If
you've ever heard a Bizzy Bone song, you've been privilege to
a glimpse inside. Haunted by memories of abuse and misuse, he's
turned his vial of anger into a positive, creative energy. Over
the course of time, I've had a rare opportunity to see behind
the curtain enveloping Bizzy, the face that he shows the public
as protection. He's an extremely intense individual. I wish the
printed page could convey the emotion and fervor that fills him.
Whether it's the underlying sensitivity to his past and friendships
gone sour, or the irritation at the hypocrisy of society, or the
joy in the love that he feels for his people, Bizzy makes no attempt
to hide or apologize for his true self.
Highly
intelligent, Bizzy tends to circle behind a straight answer to
a question. Expecting intelligence, his answers are to the point.
His words are directed at those who are ready to hear them, to
understand them. Bizzy has been misquoted, turned around and his
words used against him because of the impatience of the unlearned.
As you read his words, take the time to feel what he's saying.
Don't rush through them. The message is there, if you take the
time to care enough to see it.
This
interview actually happened over the course of one evening, but
it labored awhile before it finally came alive. It all started
with a seed and brought forth the fruit of discovery. It all began
at a local pub, one of the places where Bizzy feels safe and comfortable.
The date was September 11, 2000, the eve of Bizzy's birthday.
Because
so many people feel love for Bizzy Bone, the birthday drinks flowed.
We talked, we laughed and we found common ground on a lot of life's
aspects. I also saw his vulnerability, the vulnerability of which
so many have taken advantage. And that was enough for one night.
Weeks and phone calls went by and, when it seemed like it would
never happen, the call finally came and we hooked up. This night
was an extremely different vibe. Where the first night was light
and fun, this night was safe and comfortable. We met for dinner
with a few of Bizzy's friends, Big B, Mike Mike and Cisco. I was
immediately hit with the love that his friends felt for him and
the amount of love that he returned. These people were his safety
net. Even as an outsider, I felt safe. It's an easy feeling to
get used to. These people have Bizzy's back and, with this level
of comfort, Bizzy can be free to create. He's now free to spread
his wings and fly free to his potential, no longer forced to the
background. Take a minute and listen to any Bone Thugs song. You'll
see that he's always in the back, though its his voice that anchors
Bone Thugs and is the only thing that makes the group different
from any other rap group. But, no more. It's Bizzy's turn. And,
as the title of this article suggests, nothing's gonna stop him
now.
What
follows is the complete text of the interview. The only thing
left out is a question I had asked concerning Eminem. I left it
out due to my own embarrassment at having asked such a tired question.
If you're wondering, Bizzy has "no problem with Em'".
Read this two times, three times. Take time to hear him, to feel
him. Go below the surface of your own understanding. Enjoy
So,
what's up Bizzy?
I'm
just holdin it down, man. Coming out of hibernation, I got a few
things going on.
People
want to know what's happening with Bizzy Bone. What's coming,
what's up? I know you've got a movie coming out. Tell me about
the movie.
The
movie is called "Color of a Dream". To make a long story
short, it stars Sherman Helmsley, ya know, George Jefferson, Movin
on up, myself and a couple of other brothers who've done a few
movies. It's the story about four friends and a cop. All four
friends go their separate ways, I go the hustler route, one goes
the rapper route and two of them are doing some karate shit. It's
all behind the karate shit. They get into some trouble and come
to me for help. Eventually some things happen, but I'll save it
for the movie. I'm real proud to be a part of it. It's a little
project, nothing real big, nothing extravagant. I can put my hands
on the money, you know what I'm saying? I can see exactly where
it's going. It prepared me for future ventures. That's what that
did for me.
How
did you like doing the movie?
It's
cool. It felt like getting back in the swingit felt like being
with Bone. It was more of a teamwork thing. I was able to do my
little part, but I had to wait on others to catch up, you know,
to get to the scene. And there's a lot of patience involved, but
it was cool because, well, it was cool.
So
that's kind of a parallel you're making. You said it was like
working with Bone, you gotta wait for others catch up and get
to the scene. Is that kind of what you're saying? I mean, what
really is going on?
I'm
glad you asked that.
