Author Topic: Another Prodigy (AHH) interview (i think this is the real last one) (Read 156 times)

Elano · « **on:** January 09, 2008, 05:38:53 AM »

Prodigy of Mobb Deep infamy was to begins serving a three and a half year jail sentence for unlawful gun possession on January 8, but was granted a 30 day reprieve. AllHipHop sat down with Capital P so he could set the record straight.

Even as one half of Mobb Deep, Albert "Prodigy" Johnson always stood out as the face of the group. Though Juvenile Hell would make for an overlooked debut from the Queensbridge duo, their follow up, The Infamous, would seal their legacy in the streets. Packed to the brim with classic street ministries (“Shook Ones Part 2,” “Survival Of The Fittest”), gritty production, and the indelible Dun language, The Infamous was a cornerstone of New York hardcore Rap. The Mobb maintained their signature sound on the darker Hell On Earth and finally popped off commercially with Murda Musik featuring the hit “Quiet Storm.”

Unfortunately their momentum slowed down going into the new millennium. P’s solid solo album H.N.I.C. didn’t perform to everyone’s expectations and Jay-Z went on to throw him under the bus on the seminal diss track “The Takeover.” Furthermore their next three albums (Infamy, Amerikaz Nightmare, Blood Money) would all be met with mixed reviews.

All in all P continued to carry himself like the hardest dude in the country. Capital P’s live by the gun mentality would eventually catch up to him last year when he was caught with a burner and faced some serious time due to his previous criminal record. In a chess move, he copped out and agreed to serve three and a half years. With a turn in date of January 9th, Prodigy surprisingly doesn’t seem phased at all by the looming jail sentence. Instead he seems only focused on his new effort H.N.I.C. Part 2 and wants to let the full story be known. P Double shares his insight on Hip-Hop cops, his lengthy Rap Beef resume and how he is dealing with it all as the clock ticks down.

You’re turning yourself in shortly to serve three years in prison, how are you feeling considering everything you are facing?

Prodigy: I’m feeling good. I’m feeling real good because the album came out kind of crazy; it really came together at the last minute. I’ve been working on H.N.I.C. 2 for a minute now; probably like since 2003 or 2004. The reason for the hold up was basically Mobb Deep was making new deals all the time, just trying stay relevant. Without Mobb Deep being relevant, nothing else matters. Mobb Deep is what made everything possible. We was doing our deals, doing our touring, going overseas, doing American tours.

After The Massacre and the Anger Management tour, when we got back home I had some time to go in and finish up my album even before I caught the case. It’s not like I’m putting out the album because of my situation. It was already in motion. When I caught the case and I realized I had to cop out to the three years I basically just, aight I got to wrap this up. So I started rounding up the producers and all my video n****s like boom. We got this much space, we got to wrap the rest of this album up. So they started getting me their best s**t and the video n****s started giving me their best ideas. We really did it, we made it.

What are your days like?

Prodigy: Right now, it’s real hectic. Doing interviews everyday, doing the radio, press s**t. I’m basically finished recording the whole album, we just mixing and mastering. I might do a couple last minute joints my last days here. Other than that I’m basically done. January 9th I go in.

Please explain to the readers what happened when you were arrested and why exactly you had to cop out to the three years.

Prodigy: Basically what happened in my case I took Alchemist out for his birthday last year to this club Show. It was Shareefa’s album release party. We got to the door and the promoters are “Oh Mobb Deep, we’re going to get ya’ll in.” So we waiting and while we waiting I see the little Hip-Hop task force. I noticed them; Yeah that’s the same dudes that pulled me over before. It was the Blood Money album release party at The Roxy and at the show there was an ill fight that broke out on stage. We went outside we got to the cars and s**t, I had a driver. I’m in the passenger seat and an unmarked car pulls us over. The guy gets out, a young black cop, he look younger than me even, probably twenty five. Walked up to the car, [opened] the door and was like Albert Johnson step out the car.

So I get out the car and I’m like what’s up? They’re like “You’re under arrest.” I’m like for what? You pulling me out of the car and I ain’t even do nothing. I’m thinking it got to do something with the fight that happened in the club. I’m like can you tell me what I’m under arrest for? To tell you the truth from looking at the guy he didn’t look like no cop, he dressed regular. He look like one of my n****s or something. Right away I’m thinking like these n****s ain’t cops. Ni***s be doing that in New York; they be riding around like cops, pulling n****s over, robbing n****s, or doing whatever, kidnapping people. So then I seen a uniform officer, like a sergeant or captain. He walked over and he started talking to the guy and so I’m like Oh ok he is a real cop. So I got into the car with them, I kept asking what am I under arrest for. They’re like “We’ll tell you when we get downtown.”

