here, we were more about the organizations in the streets. Rap hit hard around here like everywhere else in the country, but in Chicago, we don’t have any major labels, so people just have to get their buzz up and perfect their craft. We’ve got the momentum, and we’re pushing down the door and creating opportunities out here. The Chicago story needs to be heard and that’s what we’re here doing. There definitely seems to be a distinct connection between the culture of Chicago and the South. Count: Well, Chicago has a little bit more of an edge to it then down South does. People up here are a little less friendly than cats down South, but there are definitely a lot of similarities. The South is as gangsta as it gets, and so is the Chi. But Chicago has a lot of different musical styles, and some music from the Chi is really similar to Southern music. The Bogus Boys get love everywhere we go, whether it’s the East Coast, West Coast, or Down South. What type of fans come to your shows? Count: Our fanbase is diverse. We keep it in the streets, but the females do what they do, too. We gear some of our music to the females. We got some songs for the guys, and some for the lil’ juvies, ‘cause they be out in the streets, too. Basically, we make music based on the last 6 months of our lives, so what’s currently going on the world, you gon’ hear in our music. We make music for the streets, for our hood. I wish I could tell you something different, but we ain’t in the corporate buildings downtown, so I can’t tell you about that. I’m in the streets every day. We’re in the streets right now while I’m talking to you. As Chicago artists, what attracted you guys to Bike Week in Myrtle Beach? We just wanna be a part of whatever’s going on. That’s how we’re getting our music and our movement out there. We go everywhere that’s poppin’. What it is about L.E.P and The Bogus Boys that makes y’all different from the legions of other independent rap groups? Our story. We’re different. Our streets is different—they’re more structured. You need to hear about our political prisoners. We structured these organizations, and had these neighborhoods under control where it wasn’t all wild out here like it is now. They took the structure out of the streets when 18 | OZONE
they locked up our chiefs and our leaders. It wasn’t all this random killing before then. We got a serious story to tell; this is a Chicago thing, and plus we’ve got some really good music. We’ve got cool production, nice features, and it’s real professional. It’s on point, and it’s industry ready. Big Rugg: We don’t advocate violence, we only talk about what we see. We put out 120,000 copies of our mixtapes last year, we got 60,000 out in the streets right now. We’ve done the Raw Report, The Source, and a couple of other small magazines. Our grind is so ugly. We’ve got our wrapped vans, a hundred miles moving. A label is gon’ really have to come get it with us, and put they money where they mouth is. Not too long ago, you released a Yung Berg diss. Where did that come from? E: Yung Berg used to be on our label. He tells everybody that DMX signed him, but actually we were in a meeting in New York with DMX. I wasn’t gonna go with the deal they were trying to offer us, because we weren’t getting enough from the label. [Yung Berg’s] dad lied and said he had left his bag in the meeting room; he went back in and got DMX’s number. Once we got back to Chicago we didn’t hear from Berg again. Then we found out he had went back up there and signed a deal with DMX. Shorty feels he’s in a good situation right now, but we’ll see where his career is when the real gangstas come through. We’re in his video, but we still dissing him. He knows he can’t come to the city without letting us in his video. So do you still have animosity with him? E: Until he straightens it out with Moonie I ain’t got nothing to say to him. I put $50,000 dollars into him for he and his daddy to be where they are. Yung Berg wanted to be on so bad, he would cross his mother or father to get in the game. Okay, so getting back to L.E.P., tell me about your current label situation? Moonie: We’re independent now. Infared is our label. We were with Sony, but when Larro got killed, the label kinda got scared. We got off the label and started pushing the music ourselves. We’ve had a few labels call us offering 360 deals. We don’t want a 360 deal. We’ve been good by ourselves, why would we get into a situation where somebody can control our music? Website: www.myspace.com/bogusboyslep