Big Mike on Death Row, Rap-A-Lot & Being A Geto Boy

On this episode we have a convo with former Rap-A-Lot recording artist Big Mike. We talk about his time with Death Row records, his experience with Suge Knight, Recording with the late Lord 3-2 and joining the Geto Boy's.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What your father did or you know, I know my
father was in the navy and whatever whatever. But by
the time you know, my generation rolled around, I guess
you could say those choices that they presented to your
dad's and your grandfathers were looked at in different lights

(00:26):
coming from when I first stepped off the porch, You
get me right, you know, of course, you know, of
course it was sports. You know, all niggas could play
sports type of ship. And then you know, I guess
in our father's days it was like nigga go to
the military.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
You found me.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
That was frowned upon when we was coming up as kids,
you get uh, right, And I don't know, you know,
some of us probably tried to make those choices. Who knows,
before you know, you got introduced to what we talking

(01:12):
about right now, the street life. Once you got introduced
as far as our generation is concerned, Once the street
life was sent it to me, I thought that was
the life choice.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Get me.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Going to the military or trying to play sports. You know,
after high school it was like man shit like like
like did niggas feel educated enough to try something else?

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Or was it was it was it.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
That that life started out back the end of introduction
in the eighties and the seventies of the drugs and
the life and the money and all did that sway
of Nigga's options. You feel me because they you know,
I'm a product of that. You know, the high school
played sports. But but then the streets too, you feel me.

(02:11):
And no, maybe just kind of leaning towards the streets
too much and couldn't make up that lost time, you
know what I'm saying. But yeah, definitely coming out of
coming out of coming out of the low income situations
and things like that. You know, we was out there

(02:32):
taking chances, and we was trying to get us some money,
some immediate money. So a lot of cats went to
the streets to get that immediate money. Some cats was patient,
you feel me. They saw the school thing through, you
know what I mean, stuff, whatever recreational situation they was in,

(02:54):
whether football, basketball, whatever the arts.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
But I think it's just a situation.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
I just think it's about you know, if your draw
to the streets, you feel me, and then just being
young and making them decisions on your own like that,
were not realizing how young we is in our own head,
we think we're grown.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
You feel me.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
And just not making the right choice. And we see
that now, but back then, you know, nigga was.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Bro good luck Sam. Yeah, you know what you talk about.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
One time, Me and you was rapping the other day, man,
and I think people have this idea that when you
were a rapper and you signed a contract, you riched
off the bat and you was telling me a story
about how your moms had called you. You was out
here in California messing with death Row and your moms
it called you because they was about to kick her
off the the projects and she needed some money.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh yeah, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
This was on around the time with Men with me
and three two we was we came out there, We're
about to do the thing with death Throw.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
But we had just got there, so business wasn't handleled.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
But nothing like that. We had probably just arrived, man,
I don't know what I think. We was there probably
about a week or so, and I went to Sugar's
office to call my mom. Actually, can I use the phone?
He was like, yeah, you know, make the long distance call.
So I called my mama and shit, and she was
on the phone. She was telling me she was she

(04:23):
was in distress, and she was like, man, I need
some money right And I'm like, damn, I ain't got
no money right now. I just got out here with
these folks. We ain't handled no business yet, you feel me.
I'm like, what's going on?

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Yeah? Man?

Speaker 1 (04:36):
They about the victims out the project. We were standing
in the project at the time. I'm the oldest oide
of nine kids, so the rest of the kids was
in the house. I think one of my sisters. My
sister was probably in Houston at the time, but this
was day my mom was in New Orleans and mal Man,
I'm hurt. I can't help my mom.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I'm shedding a few tears. Sugar walk back in the office.
He seen me on the phone.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Sit. He was like, who that is.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
I say, Man, it's my mama, and he was like
he got just got the phone for me, told me
to wait outside. Came back outside. He was like, man,
we finna get ready to go out. I was like, well,
my mama had He was like, she's gonna call you tomorrow.
Come back up here. She's gonna call you up here tomorrow.
So the next day I had came up there, my
mom called up there and she was like, hey, tell
your friend. I say thank you, I say what happened?

(05:24):
She was like, yeah, send me five thousand dollars. We
about to move.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
You feel me?

Speaker 1 (05:28):
And like I say, five thousand dollars At that time,
that was probably the most money my mama did held
in her hand at one time.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
You feel me right now.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
It wasn't enough to go buy no house, right but
went from the projects to a nice wint house. You
then what I'm saying, So, I'll never forget that gesture
right there.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
I never forget that, you know what.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
I'm glad you said that, man, because that's one thing
I wanted to say. Everybody always talk about the bad
stuff that should did it? Should did a game of
that shit too.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
I can't, at least my testimony. You feel me about
that incident? Yeah, that was real right there? That was
real right there. You know what I mean. I hadn't
been in situations you know what I'm saying, Well, a
motherfucker would probably try to take advantage of me in
that situation. You feel me right Let like a couple
of songs, man, and you know what I mean? This

(06:20):
and that this and that you feel me? The man
did it? He ain't even asked for it back. I
had just got there, so I thought that was real.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
I thought that was real. That was one of the
one of the realist gestures.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
That that that that I was able to have the
benefit you know what I mean to see.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, that was a crucial period. Man, Yo shoot yo
was coming up. That was just like the dawn against
the rep.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
The light had already started shining, but it was still
kind of early.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
What year was that.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
It was that I think this was probably like this
had to be like nty two ninety one.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeaheah.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
I remember when y'all first came out this way to
work on death Row product.

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, and she was around all that then. Yeah, I
was around then.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
I had an association with you know with through one
of the producers Unknown. Yeah, we used to work on
our music. He was also in uh in cahoops with
trying to I guess get some work for him and
slip over at death Row, you know, with knowing Dre

(07:48):
and the history of Ray and the record crew. A
known came from that era, you know, j techno hop.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
You know where I got my start.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Dudes like King T and so for a feist T
so A nome was around me and and uh that's
how short of like the death Ro name came about
because you know, a known I think should with the name.
Whatever the history is about that, we all sat down

(08:19):
and thought of the name and it was felt differently
and whatever.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
Anyway, h Yeah, he.

Speaker 1 (08:25):
Was over there as a producer and that's how we
got to know that big mic and three two came
out Texas in Louisiana. Uh and was on ah was
supposed to be the Fluge project on death Ro if
if I'm not mistaken right, Yeah, we knew about you,

(08:48):
about the apartment and everything. I knew about all that shit. Man, Yeah,
because I said A non used to go up there
and uh, you know he's he was supposedly be doing
work in music for Sugaring them show, just because he
was working on the convicts appum him a big.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Slip mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
There was we was we we started off grinding with them. Yeah,
we had did and we did a handful of songs.
I remember Slip had then the first version to straight
gangsterism hins.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
I got man.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
I wish I had a copy of that, but he
did yep, and unknown he was putting it down too.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah. It was a record.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
With the records that no man, we would have to
get that slip for that record right there. Set Yeah,
slip had that ship man slip did.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
Man got out? That's crazy.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
So you was out here, so that means you was
working with Snoop and all them, d O C and
all the other cats.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Yep, yep, d C.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
Was there Ray Age who most of the you know,
the useful suspects. Uh, it was, it was. It was
a heck of experience bro us coming out there, being
out in California like that for the first time in
the presence of people that we was listening to. You
know what I mean, Doctor dregdo Ce you feel me?

