..Al Capone wasn't no gang banger…it can apply across the table, but the meaning needs to get back to what it was.

HHNLive: How does keeping it gangsta fit in with handling day to day business?
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CI: A person should always be a person…be human first. I do think that young black men need to keep they hard hat on at all times, but yet it's not about being a super gangsta you are to always react as a man first. Although, if you stupid enough to spit on my shoe you will see that gangsta and that man in me, beat yo' ass.

HHNLive: OK..relating to the issues with Death Row.. niggas will call you out a lot if you use the law to help deal with a problem with another nigga. Do you think things like the gag order truly affect the image you present?(a gag order was placed on Death Row preventing them from inhibiting Crooked I's career moves in Feb 2005)

A: Hell yeah that shit could be damaging…and let's get it straight..this wasn't no restraining order…I have not and will not ever place a restraining order on Suge or anyone else, I can deal with my own issues. And people should know this was not a restraining order, this was a business move. None of it was to reflect as if I was afraid of dealing with Suge. The judge restrained Death Row, not Suge Knight. The law came into it to stop Death Row from telling other people that I was still his artist under contract. It was more of a cease and desist. If people perceive it the wrong way, yeah it could be damaging, but Suge sent the paper work first. Still..it's nothing personal..it's strictly on a business level..this is a company vs. company thing and the judge ruled that DR (Death Row) could not stop my career and I believe his rep preceded him enough, so the Judge decided on his own to put the gag order on him. it's not one of those; stay 100 feet away from me things and it's not on him personally.It's just an order that allows me to continue to do business without my former DR (Death Row) ties hindering me.

People gotta understand there is the up front beef, but that shit is mostly helping to sell records..there is another side of beef..There's Cold War shit that goes down too...niggas will pick up a phone and try to kill yo shit by sayin' they won't appear if XX dude is on this or that soundtrack or that they will fuck up some sensitive business with XX label if you sign XX dude and what not..it's a lot of Cold War shit that goes down too, people don't see that side of it.

HHNLive: You were talked about as a dude from the West who had real lyrical content, how much do you think Lyrics play a part when so many cats sell records these days from just being a real ass gangsta from wherever they come from?

CI: Lyrics are important to me, but not important to the process of selling records. There's room for both and people need to stop being scared of each of them and utilize them together.

HHNLive: How important is it to be heralded as the "real thing" even before your records are a number 1 success? Talk a little bit about having true rep vs. being promoted in the game.

CI: Corporate America is what puts that in your head, making people think a rapper gotta get shot to be successful or real enough..in my life I have been through a lot of shit..I have things I'm running FROM..so I'm running TO success. My whole life has been turning negatives into positives so..im like fuck it…if my negative past can turn into a positive then it's goin in the song but at the same time I'm conscious of what I write.

HHNLive: So how is the Documentary coming along? (Leaving Death Row dropped Sept. 2006)

CI: We got Wal-Mart now, Best Buy, Amazon.com and still gaining more support. I'm selling it everyday like it just came out..and the thing is..it's hittin em in the heart .it's getting a lot of love out there because it's not a smear campaign against Suge. It's not what people expected it to be.

HHNLive: So let's get back on Death Row… what kind of aura was hanging over your head when you heard that Left Eye passed away so suddenly after trying to help you and others revive things? Did you almost immediately want to bounce? Was there a sinking ship feeling right away or did it take time to feel that way?

CI: That thing caught me like a real blow to the stomach…I couldn't believe it . It really affected me right away. It felt like the Kennedy curse was hanging over DR (Death Row) but I'm loyal. If the ship is sinking, I go down with the captain as long as he keep it 100 wit me.

HHNLive: Reaching back a little farther…what did you think of how things were shaping up after the pissing contest (Puff & Suge) resulted in such grave consequences for both Labels?

CI: Suge's hands was tied the whole time, they was watchin him and it made things more difficult. What would he do? Come out and be a model citizen or get back to the thug? But when he came out it was a different game. Him and puff wasn't the only moguls anymore..it wasn't all about them two no more. There was a lot more money in the game when he got out & a lot of people happy that didn't wanna see that fucked up.

HHNLive: When you look at Bad Boy and Death Row 10 years after Biggie & Pac died, you can see some obvious failures on both parts..what was going through your mind when you signed on to help revive a label that seemingly lost it's way entirely?

CI: What was going thru my mind? It wasn't no deals on the West Coast. When Pac died he took West Coast sales to the grave with him for a long time. If you look back nobody was having it in the west so it was an obvious choice for me. They was giving out peanuts for deals here. Suge was the only dude that was ready to treat me right…I had a great contact over there.