So I sat there and thought about the situation and started saying I’m going to start picking his brain. So I started saying whose idea was it to lock me up after the show, because I saw you guys outside before we even got in. Why didn’t you lock me up before the show? The cop that arrested me was like, “It was my idea I didn’t want the fans to riot if you didn’t perform.” I said good looking, thanks for letting us perform. That was cool; he didn’t have to do that. He could have just ruined our whole night. So once I said that he started opening up, I was doing it on purposes. I know what I’m doing all the times. I said is it possible that you call my manager so I can get a head start on my bail? He thought about it and he was like “What’s your man’s number.” He’s like boom we taking him down to such and such. Then I said while he was on the phone, I had like three hundred thousand in jewelry and I’m about to go through the system, can you take my jewelry and hold it for my man? And he’s like cool.

When we get down to The Tombs, that’s central booking in Manhattan, they pull the car over, they took my jewelry off and put it on the trunk and took pictures of it. They said your man is going to pick up your jewelry and we going to wait for him then take you in. I went in; still not knowing what I’m locked up for. I spent the night in jail, the next morning somebody comes and gets me out. I’m like what am I here for? What am I under arrest for? He starts looking through some papers, he don’t even want to tell me. I guess he decided like aight [I’ll] f***ing tell him, f*** it; “Where you talking on your cell phone when driving one day?” Yeah, that’s what you got arrested for. I’m like are you serious? Nobody comes after a person for not paying a ticket for talking on a cell phone. You came after me for this? You can’t be serious. It was obvious they was like who is these Mobb Deep guys that are with 50, keep your eye on them and find out anything you can on these dudes. If they got any warrants, arrest their ass, and that’s what happened. They was digging and digging and they found out I had a cell phone ticket and they came after me.

Time goes on and I take out Alchemist for his birthday. I see the cops outside the club and I’m like those are the same cops. The promoter comes back and is like it’s going to cost sixteen hundred dollars to get in; it’s like seven of us. Sixteen hundred dollars, we just trying to come into your party real quick, show face and then bounce. They was like you got to buy six bottles or you can’t get in. I said we don’t drink and I was telling the truth. A few of my n****s drink, but me, I don’t drink. We bounced, we three cars deep. I got a bullet proof Suburban, my little cousin had a Benz and Godfather and Twin and all these n****s were in a black Hummer. I get a phone call from my little cousin like “The D’s just pulled me over.” I’m like you aight, you ain’t dirty or nothing right? He’s like “We good.” So I’m like call me back when they let you go. So we stopped to get some food and kill some time. I called him back like you straight son? He’s like they letting us go right now. Twin and them bounced in the Hummer, so now it’s just me and Al in my car on Al block. I did an illegal u-turn to catch a parking spot up the corner instead of driving all the way around the block. I’m all the way into the parking spot already, then an undercover yellow cab pulls up with red lights on the dashboard. It’s a 6Y cab. To everybody out there if you see a cab with 6Y, 2E, or 2W on the top, that’s police.

So they pulled up on the car and another pulled up. I’m like, Oh s**t what the f*** is going on? I know I just did an illegal move but how the f*** these n****s come in two different angles that fast? These ni***s are like put your hands in the air. They’re like, “Roll the windows down,” and I’m like, “The windows don’t roll down, this truck is bulletproof.” I unlock the door for him and he opens the door. He’s like, “Get out of the car,” he’s searching me and asks me if I got anything on me and I’m like no. The other one is searching Al. So then after they searched us they took us to the back of the car, so we sitting on the bumper. My little cousin pulls up with the Benz. He parks and walks to the sidewalk right next to us. My little cousin is like “P, that’s the cops that pulled me over.” So I tell him call my people and tell them to get ready to bail me out. He starts making the phone call right there. I already knew I was going to jail, I know what I got in the car. Anytime a cop searches your car without asking that’s an illegal search. He started opening up everything in my car, and you not allowed to do that. On a normal traffic stop, all the cops is allowed to take is your license and look in your car, they not allowed to look inside without a warrant. Then I hear the cops say the gun code, I forget what the gun code is. They got to say the code to warn the other cops that he just found a gun. So as soon as he say the gun code all the other cops say freeze and all that other s**t. So they cuff me and cuff Al. They put Al in a yellow cab and me in another car.