(10:23):
We run we got eight up here we're seeing It
was just like you know, the Texas, we fucked with
the West Coast heavy back then.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
You feel me.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
They go ask youngsters right now, you know they it's
really about your location now, you feel me, Jack, Yeah,
we rolled with the West Coast heavy back then. So
to be able to come meet these guys, man, it
was just like a dream come true.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
It was. It was, it was, it was, it was.
It was a hell of a high. I ain't gonna lie.
It was. It was at a time for me and
three two that's crazy, man. So in ninety one, shoot,
I don't even know.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
I'm trying to think who was out she would drop
the record, but huh by that point, h yeah, yeah, checking, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
I was on my second album around ninety one, ninety two, Yeah,
that's crazy. We'll drop. We'll dropped. This a constant thing,
and then I just dropped ninety two. I dropped straight
checking them with growing up in the.

Speaker 2 (11:31):
Thing in the apartment man, man banging it on them, tranks,
smoking that cat, we banging it. But yeah, it was.
It was a cool time, man.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
I wish we would have had the opportunity to see
the project all the way through, you feel me, But
things happen. I got presented with an opportunity, you know
what I mean. And it happened around the time when
like production kind of slowed down on the Convict thing,
right because it was other things going on at the label,
you feel Me, and I had already had responsibilities by then,

(12:07):
you feel Me. So I was in I was like,
I was kind of like on the clock. I needed
to get get in the situation. I need to release
some music, you know what I mean. So another situation,
the Ghetto Boys situation had came. It took me a second.
I didn't jump on it right away. I pondered it
for a while and you know, decided to go that route.

(12:29):
Kind of worked out for me a little bit, though
I would have thought about.

Speaker 2 (12:32):
It more in hindsight, you did what I'm saying, But yeah,
that's what I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Had you and three two?

Speaker 1 (12:47):
Uh? Had you and three two had done music together?
And how were y'all presented the death row situation? Basically
from being from where y'all or who convinced y'all to
come to Cali and try out the death row situation?

Speaker 2 (13:06):
Ah? Man?

Speaker 1 (13:09):
So me and three two we had we was introduced
to each other by the label right.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
Well, yeah, I rapp a lot, right if they had.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
This the the convicts concept right that they was they
was putting together.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
So I was a solo artist and me and Tony.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
Draper, Me and Toni Draper, we had worked at restaurant together, right.

Speaker 2 (13:37):
So we would go we would go to the studio.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
Bro he would put he would take money out of
his check put getting the studio.

Speaker 2 (13:47):
I'll do the same.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
And it was gonna be me and him and the
demos that we was making.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
Through Tony. They got over there to rap a lot, right.
So once.

Speaker 1 (14:03):
Once Jay had heard it, he probably wanted to have
a meeting and he was like, look, I see what
y'all doing. Right, We got this situation over here with
the convicts. If you help me with this, then I'm
gonna help y'all. You feel me, right, what you're doing,
you feel me? So I looked at it, you know,
tall about any things, and it led up to us

(14:24):
doing that. So that's how men and three two had
got introduced to each other, right, But it was automatic
once we had met each other, it was automatic.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
We just clicked.

Speaker 1 (14:33):
And so we have recorded the Convicts album before, right
before we had came out there. The Convict album was released.
I think it was out. I don't even think it
was out a whole year whatnot. But the parent it's
all about who you ask. I know, people got different stories,
but I one day I know how I later found

(14:55):
out the end the workings of the whole move once
I got to California, right, But really it was like
one day, man, they just hit us and was like,
y'all going to California We're young.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
You feel me.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
Why what I'm saying, let's go, Yeah, this man, And
it was like the next day we had flew out. Nigga,
ain't even have no clothes and ship you feel me,
motherfucker just cut out. But yeah, it was, it was,
it was, it was. It was a few people involved
in that, in that whole move. But I just can't here.

(15:33):
You're around at that time, huh was here your round
at the time. But we would talk to him on
the phone, right you have Yo, We would talk to
him on the phone.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
I don't know. I know we was requested.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
So I'm trying. I'm trying to go back, man and
run it all down, right, I know what you're doing.
It's a lot to it, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
But it's a lot to it. It was a lot
to it.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
But it was a situation with Harry Yo and and
Jay h. It was a situation with them and and
that's in in in from my understanding at first, it
that's what led to us.

Speaker 2 (16:20):
Going down there.

Speaker 1 (16:22):
You know, they was doing the death row thing and
they was like the convicts on death Road. They thought
it'd be a good move, and that's how we had
wound up going down there. But like I say, it's
a whole lot of other things that had came to
light later on, right, and I was able to put
the pieces together and see the whole in the workings

(16:43):
of it.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
But it'll take a long ass time.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
But in short, right, it was it was talks between
harry Yo and Jay that that led to it. But
I think it was a collective you know, with with
with with with with the head. Don't they had death
Row about making a move and and climbing about us, right,
But I think because HARRYO and Jay probably had a relationship, right,

(17:10):
he was the one that instigated it, you did.

Speaker 3 (17:14):
So yeah, yeah, that's crazy, man, That's kind of like
and that's history people don't never talk about because you
would have never thought of. You know, Big Michael Lord
three two was at Death Rule. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
We we was there. We had man, We was having fun. Man,
we was turning on meet new people.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
Man. We learned a lot down there.

Speaker 1 (17:35):
You know, we left, we left our mark down there, right,
And I just wish that we was able to see
it through, right and finish the whole thing up.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
But you know, things happen like they happened.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
You can't you can't live with regrets, right, We was
able to go back home and still put the mass down,
you know, but yeah, man, it would have been lovely.
We was able to release that Convicts record on death Row.
It would have been super dope. Yeah, yeah, we had
with Warren g one g we had. We had the
song on that motherfucker with Snoop.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
Man.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
It was early in the game, but I know that
that one is released on it's floating around there online.
It's called Playing for Keeps. We Snoop three two one
G on the track. Yeah, but it was it was
early production though, but that one is good to hear
it after so many years.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
Man. Warren used to do a lot of sampling back then.
Everybody was sampling back then. Oh yeah, definitely just sampling
back then. It wasn't just samplings.

Speaker 1 (18:42):
Niggas was able to chop them up, you feel me,
But niggas was sampling.

Speaker 2 (18:46):
Sampling was still keen back then.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
Well, yeah, like it seemed like that sh is a
lost or But you know what when you went back
down there to to wrap a luck was the Getta
Boys offer a life change in situation.

Speaker 1 (19:09):
In a sense, right, I mean to the point, like, okay,
the Ghetto Boys had already was making strides, right, they
hadn't already you know, especially down in age time, right,
and to come back and pay for the hometown team,
I guess it would become like the equivalent of a

(19:30):
homegrown product getting drafted and playing for the Texans up
playing for the.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
Rockets, Right. That's how That's how I have felt about it,
you know. But yeah, it was.

Speaker 1 (19:41):
It was an exciting time, you know, the anticipation about
it and everything.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
But yeah, that's how that's how I felt about it.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
You know, I try to look at it like that,
and and you know, I know at home it was
well received. I don't know, some people say, you know,
you know, they like the inner ration that Ghetto Boys
were just really deep, which we can scar face.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
I could dig that too.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
But the Ghetto Boys was always like like like a franchise, right,
players players leave you bringing more players, you feel me,
And it was always like that. But for me, I
was able to get my name out there. It led
to me being in a position to drop my solo records,
you feel, me, to embark upon my solo career. So

(20:29):
I used the opportunity to the best.