Are
you waiting for them to come up to the scene? What is it? Everybody's
heard different stories and wants to know. Today, I was online
and somebody that's supposed to know y'all said that you were
all still tight. Really, what is the mindset of everybody right
now?
The
mindset of everybody right now is Break our names down. You got
Layzie Bone. You got Krayzie Bone, Wish Bone, Flesh-N-Bone and
Bizzy Bone. It all derives from one family with different characteristics.
So, that's like the five senses. Me and Big B were in the car,
discussinghe was more or less talking to me about it. I think
the attributes of our characterscombined with the real, highlighting
the fakecombined with lustly waysand combined with the want and
the need to uplift and make a true commitment, not only to myself,
but to man, period, as a spokesman, as a person, as a human being,
you know, representing the planet. We had to go separate ways.
It started personal. Get away, move away, go back to my roots.
Go see my people. Go see my friends, the others who knew me when
I had nothing. You know, cause its deeper, the story was much
deeper. And in the meantime, lay low, don't speak on it. Don't
say too much of any fuckin thing and just see how things turn
out. And then, to be looked upon, like when you're quiet and you're
not saying nothing is allwhy doesn't he talk? He needs to talk.
He's not saying anything. You know they want me to talk, but I
don't wanna talk. Or, if I talk, and you cut me off, and you don't
let me finish my sentence to where I'm in a rock and a hard place
everywhere we go I can only play the little brother role for so
long. When I'm the one trying to use my motherfuckin mind and
use my brains to battle the enemies and be a true rebel, and not
lackluster, not lazy, and not happy just holdin my nuts with 6
figures when we making 8-9 for others. Waiting to put my hands
on the pie and feelin what it's like to do the right things in
the wrong positions and the wrong things in the right positions.
Cause that's the way I feel. I'm not a fuckin pawn. Runaway slave,
one of the last true fucking rebels, for real. We don't give a
fuck. And I don't mix with niggas comfort zone. A comfort zone
is a very important thing to a motherfucker. You know, they live
by that. That's their form of protection, including distrust which
is also a form of protection for that comfort zone that they've
created for themselves. It's gotten a little bit outta hand. I
think they're more so damaged and hurt about the whole situation,
and they feel helpless. They feel that there's nothing they can
do, so they settle for getting pimped and fucked.
Do
you think they're alright with the situation
They
keep getting fucked. They continuously You can tell me 100 times,
I love thy neighbor, don't love thy enemy. I love thy neighbor,
but you constantly sleep in the same house with the enemy, while
you're battling against somebody you consider your neighbor, Action
speaks louder than words. You know, I can take it at face value,
if that makes sense. I can only take it for what I know, for what
I can trust from what they've done. So, they're going on tour,
keeping the Bone thing alive. And I do side things. Bizzy Bone
one night stands, here and there, to keep my promotional thing
going on, so that I know that I'm up and still pushing, trying
to make moves and support the homies, support the mothership.
But, it's just time for a whole new renaissance. A whole new aspect
on this music. It's time for the blessing to come in. You've felt
the hatred. I've felt the hatred. I've sung the hatred. I've sung
death, now I'm going to sing life and everybody ain't up to speed
on that just yet.
So,
can y'all still work together? I know there's got to be some
I'm
more so worried about, would they really want to work with me?
Would they really want to talk about the things I talk about on
track?
So,
it's in their court right now?
The
ball's always been in their court, since day one. All I've ever
asked to do is base my operation where in the fuck I damn well
choose. I don't have to come out to LA and stay in the hotels
and spend up money. Send me ADATs and I can do it at home where
I'm safe and protected. And the eyes of the street are watching
me because they love me. Not somewhere I can go get robbed for
$100 worth of jewelry and all a motherfucker can give me is a
smirk or a smile. "Oh, we riders, Oh, we riders". Why
won't you speak about the issues in true form? Why is it always
clogged up with the thoughts of somebody with an invested interestin
the majority of the group?
So,
is there a fear that you have? I mean
Explain
Well,
you mention that you want to work where you feel safe and comfortable
Well,
I put down tracksLet me give you a few examples. Me and Pac did
a song on the Art of War. My first verse, he did my background
vocals. They erased those, kept one verse, put my homeboy in front
of me, another homeboy after me, then Wish at the end, without
consulting me. So, it's little stuff like certain songs that I
might want to be a single that she had the last decision on. And
they come to me, "Well, she told us to do it, B. She told
us to do it". They're grown men. And when it gets to be issue
after issue after issue after issue, it becomes a creative thing.
