Okay, I was curious about a few things about my future husband Curtis Jackson, so I set up an interview with him, and here it is!
What do you think are the top 5 rules that anybody from the street needs to follow?
1.)Stay to yourself… just listen… do more listening than talking… the more you speak the higher the chances you sayin the wrong thing… it’s funny cuz they always place me in a position where I gotta talk
2.)Be aware of your surroundings… be aware of who’s around you.. .you know?
3.)If you start hustling… then don’t pay a person what they deserve.. pay them what they accept…that’s good business… even if you’re not hustlin’…pay them what they accept.. because you can capitalize off of people.. In business there’s people who have talent and there’s people whose talent is to take advantage of people who have talent.. that’s their talent like Steve Stoutman.. the guys behind the scenes get a lot of money
4.)Be prepared to do whatever you have to do… if you get put in a situation where your back is up against the wall… let your gun go off… you know.. I mean I think if that doesn’t happen…if that’s missing from you that you’ll be a victim.. you know sometimes either or.. either you are a victim or you victimize someone and in the hood it’s no holds barred… there’s no way around that.. the kid in the schoolyard that doesn’t want to fight always leaves with a black eye… you know what I mean? you can believe that….the situation come you gotta response….you have to prepare youself cuz everyone is not a bad person.. when you walk in your home you don’t have to maintain the same attitude that you had out in the street.. you can be different with your people and your family than you are with a person that you run into in the hood.. even them they have to know to respond to you differently in the hood cuz if people see something out of the character that they portray you.. they’ll try you.
5.)Concentrate on your money man.. try to hold your paper… it takes money to make money so save your money… opportunites come .. if you don’t have finances to jump on them or at least room to support yourself while you’re tryin to move into new situations… then you can’t even evolve…like you may see someone in your neighborhood that makes music or do whatever else.. & I would say to the hood.. get into the music business.. this is the business that you have absolutely no requirements… you listen to music.. you need no college degree… you don’t need no.. matter of fact you could’ve been whoopin some heads.. and people seen you and they afraid so they need you around for support… you know..some artists wanna portray that they gangsters …they need gangsters around em to support them to make them feel that .. it’s ok to say that or portray what they are portraying because you co-signin it.. you know..
2.)Be aware of your surroundings… be aware of who’s around you.. .you know?
3.)If you start hustling… then don’t pay a person what they deserve.. pay them what they accept…that’s good business… even if you’re not hustlin’…pay them what they accept.. because you can capitalize off of people.. In business there’s people who have talent and there’s people whose talent is to take advantage of people who have talent.. that’s their talent like Steve Stoutman.. the guys behind the scenes get a lot of money
4.)Be prepared to do whatever you have to do… if you get put in a situation where your back is up against the wall… let your gun go off… you know.. I mean I think if that doesn’t happen…if that’s missing from you that you’ll be a victim.. you know sometimes either or.. either you are a victim or you victimize someone and in the hood it’s no holds barred… there’s no way around that.. the kid in the schoolyard that doesn’t want to fight always leaves with a black eye… you know what I mean? you can believe that….the situation come you gotta response….you have to prepare youself cuz everyone is not a bad person.. when you walk in your home you don’t have to maintain the same attitude that you had out in the street.. you can be different with your people and your family than you are with a person that you run into in the hood.. even them they have to know to respond to you differently in the hood cuz if people see something out of the character that they portray you.. they’ll try you.
5.)Concentrate on your money man.. try to hold your paper… it takes money to make money so save your money… opportunites come .. if you don’t have finances to jump on them or at least room to support yourself while you’re tryin to move into new situations… then you can’t even evolve…like you may see someone in your neighborhood that makes music or do whatever else.. & I would say to the hood.. get into the music business.. this is the business that you have absolutely no requirements… you listen to music.. you need no college degree… you don’t need no.. matter of fact you could’ve been whoopin some heads.. and people seen you and they afraid so they need you around for support… you know..some artists wanna portray that they gangsters …they need gangsters around em to support them to make them feel that .. it’s ok to say that or portray what they are portraying because you co-signin it.. you know..
What does "50 Cent" mean. How exactly did you come up with it?
