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- Interview by Nile Ivey for TheMixGame.com

THEMIXGAME: What is the difference between Kasim Dean and Swizz Beatz Tha Monsta?

SWIZZ BEATZ: Well you know Kasim Dean owns Kid Robot, owns Exotics at Ceasear's Palace, Lex Art the best at art and online companies. Swizz Beatz Tha Monster is banging out them beats, yellin on them hooks, talking crazy on them tracks and fucking with the hood real crazy. It's a big difference!

TMG: From your early days when you started with Ruff Ryders, did you ever picture yourself owning car shops, clubs in Las Vegas, or any of the many things other ventures you have started thus far?

SWIZZ: Nah, I never thought about any of that. Even today I never even think about that sh*t I just do it and whatever comes to the table, I look at it and weight it out. I like that, I can probably pull that off, let me try that and it's a lot of taking risks also.

TMG: You have worked with Ronald Isley, Jay-Z, India Arie and so many others. What was one of your most memorable and fun experiences?

SWIZZ: It's a lot man, you know what I'm saying? Everyone I work with is a memorable fun experience because I have fun doing what I'm doing by making history with making different songs. For instance, when I did T.I.'s Bring Em Out, he didn't even want to do that song so I kind of tricked him into doing it by telling him to just freestyle the joint. I already had the hook, so he went in there and did it like he was freestylin. To us it was a freestyle, to the world it was Bring Em Out, the song that crossed him over to be able to do all those songs he's doing now.

TMG: I read in an interview that you and Bone Thugs had an enormous amount of material that you were contemplating on putting out two albums on the same day. How did that pan out?

SWIZZ: Nah we didn't do that. With Bone being signed to my label the investment wouldn't work out on the business level to put out two CD's because of the pricing and it wouldn't make sense on the publishing level because of the splits and it wouldn't make sense because of the extra cost of the packaging so we decided to save that sh*t for next time.

TMG: How is it working with Bone?

SWIZZ: It's great working with the group. The group is gravy, but sometimes it's a lot of politics because a lot of people are hyped up to work with Bone, but overall it's a good situation.

TMG: Are you trying to continue their legacy or start them on a new path?

SWIZZ: Both. I want to keep the fans they have, and add some new fans that were 6 year olds when Crossroads dropped.

TMG: I know you and Cassidy are real close, how is he recovering right now?

SWIZZ: Cassidy is in Atlanta right now doing freestyles, getting his mixtape game up, and getting his bars right. I have him traveling instead of staying in one spot, he's better though he don't even look like he's been in an accident besides the scar on his face. His album is crazy too.

TMG: As far as producers, who do you feel is on your heals, as competition is concerned?

SWIZZ: I feel like I have to out do myself first of all, and as far as on my heals, its different people at different times. Right now Polow Da Don (Fergie's Glamorous, Young Buck's Get Buck, Rich Boy's Throw Some Ds, Pussy Cat Dolls Buttons) is on my heals. But then you look at all the producers, we all have our moments you know what I'm saying? One persons hot then another persons hot, but it's a question of who's standing the test of time through all that and I've been doing that for 10 years straight. I don't feel like I'm in competition with none of these producers. I love something from each of the producers that's out right now. I have my Kanye favorites, my Timbaland favorites, my Just Blaze favorites, etc. I show love, unless they want to take it somewhere else! (laughs)

TMG: When we came in here you were listening to a bunch of tracks submitted by new producers you're working with, what kind of advice do you have for the rookies?

SWIZZ: I just think for a lot of new producers coming into the game you can't let these old producers persuade you into saving they careers. If you're going to do a beat for a known producer, make sure it goes both ways. If you do something, get your co-production credit; if you play something (meaning chords, drums, guitars etc.) get your playing credit. Don't let these producers, who used to bang out hits, manipulate you. Get your credit or don't give them sh*t because they probably need you more than you think. You see how Neo Da Matrix (Juelz Santana Mic Check, Cassidys AM 2 The PM, Tru Lifes Get Dat Paper, Fabolous Back Atcha, Styles P Kick It Like That) branched off and did his own thing. I could have snatched him up and had him be my ghost producer, but that sh*t is wack. People are going to find out a lot of ghost producers are producing for big names right now. These new dudes want to be producers, how long you going to have them slaves? When people look at me they say Swizz gave me my chance? I rather have that right there. All the producers coming up, if you decide on helping another producer whether he sold million of records or not get your credit out the gate f**k the money! Tell them you'll produce the sh*t for free, as long as you can say you produced or co produced the sh*t. That's how they get you, they get you with the cake. They'll give you $15,000 and your feeling like its $15,000 more than what you already have. That sh*t you just sold for $15,000 can make the next guy $15 Million and now you sitting their lookin like the mad producer, but you set yourself up for it. Don't give your publishing away unless you feel like it's really worth it. Don't give your publishing to a Big Cat Records (no disrespect if there is a Big Cat Records) you know what I'm saying. Do your publishing with EMI, BMI, Universal and probably only do 10 percent of that as an admin, unless they give a crazy amount of cake and I'm talking about millions not 200K or 300K, I'm talking about 15 to 20 million when your catalog get's right.