And the hunger to be able to say what you know needs to be said,
or what you feel in your heart, how you grew up, before you even
met anyone So, that's where I come from with the protection and
feeling safe. If I go to the studio If I grab the ADAT tape I
make the duplicates I send it out to you There can be no infiltration.
And you can do with it what you feel because I pre-plan. Cause
I know how you are. But it's just more of havin the ball in my
court, as opposed to the Elvis game. Why play the game where she
constantly puts the credit card down and, come royalty time, we
spent six months out there just to make it. Royalty time, that's
put on that, plus the front money you got, which has to be recouped
100%. And if you don't pay your taxes, 140%. So it begins to become
a "fuck you" game. And I realized it. But fear would
be the only reason to stay. But God gave us these brains to think
with. He didn't give it to us, you know Confusion, that's not
his way and right now, there's so much confusion going on, and
it's so deep and it's sosodeep, that in order for it not to come
out, the best thing for me to do is step back and go for what
the fuck I know.
So,
is it Tomica, or the rest of Bone that really started the split?
I
mean I'm gonna tell ya, I think sheshe was the true I said, "I
can smell your rigormortis a mile away from the morgue/the scorn
in your soul may tell you to humiliate you enemies/have you not
read the Art of War?/absent minded to the enduring/pouring your
cup of damnation in the midst of our world/no longer will the
look of medusa seduce the predecessors and the entrepreneurs".
Because it's so deep, and it's so in the crevice, that the best
thing for me to do is step back. So I believe she initiated it,
for sure. We were just fine with Eazy, just fine. Before we signed
contracts, he gave us $10,000 just, for like, our little trust
and to help us out. The contracts were shitty. Oh, the contracts
were shitty. He fucked us on those first contracts. He got us
with a standard, bullshit, 9-12 points with a kickback, take .50
off the top and that .50 becomes 100% and the , you know, just
a bunch of rhetoric and a bunch of ruse. That's just entailed
because we were young, dumb and full of music. But, after that,
you know, we could have got over that with good sense. But , right
now, there's more bullshit in the game. Eazy could be in the video
with me, not his wife, and vice versa, you know. There's just
certain things you don't do. Certain things that I'm not down
with, you know. And I don't agree with the shit, but it's my folks.
It's my people, one love. I love you, but I just don't get down
like that. Don't knock me because I'm beautiful and I'm not fucking
scared. Don't knock me because of it. Love me. Embrace me. Know
that you have a solid man on your team and utilize it, even if
you think you can manipulate it, utilize the shit. Don't throw
it away. Don't try to embarrass it publicly and nationally so
you don't give it no safe havin to come back to when things get
rough, to the point where he creates his own safe haven within
himself. Run to no one, come to the creator. That's where I'm
at.
So
it sounds I mean, I don't want to put words in your mouth
No,
see, that's why you need to take these exact words and write them
down, and it will stimulate people's minds where they have to
intelligently think it out what I'm saying. There's certain things
you can't just come out and say. Words are dangerous. The tongue
is deadly. When it consists of the double edge sword, you get
the truth and you get the lies out of everything. But I have to
articulate it in a way that makes people think. Cause, right now,
I can't give it to anyone in laymen's terms because I'm still
waiting on a move. I'm still leaving that opening, that crack
in the door, that light at the end of the tunnel, so I can come
running home. But it's getting further and further down the line
and further down the line; I don't see that shit. I don't see
shit and I'm travelin with 7-8 niggas that love me, with children
and families that love them, that love us. But there's no room
for that. And I can't come by myself, cause these are the one
that, along the way, helped me to get here. You feel what I'm
saying?
I
feel that
And
if you just write it down and read it, you'll understand exactly
what I'm talking about. Just take some time and have a drink.
The words are better on paper because the voice has so many emotions.
How
did Bizzy Bone, from Columbus, hook up with these guys from Cleveland?
