FEAR OF A RAP PLANET
BY PRODIGY
WHAT UP G'Z!
BEFORE I TURNED MYSELF IN TO START MY SENTENCE, I WAS IN THE STUDIO EVERYDAY, ALL DAY, FINISHING UP SOME ALBUMS SO
I CAN HAVE MUSIC ALL OVER THE STREETS WHILE I'M GONE. ONE OF THE ALBUMS I WAS WORKING ON IS WITH A NEW GROUP THAT:
MYSELF, UN PACINO AND TWIN GAMBINO STARTED (WE NOT LETTING THE NAME OUT THE BAG YET).
SID ROAMS, THE TWO PRODUCERS WHO DID A GANG OF BEATS ON H.N.I.C. PT 2, ALSO DID THE BEATS FOR THIS NEW GROUP PROJECT. I
SWEAR TO YOU THAT WE MADE SOME SERIOUS SHIT. UN PACINO IS FROM OV PROJECTS IN FAR ROCKAWAY, QUEENS.
AND, YALL KNOW TWIN GAMBINO FROM ALL THE MOBB DEEP ALBUMS; HE'S FROM QUEENSBRIDGE. UN PACINO HAS HIS OWN GROUP FROM FAR ROCK
CALLED "HARDWHITE." THEY GOT SOME REAL GUTTER SOUNDING SHIT.
ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF HARDWHITE, "H-BRANDO" WOULD COME TO SID ROAMS STUDIO IN BROOKLYN, WHILE I WAS
WORKING ON MUSIC AND WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME, "YA FIRST TWO MONTHS IN PRISON WILL BE THE HARDEST. YA FIRST TWO
AND YA LAST 2, CAUSE FIRST YOU'LL JUST BE GETTING IN AND THEN YA LAST TWO BECAUSE YOU GONNA BE ANXIOUS TO GET HOME.
"
AND, HE WAS DEFINITELY RIGHT. FOR THE FIRST TWO I JUST HAD TO GET USED TO THE FOOD. AFTER THAT, THE WEEKS AND
MONTHS JUST FLY BY, AS LONG AS I STAY BUSY.
ANYWAY, THE MUSIC AND VIDEOS THAT I LEFT FOR THE WORLD ARE 200% DOPE. EVERYBODY SAY THEIR MUSIC IS GOOD, BUT
EVERYBODY AIN'T A VETERAN LIKE PRODIGY. THE REASON WHY I'VE LASTED SO LONG IS BECAUSE I'VE BUILT A
RELATIONSHIP WITH MY FANS. I HAVE OVER 16 YEARS IN THIS INDUSTRY AND MY FANS TRUST AND BELIEVE IN MY MUSIC.
TRUST IS SOMETHING YOU EARN OVER TIME. AFTER A WHILE THE FANS DON'T EVEN QUESTION IF THE ALBUM IS GOOD. THEY
JUST PICK IT UP SO THEY CAN HAVE THE COMPLETE PRODIGY OR MOBB DEEP COLLECTION. WHEN RAPPERS CHANGE THEIR STYLE OF
MUSIC THEY LOSE THAT TRUST CAUSE NOW YOU SWITCHING UP ON THE FANS (SUPPORTERS). NOW, THEY MUST QUESTION YOU.
THAT'S WHY I STICK TO MY FORMULA. PRODIGY/MOBB DEEP IS A NAME BRAND THAT HAS UNIQUE FLAVOR AND INGREDIENT
THAT THE CUSTOMER LIKES. WHY CHANGE IT? WE ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE LONGEVITY IN MUSIC. THAT'S
WHY I'M STILL POPPIN.
I'M GONNA TELL YOU A STORY THAT'S GONNA HELP YOU SEE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OF TODAY.
IT WAS MAYBE AROUND 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO, WHEN HAVOC AND I HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT RAP MUSIC AND WHERE IT WOULD
BE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HAV WAS MAD AS HELL, HE TOLD ME THAT THE PEOPLE WHO OWN ALL THE MAJOR MUSIC COMPANIES, RADIO
STATIONS, AND VIDEO CHANNELS WERE TRYING TO END RAP MUSIC.
HAVOC IS EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT AND HE HAS AN UNCANNY GIFT OF SEEING INTO THE FUTURE. HE CAN LOOK AT A SITUATION AND
PREDICT THE OUTCOME AND MOST OF THE TIME, HE'S RIGHT. BUT, WHEN HAV TOLD ME THAT THE ELITE POWERS IN CONTROL WERE
TRYING TO END RAP MUSIC, I DIDN'T AGREE AT THE TIME. I THOUGHT, YES, OF COURSE THEY WANT TO END IT, BUT AT THE SAME
TIME, I TOLD HAVOC, "THE DEMAND FOR RAP MUSIC IS TOO CRAZY. AS LONG AS WE KEEP MAKING HOT SHIT THE FANS WILL DEMAND TO
HAVE IT.
"
BUT, HAV SAW THE BIGGER PICTURE. I SIMPLY COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAV WAS SAYING AT THE TIME. ALL I KNEW WAS,
HIP-HOP IS FROM THE HOOD AND NO MATTER HOW BAD THEY WANT TO END HIP-HOP; RAP MUSIC AND THE HOOD IS TOO POWERFUL TO END.
SKIP FORWARD TO 2008 AND NOW I SEE WHAT HAVOC WAS SAYING YEARS AGO. NOW, I SEE THAT NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL RAP MUSIC IS AND
NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL THE HOOD IS-- THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL OUR MUSIC ARE THE MAJOR MUSIC
BY PRODI
WHAT UP G'Z!
BEFOR
SID ROAMS
AND, YALL KNOW TWIN GAMBI
ONE OF THE MEMBE
"
AND, HE WAS DEFIN
ANYWA
TRUST
I'M GONNA
HAVOC
"
BUT, HAV SAW THE BIGGE
SKIP FORWA