A cop hops in my car and drives off in my s**t and takes it to the precinct. They got Al in another cell and got me in another cell. After a few hours passed the other arresting officer he brought me out of my cell and took me to a back room. So he sat me down and was like, “We’ll rip up the arrest report, forget about everything, we’ll let you and your man walk right now if you just give us some information.” I said, “Nah I don’t get down like that.” I ain’t with snitching, or telling on nobody so dead that right now. I’ll serve my time like a man, I don’t tell on nobody. The n***a is like “Nobody has to know about this man, nobody will ever find out. I’ll rip up the report right in front of you so you’ll see it and you can act like this never happened and let you walk right. Would you help us set 50 Cent up?” I was like, this is what this is about? He’s like, “Look man all you got to do is maybe would you be willing to plant a gun in his car, plant some drugs in his car? Does he smoke weed? Maybe you can set up where he can buy some drugs off you, and maybe help us do a buy and bust.” So I’m like nah I’m not with that. So they like take him back to the cell.

We didn’t get bailed out until the next night. They were giving us problems, it’s like they didn’t want us to get bailed out. Maybe they thought Alchemist was going to crack because his skin color or something. Maybe they thought he was scared. We get bailed out, the first thing I do is go to G-Unit like I need to speak to Fif. Like son you need to be careful of who you around and who you let in your car. These muthaf*****s is trying to set you up. They tried for hours to get me to put s**t in your car, for me to get you to buy drugs off me, and Fif is already like that. Fif already know what time it is. He was happy I told him that. Fif already got a bulletproof truck with cameras all on the inside, all on the outside. If they would have tried to pull that sh*t that they did on me, he would have had all that s**t on film. If I had the cameras I could have played that s**t in court like look and I would have been home. But since I didn’t have that, they lied in court and did all types of s**t. These same cops that tried to set 50 up, got on the witness stand in my grand jury, told the jury that he saw me put something in the box.

I never touched that box. I had no reason. I had a gun in the car, it was my gun. I keep a gun for self defense, there’s a lot of jealousy that we deal with. Like if somebody try to come up on my car or try to rob n****s, I’m popping straight up and down, somebody going to lay the f**k down. I had no reason to touch the gun or anything, because we going to Al’s crib. They got on the stand and lied. It ruined my illegal search case and it ruined my racial profiling case. Anytime police follow you for no reason, and you didn’t do anything wrong and they follow you from somewhere that’s called profiling, because you’re Black and you fit the description of a criminal in their mind.

The first thing the D.A. did was walked up to my lawyer and was like, Look we’ll offer you three and a half [years] because the first offer was five years. They knew what they were doing. They knew my legal team knew there’s no way they could beat this case once they said that lie. All they care about is getting a conviction and a sentence. They don’t care if it’s for three days. I got a long criminal record as far as guns, getting in trouble and s**t like that. I never really committed no violent crime. I always kept a gun for protection; I’m not a violent person. I don’t go out starting trouble, I do music everyday. The whole world knows what I do for a living. My criminal record is for like gun possession, I got like five of them since I was sixteen. I beat all of my cases for illegal search. So I don’t know; they got smart this time or circumstances or whatever.

Because of my record I was facing fifteen years if I would have blew trial. The judge could have gave me whatever he wanted. The smart thing for me is to take the plea bargain and I’ll be home in a minute.

Considering your lengthy criminal record, have you experienced the Hip-Hop police in the past besides the occasions you just mentioned?

Prodigy: Back in like 90 before Mobb Deep came out I had an Acura, because I was into a lot of s**t so I had some money. It was a nice car; it had white seats, green piping. I was chilling for a little ni***. I was like fourteen, fifteen years old and I had my own car. I didn’t have a license, insurance I had none of that sh*t. I knew one of the dealers from Hillside Avenue in Jamaica. He used to put the s**t [as] temporary registration and that registration would run out I would come back and get a new one and he hooked me up with someone who had insurance so I had the hook up.