Well,
I started in Columbus, see. Ya know, I went through a lot of fucked
up shit in my childhood that I implement, sometimes, here and
there in my music, that help mold us. Like, you know, you spend
15 years of your life being a kid and you spend the rest of your
life trying to right the wrongs of them 15 years. Or deal with
the fetishes or lusts or wants, or whatever may beanyway I moved
through the foster care system and my sisters lived in Cleveland.
We're all from Columbus, northside, southside, eastside, Westside
(all y'all motherfuckers know what it is) We're all from Columbus
and shit and they moved up there with their father, and It's a
lot of bullshit that surround that shit, too. They came down and
got me and, in about two more weeks, I started living with them
fulltime. Soon as I got to Cleveland, it was like, my sisters
was, like, real raw ass, ghetto bitches, you know what I'm saying?
They sagged my pants and shit. They was runnin dope out the motherfuckin
house. It was my first experience with that, on that side, cause
I was constantly in the system of deprived children and they kept
me through the system and I got shuttled and I landed in the hood.
I landed in the motherfuckin hood. And they taught me how to do
this, how to o that, going through all that, my father, actually
BigB (I got a lot of fathers), he owned the home and he was doing
most of the shit and helping others do their little shit n the
side or whatever.
There
was a young lady who used to help him by the name of Pam. Now,
Pam would come over all the time and call me Steve, all the fucking
time. She was the sweetest woman you want to meet, and, it turns
out, that this was Layzie Bone's momma. Anyway, I guess we favored
each other, she told me he rapped. I told her I sang and rapped.
I wrote a rap down and left it for Lay in his room. Went to his
house, he lived like a street over, left it in his room. I went
home and I'm in there selling dope and shit, you know, just chillin,
and there's a knock on the door. I knew it couldn't be no fiend,
slim, fair skinned, young nigga like me. I open the door and he
was like, "you write this, man?" I was like, "yeah".
He said, "What's up, I'm Steve". I had seen him in school.
It was starting to jog my memory. We had passed each other. I
had asked him where the gym was, he was like, "Nigga, it's
right there", and it was right next to me. We hooked up and
sat down and we talked for like 3-4 hours and we bought some 40's
of this shit called White Mountain. It's like an easy drink for
beginning alcoholics. We sat down for like 5-6 hours. I left with
the nigga and I stayed by his side until we left for LA from that
day forth.
So,
what happened in LA?
After
he introduced me to Krayzie, he introduced me to Wish as his cousin,
introduced me to Flesh, his big brother, they, like, lived together,
there cam a point in time on 99th where niggas was selling dope,
niggas was selling dummies, shit was real motherfuckin rough.
And niggas started smoking sherms, that wet, fuckin embalming
fluid out in Cleveland. Somehow, I don't know what conspiracy
it came from, but the hood was saturated with embalming fluid.
They'd sell it in cigarettes. They'd sell it in joints and keep
it in the freezer and sell it in little vial bottles for like
$35, now that shit goes for $65, so I heard. Niggas started smoking
that shit and going crazy. There was a motherfuckers got shot
dead in the motherfuckin head in front of Ant's moms house where
we was at on 99th and they left him right there. And there was
more niggas getting shot and we said if we don't leave right now,
we don't make this move on this rap shit, because we always knew
we was gonna make it We had already put out this little album
with this motherfuckers named Kermitif we don't make a move, somebody's
gonna get killed. So, Flesh-N-Bone was working at KFC. He got
all the money. He, like, saved up 2,3 checks at like $6, 7, 800
a motherfuckin check. Plus, he know a couple people out there,
he was a connection. That whole Flesh-N-Bone link to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony,
that's a whole 'nother issue, that's a whole other side. So, he
knew a couple people down there. He fronted the money for the
tickets. We went down with a few pairs of drawers, a few shirts,
pants, sisters crying and shit. I had to leave my baby's momma
at the shelter. Niggas just basically left everything and told
the whole hood we was gonna make it. We gonna bring Eazy E here
and make a video. Niggas was videotaping and shit. It was real
pro-fucking-phetic. It was prophetic as fuck. I wasn't doin no
talking. I was just sitting back. I don't think them niggas like
my yellow ass, anyway, cause, you know, I don't give a fuck.
