New Ras Kass Interview

[Mr. Humonculous]

Ras Kass: Freedom Song - Part I
By William Ketchum III
Sunday - March 6, 2005

If the adage "patience is a virtue" holds any truth, Ras Kass should be considered sacrosanct. Despite recognition as one of hip-hop's elite by critics and heads alike   
 
since his 1996 debut, Soul On Ice, the shadow of Industry Rule 4080 has given Ras the short end of the stick concerning record sales. The West Coast lyricist's plans were delayed even further in May of 2003, when he was apprehended by the LAPD and incarcerated after months of dodging three DUI convictions.

Fresh out of his 19-month bid, Ras is tired of waiting.Armed with more potent lyrics and (nearly) free of obligations with his pre-incarceration home Priority Records, Ras is ready to whet the appetites of fans who bootlegged his lost Van Gogh and Golden Chyld albums while he was away. In an in-depth interview with BallerStatus.net, Ras Kass opens up about life in the bing, his return to the booth, and future plans.

BallerStatus.net: What all has been going on with you since you got out?

Ras Kass: Aw man, everything. I've been staying busy, which I can't complain about. I've been recording this project, handling litigations, and I actually just got back from Atlanta, where I touched down and chilled with the DTP cats.You know, just making it happen.

BallerStatus.net: When you were in jail, did you get a lot of flack due to your celebrity?

Ras Kass: For the most part, I got a lot of love and support. I was born and raised here, and there were a lot of cats that I grew up with -- which was unfortunate, I didn't want to have to see them in here -- but that's where we knew each other. I saw homies and friends of homies, so I was pretty much straight. It was good; in f--ked up circumstances, it was good.

BallerStatus.net: How much material did you write while in jail?

Ras Kass: I wrote like a hundred songs, and even more concepts for songs that I'll eventually probably write. I got a lot of work accomplished; I didn't have much else to do anyway.

BallerStatus.net: What kind of differences have you seen between your material before you were locked up, your material in jail, and your lyrics since getting out?

Ras Kass: I just dropped the song "Caution," and I've been letting friends of mine that's in the business hear some of the stuff I've been working on. People are always saying, "Ras is dope, he's the sh-t," and this, that and the third. What's weird is that now, they keep saying, "I expected it to be good, I expected it to be dope, but I didn't expect it to be better." It's weird to me because I don't really see it different per se, except for the fact that I believe (pauses). My peers and people that I looked up to told me that I was dope, and that's a big honor, but believing in yourself is totally different. I think that I was kind of frustrated because my company didn't get it, so the people who really needed to get it, I don't think they got it. It kind of halted me looking in the mirror like, "I'm the sh-t." Sometimes I'd get a little cocky, but now I just believe it. I definitely feel that on every angle and every level, I'm a survivor, I'm talented, and I deserve certain sh-t. Maybe it's coming through in the music, but [improvement in the music] was nothing ever conscious that I did. It's funny that my homies keep telling me that, and I don't believe that they're brownnosing me, because they don't have any reason to. Like I said, nothing changed for me that I can put a finger on, but apparently, to some people, something changed that made things better.

BallerStatus.net: Why don't you think you had that same confidence before?

Ras Kass: If no matter what you do, you can't get the people who have your career in their hands motivated, it becomes frustrating at some point. You're going to look outward, and eventually, you're going to look inward. "Am I doing something wrong? Is there something wrong with me?" Just like a relationship with a chick: you buy the bitch everything she wants, and she's got you thinking, "Damn, am I ugly, bitch? What's wrong? Why won't this sh-t work?"