So I was in Brooklyn one day driving and I got pulled over. My car used to be white, I painted it green. I didn’t know you when you paint the car you had to inform the DMV so they can switch your color on your registration so when the cops run your plates it will come up the same color whatever your car is. So when the D’s are behind me they run my plates, it’s supposed to be a white car but the sh*t is green so they think this sh*t might be stolen. So they pull me over, like “License and registration.” I told them I just painted my car and they are like you got to change that at the DMV. I didn’t even have a license. Back in the day if you didn’t have a license they wouldn’t do nothing or just tell you to pop the car or if they were cool they would tell you to get out of there, now it’s a different story. They see it’s legit, they ain’t f*** with me. I tell them I’m a rapper, this is where I’m getting my money from. Back in the day I had a song on the Boyz N Da Hood soundtrack, that’s before we even did Mobb Deep. They were like okay, where you from. So he’s like hold up, he tells his partner come here, [this] dude is from Queensbridge, a guy from Mobb Deep. So he’s like oh word? You know that booklet that police be having, where they be making notes and s**t? He pulls it out from his back pocket. He’s like you from Queensbridge? So you know Cormega? You know Lakey The Kid? You know Spank? He’s like do you know this one, do you know that one? And I knew every single one of them he was naming, [But] I was like, Nah. I was bugging. These ni***s got everybody names in his back pocket. This is ‘90 son. Lake was running around getting into shootouts so it was kind of understandable for them to have Lake’s name in the book. But for them to have all these other names they was saying, it was like they were trying to put something together that wasn’t real.

How’s your team holding you down throughout this? Is 50 being helpful?

Prodigy: Everybody real supportive. Fif, Yayo calls me everyday like “Yo you good? I got ni***s waiting for you in every jail.” Everybody supportive, Hav, Alchemist, the whole team, like Noyd. They mad as hell I got to go to jail, but we got to deal with reality.

Elano · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2008, 05:39:17 AM »

So what’s up with that Saigon incident?

Prodigy: Let me start off like this, I don’t like talking about ni***s like Saigon, and certain ni***s I got beef with. It’s like I’m giving them free promotion. They’re no where near the caliber of artist that I am, so they shouldn’t be allowed to come out of my mouth but I will talk about it because I want people to have a clear understanding of what’s really going on because there’s a lot of lies circulating. The Saigon situation started off like this. When Saigon came home from jail, we had no idea who this dude was.

Aight some dude came home and Alchemist knew him. He was doing some work with Al because he was close with Ghetto Inmates with Tru Life and all them n****s. That’s the first time I heard of Saigon, I heard Alchemist playing some sh*t, [saying] he just came home, [he] Tru Life peoples. That was before the Tru Life s**t, so I was like aight cool. Time goes on and I do a little song with Tru Life and I didn’t even know who Tru Life was, but I found who he was because Alchemist was doing music for him. I was like who you doing that beat for; I came to Al’s crib one day. Al said the kid want to give you some money to do a verse and I ain’t really want to do it to tell you the truth because I just wasn’t feeling his music. He told me he got some bread for you, [so] I was like aight I’ll do it. So I laid it down for him. What I did, I gave him an old verse, I didn’t even write something new. I wasn’t going to bust my brain cells for some ni*** that I wasn’t really feeling his music, I was just trying to get a quick check. It was something I never said before. So I spit that on there, got the money and bounced.

Maybe like six months to a year later, we did the Any Given Sunday soundtrack. We gave them the song and I had spit the same verse I said on the Tru Life record. They was like “Yo that’s the same verse” and I was like, “Oh sh*t it was a mistake I didn’t mean to do that.” I don’t want to put that same verse that’s stupid, f**k the money and f**k why I did it I don’t never want to put the same verse on something and people say P getting lazy, P can’t write a new rhyme. I don’t want that look out there. It was really an honest mistake. So Tru Life was heated, [he was like] tell P he got to do the verse over. I was like Cool, I’ll do that. I was working on so much other s**t it wasn’t a priority to go back and fix the verse for him. So time was going on and they was getting mad that I didn’t hurry up and do it and they paid me. So he started making threats. So when he started making threats I was like, Son, you expect me to come fix it after you making threats? That sh*t needs to chill. He sending threats through Alchemist, I’m like what? I’m really not fixing it now, f*** them n****s. It ain’t my fault I didn’t fix it as fast as you wanted me to do it, so f*** it. Now you want to say some greasy sh*t, so f*** you then. So when he realized I wasn’t going to do it he got tight.

