DX: I know in the media though afterwards, I think he had sort of held RJ sort of culpable for that though, sort of being pushed out.
Elzhi: Well you know, like I said in one interview, we were doing a tour for the
Trinity album that came out [in 2002] and I could just recall him being on the road and really being unhappy about the situation of being on [RJ Rice’s label] Barak Records. And he would call me, with me and T3, [into] his hotel room, and he would be really talking to us real passionate, with tears coming down his eyes, telling us that we need to leave that label, and we need to go do our own thing. So, he did not like RJ Rice one bit… But as far as RJ kicking him out [of Slum Village], I can’t say RJ kicked him out. What I remember on that day, we was in RJ’s studio, we had a meeting, and Baatin basically left the group himself. And that’s what happened.
DX: This predates you, but wasn’t it RJ who was also sort of responsible for driving Dilla away from S.V.?
Elzhi: I mean, some people say that’s the reason, and some people say it’s other reasons. I can’t really say.
DX: Who do you say is the main culprit for driving eLZhi possibly away from Slum Village?
Elzhi: Oh, most definitely RJ Rice. I mean, RJ Rice is the poison in Slum Village. He’s the one that is steering Slum Village down this direction that everybody is not feeling – just because he’s not being a legitimate, genuine businessman.
DX: And you said previously that Slum’s manager, Tim Maynor, also got aggy about your new management situation?
Elzhi: Yeah I mean, it was funny because when word got out that I was working with Jae Barber, who is my new management, Tim Maynor, RJ Rice, they both just flipped they wigs, to the point where Tim Maynor just was on some real disrespectful shyt... So I’m like, man, “Why is he taking it to this level? And why is RJ Rice taking it to this level?” In my opinion, or how I was thinking, was that they know the capabilities of Jae Barber, and they know they paperwork is sloppy.
DX: And just for clarification, who’s Ne’Astra Music Group, is that just Barak under a new name?
Elzhi: I think that’s what it is. But, on the surface Ne’Astra Music Group is RJ Rice’s son’s label. ‘Cause see the thing is, Barak Records, which is owned by RJ Rice, he filed for bankruptcy on that label… But, RJ Rice is still acting like he runs Ne’Astra Music. So if anybody’s talking about business, they’re talking to RJ Rice, they’re not talking to [his son and Slum Village producer] Young RJ.
DX: You never signed [a contract] with Ne’Astra, right?
Elzhi: No. I never signed to Ne’Astra.
DX: Okay…damn, damn…yeah I just noticed that looking at the [
Villa Manifesto] CD, that Barak is not listed anywhere on here, this new name, this new label’s listed.
Elzhi: Yeah, I mean, it’s kinda fishy to me, I’m just gonna be real wit’chu.
DX: Now, you cite RJ as the source of these issues [and] you told
XXLmag.com that T3 was initially telling you he had nothing to do with the decision to take your verses off of half the
Villa Manifesto album, but at this point do you believe him or do you think he’s lying to you?
Elzhi: I mean, like I said in an interview [I did] out here in Detroit [on the radio], I honestly at this point in time feel like he’s playing both sides of the fence. He tells me that he wasn’t a fan of RJ just keeping me on seven songs, and that he wished that I would of been on all the songs that was on the album – that he’d a kept me on all the songs that was on the album. But, I’m thinking like, you got the power, brother. Like, you the head of the label – not the head of the label, but you the head of the group. So, by you being the head of the group you should have some kind of say so, or some kind of power, [to decide] who’s gonna be on your album, or who’s not gonna be on your album. You’re not gonna leave that to the label; that’s not the label’s decision.
