http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1007/title.where-the-hell-have-you-been-shyheim/p.all
this interview took place prior to the Raekwon diss, the seeds were already planted as DX gets to the root of the problems between Shyheim and Wu Tang. The Manchild is all grown up, and he reveals his wisdom with candor.
HipHopDX: It’s been a long time since you’ve been in mainstream media. What’s been going on since your humble beginnings as an emcee/actor?
Shyheim: I had an album out and it was called, Man Child I was on Wu-Tang Records…that was umm, I wanna say ’99 and that was around the same time I was on The Parent Hood- the television show and I was in In Too Deep, the movie that had just dropped.
I didn’t know how to separate entertainment and being a recording artist from real life. With that said, I was livin’ a double life. I come from an era where you couldn’t say it if you didn’t do it. You know what I’m sayin’? So, all the shit I was talking about I was actually doing.
I caught a few cases, and I was on the run for a few years, which really strained my relationship with Wu-Tang because it was like…as a business, we need to put this album out but the law is looking for you. I was looking at them like, "Yo, we from the same hood." What you mean, “Go turn ya self in?” To the police? They wanted me to turn myself in. I wasn’t feeling that.
I decided to go on the run. I was on the run until I got caught and so I went to prison for three to three-and-a half years. It was on The Source cover, “Hip Hop Behind Bars.” I came home a couple years ago and started up an independent record label called, Bottom Up Records. I released an album called The Greatest Story Never Told.
It’s new for me because I never had my career in my hands. I was a kid and I had people making decisions for me. With my time away, I read a lot up on the industry. At the time, I had a lot of personal experiences in the industry, but I really didn’t have the book knowledge and so I educated myself. I came home and now I’m in tune with all the hottest shit out here in Staten Island. It's not just Wu-Tang. It’s a big world and it’s a big place out here. We on the come up, right now.
DX: Being that you’re still under 30, you have an interesting story to tell. If people really wanted to, they could place your story into a book or make it into a film and it would possibly be a fascinating display. If you could name that film or book that reflected your experiences, what would you call it and why?
S: A “Scarred Star.” The reason I would call it a “Scarred Star” is because I was scarred and had 300 stitches from the middle of my eyebrows to my cheek. It happened at a nightclub in Staten Island, when gang bangin’ hit hard in New York. Like I said, I was caught in the middle of that shit because I was a celebrity, but I was still with my friends and we were street niggas. I was caught up, real bad and I really didn’t have the guidance or the direction from someone to point me in the right direction.
I would call it a “Scarred Star” for several different reasons. I’ve been scarred mentally, physically, emotionally and as an artist. I’m one of those artists where my credentials and stats that I have, nobody in the game has those. Nobody has had two halftimes. I’m at a halftime in my career, as well as in my life. The first half, I was a kid who had a lot of things accomplished, so I think me coming back around…interests a lot of people because I was on a hiatus and it gave me room to grow as a man. I believe people are down to hear what’s on my mind. Check for me.
DX: Being that you are from Staten Island, New York you’ve been exposed to the harsh reality of the inner city. What are some of the beautiful depictions you could pull from growing up, in Staten Island?
S: I could say growing up in Staten Island we had unity. We were outcasts. We were part of the five boroughs, but it was “Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan...” We had our own love and our own, unique way of expressing that to each other. The beautiful thing about Staten Island was definitely the loyalty.
DX: Word. As of today, what’s up with your relationship with Wu-Tang outside of Ghostface Killah?
S: As a businessman, will I ever do records with Wu-Tang? Who knows? Personally, it’s like this man- if I get bit once, I’m not going back to get bit again. Those were my older brothers. Paint this picture. You’re looking up to older people, they have all the answers and they’re gonna help you- educate you and point you in the right direction. When you grow up and you’re be able to look at a man in his eyes and know what’s right and what’s wrong- love, loyalty, respect, trust and honor…and you can look at a man in his eyes and he’s not one of those, then the respect goes. Once the respect is gone, everything is gone. I don’t respect niggas.