50 Cent is a metaphor for “change” But originally it was a gangster from Fort Greene Projects named 50 Cent and I took the name when he passed…and because he’s not active, I thought it’d be cool to take it and now everytime they hear it, they go ”Yo Remember.. and they remember him so through me you’ll hear him and you won’t forget him…even if my situation is gonna make him remember it for a long time.. I took somebody that I thought wouldn’t be remembered and made it into something else.. it’s cool you know…
So what's up with you and Ja Rule? I mean there was a lot of drama around the whole "beef" between Murder Inc. , and Aftermath, and G-Unit. Is there any particular reason you dislike him?
Me?, I don’t really dislike Ja Rule… I dislike what happened to Ja Rule… It's like he’s not strong enough to stand on his own in any situation… right now he’s probably terrified… without the support of people he would have around… he’s gonna be lost. See I’ve been on my own so I’m comfortable…you know what I mean? in situations… and he ain’t gonna be comfortable in that situation.. you still gotta move forward.. you know so we’ll see what he is…now is mood changed.. things he said he stopped sayin them… now there’s certain people not around to help him
So, you don't like who he became?
Yeah… when you get in a point when you generate finances for people like you generate finances in a circle of people… they gonna treat you different.. they gonna treat you like as if you’re gonna bring the money.. you’re the cash cow.. so they ain’t gonna disrespect you… they gonna treat you like you one of the crew.. you’re a member of what’s goin on.. But in all actuality.. you haven’t been in the trenches .. you haven’t done any of the things that these guys did.. you need them around in order for people to go “Naw don’t do that to him… cuz homeboy be holdin him down…cuz this guy is cool with them”.. but it’s never because of you… you see what I’m sayin? I think he kinda got pushed over into that situation
So he's the product of that?
yeah…like what I was sayin about the gangsters getting involved with the music business… I think that happened to him.. you know what I was sayin…I try to be general when I speak about these situations since because they try to make like.. people try to make like I’m responsible for situations that go on.. like Murder Inc just had some issues with the Feds and they’ll say .. 50 cent be sayin this and that… like they don’t see these “idiots” they supposed to be gangsters… jumpin around in videos like rappers.. you see what I’m sayin.. like ME.. like “I” made the police look and say “Oh that’s this guy”.. Everybody and your mama see you on TV fool.. if you’re a gangster.. what you doin on TV? You see what I’m sayin? it don’t take me to tell you.. “You’re John Gotti boy.. you like fancy suits.. you want people to notice you when you go to the clubs you want to do everything else and you go down like John Gotti go down when you do that..
Gangsters behind the scene don’t say nothing… they keep putting in work.. they gonna keep doin it.. you see what I’m sayin.. there’s a line that’s drawn…there’s some gangsters in NYC… NYC is run differently.. Los Angeles…they got a gang structure… they run LA from the pens.. cuz the older dudes in the structure are already down doing time for other things so they still call the shots in the joints…so NYC is more like on a drug situation.. so if they not eatin out of a situation .. they don’t care.
I could buy 10 bricks break em up.. we got 20 different spots… we got 5 people down on each ½ a brick… next thing you know the city is G-Unit and we shootin anything. That’s not my intentions.. that’s not what I want to do.. that’s not what I’m after. Now that I have the opportunity to do something positive, I want to stay positive.. it’s hustling backwards in my eyes… when I can earn money legitimately… this is what I want to do anyway.. know what I’m sayin? like I found what I’m supposed to do… you get shot 9 times you feel like you here for a reason specially when the guy shooting you is as close as you and I… you gotta feel you here for a reason… besides the fool being a professional leg shooter… you gotta feel God made the shells land where they land… so I look at all my situations and everything that I go through..
I know I kinda got off of Ja Rule… but I try to not focus on Ja Rule cuz that boy is not makin me sell records and now he’s actually on the down spiral… he’s goin down.. all that lollipop.. him and Ashanti is damn near a group… this is the second duet they did together… and when I look at her.. am I trippin or is her sideburns thick like Eddie Munster… you see what I’m sayin… take us away and get her groomed and get her a choreographer.. cuz all of this the same flippin her hair.. . that ain’t gonna work…how many videos you gonna do the same thing?
Gangsters behind the scene don’t say nothing… they keep putting in work.. they gonna keep doin it.. you see what I’m sayin.. there’s a line that’s drawn…there’s some gangsters in NYC… NYC is run differently.. Los Angeles…they got a gang structure… they run LA from the pens.. cuz the older dudes in the structure are already down doing time for other things so they still call the shots in the joints…so NYC is more like on a drug situation.. so if they not eatin out of a situation .. they don’t care.
