Okay, I’m listening. Imagine if you really knew for a fact that God was your father, like you knew it for a stone cold fact. Like you done touched him, you done kicked it with him, he done burped you, and all kinda different shit like that, right? Now wouldn’t your swagger be just a little bit different? You wouldn’t trip on jumping on that cross, or you wouldn’t trip on what people have to say about you, because you knew that he was your Daddy. So there’s a certain amount of confidence that’s being exuded because of your faith, and it’s even more than faith because you know it’s a fact. With me, I know it now. So it’s not cockiness, it’s not arrogance. And for one, with the Al Sharpton shit, what are they gonna do to me? What, are they gon’ stop my record from coming out and I’m gon’ be broke? Nigga, I come from Mississippi, being broke ain’t nothing new. I done been shot at, I done had my ass kicked before, so what can you do to me? My family already know I’m a rider, so death? Nigga, I already think I’m dead. What they gon’ do? Nothing! They ain’t gon’ do nothing that I ain’t already had done to me before, or that I don’t think is coming to me anyway. So is there anything in life that you do fear? There are two things I fear and two things only. I don’t fear nothing but God and leading my people in the wrong direction, because I know people listen to me. I do fear that. I fear that I’ll make a wrong decision, or a wrong mistake and people will follow me because of who I am, and what I stand for. And the truth is, I’m not perfect. I don’t know everything. Have you ever done anything that you feel has led your people in the wrong direction? Naw, not so far. I feel like there are some things I could’ve done better in my career. But usually if I talk about something or say something about people, I’ve researched it. I hate losing, so I’m not gon’ say no ignorant shit, like I’m not gon’ talk about Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton unless I’ve done research on them. The truth is — and this is an exclusive — since people have known about me being on Oprah and Jesse Jackson and them’s ass, niggas have been coming at me with so much information. There are street niggas and corporate niggas coming to me telling me all type of shit about them. But I don’t wanna destroy the so-called “black leaders,” I just want them to leave us the fuck alone. So can you give me an example of some of the dirt people have came to you with? Of course not. That’s not my point. That’s what I’m telling you. People want to see niggas fight each other and crucify each other. If you go to my Myspace page you can listen to a song called “So Special,” a song I did about Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Oprah. And in the song I say it’s bad that we gotta talk about each other this way, because that’s what America wants. It’s the gladiator mentality. America wants to put people in the middle of the ring with the lion and watch him get ripped to shreds. That’s bullshit. We should be able to sit down and talk to each other rationally and come to some agreements, and the reason why I didn’t do that is because I tried to get on Oprah’s show. We wrote letters and hollered at people. And with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, they attacked us first, so when people asked if I wanna sit down with them, I was like, “Hell nah I don’t wanna sit down with them!” If I walked up to you and slapped you in your face without warning you or telling you, what you gon’ do? You gon’ hit me back right? So fuck talkin’ to ‘em, it’s on! That’s bullshit! And it’s so pitiful, ‘cause that’s what we do as niggas. Look at Mike Vick, they’re making him do that plea agreement and snitch on other people because they know how black people feel about that type of shit, so they’ve ostracized that man in front of his people. And we turn around and do that same type of thing to each other. Look at beef in rap, that’s just how they used to do the slaves. Just think about when niggas are beefin’ against each other, the nigga who wins is the one who strips the other nigga naked and totally embarrasses him. So we turn around and do it to each other, and it’s pitiful! A lot of people feel you have the potential to be a great black leader. Is that something you aspire to be? I’d be willing to do it if God deemed it and the people deem it, but that ain’t something I wanna do. I wanna be rich and make money. Nigga, I wanna live life good. I want an easy life like everybody else. People think I wanna be this big political figure, but that’s not something I want. When I was the SGA President at Southern, that was something people asked me to do. I’ll do it if that’s what I’m called on to do, but that ain’t no fun shit to do. Think about this: Every young, black man that stood up and did something, what happened to him? He was killed! Not 44 // OZONE MAG
persecuted, killed dead! Niggas always talk about “ride or die.” I don’t wanna die. I wanna have kids and live a fun life and I wanna make money! The two things I hate the most in this world is preachers and politicians, and it’s just crazy to hear everybody including my mama say that’s what I’m probably gon’ end up being. Why are you so involved in the community if that’s not really what you want to do? I need the community as much as the community needs me. The higher up you go the less black people you see, and in a lot of cases when you become successful people leave you alone. They start thinking that you’re special and acting funny. But I need them. I need to stay grounded. That’s why I’m so into the community, because I need people around me. I’m not perfect. That’s what Baptized in Dirty Water meant. No matter how good you are, if you go to get baptized and go in some dirty ass water, you’re gon’ come out dirty, even if your intention was to get baptized. All my albums have meanings, and I don’t know if I’ve done a good enough job articulating the goals in my albums, but they all have meanings. When you look at Certified, I don’t like suits and ties, but I did that shit to show people that all niggas in the South ain’t ignorant and not all of us have t-shirts on. We got sense, too. So what are you most passionate about in life? Making money. Fuck it. I’m keeping it 100. I’m about making some muthafuckin’ paper, because money is the first breeding ground of power, and power is how you truly affect change. Instead of sitting up there preaching about what other niggas should do with their money, I can do it with my money. That’s why I started Heal The Hood, because I’m tired of begging another nigga to help the community. I gotta do me now. When these rap niggas try to fuck over me and do different shit and I be wanting to whoop they ass, I tell myself, “No, don’t whoop they ass, get money, make a hit a record.” For those independent rappers out there, if you wanna know how to change your career, make a hit record, that’s all you gotta do. If your label ain’t behind you, make a hit record. If niggas talkin’ shit about you, don’t beef back with that nigga, just make a hit record and let that nigga suffer for the rest of his life watching you live gloriously. So how do you want people to perceive you? What’s the ideal image you want to portray? A rich ass nigga. People always ask me what me what I want them to call me, and I tell them, “You can call me anything but broke, homie!” The reason why I’m on Jesse Jackson and them like I am ain’t because of no fuckin’ record, it’s because they playin’ with my muthafuckin’ money. They playin’ with my lifestyle, they tryin to make people stop playing my muthafuckin’ records. Come on dawg, you fuckin’ with my livelihood, the way we eat. It ain’t too many ways niggas can be young and make money: sports and muthafuckin’ rap. They trying to take our hustles away from us, and that’s some serious shit. You fuckin’ with street niggas, these ain’t no pussy ass niggas, homie. This ain’t no laughing matter, you fucking with my money and it’s already hard enough with the downloading, and the bootlegging. If there is one word to describe where you’re at in life right now, what would that word be? I can say for the first time in my life, I think I’m happy. I think I’m happy, and want to explain that to give some clarity. However this rap shit turns out — and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna turn out great — but either way it goes, I’m good. For the first time in my life, I’m happy being Lavell Crump, just being me, Lavell — without David Banner, without the rapping, without the movies, without all that shit. For the first time, God has shown me that’s it’s alright to just be me. //
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eel rappers f e s e h t f se they y most o d me, ‘cau That’s wh n u o r a e bitches. rtabl appers is r uncomfo e s e h t ppin’ is ost of that’s ra s a g bitches! M ig n of these I said it. I’d say 80% d you can tell ‘em hoes - an
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I don’t have to do it has made me love it again. I’m having fun, and I’m smashing ‘em. And I tell people all the time, I don’t believe that people really believe in God, and I’m gonna prove it to you. There’s nothing that I say that I can’t prove to you.