DX: Wow. What’s your relationship like with Ghostface?
S: The reason why I can say that I don’t respect niggas is because a lot of people ask me on interviews, “Are you still Wu-Tang?” Where I come from Wu-Tang was Wu-Tang before the group. Is Wu-Tang still Wu-Tang? That’s the question. Dudes are just... I don’t fuckin’ know. I think money and egos change the fuckin’ people. To me, those aren’t the same people that I knew, so for the people that they are now…I don’t respect them. From the time and era from when I knew them and it was love, loyalty, respect, trust and honor- those dudes [back then] are my fuckin’ heart. You know how it goes. Shit changes. What can you do?
DX: What about Ghost though? That’s your cousin for real. So-
S: The same shit with Ghost. I don’t discriminate. It's like this: Aiight, this is the best way I can put it. It’s like when you broke together it's one thing, but when people reach a certain level and they get a certain amount of money, they hang around a different crowd. The people that they’re hanging around might have more. So the people will take from the people to go live this fuckin’ fantasy, when in all reality, everybody is still here. You feel that? Everybody is like, “Yo, you left us.” The whole world might think, it’s Wu-Tang; it’s Staten Island, and this and that.
You fuckin’ walk around here dudes like, “Yo, Shyheim the truth.” They can see and they can feel me. You can’t touch them niggas, man. You gotta better shot than me. If I don’t get called personally, “Sha, come open,” I’m not going to a show. Can I reach them? Do I have numbers? Sure. But I’m not calling you, muthafucka. I’m in the struggle; I’m in the grind…nigga reach out. You not here.
Every other crew passed the ball. You got Jay-Z shouting out to Memphis Bleek, “Here, take the ball!” You got Cash Money sayin’ “Here, take the ball.” Here I am, the youngest member of Wu-Tang, a dude who paved the way for those young artists [to be the Memphis Bleeks and Lil Waynes] and here I am runnin’ up and down the court, open for the lay up like, “Throw the fuckin’ ball.” Throw it to me… I’m gonna score! They’d rather go to the west coast and put the fuckin’ west coast Killa Bees on and stupid bitches who can’t sing [Blue Raspberry] and some Spanish nigga on the strength.
But nowadays, during the age of the computer you can’t be stopped now. Now there’s a problem. The truth must be told. The truth is, I’m Staten Island and that’s that.
DX: You really feel like nobody ever really threw you the ball?
S: They never threw me the ball.
DX: Aiight.
S: Fa’real. The whole world might look at it like, Wu-Tang put Shyheim on, but no, that never happened. Shyheim put Shyheim on. I got my first deal on Virgin Records with RNS on my own. I had my deal. My shit ain’t get fucked up until I started to think about runnin’ with my brothers and the dudes from my hood and stop fuckin’ with these crackers and start fuckin’ with my dudes. They had distribution, so I’m like I’m gonna let them put my third album out and get money for real. Niggas don’t handle shit right. So nah, they never passed me the ball.
Have you ever heard Shyheim on a Wu-Tang album? No. Have you ever went to a Wu-Tang show and saw Shyheim do a track, open up or do a Meth tour, a Wu tour? No. Why is this? Because I have something to say that they don’t want the people to fuckin’ know about.
Have you ever been around somebody who don’t wanna hang around you because they know that they can’t be the person that they made up in their head, because you’re around and you know [who they really are]?
DX: Word. [Laughs] Yeah.
S: Nah…y'all don’t want me around because I know the truth. None of y'all niggas bust guns, none of y'all niggas been to jail. No, no…you’re not tough! What made y'all tough is (that) we went 300 niggas deep and the hood held y'all down and y'all all kicked doors down, and fought together.
What happened when niggas got rich? They left everybody. But, here’s the flipside, and I tell niggas in my hood everyday. Niggas don’t owe anybody anything. Niggas are their own, man. Get out there and get your own.
