ourselves. I’ve had shows in Germany and Saudi Arabia, the South has infiltrated all that shit. I’m tired of people finding an excuse on why they don’t sell. New York can’t find an identity anymore, we need new niggas. Eminem once called you the biggest bootlegger in the world. How do you feel about your own mixtapes getting bootlegged as well? I don’t mind when my CD gets bootlegged. I concentrate on getting superstar hosts. The more it travels the more it gets bootlegged. Because of that, a lot of the Hollywood cats’ kids get my CDs, so they wanna get on the show and be cool with the kids. I did one with Samuel L. Jackson. That eliminated the rumor that he had had beef with 50. The more they bootleg me, the more people want it. People take my mixtapes overseas too. Over there the mixtapes aren’t mixtapes, they are like albums. I got movie stars in Japan on my shit too. I do mixtapes in Japanese, no English. I got Cut Killa in France, the hottest shit is in France, they’re the best market. So imagine the whole French community with me. Killa rocks the whole country side. I have relations with all these famous people around the world. I can get Jackie Chan on my CD. It’s a good situation because I don’t go to their country and rob them, I make money with them and also open the door for them. I’ve been doing this for the last 6 years. I speak three languages: French, Japanese, and English. I saw how Clue had a CD in Queens and niggas would buy it, even if it was garbage, so I did it on an international level. I’m the guy with Michael Jackson in Arbania, the guy in Haiti with Wyclef. There’s so much shit my name is on. I was the first to go down South. I flew down to see Juvy. Down South artists didn’t know how freestyles would work. I knew T.I. before he blew up, he didn’t even trust me, but we knocked it out. I did Sada Pop with down South artists because I wanted my CDs to get bootlegged down South. Why would I send an East coast CD to the South? That’s why I did down South. I knew Bun B, all these niggas. They didn’t know about freestyles, that’s why I fucked with Game too. Speaking of which, to what extent do DJs get involved with beef between artists? We don’t get into it, at the end of the day, it’s the rapper, we just make it sound good. If I don’t play it another one will. I don’t get involved unless it really bad, I don’t do no crazy shit. I know what’s real beef and what’s not. On my radio show, I’m not into all the beef shit, that’s where Kay Slay comes in, but beef records don’t sell. Niggas don’t be knowing if that’s true what they said, they just want a hit record. Have you ever been in a situation similar to what happened with Green Lantern when he told Jadakiss that 50 had a diss record planned for him? I’ve been in trouble for talking crazy. I got in trouble for some shit like that before. But you can’t talk to everybody. A lot of DJs wanna be cool with everybody, but a lot of these rappers are dirtbags, they just wanna use the DJ. You gotta watch how you talk to people you don’t know. That shit with Jada and Green Lantern was corny. You gonna allow that shit to happen on video? Even though people know that Green Lantern is a bullshitter and joker, but when eyes see that, that’s a problem. It made Eminem so mad and embarrassed. It was solvable, but it’s the fact that the public saw it. I diss rappers all day but it’s a joke. There is no difference between me and Conan O’Brien making fun of rappers. My show is comedy. I don’t care. If I don’t do it, someone else will and they will do it worse. My show is based on making people laugh.
You DJ a lot in the Middle East. Is it as dangerous over there as the U.S. media makes it seem? The wars are between religious people who don’t like each other, the regular innocent people just get caught up in it. It’s regular life there. They have clubs. The people in Israel dress real cool. We did a show in Lebanon, after we left they went to war. The clubs be popping though, a lot of rich people live there. Then you got Barain and Dubai, they’re not into war period. I met a kid richer than me over there, all they do is run countries. I lost my passport but I knew the prince, he was connected and got me straight. Millionaires are everywhere over there. I spend months over there. Niggas laughed when I did the Lost In Dubai mixtape but that was for them over there. George Bush is lying, he’s showing you what he wants you to see on TV every day. But, they are dying in Iraq every day for no reason. People was crying when 50 came over there to perform for the troops. From seeing that I understand why they was crying when DMX didn’t show up. It’s hot over there, they don’t even pee, they sweat everything out, some niggas ain’t pee in two weeks. But, Bush is controlling the media, they’re cool over there. I’m going back to Barain and Dubai, they know me and they all love my shit. I told the world about Barain, man you gotta go for yourself, they don’t live like how they try to show you on TV. Michael Jackson is chilling out there, they’re cool people out there. I don’t get scared when I see Arabs on the plane no more, those days are over. Our president is full of shit. There’s more of them getting rich than there are fighting. Going over there gave me a taste of reality. I don’t believe shit I see on the news anymore. Tell us about your Shadyville DJ’s coalition? I’ve gotten all the DJs I’ve met in my international travels and combined all of them. They never used to get exclusives, I can give them shit now. All they gotta do is promote my company. A lot of these DJs weren’t getting new music. I can create situations for them, it’s a real big movement. I’ve got the biggest DJ’s in Japan playing 50 Cent’s records first. They don’t have to wait, everything is there for them. What made you want to start a coalition like that? Aren’t you creating competition for yourself? I’m not trying to be number one. I don’t need that, every DJ has their own fanbase, there is no top DJ. We all do the dirty work, we all deserve to be on the red carpet. I’m just here to help people with whatever problems they have. The more you help others, the more they’ll help you. - Maurice G. Garland
Even though you’ve achieved a lot, do you think the power of the DJ is still underestimated? Everybody knows the power of radio and the DJ. I do CDs with everybody. DJs are the stars now. It started with Flex and Clue, and he was just talking on songs. I wanted to do it more iller, so I got stars on my CDs, we surpassed what rappers do. They only get paid on tours and after sales. We constantly getting paid, we’re important. While the rapper is at home with the family, we’re the ones pumping your shit, making people believe in you, and we get the feedback. That’s why I’m glad we’re getting the value and respect. We surpassed the rapper, the rapper is just a cool entertainer, I don’t get shocked when I see a rapper. I get shocked seeing Jesse Jackson, I want to do that; I want to do what people like him do. I’m cool with the people who run Hip Hop, Chris Lighty, Rush, Puff, Jimmy Iovine. You learn from them, not the bullshit rappers buying jewelry. Hip Hop is brutal, when the artists’ music ain’t hot, the respect is gone, and society will leave you behind. It ain’t like the white people. Justin Timberlake can suck one year and come back, but with a rapper it’s done. Rappers don’t understand how to market themselves, they just rap, they don’t control their shit, they let their manager do it. They don’t give a fuck about you, your family or your future, it’s business. If the rappers treated this like business, they’d be better off. You need somebody to talk to about your money situation. Why live a life of constantly being shocked when things happen? 49