New Ras Kass Interview

[caTASHtrophe]

Props to http://www.raskass-central.com

 

Ras Kass: Get Free Or Die Trying (part 1)
 
By Paul W.Arnold & Spon
(courtesy of Allhiphop.com and RasKass-Central.com)

For quite possibly the first time in my illustrious career as one of the most talented (and attractive) music journalists in the world I actually don't have much to write about. I would rather Ras Kass tell you as much as he can himself about his current situation, so I'm going to forego my traditional detailed (i.e. long-winded and self-serving) intro so that you, our cherished and loyal readers, can get as much info possible directly from the best West Coast rapper alive. Enjoy.

AllHipHop: First off, let the world know where you're calling from.

Ras Kass: I'm actually calling from the world's biggest prison, Corcoran State Prison in California.

AllHipHop: What's the environment like in there?
 
RK: It's a prison. (laughs)

AllHipHop: Is it maximum, is it minimum…

RK: I'm a Level II. They go all the way from Level I to Level IV, Level IV would be maximum security, you can kind of gauge it from there. I'm low-risk; I'm not a lifer or nothing like that.

AllHipHop: What's your itinerary like during the day; what's the Ras Kass schedule?

RK: They got us here, it's kind of like a forced program, you have to work. (laughs)

AllHipHop: So you got a gig in there?

RK: Yeah, I have to f*ckin' work, which I do not enjoy.

AllHipHop: What's your gig?

RK: I'm not telling man. I hate it, but if I don't work I get more jail time. So let's just say I work. And then m*thaf*ckas work out, read, play dominoes, for me that's what I do - I read, I play dominoes, I write.
 
AllHipHop: You're actually writing rhymes?

RK: Oh yeah, definitely! My whole goal is to write 50 incredible songs, anybody can write 50 songs, but where I'm impressing myself songs. A lot of times I don't (impress myself), so my whole goal is to impress me all the way thru. Like I think on Soul On Ice I maybe wrote three songs I impressed myself, like I felt like I got busy, not necessarily were other people's favorites, but they were mine, like when I feel like I wrote the shit out of something. So my whole goal is to write 50 like that while I'm here, so I got enough time to do that.

AllHipHop: Is anybody trying to test you on the rhyme tip, you get a lot of that?

RK: Nah, don't nobody wanna see me on the rhymes, m*thaf*ckas wanna rhyme with me or they spit they flows to me, or whatever, so it's cool, there's a couple of dope cats in here.

AllHipHop: Have you had any problems of another kind with fellow inmates or any C.O.'s or anything?

RK: My whole thing about jail, I really approached, I never been to prison, but I just tried to approach it the same way I approach my life, and that was just be a man, that's not the word I really wanna use, I would rather just say be a real n*gga, its kind of rules to being a real n*gga that explain more than just being a man, so I just approached it like that. Of course, nine times out of ten, if I don't f*ck with you don't f*ck with me, but it's always the ten, somebody may try to start some sh*t and then you just gotta deal with it how you gotta deal with it. I've infrequently ran across the tenth n*gga, but it ain't had to get too horrible, so it's all good.

AllHipHop: This kind of follows up with that, this may be a naïve question coming from a non-Californian, but have you faced any problems because of 99th & McKinley?

RK: Hell nah, I'm from Watts. I can't change my birth or where I grew up. You gotta understand the dynamics of prison, the dynamics of jail, and the dynamics of California is that by nature you are already associated with a neighborhood just because you grew up there, and that's something I tried to explain to Xzibit and other people, I didn't bang but I grew up in a neighborhood, I'm gonna always be associated with that neighborhood to some degree. So because of that some people…for example, when I went to the county going to court so I could get the sentencing done, certain n*ggas came up like, 'Ras whassup,' n*ggas I never met like, 'Watts Up.' I'm a Watts baby, that's just how we greet each other, 'Watts Up, do you need anything?' Like, I had just gotten in there, I hadn't gotten my money on my books yet, 'need some soups,' that kind of sh*t. I'ma get that kind of love just based on where I grew up, we gotta show each other that kind of love 'cause now we in a system where it ain't many of us. The fact that I rep C-Arson, I was raised in Watts, grew up in Carson, it's kind of hard to explain, but between those two I got nuttin' but love.

