You mentioned on Twitter that you were feeling fukked up about these events as well. How do you cope with that? Do you write, or listen to music, or something else?
Right now, I ain’t been able to write music—I’ve been going through things. I lost one of my homeboys the day my album dropped, found out one of my closest homies got 100 years in the penitentiary. I haven’t been able to eat in three days hearing that. I’m over here running around and my daughter breaks her arm. I can’t be there for her; I had to see her on FaceTime, hurt in the hospital bed. How can I really be happy about my album being out when all this is going on? All this hard work I done put in up until this point is overshadowed by some punk-ass cops not doing they jobs right. Me and my peoples stayed up late working hard for this. It’s bigger than just me and promoting and all that shyt. People are going through real serious issues right now. People in Dallas are so fed up, they’re killing cops, and two cops just died in Michigan. People are starting to fight back. I don't think killing is the way, but standing up for yourself is definitely important.
You tweeted about writing “Neva CHange” and “Black THougHts,” songs about relations between people of color and police, a year ago but both still feel relevant.
Because it’s been happening before the cameras were out. It seems like people didn’t start caring until they had footage. People didn't start caring until they could tweet it. People love saying what they’re going to do on Twitter. But in the real world, they ain’t doing nothing. This dude asking me what am I going to do on Twitter is probably sitting on his couch in the house. You’re sitting in front of a computer screen, in front of a TV, asking me what I’m going to do?
Would you clarify the Alton Sterling lyric from the remix to “THat Part”: “When Alton Sterling gettin' killed for nothin'/Two cowards in the car, they're just there to film/Sayin' 'Black Lives Matter,' should've died with him”?
There’s no need for four or five people to film another black man die. We get it now. We keep seeing black men die on camera.
What would you have done in a situation like that?
I might’ve been harsh, but that’s how I felt when I was writing them lyrics. I’m tired of seeing people filming our people get killed. It’s too many different angles of this dude getting killed. Me, personally, I’m aware of my surroundings. I see one person filming, that’s all I need. It’s two cops, they can’t do nothing with him, and so I think it’s my job now to stand right next to the situation. If that means I have to get tased or if I have to go to jail for an hour because I’m in they way just to save this mans life, I’ma do it. I’ma sit there. I’m going to have my hands up. If they shoot me, so be it—I’m doing something that I think can stop this man from getting killed. I’m about to sit here and watch and film and not say anything? Don't get me wrong, we need at least one person to film. But if it’s multiple people who are witnessing it, there’s no purpose in getting different angles of it. I’m starting to think you just really like to get this shyt now. You wanna go around screaming “black lives matter,” right? You didn't care when they was on him, doing him wrong. The store clerk wants credit about all that stuff but he didn't come outside.
And the video evidence against cops rarely leads to justice.
It never works in court! They getting off. Because he’s a cop, he only deserves two years? I saw a cop tase this white kid, knock him unconscious—a 16-year-old kid. Cuffs him, picks him up, and throws him on the ground while he’s cuffed and knocked out. e has like brain damage or something like that, and the cop only gets four years. This is what he’s doing to a minor. You mean to tell me, you couldn't handle this minor, bruh? You don’t need to be doing this job. These cops are scandalous out here, bro. They’re doing wrong.
What was your initial reaction when you saw the Alton Sterling footage?
Some bullshyt. I’m mad at the whole situation: the cops, the people, everything—the whole shyt is just depressing, bro. I’m just sick of seeing that over and over and over and over again. In the Castile video, you see the little girl in the car crying, comforting her mother. Dude in the front seat slumped over, this cop still aiming his gun at them. So much stuff going on, it’s just not right. There’s no reason to shoot this man in the passenger seat. He even had his seatbelt on. It’s too much.
How do you feel whenever the cop situation or Black Lives Matter comes up, people always want to bring up black on black crime?
No, black on black crimes does need to be mentioned. A lot of black folks be like, “why you trying to mention that?” Because it’s really happening. My homies are dying every month over gang banging. Let’s not forget we are killing each other. Our community is still, to me, the bigger picture, bro. We’re preaching unity but as soon as we get back to the hood dudes are still killing each other. We need to stop that also.