HHNLive: Were you expected to take on the role of hating Dre and Snoop forever? Are things to the point where now these cats would not give you the time of day or is there a mutual respect since they all know how difficult it can be to leave Death Row?

CI: I told Suge when I came to see him: I'm not goin diss Snoop...he from long beach I got no issues wit that man....he told me ok, if that's my position , but understand; Snoop is goin diss you just because you on Death Row. You know what? Suge was right. On two different occasions, Snoopy took off on me first, just because I was over there. We shot back at each other a little bit, but I didn't go for no super diss because like I said I wasn't trying to come at that man, we both from Long Beach.

HHNLive: So the I in Crooked I don't stand for Inglewood then right?

 
CI: Nah I'm from Long Beach, that ain't the first time I heard that though.

HHNLive: So what happened after that?

CI: When I left I went to Snoop's West Coast Conference, the one he did at Universal City. I was there. He saw me, I stood up for mine. And also again at Russell Simmons Hip Hop Summit, Snoop came up to me and shook my hand. I thought it was all good. I thought it was over..until a recent interview on www.Dubcnn.com He was just asked a simple question: "Now that you trying to unify the West, are you goin get down with Crooked I on anything new?" And his answer turned into a 5 or 10 minute rant that don't reflect what kinda beef we really had if any at all. I felt like the beef was over cause he shook my hand and smiled, but I guess that was all fake. It was fake. It's like 10 minutes of audio of him goin in at me and the interviewer was shocked to the point where he began to ask counter questions. The Dub forums blew the fuck up after that..people was saying Snoop musta been high on more than just weed for saying that.. He basically contradicted himself. He went ballistic on a few people from the West. How you goin be trying to unify the West and saying all that at the same time?

HHNLive: How is your relationship with others from the West?

CI: I spoke to Dre several times while I was still on Death Row AND I even told Suge. I was actually trying to get something major to happen and get him to produce for me while I was on Death Row..me and Dre are good no issue he know how I feel about his music. I don't have to put down the idea of unifying wit my niggas from the West. I was trying make history even back then. Could you imagine Dre making anything on Death Row again? I did. I'm also on that One Blood remix with Game, me and him are cool, it's not far from the vision I have.

<Crooked I gets a phone call from his dude Infra-Red, while I wait I'm hearing that they trying to link up something as soon as we're done. when he comes back he added>

Right now I'm trying to get down with Quik too... . I would like to work with anyone from the West who wanna work with me and keep it 100..im with the business. I really view our Coast as a Body..and I want us to have a strong body. I'm willing to play the part I fit into..the leg the foot, whatever it takes to get the West Healthy.

HHNLive: So where is Crooked I headed from this point, what can we expect? Are you like The Game and needing to prove that Dr Dre isn't the only way to blow (even though almost everyone on his LP was copycatting Dre's signature style) or is it finally time for the East Side LBC native to enter the fold somehow?

CI: I'm developing a new everything..no disrespect to anything that has been put down..it's just time for new things..new execs new producers..new everything..look for me to be the one to help change the thinking process of the West Coast rapper. I'm not a Gangster Rapper, I'm a Gangsta Emcee. Career wise I got a long road ahead of me..but I'm about to do something similar to a Cube run..gangsta mixed with a little conscious shit…the ghetto needs it. Makaveli did it too, keepin it raw and street at the same time that's what it's about. How the fuck we let Arnold flip the Switch on Big Tookie then let Kramer's dumb ass walk out the sunset building still breathin? He shoulda been on a stretcher real talk.

HHNLive: It's been good talking with you, before I wrap this up, two quick questions..

HHNLive: What will you do the minute I hang up the phone: real talk no fake answers

CI: I'm headin' to Long Beach and imma get my dude Infra-Red on the phone ,we goin see if we can get DJ Quik on the 3 way and see if we can get some heat together.

HHNLive: What were you doing right before I called?

CI: I was watching the History Channel, scientific study on the book of Exodus.

SOURCE: http://www.hhnlive.com/features/more/169


DAMN, another down-to-earth conversation with the Boss himself.

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

a recent interview on www.Dubcnn.com He was just asked a simple question: "Now that you trying to unify the West, are you goin get down with Crooked I on anything new?" And his answer turned into a 5 or 10 minute rant that don't reflect what kinda beef we really had if any at all. I felt like the beef was over cause he shook my hand and smiled, but I guess that was all fake. It was fake. It's like 10 minutes of audio of him goin in at me and the interviewer was shocked to the point where he began to ask counter questions. The Dub forums blew the fuck up after that..people was saying Snoop musta been high on more than just weed for saying that.. He basically contradicted himself. He went ballistic on a few people from the West. How you goin be trying to unify the West and saying all that at the same time?

SHOUTOUTS, lol.