Posté le: Lun 23 Mai 2005 16:02 Sujet du message: Real hip-hop
Pour ce qui aime le vrai hip-hop et qui en marre des shady,50 the snitch et son Gay-unit,je vous conseille d'écouter:
Saigon,ce type raconte des choses real .Contrairement à des nombreux faux gangsta rappeur,Saigon c'est ce que c'est que la street's life
Saigon
"Warning Shots"
The Introduction
Favorite Thingz
Let A N*gga Know
Come Again
Stocking Cap
N.Y. Streetz
Papi (35 a Gram)
L.O.V.E.
Huh Mama
We Want In (feat. Mekka Millz & Ali Vegas)
Kiss The Babies
Pop Quiz (Multiple Choice)
Yes
If...(My Mommy)
Drama Hour Freestyle
Shok TV
DJ Absolut Freestyle
Whoo Kid Freestyle
^^^^essayer de vous procurez cette mixtape
Acheter le dernier album de Common,du pure rap conscient,avec Kanye West au commande.
_________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Inscrit le: 10 Mai 2005 Messages: 178 Localisation: courbevoie
Posté le: Lun 23 Mai 2005 16:14 Sujet du message:
j'essayerais d'écouter _________________ De dire que je suis Africain relève pour beaucoup de l'hérésie, du mensonge, d'affirmer que mes racines sont en Afrique demeure une ineptie. Les juifs survivants de Auschwitz n'en sont pas ressortis Polonais. Alors moi je suis et resterais Africain et c'est en tant que tel que je serais soumis à la critique ou à l'approbation.
Common ouai c du bon rap conscient mais en ce moment ceux qui vont le plus loin sont les dead prez
Le deuxieme album s'appelle revolutionary but gangsta
le premier album s'appelle let's get free
Un lien pour voir un de leur clip (à regarder jusko bout! )www.deadprez.com hell yeah![/u] _________________ africa unity
Common ouai c du bon rap conscient mais en ce moment ceux qui vont le plus loin sont les dead prez
Le deuxieme album s'appelle revolutionary but gangsta
le premier album s'appelle let's get free
Un lien pour voir un de leur clip (à regarder jusko bout! )www.deadprez.com hell yeah![/u]
De toute les façons je vais mettre plus d'info quand je pourrai
ONE OF HIP-HOP'S MOST ANTICIPATED NEW ARTIST TALKDS ABOUT HIS LIFE BEHIND BARS.
I've been on some type of probation, parole or in prison since I was 13. Once you in the system, they keep your record until they clear your criminal history. If you're 13 and you have an assault charge, then when you're 16 and you catch another case and you're legal they take this into account when they give you a pre-sentencing investigation. If the pre-sentencing report shows that you've had a previous assault, it doesnt really look good for you. They looking at you like, Okay, you've been acting this way since you were young. They don't look at the fact that you might've turned your life around, They just look at what's on the paper, and that's how they judge you. That's the system. It's designed to keep us there and keep us down.
I had a fight in junior high school. That was my very first time in jail. I went to youth jail for a year. I came back home and got into some more shit. They sent me to Rikers Island. Then i did five years in Napanoch Eastern correctional facility. I shot two people. That was my last bid, the long one. I came home with years of parole left. I couldn't leave the state of new york. I had to get permission to go to New Jersey.
A lot of people glorify jail. It's not a celebration or rite of passage but something that's destroying us... By putting music videos out with Meagan Good visiting you in jail, young kids think jail's not that bad. That's not realityReality is a grown man looking up your anal cavity. They dont show images of people getting stabbed, getting killed and the correction officers killing people. They just show one image. My friend Bolo, who is my age and has 45-years-to-life, started fucking with homos. I knew him from the street and I'm like, "This aint you dawg, You're not gay. He's like, "Yo dawg, I dont give a fuck what other people think of me, Im not living for nobody. My life is basically over. When you look at shit from that perspective, what could you say?
Being in jail is like being dead. People who should care dissapear out of your life. Out of sight, out of mind. My family stayed in touch with me. My friends didn't. My friend Ab was the only one who sent me tapes. The rest of them, they were fake. And that's another thing they dont show in the videos.
I went back to jail for a little while after gaining some acclaim as a rapper. My friends got me out, but I was doing my own thing and I caught a new case. It's so easy once you're on parole. It was a third degree assault, which is just a regular fistfight. So if I get into a regular fistfight, which for you might be a slap on the wrist and court one time, they'll send me back to jail for 18 months. Because i'm on parole, they look at everything differently. That's why I call it a revolving door.
I got through my time by writing rhymes, working out and just minding my business, I did a long time in jail. In the beginning of my bid, I did all the wild and crazy shit, but by the middle of it I smartened up. I started to read and see other people my age in there who have 45-years-to-life. I got off parole, so I'm just now feeling freedom for the first time in 14 years. I'm still not feeling like I'm totally free, but i feel freer that I was, because I'm able to do anything without people telling me what time to come in the house or what time to lay my head down and what time to do everything else. _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Were you dissing a lot of other artists in your mix CD’s?
About me dissing people? I speak my mind. I’m an outspoken person. I don’t have no personal problems with no rappers and shit like that, but if I think a rapper is a bad artist or he’s doing something that I don’t agree with. I grew up in prison. I went to prison when I was fifteen years old. I went to prison when I was young so all this gangsta shit that these people are glorifying and are trying to make it seem like it’s good, I lived that. That’s my life. That’s the life I lived. I’ve been in prison cutting people and fucking people up. And before that I was in the streets shooting people. That shit ruined my life almost. Luckily this Hip Hop shit is working out for me because I don’t have no education, I got two felonies on my record, and I could never go get a real job.I was influenced by Rap. I was influenced by Mobb Deep and the Onyx. These muthafuckas influenced me when I was a kid, and I meet these niggaz and they pussies. And that shit hurts me, because how many kids are being influenced by 50 Cent right now. 50 Cent is not running around shooting people like he said in his record. He’s running around with security guards. He’s not saying that in his records. And the kids see him and they’re like, "yeah, gangsta!" A child’s mind is like clay. They’re mad impressionable. When these muthafuckas hear these records they’ll go out and get hyped, get drunk and do something stupid, because they listened to a 50 Cent record. Meanwhile, 50 Cent is somewhere in his mansion laying back and chillin’, and this kid is going through the system, ruining his life.
A lot of people look at it from outside and say they want to be like that but they’ve never been in the situation
You’re right. And they glorify it and they make it seem like it’s something cool. They’re not gangsta and they never been a gangsta. Most rappers have never ever shot nobody and have never lived that gangsta life. And a lot of them talk like they get busy or they did this and they did that, and they never done it. Because number one, if you did that before you was rapping people from your neighborhood are gonna know about you. That’s one thing I give 50 credit for. If you go back to Queens, and the neighborhood where he’s from, muthafuckas will tell you 50 was running around reckless before he got on. He was a wild kid. He used to run around buggin’ out.If you go to Yonkers and you ask about Jadakiss, Jadakiss has always been a rapper. He’s been rapping since he was a kid. He’s a good rapper, but he kicks all this gangsta around about killing and this shit. That’s just hurting our people. I really hate these West Coast niggaz like Game coming out glorifying the gang culture. Trying to make it seem like it’s cool to be a Blood, and it’s cool to be a Crip. That shit ain’t cool. If you got people like Tookie and Mike Conception, real gang members who started the gangs and then telling to stop doing that, it’s not cool, put the guns down. Then why some little rapper’s gonna come out and try and glorify it when the dude who started, the dude who really killed nine people, is telling you it’s not cool, that’s not a way to live.
Are there any producers that make beats that you would like to work with?
I’m working with the best producer in the game right now, which to me is Just Blaze I would like to work with Kanye West. His music is soulful a lot. He can’t rap on my shit. Just do the beat. I hate his raps, but beat wise he’s a fuckin’ genius.
[/url] _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Posté le: Ven 17 Juin 2005 19:53 Sujet du message:
Dead prez, Others Want To 'Free Your Hood'
By Tiffany Hamilton
Date: 6/17/2005 11:30 am
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Free Your Hood Coalition have teamed up with other grass roots organizations and artists to take a stand against police terrorism.
The “Free Your Hood” campaign will release a documentary that is geared towards shedding light on the issue of police brutality in the Black and Latino community.
Artists such as dead prez and others will share their experiences in an edutaining documentary that will recall the accounts of personal experiences dealing with police terrorism.
“This is the most necessary [project] in the game," M1 of dead prez explained. “It’s hood reality. It explains with revolutionary clarity the situation black and brown people are in… and how we’re going to get out!"
Other artists featured on the mixtape project are John Legend, Jaguar Wright, Treach from Naughty By Nature, Immortal Technique, A-Alikes and many others.
In continued efforts to not only raise awareness but keep the focus continuing, the Free Your Hood movement has also planned to launch a newsletter called the People’s Post containing articles on various social issues such as gentrification, housing problems, and the prison industry that will be available to the public.
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Posté le: Ven 17 Juin 2005 20:13 Sujet du message:
(I’m Black)
Whether I’m poor or rich, or rich or poor
Though its all the same shit
(I’m Black)
Even though my skins kind of light
That means my ancestors was raped by somebody white
(I’m Black)
So I like to sing dance and crack jokes
Eat good food and be around black folks
(I’m Black)
Sort of like the Holys on Sundays
Drink all night and still go to work monday
(I’m Black)
So I like the kids looking real nice
Cuz I’ve been poor and I know what it feels like
(I’m Black)
And I’ma say it loud like James Brown
People be proud cuz we all up in the game now
(I’m Black)
And I’ma hold my right fist real high
Might see my man and we might get real high
(I’m Black)
And I know it, and I aint afraid to show it
(I’m Black)
And I’m the genius in the motherfuckin Poet
You know it
(Ohh Ohhh)
Chorus (Floetry)
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to say that I’m me...
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to be so free
(I’m Black)
So proud to say that I made it
(I’m Black)
The one who struggled in the hatred
(I’m Black)
And I’m not afraid to say it
(I’m Black..Cuz I know I’m Sinking)
(I’m Black)
So I gotta heart full of bravery
Do for my peoplez that went through Slavery
(I’m Black)
So you know I’m young in the sports
Nintey percent chanced I get hunged in the Court
(I’m Black)
Don’t you be scared of me Mister
Cuz you don’t really seem to be scared of my sister
(I’m Black)
And I can ride first class too
Or buy an exotic car and like murk past you
(I’m Black)
And I don’t need a tan in the winter
Mind strong and powerful now a cypher can’t enter
(I’m Black)
And I don’t need jewelry to shine
Look in my skin color is like the jewelry is blind
(I’m Black)
They focus on the negative attention
Do something positive, and never get mentioned
(I’m Black)
Listen it’s a fact, original man
I wouldn’t change it if I could and thats that
Chorus(Floetry)
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to say that I’m me...
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to be so free
(I’m Black)
So proud to say that I made it
(I’m Black)
The one who struggled in the hatred
(I’m Black)
And I’m not afraid to say it
(I’m Black)
(I’m Black...I’m Black...Ohh...Yeah...Yeah)
(I’m Black)
Even with a caramel complextion
Look in the mirror see Malcolm and Martin reflection
(I’m Black)
Just like the PANTHERS, looking for an answer
It’s prejudice shit is like a cancer
(I’m Black)
Look in my eyes the wall can’t get pulled over
Look in my cars and stay gettin pulled over
(I’m Black)
Me the public enemies number one
Government looking in the hood sending in the gun
(I’m Black)
I grew up off the good time show
Drink liquor smoke weed and let the good times roll
(I’m Black)
I live for my wife and my seeds
And my mom with a bond only God can acceed
(I’m Black)
I got to show my homeboys love
First thing you learnt in the hood is homeboy love
(I’m Black)
And I’m mad if I ain’t nuthin else
(I’m Black)
I’m beautiful and I love myself (Say together)
YEAH ! (Love myself...Ohh yeah)
Chorus(Floetry)
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to say that I’m me...
So proud to be just who I’am
So proud to be so free
(I’m Black)
So proud to say that I made it
(I’m Black)
The one who struggled in the hatred
(I’m Black)
And I’m not afraid to say it
(I’m Black)
(I’m Black...I’m Black...Yeah)
_________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Inscrit le: 14 Mar 2005 Messages: 994 Localisation: T.O
Posté le: Ven 17 Juin 2005 20:20 Sujet du message:
Saigon c'est du bon,
mais il est quand meme pas mal gangsta le bougre
je te conseille le clip fait maison
"come again" qu'on peu trouver sur internet, c'est du straight up gangsta from brooklyn shit. _________________ The pussy is free, but the crack cost money (BDP 1989)
Inscrit le: 14 Mar 2005 Messages: 994 Localisation: T.O
Posté le: Ven 17 Juin 2005 20:29 Sujet du message:
Sinon si vous aimez le bon rap militant jtez un coup d'oeil
a Black Market militia un super groupe reunissant
Tragedy Khadafi (Juice Crew, Intelligent Hoodlum, CNN), Killah Priest (Sunz of Man, Wu-Tang Clan), Hell Razah (Sunz of Man, Wu-Tang affiliate) & Timbo King (Royal Ram, Wu-Tang affiliate, I AM).
c'est du lourd
_________________ The pussy is free, but the crack cost money (BDP 1989)
Posté le: Ven 15 Juil 2005 20:20 Sujet du message:
Le prochain album de AZ est prévue pour le 23août:
01. Intro (Produced by Heatmakerz)
02. Omega (Produced by Tone Mason)
03. The Come Up (Produced by DJ Premier)
04. Magic Hour feat. CL Smooth (Produced by Tone Mason)
05. No Strings (Produced by Baby Paul/BpZy)
06. Never Change (Produced by Heatmakerz)
07. A.W.O.L. (Produced by Vinny Idol)
08. AZ’s Chillin (Produced by Fizzy Womack)
09. Envious feat. Bounty Killer (Produced by MoSS)
10. Can’t Stop Won’t Stop (Produced by Frado)
11. Live Wire (Produced by Buckwild)
12. New York feat. Ghostface (Produced by Emile)
13. The Truth (Produced by DJ Absolut & Young Calvin)
14. Bedtime Story feat. Slick Rick (Produced by Jimmy Kendrixx & Baby Paul/BpZy)
15. So Sincere (Produced by Heatmakerz)
16. City Of Gods (Produced by Disco D) _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
PS:il paraît que eminem met fin à sa carrière _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
It is not every day that a Hip-Hop artist comes along who has both Jay-Z and Nas publicly singing his praise. It is even more rare, if ever, that such an artist has spent nearly 7 years in jail, starting at the age of 15. While Jay-Z and Nas were getting ready to blow, he was getting ready to be incarcerated.
But as hard as it may seem for the average image-conscious rap fan of today to accept, 27-year old Saigon shouldn't be judged, even as an artist, by the endorsement he has received by two of the greatest rappers who ever lived, nor by the time he spent behind bars. There is so much more to this human being, who the majority of people are about to meet courtesy of Atlantic Records, when his debut album, "The Greatest Story Never Told" drops this fall.
Backed by some of the hottest production in the business; a major record label that is hungry to establish its presence in its competition with Def Jam; a few years of street buzz and credibility thanks to his presence on the New York City mixtape circuit; and one of the most unique and controversial records to drop this decade - the anti-gang banging, "Color Purple" - Saigon is poised for big things this year, commercially and otherwise.