I’m not crying…I do have career and I’m in a position that niggas will kill for. Everything that I’m saying is the truth because you can bare witness. You can see it yourself without me being involved. Do you think I want to be involved? Nah. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang..how? If I see them, I’d say what’s up but that’s it. I’m not gonna front for no cameras like we peoples, 'cause we aren’t.
DX: Outside of rap, you had a lot of visibility in television, when did you think the tables turned and things started to go in the opposite direction for career?
S: I didn’t have that guidance. My moms is a fuckin’ drug addict and my pops is in prison. My brothas was these niggas, you feel me? This was my guidance. Instead of fuckin’ schoolin’ me, like the gods, and giving me the true knowledge of myself, wisdom and understanding and setting me up right, niggas let me get fucked up in the politics and bullshit of the streets. At the height of my career, I was still being caught up in lil' bullshit and went to prison. But, you know what? The fucked up part about it was, is that I was a kid and I didn’t know no better.
DX: I always thought that what Memphis Bleek wanted the most, beyond anything was respect. Whether or not Jay is going to back him financially or not, as an emcee, I would think he wanted the respect. With that, you’ve performed with Big Daddy Kane, 2Pac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., do you ever feel like, your opportunity has passed to be a superstar emcee?
S: Nah. You know why? Because I’m not that. I was never in it for that. This shit was therapy for me. My moms was a dope head; my pops was a dope head, and as a kid, I was fucked up mentally. When Hip Hop came along, it was a way for me to say that my aunt died from AIDS, and I watched her deteriorate. For me, it was a way for me to express that and say it. It’s true to me.
I wouldn’t give a fuck- niggas will tell you, Shy think he regular like everybody else and that’s his problem. I was never in it for that. I don’t make shit up. This is my life.
Everything I say, I can prove. Everything is documented. I don’t give a fuck about people's response. I’ve met the best and I’ve touched mics with the best. To some people, I am the best. I’m good, as far as that. My joy comes from seeing lil’ niggas do their shit. My ultimate goal is to be big CEO, and gives dudes the opportunity to taste it, that haven’t tasted it. I’ve tasted it though. Some dudes will never be able to taste.
DX: Let’s talk about Bottom Up Records and your vision for the company.
S: I don’t believe in cheating people because I’ve been cheated. Each artist with Bottom Up is still independent or of their own. Of course, I’m going to make money with them, but overall, they're independent. It’s not just a record label but also a school of education. I want to educate each artist that comes through me about his or her own LLC, incorporation, etc. It’s not them personally doing business with Shyheim but corporation to corporation doing business. That’s the first step. Niggas will never be able to say that I did them dirty. I want to make my people stronger as a people.
DX: Let’s talk about the new album.
S: I’m very competitive. The album is incredible but Jay's album came out, Kanye's album came out, 50's [album] came out. I thought Kanye’s album was very, very, very good. I thought to myself, "You know what? This is my competition. Them lil' niggas are not my competition." I don’t care who you name. Those are lil’ niggas to me. The big dogs are my competition. I had to go back…and dudes are gonna have a problem this year. Whoever got a problem, fuck ‘em. If I ain’t getting money with you then we have problems. The funny part about it is, is that; I’m really [laughing] tough.
DX: [Laughs] What can we look forward to on the album, as far as concepts and production?
S: Concepts- well I’m concepts crazy. I touch abortion topics, “big brother, little brother” topics, coming up, prison topics, all that. I’ve never done the bouncy in the club, dancy dancy records. My shit is reality Hip Hop. If you like reality Hip Hop, about pain, solutions to problems, revolutionary shit, then you can check me for that. That’s what I’m all about- power of the people.
'Pac is gone. Who’s gonna say something? Everybody’s glorifying money, glorifying cars…Yo, I was happier when I didn’t have shit. Now I got some and I have to be skeptical when my phone rings. I can’t hang out because certain people want to hang with me cause they think it's cool.
DX: Word. Lots of people glorify the hustle and the good side of committing crimes. Let's talk about the dark side. Let’s talk about being behind bars.