I could buy 10 bricks break em up.. we got 20 different spots… we got 5 people down on each ½ a brick… next thing you know the city is G-Unit and we shootin anything. That’s not my intentions.. that’s not what I want to do.. that’s not what I’m after. Now that I have the opportunity to do something positive, I want to stay positive.. it’s hustling backwards in my eyes… when I can earn money legitimately… this is what I want to do anyway.. know what I’m sayin? like I found what I’m supposed to do… you get shot 9 times you feel like you here for a reason specially when the guy shooting you is as close as you and I… you gotta feel you here for a reason… besides the fool being a professional leg shooter… you gotta feel God made the shells land where they land… so I look at all my situations and everything that I go through..
I know I kinda got off of Ja Rule… but I try to not focus on Ja Rule cuz that boy is not makin me sell records and now he’s actually on the down spiral… he’s goin down.. all that lollipop.. him and Ashanti is damn near a group… this is the second duet they did together… and when I look at her.. am I trippin or is her sideburns thick like Eddie Munster… you see what I’m sayin… take us away and get her groomed and get her a choreographer.. cuz all of this the same flippin her hair.. . that ain’t gonna work…how many videos you gonna do the same thing?
Speaking of Aftermath, lets talk about Eminem, and Dre. What do you think of them?
I think Eminem is the best period.. the best… I think he raps.. he may not be my favorite person to listen to all the time… but he does rap about his real life issues.. if not you wouldn’t know how he feels about his mother.. who Hailey is, who Kim is…those situations.. he’s using his real life situations.. that’s what I do. You see what I’m sayin... so I respect it when I listen to it. I enjoy it cuz it’s really what’s going on with him and how he feels .. he’s expressing it through his music. I do the same thing … so I look at and go.. he’s one of the best to me like when I listen to him I go .. dag.. and then I get to work beside him so I know how much he puts into how his music comes out… like it’ll be 2 days he’ll be working on one song.. he’ll stop and then after it’s done, the actual making of the song process is not a long process, but he’ll sit there and keep working on it til he’s like.. he’s a perfectionist… think he get it from Dre but they really perfectionists…
Has any of that rubbed off on you in anyway?
It’s starting to rub off cuz I start to make sure before I send them a record.. cuz I would do a record and send it to them to see what they think and now I kinda put it together better because .. after Dre records vocals with you .. you pick up things from him.. cuz he’s the best producer I’ve ever worked with and when you record with someone and they change your process … means you learn something in that situation so now when I go in the booth and record records on my own.. they could be in LA, Em could be in Detroit and I’m working on a record here, I kind of record it how I think Dre would do it… you see what I’m sayin…so I know that I’m pickin up new things from bein around them and they should expect my music to be even better
Whats your definition of a real man?
Of a Real Man? that’s a difficult question.. I think it's someone who handles his responsibilities.. take care of all of his responsibilities. I mean no matter how by any means take care of your situations.. I mean that’s a general question.. for a real man.. that’s a hard question to answer.. I know I take care of my responsibilities by any means.. that’s why I said that… so it might be considered the wrong thing.. what I would do.. I really feel like the only excuse for you being broke is being in jail.. I said that on “Hide the Law" If you’re not doing something.. like hustle.. do something.. get “rich or die tryin’… I mean if you’re not doin anything and you got… like you don’t have goals and you got nothing to do.. thetn you might as well go jump off something… you know you just wastin the air.. you know what I mean?
What prompted you to get into the game initially?