I was in Soundtrack studios one night and Alchemist came through and was like “Yo I’m about to go do a song with Infamous Mobb and [DJ] Muggs and all that.” I’m like cool, I’ll be here working on the album. So Al left and I’m in the studio chilling. A few hours later I get a phone call so I think it was Twin or Al and was like, “Yo Tru Life ran up in the studio.” I’m like what the f*** happened? So they said Al was in the studio chilling, and Tru Life was in the same studio in another room. So they seen Al, they like when we see P we going to kill that n****! I’m like “What, but Al didn’t call me to tell me that.” He just heard that and was like aight whatever started to continue to make music. So Twin and them came into the same studio with Al, and when they walked in Tru Life and them thought that Al called them n****s because they just said I’m going to kill [P] and twenty minutes later, Twin and all my ni***s come in the same studio. So Tru Life was only two deep. So they got scared and came back with mad ni***s with guns and all kind of s**t. They were like yo, give the message to your man P. They snatched my little man chain and smacked him with the gun. When they smacked him with the gun, the gun went off, and it almost shot him in his head in the studio. And when that happened all of them got scared and they left after that because the gun went off by mistake. So they call me, yo them n****s came into the studio, they smacked son with the gun. So n****s was mad at Alchemist for a little while but it wasn’t Al’s fault, because Tru Life came and said he going to kill P so why Al ain’t call nobody and warn anybody in the room.

He didn’t take the threat serious?

Prodigy: He not even thinking like that, Al is just doing his beats. He not thinking about no street s**t like that, I was even mad at Al for a minute. But then I had to realize why am I mad at Al? He didn’t do nothing, it’s not his fault. So basically we just let that go. Then that Beef DVD came out. Tru Life on there popping s**t that he made me and Hav strip in the studio, that never even happened son. He took a situation and added to it to make it bigger than what it is.

After that me and Alchemist went to this club, I forget the name of it. We in the club, it’s just me and Al. I see Tru Life and five of his people in the club. So Al is like here they come. I had a Corona bottle in my hand. I turn it the other way. I’m holding it on my side. Everybody in the club see what’s going on. Them n****s all come around me and Al, surrounding us. I’m standing just like this with the bottle like I’m going to crack one of them n****s in the head with it. If they say anything wrong I’m swinging the bottle, I’m going to crack you in the face with the bottle. They come up to me like What up son, and I’m like What up? They like “What up?; we paid you for that song.” I’m like son, ya’ll almost shot my man in the head. I’m like f*** all that song s**t, it’s beyond that at this point. So he’s like that was a mistake, I didn’t mean for that to happen. I apologize, but we paid you for a verse. So he’s like what’s it going to be, he popping mad s**t. The whole club looking like “Ooh, it’s about to go down,” like P about to get jumped. I’m ready to crack this nI*** in his face, two seconds later like thirty of my n****s come into the club. It was Littles, Havoc, a bunch of my n****s from Queensbridge. They all walk up randomly. My man come up to me, “It’s a problem P?” I’m like it ain’t nothing. Tru Life like “Yo man let me get your number, let’s exchange numbers, we’ll work this out.” We exchange numbers and that was that. So I called Tru Life. I was like what’s up son, I’ll come and do that sh*t over for you. He’s like word? Come meet me at the studio tomorrow, so I’m like cool. I get up the next day and call him. He like “Oh I’m not really feeling good today man, I’m not going to be able to do it today.” Ok cool, just tell me when you ready son. And I never heard back from him after that.

So a S.M.A.C.K. DVD come out a year later after Saigon came home. It’s Saigon and Tru Life on the S.M.A.C.K. DVD and Saigon is holding up the Amerikaz Nightmare album and burning it with a lighter. He’s saying f*** these old n****s, f*** Mobb Deep and stomped our s**t on the ground, like it’s time for the new rappers and the new generation. I’m like Wow, burning our album cover is like burning our flag. So I took that real personal, like, These n****s don’t know when to quit.

So Alchemist’s brother had a birthday party after that at a bar, a little private function. Me and my man, I had this big ass nine on my waist. I always keep a gun on me. I’m just chilling, I ain’t starting no problems with nobody, it’s my man’s birthday, we chilling. Who come up in the club, Saigon. He sees us and comes straight to me. “Yo P, I love Mobb Deep son, it ain’t no problem son, I was bugging, I don’t know what I was thinking about. I love Mobb Deep, it’s nothing.” I’m looking at this n****, You know what son, I’ve said some crazy s**t in my life before, don’t even sweat it. He’s like, Nah, you don’t understand, I’m a fan. I’m like, It’s aight son, don’t even stress it. He keep going on son, and my man said, “Shut the f*** up yo.” He stopped and looked at my man, he just walked out the club. That s**t was funny son (laughs). That was the funniest s**t ever, I’m surprised Saigon didn’t start laughing. But he just walked outside the club. So I said We can’t let him walk out the club like that, now we got to follow him like what the f*** you going to get.