S: Oh man, I’ve seen good shit in life, and when the reality came that I had money, I thought that I could spend it on a lawyer, I’ll beat it the case, I’ll bail out, etc… They didn’t care, they were like, “You little black nigga you’re going to jail. We don’t want your money.” To be placed behind bars and be a rapper or a celebrity or whatever and you’re nothing but a number- 0283873. That’s the reality.
I didn’t have the pleasure of being in protective custody. A lot of celebrities or rappers that go to prison, they really don’t see prison. Don’t get it fucked up… they’re not in general population.
The prison that I was in was a different prison that they were in. It was fucked up. It was weird because, all the niggas in the streets knew me from gang life, so I got in a lot of fights, drama and a lot of crazy shit. I grew up in that shit. I [realized] that it was time for a change.
White C.O.’s had choked me, I’ve seen them with nooses, and black babies tattooed on their arms, being hung. I’ve been called, “******” and I was out there like I didn’t give a fuck. I figured that I never wanted to go back. I never will sell drugs again and the time spent serving and being in jail not making anything isn’t worth it. I’d rather get a job.
I could have made more money working at McDonald's, than hustling on the block. Ain’t no more big drug dealers- that shit is over. It’s about education. You’re gonna work, regardless. Isn’t no sitting on your ass in prison. You’re gonna mop floors or do something. You either gone do it there or you can do it and be free. When you’re free you can open your refrigerator, you can have sex, or do whatever you want to do on your own or do it under the jurisdiction of a white man. You’re gonna do it.
When you get out of jail with a felony, what are you gonna do then? People don’t want people with guns and drugs, running their establishment. Who wants that? When you educate yourself, about business, you start to think that way too. Do you want a muthafucka working with you whose been convicted of armed robbery? We need to educate the people.
These little niggas are dumber than we were. They’re dumb as a doorknob. The realness to them, are the rappers from the late '90s. At least we had respect. I think my generation was the last generation. They didn’t have a KRS-One that told them about self-destruction. After 2Pac, there was nobody. They don’t got nobody tellin’ them nothing except to sell drugs and those guys haven’t sold drugs in 50 years.
When was the last time you packed a gun or sold a drug to glorify this shit? I don’t believe these dudes walking around with $500,000 bracelets and niggas are poor in the community. Niggas going to jail, 'cause they’re selling crack for survival… man, c’mon. All the rich niggas, should just put up something. Niggas put up money when the Twin Towers dropped, let’s invest in some black teachers, re-constructing our community and we dying everyday. It’s genocide here. Let's build some schools. We were stripped of our shit… we were stripped.
Spanish people, Africans and everybody got some shit to go back to- to their countries. We here, with nothing- our history, language… fuckin’ nothing. But the government allows them to talk that shit. They don’t wanna hear the shit I gotta say. That’s why I don’t get no radio play now… they don’t know what’s gonna come out my mouth. I’ma tell it like it is. These niggas are lying and they lied to me. I believed that shit. My daughter ain’t gonna go through that shit, B. When I came home from prison, I had a daughter. I’m playin' the game, for 18 years from now.
DX: What did you appreciate so much about Kanye's album? I’m curious.
S: He’s himself. That’s what I respect. Bottom Up. My slogan is “Be you, cause you can’t be me.” When I listen to Kanye, he touches on his emotions. You can never be wrong for that. I felt him. It made me feel him and I don’t feel a lot of rappers these days. Even though I’m not his type of dude. Kanye don’t talk about being tough, and he hasn’t been through, what I’ve been through, but I can relate to him. He seems cool. I can tell he’s not tryna be Common. I listen to a lot of niggas, like, yeah he tryna be like this nigga.
DX: Word, [laughing] I hear you. What was your most memorable experience in Hip Hop?
S: I got a lot of memories but I think my most memorable one is my man Big L. L was just a real dude. Everytime I was in his presence, it was Hip Hop. He was Hip Hop. He wasn’t a rapper, he was a brotha and somebody you can kick it with on some everyday life shit. He was a real nigga.
this interview took place prior to the Raekwon diss, the seeds were already planted as DX gets to the root of the problems between Shyheim and Wu Tang. The Manchild is all grown up, and he reveals his wisdom with candor.
