Tell us about The Gang. Te Money: Chino is the Southsider of the group, Lefty is the Blood, and I’m the Crip. My cousin Turtle handles most of the business, along with myself. So you’re a rapper/businessman? Te Money: I just became a rapper. I decided to become a rapper after Dolla died. Dolla was my artist and my business partner. Everybody said I should keep the whole thing going and keep our dream alive, so that’s what I did. I’m definitely carrying on his memory. Me and my cousin sat down and put it together. Akon is still involved, but as far as the legwork, me and my cousin Turtle are doing that.
“i got homies that died gangbangin’. rappers wanna live that life, but they’re not where i’m at. you’re on tv gettin’ money off this lifestyle and you ain’t never lived that life. i’m against that.” - lefty How would you define The Gang? Is it a record label, a group, a clique, or all of the above?
Te Money: It’s a company and a group. It’s a movement. It’s not a negative movement though. A gang is only negative when you do negative things. Supposedly, Crips and Bloods don’t get along in L.A. Supposedly, blacks and browns don’t get along in L.A. We tend to stay at war with the Mexicans, and the Bloods and the Crips get into it. With us being together in a group, we’re trying to show everybody that it can be a positive thing. So you’re hoping to dispel some of the L.A. stereotypes? Te Money: Yeah, and we ain’t in khakis and stuff 66 // OZONE MAG
like that – we get real fly. We’re not doing it like The Game and Snoop with red and blue rags, khakis, and Chucks. We’re on some fly shit. There’s some fly niggas in L.A. Lefty: And they’re not real gangbangers, either. Te Money: Yeah, that’s what people don’t understand. A person that’s really lived that lifestyle, and been through the shootouts and stuff, is tryin’ to get away from it. Since they’re not real gangbangers, are you offended by rappers like Snoop representing the lifestyle? Lefty: It’s not even about Snoop, it’s about the other rappers that are doin’ it. I got homies that died [while gangbangin’] and I take that personally. There are things we went through in the streets. Te Money is a Crip, and I’m from Piru. Chino’s a Mexican. I can talk to them. With my enemies, I can’t talk to them, because I lost my homies to that. [Rappers] are gettin’ money and wanna live that life, but they’re not where I’m at. I really live in my hood. I really got homies that are going to jail every day. And then you’re on TV gettin’ money off this [lifestyle] and you ain’t never lived that life. I’m against that. And you take it to the extreme – my homies are gettin’ 10 years added onto their charges for gang enhancement, while you’re on TV representing these things and nothing happens to you. That ain’t cool. Are there any artists you feel are accurately representing the gang lifestyle? Te Money: I really can’t say what other people are doin’. I just know that all of us here have been in the trenches before, and this is a way out for us. Akon helped me get out of my situation, so I just reached back out to try to help somebody else out of their situation. Hopefully when they become successful they’ll help somebody get out of their situation. Like he was saying, a lot of cats talkin’ about it haven’t really lived it. None of them have been to jail, but when they got money, they get security to protect ‘em so they can start living the life. This is real. This isn’t a put-together group, like a fake image. Since it’s not “normal” for Bloods and Crips and blacks and Mexicans to coexist peacefully, how did you three come together? Lefty: My mom’s older brothers are Crips. I grew up in their neighborhood. My dad is from Piru [Bloods] so that’s how I came from that