Speaker 3 (20:34):
So yeah, So at the completion of the Ghetto Boys album,
you're like, hey man, I want to offer you a
solo deal for your services, or yeah, already good? Or
he came after the Ghetto Boys out.

Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah, and before you answer that question, Jay was behind
the Death Row records. So what made him go, Noah,
fuck that, come over here and do this Ghetto Boys?

Speaker 2 (21:01):
Say that again?

Speaker 1 (21:03):
So Jay was in support of y'all as the convicts
going to get on the row and do a project
over there. Yeah, why did he turn around and go
fuck that, come back home and do this Ghetto Boys project?

Speaker 2 (21:20):
He didn't. He didn't, he didn't say.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
He wasn't like fuck that, right, not in that sense.
But it was separate you feel me, okay? Getting it
wasn't yeah, continuing on me still performing of releasing the
project with the convicts, right?

Speaker 2 (21:38):
But was it was? It?

Speaker 1 (21:41):
Was it the fact that the Convicts project on Death
Row wasn't taken off fast enough? No? No, is that
what made you go back home and say fuck that?
Or was it just I didn't really say for but
that's what made me go back home?

Speaker 2 (21:58):
Like I said, I had already had had a couple.

Speaker 1 (22:01):
Of children, right, So I had I had responsibilities.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
I didn't, you know, I wasn't. I didn't. I didn't
have the luxury of just.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
Hanging around and not being productive, you feel me? For
a year, a year or two or whatnot. You know,
I was trying to get in motion. So when the
opportunity came, I guess when Willie d had left the group,
and you know they probably took self inventory, right, honestly, right,

(22:28):
if you're a CEO, you're gonna look around the label
and be like, you know, who else can I get
to fit the trio?

Speaker 2 (22:34):
Right?

Speaker 1 (22:35):
Because that's how the Ghetto Boys were operated, right.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
So.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
My name, you know, it came to me, you feel me,
It came to me. They hit me up when we
was in La. Like I said, I didn't jump on
it right away. I had thought about it. But then
when things exactly like you said, when things had to
when the production slowed down on the basically came to
a house on the Convicts project, right, I was like,

(23:05):
I had to do what I had to do. If
the Crime Convicts Project was still moving, I who knows,
who knows what I would have done, right, But it wasn't.
So then I get the opportunity to go back home
and play with the home team. It was, it was,
it was, it was. It seemed it was the right
move at the time. You feel me, it was lower.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Three two salty. I don't, I don't, I don't. I
wouldn't say he was sauty. It wasn't sauty.

Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah, think about it like this. He had, you know,
he over a death row and got a situation. Ain't
nobody called him to come join the group. You feel
what I'm saying, So you leave that kind of shortend situation, now,
didn't it?

Speaker 2 (23:49):
Three too was already gone before I had left. Three
two punts.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
He had already went back, went back to Houston before
I had.

Speaker 2 (24:00):
Wasn't the same thing. The record was taking too long.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
So it was on that Ghetto Boys album. He's on
straight Gangsterism album. He he wasn't South and he was family.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
It was. It was. It wasn't like that.

Speaker 1 (24:12):
We knew if if one of us get there, then
all of us get there.

Speaker 2 (24:16):
He did what I'm saying, So it was it wasn't
like that whatsoever. Yeah, that makes sense. If he was,
especially if he was gone already, he probably wouldn't. There was.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
It was their other work going on at death row.
That was taking precedent over the convicts record is why
it slowed down. So when we got there, of course
Dre was already they was already formulated the chronate, right,
so I think they had justin did the deep covered soundtrack, right,

(24:48):
putting together the chronic when Slow was able to be
on deck, right, once he was on deck, then on
I think they just went full ahead with that, you
know what I mean? And that's understandable, right, So I
was gonna have a song of mine gonna be on

(25:09):
there anyway, mister officer was gonna be on there. Later
I found out Dre had wanted to record that straight gangsterism, right,
But I was always I was already in the process
of recording with the Ghetto Boys, so I have brought
those songs over there, and but let me see, not

(25:31):
to get off track, but hmhm hit me with that
that last part of that question again, like like like
I said, uh, was there other records that were taking
more precedent over I was, yeah, how many songs would

(25:52):
you say?

Speaker 2 (25:52):
Y'all was deep into the convicts record?

Speaker 1 (25:55):
Man, we probably like like, well, damn, Like when you
start noticing shit was slowing down? Mm, hmm.

Speaker 2 (26:07):
Man, we probably had to record it like.

Speaker 1 (26:10):
Maybe like four or five, like five songs between Slip
and Unknown, right, and then we had the one from
Warren G. So that's probably like six songs right there, right.
How many songs was we putting on the album back then?
Ten or twelve?

Speaker 2 (26:26):
About ten? About ten?

Speaker 1 (26:28):
Yeah, so I would say we was half played, right,
but it was all pre production, right, it was our reproduction,
and then things had kind of slowed down. It was
the incident that happened after things had slowed down that
Unknown was involved in.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah, we tried to.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
We went back to work with her normal a little
bit after that, but things had kind of slowed down because.

Speaker 2 (26:54):
What was the incident? Huh? Who was the incident?

Speaker 1 (26:58):
He got touched uff he got he got Yeah, he
came to the studio with us one night and it's
dark as fucking the studio where you know, back then
it's bitch black, and like, Nigga while you got sunglasses on,
because we just kept we like, just why is this

(27:21):
nigga wearing some like Okay, maybe he like you standing
there for five minutes or so and you ain't tripp
but nigga, we've been in here for about thirty minutes. Nigga,
This nigga still got his sunglasses. Yeah, nigga, what the
fuck is going on? And Nigga pulled them glasses off.
Nigga boom.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
Yeah. Man, I think it was behind like.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
The production had slowed down, took was and we were like, hey,
we've been to the studio.

Speaker 2 (27:52):
This is.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
Exactly what was was told because Slip was a part
of that, right.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (28:01):
From what I heard was he went and got some
money from sug to start production on the Compix project.
But in the midst of that, Slip was working on
music to drive by with me. So Sugar is requesting

(28:22):
these beats. Nigga, you're gonna took my money? So where's
the beats?

Speaker 2 (28:29):
A no.

Speaker 1 (28:29):
One kept putting it off, like well, you know, I'm
busy working on HS record. And once he heard that, Nigga, Okay, see,
that's when I heard Yeah, you're probably right right, because
I thought it was because the production had slowed down.
Because it probably because when Sugar had asked me, I

(28:52):
was like, should Win been to the studio?

Speaker 3 (28:53):
You know?

Speaker 1 (28:54):
And he was like, who y'all been working with? I
was like, man, we was working with unknown with with Slip,
and he was like, the worry about it, I take.

Speaker 2 (29:00):
Care of it. Oh yeah, he took care of it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
And then one day when Unknown popped up we was
going to the studio.

Speaker 2 (29:09):
He had them sunglasses on.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
Yes, yeah, he wearing them sunglasses for a minute and
when he got to his house, got to his studio,
took the sunglasses off, and that's when we found out
what had happened.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
I kind of I was like, damn.

Speaker 1 (29:24):
I kind of felt bad because I thought it was
because I had told him we ain't been to the studio, right, But.