HipHopDX: It’s been a long time since you’ve been in mainstream media. What’s been going on since your humble beginnings as an emcee/actor?
Shyheim: I had an album out and it was called, Man Child I was on Wu-Tang Records…that was umm, I wanna say ’99 and that was around the same time I was on The Parent Hood- the television show and I was in In Too Deep, the movie that had just dropped.
I didn’t know how to separate entertainment and being a recording artist from real life. With that said, I was livin’ a double life. I come from an era where you couldn’t say it if you didn’t do it. You know what I’m sayin’? So, all the shit I was talking about I was actually doing.
I caught a few cases, and I was on the run for a few years, which really strained my relationship with Wu-Tang because it was like…as a business, we need to put this album out but the law is looking for you. I was looking at them like, "Yo, we from the same hood." What you mean, “Go turn ya self in?” To the police? They wanted me to turn myself in. I wasn’t feeling that.
I decided to go on the run. I was on the run until I got caught and so I went to prison for three to three-and-a half years. It was on The Source cover, “Hip Hop Behind Bars.” I came home a couple years ago and started up an independent record label called, Bottom Up Records. I released an album called The Greatest Story Never Told.
It’s new for me because I never had my career in my hands. I was a kid and I had people making decisions for me. With my time away, I read a lot up on the industry. At the time, I had a lot of personal experiences in the industry, but I really didn’t have the book knowledge and so I educated myself. I came home and now I’m in tune with all the hottest shit out here in Staten Island. It's not just Wu-Tang. It’s a big world and it’s a big place out here. We on the come up, right now.
DX: Being that you’re still under 30, you have an interesting story to tell. If people really wanted to, they could place your story into a book or make it into a film and it would possibly be a fascinating display. If you could name that film or book that reflected your experiences, what would you call it and why?
S: A “Scarred Star.” The reason I would call it a “Scarred Star” is because I was scarred and had 300 stitches from the middle of my eyebrows to my cheek. It happened at a nightclub in Staten Island, when gang bangin’ hit hard in New York. Like I said, I was caught in the middle of that shit because I was a celebrity, but I was still with my friends and we were street niggas. I was caught up, real bad and I really didn’t have the guidance or the direction from someone to point me in the right direction.
I would call it a “Scarred Star” for several different reasons. I’ve been scarred mentally, physically, emotionally and as an artist. I’m one of those artists where my credentials and stats that I have, nobody in the game has those. Nobody has had two halftimes. I’m at a halftime in my career, as well as in my life. The first half, I was a kid who had a lot of things accomplished, so I think me coming back around…interests a lot of people because I was on a hiatus and it gave me room to grow as a man. I believe people are down to hear what’s on my mind. Check for me.
DX: Being that you are from Staten Island, New York you’ve been exposed to the harsh reality of the inner city. What are some of the beautiful depictions you could pull from growing up, in Staten Island?
S: I could say growing up in Staten Island we had unity. We were outcasts. We were part of the five boroughs, but it was “Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan...” We had our own love and our own, unique way of expressing that to each other. The beautiful thing about Staten Island was definitely the loyalty.
DX: Word. As of today, what’s up with your relationship with Wu-Tang outside of Ghostface Killah?
S: As a businessman, will I ever do records with Wu-Tang? Who knows? Personally, it’s like this man- if I get bit once, I’m not going back to get bit again. Those were my older brothers. Paint this picture. You’re looking up to older people, they have all the answers and they’re gonna help you- educate you and point you in the right direction. When you grow up and you’re be able to look at a man in his eyes and know what’s right and what’s wrong- love, loyalty, respect, trust and honor…and you can look at a man in his eyes and he’s not one of those, then the respect goes. Once the respect is gone, everything is gone. I don’t respect niggas.