Now we go outside and I hear my man arguing like f*** that, they arguing back and forth. I’m telling him, I’m pushing son like yo forget it, telling my man to forget it. Now I walk away from these n****s, like these n****s bugging. All the time I had the hammer on my waist like I said, but I’m not even thinking about that. I’m just chilling letting these ni***s argue. So I’m like come on, so my man comes and we walking off. Now there were popping more s**t now, it was somebody else with him, I think DJ Sickamore or some other people and then they were amping him up a little bit. So I walked over to Saigon, I walked close to him. I’m like son look, forget it about son, forget about it. He’s like “Nah your man bugging.” His arms are swinging close to where my sh*t is at. So I kind of grabbed his arm and let him touch that s**t like, Son go home. I’m not even like that, I don’t even get down like that. I carry a gun for self defense, if I see it’s going to be a problem then it’s going to be a problem. When I see this n**** it’s not a problem.

I don’t know why Saigon burning s**t and come in the club and say all this sh*t to me that day and then after that he got in an interview and said some crazy s**t about Mobb Deep. So when I put out Return Of The Mac I was doing an interview for some magazine, the ni*** like, "What about Saigon?" I’m like, "F*** Saigon, that ni*** could suck my d**k." I was just tired of that n****, like this n**** don’t know what he want. You want to be cool, beef with n****s, burn our CD’s, you want to say it’s nothing, you ain’t mean it? You a dumb ass ni***. So when he read that, Saigon started putting up mad blogs up and all kind of s**t. Like “P invited me to his d**k, I’m going to punch him when I see him.”

We chilling at Hav’s release party at S.O.B.’s, they had set it up like where it was going to be a CNN [Capone-N-Noreaga] / Mobb Deep concert for Havoc’s The Kush album. That’s all that was on the bill, Mobb Deep and CNN. That’s an ill show; we don’t always perform with CNN, that’s a rare event. So that was ill that night, we all come out and show support for Hav’s album that night. We chilling downstairs smoking out and s**t, we go upstairs and get a little drink from the bar. Hav want a drink so we get him a drink. We chilling on the dance floor and I think the NYGZ just getting off or they were was about to perform but then Premier grabbed the mic and said we got a special guest in the house who’s going to do a live performance for us. We got Saigon in the house. We all looking at each other like Saigon in the house, where? So he gets the mic, he’s like he’s going to do a performance.

So Hav looked at me like let’s rush the stage, I’m like come on. Now we all go up on stage, we surround him. The ni*** rhyming he looking on the side and sh\**t, like he can see like oh s**t. Hav was about pounce on this ni*** son, like I grabbed Hav like chill, don’t do that, leave that n**** alone. Hav is never like that. Hav is always chilling. He don’t like that kind of s**t. Leave Hav the f*** alone, because he don’t f*** with nobody. So Hav is ready pounce on this ni*** son, I had to grab, I had to put my arms around him, my arms around his chest like yo son chill. He was mad then he was like aight and walked up to son like we love you while Saigon performing. Saigon is like I love you too, like I know your cousin right here. Then he hugged Hav’s cousin, then he came back to Hav and he was talking to Hav for a minute.

I’m looking at s**t, so my man P Dubs walk up to me like, "F*** that. This n**** got to get it, he ain’t getting out of this club.” So I’m like you know what, wait until he finish performing. So them ni***s is like cool. So as soon as he put the mic down, my man P Dubs grabbed him and pushed him in the corner with the rest of my n****s and n****s start to punch him in his head. Then the n**** went under the table, and hopped up and grabbed the laptop on the DJ board. He was going to use the laptop as a weapon, then he put that down then hopped behind the security. While that’s going I’m standing like this. He standing to the right, he see me standing next to him and tried to take a shot at me. So I seen s**t coming, first of all the n**** hit me with an open hand.

If you going to hit a n**** you know, hit a n****! Don’t play with it, know what I’m saying? I backed up like oh s**t, he just caught me like that. But he ain’t catch me with full impact because I backed up. After he threw, his man hit me in my shoulder and boom knocked me the rest way down. So I hop right back up, by the time I hop up, n****s already got his man in the crowd beating him up and Saigon is back hiding behind his security guard. So I’m like is this n**** crazy? So now he hiding right now. A lot of my peoples didn’t even know what happened. They didn’t even see that he tried to hit me. Like son, n**** just tried to snuff me. My man picked up a glass off the ground and throw that sh*t at son. It missed him by that much. If that sh*t would of caught that n****, that boy would have been f***ed up from that glass son! That s**t hit the wall right next to his face. When that s**t happened he must of pushed the security guard like let’s get out of here, security just grabbed him on his back. He jumped on the security back and ran out the club. So n****s is chasing him and punching him on his way out the door. He then runs out the block. I got a cameraman following him up the block to see while he running.