Speaker 2 (29:36):
Basically because it's one of those things when you ride
and high, right, you know, we.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
Was having a little success and when they was working
on that album, because it was three two, we would
be privy to some of the songs I was working on.
Remember that intro, that figure eight intro I came up
with that.

Speaker 2 (29:59):
Yeah, yeah, hey.

Speaker 1 (30:01):
We was like, oh shit, we couldn't believe we was
here and this shit.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
You feel me? But shot out Slipped and shot out
the Unknown.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
I wasn't laughing at his situation, right, I was just
recalling everything. But the brothers were still good brothers, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (30:18):
I enjoyed working with them cats.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
You know, I learned from everybody that be around, so
I was definitely I definitely.

Speaker 2 (30:24):
Picked up on some things and learned some things.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
Man, and getting down over that West Coast production that
really helped my float, You feel me, My float was
already hit it in the right direction, but that really
helped refine it, you did, you know what I'm saying. Dog,
Even though we didn't get to finish the project and
stuff out there, I still learned some things right and

(30:50):
was able to, you know, you know, upgrade my game
a little bit from being just from being down there,
you know what I'm saying. So, but yeah, and sometimes
when you're around other you know, when you're around other
greatness in the making, you know, it just makes you
refined and polished. Not that ship as a competition, but

(31:12):
you know, being around motherfuckers who you feel have already
set the tone for being you know great. You know, like, yeah,
Dre was one of the motherfuckers. You know, Slip was
one of the motherfuckers. Then being able to eat, able
to hang around you know, the snoops in the in

(31:33):
the Warren Gee's everyone too, you know, you know that
the apartment Oh yeah, there you feel me because y'all already,
like I said, y'all were y'all were looked upon as
some great niggas already so being because y'all were the
first ones to represent a California West Coast label.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
Coming from Texas. You know how.

Speaker 1 (31:57):
Niggas felt about the Convicts early projects. You feel rest
in peace my nigga three too.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
Funny motherfucker.

Speaker 3 (32:11):
When they did put when they did put the Three
to the Convicts album out right, did they put a
lot of promotion on that or was it just something
that just kind of popped up?

Speaker 1 (32:21):
No? No, no, they just they put it out there.
We had we had a little promotion, you know what
I mean, But it wasn't like no major roll out
or nothing like that.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
I had.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
You had to be a deep uh rap, a lot
records connoisseur, you know, as far as the Convicts is concerned.
You had to be a real nigga who appreciated underground
hip hop. You know what I'm saying, Because like you said,
you y'all didn't get there, and I felt like I
was in that same boat. A lot of us got

(32:55):
mediocre motion because niggas really did know what to do
with us. You feel me, you know, you are attention,
You feel me, and then it's valuable, right, motherfucker.

Speaker 2 (33:11):
Say, damn, I ain't even putting the money behind this ship,
but they making noise.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
Yeah, it's you know, some people get it up front.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
Some people gotta grind a little bit more.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
Right, but you know, yeah, that's the that's the motto
I tell my son today.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
Like some some niggas get it like you.

Speaker 1 (33:30):
Be like god, damn, like damn, that was fast, and
then you look at itself and be like, Nigga, I've
been grinding for a long time, but hey, fuck it.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
Sometimes it's just the way, the route you have to go.
Fuck it. Sometimes it's just like that.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
You know, y'all wound up doing a couple hundred thousand
copies of the album then, you know.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
For the Convicts album. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, the Convince
getting the.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
Back in the days, so that was a pre that
was Yeah, that was appreciated back in those days. Though,
in those early hip hop days, you could sell two hundred,
three hundred thousand. Yeah, motherfucker look at you like, you know, okay,
you know that was that was you know, ship nowadays,
ship you you can't. You ain't pushing triple billion, nigga,

(34:24):
you ain't ship.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah, we know the stream nowadays, you know, you know.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
Then it's two hundred thousand and Yeah, that was a
lot of money back then, because you gotta remember, man,
I had a record store. Labels was getting anywhere between
sixty seven dollars back then. Man, you know, put that
up man it you know made about one point five
two million, Yeah, off that album.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
You know what I'm saying. Yeah, that's been changed.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
Now when you're collecting about what sixty seventy cents? You
know there were point then point nigga don't know a
point of seven cents and shit, So nigga, you getting,
motherfucking you're getting. You're getting what eighty nine points in album? Nigga,
you look up there, that shit add up to about
a couple of cents. Then you're turning around and they
charging you for every stamp, every fucking phone call, every

(35:19):
fucking promo tour. You think like, oh, goddamn, I just
sold half a million records.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
Nigga fit to be. They like, no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Now they made money, but them motherfuckers turn around and go, nigga, oh,
your budget was what two fifty your videos added up
to about another two seventy five your promo one hundred?
Really you owe us out of that? What out of
that eighty six cents you getting? You owe us about
motherfucking eight hundred and something thousands and shit. So you like, huh,

(35:54):
but the just made thirty million dollars, nigga, you owe
us eight hundred and ninety thousand and some change out
of that seventy two cent czy nigga never recouping, and
then the motherfucker turned around next year ago, here go
another two give us another record. Enough advances in that

(36:18):
show it you gotta eat off that, and that's how
you gotta live. You gotta figure right away, like, how'ma
get my shit recorded, beat all that shit with this
budget and put some of this money in my pocket
because I'm never gonna see a royalty check off of
this project, never never. I don't give a fuck. I
gonna sell two million copies and motherfucking make them about

(36:42):
forty fifty million. I still owe these niggas three millions.
I have provided you with a real budget. Yeah, I
don't put out two records and I'm still in the
red three million and that's gotta come out of seventy
two cents. Like like you learn, but you learn not
to ask for so much ship next time, Right, I

(37:05):
don't need this this city, going to work with this producer,
this and that. Yeah, fucking ads and the magazines, fuck
all that ship man. Right about now, I just want
to go off a world of mouth for the streets
fucking because you're charging a nigga.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
For every game everything. Hey, they feel like they got
to get it back you did.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
Keep in mind, not only know they connected collecting everything
back out your seventy two cents, but they probably an't
already made anywhere from one and a half to seven
eight million dollars already just just already.

Speaker 2 (37:42):
And they still charge your game.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
You selling them, You sell the motherfucking million copies for them.
They they've done made some money because.

Speaker 2 (37:57):
How many seven hours of album? Yeah, that's thirty five
million dollars? What some of them flipping?

Speaker 1 (38:04):
What nine ninety nine at the motherfucking one stops they
them up fourteen dollars thirteen label st some of that
gangstall's straight right there. I just do going into one stops, nigga,

(38:24):
I'm like, who album is out? Oh yeah, let me
get that. Let me get that one. Let me get
that one. Let me get that one, nigga. Yeah, go
to the label. Fucking anybody who was on the label, nigga,
I'm going shopping, nigga.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
That's how I get all my music. Fucking hit up
the label. Going there?

Speaker 1 (38:41):
Whose record out? Oh, Michael Jackson's record out? Yeah, let
me get one of them?

Speaker 2 (38:45):
Yeah? For days? Who else is out? So?

Speaker 1 (38:49):
Yeah, because you ain't from to see nothing, you better
be smart and be able to budget that motherfucking advance
they give you stick some of that.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
Stretched out with.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
Then you know you was able to get some money
to get your published in right, and then after a
while you know the raw teas to ketch up and
little bit right, But when you start figuring out the game,
because just say, yeah, at least some of us as
artists came in this game young, and uh, it's it's

(39:21):
fortunate now that a lot of artists are able to
to gain from that having the knowledge of what we
had to go through because we was getting the.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
Game young, then you was gonna get skinned.