When BlackElectorate.com Publisher Cedric Muhammad named Saigon as one of the four most important rappers on the horizon, he did not do so lightly. He did what he did not only because of what he heard in Saigon's music, but what he saw of his mind and heart, from a distance; and because of his awareness of the time and the critical circumstances that Hip-Hop and Black and Brown youth find themselves in. Important times require important people, and there are clear and not so clear indications that Saigon is one such individual.
His production is of a high quality, with tracks provided by Just Blaze (Saigon is actually signed to the platinum producer's record label) and Alchemist; his lyrical flow and voice is distinct; his content is even more so, with street, political and conscious rhymes put forth with seemingly little effort. But it is what motivates him that is drawing the most attention for this artist on the street, underground and on the Internet. Who else concludes their biography, disseminated by their major record label with the following statement: "I'm gonna do my best to sell records, that's the business I'm in but at the end of the day, I'm gonna maintain my integrity. I have to tell the truth, especially in black and brown communities. It's my duty to open up a few minds."
So despite the bounty of his artistic gifts and attributes - production, lyrical delivery and content - which Hip-Hop fans are about to enjoy at a mass level, if he has his way, it would be primarily his mind, heart, and work among his people, for which Saigon would like to be remembered.
In order to get a better view of the Brother that some say, better than any other today, embodies street credibility, consciousness, and talent; Black Electorate.com Publisher Cedric Muhammad recently spoke with Saigon for over two hours for a wide-ranging conversation about the rap artist's worldview; his life experiences and vision; and the music industry.
Today we publish Part I of that interview.
***
Cedric Muhammad: Peace, Saigon how are you?
Saigon: How you doing?
Cedric Muhammad: Good. It’s good to talk to you Brother. First I wanted to say thank you for granting us the honor of interviewing you. I think very highly of you. I see a lot in you and I want to bring some of that out, hopefully with some of these questions.
Saigon: Thank. Thank you. I appreciate that.
Cedric Muhammad: It’s definitely coming from the heart. You are one of the most important, if not the most important artist on the horizon. Now, where are you right now creatively speaking, is the album done?
Saigon: The album is not done. We are in the midst of finishing it. It is about 60% done. More than half way done but, Lord Willing, I will be done by the end of the summer, and I will get it out there to the people. And hopefully they are ready for it because you know I am coming with the truth on this one. I don’t care about radio spins. There is a bigger plight. Know what I mean?
Cedric Muhammad: Exactly. Now, for the record, what is the name of the album going to be – "The Greatest Story Never Told" or "Letter To Black America"?
Saigon: "The Greatest Story Never Told" is the album title.
Cedric Muhammad: Ok, because I had seen some other information on that.
Saigon: Yeah. That was because they switched it at one point because I had a little conflict with another artist but I settled it and went back to the original title.
Cedric Muhammad: Good. In some of the articles that I have read, I saw some very interesting background information on your name, “Saigon.” And I know a lot of people do not know that history so just for the benefit of our viewers and those who are getting familiar with you, how did that name come about and what is its significance as it relates to Vietnam and Black people?
Saigon: They have always done us dirty in this country but they really pulled some tricks from under their sleeves for that war. These people were using the media and things of that nature to promote (Black people) going over their fighting against the Viet Cong and the Vietnamese people, as a way to prove that you were worthy to be a real American. They ran one Navy ad that said, ‘We Will Take You As Far As You Can Go.’ This was the ad they were giving to the people to get them to join the Army and Navy. And when they went over there to fight it was the natives of Vietnam, in Saigon, who were telling Blacks, ‘this ain’t your war.’ They used to drop pamphlets for the Black soldiers - when they would go to Saigon to f--- with the prostitutes and get drugs – telling them ‘this is not your war.’ I actually have a copy of one of those pamphlets that they were dropping. It is on my DVD. You get to actually see it for yourself. A lot of people are not hip to these kind of things, that the Vietnamese were doing toward Black soldiers. They were telling us, ‘you guys don’t even have civil rights. Y’all are in America fighting for civil rights and you are over here fighting for a country that won’t even let you drink out of a decent f-----g water fountain.’ So it was deep. That city, Saigon, its name had a ring to me. It is a war torn city and there is a lot of history in that city so I figured I would take it as a moniker and the same way that the Vietnamese tried to put Black people on to what was really going on - is what I try to do with my music.
Cedric Muhammad: A friend of mine, often talks to me about prison, time that he served, and that of others, and he frequently makes a point that whenever a person says that they came home from jail or prison, he gently corrects them (to make a point) and tells them ‘well you just went to school.’ So I wanted to ask you since that is such a big part of your background – how did prison shape you and influence the way that you think today?
Saigon: Well, not to dispute what your man said, but, I think it is only ‘school’ if you go there and make it ‘school’. Because honestly speaking most guys don’t go there and make it ‘school.’ That is why recidivism is so high. Most guys go there and lift weights and play basketball, honestly speaking. They get diesel and gain weight, so that they can come home and mess with more women. So you have to take the initiative and teach yourself and don’t use that time in vain. Because what they do, is just like in the streets, the sports thing (is big) in there. They have basketball season where the inmates can join a team and it gets to the point where they put statistics up on the wall so everybody can see how many points everybody is averaging a game. So you have basketball season which lasts two months, then you got baseball season, then you have football. Before you know it a whole year has gone by and you are so entertained by sports that you are not even realizing that you are doing time anymore. So you don’t take time to build your strongest muscle, which is your mind. It is very seldom that people will go there and do that. A lot of people do but most of them don’t.
Most people go there and become Muslims and Five Percenters because it is like a ‘gang’ and they feel they need protection. They are thinking, ‘yeah let me come in here and get down with somebody so if I get into a problem, I’m protected.’ What they don’t realize is that when you join the Five Percenters, become a Muslim, or a member of something, not only do you have protection but if you see another Muslim, for example, get into something, that is your problem now too. You take on the problems of everybody who claims to be part of this certain thing. And when a lot of people are getting down (with these groups) for the wrong reasons - you wind up finding yourself in a beef because a Muslim dude is messing with a chump, or a Five Percenter is on the low really messing with the fags, and now you find yourself right in the middle of that situation.
Not that many people take the initiative to go to jail and learn. Fortunately, I got around some of the right people. Somebody saw something in me. I went to jail on some angry stuff, was wilding out, jumping people, and chasing weed in the yard and all of that. And this one cat named, ‘B.J.’ sat me down and he was like, ‘Man, I see a lot more potential in you.’ And then, these other dudes saw me and were like, ‘Don’t be like me, don’t keep coming to jail your whole life until you are forty and fifty years old. Let this be the last time you come here.’ And you know it stuck with me. First, I was like ‘I don’t want to hear that, I heard that before.’ But this dude (B.J.), he was a powerful dude - this is what made me listen to him. He wasn’t just a dude that was all about peace, he would be a dude who held the whole jail down, nobody disrespected this dude. I was more prone to listen to him because I know that he could have easily gotten somebody stabbed just with his words – by putting a hit out on somebody – because that is the power that he held in the jail. So once I started listening to him, he started giving me books. He had me at 18 years old teaching a Black History class. At 18. And I went to jail with like an 8th grade reading level. I took the initiative to read, learn and study, but not too many people do that.
Cedric Muhammad: There is one article that I have here and I want to read back to you a quote. You are quoted as saying, "My life is the story of Malcolm X. He was Malcolm Little – he was a drug dealer, he was a robber, he was a hood. He went to prison and he became Malcolm X. He came home a whole new man. He came to people and told them this is what’s up, this is what’s really going on, he really wanted to change the world. Saigon’s going to change the world and that’s what makes me different."
That pretty much sums it up. But maybe you could add some details to the relationship between Malcolm X and your life, and the meaning of his life.
Saigon: Yeah, because that is like a perfect example of what we were talking about earlier. Malcolm was,'Dirty Red.’ He was running around pimping, messing with ho’s, frying his hair doing everything like the White man wants us to do, to look like f------g buffoons. Pimping each other, killing each other, gambling, doing everything for a dollar – making us think that money is everything. And they are still doing that right now, with the artists. I think a lot of these artists have done more harm than good – way more harm than good. I look at them like working for the White man almost, for a high price. For a price, you can make them destroy mad young kids’ lives with their music, not to stray off the subject. I feel like that is what a lot of them are doing.
I feel like my life kind of went in the same way as Malcolm’s because I used to be in the streets shooting people, wilding out, bugging, and hurting my people every day. I had no sense of direction. I didn’t even know why I was here. So I just woke up everyday like, ‘how am I going to get high?’; ‘how am I going to get some weed and some 40s and go hang out with my boys on the block?’ That was my life, every day. There wasn’t no setting goals and trying to achieve certain things. It took me to go to prison and have that steel boot of oppression placed on my Adam’s apple before I realized that something wasn’t right with my life. And I see the same people going through all the same situations. We all come from the same neighborhoods. There are no White kids from the suburbs in these prisons. They are not there. They don’t do no crime at all? Come on. There is 220 million White people in this country and only 30 million Blacks. Why do we make up more of the prison population? That don’t make sense. I mean, it is like everything negative in this country, we lead the category in everything detrimental and negative. This is not an accident, this is by design. And it is time for us to step up and say ‘how much of this are we going to take?’ A lot of Black people are complacent because they feel like, ‘OK, we are not being hosed down in the street anymore, with German shepherds being sicked on us’. But we built this country, we deserve more man. And until you step up, a closed mouth don’t get fed. Nobody is going to come offer you anything. We made this country. Our blood and our sweat built this country. There is no reason we should be living in the conditions we live in.
We live in the projects, 50,000 Chinese restaurants on every block. Liquor stores. And we are killing each other every week. Education in the schools is messed up in the inner cities. Somebody has got to step up. Everybody is scared to be a leader because everybody is scared to die. But God ain’t put us here to stay, man. Our lives and time on this earth is temporary anyway. So while you are here you have got to stand for something and try to make it better. I was explaining to somebody the other day, the situation with the Attica riots. And I was like, even though they don’t talk about these dudes, these dudes probably made just as big of a step for us as Black people, as a Martin Luther King and a Malcolm X because the conditions the prisons were in, before those dudes started that riot were terrible, man. These dudes had to eat cold soup out of a can. They couldn’t even heat up their soup. They couldn’t even write their homes and ask for money. It was called soliciting. You weren’t even allowed to ask for help. They were driven so far to a point where they had to be like, ‘you know what, we are not going to take it anymore.’ And they knew that by what they did they were going to die, more than likely. But they made it better for the people who had to go through the conditions after them. If that Attica riot had never happened, when I went to jail, it probably would have been the same conditions. It took somebody to step up and make a sacrifice, to sacrifice their lives. We are so scared now. And we are so complacent. Everybody is thinking about a Benz and shiny chains, and this is what life is to them. Going to the clubs. I am like, man, if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. And I am a man. I have a backbone. Nobody is going to keep pushing me around and keep hurting me without me fighting back, some.
Cedric Muhammad: Another parallel with your and Brother Malcolm’s experience was the mentor relationship that you just mentioned. Malcolm had a mentor in prison as well. You mentioned, B.J. – is that short for Born Justice?
Saigon: Yes, it is.
Cedric Muhammad: Saigon, speak on this. Because there is a big buzz on the street, and I can tell you this personally from my dealing with many members of The Nation Of Gods and Earths, over the title of your album, and the respect that you have for the Father, Clarence 13 X; please just tell me a little bit more about your interaction with the Lessons and how Born Justice exposed you to the Knowledge of Self?
Saigon: Well, you know, it was actually another Brother who exposed me to it. His name was Supreme. But Born - B.J. – actually broke it down for me and let me know what it meant and what it represented. He gave me the history on the Father; he gave me the 120 degrees and all of that. But he let me know, unlike the other Gods were doing – he was like, ‘Look, what Clarence gave us - what the Father gave us - was the 48 Keys.’ And (the purpose of) this was for us to apply it to everyday life. It is not just 120 degrees. You got dudes that have been in the Nation (of Gods and Earths) for ten years and the first thing they ask you is ‘What’s today’s mathematics?’ or ‘How do you see today’s mathematics?’ I’m like, Ok, what is that? They are just in it for the fancy terminology and the Lessons. And I am like ‘why are we still on this?’ Let’s talk about how we fill out resumes when we get out of prison and how we start business and incorporate? The Nation in prison became like a gang. And all of these dudes who were Five Percenters have now become Bloods. That goes to show me something. I think prison kind of hurt what the Nation was about. Because when they were on the street they were using it (The Lessons) to teach and to show Brothers a better way of life, and how we are going to come up out of the situation that we are in. So, (Born Justice) gave me the Lessons but he also stressed, ‘don’t be a lip professor, and don’t get caught up in only talking fancy and parroting.’ He said, ‘A parrot can quote these Lessons but if you don’t understand what you are quoting and what you are saying, then it is to no avail and pretty much useless.’
Cedric Muhammad: Exactly, Saigon. I bear witness to that. Now, there is something that I sense about you but let me preface it with something in the Bible. There is a verse in Hebrews, Chapter 9 verses 16 and 17. And I am going to read it to you from the Amplified translation which is a little clearer than the King James version.
Saigon:Ok. Alright.
Cedric Muhammad: It says:
"For where there is a [last] will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established, For a will and testament is valid and takes effect only at death, since it has no force or legal power as long as the one who made it is alive."
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: And those verses, I have used, in reference to ‘Pac and Biggie’s life, and others have used it. The point is – there are certain people that you can just see by the pattern and experiences of their lives that their life was designed to be an instructive example for the rest of us.
Saigon: Exactly, man.
Cedric Muhammad: And I felt that way, man, when I walked out of that movie, Resurrection with ‘Pac. It was obvious to me Saigon that his life was one of those special lives. Well, I feel the same way in what I’m getting to know about you. And I just wanted to know from the heart, have you ever felt that there is definitely something special going on with you and the experiences that you have had and the way you have been guided?
Saigon: Every day, man. Every day, I wake up. That’s why I can’t make those ‘shake your ass’ songs. As much as I know that’s what works? ‘Girl give me that punny, get up there, shake your ass…’ As much as I know that is what will probably make me platinum, rich and famous – I can’t do it. My conscience won’t let me do it. So I know I have some kind of substance to me, man. I am not scared to lose my life for what I believe in. I just don’t want to die in vain because the media will come and destroy me. If I was to get popular and start to touch a lot of people, and they were to execute me like they do to all of our leaders; they would take the criminal history and every little thing they could find and try to exploit that and make people look at me like, ‘look at him he was a criminal or this or that.’ They try to downplay you. The media can really assassinate your character without really killing you. They will do that. They tried to do that to Tupac. They tried to make it look like Tupac was a mindless thug – a dude who just walked around causing trouble. Like even when he shot the police they don’t ever mention the fact that he was trying to help a Brother that these two drunk cops were harassing. They don’t tell us that part. They just show him at the MGM (hotel in Las Vegas) kicking the dude and getting into a fight. Every time you see (a focus) on his last days that is what they show to make it look like, ‘oh look, a gang member killed him, he just had this fight with a gang member.’ But they know the power he had and possessed. And that is how they confuse us about him. If you ask people why they like Tupac, the majority of them don’t know. I’ve seen dudes who really shout out, ‘Tupac this…’ and ‘Tupac that…’ and you ask them, ‘why do you like ‘Pac?’ and they respond, ‘Uh, he was dope – he had a dope song. I liked Juice and this other movie…’ And they don’t even realize what this dude was about. They don’t really see what his plight was. The media don’t let you pick that up.