So
we made the move and took the 3 1/2, 4-day bus ride down to motherfucking
LA, hemorrhoids and everything cause I don't do public bathrooms.
But I got deuces on the toilet, so I was pretty cool once we got
back. We made it down to LA, seen the palm trees, tripped off
that, couldn't believe the shit, it was amazing. We'd only seen
the shit on TV. We ain't never been motherfuckin nowhere. You
gotta remember, I'm 16 years the fuck old. Like damn, heart pumpin,
got two babies and shit. It was crazy. Later on, I found I had
another one on the way. So, we had hooked up with these motherfuckers.
Two brothers named Mark and Hoop Phi Psi James, he grew up in
Cleveland with us, he was out in California, and a brother by
the name of Dante, he lived in South Central. We went over Dante's
house, got fucked upEventually, we left with Mark and James because
we knew James from the hood. I used to run little 40's and 50's
for James when I was a little 14 year old nigga to make a little
scratch to feed my family and shit when pops wasn't feelin like
doing a damn thing. Scott knew him real well because they played
on the same basketball team and they had this little motherfucker
who called himself a manager named Gerald. Gerald kept money in
they pocket. He was trying to get one of them boys down to Egypt.
It was basically a good deal gone bad. What he did washe did all
his little dirty work on the backs of them. He got 'em for fiend
prices, doing three times the man work for cash. You know, $3-4,000,
they get a crib that cost $700 and a TV, gotta eat, wanna smoke
weed, you know, they used all that money up. They got us an apartment
down here in Celia, California, but we callin around, we callin
Eazy E, callin everybody, settin up appointments, getting in as
close as we can, using all the contacts we can. Lay was doin most
of the callin. I was more or less sittin back, letting them niggas
take charge. I'm 16 years old and I gotta learn, just to let you
know where I was and what was going on. But, eventually, we moved
out to this little suburb, shit got rough for us. We started doing
dirty shit out there. Them niggas just left us out there, then
Gerald became the only person we knew out there. One nigga started
having a baby, so he left with this chick. The other motherfucker
went back to Cleveland. The rent was due, we didn't have shit.
Shit was crazy. The earthquake had hit. It was the only place
there wasn't all that much damage and they wanted their motherfuckin
paper. They wanted their money, flat out. But we went through
what we went through. We scuffled, we scrounged, but , anyway,
we ended up in South Central. That's the only place we ever would
have made it anyhow. I was just happy to have somewhere to rest.
Now, I got my baby's momma down there with me, pregnant, Lay got
his girl down there with him, they son. You know a lot of mysterious
hit happened within that. Whenever a nigga's head was turned,
you got to know that, you got to know that when you feel it. You
got to know that when you stand next to a nigga and your vibeit's
all about vibrations. I know we been here before, but you just
can't think that deep yet. After that, we went to South Central
with Dante.
Finally,
one day, Eazy E called. Finally, Eazy E called us and we were
up in Dante's wife's room and he was like, "What's goin on?'
I was like, "Man, who is this?"-I had answered the phone.
"This Eazy E."
"Man, don't play with me, man. Quit bullshittin, Steve, dog"
"Nah, man, it's really me, man. What's up nigga? Look, I'm
in the studio", then, you know, he's doing his little shit.
He was in there with ATL Hutch, Cold 187
I said, "for real", then I was like "check this
out, nigga, I'm on the phone with Eazy E". I was excited
as a motherfucker, whatever. I handed Krayzie the phone. We was
like, "do that shit you wrote". Krayzie got on that
bitch and spit, bddda, bddda, shotgun, fire, pistolwhip shit.
Ant, you know, he was very intense, he's Krayzie Bone. So, he
shot it at him and shit. And the motherfucker told him, "Hold
on, hold on, I want my nigga to hear that shit". And he gave
the phone to Cold 187 and let him hear a whole 'nother one. He
didn't say the same on to him. E was like, "I'm gonna come
pick all y'all niggas up. I'ma call you back", blasé,
skippy, whatever he was telling Ant and shit. So Ant hung up the
phone. We was jumping up and down and shit like, "It's on,
nigga, ooh, I'm bout to get a cigarette".