Speaker 1 (39:34):
Up published, niggag published, Nigga. I thought you just get
a check. I thought you just get a check on
the album covering the ship. I'm like, what about being
on the album covert check out? You know what I'm saying,
That it's publishing and did you get your mechanicals? And

(39:57):
you're like, what the fuck is that you?

Speaker 2 (40:00):
We didn't. We didn't know that.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
We weren't able to figure that shit out until later
on down our lives, in our careers and shitting Unfortunately.
You know, there's some motherfuckers out there still eating off
your work because you know, you write, you, you wrote
the songs, you did the music.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
You know.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
It's just that we came from that era that certain
niggas felt like they deserved that more than you, and
you the motherfucker who produced that situation. You know, a
beat you might have undead or a verse you might
have wrote. Now youvene wrote every fucking verse on your
album and you look up in somebody else's claiming the

(40:40):
publishing on it.

Speaker 2 (40:41):
You know, I should even hit you to the game.
You feel me. I'm a hit you know, but I
don't know. Let me ask you this.

Speaker 1 (40:52):
A if you was in a position back in the
days to be a CEO, right, you would win on
the head. You wasn't behind the mic, right right right.
You got young, it's got some talent. You sign him
on up, you gonna hit him to the game, or
you're gonna let him learn through trial and error.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
Coming from the era that we came in.

Speaker 1 (41:17):
I'm gonna be uh the CEO because, like I always
tell the motherfucker, the object of that situation as me
as a CEO is to retain uh most of of
what we need as a company. And I'm gonna feel
like in certain some situations now, it all depends on

(41:37):
how knowledgeable the artist is I'm dealing with.

Speaker 2 (41:41):
You get me.

Speaker 1 (41:42):
If I'm getting another young nigga and he coming in
and we getting ready to do a deal and I
want to sign him, and he's knowledgeable about the situation
and knowing like, Okay, my publishing is separate and WOOMPI
womp and blah blah blah, then I'm gonna have to
give a young nigga credit. We're gonna have to come
up with a deal. Like I said, the first situations,

(42:03):
niggas are just not knowledgeable. So those are the situations
where we got fucked. Because I'm one of those niggas.
I wasn't knowledgeable about a lot of shit. As a
young seventeen year old kid coming up the neighborhood.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
I didn't have the guy.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
You know, my mom frowned upon that type the ship
I was trying to do.

Speaker 3 (42:28):
You know, at least you was on a major label, Mike.
You didn't get no advance for that confe Telton, did you.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
Not? For that Convicts?

Speaker 1 (42:39):
We was you know, we was able to go in
there and get fifteen hundred here.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
You know what I mean. Yeah, one of those situations like.

Speaker 1 (42:51):
Listen, I'm going to stay off this corner main I
need to have some money, right, I ain't going to
finish this record if I get caught up there on
the block, right then, you know you got to go
make that kind of stands, right.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
But yeah, no, it wasn't. We didn't. We didn't. We didn't.
We didn't get no no quote unquote advanced for the
Convicts record.

Speaker 1 (43:10):
But you know, we was hungry, be we was hungry,
and we were just trying to put in some work
so that we can get out there.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
Naturally, we don't. We are we are. We come in
the game.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
Ninety percent of us that come in the game, we're
not adept to you know, the business side of it, right,
We just we really being trusting right, going off, going
off off. The people that were riding with decide to
sign with their reputation right in the game, right, were
looking at their success and were looking at it like naturally,

(43:41):
they want the artists to have success, right, they want
the artists you feel me to to, you know, to
come up right.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
It's a good look. But you know.

Speaker 1 (43:52):
When it comes to that pin game, man, they whooped
you with that pen and they make you learn on
your own right to be just to be not to
be biased about the situation. But it was no difference
between Raptop and being on Sony or Big beat Up
under Epic or whatever. Yeah, it was getting like like

(44:18):
like once I became knowledgeable about situations. But Nigga I
was on Sony in Capitol and got fucked for my
first three albums. Nobody felt justifirebowing going this dude's writing
all this music or whatever. Nigga I was getting somebody
is somebody is getting picking up a check for two

(44:40):
hundred and fifty thousand and I'm going home with five
grand in my pocket. Yeah, you get me. There was
no difference because it was an independent and a major.
If a nigga could fuck you, they were gonna fuck
you just period until you took a stand.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
I was they would definitely take advantage Rush. But I
tell you that you feel me.

Speaker 1 (45:06):
You still we have discussions about nigga's character today and
how a nigga should be more, you know, And I
tell you, sit in this day and age, if a
nigga can fuck you, he's gonna fuck you unless you
know your business and know where you're coming from.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
If a nigga go.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
Yeah, we got five, I should give him two fifty
and take my two fifty. But you have way to
give him seventy five and.

Speaker 2 (45:40):
Just you know what, man, you get me unless you
know I got that this month. You don't know that five.
I'm gonna figure out a way. Now.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
You saying that a nigga should just be credible and go,
I got.

Speaker 2 (45:59):
This five for fifty. Yeah I said that, But now
five is in my hand and it's like he don't
even know that it's the five, right this, I look
at it. This, I look at it. I look at
it like this. All right, we got that five.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Un let's say I'm the label, right, Okay, I gotta
pay for his studio time. Let's say, Okay, I don't
spend ten on the studio, right, I don't spend that.
I don't been giving them money. Fifty Yeah, let's say
I don't. I don't spend fifty thousand, right, yeah, fifty thousand.
I'm gonna say, Okay, you know what, I'm going to

(46:39):
take three hundred this because you know, I gotta get
my little bit of money back and I gotta make
some money. And I'm gonna give you the other two
hundred you know the rest of it, right, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (46:50):
How they gonna give you that seventy five not just
give a niggas.

Speaker 3 (46:54):
You know, that's kind of like right there, that's just
a nigga's mentality.

Speaker 1 (47:02):
That's just it's it's like the bigger, the bigger the prize,
the lesser nigga want to pay you for your contribution.
And you could have you done done just as much,
and and and I don't know why their mentality was
this way.

Speaker 2 (47:19):
You get me.

Speaker 1 (47:20):
I have no idea when I first came in the game,
and I'm sitting up in the studio late nights and
not seeing my kid and not going to the hoods
and participating in my activities with my my neighborhood and
you know, moms is tripping, I'm missing school. I didn't
do all of that. So a nigga could go he

(47:43):
should get this, but it does not just what because
you the you, You the nigga who found me and
walked me through the door.

Speaker 2 (47:56):
I'm still putting in the work though.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
It ain't like I'm just sitting here and and like
like like a put together superstar. Right, we gonna get
your Wardrobwe We're gonna get your songs written. We're gonna
get your music done, we gonna get your hair done.
All you gotta do is sit there and when we
go action, you do.

Speaker 2 (48:16):
No nigga's not like create. I'm in there trying to
figure out, okay, what is gonna what is gonna make me? Oh?

Speaker 1 (48:24):
You know, oh damn, I listen to this nigga song
and this shit is all now I gotta come up.
And Nigga, we sitting in there at at three o'clock
in the morning and I'm missing my kids functions and
I don't do this and do that all because I'm
trying to create and be this artist.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
And when the money hit the.