AllHipHop: Do your children know where you're at currently?

RK: Nah. My whole stance, like I've said from the beginning, is you do not hurt children. I don't knock the next man, but for me, I made this mistake and it's already gonna hurt them that I'm not around on a regular basis, so once I made the decision that I wasn't turning myself in, I felt like I was doing so in the best interest of my children, I had to stand for something I believe in. So, I would never subject them to having to come up here and see me like this, 'cause that would only f*ck their brain up. Daddy's on tour and that's all they need to know.

AllHipHop: You just acknowledged that a mistake was made, so has prison changed Ras Kass, either for the positive or the negative?

RK: Somebody else asked me that recently. I don't think I'm too changed, I'm the same m*thaf*cka man. There's certain thing I can't do now because I've lost the privilege to do it. That sh*t don't change me, I'm the same m*th*f*cka whether I have a drink or I'm sober. First of all, everybody does it - drinking and driving, but under my circumstances, actually it only takes one, it could be your first time and something f*cked up could happen. So me, I should have known better. And it wasn't like I was out partying down and all that ole' other sh*t, at the end of the day I was trying to handle business, but I still put myself in a position where if something went wrong, which it did, it would put me in a bad position. I can't afford this again because now they putting a n*gga in the penitentiary, and I don't wanna come back here. I've changed in that manner. The only other thing that I could say 'I'm changed' per se is that I'm in a unique position that I'm using it as a blessing, that I could sit here and I'm not distracted by the distractions of the world, I don't have a 2way, I don't have people calling me, I don't have people wanting me, 'will you do this for me,' or 'can you do this for me,' or 'I need this,' or 'pick me up,' or 'let's go to this club,' I got nothing but time to sit here and clear my thoughts and get focused. The other changed thing I would say is just that you see who your friends are, so it's an easy way to get rid of fake m*thaf*ckas. I'm not changed at all though, in my opinion, I'm reinforced.

AllHipHop: When's Ras Kass scheduled to re-enter society?

RK: End of 2004.

AllHipHop: Fatburger, Jack-In-The-Crack, what's the first stop?

RK: Aww man, Fatburger. I need a turkeyburger with egg on it. Yeah man, 'cause in here we eat bullsh*t. I've never eaten more f*ckin' noodles, like them Top Ramen noodles, that's all we f*ckin' eat man. That's everyday.
My brother's in the federal pen actually, and when he was out last time he used to eat ramen noodles with tuna fish…
Yeah, spread, it's called spread. I eat spread everyday. And then the funny sh*t is these m*thaf*ckas that's like penitentiary ballin', they think they ballin' 'cause they got a locker full of 20 cent noodles. It's funny 'cause I'll meet the occasional idiot that wanna ask me, 'why you ain't got a gang of noodles in ya locker?' I don't really give a f*ck to have them.

AllHipHop: Let's move on to something a little different here, what's your current status as a Priority Records recording artist?

RK: I'm in the final stages of going to court and getting a court date actually set.

AllHipHop: So it hasn't been settled behind closed doors?

RK: Nah. We setting a court date, they don't have a leg to stand on so I'll be out of that soon. For some strange reason ever since, late last year ('03), maybe November, I wanna say, maybe even October, they wanna put the album (Goldyn Chyld) out now. They don't have a history of looking out for my best interests, that's the main reason I didn't turn myself in in the first place and all this other sh*t happened. They set a chain of events by slamming the door shut in my face at the last minute. They had eight to ten months, knowing that I was gonna eventually have to face jail time and then they just sat on it and didn't do nothing. So all of a sudden them wanting to put out the album…I got a letter, it was something to the effect of they wanna set up a fund for my children, ya know talking sh*t, I'm not falling for that.

                                                                   
Ras Kass: Get Free Or Die Trying (part 2)

AllHipHop: You been talking all this stuff about Priority Records, how they can't market and promote hip-hop records, but Chingy's platinum my man.
 