There
was these Mansfield crip niggas that lived around in that area
who really embraced us. Nigga by the name of joker, raw, real
nigga. Real LA niggas that took us in and looked out for us. Some
of they homies wanted to come over and trip on us cause we was
goofy as fuck. We didn't know, we was from Cleveland, man. Niggas
got on red and black and blue. We all standin together with Starter
jackets on. Nigga got a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket on, another
nigga got a Chicago Bulls and another nigga got a blue Michigan
jacket with the yellow on it, and that's what saved us. That was
Mansfield crips colors, Michigan, that blue and motherfuckin yellow.
They embraced us from there. That's just good vibes. That's that
kinetical shit. People travel time to get that.
We
just sat around there and after Eazy called, Dante's wife, Dina,
heard Let me tell you how Satan came in. Dante's wife, Dina, heard
that he called, she was already tripppin on us, wanted us out
the motherfuckin house. And the bitch had greatness confined under
them four walls. She had greatness. It was right there and we
was together and couldn't nothing stop what we wanted. Nothing
and nobody. We would have died for that shit, and we did die for
it. It just depends on how you look at it. But, um, she locked
the phone in her room and left the house. Could you imagine how
we felt as the phone continued to ring? It's one chance in a lifetime.
She got home, niggas couldn't even say shit, it's the only place
we lived. Bitch was evil. She's strippin now, though. She's strippin
now.
That's
where it comes back.
Then
we look on TV, on the box when it first came out, and Eazy E popped
up. He had a show in Cleveland at Levert's. That's when we went
back. That's when he heard a nigga rap, and that's when he put
us on. Three weeks later, we had a motherfuckin album, or an EP,
three weeks later, it went gold. We came out with Eternal, that
hip-hop classic. Then, from then on, that's when the destruction
came in. To me, that's when E died. He took a piece of us with
him, you know, a big piece.
So,
what's on the album? When is it? What's on it? See, there's this
song going on around the internet, "confessions" they're
calling it. It's not on anything that's released. You gonna release
it?
Some
things are put in some places for a reason. I like the internet
because it's for the little guy. I plead the fifth on that.
OK,
so, what about the album?
Aah,
the new Bizzy Bone stuff. I think it's gonna surprise everybody.
It's gonna go against the grain. I know everybody thinks I be
screaming and hollering. It's gonna really shock a lot of people.
I shocked myself. It was a real good time for me when I made the
album. I was in real good spirits. I had a purpose in mind making
the album. I was flowing too. It was in the midst of a creative
harvest, you could say. It's just a beautiful thing. It's called
"The Gift"
So,
when does it come out?
That's
a well-kept secret. It'll be before the year 2000 is out.
What's
the first single?
Another
well-kept secret. It'll be out well before the year 2000 is.
Who
is Mitchell Johnson?
That's
one of those kids who shot up those schools. There was so many
of them. Near the end of '97, beginning of '98, this was before
Columbine, I sort of attacked that issue immediately cause I felt
that it was not just the ghetto anymore. It got more worldwide.
If you notice, a lot of those young boys was on medication. What
about the doctor that was prescribing those pills. What affect
did that have on them? Nobody really asked the proper questions.
There had to be reasons. I just decided to talk about it. Put
my thoughts behind it.
Who
was your first rap influence?
DOC.
My first real rap influence. LL, kinda, but DOC really brought
that flow to me. Of course, Rum DMC, those forefathers. A lot
of roots lie just in lyrics. Lots of different Cab Calloway, that
I used to see with my grandfather. A lot of stuff played a big
part in the whole movement. It's a renaissance, a whole new thing.
Where
are you in 5 years?
Hopefully,
I'm doing the right thing. Hopefully, I'm working for the right
force. Hopefully, on the right page. Whatever's meant to be, man.
Do
you still see yourself in this game in 5 years? Still putting
out albums. Are you still Bizzy Bone?
I'm
always gonna be Bizzy Bone. That'll always be a part of me. But,
that's not the extent. A lot of things, I leave exempt. I'm not
going to present myself to the world with the name given to my
father by an oppressor. I present myself on a totally other level.
I might be a bad kid, but that don't mean I'm not going to be
a good adult.
What's
up with 7th Sign?