Speaker 1 (48:40):
Table, you think you should take eighty five percent of it,
like goddamn dude, Like I don't like, but some niggas
mentalities idiots like that.

Speaker 2 (48:51):
Some niggas is like, Nigga, we and this together. We
started this shit. Nigga like that, right, half a.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Million hits because it's like, damn, I got this is
brought in five, right, But he wouldn't even bought in
this five if it wasn't for me, not like it's
a partnership, right, Some niggas had that mentality if it
wasn't for me, And that's how that's how I felt like, remember.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
That night we had the Homie on there and he.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
Was like figuring, he figuring, like, oh, I'm the label,
So without me, nigga, you can't get shit done. Nigga's
gonna write some songs. Yeah, we're gonna getting studio and creation.
So artists, if I wouldn't a dope artist should not
put it out. But guarantee you somebody gonna hear this
shit and go we gotta do it. Don't feel like

(49:40):
if I didn't have this label, you would never beat
who you are as an artist. What do you mean
you can't do shit, You can't create a song, you
can't make a beat. All you gots is a motherfucking
mouthpiece and a little more dollars than I have.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
And if I was smart enough and was.

Speaker 1 (49:59):
Knowledge jabbo, i'd be independent, like you would start my
own ship.

Speaker 2 (50:05):
That you got money and you got a mouthpiece. Right,
but this.

Speaker 1 (50:11):
Right, if you don't like your status as the label
and as the whatever is where, well I should collect
ninety percent. What do you mean if you didn't have
this song, in this beat, in this artist, what would
you promote?

Speaker 2 (50:28):
What would you mouthpiece?

Speaker 3 (50:30):
Well, we know what the crazy Not not to cut
you off a but you know what the crazy part
is they almost just they justify all of that, the
economics and how they do stuff and the stretch of
the deals because probably only one in five artists gonna
be successful at the label. Think about all them records
that wrap up put out how many of them records actually? So, Mike,

(50:52):
you think a lot of that ship was selling like that?

Speaker 2 (50:55):
Do you? But do you? But do you qualify that
qualify that huh rap? A lot had a following? Right, So.

Speaker 1 (51:06):
The label itself, you know, the label itself was seeing
some were seeing some income because we had they had
a lot they had. It was quite a a few
all this song rap a Lot, right, and Rap a
Lot had a following, you feel what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (51:21):
So they they.

Speaker 3 (51:23):
But like I saw some crazy CDs from him, Like
I saw a white midget with a snake around his neck.
Like it was supposed to be like an off brand
version of the Ghetto Boys or whatever.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
That's white. Did your master? Did you try the Master
beyond the Ghetto Man?

Speaker 1 (51:44):
And but yeah, yeah, then was my homies though, but
but yeah, yeah, yeah, it was like a spin off
from the Ghetto boyt exactly.

Speaker 2 (51:58):
But and everybody was. But when you meet those guys,
they was, They was their own original, you feel me. Right,
that's where the comparisons stopped, just at.

Speaker 1 (52:09):
The the optics of it, you feel me. But everybody
had everybody had aspirations and hopes and dreams man as
an individual and things like that, you know. But unfortunately,
just like other artists that came before the hip hop era, right,
we talk about blues, R and B jazz artists that

(52:31):
that was dealing with the music industry, you know what
I mean, getting taken advantage stuff, you know, the white
white artists just just covering black songs and putting them
out like it's they songs. You feel me, right, And
you would think that blacks in the business, after seeing

(52:55):
and knowing that this kind of stuff and being a
victim of this kind of stuff, that we would treat
each other differently, You feel me right, They treat each.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Other a little bit better, with a little bit more respect. Right.

Speaker 1 (53:07):
But it's not always like that because that money. You
feel me when now, when a person is on got
their own aspirations right, and you're just a byproduct of that.
You're just a means of you know what I'm saying,
to help them get to where they want to be.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
Right.

Speaker 1 (53:27):
But you're like, okay, that's cool, right, because sometimes you
got to get with somebody to get somewhere right. But
at the same time, at the end of the day,
you want to walk away with something as well. You
feel me like you say, hey, you don't want to
be dedicating all of this time, all of this effort, right,
all all it because it takes a lot of emotions

(53:47):
to put them songs down, be in the studio, you
know what I mean, all them hours and and they
do me We do music quick these days, and then
it wasn't so quick to be put together. The song
you Feel Me Niggas is recording on reels and everything,
but it's say it's a learning experience, brouh. And look
we got more knowledge about it now, right, some people

(54:11):
came out less gay than others. Right, But you know
it's just it's just one of them things, man. And
but look look at them now. You know they able
to go at least able to go get.

Speaker 2 (54:23):
A launch bag. Right.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
I wouldn't say workers that the business didn't change. It's
just enough month. It's just enough money to put bigger
bait on the hook. I guess you feel me, right, real, Mike,
let me ask you this, man, So you went on
the run. I think a lot of people forget you
put all three more records on rap a Up. You
put off some serious and on that some serious album.

(54:47):
You was the first one to really start fucking with pimpc.

Speaker 2 (54:52):
That.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
So I had met pimping them before we had came
out to Los Angeles, so we had already knew. The
matter of fact, I was the one me and three
two We brought their music out there, right and snooping
them was.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
I'm going that ship. You feel me, because let me
get this tape. You feel me? Like, man, go on
to jam the niggas, the niggas ujal k.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
But they was already our homies before we had came
out there. But I'm thinking because I had PIMC on
the album. He did the hook on Having Things and
he produced it. He produced the track. I had initially
sung the hook, but after we finished the after we

(55:41):
finished the song, Pim talking to me and talking and
I'm hearing his voice, and I was like, man, to
give the song more texture, you should go off from
there and sing that hook.

Speaker 2 (55:51):
You feel me?

Speaker 1 (55:54):
Yeah, I said, you should go off in there and
sing that hook. And then Bun he was.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
On the song car on the one.

Speaker 1 (56:03):
I should have both of them on the same song.
I don't know why I broke it up like that,
but it's the way that it had happened. Him had
produced to Having Things. We was working on there, and
I just got him to do the to do the hook.
But I'm just trying to think and make sure. But
maybe I'm thinking like I'm probably like the first project

(56:25):
other than their own project that they had performed on,
probably that they had.

Speaker 2 (56:29):
Featured on Yeah, tout out to bun b R I
p PMC. You feel me? But yeah, man, I.

Speaker 1 (56:43):
Think that was I think man, matter of fact, Yeah,
yeah yeah, And we were just I was just looking
out because I was I was there was my partners,
and I was fans of them.

Speaker 2 (56:56):
You feel me. I had to have them on that.

Speaker 1 (56:59):
I should have had them both on the same song, right,
But you know that just looking back in hindsight, but
still with a strong showing on both songs.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
So yeah, well, I'll tell you what.

Speaker 3 (57:10):
I think you broke pimpse as a producer with that
because I was hit the UGK, And that's how the
rap a lot of music. That's how a lot of
music got around. You would hear one of your homies
playing it, especially if they're from somewhere else. My homie Quentinsino,
he was from Texas. He's from Orange, Texas, and he
was playing that short Texas record by UGK, yeah back

(57:31):
back back, and I said, who was that?

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Man?

Speaker 3 (57:34):
Like, who is that? He dubbed me a copy of it.
I went, I came back to California. They dubbed the
copy for me. That's how music kind of got around.