RK: I can say two things: first of all, Priority Record's has enormous luck, and basically, I know DTP Records, I knew everybody before they even signed when they were telling me that Priority wanted to sign Chingy, now, I'm not gonna put no smut on nobody's name, but first of all that's Ludacris' artist that for the most part Ludacris and them took on the role and broke themselves, that has very little to do with Priority promoting the record, all they can do is suck d*ck and ride off of somebody else's fame, they have yet to break an artist still. Congratulations to Chingy, I wish him the best, but to my understanding - I don't want to put nobody else's business out there - they not all that happy. So once again it goes back to, what about Bad Azz, what about Roscoe, when you're not attached to a quadruple-platinum artist what about you?
 
AllHipHop: Now, going back here a little bit, this has been reported, is it true that they're holding you to the time left in your contract, which is now less than 20 days, until after you're released from prison?

RK: Nope, I have no knowledge of that because they would have to serve me legally with something and they have…
 
AllHipHop: So basically, when you step out of jail are you still technically under contract to them?
 
RK: Like I said, we setting a court date. First of all, there's some legal things that I don't wanna talk about and give them no heads-up, so I just can't discuss it, but all I would say is we'll have a day in court to decide all that.
 
AllHipHop: So let's say hypothetically that you do win in the court proceeding, what then happens to the Goldyn Chyld album? Would you work out an arrangement with them to put it out?

RK: No, I don't want anything to do with Priority Records. I'm pretty sure it would find itself to the bootleggers. It will probably get out in some way, shape or form. I'm not really concerned about Goldyn Chyld, I went out and I did this other album which was initially called Catch Me If U Can, and I'm probably gonna call it Splinter Cell now. I want people to hear (Goldyn Chyld), if it's on raskass-central.com at some point, that's fine.

AllHipHop: Let's get some status updates on some of your side projects, first what's the current state of Golden State?

RK: I love them cats. I talk to Xzibit on a regular basis. There's always gonna be a Golden State in some way, shape or form, I don't know if the original members will always be there, who knows, life take you where it takes you. I mean even Xzibit, he has his a different group now, Strong Arm Steady, which is all the homies too, so it's dope.

Allhiphop:  Personally I think Ras Kass should form a new trio with Eminem and Jay-Z.

RK: Well, Jay-Z's retired.

AllHipHop: That was my segue into the next question, according to the Jan./Feb. '04 issue of XXL you're not even in their league. You were awarded one of the top 5 "Negro Please" quotes for the year for the following quote…

RK: I know the quote. I have a lot of respect for XXL, it's kind of like David and Goliath, pick on the little n*gga. I ain't sold the records of (Eminem and Jay-Z) so it's really hard to have a pissing contest when I'm pissing against a fire hose. I was unhappy with my article (June '03), and Kay Slay got on the radio for hours and completely sh*tted on XXL. When I called in, I talked to Slay and I said, 'I think it was kinda foul, they kinda snitched me out,' the sh*t I was unhappy about for all of three minutes at the most. I never said you're a fake Source, you're this that and the third, but it was kiss Kay Slay' a**, and let's sh*t on Ras Kass. In that same issue is their most hated moments, 'Kay Slay b*tching about his review.' So you kiss his a** and then sh*t on Ras Kass 'cause he really can't fight back. Now I'm a "Negro Please," but you printed five letters out of six (August '03) saying the exact same thing I said.

AllHipHop: Do you think folks in this industry respect your actions with regard to fighting your label even though it would mean your incarceration?

RK: I appreciate XXL, allhiphop.com, anybody that gave a f*ck, because I didn't run out and say, 'hey, guess what, I'm not gonna turn myself in, and I'ma have a CD and I want all y'all to come,' like when Nas got to burn the books. Nas sold lots of records so people give a f*ck if he wanna go burn some magazines. I didn't expect nobody to give a f*ck that I'm not gonna turn myself in, I did that for my family and for my kids. I appreciate the fact that XXL gave me a platform to speak, I wish they would have been a little more concise about what I said, and I had a grievance about that. I wanna thank XXL, they still press they can hate on me, they just mad at me now, we gonna make friends later anyway.