Right now, I ain’t been able to write music—I’ve been going through things. I lost one of my homeboys the day my album dropped, found out one of my closest homies got 100 years in the penitentiary. I haven’t been able to eat in three days hearing that. I’m over here running around and my daughter breaks her arm. I can’t be there for her; I had to see her on FaceTime, hurt in the hospital bed. How can I really be happy about my album being out when all this is going on? All this hard work I done put in up until this point is overshadowed by some punk-ass cops not doing they jobs right. Me and my peoples stayed up late working hard for this. It’s bigger than just me and promoting and all that shyt. People are going through real serious issues right now. People in Dallas are so fed up, they’re killing cops, and two cops just died in Michigan. People are starting to fight back. I don't think killing is the way, but standing up for yourself is definitely important.
You tweeted about writing “Neva CHange” and “Black THougHts,” songs about relations between people of color and police, a year ago but both still feel relevant.
Because it’s been happening before the cameras were out. It seems like people didn’t start caring until they had footage. People didn't start caring until they could tweet it. People love saying what they’re going to do on Twitter. But in the real world, they ain’t doing nothing. This dude asking me what am I going to do on Twitter is probably sitting on his couch in the house. You’re sitting in front of a computer screen, in front of a TV, asking me what I’m going to do?
Would you clarify the Alton Sterling lyric from the remix to “THat Part”: “When Alton Sterling gettin' killed for nothin'/Two cowards in the car, they're just there to film/Sayin' 'Black Lives Matter,' should've died with him”?
There’s no need for four or five people to film another black man die. We get it now. We keep seeing black men die on camera.
What would you have done in a situation like that?
I might’ve been harsh, but that’s how I felt when I was writing them lyrics. I’m tired of seeing people filming our people get killed. It’s too many different angles of this dude getting killed. Me, personally, I’m aware of my surroundings. I see one person filming, that’s all I need. It’s two cops, they can’t do nothing with him, and so I think it’s my job now to stand right next to the situation. If that means I have to get tased or if I have to go to jail for an hour because I’m in they way just to save this mans life, I’ma do it. I’ma sit there. I’m going to have my hands up. If they shoot me, so be it—I’m doing something that I think can stop this man from getting killed. I’m about to sit here and watch and film and not say anything? Don't get me wrong, we need at least one person to film. But if it’s multiple people who are witnessing it, there’s no purpose in getting different angles of it. I’m starting to think you just really like to get this shyt now. You wanna go around screaming “black lives matter,” right? You didn't care when they was on him, doing him wrong. The store clerk wants credit about all that stuff but he didn't come outside.
And the video evidence against cops rarely leads to justice.
It never works in court! They getting off. Because he’s a cop, he only deserves two years? I saw a cop tase this white kid, knock him unconscious—a 16-year-old kid. Cuffs him, picks him up, and throws him on the ground while he’s cuffed and knocked out. e has like brain damage or something like that, and the cop only gets four years. This is what he’s doing to a minor. You mean to tell me, you couldn't handle this minor, bruh? You don’t need to be doing this job. These cops are scandalous out here, bro. They’re doing wrong.
What was your initial reaction when you saw the Alton Sterling footage?
Some bullshyt. I’m mad at the whole situation: the cops, the people, everything—the whole shyt is just depressing, bro. I’m just sick of seeing that over and over and over and over again. In the Castile video, you see the little girl in the car crying, comforting her mother. Dude in the front seat slumped over, this cop still aiming his gun at them. So much stuff going on, it’s just not right. There’s no reason to shoot this man in the passenger seat. He even had his seatbelt on. It’s too much.
How do you feel whenever the cop situation or Black Lives Matter comes up, people always want to bring up black on black crime?
No, black on black crimes does need to be mentioned. A lot of black folks be like, “why you trying to mention that?” Because it’s really happening. My homies are dying every month over gang banging. Let’s not forget we are killing each other. Our community is still, to me, the bigger picture, bro. We’re preaching unity but as soon as we get back to the hood dudes are still killing each other. We need to stop that also.
