Proof + Royce Interview

[Dj Eskimo]

Proof: Airs It All Out:
By Paine

AHH: In the past week, all Hell has broken loose in the media and the Internet, just tell me what your reaction is to the way everyone responded to you specifically (not d-12) and Royce?

Proof: I ain’t checkin’ the site.

AHH: Well, is it out of hand?

Proof: What are you hearing, so I can tell you?

AHH: The biggest thing I heard was Royce released a statement mentioning you cocking your pistol on his
voicemail.

Proof: (hysterically laughing) That’s what he said? I ain’t never, I would never do no sh*t like that.

AHH: He mentioned you two have gone back a ways and this whole things blown out of proportion, he mentioned
you taking your sons to Chuck E. Cheez together. It seems like he’s looking for a verdict in this, and I’m not trying
to be an olive branch here. I’m just telling you what I’ve read.

Proof: Alright. The truth of the matter without all the glitz and glamour that he needs for attention. The truth of
the matter is that Royce has opened his mouth and get his self into trouble with people he ain’t got nothing to do
with. He went on the radio here (Detroit) and dissed some people he had no business dissing. The truth of the
matter is we do go back. I’ve always been in these streets and been thorough with it, he ain’t for real with these
streets. He playin’ a game, which he should stop doing. He try to act harder than all that sh*t, and then dissing
some of our crew, and dissing what Em built and opportunities he’s had. So he’s just a bitter man, you know what
I’m saying.

AHH: Do you attribute that to envy?

Proof: Gotta be. Because, think of this. How is it that you’re retaliating to a diss we made, when you put on a site, in audio, that we put at the beginning of our diss, then even, come on radio and play a diss that you did three years ago. Who has the envy?

AHH: As a friend though, do you see an end to this thing, or is more like an end of a period in your life?

Proof: I see it like this, I know Royce through rapping. And that’s where it can stop. Soon as he start talking all
this street sh*t on air, I think he took it to a whole new level. He didn’t have to do nothing like that. He got on air
talking about “meet him at a club, he’ll beat our asses” and all this. He taking it so far it’s ridiculous. He try to
reverse it like we taking it to the streets, like we doing diss records, man YOU DOING THIS! Maybe it’s the drugs
though, I don’t know.

AHH: Over the years, a few times D-12 has been attacked. The first time I can think of was Everlast. Does this
bring your crew closer together when you have people talking on it?

Proof: Kinda do. When we lose our grasp of reality of who we are, we are the dudes at the top of chain whether
people like it or not, we ain’t had an album out in two years. He mad cuz he put out a record that sold 4500 copies his first week. Don’t try to gain attention that way, that’s wack. You know you dissed the sh*t outta us. And that was that reply from the members of mine, that’s what they wanted to do because he always doing some snaky sh*t. And then to say that we thought he dissed us on Anger Management or whatever like that, well how is it if that’s the thing, that he already had a diss three years ago? Anger Management 2 was not three years ago. You see how contradictary that is?

AHH: So you didn’t initiate this, you’re just watching it conquer himself?

Proof: Right, ‘cuz all he gotta do is shut the f*ck up. You don’t understand how it is out here in these streets, they got hip-hop clubs breaking his records and sh*t. His whole life’s a contraction. He the king of Detroit, but he not even from Detroit. I loved the diss song he did, I thought it was great! Em didn’t want us to retaliate ‘cuz Em feel like he stickin’ a knife in his back going this far and talking bout the Elton John thing. That’s a part of Em life
that he feels is about to be cut off. ‘Cuz he like what else could I do for the man. I got him three deals, I mean
damn! I’m his best friend. He didn’t get me a deal nowhere. I went out and got it on my own. Some man sh*t.

Proof: Put this though as a quote for Royce, and tell him this. This is straight from the horse’s mouth. “Only a fool
chooses war over peace. Because in war, fathers bury sons. And in peace, sons bury fathers.”

Royce Interview

Royce Da 5'9: Airs It All Out:
By Paine



AHH: In the past week, all Hell has broken loose in the media and the Internet, just tell me what your reaction is to the way everyone responded to you specifically?

Royce: It was bound to happen. Those brothers obviously doing what they gotta do to get they attention. It’s just a situation where I’m defending myself. What the people expect? From the way people responded, from what I hear, the overall opinion is just...I smashed them. It don’t surprise me.

AHH: “Malcolm X” is getting crazy airplay in the streets. It’s kind of a shame that you’re record gets overlooked to
the hype of a diss track.

Royce: Know what? The diss is fresh and new. My album, what people don’t understand is that my album is years
old. It got pushed back so much and it was already old material. The diss is like catch up to everybody. It’s like
something I just did. If you hear the new stuff I’m doing, you’ll be like, oh it’s crazy. I came along so far. I been
developing. Let me clarify, “Malcolm X” is a response. It’s not just a record thrown at them, it’s a response to a
record that they did. It just so happens that the record they did, nobody cares about. I didn’t start this sh*t.