Like this dude, Brian Nichols, for example. I don’t really agree with what he did, but did you see how quick the media downplayed that? But they will show Michael Jackson every five minutes in the news? This dude snatched a gun, shot the judge, shot everybody, ran out and killed an FBI agent. This should have gotten way more media coverage that Michael Jackson allegedly touching a little White boy. But they don’t want that (the image of Brian Nichols) to spark a revolutionary mind. That was a revolutionary move. No matter how you look at it, what this dude did was some really going against the system. That is like a slave killing a master, real talk. Know what I mean?
Cedric Muhammad: Exactly. Now you said something that I have never seen a rapper say (overtly) before Saigon, the way you did. I used to manage Wu-Tang Clan and one of the things that I had hoped for, was more artists thinking like this. I think RZA felt like this although he and I never talked about it directly. You said something to the effect that you are using rap to become a Black leader. I think that is thorough and shows the level of discipline and priority you have. And I just want to know a little more of how you think that would go – how rap would set you up as a Black leader?
Saigon: Ok, it’s like, rappers are the voice of the Ghetto right now. If Jay-Z says, ‘ hey put on a button down shirt’, the next day in the hood you are going to see a million button down shirts. If 50 Cent says, ‘hey put on a bullet proof vest…’ I’ve seen dudes put on vests that weren’t even bullet proof (laughter). Just for the look. And that is how important these people have become, as far as a voice. Because we really don’t have a voice so they become our voice. If I am in that position to talk to millions of people, I ‘m not going to lead these dudes to damnation, which most of these artists are doing. I’m ‘a let ya’ll know what’s going on. I’m a hip you all to some of the tricks that’s being played on you. I’m a let you know that we have to get the guns out of our community. We have to stand up and be like, ‘hey, why are there drugs here?’ There is a war on terror and a mother f-----g A-rab can’t get into this country without them knowing exactly why you are coming here, who you are here to see, where you are coming from, but the war on drugs – you are telling me there is tons of cocaine that just slips under your nose? Get out of here. That don’t make no sense. And it is up to us to step up. Like I said - a closed mouth don’t get fed. And if you are just going to sit around and just act like you don’t see these things, you are a coward, you don’t have any backbone or you are ignorant to the fact of what is going on. And there are a lot of doors that are closing in people’s minds and I feel like if I have an opportunity to open some of those doors, I ‘m going to do it.
That is why I make songs like ‘Shok TV’, ‘Kiss The Babies’ and ‘Color Purple’. One girl came to me the other day and she was like, "I love your song ‘Color Purple’, it is so deep but if you think that is going to change something you are crazy." I said, ‘Look, if I saved one life with that song; and if one kid hears that song and gets out of a gang, I did my job.’ It can be one kid. I made a difference. I made a change, man. I know I can’t change the world by myself, but you know what I can do? I can be that first brick in the foundation. I just don’t want to be downplayed and die in vain, man. I just don’t want people to think I was here talking some ol’ fake revolutionary crap, and not being about it. Because like I said, the media will assassinate you and make you look like an imbecile.
I know they are watching me and seeing what I am saying. They keep their spies on us – the CIA and everything. They watch everything they do. They love 50 Cent. 50 Cent works for them. These dudes work for them because they poison the hood. It is just like when Freeway Ricky was given all of the drugs to flood South Central L.A., it is the same thing except it ain’t heroin, its music, terrible music. It is the same thing. And who really makes the profit off of this music? Not the artist. The artist makes chicken scratch compared to what these executives make. They don’t have to worry about their lives being in danger. They don’t have to worry about some kid who hears a 50 Cent record who gets hyped, drunk and goes out and shoots up a party. They don’t have to worry about that because that is not in their neighborhood. It doesn’t matter to them. They live in Beverly Hills, Bel Air, the Hamptons. That is not around there. It is just like in the hood. Let somebody go stand on a corner and sell drugs. He can get an eight or nine month run on that corner before they knock him. Some dudes get two year runs on the corner, before they take them to jail. I have had the luxury of living in the ghetto and in the suburbs. Go to the suburbs and stand on the corner. You won’t have a two-day run. Police will be there, ‘what are you doing on this corner sir?’ The next day somebody is going to call the police and say, ‘there is a guy standing on the corner – he has been on the corner for two hours.’ You will be off that corner very, very fast. And in the hood they are not going to tell you to get off of the corner. Their attitude is, ‘Hey you guys love this – here go stand on the corner, poison your people for a few more months; we are going to come and get you though, we are going to make some money off of you, and then ruin your life, give you a criminal history and then you are a statistic, we gotta’ keep our system moving. We got to keep these jails booming.’
Jail is a big business. That’s the free labor. You don’t think they want that free labor? Jails are owned by private corporations in New York state. That is free labor. And these same dudes are the ones who are on these parole panels. Now when a person goes up for parole – this dude could have been in jail for ten years. You look at his crime and then you look at his record in jail. He might not have that bad of a record. If you are in a hostile environment you are going to get into a few little things. But they are going to say, ‘Hmmm, your crime was so heinous, we don’t think you are remorseful.’ Now you think a person is not going to be biased when it comes time to let go of their free labor? Do you really think they are going to let their free labor go? Hell no. So, they are going to say, ‘here, hit him with 24 more months.’ These parole boards are out of control! Nobody talks about it, but these parole boards in New York State - 40 people will go before a parole board and 3 people will get let go. It is to the point now, that when dudes go to the board they automatically know that they are going to get hit. The numbers are like 40 to 2; or 38 people go in front of the board and only 5 people make it. 52 people go before the board and 4 people make it. Y’all aren’t letting nobody go.
People don’t realize how much free labor goes on in there. School desks for the schools are made in jail. Street signs. License plates. When you go on the highway and you see a sign that says a town is 30 miles ahead, that was made in prison. Now, if they get (un-incarcerated) people on the street to pay for these things they are going to be coming out of their pocket. But when, you can just give a prisoner 35 cents an hour (in compensation), you are coming off! Know what I’m saying? Slavery. Slavery. All day long. _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Posté le: Dim 17 Juil 2005 14:40 Sujet du message:
Cedric Muhammad: Now when you mention Black leaders and I know you have alluded to a few things, just so I know what there may be for you in the way of a model or what you respect, in terms of certain principles - who are some of the leaders that you respect from your reading, study, observation and interaction?
Saigon: Toussaint L’ Ouverture, I respect him a lot. He was like one of the first people to revolt against slavery – a Haitian guy. There is Malcolm X of course who used to go in Harlem streets with a megaphone and preach to the people in the hood, letting them know what was going on and how we needed to change. Martin Luther King, even though I don’t agree with his strategy I agree with his courage to go against the grain like that. I mean, (he was working) at a time when you are going against a powerful enemy, man. This is the most powerful enemy in the world – the White Man, the super power. The White man that killed all of the Indians. The White man that did the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The White man that shows you he is a brutal killer. You know what I mean? He will kill you with biological warfare. He will kill you with a gun. He will kill you with anything to get ahead. So you are going against that when you take a stand or say that something is not right or that we are not being treated fairly. I respect Nat Turner. I respect anybody who takes a stand and revolts against what is wrong - anybody who takes a stand and goes against oppression. I respect Stic.man and M1 of Dead Prez. I feel like they are Black leaders. I feel like if you go back and listen to their albums, they sacrificed a lot. They knew what they had to do on Loud (Records) to really pop off, but you know what, I remember when they played their album for Fat Joe the first time, and Fat Joe was like, ‘This ain’t y’all album, y’all are kidding me.’ They were like, ‘This is our album man, Let’s Get Free out this mother f----r’ (laughter). Like let’s free our mind state and let’s start thinking, as Black people. As smart as we are, we can dribble a basketball through our legs, twist around in the air and dunk that shit – we can do a lot more shit than that. We are not even using a bit of our potential.
Cedric Muhammad: Well, I think you stepped up, with the record, ‘Color Purple’
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: There wasn’t nobody who stepped in the gap that was of your age. But for somebody to be your age and step up and confront that and still have some compassion and love for those who are still in the street organizations, that took a lot. So you will always have my respect for that alone.
Saigon: Thank You man, I appreciate that.
Cedric Muhammad: No, I’m serious and I want to back you up on that. So, how did that song come about? And what has been your take on the controversy over it and maybe some of the reaction you have gotten from Bloods and Crips?
Saigon: It came about when I started to see how fast it was spreading from the streets of L.A. – just the Bloods and Crips, only them, because gangs have been around for a minute. I did it to combat the artists, media and powers that be who were spreading it -that made this gang epidemic, which is what I love to call it. It spread from one coast to another. It ain’t like it just hit L.A., then ended up in New York. It actually spread across the country, and ended in New York, and this is the end before you hit the Atlantic Ocean, you know what I’m saying? So I’m like, ‘how did it spread?’ That was my question – ‘how did this happen?’ Then I realized – it spread through movies, it spread through music, it spread through the media. We didn’t know what Bloods and Crips was over here until we seen that movie, ‘Colors.’ We didn’t know what that was. Then we started learning about gangs- a Blood and a Crip. The kids really didn’t get up on it until they started watching these movies. And then you have got it in the music now to where they associate a dance with being a Crip – the Crip walk. So now I am like, they are really using this shit to promote it and make it look cool. And that is what made it so easy for so many people to get down with it and be a part of it. It felt like something that was acceptable. And then the next thing you know, if you know what gangs do – they kill, shoot and fight over territory. So I’m like if they are going to use the media to spread it, I’m going to try and use the same media to stop it. You got to fight fire with fire. I had to let these kids know that this shit ain’t cool, it ain’t the way. I done had Bloods and Crips, the dude Bone, Fab 5 Freddy (all acknowledge Saigon for "The Color Purple").
That song created so much attention for me. The label didn’t know what to do with it. I had that song before I got signed and I went to the label like, ‘yo, man we can really do something big with this, we could start a whole ‘stop gang bangin’ campaign with this; ya’ll want some press? We can get press with this if y’all want to go ballistic with it.’ And they were like, "ah,uh,uh, where’s your ‘shake your booty’ record?" I’m like come on. But nobody really wants to save lives. (Their mentality) is, ‘we get paid more off of destroying lives, so why should we try to start saving people, when we are getting paid telling mother f-----s to go drink and go have unprotected sex - like, shit, we are good, we are getting rich, that shit ain’t affecting us!’ You go to any White state, Montana, Utah, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Iowa, those states have an almost zero AIDS rate compared to where ever you have Black people – New York, Chicago, Miami, L.A., that’s where you find all of the AIDS at. Something ain’t right here. You telling me that’s a coincidence? We are the only ones fu----g? Nah. We are the only ones shooting heroin? Come on, this is by design. And if you don’t believe in biological warfare, go find a Native American and ask them what happened to their people and they will tell you, ‘we have been exterminated by smallpox, by typhoid fever – it was put in our blankets.' This is the same animal we are dealing with, god. Ain’t nothing changed but the date. People like to say, ‘Oh no, those were those days.’ Come on, nobody changes like that. Your mentality doesn’t change over night. (People) act like they woke up one day and was like, ‘we are sorry, we are cool, everything is back to normal, everything is cool, we live in peace and harmony, let freedom ring.’ Get the f—-k out of here. I ain’t buying that shit.
Cedric Muhammad: One of the things that I really appreciated about the ‘Color Purple’, was like I said, was its timing, and the fact that you rose up and had the courage to do that. Now, I love what you have been saying about ‘Tookie’ Williams (the original co-founder of the Crips) and in a lot of ways you are really following in his footsteps in being courageous enough to stop that, I just wanted to know – one, what was your view of him and two, did you know that two weeks ago in San Quentin, he and Minister Farrakhan met?
Saigon: Oh naw, I didn’t know that.
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah that was heavy, it was in The Final Call recently. But what is your view of Tookie?
Saigon: Man, I commend and take my hat off to that Brother because he is another one who changed his life around, for one. And not to say that (the process) is done, it is yet to be proven because he is still incarcerated, but look at what he does (from prison) – he writes children’s books and he does all that he can to let these kids know. And as powerful as he is, he could be using these kids on the street to sell drugs for him. He is like a god! And he is telling these dudes, ‘Look cut it out. This is not what this started out as.’ Even though it has become that, and he was part of the problem in the beginning of it, that wasn’t what the gangs were all about back then. It was all about togetherness and (some of it ) was trying to follow in the footsteps of the Black Panthers and groups of that nature. And trying to come up out (of a bad circumstance), and help one another instead of killing one another. So I commend him in trying to get his word out there and let people know that killing one another has to stop. It has to stop.
If Black-on-Black crime was not so efficient...do you know how much we destroy ourselves with this shit? It is like I have so many dead friends and all of them were killed by another Black person. Everybody I know in the hood who got shot was shot by another Black person. I know one kid who a cop killed. Everybody else I know that was murdered was murdered by a Black person. Now, I am only one person. Imagine everybody else who is in the same boat as me. You have got to go to the root of it because the root started in slavery when we were instilled with self-hatred. Killing a person who looks like you is almost like killing yourself because you were taught to hate yourself. You have been taught that you are ugly, that everything Black is negative. So to kill another Black person is nothing. It is like in the projects - if a Black mother f----r walks through the projects and nobody knows him, niggas is ready to beat him down, check him, ‘Who you here to see nigga? Whose girl you f-----g?’ And they are ready to attack them, they are not ready to embrace them, right away. If a White mother f----r walks through the projects everybody automatically assumes he must be an authority figure, so, ‘we are not gonna’ f-—k with him, he might be somebody’s P.O. (Probation Officer), he’s probably a cop.’ So nobody messes with him. Now that is backwards to me, man.
It is the same thing in jail. Not to differentiate between Spanish and Blacks; but I just want to show how messed we are from slavery – but when a Black person comes to a new jail, (Black) mo’ f----rs are looking at him to see what he got to see what they can take. But when a Puerto Rican comes, the Puerto Ricans are looking to see if he has got anything to see what he needs. “Do you need some shampoo? Do you need some cosmetics, you need soap – are you straight Brother?” But with us, its like, ‘Damn, what this nigga got that I can take from him?’ (laughter) And that makes me sad to see that.
Like, why are we the only people in the world that can’t look at each other?
The other day, I’m on the train and I ‘m looking at this little kid and he is scared to look me in my face. I can tell he keeps catching eye contact with me, and he then he will turn his head, because he automatically assumes that I’m going to be like, ‘What the f—k you lookin at?’ We are the only people that if you look at a person too long it’s a problem. I ain’t never seen two business White men on the train like, ‘What you lookin at? You got a problem with me, man?’ or two Chinese men arguing over a look. A mo’ f----r might like your shirt, or your haircut – God gave us eyes to look. If you look at a baby, babies stare at everything because they are internalizing everything they see. If you are a person about growing and developing, you are analytical, you look at shit. With us its like, ‘What the f—-k this nigga looking at, son?’ You know how many niggas I know who got into an altercation or shoot out because, a nigga was looking at them, son? ’Nigga was grilling me, son.’ And I’m like, grilling you? Did he say anything, did he touch you? And the answer is, ‘No, but niggers can’t be lookin at me like that!’ But let a cop come come stare at this same person. A cop can stare at you, tell you to lay down on the floor, kick you in the back and you’ve got no beef with that.
