Even as grown men we have to put up with elementary politics. In the real world we can just say, ‘I don’t mess with dude.’ However, when business and greenbacks are concerned, a reaction must take place. Forced into a situation where something has to give, Ras Kass has to defend himself because like Jay-Z said, “the streets is watching.”

Think about ever fight you heard about in school and everybody telling the story has a different depiction of what happened. That’s a lot of gossip to weed through. Now, think about when something happens on the streets. Everyone claims to have witnessed it and what and why everything went down. Finally, think about when something happens in the Hollywood world known as Hip-Hop. Exactly! You don’t know who’s telling the truth.

To make it a little easier on you to determine what’s real and what’s fake, Ras Kass in his own words gives us a little background about somebody’s favorite rapper. How many people jumped him? If the song ‘Caution’ was made over two years ago why did Game decide to do something now? Was it about Game’s son? Why did Game fallout with his brother Big Fase? Those are some of the questions that Ras gives an answer too.

(We had to reschedule the interview so Ras could continue his tour with Rakim and Styles P. This picks up the day after one of his shows.)

JayRich: How did you get involved with Rakim and the tour?

Ras Kass: “He just reached out, honestly. He was on the West coast and he wanted me to be a part of it.”

JayRich: What other stuff you got going on?

Ras Kass: “I got a street album with a lot of different people: T.I., Mobb Deep, Lloyd Banks, and uhhh….whatever. I just dropped that shit Tuesday and its called Eat or Die.”

JayRich: Where is your label situation headed right now? Will it be settled anytime soon?

Ras Kass: “The reality of it is I signed some shit where I can’t even talk about the shit.”

JayRich: Gag order?

Ras Kass: “Yeah. It should be over with by this November.”

JayRich: How long have you been going back and forth with this?

Ras Kass: “Four years.”

JayRich: Damn.

Ras Kass: “And that’s to tell all these other artist trying to get into the game, be careful about the shit you sign. A record deal ain’t the end all, be all. Realistically, I shouldn’t be arguing with these people. I don’t want no money from them; I want a divorce and they don’t want to give it to me. It’s just when you dealing with the White man, he hate to lose.”

JayRich: They trying to break you to the point where you’ll just say, ‘Fuck it. I’ll do ya’ll albums until I can be done.’?

Ras Kass: “They try to starve artist so they’ll be begging the label to shoot videos or release a single.”

JayRich: If you did breakdown and honor their (Capitol) contract, how many albums would you have to do?

Ras Kass: “I’ll have to give them three albums; and what I’ve realized is that I can’t get an album out with these guys. I did one album; it took two years to do the second album; and it’ll take me seven years if I do another one. I did two albums in between the other two, but they trying to act like those don’t count. They wasting my time, my life.”

JayRich: When this is over where do you see your career going?

Ras Kass: “The sky’s the limit. In this business, everybody knows everybody. You know people before they sold records and they know you. It’s like if Hip-Hop had a yearbook, I would be voted “Most likely to Succeed.” I had to watch all these people blow while I was sitting on the bench. Everybody from Outkast to Tupac said I was the next to blow. But all that don’t mean nothing to the people in the office. This is the music business and business is the bigger word.”

JayRich: Of all the artists I talk to from the West Coast bring up the tension between Black and Brown. What’s your opinion on that?

Ras Kass: “I was in prison, and trust me, I know what it is. First of all, Brown come from Black anyway. I was just talking to somebody about that same shit. I told him, ‘we need to stop this shit.’ You can be proud to be Mexican or Black, but don’t shit on the next man because of that.”

JayRich: Modern-day racism seems to be more Black and Brown than the old Black and Brown.

Ras Kass: “I’ll say this and it’ll probably get me in trouble, but I’ll say it anyway. What I’ve noticed is that the world is really Black and White. There’s a lot of Gray. What the White people say to the Gray when they fuck em is, ‘at least you ain’t Black.”

(Here’s where Business picks up)

JayRich: What’s up with West Coast rappers and the continuous beefs?

Ras Kass: “We come from a gang culture that steams back for about 30 years. We’re clicking; everybody has their clicks. I just tried to keep like, ‘I got my click, but I ain’t gotta shit on you and what you doing.’ It’s just that with this Rap shit, its money involved. Its like, ‘why they getting money and we ain’t?’ It just so happens that the fake niggas seem to be getting all the money.”

JayRich: And I’m guessing that the way you feel about Game?

Ras Kass: “You right because this is the dude that representing my home.”

JayRich: The situation with you two has been retold over and over already in like a week. I’m not going to ask you what happened, but you mean that in a club it wasn’t any cameras?

Ras Kass: “I wish. What I was thinking is that they had cameras, but the police came and got (the tapes.) My thing is, I hate a liar. Do what you do, but don’t lie. Just because you gotta a bigger microphone.”

JayRich: In ‘Caution,’ was that filled with opened ended lyrics?

Ras Kass: “I just wrote a rhyme in general. It just so happen that sons and guns rhyme. To be honest, I didn’t know he had a son. That’s 50/50, I coulda said, ‘raise yo daughter.’ I was just talking. I had just got of jail and that was the first song I did. He was poppin at the time and I had heard of him, but I didn’t know dude. It was about me being the King of the West. We had indirectly had a conversation about that. He a ….”

JayRich: What do you mean indirect conversation?