Speaker 1 (57:42):
Oh yeah, definitely, some music got around a lot of UH,
a lot of unknown ship, and a lot of what
we consider underground UH got promoted just by having word
of mouth. And I would go to Mississippi and my
cousin would have shit from the East Coast I never heard,

(58:04):
and so I would.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
Dub that shit.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
Or I would come back to La hit up the
Paramount Swapneat and go diging through their twelve ventures and
be like, Oh, here this shit is. But you would
never know because I didn't know who the fuck the
niggas was. You get all the good it doing the
motherfucking family reunion trips back to Mississippi. That's how I

(58:29):
was connected because my older cousin, he listened to a
lot of East Coast music, so I didn't know about it,
none of that shit. But I would listen to shit
in his car and then at the house on his
record player, and then I would be like, Oh, I'm
buy that shit. When I get home, rush straight to
the Paramount Swapneat and one didn't have shit for moms

(58:52):
stereo in the living room, but fuck it, I'm finna
go to swap meet by this record and throw this
motherfucking radio active on or that motherfucker the roof is
on fire or some ship like that, and be like, moms,
be like, what the fuck is that ship? But that's
how I got to the record store. You ain't got

(59:14):
to get the record, but you're going to see if
it's there country music section, and come back and get
my ship, because I know they go taking the country music.

Speaker 2 (59:29):
This motherfucker this record, come back and get my and all.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
But yeah, man, that tape game was serious back then.
Boys used to have trash bags for the motherfucker cossettes.
You hear me, mother mother then on them, but you
knew which was each one of the motherfuckers, you know.
But yeah, those those those those were simpler times back then.

Speaker 3 (59:50):
But you know, for a minute though, Mike, you was
probably rapping up as big as eardist for a minute
for for for a second there, because some serious went platinum.

Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Didn't it. Some serious did some numbers.

Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
Yeah, some serious went big because because Scarface hadn't dropped
no ships yet and you was like their main due
for a moment.

Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
I bet they was treating you different as a motherfucker
with Scarface was already established. Yeah, face was already established.
Face face Face was he was the flagship artist there.
He was. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
Sure, But what I'm saying when you dropped Some Serious,
he hadn't dropped nothing, you were kind of dropped.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
What you mean he had? He had, he had solo
albums already.

Speaker 3 (01:00:41):
Yeah, but when Some Serious dropped Scarfaced and the have
an album all at that time, I don't think not
a new one.

Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
He probably was working on it. Yeah, That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
When you as a you as a label at in
that position, you probably wouldn't want to have two of
your big artists out at the same time because it's
really going to contradict sales because for those for those
niggas who you know, are unable to have the benefit

(01:01:16):
of purchasing both.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Rockets at the same time.

Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Now I have to make a decision of what I
want to saying until my next paycheck you get. Being
out at the same time is going to really contradict
the label and sale. So if I drop a big
MIC record, I'm knowing I'm not going to put out
the Starface record for at least six months to the

(01:01:40):
next year, and vice versa, because especially when I got
two prominent projects coming out, you know, like even though
I was signed to Sony. Sony would never put out
my record, you know, in the vicinity of another Sony
hip hop artists like with each exactly, like we want

(01:02:03):
all the sales. We don't want the fuckers to have
to have a decision.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
You couldn't do that for other labels who were figuring
out were fuck it, if Big Mike gonna come out
on the twelfth, we're gonna drop motherfucking so and so
on the thirteenth. You know, that's how other labels with
they artists would do the piggy back off or whatever
was prominent at the time.

Speaker 2 (01:02:26):
You get me.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
You couldn't stop that competition. You just hope that fans
would gravitate to your shit more than the next artist.
But if y'all both on my label, hell no, I'm
gonna keep y'all releases at least six months apart.

Speaker 3 (01:02:42):
Yeah, Mike, I got one more question for you, man.
So hard to Hit was your last album on Rapper Up,
wasn't it?

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
Yeah? Hard to Hit?

Speaker 3 (01:02:55):
After that, you didn't have a lot of other labels
trying to come and get you, procure your services.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
Well, I got hard to Hit. That's when I got locked.

Speaker 1 (01:03:08):
I got locked around that time, But it was interest
right from other labels, right, look looking to pick me up?

Speaker 2 (01:03:16):
You feel me?

Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
But after right after I lived with that, I got
when I got my release from rapping lot, that's when
I got locked. I was on the run, but I
didn't catching up with me. But but yeah, I had
gotten locked around that time, so it couldn't make no

(01:03:39):
deals happened feel me from behind the balls.

Speaker 2 (01:03:43):
How many years did you do? I did? I did?
I did folk?

Speaker 1 (01:03:48):
Yeah, what's your situations? Your situation of getting locked up
was a result of the decline in music or was
it just some other shit that you had already had
done and it finally.

Speaker 2 (01:04:03):
Caught up to you the reason why got locked, right.

Speaker 1 (01:04:10):
Was it something that was already you know, something that
was already present that you had already did, or you
had to go back to doing a situation because of
the decline and hip hop of your situation of not
being able to you know, after you put our records
would rap a lot and they started declining then whatever whatever,

(01:04:33):
you know, what I'm saying, was it something that you
already had hanging over your head or it was something
that you had decided to do?

Speaker 2 (01:04:40):
Is what got you locked up. It was a situation, right.
It was a situation that kind of like a rose, right, just.

Speaker 1 (01:04:51):
Some typical shit contractual talks, you feel me, right, And
it was a situation that it caught me by surprise.

Speaker 2 (01:05:01):
You feel me. The situation caught me by surprise, and
and and I had to react. Right. When I come
sit down with y'all, then we can go more in depth.

Speaker 1 (01:05:14):
But if I was putting a situation where I had
to react, right, you feel me. I was dealing with
a grizzly bell. Grizzly bear attacked me right right, there's
the bell gonna come back.

Speaker 2 (01:05:27):
You feel me.

Speaker 1 (01:05:28):
If I don't, don't make against the grizzly bear. And
you did, right, But like I said, we're going to
detail about it. But yeah, it was a situation me
and the label it had got ugly. You feel me,
slid into some gangster ship and you know that's what

(01:05:50):
that's what eventually led to my my incarceration. Yeah, my
part in it, you feel me. Yeah, you got up
from reteli, you know some ship basically, Yeah, but it's
all good. I took my lick, Yeah, Especially when you

(01:06:11):
put a situation when you're put in a situation to
where it's either put up or shut up, and you're
feeling like, you know, hey, this is what has to happen.
Ship you give me like, ain't no if I ain't
no infens or buts about it. I'm just this is
just the way it go down, fucking and I might

(01:06:31):
have to take my liquor whenever it comes to it,
you have to take, especially in the case like that, right,
And I'm just gonna have to deal with it. But
you know, you know, sometimes you put put in a
situation where you feel like you have.

Speaker 2 (01:06:44):
To do what you have to do. Now me thinking
about it now, right.

Speaker 1 (01:06:50):
Maybe I could have finessed the situation, right, But I'm
a young man, right, stay different, Yeah, my mind stayed different.

Speaker 2 (01:06:59):
I'm a young man.

Speaker 1 (01:07:01):
I'm hurt, I'm in baddist right, I'm looking at I survive,
thank God.

Speaker 2 (01:07:08):
Right, But.