Cedric Muhammad: Exactly. Now, do you listen to Star and Buc Wild at all?
Saigon: Uh, naw.
Cedric Muhammad: Well, about two weeks ago, Star had a show topic called, "Will The Negro Do For Self?" And he called me up and invited me to participate in a dialogue with him, during commercial breaks and through e-mail, and so we were building with one another and going back and forth over a lot of different research material and factors that pertained to that question. He had a very thoughtful discussion that day on his show. But that question - setting aside the word ‘Negro’ for a moment, because I know people have different meanings and views associated with it – in light of what you have just put forth and how it relates to our unique condition coming up from slavery, when do you think, if at all, we will do for self?
Saigon: Man, I am hoping, it is like wishful thinking. Because the number one reality is that I honestly think - and this is why I love my name, ‘Saigon’, because its a war torn city. Sometimes I feel like I am at war with my conscience, because I feel like I am fighting a battle that I can’t win. It is like a battle that no matter what you do, you are just not going to win. And I know that I am going to fight until I die, a war that I know I can’t win because my Brothers are so f---ed up in the head. Like, I am willing to sit here and risk my life and nothing is ever going to change. Because, number one, I don’t think that they will actually let us come up to a point where they will actually let us compete with them. I think they will blow up the world before they let us get to that point. That is why, I am like, at times, ‘I’m about to just go and try and get this money’. But then I’m like ‘Nah.’ My conscience won’t let me. Because once you are conscious of something, it is like touching a hot stove when you know it will burn you. Before you know it is hot you put your hand on it. After you learn, you won’t put your hand on it. So it is like, do I see us coming up out of this and things getting better? I won’t see it. My children won’t see it. Their children probably won’t see it but hopefully, Lord Willing, it probably could happen, but realistically speaking, Ced, I doubt it man.
Number one, we have been indoctrinated by a people. As Black Americans, we weren’t only trained, we went through acculturation. We had everything stripped of us, our culture, who we were. It would take some serious reprogramming for us to get on the right path because we hate each other. Black people, I can honestly say, hate each other man. There is so little bit of love amongst our own people. Look how we treat our women. We don’t even take care of our kids, man. Us, as men we have dropped the ball so much. Our parents dropped the ball. But you have got to think of who they really are. Our parents went through the Civil Rights Movement, there parents went through sharecropping, and there parents were slaves. We are just learning what our parents taught us.
I’m 27, when my generation, doesn’t know nothing and we got our kids growing up being raised by MTV, and these channels that make you feel like its cool for two women to be married and two men to be together, and that is not weird to them, and its cool for us to be killing one another in all of these violent movies, and video games – things are getting worse. We grew up with thirteen channels. I remember when cable first came out. These kids now have 400 hundred channels on TV. So they are way more out of tune with their culture than we were. We knew a little bit about being Black when we were growing up. We had the James Brown song, ‘I’m Black and I’m Proud.’ We had those (type of songs). We have seen people wear natural Afros. Yo, do you know how hard it is to find a girl without a perm nowadays?
Cedric Muhammad: Tell me about it. Tell me about it…
Saigon: Or without a weave? I am like what is all this weave shit? Come on, B. Like, where did all of this come from? Why do all of you all feel like you need long straight Black hair like the White woman?
Cedric Muhammad: Yo, you know what’s crazy, we just saw that one of the new websites linking to BlackElectorate.com is NaturalHairDigest.com. I couldn’t even believe it was out there. But you are right.
Saigon: That’s crazy to me. That shows you how we have an identity crisis. We don’t even know how to identify who we are. We don’t know who we are, man. And there are so few people who are like me and yourself who are aware of certain things and then when we try and come and teach these young kids, they don’t want to hear none of that. They want to hear, ‘DipSet, DipSet!, Bang on the left, Bang on the right.’ That’s why a lot of people say to me, ‘you contradict yourself in the music, one minute you are positive and the next minute it is negative.’ But, if I didn’t do that nobody would pay attention to me at all. And I seen Dead Prez make that mistake and I told them, ‘You have to come to the people as they are.’ Like the Father did. The Father taught the kids mathematics by shooting dice with them. He didn’t come as, ‘I’m smart and you’re dumb.’ But when you just preach, that’s what it makes it seem like. And nobody wants to be preached to like that. You have to come to the people as they are.
Cedric Muhammad: He spoke their language…
Saigon: Exactly, you have to speak their language. Jesus hung out with thieves, murderers, robbers and prostitutes. He didn’t come like, ‘I’m holy. I’m Jesus Christ, I’m a Prophet and you’re a beast, so we can’t deal.’ He came to the people like, ‘Yo, son, let me put you on to something, man.’ And that is why I make those kind of records, but even when I make those records I do it in such a subliminal way, if you listen there is still a message in it. There is still a message in it. That is the way I get people to pay attention to me. Because if you can’t get a person’s ear, then all your shit is in vain.
Cedric Muhammad: Now tell me as much as you would like about the Abandoned Nation Foundation. You have got the floor.
Saigon: Yeah, the Abandoned Nation Foundation is something I started while I was in prison. It was just an idea and then it began to flourish because I had a lot of friends who I left back there who have children, and they were sending me letters like, ‘Yo, if you could check my wife out...’ They knew what kind of guy I was. A lot of guys, you aren’t going to send no guy to go meet with your wife and you are in prison for ten years. And you are a big muscular handsome guy whose just getting out and you know how women take the guys who just got out, they want to sleep with them. But these guys trusted me enough to go to their house and check up on their situation. You know what I mean?
Cedric Muhammad: That’s heavy.
Saigon: Yeah. That alone let me know that these dudes believe in me, man.
Cedric Muhammad: They really see you as a Brother.
Saigon: As a Brother, exactly. And it started out, with me helping out because I was broke. I was like, ‘Here’s ten dollars. Here’s fifteen dollars’ And it was like four different kids I was doing this for. I was like, ‘Damn, man, if we could start some kind of foundation, we could do this instead of four kids, for forty kids. And then four hundred kids, and then four thousand kids.’ That right there would be a great help because it would keep the family structure intact. Because the child is like, ‘Man, I’m getting these things and I know they are not coming from my mother, they are coming from my Father.’ And the same could be true if your Mother is incarcerated – which we don’t talk about enough. But the woman prison population is growing as well. But if my mother is locked up and I am being raised by my grandmother and she is like, ‘Here is these sneakers from your mother.’ You don’t start to resent your mother so much. Because I know one of the most popular jokes growing up in the ghetto when somebody’s mother or father was incarcerated was, ‘that’s why your daddy is a jailbird.’ Subliminally you start to not like your father because you feel like you are being teased off of something that he did. That breaks up the family structure. They grow up not liking their father, not even realizing why he went to jail. Not even looking at the unjust laws. They don’t even look at that. So I am thinking, they don’t make enough money to send money home, so if we can start programs where we can get tangible goods – clothes, books – to give to these kids – it keeps the family structure intact. And that’s what we have to do. We have to live more like the Jews. Not as far as being greedy capitalists, but more in terms of being more structural so that we take care of one another. We spend almost $500 billion annually in this country and we don’t have shit. That don’t make sense. And you know why? We go buy the Nike sneakers, the Addidas, the Mercedes Benz car and we don’t own shit. With all of this money we spend we still don’t own nothing. We gotta look like the dumbest (people). You go to any Black neighborhood and find me a Black business, not a Jamaican restaurant – I mean an African-American business. We might have two soulfood restaurants in the whole Bed Stuy, but you got 40 million Chinese restaurants. And you got 30 Arab Kennedy Fried Chicken joints. Then you got all of these Spanish nail shops. This is a Black neighborhood – where all all of the Black businesses at?
Cedric Muhammad: It looks like the United Nations.
Saigon: Exactly.
Cedric Muhammad: Everybody’s got their flag up but us.
Saigon: But us. In our neighborhood. In our hood, taking our money. You go to a Jewish neighborhood, they are not going to no Chinese restaurants. What, are you kidding me? They are eating Maza Balls, B. All day. They are not going to spend any money at the Kennedy Fried Chicken. You might have one rebellious Jew who does that, you know what I mean (laughter)? And he feels like he is rebelling against what he is supposed to be doing. He’s like‘F-—k that I’m going to be down with the Blacks.’ And that one will go and step outside of their circle. But they understand the importance of economy. We actually create the economy. The only way we can go and hurt these mo---- f-----rs? We can’t go and pick up guns. The only way we can finally make them show their true colors and come to the table and reason with us and fix our communities (is through economics)...that’s my whole beef. Fix up the community man. That’s it. When I go to the ghetto and I see some of the living conditions, people shouldn’t live like that in America where there is all of this money here. Fix up people’s living conditions man. Start telling us the truth. Start letting us learn on our own. That is my big qualm. It ain’t like I want to kill the White Man. Nah, I’m not a racist, I’m not like that, but fair is fair. Be fair all the way around the board. Don’t tell us, everybody is free and everybody is equal, meanwhile you are making us live in these slums, and you got us living in some harsh f---ed up living conditions, while you live good. That don’t make sense. We aren’t the same or equal – equal how? This ain’t equal to me. And we have got to start economizing to start trying to save our money, start some Black businesses and recycle some of this money in our neighborhoods so we can start having our own.
***
End Of Part I _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
j'ai volé le lien donc ce a qui ca interesse,faite vite avant que le lien meurt... _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Cedric Muhammad: Now I am going to move into the more industry-related stuff. I wrote something, a few years ago called, "The Consciousness of Wu-Tang Clan, Suge Knight, and Jay-Z";
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: And I got a lot of heat from some of the conscious rap fans because I was critical, and the point I was making was this: evidently there is something missing in the consciousness when the rhetoric sounds real good etc… but you have artists signed to labels and there is no independent drive, they are not doing for themselves and there is no entrepreneurial drive or spirit apparent in how they do business. So I was critical in a constructive way about that. I read something that you said, and I know that Immortal Technique has subscribed to this which is – you can get paid more as an independent than signed to a major label, even if they sell less…
Saigon: Well, that is actually not true. You might not get paid off of your royalties, but an artist with a multi-platinum album? He might not get as much per unit back, but Immortal Technique can’t go get $40,000 for a show. See what I am saying? If you go platinum on a major (label) you are going to be able to charge $40,000 to $50,000 per show. And you can do three shows in one night.
Cedric Muhammad: Right, once you get past a certain scale in your popularity it allows you to have more streams of income (at a higher level)...
Saigon: Yeah, and that is where the independent artist loses. Yeah, they get more per CD but if you are only selling ten thousand CDs you might have made a good 80 or 90 grand and think you made more than a signed artist, but overall you ain’t make more than a successful artist on a major label – no where near it.
Cedric Muhammad: Do you think the few that make that multi-platinum status, that make that scale, I won’t say justify (that approach); but you have so few people that reach that status that sign to labels, what would you advise (the majority) of artists who aren’t going to reach that status in order to make that kind of cake off of shows etc...?
Saigon: My advice to them is, spend their money wisely. That first big check they give you – don’t go out there blowing it on jewelry and a car thinking, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to make more’. That might be all that you are going to make. Invest that money as wisely as possible. Buy a house. Buy something that is going to be there and make some money for you. That is my advice. Because when you sign a major deal they are going to give you something like $100,000 or $150,000 depending upon how good your managers and lawyers are. You might get only $75,000. But that little chunk of change you get – treat that like that is all you are going to make. Think like, ‘this is my start, let me go and flip this and go and try and start a business.’ Go open a barber shop, or a little record store. Whatever kind of business you want to open up. Go learn about business and how to flip that money. Think like that is all of the money you are going to get and if you happen to make more, then that is like a security blanket – you’re good - and you can start spending money and making some.
Cedric Muhammad: Now, another area where I have liked what you have had to say is the current environment and this whole dynamic where the South rapper is ‘in’ now, and I was laughing when I heard you say, ‘It is hard for a New York rapper now to make it (now)...' (laughter)
Saigon: Yeah. What? (laughter). That is why all of these dudes now, feel like they have to go down there and collaborate with a Down South artist and make these songs that sound country-driven. Yeah, it is real hard. I feel like – not to dis the South, because my family is from the South and my mother is from the South - but I feel like, they have kind of dumbed the Hip-Hop down so much, that it is like anybody can grasp it now, and it is more accessible and entertaining to everyone, and anyone can catch on to it now. They were always considered slower than us. The Down South mo’ f-----s was always considered slow. Like up here in New York, we were always considered more advanced than Down South people. Now it is like the tail wagging the dog. Now, it is like the slow people are leading the advanced. The slow mo’ f-----rs is like in control of shit because the majority rules. And there is more slow people, so now that is what is in effect. So now the people who like to hear insight and introspective lyrics and like to grow and learn – you can’t learn from a Down South record. There are a few groups like David Banner and Outkast (that you can learn from). It’s a few of them...
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah, even the Ying Yang Twins dropped a little something on this last album they have (‘United States of Atlanta’), believe it or not...
Saigon: Oh word? But look at what their single is. But when I have to go and buy your record and find that one (song that is conscious)...you know what I mean?
Cedric Muhammad: Well let me ask you this, because a lot of my viewers from the South, they get at BlackElectorate.com and different rappers, and they have a lot of criticism for what they call the ‘New York-centric’ view of Hip-Hop. And they make a point which is that those people in the South – this is their time to shine, and the baton has been passed, and what they say is that even though you may be right about the overtly conscious lyrics, the Brothers from the South have a brought a more entrepreneurial spirit to it and they have been creative in how they have added music and rhythms to it. What do you think? Do you think there is a form of consciousness that the Brothers in the South have that is lacking up in New York now?
Saigon: Nah. Not at all. I disagree with that totally because, as far as the entrepreneurial spirit, even in the South, them dudes sell out just as fast as a New York artist. The thing about them is that they were forced to put out their own music, because there was a time when their music didn’t really matter that much. In order to be heard they had to put it out. But if you look at any artist that gets big, he goes and f---s with a major. Because to go and get to another level you have to f—-k with them. How are you going to get your video on MTV? They are not just going to play any video. What makes you big is when you mess with the majors. And I have never seen an artist who got big on their own who said, ‘Nah, I am not f---ing with no major.’ Master P. f---ed with a major – everybody did from down there. You get to a point where you hit a glass ceiling and then you have to deal with them. So, it comes down to, ‘OK, I am going to get f---ed but it’s a question of whether it is going to be with or without Vaseline.’ That’s the only difference They still get f---ed but they just get a little grease on they shit. But you are getting f---ed anyway. It ain’t like they have Black distribution Down South or they own some shit down there. Nah. And as far as their music spreading – it spreads because it is club-oriented. Everything is about the club. Everything. Hip-Hip music has now become the new dance music, almost. A lot of people changed their musical format from dance to Hip-Hop because now you do dances in the clubs now, and because Down South is pretty much now booty-shakin’, strip club-oriented music. That’s what’s big and so huge right now.
Cedric Muhammad: You just alluded to radio. What is your view on radio – the evolution or digression of it in the years since you have been coming up? And I point to a record like ‘I’m Black’ by Styles P. that won’t get played, and then Kanye West’s song, ‘All Falls Down’ where they take out the part where he says, ‘White Man.’