TMG: What can we expect from the new album One Man Band?

SWIZZ: You can expect everything you're not expecting. What you expect on my album?

TMG: Production wise I'm expecting crazy sh*t. I also want to hear how you stepped up lyrically.

SWIZZ: Well I didn't put a lot of features on my album. This is me live and direct. Another thing is I didn't feel like chasing down these artists begging them to be on anything of mine. Some people couldn't do it because of their schedule so I just stop asking them. It's Me Bitches is hot without anyone on it and so is the rest of my album. I made that song 100 percent, and I make other n**gaz songs 100% as well. I don't need any crutches you know what I'm saying? A lot of people want to have all these big f**king names, like the names is good but let me see you do your thing! You can go to youtube and see me at the Hot 97 Concert really f**king with the people, without 100 n**gas on stage with me, me by myself, ripping the crowd really getting into my artist mode.

TMG: Yea, I saw you at Hot 97s DJ Enuffs birthday party how you took the jewels off, your coat and everything.

SWIZZ: Oh you was at that joint?

TMG: Nah I saw it on youtube, because I couldn't get to it, but you killed it on the solo tip.

SWIZZ: Yea, n**gaz just be too cool nowadays playin VIP, poppin bottles and what not. F**k all that, I can pop bottles in my crib. I go to the club to f**k with my people, see what the hottest record is at the moment and go the f**k home.

TMG: Now did you plan to release It's Me Bitches as a lead single or was it something that you leaked out and it just got crazy exposure.

SWIZZ: I mean it could have went both ways, that's why I didn't say my name on it or nothing. I just put it out and if they f**k with it then they f**k with it, if they don't, they don't!

TMG: Now how is it being a father?

SWIZZ: Fatherhood is the best thing on earth because it's something that you created. It's like your looking at yourself because you can guide them through different things that you went through so they don't have to go through it. Whether they listen or not, that's on them, but at least you got the experience and the street knowledge to go with it. I'm glad I'm able to supply both sides, the business side and the street side so you know it's dope!

-Interview by Nile Ivey

THEMIXGAME: On your first album, your opening track “Who’s Sleeping� addresses all the doubters when you came into the game. Do you feel as though people are still sleeping?

M.Bleek: Hell Yea….I feel like I need to remake that song straight up. A lot of dudes sleeping on me and I don’t know why? I think people have the perception that I make crossover records. I live in the club still; I don’t think it’s a club in the U.S. that doesn’t play one of my joints in rotation at least. I thank all the DJ’s you know what I’m saying? Those are the type of records I make; I make club bangers, street records, records that people go in the crib and sit and think……real situations not just made up!

TMG: There was a time when you Dame, Biggs, Jay and Beans were inseparable, especially during the film “Backstage�. At what point did you notice Roc-A-Fella had taken a turn in a different direction?

M.Bleek: When they started signing everybody! When it became bigger than just me, Beans, State Property and everybody on the Roc, we had EVERYBODY! Twista, Dipset, ODB (R.I.P.), Joe Budden, Nicole Wray, etc….

TMG: Was there any animosity when they all started coming on the boat?

M.Bleek: Nah it wasn’t no animosity, everybody was still kicking it, but it just became less family orientated. We treated it like it was family and since we had so many new people down that the real ni***s who started this sh*t wasn’t hanging together anymore. Ni***s were hanging with new people, new crews, new things, starting new companies and not to say anything is wrong with it, but it just got weak over the years. Don’t get me wrong, when people ask me that they think I’m going to get on here and sh*t on Dame or something, but I would never do that. I don’t respect that we aren’t together; because I feel once you start a team death is the only way to get out of that. As you can see I started with Jay…..I’m going to always ride with Jay. Ain’t no amount of money…I’ll never have a money problem with him….nothing, I’ll always ride with my dog.