AHH: When I spoke with Proof, he acted like it was all you who initiated it.

Royce: He gonna make it look like that. The reality of it was, I look up and I was getting phone calls on this record about me. I heard it, and actually they made a whole CD about me, Ja Rule and Benzino. So it was a whole CD that they was passing out a 50’s release party. I didn’t even know where it was from. I just responded. This is whatever. All kinds of death threats and all kinds of stupid sh*t.

AHH: From your letter, I gathered that this was from a journalist, the comment of “D-12 is the worst Rap group
out there” or whatever, and that got out. That probably didn’t need to get out there.

Royce: Exactly. Well, I’m a man, I’m human. Even I get emotional and say sh*t that I don’t necessarily mean or
that I shouldn’t say. I’m a man. I can admit when I say something. But it’s a two way street. I said things, D-12
said things, when it boils down to it, if I got personal relationships with certain people in that camp, and it’s just
like mixed signals when I’m saying sh*t and they’re saying sh*t. It ain’t nothing we can’t get on the phone and talk
about or meet up and talk about, squash. I didn’t know I was being recorded. It just came off as some sh*t as when Bizzarre was trying to play me. It really boils down to me and Bizarre.

AHH: So it’s more-so Bizarre than Proof?

Royce: Hell nah! Cuz [Proof] the one runnin’ his mouth. Proof won’t shut up. If he’d shut up, I’d leave him alone.
He figure he gotta be the one to say everything, and he supposed to be my man. And it just make more angry
because I feel like ***** done turned his back on me. It’s like whatever. I feel like I’m in a world of my own. I’m
gonna ride for myself. Everything I do is in defense. I’m not just gonna pick on them dudes.

AHH: You mentioned in your letter that you and Proof go back...

Royce: Proof was my man. I’m loyal. Once I decide I’ll ride for you, I’ll ride for you. All of this sh*t just popped up
out of nowhere. Back in the day, when I wrote that record about Bizarre, I called Proof at the studio like I said in
the letter. Because that’s my man. I had been 2-waying him while they was making the CD. And he didn’t say
nothing. He could’ve called me and been like, “These n*ggas are writing a record about you”, like I did him. Send
me the same courtesy. He didn’t do that. I was 2-waying him and I was getting dry responses from him. Next thing you know, a CD is out. He [was] at every studio session, because some of the n*ggas talking on the CD like, “I send some more gangsta sh*t but Proof sent me back in the booth to change it.” He was in the studio while they was doing it, and just ain’t say nothing. I get 2-ways from him sayin’, “Be careful out here, it’s trying times,” sh*t like that. What the f*ck you thinking of *****! Now that the sh*t is hitting the fan, he writes records talking bout, “Royce wanna ride on me and kill me.” I don’t wanna kill Proof. I don’t even feel like Proof is a threat. This sh*t is stupid to me. The respect that I showed him back in the day, I’m not getting that in return.

AHH: He made several comments, and I’ll pass them on to you....comment if you like. He said the original diss
record was three years old...you talking about D-12 or whatever.

Royce: Yeah. I wrote a record about Bizarre. I called Proof at the studio. He heard the whole record. He said,
“Royce man, I love you dog. I appreciate you showing enough respect to call me at the studio. Slim need to hear
this.” He didn’t sh*t about Bizarre. He was like, “Slim need to hear this.” He didn’t care if it came out. Slim was
like, “Nah man, you can’t beef with Bizarre. That’s my man. That’s my crew. You gotta ride with him.” So we
squashed it. And I’m a man of my word so nobody ever heard the record for three years to show how real I am. So when they did this record, they sayin’ I’m trying to gain attention or whatever. But they did a whole CD, passed it out at the 50 release party, and the next day they world premiered it on the biggest radio station here. So who the f*ck trying to get attention? All this stuff came out of nowhere. So the next day I felt like I had to go to the radio with something. And all I had was that diss record that was three years old. So I took that up there, wrote a new record, they played that on the air. [D-12] got all upset. Before I could even get to the club, they went to the club and jumped on one of my mans who didn’t know what was going on, didn’t even know I was at the radio station. This is why I’m saying f*ck a truce. You already done put your hands on somebody. The sober you is responsible for the drunk you. That’s my motto. Proof runnin’ around saying I started everything. Number one, I didn’t put my hands on nobody. I ain’t did nothing to nobody. If they just wanted to go back and forth with me on records, we could’ve did that. Proof done already took it to the streets so now it is what it is.

AHH: Proof mentioned that he didn’t need any help getting signed. But he said you depended on Emimem for all
three of your deals.