Saigon: Yeah, that’s kind of crazy. I feel radio is what it is – a tool used to program us and help them to make money. The more money they put into an artist, the more you are going to hear him on the radio. The more you hear him on the radio, the more money they are going to get in return. It is a business thing. And you have Clear Channel which owns like 1500 stations who is putting all of the same songs in rotation because all of these dudes in high places are friends. You can only imagine who Jimmy Iovine’s friends are, who he has got in his Rolodex. Of course he can call the president of Clear Channel and the president of NBC and CBS, when Eminem says ‘nigger’, and get that shut down real quick. It is funny because Benzino used to say, ‘You notice as soon as we went at Eminem they raided Michael Jackson’s house (laughter)?’ Like, to take all of the attention off of all of that. They went after Mike after that.
The biggest and most popular artist in the world right now, Eminem, is a blatant racist. They have this dude on tape saying, ‘nigger this...’ and ‘nigger that...’ and (things like) ‘I don’t f-—k with nigger bitches, these bitches are coons and crickets’ and all kinds of shit, and they downplay it to the point where it is like he never said it. Let that have been Jay-Z talking about, ‘F—-k all of the White people.’ Lauryn Hill said one time, and I never even heard her say it, ‘I don’t want White people buying my music.’ But that is only through the grapevine, that somebody said that, and they blew that shit out of control. Nobody ever had no audio of that (Lauryn Hill’s alleged statement). But we have the audio of Eminem’s voice saying it! (And they make excuses for what he said like), “Oh he just broke up with a Black girl, so he called her all kind of ‘niggers.’” Get the f—-k out of here man, you have got to come up with something better than that. And you know what, none of us stood up, none of us stepped up. If I was 50 (Cent), I think I would have slapped his face as soon as I heard that.
Cedric Muhammad: Ok, now put a pin in that point, because a little later I want to ask you about your view of some rappers from yesterday and today and both of them are on the list, so hold that thought. Now, this is something that you said about Lil’ Kim and this is real timely now, in light of her conviction and sentencing. You said, "Every female that will show her ass and get half-naked and talk about her p----y and how good her head game is, that shit is f-----d up because these little girls look up to you and that’s why there’s so many young ho’s in the street. They want to be Lil’ Kim and they grow up being little trick ass. I feel it is my job to talk about that."
How do you feel about the female wing of the family – the women in Hip-Hop – in terms of their advancement as artists, what comes out of their mouths and how they are depicted by men?
Saigon: It is funny, because Essence magazine just did a big thing on that and they invited me to come and talk about that. They did a big thing on how women are portrayed in Hip-Hop, and they were on some ‘take back the music’ shit, and they were mad about the way that women were portrayed in these videos – being half naked looking like skanks and all of that. They feel like Black and Brown women were being portrayed as objects and not people with any kind of mental capacity.
First, to talk about the Lil’ Kim thing, I think that now that we have seen what she has done to herself, you can see how she really feels about herself. Now all of that has come into the light – what kind of person we are dealing with. We are not dealing with a person who has it all upstairs. So I really can’t blame her because I think she is slightly off – she is sick. So she is doing anything to make a dollar, to be famous and for people to be like, ‘Oh shit, that’s Lil’ Kim’. So she will take off her shirt, she will talk about deep throating a Sprite can, knowing she’s got little kids who see her who start crying (when they see her) and worship every word she says. She is all in it for the personal gain because she didn’t have that kind of guidance around her. Obviously Biggie wasn’t no good influence, because there is a skit where he is talking about f----ng her in her butt, on one of his albums. Obviously her father wasn’t in her life. She was raised by the street. But by the same token, you have got to grow out of that. You can’t always use that as an excuse. But now we see how the game swallowed her in and she feels like she wants to be Pamela Anderson with the blonde hair and the fake lips and fake tits and, she has an identity crisis. She hasn’t found herself yet. So you almost can’t blame her. Because she don’t know who she is. So, my heart goes out to Kim. I feel for Lil’ Kim.
But as far as the portrayal of Black women in videos, I feel like it is sad to see that us men do this and put women in our videos and have them looking like objects. But it is even sadder to see that these artists that do this have an even bigger female fan bases than men. That don’t make no sense to me. At the Essence thing they were saying, ‘We know women are always half dressed (in these videos)...' I said, ‘Every artist that y’all just named – Nelly, Jay-Z, with Nelly sliding the credit card (down a woman’s buttocks); he has an all-female fan base. Dudes ain’t running to the store buying Nelly. It is the women.’ Jay-Z, with the ‘Big Pimpin’ video. I love Jay-Z, that’s my Big Brother, but his fan base is a lot women.
Cedric Muhammad: next to the Whites, it is Black women who are buying (most of) their records.
Saigon: Exactly. It is the Black women. So, what is the science behind that? It is too deep. You have to look at the origin of it and how it goes back. Somebody has to step up and take a stand and until somebody takes a stand – like I said, before, if you don’t take a stand for something, you will fall for any damn thing, man.
Cedric Muhammad: Now, I want to talk about mixtapes. I have been on this subject for a while – I have worked with record stores. I have introduced members of Congress to representatives of the Independent, “Mom and Pop” stores, in an effort to deal with this. But The New York Times finally did it, they finally stepped up. Somebody finally wrote an article talking about the hypocrisy where you have the RIAA shutting down record stores for selling mixtapes that were created with the full cooperation of a record label and a D.J. And to me it is the most disgusting thing. I have respect for all of the street D.J.s but to me (on this issue) they are no better than a sell-out civil rights leader, when these D.J.s cake up off of putting out the mixtape, with cooperation of the label, and then they can’t open their damn mouths to save a record store that got shut down for selling it. So, I just wanted to ask you about that I know you have a deep understanding of the mixtape game. But it is disgusting to me, man.
Saigon: It is disgusting, man. But that just goes to show you where these dudes’ mind state is at. Dudes have got this individualism perspective, where, ‘if it don’t affect me – f-—k it!’ In this situation these stores are helping the DJs out. Because they wouldn’t have a means to sell their shit if it wasn’t for these stores. The reason why the RIAA is coming down is because they don’t tax mixtapes. And you know wherever the government sees some money being made without them getting their cut, they are shuttin’ it down. But these DJs who don’t step up – you are right . A lot of them don’t step up. These dudes is like you said – they are like house niggers. They don’t have no backbone man.
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah, and I talked to a few through a distributor in New Jersey. I had sent information to a few of the DJs, and they are scared. And I am not going to say anybody’s name yet because I am going to write something on this, but if you listen to some of these street DJs, you will believe that they are the most thoroughest gangster ever.
Saigon: (laughter)
Cedric Muhammad: And then these are the same cats hugged up with Jimmy Iovine. I'm sorry Saigon, I don’t want to get into your interview, but this is something that I have seen up close and it is one of the biggest acts of cowardice from cats who shout out how thorough they are and who will step to you for the slightest offense, but they won’t get the back of people who are putting money in their pocket, while they are cutting deals with MTV etc...So, anyway, I guess I spoke for both of us on that but I appreciate what you said.
Saigon: But that is really right though. These dudes ain’t got no backbone. They are slaves to a dollar. These dudes will do anything for a dollar. I think for enough money these dudes would sleep with a man, yo. These are the types of dudes that if you offer them enough money they will do anything. If you don’t stand for something to the point where a person can’t buy you and where you have (made up your mind) to the point where you are like, ‘there is not enough money to make me do certain things,’ then you are f---ed up man. And a lot of them got price tags on them. These niggas got price tags on their forehead.
Cedric Muhammad: I am not mentioning names with them because I am waiting to build with them individually because the saving grace for these Brothers, is that they are the key to distribution.
Saigon: Yup. _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Posté le: Dim 24 Juil 2005 16:30 Sujet du message:
Cedric Muhammad: So, I’m going to leave it at that. If they can come up and step up on that issue, then I will almost give them a pass for the bad that they have already done. But to me, a handful of niggers – five to ten DJs – and now you got some non-Blacks in it, caking up... I mean what good was the (mixtape) movement if it was only to enrich five to ten DJs, when you have got hundreds of stores (in the community) that could survive if they were able to sell these mixtapes. And I see these stores going under. And you can time it. From the time they were raided by the RIAA, you can clock how soon it was that they had to shut their doors for business.
Saigon: Them same DJs is grimy motherf---ers, dog. Because five years ago, before they saw the importance of the bootleggers – they used to chase the bootlegger dudes down on the street for selling their tapes.
Cedric Muhammad: (laughter)
Saigon: The Africans. You know what I’m saying? These same dudes were the ones who were ready to kill them back then. (They were crying to the bootleggers) ‘You are taking money out of our (pockets)’ But what about what you are doing to all of these stores? It is the same concept. Like I said, these dudes are not men. They are not men. And that’s why when I meet these dudes I don’t show them no respect like that. I give them a ‘what up, man, what up.’ I don’t really like none of these fake industry mo’ fu----rs anyway. To me they are like bitches. And not even to say they are like bitches (in the way people say that word). Because you have got some girls, and some women who got more heart than these dudes – who have more backbone than these cats. And it makes me sick to my stomach man. And that’s the reason why we are in the situation we are in. The reason why the artists still get 28 cent an album (laughter). Nobody is going to step up. Ain’t nobody steppin’ up. Because you’ve got those certain ones who are getting it, and everybody is trying to be like them, and follow in their footsteps. They think ‘he’s successful, he’s happy so…’ You have got him and then you got a bunch of followers following him.
Cedric Muhammad: OK. Let me calm down here a little bit.
What is your earliest childhood memory of Hip-Hop? Mine is, me at (seven or)eight years old (listening to my father play a Sugar Hill Gang record.) My father was in the military – he’s from Brooklyn – but when we moved, we went overseas so we were getting tapes of Mr. Magic etc… sent to us over on military bases, we would make a tape. We didn’t have a full stereo system. My friend and I would put our boxes right in front of each other and record tapes together. But what is your earliest childhood memory – something sweet about the Hip-Hop culture and how you got introduced to it?
Saigon: My earliest childhood memory was ‘Rock Box’ (by Run DMC). I heard ‘Rock Box.’ I had heard rap music before that because I always had older cousins around me who were up on the Sugar Hill Gang and all of that. But I was so young that it really did not have an effect on me. I used to always want Lee jeans. Like a kid today will see some Jordans or something that the rappers talk about or something that is popular in the hood, and really, really want it – like how these young kids were going crazy for throwback jerseys? It was like that with Lee jeans for me. And I heard that song, ‘Rock Box’, and they had that line, ‘Calvin Klein is no friend of mine. I don’t want nobody’s name on my behind. Lee on my legs, Addidas on my feet…’ And I was just like, ‘Ahhh…this is the craziest thing in the world!’ I used to always sing that.
Cedric Muhammad: You couldn’t rock Calvin Kleins after that!
Saigon: Nah, nah, you couldn’t rock Calvin’s after that. Not at all (laughter). Calvin Klein got shut down after that in the hood. And he ain’t come back yet.
Cedric Muhammad: (laughter)
Saigon:. He hasn’t been back in the urban community yet. That rocked him. Put him to sleep. But that was my earliest infatuation with it. I was like, ‘oh damn, this shit is really saying something.’ I was young, but I realized that socially what this music could do. Because I couldn’t afford Lees and shit. If I had Lees it was hand me downs. And I got my little hand me down Lee patch snatched.
Cedric Muhammad: I had three pairs of pants and I had to rotate them joints, Saigon.
Saigon: Yeah, me too. I had some Uncle Charlie’s and shit – the bootlegger shits.
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah, with the discoloration.
Saigon: Yeah, man. I had the Olympian sneakers, the Pro Champs and shit. I like Adidas too, but I had the Pro Champs. I’m talking about the first day of school, I had the crispy ones. Remember the Filas?
Cedric Muhammad: No question.
Saigon: And they had the fake Filas called Jumps.
Cedric Muhammad: I don’t remember the Jumps.
Saigon: You don’t remember the Jumps?
Cedric Muhammad: Nah.
Saigon: You don’t remember the Jumps? They had the same exact logo (as Fila). I don’t how they didn’t get enfringed (copyright) for that. But they had the same logo as Filas. And if you had those you were getting teased so bad. I had them. I had some Jumps.
Cedric Muhammad: Now you are six years younger than me but did you ever rock the patent leather Adidas?
Saigon: Nah.
Cedric Muhammad: You missed that, you see. I’m dating my self, here.
Saigon: Were they shells?
Cedric Muhammad: Nah. They were like Black and Red. Patent Leather. It was shiny black, with the red Adidas logo. It was serious.
Saigon: That might be a little before me.
Cedric Muhammad: 6 years.
Saigon: I came in with the shells (Adidas).
Cedric Muhammad: So, if you hear both of us, those were the good ‘ol days, so to speak. But how do you look at how Hip-Hop has changed now? What goes through your mind as you go from you, as a little boy with the shells – to where we are now?
Saigon: Hip-Hop has changed to the point where - to speak like a grown mo’ fu----r – it has become too corporate. Once Corporate America gets a hold of something it gets so diluted and so fu—-d up. It is a cash cow and they want to milk the cow. Hip-Hop is like Mike Tyson.
Cedric Muhammad: Hmmm, damn. Milk it ‘till it can’t go no more....
Saigon: Yup. (The mentality is) ‘We are going to milk this mother f----r till he can’t make a dime’ and then we are going to say, you know what, ‘F—-k you people. We don’t care about you. We don’t want to hear that jungle music again, after it just made me $300 billion. We don’t want to hear that.’ And that is what they are going to do to it. Right now, the Reggaetone is growing. The Latin market and population is growing in America and the Black market ain’t growing, because we aren’t coming here still, like (the Latinos are) from Mexico and other places. So, right now, a lot of stations are changing their format to Reggaetone – to Spanish. If you like now, Spanish is almost as relevant as English in this country.
Cedric Muhammad: Saigon, you are right, we just recently had an article up on BlackElectorate.com on how they are changing the radio format to a new thing called ‘Hurban’, which is short for Hispanic Urban.
Saigon:. Ah man. See that. This is just the beginning. Give it ten years. We know how fast (things evolve.) You got to remember Hot 97 (WQHT in New York City) originally didn’t play Hip-Hop. They were a dance station. They changed their format to Hip-Hop. And then now, it is going to change again, now that the Latin market is exploding.
When you call Sprint, if they turn your phone off – not only Sprint, any where you call – they ask you, ‘for English press 1, habla Espanol press 2.’ Why they don’t have (Saigon goes into an accent), ‘for Jamaican press tree, for Hatian, press 4’ (laughter). They only got English and Spanish. It wasn’t like that before. You learned English. And Spanish was a second language. Now, you look at Dora the Explorer – which is one of the most popular cartoons out. She’s like a little Hispanic girl. And she teaches Spanish. ‘Hola’ is what I hear when I see the little girls running around. They know more Spanish than I know and they are three and four year old kids. I see what is going on, I’m like, ‘oh they are switching it around.’ But we live in a world where we have to stay on top of things. But once Hip-Hop ain’t good for no money, they are going to destroy it. That’s why these dudes who is getting the money now - enjoy it while it lasts. As long as you spend your money wisely, good luck to you, more power to you. But the capitalist pigs are like, ‘Nah. I need more money. $30 million ain’t enough. I need more. I need more.’ They have more money than you can spend in five lifetimes, but ‘ I need more. And I am willing to kill some more people and sell some more drugs on wax to get more money.’