DX: Wow. What’s your relationship like with Ghostface?
S: The reason why I can say that I don’t respect niggas is because a lot of people ask me on interviews, “Are you still Wu-Tang?” Where I come from Wu-Tang was Wu-Tang before the group. Is Wu-Tang still Wu-Tang? That’s the question. Dudes are just... I don’t fuckin’ know. I think money and egos change the fuckin’ people. To me, those aren’t the same people that I knew, so for the people that they are now…I don’t respect them. From the time and era from when I knew them and it was love, loyalty, respect, trust and honor- those dudes [back then] are my fuckin’ heart. You know how it goes. Shit changes. What can you do?
DX: What about Ghost though? That’s your cousin for real. So-
S: The same shit with Ghost. I don’t discriminate. It's like this: Aiight, this is the best way I can put it. It’s like when you broke together it's one thing, but when people reach a certain level and they get a certain amount of money, they hang around a different crowd. The people that they’re hanging around might have more. So the people will take from the people to go live this fuckin’ fantasy, when in all reality, everybody is still here. You feel that? Everybody is like, “Yo, you left us.” The whole world might think, it’s Wu-Tang; it’s Staten Island, and this and that.
You fuckin’ walk around here dudes like, “Yo, Shyheim the truth.” They can see and they can feel me. You can’t touch them niggas, man. You gotta better shot than me. If I don’t get called personally, “Sha, come open,” I’m not going to a show. Can I reach them? Do I have numbers? Sure. But I’m not calling you, muthafucka. I’m in the struggle; I’m in the grind…nigga reach out. You not here.
Every other crew passed the ball. You got Jay-Z shouting out to Memphis Bleek, “Here, take the ball!” You got Cash Money sayin’ “Here, take the ball.” Here I am, the youngest member of Wu-Tang, a dude who paved the way for those young artists [to be the Memphis Bleeks and Lil Waynes] and here I am runnin’ up and down the court, open for the lay up like, “Throw the fuckin’ ball.” Throw it to me… I’m gonna score! They’d rather go to the west coast and put the fuckin’ west coast Killa Bees on and stupid bitches who can’t sing [Blue Raspberry] and some Spanish nigga on the strength.
But nowadays, during the age of the computer you can’t be stopped now. Now there’s a problem. The truth must be told. The truth is, I’m Staten Island and that’s that.
DX: You really feel like nobody ever really threw you the ball?
S: They never threw me the ball.
DX: Aiight.
S: Fa’real. The whole world might look at it like, Wu-Tang put Shyheim on, but no, that never happened. Shyheim put Shyheim on. I got my first deal on Virgin Records with RNS on my own. I had my deal. My shit ain’t get fucked up until I started to think about runnin’ with my brothers and the dudes from my hood and stop fuckin’ with these crackers and start fuckin’ with my dudes. They had distribution, so I’m like I’m gonna let them put my third album out and get money for real. Niggas don’t handle shit right. So nah, they never passed me the ball.
Have you ever heard Shyheim on a Wu-Tang album? No. Have you ever went to a Wu-Tang show and saw Shyheim do a track, open up or do a Meth tour, a Wu tour? No. Why is this? Because I have something to say that they don’t want the people to fuckin’ know about.
Have you ever been around somebody who don’t wanna hang around you because they know that they can’t be the person that they made up in their head, because you’re around and you know [who they really are]?
DX: Word. [Laughs] Yeah.
S: Nah…y'all don’t want me around because I know the truth. None of y'all niggas bust guns, none of y'all niggas been to jail. No, no…you’re not tough! What made y'all tough is (that) we went 300 niggas deep and the hood held y'all down and y'all all kicked doors down, and fought together.
What happened when niggas got rich? They left everybody. But, here’s the flipside, and I tell niggas in my hood everyday. Niggas don’t owe anybody anything. Niggas are their own, man. Get out there and get your own.