After I got shot I didn’t have money to go to mixshow at radio with a record Wanksta I made that record a year before it came out.. so I had it sittin there.. I could’ve pressed it up, put it on vinyl and sent it out to mixshows at radio and went on my own. I had all these records recorded and could’ve tried to put the record out on my own.. the finances…
I could’ve did it … look when I got shot I was in the hospital for 13 days and I did a publishing deal in the hospital...so I got 125K advance... I was supposed to get another 125K after the album came out.. the company figured I got shot 9 times and I got in the face so they figured I couldn’t perform so they dropped the deal, I owned my publishing again and I just got a free 125K… so as soon as I healed up I could’ve put the record out myself but I fell back and kept working the mixed tapes until I got the right deal..I had deals on the table with Universal, Jive, J Records…Capitol… but Capitol…that’ would’ve been like…you cashin out.. you might as well buy guns with that and go back to the hood… hard…cuz it’s not going down over there for real…. Ha ha ha…
I could’ve did it … look when I got shot I was in the hospital for 13 days and I did a publishing deal in the hospital...so I got 125K advance... I was supposed to get another 125K after the album came out.. the company figured I got shot 9 times and I got in the face so they figured I couldn’t perform so they dropped the deal, I owned my publishing again and I just got a free 125K… so as soon as I healed up I could’ve put the record out myself but I fell back and kept working the mixed tapes until I got the right deal..I had deals on the table with Universal, Jive, J Records…Capitol… but Capitol…that’ would’ve been like…you cashin out.. you might as well buy guns with that and go back to the hood… hard…cuz it’s not going down over there for real…. Ha ha ha…
Now, I am like, in love with you, so tell me, are you available?
Available…I’m a bachelor baby...huh huh
Cool, so you mentioned that you recorded " Wanksta" a year before it dropped. Did Jam Master Jay produce it?
No… he didn’t produce it…that’s what the newspaper said…the newspaper always be sayin that… they put Jay all in the middle… mix us all up…like I had something to that situation..[JMJ being shot] I ain’t got nothing to do with that… we definitely had a relationship.. he taught me about song format… I didn’t even know how to count bars til I got around Jam Master Jay…
How long did you know each other?
We met in ’98…Like I could rap but I didn’t know how to put it in song format and the melodies and cadences… I got used to it with Jay…
How did him being shot affect you?
It’s crazy… but I know anything could happen… You know I seen Biggie go… seen Tupac go… nobody’s an exception…
Yeah, but knowing Jay personally, did that change your feelings at all?
Jay’s a little different cuz it’s personal I know him… but I know it’s not impossible.. nobody’s impossible.. you seen Aaliyah…plane fall… it’s crazy anything could happen.. and Left Eye…
So, do you miss him? Do you feel grief, or mabey even angry? I mean, how are you feeling about the whole situation?
Yeah…He’s a good dude… but where I’m from people get killed… things happen… where he got killed…people get killed there… I got shot not far from there in the same precinct…That’s how I got tied up in that scenario... cuz they go when you got a body and you have no answers you go…who his friends and ask who’s this guy's enemies…cuz the answers to who killed him is in there… you see what I’m saying? so… and if they can’t find him[the killer] by who’s your friends and whose your enemies…trust me between those two lines you’ll find out what just happened..
so when they say who’s his enemies and Jay doesn’t have a bad aura around him…so they don’t see anything much.. and then when they say “who’s his friends” and they go through it and you in the precinct where I grew up …you know .. they [the police] go “50 Cent.. oh shit well he’s not an angel.. he’s in the middle of some drama, you know? like they got me down.. they put me down in the newspaper next to Cat Pappy Preme and Tony Montona… like I’m notorious.. c’mon I’m not the hardest.. you know “homie”.. I’m not that hard.. I mean they’re really mixing me up like I’m somebody else like I mean and if I was a superhero… then I wouldn’t mind it…
so when they say who’s his enemies and Jay doesn’t have a bad aura around him…so they don’t see anything much.. and then when they say “who’s his friends” and they go through it and you in the precinct where I grew up …you know .. they [the police] go “50 Cent.. oh shit well he’s not an angel.. he’s in the middle of some drama, you know? like they got me down.. they put me down in the newspaper next to Cat Pappy Preme and Tony Montona… like I’m notorious.. c’mon I’m not the hardest.. you know “homie”.. I’m not that hard.. I mean they’re really mixing me up like I’m somebody else like I mean and if I was a superhero… then I wouldn’t mind it…
Thats how you portray yourself in your lyrics though, isn't it?
I’m not a gangster, I’m not a thug.. I’m just me… and if I feel like someone is trying to hurt me.. yeah I’m gonna hurt ‘em.. if you come and you ain’t coming right…I’m gonna blow your head off. The State of New York City says in defense you can use as much force as you feel like the person that is coming for you with .. so… so OK if I’m wrong than the law is wrong you know what I’m sayin … that’s really the way I felt…you know.
I don't know about ya'll but Im really feeling what he's saying. So with that, I have to go harass some other celebrity for you guys. Until the next interview!
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