I can give you a prime example: the whole "Home Sweet Home" and Jadakiss' "We Gon Make It" sh-t. It's really disheartening... (pauses) I mean, opinions are like a--holes, so whatever. I pay for this beat, I do this song, and then eight months later, Jadakiss buys the beat from Alchemist—which wasn't supposed to happen, Alchemist wasn't supposed to sell that again. But making a long story short, Jada goes platinum off the same record that you guys didn't even like when I did it. So I knew it wasn't me, but I was still looking at me. It's not I picked the same sample—this is the same f--king song, his hook sounded similar to mine. I was aware that a lack of skills wasn't the reason the song wasn't successful, but it just wasn't ingrained. [I later realized] it's not me; it's these motherf--kers that are really retarded. I played it for KaySlay, and he's like, "This sh-t is fire." Everybody's saying it's fire, but (mainstrem listeners) are acting like everything I say is wack, and covertly, it's going to affect you.

That's the past anyway, but just to put it in some kind of perspective, I just know [that I'm talented] now. I didn't really know because of the negative influences around me -- or maybe I knew, but there was doubt. Now I'm like, "f--k it, I know I'm the sh-t." (laughs) I'm a talented cat, and it ain't no disrespect to nobody else, but I've got a blessing from the Creator, and I can shine with it. If y'all don't get it, y'all don't get it; I ain't mad at y'all, but just leave it alone, and I'll go on and do my thing.

BallerStatus.net: How much music have you done since you've gotten out?

Ras Kass: I've probably done 30 or 40 songs already, but not all of them are for me. Some are freestyle sh-t, some are for my people; I did something for Green Lantern over Game's "Dreams" song. For myself, I probably recorded 20 songs, but as far as what I'm really keeping, I've got to be real with myself: if it ain't fire, it ain't fire. I don't want no halfway sh-t, no "okay" sh-t; you're not going to bat .500 every season. Some of these tracks, people will never hear them because they're just "okay." As far as keepers, I've got about 10 that I'm loving that are fire.

BallerStatus.net: You've never really had a problem with making quality music, but what kind of relationship problems did you have with Priority?

Ras Kass: They just don't have the vision. Put it like this: if I'm rich, and I want to open a flower shop, I've got to do one of two things: I've got to invest the time and actually learn all the sh-t about different types of plants, or employ somebody that's really good at it, which is the easier thing to do. I think the problem with Priority -- which doesn't exist anymore, now it's Capitol, but it's still the same problem -- is that you've got people who refuse to employ anybody but their own, and they have no expertise in this music. Not to be disrespectful to be any race, religion or creed, but if you don't have an expertise, then listen to the people that you employ that do have an expertise, and you'll probably see a better return on your investment. I think that the track history of Priority and Capitol Records shows that they still can't break an artist. If it's not attached to somebody that they can leech off of, like DTP or 50 Cent, they can't do sh-t—and sometimes, they still can't do sh-t. No disrespect, but I'll probably align myself with a company that gets that.

Jay-Z's first project is a prime example. He's accomplished all these things since then, but he was a legend before his time anyway, he was a talented dude. Priority Records was selling zero, he was going double-wood. If it wasn't for the fact that Russell Simmons wanted to blow Foxy by shooting a video for "Ain't No Ni--a" -- which was Jay-Z's b-side, and Priority doesn't push b-side records if the a-side's not moving -- then Jay probably wouldn't have gotten that gold plaque. The song was dope, but it just didn't have the support from the company. So Jay left and went to Def Jam, and from there it was a wrap. Same thing with Alicia Keys; I forgot where she was at first, but it took her going to J Records to get the phenomena of Alicia Keys. She was already dope off the bat. That's what it's all about. I understand that Priority is not the home for Ras Kass to get what his equity out of the game. It's not that Ras Kass isn't making the records to do that, it's just that this place is not going to facilitate that.

BallerStatus.net: Do you still have any obligations to Priority at all?

Ras Kass: We're in litigations, which is something I can't really talk about right now ‘cause my lawyer will beat me up, but everything is looking really favorable for me. I'm in good spirits, and my attorneys tell me it should be within the next three to four months, so it's just a process. I started the process when I was in the pokey, so the long part is pretty much over.

BallerStatus.net: When all of that is finished, what kind of label deal are you looking for?