While all that is going I grabbed the mic. I’m tight for a minute. Hav got on the mic, Hav is like “Why can’t we just get along (Laughs).” Hav is bent, this is his party. If I didn’t stop Hav it would have been terrible. He need to thank me, it would have been way worse than being embarrassed from running. It would have been foul, I stopped some foul s**t from happening. I’m glad I did that because that would have been foul. So while he went up the block, I’m tight up on stage. I’m walking back and forth, I got a knife open in my pocket. Because as soon as the n**** hit me, I always got the knife in my pocket. I’m seeing all the camera lights. I’m pissed, I wanted to stab the f*** out of this n****. Like, Ooh you lucky I got a case going on. Whatever he going to get it because my peoples going to get him, Hav start performing songs and I’m like f*** the music start taking over me and made me calm down.

So I started having fun again, we performed seven songs that night. So while we performing a few of my n****s come back in the club, they laughing and s**t, they got his jewelry. N.O.R.E. on the side watching the whole s**t so in between songs I didn’t even know N.O.R.E. was there. I didn’t think he got there yet. In between songs I’m talking to these n****s and s**t, and they like you good son? What happened? I’m like, Yo son I don’t even want to talk about it. So after the show I post the s**t up on youtube, because that was my camera man. So I told my camera to put Havoc album up there so we promote the Havoc album because a lot of people going to see this. I told him exactly what to type. I told him Mobb Deep chases Saigon out of S.O.B’s. I didn’t tell him to edit out the parts or anything like that. I put the raw s**t up there. I wanted people to see that, I wasn’t embarrassed because nothing happened to me. What do I have to be ashamed of?

Has the thought crossed your mind that the Abandoned Nation that Saigon is down with is heavy in the jails?

Prodigy: I mean that’s cool and everything, they do what they want to do.

That’s not even a concern for you?

Prodigy: Nah, I don’t give a f*** about nobody. I just care about what I’m doing. If anybody tries to interfere with my progression then I’m going to deal with it.

How are your kids and your old lady dealing with everything?

Prodigy: Basically she going to be the head of the household now. My kids know what’s going on, they know I’m going to jail for a minute. They know I’ll be right back. It’s nothing, I got people in jail that’s never coming home. This is really nothing compared to a lot of my n****s, my father did like ten years in the feds. I explained that to my kids, and they know the reality of the situation.

Recently there was a video leaked on the internet of you taking your son to a gun range. What was that all about?

Prodigy: Basically when you own a rifle in the house like I do, I own a legal shotgun in my house. For my household we went to the gun store and bought a shotgun, we registered it. When I bought my shotgun from the gun store, the guy at the store was like you have kids? He was like how old are your kids? My son was five and youngest daughter was two or three at the time. He was like you should teach your kids how to shoot the gun because you have to teach them the power of the weapon. If you don’t teach them the power of the weapon, then they will be curious and that’s how kids accidentally shoot themselves or shoot somebody.

So when my son turned seven, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he was like teach me how to shoot the shotgun. I was like, Wow, that’s crazy. I think I told him I would have to teach him one day. I was bugging, I took him to the gun range. They make you put on the headphones and the protective eye wear and all that s**t. I had to put him up on the chair because he was so little so he can aim right. I told him how to load the weapon. I told him how to cock it, he cocked it back himself. I told him if you can’t cock it back yourself, you can’t shoot it. He did it, you see him struggling to cock it back, he did it. I was like hold it up, aim it and when you ready and got good aim, shoot. I was holding his waist just in case. Then he shot it, BOW. His first shot was a headshot, I was like oh sh*t! I was like where you learned that from, he’s like Grand Theft Auto. I was like you did good. My daughter was too young. I took the footage and I put it on a DVD called Infamous Allegiance that I put out in 2003. That was real s**t though, you got to own a gun in America to protect yourself. That’s your constitutional right, that’s in there for a reason. Your right to bear arms is in the constitution to protect you from a tyrannical government that wants to overthrow its people. That’s why it’s in there.

Which is happening right now.

Prodigy: Yeah exactly, they trying all that Marshall Law and all that crazy s**t they be doing that’s why exactly it’s in the constitution. And they trying to destroy the constitution, they try to take things out with the Patriot Act. That’s why they blew up them World Trade Centers.