Royce: I put it like this: Number one, Proof can’t even rhyme. I like him more as a person than I like him on the
mic. He can freestyle, but when he get on a track, he sound like garbage. Without Eminem, he’s nothing. I’m
running through deals right now. I might get three more. I don’t even know what my future holds. But I keep
getting them, ‘cuz at the end of the day, I can rhyme. Em can do anything he can do to prevent me from going
forward and I’m still gonna make it. I be around after he retire. I’m twenty five years old. Them motherf*ckas is
knocking on thirty’s door. So I don’t give a f*ck what Proof talking about. Who is Proof? Soon as Em decide he
gonna retire, [Proof] gonna retire. The hype-man sh*t is up. What you gonna make a solo record? The Dogmatik
record? Look at the sh*t he done tried to do on his own. He can’t get Em on a record. What did I tell you? Least I
got [Em] for a hook.

AHH: In our last interview we were talking about your brother, Tre Little who appears on the Malcolm track. How
is he dealing with this. I mean to debut on a diss track.

Royce: This is not like a publicity stunt for us. ‘Cuz if it was, my whole crew would be making records. Records
would be flying all over the place. The only reason Tre appears on the record is because they mention Tre on their
record. Why you putting Tre up? What the f*ck he got to do with anything? So of course he gonna get on the track and defend himself. If they had mentioned anybody else in my crew, they would have been on the record too. We just givin’ it to them like they tryin’ to give it to us. We know that they gonna try to make it look like this is Royce trying to fuel everything. But if you look at it dog, what the f*ck do I stand to gain by that? What can I gain by going against Shady Records? The game is Shady Records right now. Why would I go against them? I think Em is the illest motherf*cker rhyming. Why would I go against Em? It just don’t add up.

AHH: You said earlier, “f*ck a truce,” but in the letter you hinted a resolution. Is that possible?

Royce: I would like for the street sh*t to end because I see where it’s going. People gonna hurt, some people might even get killed. But as far as I’m concerned, I don’t want to see nothing happen to no D-12 member. Because I don’t hate none of them. I don’t hate nobody in the streets right now. Proof, I definitely don’t want to see nothing happen to because there will always be a place in my heart for DeShawn Hope. But when this motherf*cker turn into Dirty Hary, he turns into somebody else. After a couple drinks, he becomes somebody else. They already put their hands on somebody. The ***** that they put they hands on, he don’t rhyme. So he can’t control what he do. So as far as Royce. I’m gonna continue my music. If I see Proof and I feel like smacking him, I’m might smack him. But I don’t want it to get serious like that. The cards is gonna fall where they will. I know if they twelve deep and they see me, they gonna do something. If I see Proof, all that tough sh*t he talkin’, when I look in his face, when we eye to eye. all that changes, trust me.

AHH: The last thing Proof told me, he wanted me to repeat to you directly, “Only a fool chooses war over peace.
Because in war, fathers bury sons. And in peace, sons bury fathers.”

Royce: Well you tell Proof that’s real deep and mythological and all that, and if you talk to him again, tell him
[that] he knows me. I ain’t itching for war. Who the f*ck want to go war? I ain’t George Bush. You tell him I’ll
defend myself. He talkin’ peace now, but when he with his n*ggas, he talking war too. I‘m built for whatever he
want to do. Ain’t nobody looking for Proof. If I was looking for Proof, I would have been at his doorstep. He
over-dramatize sh*t, it ain’t sh*t. Lyrically, they can’t f*ck with me. And in the streets, they can’t f*ck with me.

Proof will have an Electric Koolaide Acid Test mixtape hitting the streets this week. Royce’s double CD mix is out now. Also, expect a Proof LP this Summer, D-12 in Fall. Koch Records will be releasing a Royce mix CD soon as well.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

good lookin on the interview...Looks like Royce is trying too hard to look like the "nice guy"...

[AlerG]

royce is way too nice on the mic to be fucken with d12...i'm glad malcom x is hitten in the streets because he doesn't get the credit he deserves...i think he's destined to blow though, peace.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

royce is way too nice on the mic to be fucken with d12...i'm glad malcom x is hitten in the streets because he doesn't get the credit he deserves...i think he's destined to blow though, peace.

Proof and Eminem are both better than Royce in my opinion...PeACe

[The Watcher]

guess Royce is a bit mixed up. disses D12 for 'needing a white boy to put them on', yet on his latest mixtape, 50% of the songs f/ Eminem, guess he's a bit confused

[Moller 32]

Royce Da 5'9" could kill everybody from D-12 in a rap battle exept from Eminem. Proof is wack... IMO

[LyRiCaL_G]

word aler-g.......royce dont need to be fuckin with these d12 klowns, he way to good on the mic for that. proof is dope no doubt, but royce is better in my opinion and malcolm x is one dope as fuck trizzack

[Dip Set Movementarian 4 Life]

This whole story is messed up...they both denying what the other says they did....

[Dip Set Movementarian 4 Life]

This whole story is messed up...they both denying what the other says they did....