I want to touch on the incident that just happened at your video shoot recently. What is your side of the story? Well, we were in Compton, which is another area that is notorious out here in Los Angeles. Any day, anything can go down. We had quite a few onlookers watching us work and that group of people happened to be a collection of individuals that were so-called rivals that were totally unassociated with what we had going on. The rivals got involved in some kind of altercation and they apparently, from what I could see from some footage and from what I could hear, they exchanged a few shots. So basically, there was a shooting at your video shoot. Yes, just like that. To the world it might be shocking footage, but as much danger that apparently was at hand there, we experience that constantly. We have that shit at parties all the time and everybody does what they did in that footage - get up and dust themselves off and get back to partying or until the next set of gun shots. It’s the way we live. Some of that footage has spread out to the masses, mostly via YouTube. Any idea how that happened? I’m responsible for that. My staff is responsible for putting it out there. That’s to show my sense of reporting; as long if there’s no one being incriminated or a threat of any type of judicial mandate, I definitely feel that it’s my responsibility to give you a firsthand account of what really took place out here. What’s your opinion right now on The Game? He’s very fortunate to receive the attention he received standing in front of the world as a West Coast representative of street music, because that is the very opposite of what he actually is. We have individuals who grow up in our streets and exist there trying to find ways to avoid the elements that make it a dangerous place and some who participate in making it a dangerous place to be. The Game is a member of the pack of those first individuals I named. Of course he grew up in the same slums and ghettos as I did, but his activities were to avoid the things that made it a dangerous place to be and mine were contributing to it making it a dangerous place. What about Big Fase? What’s your opinion of him? Well, I only know Big Fase through certain incidents that have taken place in the public eye. I was quite shocked to see his response to the infamous video footage that took place when he got into it with his homeboy; I was disappointed in his response. I expect a lot more out of him than being attacked so violently.
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Really? You’re disappointed with his counteractions? Yes, I would have expected a lot more out of any man, not just a gang member, but any man. Anyone who approaches you in that physical matter, I thought self-defense and self-preservation was the number rule of nature. I would just imagine a little more effort to defend yourself. What are your thoughts on the so-called beef between Big Fase and The Game? I really don’t have an opinion on it. No one really knows what really happened between those two men on why who is mad at that other and I really don’t give a fuck. I got my own brothers! These niggas are tic for tat, whatever they are going through, they going through it. Actually for a moment, me and Big Fase saw eye-to-eye because we shared the same enemy, industry-wise, his brother Game, so we tried to collaborate on some DVD production ideas together. What shocked me is that it’s ironic the only time I ever received any type of collaboration [offer] from Big Fase or his organization was once he fell out with his brother [The Game] and that’s the only thing we ever actually had in common. Any other time when he was cool with his brother, he kind of stood in the forefront making it known that there was bad taste between us. What is the deal with you and Yukmouth stemming from the incident that happened some time ago at the club. Is there still animosity there or is that dead now? Damn, man, how far in the archives are you going to go back? I just wanted to get that cleared up because some people don’t know the circumstances on that issue. It is dead with Yuk. As far as I’m concerned, it was dead the day we left the club. I may have mentioned it in one line in a song that I did because of that event, but the physical shit that takes place is in the line. Either you’re doing something about it or rapping, and that situation started and ended all in one night. It was just one incident so it really wasn’t much rapping to do about it. There is not much rapping you can really do after you’ve already been physically in contact with that individual. Anything else that starts off with the music and turns into a disagreement in the music industry, I hope it can stay there, because it’s just music. No matter how violent or derogatory it may seem to the listener, you have to realize we are entertainers. Myself, I’m not trying to throw my career away [over beef]. // - Words by DJ E-Z Cutt