7th
Sign is constantly moving. The artists are doing real good, keeping
their heads up, above water. They give me plenty of space. They
get in where they it in. They play their part. They star in their
own movie. Everybody plays a different part. We lost some people
along the way, but that's all in the game. Business and friendship
don't mix. I try to keep them working. I keep it steady, some
kind of cash flow in they pockets. They do their part. Are they
working with you? Are they putting out their own thing? They work
with me. We're sorta letting it work itself out. We got a lot
of good ideas. When a good foundation presents itself, we're gonna
strike. There's a lot of good things waiting.
What
artists are on 7th Sign?
We
got Big B, starred in the Change the World video, also performed
on the album. We got Capo, my little brother, who was on Heavenz
Movie. Mina Ross, my little sister who did some production on
Heavenz Movie, also. Little Louise, from New England, an R &
B singer. Young brother by the name of Roo. I got him out of prison.
He's the baby, the light that shines. A young lady by the name
of Lea, from Hawaii, with a broad, new style, new sound of music.
She's the new millennium's Sade, the new millennium's Alanis Morrissette.
She isn't even in her prime yet. Those are the artists. They're
great artists.
You're
about ready to take on 2001.
God
willing. Life willing. We're that ready to spread the message.
What
is family?
Family
is a comfort zone. Family members are the people that surround
your comfort zone, surrounds you to become your comfort zone.
Where
do you see hip-hop right now?
It's
just going through phases. It's going through different changes,
just like music does. And as far as Em (remember I told you I
left out a question) goes, you never knock the next man for his
accomplishment. You neversee, a critic is just critical cause
he's a hypocrite. Because to criticize and be so analytical to
he point where you make something bad out of something good, regardless.
You find something no matter how hard you have to dig. I can't
sway that way, so, on Em, I have no problem with what he's doing.
And. As far as hip-hop, it's about being free, speaking your mind
and it's about speaking the truth. There's a generation out there
that's crying for answers and won't nobody tell them the truth.
And the answers that they get on their own, they want to get deeper.
Because they know someone that can tell them right away what's
going on. They'll go as far as the government and get as far as
the answers that they have, but they'll never let the people know.
Those are things that we need to know to enhance ourselves and
that's just the stupid stuff for the unenhanced; for the person
who isn't as intelligent. What about them? What about them? They're
screaming. They're fucking crying out with these wack-ass raps
and shit like that. Talking about dumb shit all the time. I mean,
there's your fair share of that. Right now, that is the consciousness
of our youth. No one's giving them any awareness. In other words,
they're fucking scared.
You
talking about all the bling-bling shit?
No,
I'm not just talking about all that. I'm not going to stigmatize
it. Everyone says that. I'm not everyone. I'm different. I'm not
eccentric and I'm articulate. I have real virtue, it's not an
infected hatred. We're not of this world, not of these worldly
ways. But we may take on some others that we're so strong against.
One day, it'll highlight the phoniness in all of 'em.
I
have a problem with all the bling-bling business because I feel
that it's misleading a lot of people and taking them away from
the true cause that their lives should be.
There's
so much deeper problems than hip-hop. It's not a hip-hop artists
duty to do this, and to be crucified when others are pacified.
How can you criticize one and not the other. If they're both in
wheelchairs, they're both handicapped. So, now, let's make a movement
as a society. Don't try to just change what I fuckin do, change
what you fuckin do, and what your boss fuckin does. Quite hatin
on my shit because it's sellin. Let's change the world. Don't
put me in a group because I'm of a lower class and because I don't
have as much power as you do. That's not fair and I'm gonna fight
it, cause I'm a fuckin rebel. Help me. Tell me the right way.
But you'd rather fight me and try to correct my wrongs and not
even look at yourself. I just need to evolve, but you need to
change now. Fuck that. That's wrong and I don't agree with that
shit.
There's
a lot of people talking now about hip-hop artists sharing responsibility
for leading the community.
Community
should be responsible for leading the community which produces
the hip-hop artist. They all came from the community. You cannot
put these servants and slaves on a pedestal. You go carry the
community and maybe that's all they can see. Now, if they don't
see the poverty, they don't see the guns, they don't see the sex
and viciousness and the graffiti on television from white corporate
Americachange that. That's the problem. Why pick on me? Or pick
on them? When that's all they've ever seen and the only thing
that they got to hold on to that doesn't wear down in their body;
that doesn't strip their minds. It's not just about the individual
rap artist. It's about the people he's singin to. When they hear
them, when they see them people shine; it's like when you see
the lights on the landing pad. Even if you don't think you have
enough gas to get there, it's comforting to see it. You can see
it, or you're there. If you can see it, you can reach it. Even
if you gotta die to get there.