TMG: Speaking of Jay, he always mentioning that your one hit away. Do you feel you had that hit and the public didn’t perceive it to be a hit, or do you still have it in the stash waiting to release it?

M.Bleek: Man I feel every record I make got the potential to be a hit, you know what I’m saying fam. If I knew what the hit was, I’m not going to be holding it…I’m releasing it instantly! I just make good music and I feel a lot of records that become hits don’t start off to be hits…they get promoted to hits. They get pushed, the label is behind it, and everyone is standing behind it at one time. I feel like when I dropped my last two albums on Rocafella/Def Jam all the attention wasn’t on me; it was so many other things going on with so many artists dropping their material that the attention had to be divided. Therefore, when the attention is not focused on one thing and it is so divided, lack of promotion happens. As you can see if people don’t know something’s coming out……people won’t go purchase it that’s real talk!

TMG: Has there ever been a point when you said to Jay “I don’t wanna do this anymore�?

M.Bleek: Nah, I love making music man. I’m in a f**ked up situation don’t get me wrong with him being CEO and my right hand man. A lot of sh*t that people think that should happen and would be happening…. is not, because it would look wack. (Immitating people’s outside perception) Like I’m his man and everything should be behind me. He makes me work just like the rest of the artists on the label and I respect him for that…I love that. I don’t want nothing the easy way, I’m a grown ass man, I ain’t no little boy…nobody cutting corners for me. It’s all good to me, I love it. There’s no way to celebrate without going through some type of adversity you can’t be happy forever.

TMG: Speaking of being happy forever, was there a time before all the success at Roc-A-Fella that you could imagine that you and him would be household names from here to Cape Town in Africa? Did you ever see any of this coming?

M.Bleek: Never, I never even imagined EVER! Growing up in Marcy, I never imagined going to places like Boston. Africa wasn’t even a thought, so it’s weird to me and I thank god that I got the chance to experience these types of things. Beyond this…this is just something that’s happening day by day that I never pictured.

TMG: The situation with your brother being in that unfortunate accident, it really put things in a different light for you. First off, how is he doing? And how has that changed your life since the accident?

M.Bleek: He’s chilling right now; he just left the crib to go see his son. He’s good though! It changed my life just letting me know that it could all change in a split second. Nothing that you have, none of the cars, jewelry, chicks, you can’t take none of it with you. And when it goes down none of it matters but your family.

TMG: I noticed in an interview you mentioned Jay was right there when everything was happening, was it anybody else or just him showing you support?

M.Bleek: It was Jay and my ni**as that I grew up with in the hood like my Marcy ni**as. But, I didn’t go to nobody else to be leaning on ni***s like “Yo, I need love, support me�. Like that’s not my style, and it’s weird because Jay didn’t come to the studio because he’s my CEO…it was that Marcy love. Everybody that got love for me from the projects was in my corner. I can’t even explain it, it’s just that love of growing up and knowing somebody since they were in diapers an shit and almost losing them.

TMG: You’re one of the most loyal soldiers in the game, so when Jay’s chin gets tapped they tap your chin as well. With as much detail as you can, explain the turmoil between you and the Dips? I don’t want to single anyone out because I know you have problems with all of them over there…explain the real situation.

M.Bleek: Yo, fam…you’re going to think I’m lying because I’m in the industry and everyone is always giving industry answers (laughing) but I’m telling you some real sh*t, I don’t even KNOW my n***a! I’m going to tell you this, problems happen from different altercations; like you either jacked someone, you jumped them, you shot at them, you f**ked his b**ch, you beat him out some money, or you lied to him…something has to happen to make problems occur to actually have beef with a n***a! Yo, none of that ever happen. None of them ever got jacked by us, none of us got jacked…like none of that sh*t, I don’t f**king know my n***a that’s a good f**king question! What is n***as mad about?

TMG: I’m trying to figure out because there really hasn’t been any records between the two of you, or it hasn’t really been broadcasted to the media, so I’m trying to figure out where is it coming from…..

M.Bleek: My thing is I’m tired of it! I got involved in it now because I’m tired of it. Every other record for the last three years you hear n***as sh*ttin on me; I don’t respond to this sh*t because I look at it like if you really really got a problem with me…I’m out here holla at me. Like what the f**k? Bring it, so I don’t get involved in that, he say she say bullsh*t. Now, I’m tired of it and I can only tolerate so much frontin and you KNOW that’s not you. Then you go and disrespect the GOD…n***a I’ll throw all this sh*t away for the big homie. You don’t disrespect the big homey, The OG’s, Ty Ty and them, like we don’t give a f**k about being no rappers selling no records…..I don’t live like that. That’s why you don’t hear me just getting on records trying to clown, I know mad sh*t about n***as, everybody crew….I ain’t just gonna be callin n***as out. You just want to sound like you tough because you have security guards. This is the ill sh*t, like everybody is talking mad tough right?