Speaker 1 (01:07:12):
It was the chance that I might not have survived, right,
But the Lord Jesus Christ, he had something else in
store for me.

Speaker 2 (01:07:24):
Right, So.

Speaker 1 (01:07:27):
But still even with that, I didn't realize that till later.
I didn't realize God's hand in it till later.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
Right, I was going.

Speaker 1 (01:07:37):
Strictly off the emotion you feel me, and I'm retaligating
it on the streets.

Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
My move is justified. Exactly on the streets, my move
is justified. You did what I'm saying. You gonna tell
any other can you put it that nigga and be like, man,
I would have had to do what I had to do.
You feel me? So on the street move was just
and that's that's the rules I was playing by coming

(01:08:04):
from the streets. You feel me. People think about your career,
you anythink bro right?

Speaker 1 (01:08:11):
Hell now, yeah, like you feel me. You understand I
ain't thinking about none of that. I got to get
these motherfuckers up off of me.

Speaker 2 (01:08:18):
I think people get a man before you anything else exactly,
you know. But like I say, you know, I took
my knee here.

Speaker 1 (01:08:28):
You feel me, still living my life getting older, and
that itself, that too was the experience as well.

Speaker 2 (01:08:35):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:08:36):
So I got, I got, I got, I got, I
got real time testimony, right, And I'm just being short
with everything because I am working on I'm working on
a memoir. You feel me, and I want to get
sitting there so I do want to leave some things,
you know. That's why I'm being shot like that. I

(01:08:56):
know y'all trying to tell I'm being short. Still still
be trying to hit you with questions to kind of like,
but I gotta be short with you right now.

Speaker 2 (01:09:04):
Still we'll talk. I gotta leave something for the literature.

Speaker 1 (01:09:12):
But yeah, man, people, you know, people basically got an
idea of what happened and things like that. You know, Yeah, man,
wind up going to the poitential getting back out, having
to go through the whole struggle of reiterating myself back
in society, getting back on my feet.

Speaker 2 (01:09:31):
You feel me, I won't even say unfortunately.

Speaker 1 (01:09:34):
But for me, I didn't have that fan fare waiting
for me like that, like some rappers go to jail
and then niggas get out waiting for him.

Speaker 2 (01:09:45):
It wasn't like that.

Speaker 1 (01:09:46):
It wasn't like that for me, right, I think because
why I was locked up, and this was pre social media, right,
so motherfucker locked up, and you don't have homeboys that
have access to the meeting, right, you had to have
somebody that had access.

Speaker 2 (01:10:03):
To the media to keep your TV shouting you out.

Speaker 1 (01:10:07):
You feel me, to even be able to go to
the radio station, have a reason to be at the
radio station where they can shout you out and things
like that.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
You did what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:10:15):
So my niggas was in the streets, they wasn't rappers
and things like that, so they didn't have access to
the media. You did what I'm saying, right, I'm getting
all of this through letters and pictures. That's how I'm
getting my support. You feel me.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
Right. At the time, the source had reached out.

Speaker 1 (01:10:36):
To me, right, and I was locked up in their
paths so and they wanted to they wanted to come
in and view me, but I didn't see how it
would help my situation because I was going through a
real situation at the time, right, and it was it
was it was a real trial for myself and for
my family. You did what I'm saying, and I just
wanted to go through it and get it done right.

(01:11:00):
See the benefit of sitting there being interviewed from behind. Boy,
and listen, I'm a studio head. I love to be
in the studio creating recording. You did what I'm saying,
even though I was in the I'm in the business
to where we have to be in front the camera,
right and make ourselves accessible to the media and things
like that. I was never listen, I'll be shooting videos.

(01:11:23):
I'll be sweating profusely at my own video shoot. It
could be cold outside because I just was never like
comfortable in front the camera and things like that.

Speaker 2 (01:11:33):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:11:33):
I can get on staging through my thing, but all
of that revolved around the music.

Speaker 2 (01:11:37):
You feel what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:11:38):
Right, I can eventually get in there and get my
mind right to do the videos, and I had got
better with it, but I was never that kind of cat.

Speaker 2 (01:11:46):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:11:46):
That's why I'm a little bit behind with the social media.
Not because when it was happening, I wasn't. I didn't
gravitate towards it like that, you did, know what I'm saying.
So geez, So we got to ease into it, right,
and then we were gonna we're gonna perfect where we're
getting our bread at.

Speaker 2 (01:12:05):
Oh, this is what we gotta do. Damn.

Speaker 1 (01:12:07):
You know what I'm saying. The motherfucker go from there.
But yeah, so I didn't. I didn't seek out the
media or.

Speaker 2 (01:12:13):
Nothing like that.

Speaker 1 (01:12:14):
Right, people be like, you know, man, come down here
and interview me. I just wanted to get through that
with God, with my family, you know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (01:12:23):
And and I did.

Speaker 1 (01:12:25):
I wanted seven year sentence, and I didn't have to
stay the whole seven, right, I did the rest on
the streets.

Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
So that was a blessing. And I learned a lot
down there with my relationship with the Lord crew. Right.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
I'm sure that he didn't want me behind bars, right,
but it was other things in my life, right. I
was undisciplined, right, and he was giving me time on
my own to to to correct that.

Speaker 2 (01:12:48):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:12:49):
And then sometimes you got to sit down, right, you
gotta sit you down so he can isolate you. You
didn't know what I'm saying, but the you know, like
I said, that's what I gained from from the whole
city situation, right, I gave atituation from my relationship with God.
I saw him moving my life in a real way.
And and and and that's part of my testimony. And

(01:13:09):
maybe that's why I was placed in the line of
fire like that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:13:13):
Maybe it's bigger than all the pieces on the board, right,
all the people involved. Maybe it's bigger than all of that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:20):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:13:21):
So I'm able to do that now now that I'm
past the the letdown of it, the anger of it all. Right,
now I'm able to you know what I mean to
really see the workings of it and pull the positive
up out of it, you know.

Speaker 2 (01:13:39):
But yeah, it had gotten into some gangster ship. It
was real dope. It was real dope, you know what
I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:13:48):
So you know, yeah, Man, we go ahead of sitting
down in person, man, like we talked about this. This
is a precursor of that. Man.

Speaker 1 (01:14:00):
It's craszy, right, I'm gonna get out there. I'm gonna
get out there and fuck with y'all. Man. Definitely, we're
gonna sit down and by then, Man, I've been a
haad had this music that I've been working on, so
I could lay on y'all and we could talk about
that as well.

Speaker 2 (01:14:17):
Mike Height, you gotta get Mike on a new album though,
for sure, you already know that, you know, I ain't.
I know when the time is right, it's gonna happen.
You feel.

Speaker 1 (01:14:28):
I know when the time is right, it's gonna happen.
But maybe the time is coming though it's coming. Indeed,
that's easy right there.

Speaker 2 (01:14:39):
For sure, Mike, Man, he said, Man, we gonna get
back together and do this. Person.

Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
Man, we don't have you in here for hours and change, y'all.
I only asked you to give me our, You gave
me so much more. I feel like if we don't stop,
we're gonna keep on going.

Speaker 2 (01:14:52):
And I got to get back to these playoffs lame
right quick. You know this.

Speaker 1 (01:15:01):
Salute man, love y'all brothers man, and I see y'all
on the other side. Oh kay already, Oh baby, know
we got here all right.

Speaker 2 (01:15:14):
M hm