I’m not crying…I do have career and I’m in a position that niggas will kill for. Everything that I’m saying is the truth because you can bare witness. You can see it yourself without me being involved. Do you think I want to be involved? Nah. Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang..how? If I see them, I’d say what’s up but that’s it. I’m not gonna front for no cameras like we peoples, 'cause we aren’t.
DX: Outside of rap, you had a lot of visibility in television, when did you think the tables turned and things started to go in the opposite direction for career?
S: I didn’t have that guidance. My moms is a fuckin’ drug addict and my pops is in prison. My brothas was these niggas, you feel me? This was my guidance. Instead of fuckin’ schoolin’ me, like the gods, and giving me the true knowledge of myself, wisdom and understanding and setting me up right, niggas let me get fucked up in the politics and bullshit of the streets. At the height of my career, I was still being caught up in lil' bullshit and went to prison. But, you know what? The fucked up part about it was, is that I was a kid and I didn’t know no better.
DX: I always thought that what Memphis Bleek wanted the most, beyond anything was respect. Whether or not Jay is going to back him financially or not, as an emcee, I would think he wanted the respect. With that, you’ve performed with Big Daddy Kane, 2Pac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., do you ever feel like, your opportunity has passed to be a superstar emcee?
S: Nah. You know why? Because I’m not that. I was never in it for that. This shit was therapy for me. My moms was a dope head; my pops was a dope head, and as a kid, I was fucked up mentally. When Hip Hop came along, it was a way for me to say that my aunt died from AIDS, and I watched her deteriorate. For me, it was a way for me to express that and say it. It’s true to me.
I wouldn’t give a fuck- niggas will tell you, Shy think he regular like everybody else and that’s his problem. I was never in it for that. I don’t make shit up. This is my life.
Everything I say, I can prove. Everything is documented. I don’t give a fuck about people's response. I’ve met the best and I’ve touched mics with the best. To some people, I am the best. I’m good, as far as that. My joy comes from seeing lil’ niggas do their shit. My ultimate goal is to be big CEO, and gives dudes the opportunity to taste it, that haven’t tasted it. I’ve tasted it though. Some dudes will never be able to taste.
DX: Let’s talk about Bottom Up Records and your vision for the company.
S: I don’t believe in cheating people because I’ve been cheated. Each artist with Bottom Up is still independent or of their own. Of course, I’m going to make money with them, but overall, they're independent. It’s not just a record label but also a school of education. I want to educate each artist that comes through me about his or her own LLC, incorporation, etc. It’s not them personally doing business with Shyheim but corporation to corporation doing business. That’s the first step. Niggas will never be able to say that I did them dirty. I want to make my people stronger as a people.
DX: Let’s talk about the new album.
S: I’m very competitive. The album is incredible but Jay's album came out, Kanye's album came out, 50's [album] came out. I thought Kanye’s album was very, very, very good. I thought to myself, "You know what? This is my competition. Them lil' niggas are not my competition." I don’t care who you name. Those are lil’ niggas to me. The big dogs are my competition. I had to go back…and dudes are gonna have a problem this year. Whoever got a problem, fuck ‘em. If I ain’t getting money with you then we have problems. The funny part about it is, is that; I’m really [laughing] tough.
DX: [Laughs] What can we look forward to on the album, as far as concepts and production?
S: Concepts- well I’m concepts crazy. I touch abortion topics, “big brother, little brother” topics, coming up, prison topics, all that. I’ve never done the bouncy in the club, dancy dancy records. My shit is reality Hip Hop. If you like reality Hip Hop, about pain, solutions to problems, revolutionary shit, then you can check me for that. That’s what I’m all about- power of the people.
'Pac is gone. Who’s gonna say something? Everybody’s glorifying money, glorifying cars…Yo, I was happier when I didn’t have shit. Now I got some and I have to be skeptical when my phone rings. I can’t hang out because certain people want to hang with me cause they think it's cool.
DX: Word. Lots of people glorify the hustle and the good side of committing crimes. Let's talk about the dark side. Let’s talk about being behind bars.