TMG: Yea….

M.Bleek: N***as role with security, so who’s going to have to fight? Your security guards going to fight us and move you out the back door…like come on man that is the wackest sh*t! Anybody that has security guards shouldn’t be allowed to riff because you never gonna fight. Anytime the n***a you riffin with see you, your security guards going to be the ones fighting. So you shouldn’t be allowed; it should be a rule; you not allowed to start no beef. N***as use security to go to the mall, n***as use security to go get haircuts, to buy sneakers. If I had to live like that, I ain’t makin no f**king records…I’m going to kill everbody that feels like they have a problem with me! If I had to take security with me to go to the god damn…..to go get the new Jordan 22’s….N***A! Like that’s real talk you shouldn’t be allowed to….and then another thing; there’s a n***a that got your jewelry…its on ebay, fans taking pictures with it! How are you allowed to talk any gangsta sh*t; GO GET YO SH*T N***A. Come on that’s like a n***a take sh*t from me and he down in the hood and put my sh*t on Myspace, how would I…..come on think about it, in the world am I allowed to diss another n***a and this n***a all in my face with my sh*t on…..but you don’t want no beef with him, that’s mistake number one! Then, if your man got beef with a n***a, how are you allowed to say you ain’t got anything to do with it and that’s your man. N***as in the streets really respect this man, what is this world coming to? I know you got plenty of n***as you roll wit..right or wrong?

TMG: Yea you right…..

M.Bleek: Some niggas from another area come to you an say your right hand man can’t live. You gonna tell them n***as I don’t have anything to do with it? How is he (Jim Jones) allowed to say this then..I don’t have anything to do with the 50 sh*t. How is this allowed? And then with all the gangsta sh*t in the world that happen to you…how are you allowed to talk gangsta sh*t about anybody? N***as got your jewelry, n***as got you on tape; like n***as should just chill out..get money. What is all the tough sh*t for because ain’t nuttin happening to nobody…but you (laughs).

TMG: So you not really to keen on the back and forth records?

M.Bleek: I’ll get involved, I’ll do it. If that’s what the fans want to hear…lyrcial fun. If it’s really a problem, I want to know…..let’s get it on! First of all, they don’t like us! We didn’t start it, its coming to the point where n***as are reversed in the beef now…like we the haters…like we started this. I want people to get it clear; they don’t like us, we don’t think about them, so you gotta ask them what the problem is. The problem wit us, is that they riffin so we have to hold it down. The problem wit us with them…(laughs) I don’t know I can’t answer that.

TMG: I know you getting tired of that subject, so I’m going to leave it at……

M.Bleek: I ain’t even getting tired of it, it ain’t about nothing. It’s nothing I lose sleep over; I don’t wake up and say “Yo, we got beef�. I don’t got no beef, n***as just riffing! If that’s the case, I got mad beef then because there are a thousand n***as out there right now while we on the phone talking about me. They just didn’t make it to Funkmaster Flex yet you feel me?

TMG: Nah I understand, but it’s just confusing because you guys used to be in the same camp and if it was such a problem it didn’t look like it was any type of issues….

M.Bleek: That’s what I’m saying and if it was such a problem we could have scrapped anytime; on the plane going to the shows, in the office sitting in the meetings, in the studio making the records…right?

TMG: Did you hear Jim on Hot 97 last night?

M.Bleek: Nah, I heard about it. I don’t listen to that sh*t fam. I’m to much of a real n***a to listen to n***as talk about my man let alone talk about me! I can’t listen to it.

TMG: But once they cross that line?

M.Bleek: Yea, I can’t listen to it. My n***as and them be calling me and telling me sh*t and I be heated, like “Yo, you my man, why the fuck you listening to them? Let other n***as tell us that sh*t (laughs). I don’t even entertain that shit…I’m not losing no sleep. He probably was on the radio the sametime I was in the sneaker store on 38th and 8th in the city buying me some sneakers by myself. He’s talking all the gangsta sh*t and I’m chillin.

TMG: So it’s really not about that, you’re just a little bit bigger than that?

M.Bleek: I’m way bigger than that. I been in so much sh*t in my life, so much real sh*t this is minor to me because like you said it’s really over nothing!