AllHipHop: Ok, enough of that, let's move on to something else here, what's the word on the Horsemen, there's a 9 track album floating out there now, but it's not the real album, it's been listed as a pre-quel to a full album according to Killah Priest. Do you know when or if a commercially available Horsemen album will manifest itself?

RK: I think Kurupt's negotiating a deal right now, so I don't wanna step on his toes, but I know he's negotiating on our behalf with a couple of labels.

AllHipHop: Are the Horsemen getting any compensation for the sales of this pre-quel album?

RK: I don't think so; I don't think I am.

AllHipHop: Have you spoken to Canibus, Kurupt, or Killah Priest since you've been incarcerated?

RK: Yes, Canibus wrote me, I talked to Kurupt a couple of times, and I actually haven't talked to Priest, I was supposed to get his number from Kurupt, everybody's doing good. Kurupt was just kind of telling me what the plan was, they got enough stuff for the first album and then I'll be out by the time we would need to do anything for a second album if that was the case.
 
AllHipHop: Can you give any hint without ruining things if he's looking towards a major or independent?
 
RK: I don't know, he had told me a couple of labels that he had sat down with, apparently majors.


AllHipHop: Will your Catch Me If U Can album and DVD ever see the light of day? I think you mentioned that it's gonna be under a new title, so you wanna explain how that's gonna make its way to the public.

RK: Priority sent these letters to "cease and desist," so even the people that did express interest (in distributing it), nobody wants to deal with the headache and lawsuits and people telling you you can't put out what you just spent this money on. Very few people are willing to take that risk, and they tend to be smaller companies. I don't wanna specify, but we'll probably be finalizing a deal on it within the next twenty days, and it'll be a smaller company.

AllHipHop: Was anything already manufactured?

RK: No, nothing's manufactured, all we got is the masters and artwork.

AllHipHop: What happened with the Re-Up compilation that was supposed to be released commercially last summer?
 
RK: It is, but Priority sent a letter to "cease and desist." If you don't see it in the store, you can go to the front and they can order it, the record is out. It's just Priority sent a letter to "cease and desist," which…

AllHipHop: Did that stop BMG from distributing?
 
RK: Or really promoting and everything, it becomes that headache. Nobody wants to deal with that sh*t.

AllHipHop: When you get out do you intend to record under the Re-Up Entertainment logo?
 
RK: I wanna control my own destiny for once. Me and Scipio are the two artists on Re-Up Entertainment.

AllHipHop: Now you just mentioned your protégé and label-mate, Scipio, how do you feel about seeing Young Scip take the reigns?

RK: I'm hating on him right now, nah I'm just kidding. (laughs) He's not my protégé for one, he's his own man, he's just a good cat that ain't a snake, I try to keep good company around me, good energy. I'm really happy man 'cause he got the talent, and he ain't gotta fall into the pitfalls that I fell into.

AllHipHop: Word is he's getting some looks from some big boys.

RK: Yeah man, Re-Up, that's how it got to go man!
 

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Thanks for this man, it was a real dope read.

[CRAFTY]

Thanks for this man, it was a real dope read.

It sure was

[Nima - Dubcnn.com]

good interview!

[Juronimo]

Thanks for this man, it was a real dope read.

It sure was

word

[caTASHtrophe]

Yup very good interview and don't forget to peep the outbound connection coz i just posted a MP3 Audio interview with Bizzy Bone

 

[Kaidy]

Thanks CaTAsh, I was wondering how Ras was getting on in there. Props

[SikksTrey]

Thanx man, dope interview!

[Darksider]

Props to http://www.raskass-central.com

 


RK: I think Kurupt's negotiating a deal right now, so I don't wanna step on his toes, but I know he's negotiating on our behalf with a couple of labels.

!
 

[Tha Crip]

PROPS!!!! mah nigga......very dope read....seems like "The Whoop" And "Fuck U Up" will be bootlegged in good quality soon......CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH!!!!!!!!

[Code Blue]

Free Ras Kass