You think the government was behind the 2001 World Trade Center tragedy?

Prodigy: I know for a fact that a super power that exists on this earth blew those buildings up to change American and international law so they can say you’re a terrorist and lock you up for simpler reasons than they were used to years ago. Now they can lock you up for making a threat with somebody, that’s a terrorist threat. You get into an argument at a gas station say and they decide to call the cops on you and say this person threatened me, cops can say this is a terrorist threat. They got another thing were if you walking in a group of three people that’s illegal. They can lock you up for illegal gathering or some s**t like that. My peoples was chilling walking around the street, like four or five of them coming from the store or something. They not even Black people; they were like young White and Mexican kids. Cops arrested all of them. All of them went to court. It’s a charge on their record now. Laws are passing, and they listening to your phone conversations, watching what you doing on the Internet. They monitoring people tighter and tighter until they have one world control and one world order, that’s what it is. If people don’t see that then people are fast asleep like they trying to make a one world system, one court system, one religion, one money, one everything. They want control of the world.

Any reason why you would use their symbol of the Eye of Horus over the pyramid that’s found on the dollar bill for the Blood Money album cover though?

Yeah, we did that on purpose. All money is blood money. That’s why I called the album Blood Money! I always try to come up with something crazy. I was thinking hard, my wife was talking to me like “Yo you should call your album Blood Money.” I was like ooh that’s ill, that’s the name of the album. That s**t is evil; it’s built on an evil system. They used slaves to build this whole entire country and then they set us free like, Aight ya’ll free now but ya’ll still not equal. And then we had to get bricks and rocks thrown on us, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had to get assassinated for white people to see,—Oh sh*t, you not equal. Let’s give them a little bit of rights. Let’s give them a little big of money. Come on get on the basketball team; come on get on a football team. Aight we’ll let you n****s in. Aight we’re sorry, take this money and forget about it. We’ll sweep it under the rug now. Now instead of chains on us now they got chains on our brain. They got us controlled with religion, money, entertainment, fashion. They got our minds locked!

You think they are using Rap music along with all that to keep us distracted of what’s really going down?

Prodigy: Nah I think they using [other] music, we created Rap! Rap music is from the hood, Rap music is our own expression, its verbal music against this kind of system. Against this kind of oppression that’s going on where they try to control your mind through music, entertainment, and fashion and all this s**t. We created this certain style of music speaking out against the world. So Rap music nah, it ain’t one of these things.

What are you going to miss most while you are away?

Prodigy: Just my freedom, being able to be by myself, I miss that. You got to move when they tell you to move. That’s what I’m going to miss; freedom. That’s what they take away from you.

So what’s good with the new album H.N.I.C. Part 2?

Prodigy: The bottom line for the new album, I’m happy that I found a company that really believes in my music and they on top of their game with the technology that’s going on in today’s world. Everybody knows Hip-Hop ain’t dead. Whoever started that campaign they trying to kill Hip-Hop. By even putting that out there in people’s minds, you never supposed to say that? You crazy for saying that? Technology is just progressing. We went from 8-Track to vinyl, vinyl to CD, CD to digital. As it makes that progression people got the perception like record sales is f***ed up because Hip-Hop is dead. CD sales is f***ed because technology is progressing. We got iPods, iTunes, mad websites you can just download music from, ringtones, you got all kinds of new s**t. It just switched direction from here to there but it’s still live and going strong. For the people that can’t adjust to that, then they just lost. With Voxonic [Records], I’m glad I’m with a company that got the technology where they can take my song and translate it into any language in the world and it’s me saying it, it’s my voice. It will be Prodigy rapping in German or Russian or whatever. Now we on some global sh*t, I’m glad I’m with that kind of company that understands the technology and they brought me in as a partner. I own a piece of the whole thing at the end of the day.

What’s the music like?

Prodigy: On the album as far as producers I got Scott Storch, Havoc, Alchemist, Syd Rhomes. As far features I got Twin Gambino, Un Pacino, Havoc, I just kept it the home team.

Your debut H.N.I.C. was real slepted on. What’s the difference with Part 2?

Prodigy: Back when we were doing H.N.I.C. and all the albums, n****s were younger and we were still learning a lot of s**t. I’m thirty three now; I’m at that point where I’m smarter, I’m much wiser, I can articulate myself better than I ever could before. Now I’m just really telling them what’s on P’s mind.