TMG: It really doesn’t look like it’s over a credible issue?

M.Bleek: It’s not over nothing. You see how 50 and Cam got beef because of the argument? It wasn’t even none of that (stops to laugh). These n***as ain’t even argue, this sh*t is crazy. Just one day I woke up “We don’t like Jay-Z�. Press conferences and everything “We don’t like Jay-Z�

TMG: Nowadays rappers are venturing out to all types of different business outlets to create more opportunities for themselves, explain how you came up with “Unlimited Installations�?

M.Bleek: That’s my man Jared and Ralph from Jersey. My man Jared’s pops started the company, but since he passed away (RIP to him) he left it for Jared. He basically didn’t know what he wanted to do with it, so he asked me to come in as a partner and help him promote so people know where to get their cars done. You know whats crazy, back to Dipset; you can ask them….they all met my man Ralph that I have the shop with. All the cars, the rims on the trucks that they have my man Ralph did that, they met him through me! We just started doing everyone’s car Kanye, Dame, everybody. Jay is the only one who doesn’t f**k with me because he doesn’t do the cars. After selling rims out the shop, and people coming to get they car kitted up, the manufactures for the rim company Lowenhart was starting a new company called Meyer so they were looking for distribution. So it just came a time when we decided let’s get involved with that and distribute Meyer tires on the whole east coast, because the west coast does it on they own through Lowenhart and everyone else. Any store on the east coast if they do rims….they have Meyer rims in there store and it’s all coming through us.

TMG: Is there anything else you have coming up?

M:Bleek: We have a transportation company, a car wash down by Menlo mall. We have a couple things popping up and I also been doing the Real Estate thing since I was about 16..that’s when I had my first property.

TMG: During your career, if there was one critical move that you could take back, what would it be?

M.Bleek: They wanted me to do the lead role in Drum Line.

TMG: Say word???

M.Bleek: That’s word to everything my nig. That was at the time everything happened with my brother so I was emotionally fucked up. And then I didn’t wanna do it because I was just thinking how n***as going to look at me as a drummer in a movie. But then I seen it, and Nick killed it and who knows I may have killed it to. I probably would have given it a try if I could do it over. Till this day Jay curses me out everyday!

TMG: When you first got wind up of Jay-Z and Nas putting their issues to the side, what was your first initial response?

M.Bleek: Nah, nah….we don’t dead the beef!

TMG: You didn’t want to dead the beef?

M.Bleek: Nah I laughed honestly. I didn’t hear about they was meeting up, I heard after! They was like “Yo, Jay was in the studio�. I was like in the studio with who? And they told me Nas and I asked why n***as ain’t call me..? They told me Jay wanted the studio empty, it was just him and son. I called him and asked him “Yo, what’s up? You hollerin�? He told me “Nah son it’s bigger than that� See our relationship is weird; people really think that me and Jay hang together. If you hung around us, you would think me and Jay got beef; he sh*ts on me every time. I call him he don’t pick up, I go check him, he ain’t there, I go to the crib he ain’t there. So when I catch him I be like “Yo, you ducking me� and he always be laughing (imitating Jay) “you little b**ch ass n***a when I see you its on� (laughing). If a n***a didn’t know any better and was just around chillin, he’d be like “Jay doesn’t f**k with Bleek man�. I do my own thing, I don’t go up to Def Jam and all that sh*t. I go to his crib, and get let in by the cook. I go eat and jet.

TMG: So the relationship you have is a brother to brother type thing?

M.Bleek: Yup, just like a brothers type thing. I go right to the crib; he doesn’t have to be there...it’s whatever. It’s family, it’s not a rap thing it’s family. I come from the era when I was knocking on his moms’ door asking for some sugar and sh*t….we from them days. Its crazy love there, there isn’t nothing that can break that. That’s why I think that we been so cool, because when someone gets so big everybody has their hand out. If I wanted something it would take me a month to find the n***a just to ask for it (laughing). I’m not that dude, and that’s why he says those lines in those records “Yo Bleek you’re gonna be a millionare�. Ask Jay, what artist gives him no problems, that don’t come to him for anything? He’ll tell you me dog! When n***as albums flop, the first thing they do is blame they label; I blame myself for listening to my label…it ain’t they fault (laughing). I’m a man at the end of the day….I’m responsible for everything I do!

TMG: You have the “Grip� record out right now, what’s up with the next album….what can we expect?