Ras Kass: To be honest, I'm not really looking for anything. I'm really blessed to have a lot of interest from a lot of different people, and some of them I would definitely consider doing something with because I think they get me. A lot of those situations are places where people know me, and know what I'm about, so I wouldn't have to go in and they try to give me a makeover and change me up. But really, I'm not looking for anything. I just want to blaze the streets.

I'm doing a project as a mixtape, but it's all original music with A-list producers: Denaun Porter (from D12), Rick Rock, Jazze Pha, Heatmakerz. It's basically an album, without being an album. I'm just trying to touch the streets; I'm not really trying to sell it. Everybody's been really dope about just wanting to see me shine, so they're just giving their support, and I'm really appreciative.

BallerStatus.net: Those people you just named, you've already worked with them?

Ras Kass: I've got Denaun's sh-t, I've got Heatmakerz' sh-t, I just saw Jazze, and Cee-Lo just reached out to me. A lot of it is already done, but the process is finding the right tracks and the right songs. The album is probably going to be called Institutionalized—or Intensity, I don't know yet, but probably Institutionalized—but the whole sh-t is showing where I'm at, my experiences, and the total sum of my life, because I think that every album is a time capsule. Whatever you were thinking at that point, just record it and put it out, because it may not apply five years from now. I'm definitely blessed to have a lot support from everybody who likes being a part of it.

BallerStatus.net: You said that there were some labels that you said you believed knew you well, so that you wouldn't have to change up for them. Which labels are those?

Ras Kass: I won't name anybody, but there are a couple of cats that had steady contact with me through my prison situation. Some people have reached out like, "Yeah, what's up with Ras?" in one way, shape or form. I'm very blessed that I have a talent, and people have appreciation for my talent, and that people think I'm marketable and all that other sh-t.

But like I said, I've got options, but I'm still in this litigation process, so anything people would try to do today and this second [would be unproductive]. Priority is pretty angry with me -- which I would say it questionable, they may think they're totally validated in it—but they're being petty with a lot of sh-t, so I wouldn't entertain [offers from other labels] right now. I might as well finish this, get it resolved, and then we can talk about going to whatever label. But right now, I'm really content with just making my music; I feel like I've been denied that opportunity for much longer than I've been in prison. And getting my music out to the people? Yeah, I've been denied that for seven years dog. Sitting in prison wasn't sh-t compared to the music industry. I've got my own company, Re-Up Entertainment. I've got a cat named Scipio, and this cat named 40 Glocc; I plan to be a mogul at the end of the day, I'm not trying to rap forever.

People have talent, but it's been proven time and time again: if you don't handle the business aspect, then you're setting yourself up for failure in one way or another. I would hate to be one of those, well I won't mention any names, but like an R&B group that sells 10 million records, but they're pretty much broke. Then I'll really kill somebody; at least [Priority] never put me in a position to sell the 10 million, 'cause I don't want to sell 10 million and not get all the money. That's pimpin'. They just didn't support my 10 million record-potential albums. From there, I'm like, "Whatever, all right, cool; I'll go somewhere else, make a good deal in a business meeting, and that's cool." It could have been half amicable, but I don't think they want to be amicable with me, so that's cool. I can live with that too. I'm not losing sleep at night.

Part II coming soon, watch out
www.ballerstatus.net

[Darksider]

thanks

[SlickPants]

I went to high school with the interviewer... we were really good friends.  I completely did a fucking double take.  Anyway, nice interview, hope he gets away from Priority or whatever so we can hear some more new shit.

[makaveli11]

nice interview ... cant wait for part two

[UKnowWhatItIs: welcome to my traps....game over]

cant wait for the mixtape

[Don Seer]

nice interview ... cant wait for part two

[DJ F Sharp]

I've been in the studio with Rass recently and he has some serious fire on the way lemme tell you...he is gonna be on tour with Xzibit & Strong Arm Steady in the next few weeks and go out and support Rass and the Re-Up fam

[Celtic_Fan]

Need New Rass material

[TuKer Says: Angeles Records is the truth!!]

dope interview thanks

[DJ_Jay_Deee]

Dope read. Ras is the man.