Cedric Muhammad: Alright. Now, this is rapid fire. I am going to just hit you with a name and you just give me your thoughts. I am going to give you some rappers from the past. KRS-One.
Saigon: KRS-One is the teacher, man. He is an intellectual thug. He is the first intellectual thug. He is the first person to mix the thug music with the conscious rap and make it work. Then came Tupac and then came Saigon. Because if you look at their (Boogie Down Productions) first album cover they had guns – not only in raps, it was on the cover. ‘My 9 Milimeter Go Bang’; ‘Criminal Minded’. But at the same time they was teaching and making it clear that, ‘we are not no punks because we are speaking positive.’ Because if you remember that song ‘Self-Destruction’, Just Ice had a line on their, ‘You ain’t got to be soft to be for peace, robbery, murder and stealing is the least’. And that is true.
But in this day and time they try and differentiate, and they do that with everything with us. They try to separate us by categorizing us. If you are conscious you can’t be gangster. If you are gangster you can’t be conscious. Why, if I am peaceful, I can’t be a tough guy? If a nigger step on my feet, I’m a bite him. That’s just the way it goes. I don’t give a f—k how peaceful I am. Look at Malcolm. Malcolm was by the window (with a gun), ‘By Any Means Necessary.’ He wasn’t looking to go shoot his own people with that gun. He was looking to use the gun in case somebody was coming to come and try and hurt him and his family. He knew mo’ fu---rs was after him. So he was at the window like, ‘I’m gotta protect mine.’
Cedric Muhammad: Alright. Rakim Allah.
Saigon: Rakim Allah, ah, that’s the god right there. Rakim was the one who brought the importance of not only the Five Percent Nation to the game, but the importance of prolific writing – showing you could take words and put them together like a poet, and put a beat behind it and make beautiful music. Like, before Ra, you had never heard somebody so articulate and so deep. That made everybody want to be smart. When Ra came out everybody wanted to get their vocabulary up. Everybody wanted to be like they knew what time it was and what was going on. So he was very important to the evolution of Hip-Hop.
Cedric Muhammad: Big Daddy Kane.
Saigon: Big Daddy Kane, brought the ladies man in the game. He started bringing in the smooth side of the game and he was representing the Nation like Rakim but Rakim was the more serious side of it – he was (emphasizing) ‘get your mind right, learn your Lessons’ and teaching them. Big Daddy Kane was more on some, ‘I’m God Body but I’m a smooth cat too, a ladies man. I love the ladies.’ And he got a lot of girls up on Hip-Hop. They found him attractive. He’s tall, dark and handsome and all of that. He brought the smooth side of the game. And they (he and Rakim) balanced each other off.
Cedric Muhammad: Now, Saigon, to jump in on this. This is my little theory. To me, you may say somebody is a greater rapper etc… but to me, Kane is the only rapper I ever saw that had every segment of the community loving him at once. The women, the conscious cats, you know what I’m saying?
Saigon: Yeah. Him and ‘Pac.
Cedric Muhammad: But even with ‘Pac, there were some cats that were saying…
Saigon:…they didn’t respect his lyrical ability.
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah. But Kane…
Saigon: I never looked at it like that, but you are right. Everybody would f—k with Kane, everybody. From the women to the dudes, cause he could rap, and every dude wanted to be like him with the high-top fade. I had a high ass top too…
Cedric Muhammad:…knowledge of self…
Saigon: knowledge of self, the conscious raps, ‘I’ll Take You There’, the party raps – ‘let it roll, get bold…’…(Saigon is quoting Kane from his cut, ‘Set It Off’); yeah, you are right he was well, well-rounded.
Cedric Muhammad: Well rounded, I love him. Ok, Kool G. Rap. [ Saigon has a popular collaboration with Kool G. Rap called, "Letter P."]
Saigon: Kool G. Rap I think brought more of the street, gangster element. I hate to use the word ‘gangster’, but he brought the more street savvy dude to the game – the ones more up on what was going on in the streets. He was making songs about robbing the Mafia for drugs. Mo’ fu…..s wasn’t really abreast of what the Mafia really was, then. ‘I got a job with the mob, making keys making Gs…’He brought that street element which people weren’t really ready for at the time. He was so prolific as a writer. The dudes loved him. The girls ain’t really like him that much, you know, but he was still on some, ‘Talk Like Sex’ (a Kool G. Rap record). He was on some , ‘I want to pound it out’. (Kool G. Rap’s attitude was) While Kane is trying to be a ‘Smooth Operator’ (a Big Daddy Kane song); I’m on some, ‘filling all three holes just like bowling…’ know what I mean? He was that gangster street dude. He is another one. G. Rap is my dude. He brought a side to the game. Like, all of these dudes had very intricate parts in the evolution of Hip-Hop.
Cedric Muhammad: One more, before I get into the contemporary cats and that is of course, ‘Pac
Saigon: Tupac. Can’t say enough about Tupac. But like how you said earlier about how you see things after somebody is gone?
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah.
Saigon:…You see things in hindsight. Tupac was a complete artist to me. Complete. Not only as far as his music but his interviews, the way he articulated himself with emotion and with passion. In his music, interviews and everything he did. And it is like this dude accomplished so much and it is hard to believe he died at 25, right?
Cedric Muhammad: Unbelievable.
Saigon: That is crazy. This dude was a baby. And he made songs like, ‘Dear Mama’, an ode to your mother who was a drug addict. He made, ‘Keep Your Head Up’ for the single mothers who was going through the hood. He made, ‘Brenda’s Got a Baby’ for the teenage mothers who don’t know what to do with a baby. He made songs like, ‘Holler If You Hear Me’, ‘Pour Out A Little Liquor’, about appreciating your dead friends. Then he made songs like, ‘I Get Around.’ He was the most overall complete artist we ever seen. And not only was he an artist, but he was a revolutionary. He stood for something. He saw these two White dudes harassing a Black dude he didn’t know from a can of paint. And Dream Hampton the writer, she was with him that day. ‘Pac didn’t know these dudes and he was like, ‘Oh what are they doing to that man? What are they doing to that Brother? Let me go and help...’ This is a celebrity - a dude on TV, in movies. How many regular dudes wouldn’t do that?
Cedric Muhammad: No, how many cats with knowledge of self or conscious wouldn’t even do that?
Saigon: Exactly. Exactly. If we don’t give him credit for this? I mean, this dude stood for something. But if you watch the Resurrection DVD. You got the DVD?
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah, that was what moved me so much to state what I said earlier.
Saigon: If you watch the DVD go to the Special Features with him talking...
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah, the speeches.
Saigon: The speeches. And he is dropping it on all of the old people there. I think they are asking him to stop cursing. And he is like – “This is what is wrong with you all. You all are so worried about me saying, ‘f—k’, ‘nigger’, and little words, meanwhile there are mothr f----rs in the street getting killed right now. And y’all are trying to sit here and tell me to watch my language? No I am not going to watch my language. I feel angry. I’m angry right now because y’all dropped the ball and I feel like I shouldn’t have to do the shit that y’all should have did…” There is so much more to Tupac. That is why when people compare Tupac to Biggie I automatically know that they don’t know who Tupac was. Because that is no comparison whatsoever. That is two different levels of a person, a man. I could never ever compare the two. I couldn’t do it.
Cedric Muhammad: That’s deep. Alright, Jay-Z.
Saigon: Jay-Z. Jay-Z is brutally honest. Jay understands what is going on but he also understands the condition we are living in. He understands the world. So he feels like me. You know when I said I am at war with myself a lot?
Cedric Muhammad: Right.
Saigon: The hustler in him has won. Like, the hustler in me can’t win. I know to make more money what kind of records I have to make. And I know that to try to save a people who really don’t want to be saved, ain’t going to make me no money. I am going to get dropped from my label and I will probably end up where I got started. And I will be like, ‘At least I tried to help some people.’ Jay understands that. He is like, ‘look, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it. And if this mo’ f---er don’t look thirsty, I am not even going to lead him to the water.’ Jay, with the hustler spirit he got. Jay, he’s a hustler. He will tell you all day. He grew up learning how to rub some nickels together and make a dollar. He sees opportunities to go out and make money and he goes out and does it. I don’t think Jay is that detrimental to people. I don’t think so.
Cedric Muhammad: I don’t either.
Saigon: Jay doesn’t go out there and tell you ‘sell drugs’. He is telling you his story. He tells you, ‘look, I sold drugs, man. I did everything I could to try and get out of Marcy projects. I did everything it took.’ I think Jay-Z is actually helpful because he shows us that a nigger can go from Marcy to being the president of Def Jam. People can be like, ‘damn, I can be like Jay-Z one day.’ I can go to that level from the projects, not saying, ‘I’m still flipping bricks to this day’. Because you don’t get on records and say, ‘Yeah I’m still in the projects with mad cocaine.’ You don’t do that right now. And Jay-Z is a powerful voice. He’s a potential leader. Hopefully he comes around, gets used to the money, is older, and just uses his power for what it could be used for. That would be a beautiful thing to see. I would love to see, with the influence that this man has, what he could possibly do.
Cedric Muhammad: 50 Cent.
Saigon: 50 Cent. Wow. This is very touchy because we have the same lawyer and accountants and I know how he plays. He plays hardball. Like, if he don’t agree with something you say, he’ll go to the lawyer and be like, ‘hey, f-—k with his books.’ (laughter). It is very touchy. But I am a man first. But 50 is a super talent. His voice is so powerful. He can say anything and draw people in.
My qualm with 50 is the bullshit he puts in his music. You can’t keep feeding the people poison without giving them nothing good. He has all of this attention and he could lead these mother f----rs to the Promised Land, and he would rather lead them to damnation. You got more money than you could ever spend in your life. What is your excuse for still doing this shit? What is the excuse for your new single you are talking about, ‘On my way O.T. to flip them bricks…’ You just made $50 million last year. What are you doing even thinking about a brick? And you got to think that there are young kids in the hood who don’t see that and they are like, ‘…yeah nigga I’m on my way O.T. to flip some bricks. F-—k that I gotta go get this money, I gotta go flip these bricks.’ And it is like he don’t care. There is an article where he said, ‘F--k anybody else’s kids. I don’t care about nobody else’s kids as long as my kid is alright.’ Now, what if somebody sees your kid in trouble and they have that kind of mentality? What if somebody sees his kid about to do the wrong thing – about to smoke some crack or something crazy and they have that mentality that he has – ‘Fu-k that kid. Let that nigga’ do whatever he wants.’ Come on man, you can’t say things like that. Put the shoe on the other foot. You’re a father. You definitely shouldn’t say no shit like that.
Cedric Muhammad: Eminem.
Saigon: Eminem, wow. I think he’s a culture vulture, man.
Cedric Muhammad: (laughter) I asked Wise Intelligent the same question, and he said the first time he saw him, he was like, ‘Elvis Presley has entered the building.’
Saigon: Yeah, a culture vulture. Like, he says it himself. Not to take anything away from the dude’s writing ability. But you know what? I have been around the country - every White kid rhymes like that! You know what it is? You can tell these kids were in better schools than we were, so they have a more intense vocabulary. So when they write it comes out more prolific and better than how we right. If you notice, Eminem, he pronounces his r’s very well. So if I was to say a rhyme and pronounce my ‘r’s’; like ‘You’re a hater’ or ‘You’re a waiter, people would be like, ‘You sound like Eminem.’ No, I am just pronouncing the ‘r’. But he was taught going to these schools how to pronounce words better. We say hatah’, we don’t say ‘hater’.
Notice how when I say, ‘you’re a hater’, it sounds like Eminem?
Cedric Muhammad: (laughter)
Saigon: Know what I mean? Because he pronounces his words. Every White kid that I meet rhymes like that. And it is so many of them that are talented. But it’s like when you are rapping about raping your mom? Growing up in Hip-Hop in the hood, no matter what moms does she is right. That is totally going totally against what we are about as Black people. Mom put us here. She was doing what she had to do to make us right. I seen niggas whose Mom gave them up for adoption and they still have a certain level of respect for their mother, for bringing them to the world. This nigga (Eminem) is talking about raping his mom, burying her, killing her. This ain’t us, that’s not what we do. That’s them. He’s just using our art form and what we created to deal with the savagery of how they get down. And to me that’s crazy. Somebody should have been checked that shit, a long time ago.
When you have XXL magazine, even though that is owned by them. But when you have these journalists who come from our communities saying he’s the greatest rapper alive. Come on how is he the greatest rapper alive? What makes him the greatest rapper alive? He’s better than Rakim, he’s better than Nasir Jones? Come on man, get real.
Cedric Muhammad: Alright, Common.
Saigon: Common. Common is a dope artist. A very, very prolific writer. I respect what he is doing because he is still finding his niche, as far as doing what he wants to do and maintaining integrity, but still sell records. That’s why this (‘Be’) is his best album so far and it is like his sixth or seventh LP. And he is still finding his niche in the game. But I respect Common a lot. I like his music. I’m not too into his fashion statement and all of that. But I respect what he does because he tries to put a good message in his music and I think that is always good when you are trying to do something positive. I like Common, a lot. I f—-k with Common.
Cedric Muhammad: Game.
Saigon: Game. I think Game is a lost soul, man. I just don’t think he has found his way yet. I think growing up in Compton, idolizing gang members – he’s not really a hardcore gang banger like he makes it seem like, wearing a bandana around your neck, because there are pictures of him on the "Change Of Heart" show with a button down shirt on, as a grown man. I ain’t never seen a hardcore Monster Cody-type gang member, which he tries to portray, that wears button-down shirts on TV game shows. Its like he’s so caught up into the marketing image of it, he is starting to believe his own hype, almost. I believe it could be to the point where he might be like ready to die just to prove a point like, ‘I’m willing to die for this shit.’ I’ve met dudes like that. I think he’s still finding himself.
I think he’s smart. Game is a brainiac! This is what people don’t know about Game. He’s a brainy dude. He’s a smart dude. He is by no means a dummy, no. He might not make the smartest decisions all of the time, but he’s a thinker. He’s a smart cat. And that’s why I think for him to be coming out and glorifying the Blood thing to the point that he glorifies it, when he has a dead family member, and dead friends who die from it – I think he is like a male Lil’ Kim. He hasn’t found himself yet. He’s still confused. He is still in a growing process. So dudes like that – I can’t really knock him. He’s not conscious. He hasn’t really been where I have been. Put Game in prison for eight years and send Game home and he will be a totally different guy.
Cedric Muhammad: Papoose.
Saigon: Papoose. I don’t know what to say about cat. I like what he’s doing but I am not sure if it is authentic because he used to rap about shooting babies and then he’s rapping about a conscious state. I don’t get it. I don’t know where he is going with it. He is a very gifted writer. He can write his ass off. But I don’t know what his message is to the people when one minute you are shooting a kid in his bib and hitting him on his baby potty.