M.Bleek: You can expect a classic! I’m going so far in because someone has to make a stand and spit that sh*t. You know who I miss the most right now…I miss BIG right now (RIP). With all these n***as talking all this gangsta sh*t, he would have changed the whole game on some I get money type sh*t. Jay does it, but he’s so far past n***as head with it. He does it but it takes a minute for dudes to understand it. BIG was right in your face with it. When you hear my album coming out you not going to hear me dissing a n***a then, that’s why I’m going to do it NOW! N***as only make a problem when they album coming out. I’m not dissing you to promote my sh*t, I want my music to speak for itself. I want n***as to go get that Bleek sh*t, not because I’m dissing a n***a! You know what I’m saying?

TMG: Nah I completely understand what you’re saying because Big, Pac, and Pun wouldn’t use the techniques these rappers are using today…

M.Bleek: No, no they weren’t…it was just they were making something hot and you wanted the album. We were listening to Pun the other day and he was spitting. Pun had one of the illest flow’s in the game!

TMG: Ok, I have this word association game called “Memph Bleek Is�. I’m going to ask you a series of questions beginning with the term “Memph Bleek Is� and you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. However, on the last one I want you to fill that in.

TMG: Memph Bleek is…loyal?

M.Bleek: All day!

TMG: Memph Bleek is…a good father?

M.Bleek: Fa Sho!

TMG: Memph Bleek is…ready for war?

M.Bleek: All day!

TMG: Memph Bleek is…one hit away?

M.Bleek: NO!

TMG: Memph Bleek is…Roc-A-Fella?

M.Bleek: For life!

TMG: Memph Bleek is…ready to drop his next album?

M.Bleek: Soon (laughing)

TMG: Memphis Bleek is……….

M.Bleek: Always on point man, I put my family first before anything. My n***as is always in my corner and I ride for my team to the death all the time. I’m a solider man; you gotta be a solider in order to be a lieutenant so I’m a solider. If Jay gives me the lieutenant badge then I’m the lieutenant, but for now I’m a solider. I’m the MOST dedicated solider.

TMG: Iight homey, I just want to thank you for sitting down with TheMixGame.com. Anything you want to say to your fans, your haters and new found fans?

M.Bleek: I just want to say to the people who stood by us all these years, thank you, good looking, we love you and we gon keep it rocking with this music sh*t. To all the haters; I love you because without you I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing!

THEMIXGAME: Where did you get the name consequence?

CONSEQUENCE: Actually, I got it when I was about 13, 14. I had about two other rap names, but I really didn't like them. When I first started rapping in 89-90, your name more so then anything else had to be ill! It's more common now that people go by their real names, but I wanted something that would gain attention. I thought about it and I was like everything I was rapping about were the results of the things that I saw. I thought about the meaning of consequence and it means the results of your actions, so it was like the rhymes that I was saying would be like the results of the things that I saw.

TMG: When did you fall in love with hip hop, and who were your influences growing up?

Con: I was like 6! The first two records I bought, I was 6 years old. I used to get allowances from raking the grass and shoveling snow, so my grandmother would save my money for me. There was a record store down the block when I lived off of Linden in Queens and the first records I bought were La-Di-Da-Di and Fly Girl. The first time I ever heard a rap record I fell in love with it, break dancing…it's like I grew up in that era. When rap was first jumping on the scene and people were claiming it to be a fad because everyone was wearing the baggy clothes so it wasn't going to last….but here we are now!

TMG: You have a connection with A Tribe Called Quest and Q-Tip, and you co-wrote and appeared on the Stressed Out single with Faith Evans, how did that come about?

Con: How we even came up with Stressed Out was…me, tip, Busta, and Spliff…this was the first time I ever met Spliff, we were in the studio just freestylin and Busta was there so we were kind of going at it! Stressed Out was a play off of Anita Bakers (starts to sing) “I want to know what good love feels like, good love, good love, I really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out�. I was playing around and did that because I was listening to Anita Baker in the crib earlier that day….

TMG: So it coincidentally just happened……

Con: Yea, it coincidentally just happened…actually, this is a fun fact no one knows…TLC was initially supposed to sing Stressed Out and L.A. Reid wanted to buy it for them and make it their record, but we wanted to keep it. Ali had just did a remix to Used To Love You, which was Faith Evans single back then, so we reached out to her and she was down to do it!

TMG: It's also said that you had a major hand in the Beats, Rhymes and Life project with A Tribe Called Quest?