S: Oh man, I’ve seen good shit in life, and when the reality came that I had money, I thought that I could spend it on a lawyer, I’ll beat it the case, I’ll bail out, etc… They didn’t care, they were like, “You little black nigga you’re going to jail. We don’t want your money.” To be placed behind bars and be a rapper or a celebrity or whatever and you’re nothing but a number- 0283873. That’s the reality.
I didn’t have the pleasure of being in protective custody. A lot of celebrities or rappers that go to prison, they really don’t see prison. Don’t get it fucked up… they’re not in general population.
The prison that I was in was a different prison that they were in. It was fucked up. It was weird because, all the niggas in the streets knew me from gang life, so I got in a lot of fights, drama and a lot of crazy shit. I grew up in that shit. I [realized] that it was time for a change.
White C.O.’s had choked me, I’ve seen them with nooses, and black babies tattooed on their arms, being hung. I’ve been called, “******” and I was out there like I didn’t give a fuck. I figured that I never wanted to go back. I never will sell drugs again and the time spent serving and being in jail not making anything isn’t worth it. I’d rather get a job.
I could have made more money working at McDonald's, than hustling on the block. Ain’t no more big drug dealers- that shit is over. It’s about education. You’re gonna work, regardless. Isn’t no sitting on your ass in prison. You’re gonna mop floors or do something. You either gone do it there or you can do it and be free. When you’re free you can open your refrigerator, you can have sex, or do whatever you want to do on your own or do it under the jurisdiction of a white man. You’re gonna do it.
When you get out of jail with a felony, what are you gonna do then? People don’t want people with guns and drugs, running their establishment. Who wants that? When you educate yourself, about business, you start to think that way too. Do you want a muthafucka working with you whose been convicted of armed robbery? We need to educate the people.
These little niggas are dumber than we were. They’re dumb as a doorknob. The realness to them, are the rappers from the late '90s. At least we had respect. I think my generation was the last generation. They didn’t have a KRS-One that told them about self-destruction. After 2Pac, there was nobody. They don’t got nobody tellin’ them nothing except to sell drugs and those guys haven’t sold drugs in 50 years.
When was the last time you packed a gun or sold a drug to glorify this shit? I don’t believe these dudes walking around with $500,000 bracelets and niggas are poor in the community. Niggas going to jail, 'cause they’re selling crack for survival… man, c’mon. All the rich niggas, should just put up something. Niggas put up money when the Twin Towers dropped, let’s invest in some black teachers, re-constructing our community and we dying everyday. It’s genocide here. Let's build some schools. We were stripped of our shit… we were stripped.
Spanish people, Africans and everybody got some shit to go back to- to their countries. We here, with nothing- our history, language… fuckin’ nothing. But the government allows them to talk that shit. They don’t wanna hear the shit I gotta say. That’s why I don’t get no radio play now… they don’t know what’s gonna come out my mouth. I’ma tell it like it is. These niggas are lying and they lied to me. I believed that shit. My daughter ain’t gonna go through that shit, B. When I came home from prison, I had a daughter. I’m playin' the game, for 18 years from now.
DX: What did you appreciate so much about Kanye's album? I’m curious.
S: He’s himself. That’s what I respect. Bottom Up. My slogan is “Be you, cause you can’t be me.” When I listen to Kanye, he touches on his emotions. You can never be wrong for that. I felt him. It made me feel him and I don’t feel a lot of rappers these days. Even though I’m not his type of dude. Kanye don’t talk about being tough, and he hasn’t been through, what I’ve been through, but I can relate to him. He seems cool. I can tell he’s not tryna be Common. I listen to a lot of niggas, like, yeah he tryna be like this nigga.
DX: Word, [laughing] I hear you. What was your most memorable experience in Hip Hop?
S: I got a lot of memories but I think my most memorable one is my man Big L. L was just a real dude. Everytime I was in his presence, it was Hip Hop. He was Hip Hop. He wasn’t a rapper, he was a brotha and somebody you can kick it with on some everyday life shit. He was a real nigga.