How can you talk about murdering innocent kids and then, in the next breath talk about, you are like Malcolm X? I never heard Malcolm say in a speech anything about murdering kids. Even when he was talking about being ‘Dirty Red’, I never heard him talk about how he used to murder little kids. That is a little extreme. I don’t know if Kay Slay (Paposse is signed to DJ Kay Slay’s record label) is in his ear. Because I know Kay Slay gives him a lot of his ideas.
I am the new dude who was doing that conscious thug rap, and he (Papoose) wasn’t doing that. And we did a song, and after that song, he became the political thug. I’m going to put it out there. He became the political thug, trying to come from my angle. But this shit is authentic for me dog. I lived there. I’ve been bid in (in jail) with some of the most dangerous criminals in the state of New York. Know what I mean? I have been there, where we thought we might have to riot with police. I had a steel boot of oppression placed on my neck. If this shit is a gimmick what comes out in the wash is going to come out in the rinse. Like Nas said, ‘Its trendy to be the conscious MC...’ Its trendy but we’ll see where it is going to go.
I know that Papoose has Kay Slay in his ear, telling him, ‘Yo rap over this beat. Rap like this. Say something about this.’ I know because Kay was trying to sign me before he signed Papoose. He loved, ‘Color Purple’. He loved these records I was coming with. Paposse wasn’t rapping like that before he got on Street Sweepers, before he got down with Kay Slay. So I don’t know if they are trying to take my little niche and run with it, but even if he is, if he is doing something positive I appreciate that. I appreciate it. Your saying the right thing? I ain’t gonna knock you like, ‘oh you trying to steal my angle…’ If you are talking positive we will be a team. Us together, we can team up and be even more powerful. Know what I mean?
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah. I hope to see that. Now here is the last one I saved it for a reason, depending upon your answer. Jadakiss.
Saigon: Jadakiss. Now here’s another one who is like 50 Cent to me. (Saigon sighs). This dude has a voice. He could touch so many people. I love the dude, he could have people following him and he could lead people in the right direction. But he’s confused. He don’t know if he wants to be a gangster, a thug, or a person who is like, ‘Why are we living in these f---ed up conditions?’ When he makes a song like ‘Why?’, your next song should be some solutions. Let’s try to change this. When you go from one aspect (songs like ‘Why?’) to the next – I’m a gangster, I’ll shoot you, I’ll kill you, especially when you never even really shot nobody and never really lived that life. Because I know Dee and Wah (the founders of the Ruff Ryders label that signed Jadakiss). I know Dee. Dee is my friend. I know Jabbar. The dudes who really are the Ruff Ryders – the dudes that get busy in the streets. It ain’t the artists.
If these dudes (the artists) do something they are just doing it to try and prove a point. You are not doing it because that’s what’s in your heart. You don’t become a thug at the age of thirty years old. That don’t happen. You don’t become a thug at 28 years old. When you are a thug, you are thuggin’ from young. You are the kid who fights on the bus. You are the kid who is always in some shit. (when parents and adults are like), ‘I don’t want you with that kid. (laughter). That’s the kid I was. That’s the man I don’t want to be. So when a grown man is talking about, ‘I’m thugging and I’m gangster’- you are lying, man. Because I lived that, I went that route and I have seen the harsh realities of living that life and no man wants to live like that!
Cedric Muhammad: Now, that is exactly why I raised the question, because I felt the sentiment that you expressed toward Jadakiss in what I read earlier and I also saw some balance in how you were portraying him. Let me bring it up like this. Because Jadakiss has that gift – he has the charisma and the voice and the talent to reach people; and he also is obviously sensitive. Jay-Z is definitely like that.
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: But he (Jay-Z) has lived a lot of the lifestyle.
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: So, here is the dilemma about ‘keeping it real.’ You got some people, like Malcolm X who lived the life, who struggle, see both sides and make a decision and they have the ability to articulate with sensitivity. Then you have somebody, say for example, like Minister Farrakhan. He struggled. He was poor and he suffered. But he didn’t live that (full ‘street’ lifestyle). And yet he has the ability and sensitivity to still speak to that element of our struggle.
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: So (with that principle in mind) you have a cat that will glorify the person who ‘lived it’, and dismiss the sensitive person who has that gift by birth; and on the other hand you will have the other people, who will disrespect the one that came up from the dirt and lift up one who has that eloquence.
Do you think about that sometimes when you see these talented Brothers (who have not lived the lifestyle) who speak it as if they live it, but by the same token, you respect their ability to speak to that?
Saigon: I respect their artistic ability, yeah. Because it takes thought to put the words together like that. It takes some sense of intelligence. But, what I don’t respect is that these guys know that this music is geared towards youth. And a child’s mind is like clay. So, if you just want to be a person who just takes somebody else’s life and just glorifies it through your music and talk about something that you never even lived, then that just kind of like shoots you down. If you lived it and you been through it? Hey I can’t knock you for talking about your experiences. You can never knock somebody for talking about their experiences. You just can’t do that, because this person went through it. But when a person who never, ever been through nothing comes and tries to speak on something that they have never been through and they talk about it like they really know about it, like, ‘Respect me, we are the streets!’ and you grew up like, with your mother and father taking good care of you, and you never even stayed out past twelve o’clock, it don’t make sense. Because you got little kids who see this and love Jadakiss and they are like, ‘Yo, you know Jada has been in the streets so f—k it, it is alright for me to be in the streets, cause look at where he is at now.’ Come on, that ain’t real, man! That's not reality.
And so it is up to you to be responsible to your people, as a Black man. That is what’s wrong with us. We don’t have no structure. They don’t have to worry about getting checked by nobody, when they go in and make these records. Nobody is going to put them on blast and be like, ‘Look at this kid. This guy is talking this gangster shit and he don’t even got a rap sheet. He never been through nothing. He never even had a fight in school.’
Cedric Muhammad: How do you feel about a Brother like Fat Joe?
Saigon: A Brother like Fat Joe. See the thing with Joe is that Joe has been in the game so long, for him to still be getting this kind of attention, I feel like he is overachieving. He is one of the few from that era who is still around. So he feels like, ‘I’m doing what I got to do. I am changing with the times.’ I look at Joe in a whole different respect. Because Joe comes from an era where Hip-Hop was street music and you know Joe was in the street.
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah. And that was the point. And he would be the first person to support (causes and the community). The thing I love about Joe is he talks Black-Brown unity all day long.
Saigon: Yeah. For sure.
Cedric Muhammad: And I give him that. I don’t see anybody else doing that. And he has the street credentials.
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: And I raise that point to you because I wanted to know what you thought about somebody who maybe a balance between both of those worlds to a degree, because Joe puts it down for causes even though the music is geared a lot more now to the girls (and commercial sales) etc…
Saigon: You know, Joe did a lot for the Latin community. I respect Joe a lot, man. I respect Joe, because I don’t think he is one of the real poisons in the game. I think you know what to expect from a Fat Joe record. You are going to party, you are going to have fun. You are going to just get your little party on. He lets you know, ‘Look I’m a serious dude. I come from the streets. I still go back to the streets. I get my respect in the streets. And as long as you don’t f-—k with me, I won’t f--k with you.’ That is his perception (and perspective) in the game. ‘I can get you hit up. I can get you hurt.’ But his whole thing is like, ‘I’m just happy to be here, man.’ That’s my take on Fat Joe.
He is happy to still be relevant, after twelve years.
Cedric Muhammad: And he’s honest about his talent, and his lack of confidence at certain points (in his career).
Saigon: Yeah, because being Latin at the time when he came up, he had a strike against him, because it was almost like playing basketball. (The stereotype is), ‘Ah man Puerto Ricans can’t play ball. Puerto Ricans can’t rap.’ So he always had to come prove himself. Like I think even to this day, he is still proving that he should be respected on the same level as a Black dude, as a rapper. You gottta love it. I think he is from a whole other level of Hip-Hip. He is more in tune with the artistic value of it. Instead of making it seem like, ‘Hey, I‘m a gangster killer. I do this and that and I will come slice up your whole family...’ and all of this shit that these niggas be talking.
Jadakiss talks about when his ‘…coke comes in they got to use the scales that they weigh the whales with’ (Saigon is quoting a line in Jadakiss’ song, ‘We Gon’ Make It). Number one, if you was really selling coke you are not going to get on a record and say, ‘I SELL COKE.’ You would be indicting yourself. Look at John Forte. This nigga’ ain’t never rapped about coke in his life. And they catch this mother f----r with like thirteen pounds of the shit. Everybody is lookin; like, ‘Damn, this dude was selling drugs?’ Because dogs that bark don’t bite. And if I’m really selling drugs, I’m not going to get on record and say, ‘Hey guess what your honor? I’m selling crack.’ That don’t make sense.
That’s why you know dudes who really lived the street life because they are not going to get on record and say, ‘Hey, I’m from the streets. I’m from the hood. I keep it hood.’ When niggas are saying ‘they keep it hood’ too much, I know they are frontin’. When a nigga says, ‘Yeah I’m hood. We do this. We do that…’ Nah B. You are frontin’.
Number one, sound travels at a real fast pace, and if you was somebody whose name was making noise in any neighborhood, in New York City, people are going to know about you. It is a very small city as big as people think it is. People are going to know about you. People knew about Killer Ben. People knew about the real 50 Cent. People knew about them, and these dudes never had rap records. And their names spread all through the boroughs. People knew about Supreme Team. These dudes was drug dealers. People knew about them. I never heard about Jadakiss slinging mad coke. I never heard about a dude named Styles from Yonkers who used to shoot up parties. I heard about Father Divine. I heard Lucas. I heard about Guy Toney. I heard about dudes like that. These dudes never even had rap records and you was hearing about them, because the streets talk. The streets, they speak. So when a rapper gets out and comes out and be like, ‘Yeah you know, I did this, niggas was in the hood, Niggas…’ Come on, why I ain’t never heard about you? Why I ain’t never heard about you if you was doing all of this shit that you were portraying in your records?
If you ask people who know me – I went to jail at fifteen years old. I didn’t get a chance to become a street legend. But if you ask people in my circle who knew me and grew up with me, they’ll tell you, ‘This nigga was a f-----ng knucklehead. He used to stay in some shit.’ Know what I mean? That is the one thing I give 50 (Cent). 50 was a person who I heard about before I even heard about him as a rapper. They used to call him ‘Boo.’ He was a knucklehead and a trouble-maker. So I know his story is not false. His story is reality. My whole point with him is, ‘OK, we know you keep it gangster, we know you have been there and you have done it (laughter). But is there ever going to come a point where you tell people that it is not right?’
You ever see "I’m Gonna Get You Sucka"?
Cedric Muhammad: Yes.
Saigon: And a nigga had too much gold and he died and shit. (laughter). I think some of these niggas is going to die from having too much money (laughter). (The obituary) is going to be like, ‘He had too much money. He O.D.’ed. He Over-Doughed, son.' That movie is so ironic when you look at the irony of it now. It was funny but you look at it and they were making a joke out of these kids and how these dudes move now.
Cedric Muhammad: Well, I am going to wrap up real quick here, we are going on two hours and I am almost embarrassed (to have taken up the time)...
Saigon: Don’t be, this means a lot to me. It takes Brothers like us to make a change.
Cedric Muhammad: Well I appreciate it...
Saigon: Two hours out of my life is, trust me, nothing.
Cedric Muhammad: Alright. Here is a quote from you, and in light of Live 8, you know I have to ask you this. You have been quoted as saying, “I represent me, I don’t represent no f----g area. That’s pigeon hole. That’s divide and conquer. That’s what’s wrong with Black people. That’s what separates our people and we are all Black. We are all from f----g Africa. I’m going to start telling people that I’m from Africa. I’m from the Motherland, I represent me. I’m the same wherever I go.” In light of that, how do you feel about Live 8 and somebody like Bono and other Whites taking the lead, in the artistic community, in the West, on Africa.
Saigon: I hate that, man. I kind of hate that. And we deserved it. But that also goes back into our indoctrination through slavery. It gets to the point where we don’t even relate to Africans as being the same as us. Very few people do that. I know that when mother f----rs be referring to African people and they be like, ‘Oh, I am about to go down and see the Africans and get my hair down etc…’ And I’m like 'What are you? An American?' Cause you were born here and raised here, you don’t consider yourself an African, as well? ‘No I’m not African.’ I have had a lot of people tell me that – ‘I’m not an African. I’m American.’ And they will get mad if you call them African. That comes back to our self-hatred and where they taught us to hate anything Black. If it is something Black we don’t want any part of it. But niggers will jump to help the tsunami victims. They wasn’t Black. They were Brown people too, but they weren’t Africans or our direct line of people. We know that Africans are our direct people. These people are dying.
I was watching this shit on TV the other day. There were like eight kids that died within a few others, of AIDS. You got to see the graves they were building for them. They were burying them in like little boxes. Three shallow graves, and they would make a little cross out of sticks and stick it in the ground. And they was just lining ‘em up. I was like, wow. You mean to tell me – there are billionaires in this world, there are people who won’t even be able to spend a quarter of their money and there is people who can’t even afford a f----g piece of bread in the same world we live in. That is not right, man. What is this whole United Nations shit for, if it’s not helping that? They are quick to spend all of this money to go fight and take somebody’s shit and go to war with somebody. They will spend billions of dollars just to test a bomb. Just to see if it works. You know what they could have did with that money, man? You know how many lives they could have saved with that money? But they are not about saving lives, they are about keeping the power. Keeping power – that is what they are about. So when you have Live 8 and it is something for our people and you have White people leading the movement, I think we need to look at ourselves and (ask ourselves) what could we be doing to help more? What’s wrong with our people? What’s wrong with us man? Are we that much slaves to money? Have we become capitalist pigs? Have we become what these people – what they are?
Cedric Muhammad: I have a question for you regarding how you feel about cats in Hip-Hop trying to get the community to vote. (But let me say first) I love Russell (Simmons). I have worked pretty closely with him and I have good relations with people around him. But I just thought it was an insult that they (Live came to him at the last minute. And I felt he was (too) deferential to Bono. And I know he is being respectful to the fact that Bono has put his work in etc… But to me, Bono hasn’t done what Russell has done in terms of organizing and mobilizing young people and getting them together and trying to educate them. And so it just made me kind of sick to be honest with you but I think the good part about it was at least now Russell and others are at the table. But I don’t want us bowing to Bono again, I done seen enough of that.
Saigon: Yeah.
Cedric Muhammad: Ok. Reparations. How do you feel about that issue?
Saigon: Ah, man, you know. I think that is part of the reason why we have a lot of people doing what they do, because they are still waiting for somebody to come and give them something. And it is not going to happen. You have to go out there and bust your ass and do what you got to do to go get it. But people like us wouldn’t even know what to ask for. If they were to come to the table and be like, ‘We are going to give ya’ll some reparations. What do y’all want?’ You know what mother f----rs would say? ‘I want a Bentley.’ ‘I want a Mercedez Benz.’ ‘I want a Jacuzzi.’ ‘I want some of those bitches from that Luke video!’
This is what we would probably ask for.
We wouldn’t even know what to begin to ask for. If they was to give a nigga 40 acres, what he gonna’ do with it? Try to plant some weed on it? He wouldn’t know what to do about it - trying to build on it and the importance of owning land and things of that nature. So it is almost like that 40 acres and a mule shit was like, ‘ha,ha,ha, yeah right.’