Ras Kass: “Uh…it’s basically…You gotta know how niggas in L.A. do. He got on the phone (while someone else calls) and put his shit on mute; I’m not stupid. We kept having talks between me and his homeboy. It’s just some L.A. shit. It was like, ‘Let him know blah blah blah.’ His boy call back and say, ‘Well he said, ‘blah blah blah.’ And it’ll go back and forth.”

JayRich: When did the song ‘Caution’ come out?

Ras Kass: “It came out two years ago. It had nothing to do with this nigga! And he knew that. We ironed that shit out two years ago. I’ve seen him in life since then. So this is a publicity stunt. His boy (back to the indirect conversation) call me and say, ‘He always expected you to blow. Game repped for you in a song and whatever. I didn’t even know dude and he repping me. Now I gotta pull the song out with him rapping just to show everybody I ain’t making shit up. ”

JayRich: What song is that?

Ras Kass: “It’s called ‘Cali Boyz.’

JayRich: How long ago was that made?

Ras Kass: “It had to come out about 2 ½ years ago. Before I got out. I’m not even overly mad at him. I’m from L.A.; I wear what I wear because I earned the right to. Niggas is not wearing Khaki suits in L.A. Back in the day that’s what you did, but that was back in the day. New York rubbed off on us and niggas still bang, but we get fresh now.”

JayRich: This situation, where do you see it going?

Ras Kass: “I can only give that to God. He kinda crossed the line when he hit me in the head with that bottle. You can’t do that; I have a mother; I have children too. He said read some shit where I dissed his son and said his name. I don’t even know his son’s name. He Hollywood. He can’t run through these streets. Game is not a Blood. 2002, he didn’t have any tattoos. He just made some money and paid some real niggas to hang out with him.”

JayRich: It that why Game and Big Fase (Game’s brother and well known Blood) fell out?

Ras Kass: “Basically. It’s fucked up; think about it most times you got your relatives that’s going to ride with you no matter what. His own flesh and blood said I can’t fuck with you; what kind of man are you dealing with? Really, your family supposed to say fuck it; we go ride with you. But, yo brother says that you’re not a blood; you weren’t in a coma, and you’re not this. Somebody’s lying; and it’s probably not your brother when he’s the one that’s reputable. His brother is known in the streets as a real nigga; I’m known as a real nigga in the streets. Not the most crazy nigga in the world, but I’m real. It’s like you’re not going to do that to me. Ain’t no nigga ever tried to pull no shit like he did. It takes a faggot to cross the line.”

JayRich: With that said, how long will it take for the world to catch on and for Game to get aired out?

Ras Kass: “He got a bigger microphone than me. I’m fighting with my label. I was not talking about him and his past. I wasn’t trying to promote nothing because of my situation. I didn’t run up and talk shit to the Game. I was just doing me. I was in the club doing me; you need 30 niggas I don’t. But, I’m in a position now. I’m not go sit here and say I won a fight; it wasn’t 30 niggas that jumped on me. It was about 4; Game hit me in the head with the bottle, stepped back and let them go. I have to accept the fact that he tried. I have to accept the fact and be honest. Niggas and bitches was there would say the same thing. Was I knocked out? Never in life. We from L.A., I got a nice 20,000 thousand watch, the rule is: you get knocked then you get stripped naked. You get stomped out, stripped, and you wake up all fucked up. Game’s a liar. He’s a show. He got slapped in the face by Suge Knight cause he bitch. Suge knew he was a bitch so he treated like one. (to Game) The truth is, you a bitch homie. Don’t try to sell the image like you one blood. Your brother said you ain’t. It would be cool if he was a real blood, but he ain’t. His album release party got shot the fuck up cause of that.”

JayRich: Where do you stand?

Ras Kass: “I been fighting that fight with the streets my whole life. My homies too. Some is banging, some chose to play ball….It’s a movement out here about these fake cats in the industry and the streets is mad. Don’t be a fake gangbanger. My mama taught me whatever you do, be a 100%. It’s fucked up for me to have sit and watch fake niggas make it. Game said he was on the Shaw (Crenshaw) in a 64’. You can’t even drive on the Shaw. He can’t be on the Shaw cause he’ll be dead. That’s Rolling 60 Hood, Rolling 60 Crips. It’s a nigga named Caz, a double OG from Rolling 60, he my big homie. Caz came out and said it since he got out, ‘I go fuck (Game) up cuz he a fake Blood.’ Game scared to death of him. He won’t even mention Caz name in nothing. Caz want his head. Dude is a show. It’s fucked up because the world just think I’m lyrical, but home show me love cause I’m honest. My cousin is Bleu DaVinci, BMF. We had a album came out, he DaVinci and I’m Van Gogh. We try to be honest about who we are. We got Blood cousins, Crip cousins, and Non-affiliates. But, I ain’t go be BMF cause Bleu is. I’m Ras. To have a faggot to represent us is bad. 50 made him and don’t fuck with him. His brother don’t fuck with him. I don’t think I should have to talk about him. He don’t really exist to me. Game has put things in motion that are going to kill him trying to sell an image. I’m not saying I’m going to kill him, but before I got out of prison, he had already set things into motion by saying things on the streets. You gotta be what you say you are. You say gangsta, you better be gangsta. If Game came out a homosexual, he would have to suck a dick. Somebody go put you to the test. They find out that you something other than what you say you are the people are not happy at all. The streets talk.”

–By Joe “JayRich” Robinson

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