You
don't think that you, Bizzy Bone, have a responsibility to
I'm
different. I'm different. When I speak, I speak for my people.
I don't speak against my people. Everything I do, as a man, as
a community leader, as someone who children look up to I go to
schools, I do this. I talk to kids. I tell them about education.
I do school tours. I'm responsible for my own actions, and, yes,
I am responsible. I am, but not everyone else. Not every singlefuck
thatyou won't pick on everybody. You wanna pick on somebody, pick
on somebody your own size.
So,
it's the "I'm not a role model" kind of thinking?
No,
it's not no "I'm not a role model". I'm not saying,
"I'm". I'm saying everyone is not a role model. I'm
saying I am. But everyone isn't. Everyone isn't. Everyone isn't
equipped to do it. They don't have the mental capacities. They
have to do the wrong thing and they have to have experience to
live. That's livin-experiences. That's the way you live. You learn.
And there's babies out here. They're fuckin babies. That's how
I feel. I'm just likefuck that. You're not going to just pick
on my young brothers or my young sisters. There's no way out.
The system is designed for them to fail. They don't teach them
anything dealing with their heritage. They don't teach them shit.
They give them a month.
The
shortest month
I
mean, it's ridiculous. It makes no fuckin sense. You gotta wait
four fuckin years to get an extra day. That's a lot to be dealt
with right now. If we gotta stop, if we gotta stop some things,
we gotta start from the top. Kill the head and the body will die.
That's where the brain is. That's the computer. Kill the head,
the body will die. It'll just wither the fuck away. There goes
the oneness. We could go back to tradin furs and diamonds. What
the hell are we exchanging bullets for? There's energy and electricitythere's
electricity in our bodies. There's sensors in money. You don't
think there's no attraction to that? You don't think it correlates,
one to the other. There's a lot of things to factor in. There's
a lot of discussion. There's a lot of changes. To get down to
the bottom line, the truest essence, hip-hop won't do it. I'm
sorry. It just won't. Maybe I can help, but it doesn't mean everyone
else can. It doesn't mean everyone else wants to.
So,
after this album, what's next?
I'd
like to get back in the studio with 7th Sign. I've put together
a couple projects, turn in another album in six months, put that
out. Shoot a movie here Those are my plans. I really want to show
the love, to give the love back. I'll feel better when I'm able
to put a video out from herebring something to the city that no
one has, yet. Or, that some have and just add to that stock. I
don't have to be the forefather, just a part of it.
What
other artists are you feeling right now?
I
like Wyclef's new album. He's shown me a lot of stuff with his
new album, a lot of versatility. Of course, Lauryn Hill. She's
a blessed young lady. Always gonna feel Pac; friend, ally, fearless
soldier, rebel. There's a few others, but those shine.
You
think TuPac's still alive?
You
never know. I have my hopes and, if there's a chance, I send him
all the love. Stay safe, nothing but love, nothing but hugs and
thugs.
If
it was in your power to make anyone in your business quit, just
get anther job in another line of work, who would it be?
Tomica
Wright
At
this point, is there anything else you want to say?
I
just want to say that I believe it's the search. It's the rush
of the search. It's the opportunity to do that. It's life. It's
living. Feel the experience and using the mind that God gave you
and the goodness that's been instilled in you since the day you
were born. The one thing that's solid-there's right and there's
wrong. Like a good friend told me today at dinner, you have that
from day one. Use your good judgment. To all my young homies out
there, think with your big head, not your little head. To all
of the sisters out there, all that glitters is not gold, even
if it's platinum. Hold it down. That's about it, till next time.
To the internet world, I send my love. This is BB, 7th Sign, yes
indeed. We got some more stuff coming, titillating, stimulating
your mind. That's about it. No longer DeCarlo Gambino, just Bizzy.
I'm black and I'm Italian, germanfuck it, I'm a man first.