Cedric Muhammad: Yeah. That’s interesting your take on it. OK, two more. Iraq (and political parties). Your line in the ‘Color Purple’ about the Democrats and Republicans being gangs. Just elaborate a little bit on that, if you don’t mind.
Saigon: You said, Iraq?
Cedric Muhammad: Well, there was a line on there ("The real gangs is the government. The Democrats are the Crips, and the niggers that’s Blood to them is the Republican; instead of claiming the set, they claim oil mines in Iraq, some in the Ukraine and Tibet…") that actually was more about...
Saigon: ...Oh Yeah. Yeah. If you looked at the election, right. When it was coming down to who was going to win the electoral votes...
Cedric Muhammad: ...yeah who was gonna win Ohio...
Saigon: Yeah. It was a map. You had the Red states. The Blue states. It kind of almost looked like some Blood and Crip shit to me (laughter). I was like, ‘Look at this shit’. I am looking at this shit and am like, ‘Do we be imitating this shit when we doin' this (gang-banging) with this Red and Blue (colors)?’ It almost seemed like they were talking about which states were Crip states and which states were Blood states. It was so congruent. The similarities were so much there. It is just that these mother f----rs (political parties) are fighting for bigger shit. Like we might fight for a block. The Bloods might beef with the Crips over a neighborhood - that they really don’t own. And they are beefing over who is going to come and take this oil and take control of Iraq and run this country and who is going to have the say so. And who is going to be the one controlling the economy – Alan Greenspan or some other cat? They are fighting for bigger shit but it is congruent and almost the same (mentality as the street gangs).
Cedric Muhammad: Now the last question is, what is your view of the state of what some are calling political Hip-Hop, or Hip-Hop political activism? What did you think of ‘Vote or Die’? What Russell did with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network?
Saigon: I believe they had good intentions but I don’t believe they actually kept it real with us. For Russell and Puff I think it was more of a PR thing of, ‘How do I stay relevant in American society?’ ‘How do I stay on TV?’ ‘How do I stay in the public eye, instead of playing the back?’
But, you can do way more in the dark than you can in the light. People don’t realize that. Or if they do realize that, they don’t choose to do it. But having people were walking around in ‘Vote Or Die’ T-Shirts? Those shirts were costing like $65. For a T-Shirt.
Cedric Muhammad: Even 50 said Diddy got him on that one…
Saigon: Yeah, them shits was costing a grip of money, for a f----g T-Shirt. So it is like, you have all of these big artists supporting this campaign – ‘Vote or Die’ – like if you don’t get out there and vote you are going to die. But nobody ever explained the difference between Kerry and Bush. What was Kerry supposed to come do? They never explained that to the people. It was just pretty much, ‘Get Bush out of here.’ The lesser of two evils. They never explained like, ‘Hey, if we vote for Kerry, this is going to change.’ I don’t think none of that shit trickles down into the hood. I didn’t see no difference in the ghetto when Bush came than when Clinton was in office. Niggas was still dying every day. Niggas was still poor. Niggas was still living in the projects. Shit was still f—ed up. Clinton took welfare…
Cedric Muhammad: ...hey Saigon, check this out. I have written about this extensively at BlackElectorate.com ("In Light Of His Record How Can Black America Love President Clinton?", February 20, 2001) more Black men were locked up under Clinton than under Bush (the current President’s father) and Reagan combined
Saigon: See that.
Cedric Muhammad: 200,000 more Black men were locked up (under Clinton). And you are right. He (Clinton) signed the crime bill. He signed welfare reform. He was the one who said 'mend' affirmative action...
Saigon: Exactly so what’s the difference? I don’t really see the big significance on having a Democrat for a President when they both work for the same dudes. The President is the president of the country. He is not the CEO. You dig what I am saying? He is the figure head. He is the guy that they can put on that TV. If the president was that powerful, they wouldn’t be able to make jokes about him on mother f---ng Saturday Day Night Live. Eminem wouldn’t be able to put him on a movie and depict him getting his d--- sucked and make a big joke out of it. You can’t do that to a person who really has power. The president’s power is so miniscule it is not that much. There are dudes that make decisions and tell him what to say. He don’t even write his own speeches. So he is just pretty much a figure head for somebody to put on the news and for somebody to show us. He don’t make no decisions. That wasn’t his decision to go to war. That was people above him that we will never see.
They are probably over there in Israel to tell you the truth. America alone gives more money to Israel than it does... That is why the Palestinians are over there always banging out. It’s like how can you be so poor and live right next to mother fu----rs that’s living in mansions and shit? Big mansions and they live so good. And then you got the Palestinians who don’t have shit. And they are like, ‘This is our land,’ and they just come and take our shit. They say, ‘Hey we are the natives of this land. Look, Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was king of Jews. This is our native land.’ Come on. It is so deep. When you look at the aspect of religion and politics and all of that shit and the way it coincides – it is the same thing. The school system, the court system, and the churches – they are all the same. The Pope is more powerful than the President when it comes to the people.
Cedric Muhammad: No question. Greenspan is more powerful than the President…
Saigon: Hell yeah…
Cedric Muhammad: And he’s got people telling him what to do.
Saigon: Exactly, exactly.
Cedric Muhammad: I have no further questions. It has been two hours and eleven minutes. I want to open the floor up – any promotion, or business you want to take care of, or any final words you want to share with our viewers?
Saigon: I just want to say, man we got to start taking care of each other as Black and Brown people. We have to start looking at the importance of family structure. And life ain’t just one f-----g big party. There is a time to play. But that comes after work. After you have handled your business, then you go out and play and have fun. But if your situation ain’t straight in life, and you are out in somebody’s club getting drunk and shaking your butt, and you are waking up the next day – you have bought yourself some liver disease, a hang over and a headache, and you spent money to buy it. It don’t make sense. It is almost like you are paying for poison. Get your mind right. Straighten your mind out and get your life on track and understand that everybody is put here for a purpose. You are here and then you die. Life is short so make the best of your life. And I don’t mean go out and have as much fun as you can. That is not what it is about. It is all about setting yourself up for your children.
We are a micro and a macro. And if you choose to have children which I never did and I don’t – because I am not bringing no child into this f---d up world – but if you do choose to do that, that responsibility and sacrifice that you make is learning yourself, what you are about and taking care of yourself.
I just want to say to everybody in the world, even White people man, fair is fair, man. Let’s treat each other with respect and let’s respect ourselves. And specifically for Black folks – let’s get it together. Let’s get on our grind and I don’t mean hustling. I mean by getting together and taking care of these babies. Whitney Houston had a song that said, ‘I believe that children are the future…’ And if the children are the future, and what we are showing these kids is our future, then I feel sorry for our future. It is up to us to shape and mold these kids and do the right thing or we won’t have a future. We will eradicate ourselves. They won’t have to kill us. We will kill ourselves.
And one more thing, visit abandonednation.com. I don’t want to start taking donations yet because I am still working on this whole (non-profit status) to get everything right. I am in the process of it with my team. But just to let people be aware of what is going on, when that (foundation) opens up you will be able to send tangible donations. I want everything tangible. I don’t even want money because I don’t want everybody to think I am doing this for my personal gain. I just want things that I can give some kids. Specifically books, school clothes, anything new, I don’t want to give no kids no hand-me-down clothes like the Salvation Army. But anything new from these clothing companies that throw them away because they have something irregular, or one sleeve a little bit longer than the other – somebody could use that shirt. I just want to say- take care of each other and take care of ourselves. And that’s that.
Cedric Muhammad: Yo, I love you Brother.
Saigon: I love you too man, and I appreciate it.
Cedric Muhammad: Thank You. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and Gotti (Saigon’s management) and I just wanted to say that I am pleased to see you all’s relationship the way it is and I know he has brought a lot to the table so, the bottom line is we are putting the whole website behind you. I have already asked people to keep you in their prayers and to protect you, because you are a threat, right now and I don’t think people understand it – when they read this interview they will get a little more understanding. But I think you are built to do what you are doing and nothing can stop you until you are done doing it. And I just want you to know that there are witnesses out here for you that are hear to amplify your voice.
Saigon: I know. That’s (Saigon sighs). I appreciate everything man. I greatly appreciate this time and I want to thank you for your time.
Cedric Muhammad: We will stay in tune. Take Care of yourself.
Saigon: Take care Ced, be good. _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Merci.Papoose c'est du bon,même si Saigon dit dans son interview que Pap on volé son style... _________________ "tout nèg a nèg
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
ki nèg nwè ki nèg klè
ki nèg klè ki nèg nwè
tout nèg a nèg
nèg klè pè nèg nwè
nèg nwè pa lè wè nèg klè
nèg nwè ké wéy klè
senti i sa roune nèg klè
mè nèg klè ké wéy klè a toujou nèg
sa ki fèt pou nèg vin' blang?
blang té gen chivé pli long?
pou senblé yé nou trapé chivé plat kon fil mang!!!
mandé to fanm...!
mè pou kisa blang lé vin' nwè?
ha... savé ki avan vin' blan yé té ja nèg!
a nou mèm ké nou mèm dépi nânni nânnan...
chinwa soti, kouli soti, indyen soti, blang soti
mèm koté nèg soti
Inscrit le: 24 Aoû 2005 Messages: 1 Localisation: Paris, France
Posté le: Mer 24 Aoû 2005 02:18 Sujet du message:
hello Pakira et les autres posteurs sur ce topic qu'il est bon de voir sur ce forum que je lis régulièrement mais auquel je me décide seulement maintenant d'apporter ma participation. je l'honore donc par un topic musical, qui est ma grande passion (pr paraphraser Omar Sharif lol)!
bon déjà je vois real hip hop, j'm'attends à des choses très bonnes : il y en a c'est sur, j'ai vu cité du Common, du Dead Prez en parcourant ce LONG topic mais j'ai qd meme vu du moins bon. J'ai failli m'étouffer en voyant Styles P! lol
non loin de moi la volonté de rentrer ds le type de beefs foireux comme les aiment nos amis les ricains, tout juste pr apporter ma pierre - pr ne pas dire ma touche - à ce bel édifice qu'est le hip hop à mes yeux.
(de gauche à droite : Braille, Othello et Ohmega Watts)
Donc nous avons affaire ici au groupe Lightheaded.
Composé du rappeur chrétien Braille (qui a signé en 2004 un excellent album solo "Shades of Grey") et du emcee Othello (dont l'album solo "Elevator Music" sort prochainement) ainsi que du emcee/beatmaker Ohmega Watts (qu'une certaine presse a cru bon de comparer à Pete Rock et qui lui aussi sort prochainement son album solo "The Find" sur Ubiquity - maison des Sa-Ra, PPP et autres As One, John Arnold, c'est dire le talent du boug'), Lightheaded apparait comme une formation en perpétuelle évolution mais toujours dans l'objectif de proposer de la bonne musique : du hip-hop sans prétention, rappelant l'age d'or de ce mouvement le tout avec des lyrics "enlightened".
Pour ce retour en grandes pompes, sur l'un des labels indés les plus en vus ces derniers temps (Tres Records, maison de Thes One des People Under The Stairs), ils ne nous ont pas fait une Facteur X² (lol) : comprenez par là qu'il ne s'agit pas de réunion à la va-vite entre les carrières solos de chacun en faisant appel aux producteurs les plus efficaces du moment.
Non! ici, c'est du fait maison : Ohmega Watts palie le départ du talentueux Muneshine (dont je rapelle à qui veut l'entendre que l'album solo est une bombe) dans son style très old school fait de drums nerveux et de samples de funk poussiéreux en produisant 9 des 15 titres, déleguant ainsi au talentueux Stro des Procussions, à Tony Stone (qu'on a découvert sur le "Shades of Grey" de Braille) et au DJ officiel du groupe, Bombay les autres productions. Meme Muneshine se rappelle au bon souvenir de Lightheaded en nous gratifiant d'un beat soulful à souhait dont il a le secret (vraiment ce gars ne cite pas Spinna et PR dans ces références pr rien!).
Enfin voilà, un excellent album hip hop, plus varié que le précédent musicalement, c'est du tout bon. Préparez vos nuques les amis!
Tracklisting (pour les extraits, en arrivant sur la page, cliquez sur next)
01. Orientation
02. Timeless
03. In The Building
04. Individually Wrapped
05. Showcase (prod. par Tony Stone) (le mp3, c'est là)
06. Bing Pong (prod. par DJ Bombay)
07. Short Stories (c'est par là que tu te fais plaisir)
08. Soul Power
09. Afraid of The Dark (prod. par Stro des Procussions) (télécharge ici papy, c'est offert par la maison)
10. Unconditional
11. Wrong Way (prod. par Muneshine)
12. Uhh!
13. Eye To Eye (prod. par Stro)
14. Speak Your Peace (toujours offert ici, tu as de la chance ce soir!)
15. Surprise Cypher [Remix] (prod. par Tony Stone)
voilà ma 1ère participation, j'attends les réactions, notamment celles de Pakira que je devine très attaché aux lyrics au vue des artistes cités (quoique Styles P... lol)
Inscrit le: 14 Mar 2005 Messages: 994 Localisation: T.O
Posté le: Mer 12 Oct 2005 22:20 Sujet du message:
C'est bien vos petites discussion prive mais les gars ya plus important
c'est maintenant officiel
les FUGEES SE REUNISSENT
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051003/music_nm/fugees_dc _________________ The pussy is free, but the crack cost money (BDP 1989)
Siii ca c de la bonne nouvelle, il faut esperer que ce n'est pas juste un coup médiatique et que l'album sera au niveau attendu. _________________ www.bazhiphop.com Webzine Hip Hop axé rap francais indépendant...
C'est clair lauryn Hill est également pour moi la meilleure rappeuse, et une grande artiste qui ne mache pas ses mots.
J'ai également hâte d'écouter son prochain album solo. _________________ www.bazhiphop.com Webzine Hip Hop axé rap francais indépendant...
Posté le: Lun 23 Jan 2006 01:50 Sujet du message: Moi,...
Moi, les albums de rap que j'vous conseille d'écouter, ce sont :
1- " THE MAGNIFICENT " de DJ Jazzy Jeff (2002-2003) .
2-" WELCOME BACK " de Mase (2003-2004) .
Et enfin 3- " New York/Chilltown " d'Erick Sermon(2003) .
En tt cas, à chaque fois que j'écoute ces 3 alb. , j'ai l'impression que le
HIP HOP est en train de RENAITRE, de vivre une " SECOND
CHILDHOOD"...
Chaqu'un son truc , mais moi en ce moment je grave sur le Remixe: Boot Camp feat Aaliyah - Nightriders le tout soutenu en fond par un bon Barry white. da bomb
Toutes les heures sont au format GMT + 1 Heure Aller à la page 1, 2Suivante
Page 1 sur 2
Vous ne pouvez pas poster de nouveaux sujets dans ce forum Vous ne pouvez pas répondre aux sujets dans ce forum Vous ne pouvez pas éditer vos messages dans ce forum Vous ne pouvez pas supprimer vos messages dans ce forum Vous ne pouvez pas voter dans les sondages de ce forum
RSS
FAQ
Rechercher
Liste des Membres
Groupes d'utilisateurs
S'enregistrer
Profil
Se connecter pour vérifier ses messages privés
Connexion
.Contrairement à des nombreux faux gangsta rappeur,Saigon c'est ce que c'est que la street's life
donc ce a qui ca interesse,faite vite avant que le lien meurt...