Con: Yea, essentially it was one of the reasons why I actually left a little later on. Tip and Phife announced during The Love Movement that they were breaking up. Prior to that, what had happened was how I got in Tribe was I was going to get a solo deal, well Tip was shopping my records around and Puff had said to Tip he would do a deal with him for me and this was the time around when Puff just had Craig Mack and BIG! When Puff did the ok, Tip had a production situation where it initially it was with Large Professor and then he and Ali just ended up doing it by themselves with the Uma. So then he (Q-Tip) decided “I'm going to put you in Tribe, set it up and put your record on Uma instead of going to Bad Boy�. I thought that was more than fair, but I didn't know him and Phife had issues so I'm just thinking I got the shot off a life time…

TMG: So it was like you were blindsided almost?

Con: Well just due to the fact that me and Tip would vibe everyday, we were working on joints together because he was helping me do my demo whatever I already had records while they were out on tour. They had a fist fight (Q-Tip and Phife) and I didn't know about it, so when I got put in the Tribe, what a lot of people don't know is that…Tip put me in the Tribe…..

TMG: Not to cut you off, but are you and him (Q-Tip and Consequence) are cousins?

Con: Yea, so when they came back he put me in Tribe, cause we were running around everyday going shopping and doin this and that, but it was never a really situation where they sat down and said we all are going to do this together. It was kind of like I'm going to have my cousin on the album. Phife took it away initially because me and Phife knew each other, but never did any business. It's like if you have a million dollar company with somebody, because that's essentially what they had was a million dollar company cause that's what they had with touring, selling and everything….they were going platinum. So if you got a million dollar company with somebody, and they come and tell you I'm going to make my little man EVP (Executive Vice President) of the company without even consulting with the other COO's, dude's are going to look at you crazy! So me and Phife initially weren't seeing eye to eye when it came to recording until we were forced to because of the situation Tribe was going through with Jive in regards to recording Beats, Rhymes and Life. Phife invited me to come to Atlanta and then he explained his side….so now I'm hearing Phife's side, cause Tip never told me, he just put me in Tribe. Then I start poking around and while we were in the middle of the project everything smoothed over with Jive, and after that point we were trying to get everyone to vibe, but the turmoil was still there…so when it came time to do my record, everyone was trying to figure out if they were going to keep Tribe together. It just got kind of crazy!

TMG: How did you connect with Kanye West and The Good Music Family?

Con: In 2002 I met Kanye through a mutual friend 88 Keys. Kanye and Just Blaze were still in-house producers for Roc-a-fella, and they just had done the Blueprint album. He (Kanye) moved out here (NY), and him and 88 I guess met at Baseline, that's where everyone from Roc-a-fella went to record. Kanye was in pursuit of getting his own record deal…putting out the College Dropout, and he and 88 demoed a record. So he wanted to have a feature on it, they brainstormed and 88 Keys suggested that he could put me on the record and since Kanye was already a mega Tribe fan he wanted me over there asap. (Imitating Kanye) “Yo! Whatever happen to Quence?…Yo, get him over here, Yo whatever he wants…..

TMG: So he basically was a fan already?

Con: Yea, so they called me, we chopped up the particulars and I went over there. It was funny because while I'm walking to his crib, he had music already set up for me. He played me Jesus Walks, but it wasn't finished and played me a joint called Sub-Conscious which was the original title for All Falls Down. We did the record at 88 Keys crib (I Need To Know) and after we knocked that joint out, we just started kicking it. He was like “Yo, I have all these beats I give to Roc-a-fella that got Beanie Sigel doing what he do, and Memphis Bleek doing what he do. I know you ain't got no deal, but right now I'm just a fan and I feel like we can make a classic record together�.

TMG: I know he hosted the “Take Em To The Cleaners� mixtape and your resume for mixtapes is kind of deep. Which one did you enjoy the most out of all them?

Con: The very first one! Volume 1 is the main reason why I'm putting an album not right now. One because at that time me and Kanye were running around kind of hard and the day Volume 1 hit the stores, he got into the accident. I remember when dude's would just be like that backpack shit ain't gon work, due to the fact that the bling era had blinded everyone to the fact that you could really rap and saying something and move units, it's not all one mode of attack to get people to listen!

TMG: I know that's one of the reasons Jay didn't want to sign Kanye at first, because of the whole backpack thing…

Con: Yea, with the backpack thing too, like just because you look a certain way or your subject matter covers a certain territory it doesn't take away from the fact of your talent. It just means that you're not trying to be in the same lane that's clogged up with 100 dudes that sound like 50. 50 is the epitome of a gangsta rapper, your not going to get another 50. There's going to be 50 and dudes that sound like 50, it's like certain people represent that lane…

TMG: And you can't over saturate that lane…..

Con: Nah.

TMG: You think that applies to Kanye now because everyone is switching to the backpack, do you think that lane is going to become oversaturated?

Con: It depends on how you do it and who you are. I mean yea you got Kanye and the people that try to emulate on what he does! See, I don't look at myself as just a backpack rapper, because of the experiences that I have been through, and the whole lane of being a backpack rapper anyway, I mean I already skipped up the line because I'm from the group that originated backpack rapping, I started in Tribe…

TMG: So it's kind of like you were thrown into it already?

Con: Well, by default, but if you are you gotta put me at the top, Native Tounge started back pack rap. My lane of rapping is more dealing with the records people love me for like Spaceship and Stressed Out. The next single I got coming “Don't Forget Them� and an album cut “Who Knew My Luck Would Change� deal from more of a vulnerability side. Like for instance on “Who Knew My Luck Would Change�, that whole record is dealing with me being slightly paranoid to the fact I don't know if I'm going to be stuck in the same position when I was living in a basement apartment with no deal or anything. The whole vision of Don't Quit Your Day Job is about what really happened to me on Kanye's Spaceship track, I was working a 9-5 and was on TV with video's still popping up. That lane is now going to be opened up by myself because there are countless rappers who are going through that. It's dudes who you may see and may not see, like I know dudes who went back to selling weed, work at Wal-Mart, or work at wherever they worked at. Having been able to have the gumption to tell the public the music industry is real…you can be a star one day and not have it the next day. I've been blessed to go through that experience and come back out on top to release my own solo record!

TMG: You mentioned the title to your album “Don't Quit Your Day Job� which is your first solo LP release, what can we expect from that as far as features, production and concepts?

Con: Well I think the concept within itself is a feature. Me being signed to Good Music, I could have had pretty much anybody due to the fact me and Kanye are tight like that. I mean at one point we were thinking about putting Mariah on a record, but we didn't want to take away from what we were trying to sell to the public…which was like I said the vulnerability in the whole story line in a kid trying to be a rapper living in a single parent home, with his mother trying to be his mother and father keeping that responsibility in his ear. Knowing that he was trying to follow his dream, which was cool, she made sure at the same time he had a job because you're eating me out a house and home! I think that applies to artists, ballplayers, journalists or whatever you aspire to be that's going to get you that shine that you dream about at night….this record is for you. Kanye did three records on the album; Young Lord did the single “Callin Me� and “Night Night�. I have new producers on the record, Kool Aide, Kareem Riggins who is best friends with Jay Dilla did “Uncle Rahiem�, Kezo Kane and Devo Springstein from Good Music did a couple records on there and I co-produced a record with my guy LowDown that has John Legend singing and rapping on it that I wrote.

TMG: You have a record with Patti Labelle...is that going to be on the album?

Con: Ummm, I don't know that record is up in the air right now because a lot of people like that record. It's Patti Labelle's record and it features me, Kanye and Mary Mary. I was so shocked and surprised to hear that on DJ Enuff's Rush Hour (Hot97 NY), because it's a gospel record. It's kind of tough and it's funny cause when me and Kanye get together we beat something up!

TMG: I know you pressed for time, so I thought of this little game..What's The Consequences? I'm going to ask you a couple questions and you're going to reply with the consequences of that situation.

Con: You copyright it, because I might take it (laughs).

TMG: Do what you gotta do (laughs). What's the Consequence of signing to a major label?

Con: Getting rich or getting dropped!

TMG: What's the Consequence of signing to an independent label?

Con: Getting rich or getting dropped!

TMG: What are the Consequences of getting into an argument with Kanye West?

Con: Depending on who you are, but for me I don't get into any arguments with Kanye because I tell'em what I want and he gives it to me! (Laughs)

TMG: What are the Consequences of people not voting you Best New Artist at any award show in 2007?

Con: Having to live with the fact that you're wrong.

TMG: What are the Consequences of not knowing your black history?

Con: Not knowing what your future is.

TMG: What are the Consequences of not picking up your new album?

Con: Don't ask to get added to my friends list on Myspace!

TMG: (Laughs) Iight, that's basically it. I would like to thank you for sitting down with TheMixGame.com, good luck to everything in the future. Is there anything you want to say to your fans?

Con: Yea, good lookin to TheMixGame.com…Don't Quit Your Day Job in stores March 6th!!!