Sheek Louch: Watch Your Mouth

Why is former D-Block member J-Hood dissing the LOX? Sheek Louch has the answers in this xxlmag.com exclusive.

Two weeks ago, in the midst of his five-borough concert tour in New York City, 50 Cent appeared on stage in the Bronx and incited controversy by bringing out former D-Block member J-Hood. For some hip-hop fans, Hood’s appearance with a known adversary of D-Block was met with disbelief. For the past five years, the young Yonkers rapper has been signed to the LOX’s imprint, D-Block Records, acting as the group’s unofficial fourth member. But earlier this month, the self-proclaimed “baby faced gangsta” asked for his release from the label after suffering numerous delays for his debut solo LP, Tales From the Hood. At first, Hood’s departure seemed innocent enough, until a YouTube video appeared on the Internet showing the 21-year-old verbally disrespecting his former LOX brethren Sheek Louch and dragging his D-Block chain on the concrete.

In the midst of the controversy, the LOX have been relatively mute. But with J-Hood personally calling out Sheek, the Wolf has decided to fire back. XXLMag.com sat down with the LOX member to discuss the origins of J-Hood’s beef with D-Block, his upcoming solo LP and the long-awaited LOX reunion.

What prompted this beef between J-Hood and D-Block?

There was never tension. He’s tight. He’s mad, like, Damn, I been with these guys for the longest [and] my album hasn’t come out yet. So he has every right to feel that way. But he’s going about it the wrong way. He’s hanging himself right now. Like [Funkmaster] Flex said the other night on [Hot 97], “Sheek used to beg me to play your records.” I think he’s just fed up, especially with his friends in his ear.

Why did Hood want to leave D-Block in the first place?

Hood spoke to Styles and said he wanted to go his own way [and] we were like, “Okay, cool.” Styles gave me the word he spoke to him and I said, “Alright, say no more.” ’Cause I been down that road, as far as wanting to leave and get off Bad Boy [Records]. I understand wanting to spread his wings and do what he gotta do. My thing is, say me and you aren’t doing business anymore. That doesn’t mean y’all gotta be enemies. Fam, you’re doing little YouTube videos, running around, jumping on stage with 50 [Cent], looking [like a] groupie. What are you doing, fam? Don’t think them boys, Yayo and them, don’t remember every last thing you said about them. They see all that. They know what’s what. You don’t even know when you’re being a puppet. It’s sad. When 50’s album [is] done, and he’s done running around and using Remy [Martin] and you…Yo, dog, you don’t get it. Why are you acting tough? I ain’t get on that with you, so why you coming at us like that? Hood, you know how we get down, fam. I really don’t get it. These New York DJs are hanging him. Flex said, “I’ll never play another Hood record, ever in my life. It doesn’t matter what label you go to, don’t send me nothing.” That’s crazy. No artist wants to hear that. Without me calling a DJ to say, “Yo, I need you to shut down Hood,” they’re calling [me]—from Cosmic Kev to Flex—[saying], “Yo, I ain’t playing nothing from him. I don’t respect his move right now.”

So there’s going to be no diss tracks toward J-Hood?

I would never rap with [Hood] lyrically. There is no way in the world you can get with me or my two partners [Styles P and Jadakiss]. I would never go to that level. I just want to spank Hood. I just want to take my belt off and give him a beating. Then, when you’re ready, say sorry. I still gotta let you off [the label], Hood. I still gotta sign the papers to let you go wherever you need to go. So who’s telling him this and advising [him] before he’s even off? I’m really just baffled. Does your manager know that you still [have to] come to us to get off?

Are you gonna release him from the label?

I would, gladly. I been in that situation, as far as holding you, saying you can’t go nowhere and all of that. We don’t get down [like that]; we cut from a whole different cloth. I spoke to Sha Money [XL]. They called up and spoke to Super Mario [D-Block general manager] and told ’em, “Yo, fam, we ain’t talking about signing no Hood. That is all a publicity stunt. I don’t got a clue what that boy is doing.” 50 even said on the radio, “He’s running around doing all that. He’s gotta see them boys in Yonkers. That’s bigger than me.” He’s dead true.

There’s rumors you were trying to take Hood’s D-Block chain back. Is that true?

Never would I take [J-Hood’s] chain or put my hands on [him]. You know that, fam. I love you, fam. What are you doing? We the niggas that told you not to buy that fake, 800 dollar, big ass, 600 diamond chain. I said, “Hood, you gonna have us murder somebody for taking a fake chain off you. Don’t buy that jewelry, fam. You gonna walk around, your niggas are not build like that, and you gonna have us…’cause now we gotta do something, ‘cause this nigga felt he could take your chain.” It never happened, but I’m just saying, I’m not taking your little chain. Are you stupid? I remember when you bought that costume shit. You talking about I’m gonna throw it in the crowd. Hood, you’re not hurting us if you throw some fake ass chain in the crowd that you bought for fucking 600 dollars. That shit looks like it’s worth millions, [but] if you throw it in the crowd, you’re going to play yourself when the person goes and checks the chain.

Hood is only calling you out, not Jadakiss or Styles. What is that?

[Laughs] I swear to God, I go outside and my niggas say the same thing, “Yo, Louch, this nigga, he want it with you.” I didn’t even have the talk with him. Him and Styles had the talk about going their separate ways. I don’t know why he’s calling me out. Yo, Hood, when your stepfather was touching on your body, fam, I went and ran in your house and got ’em. Me and my goons ran in and got your step-pops for you. And a list of other things, but I just want to throw that one out there to sting him a little bit. That was me. Remember, Hood? That’s big homie. And I still don’t have no beef with you, until this day. But you getting out of hand. I may have to smack you on your head a little bit and [make him] stand in the corner or something. [Laughs] After I work out every day, at least four times a week, I go eat my lunch in front of [J-Hood’s] house. I sit there, beep the horn, make my calls, chill [and] wait to see who comes in. [Laughs] Yo, Hood, did you move or something? Why are you doing all this tough guy shit for? Business-wise, I get why he’s saying, “Damn, I want off and I just want to spread my wings and do my thing.” Hood, I been there and I definitely get you on that. You feel our business relationship is exhausted and you wanna try some other stuff. People are [just] not respecting that you’re trying to get with 50 and the way you’re going about talking shit about us.

Drama aside, it’s hard to believe its been seven years since the last LOX album. What’s the status of the long-awaited reunion LP, Live, Suffer and Celebrate?

The next LOX album…ain’t nothing in ink yet, but as far as the lawyers, they’re trying to deal with Def Jam as we speak. A lot of people think the deal is done, but it ain’t done yet. It’s getting closer.

How long have you been at the roundtable with Def Jam?

Like seven or eight months. Before it was all talk that they wanted us. [Jay-Z] was like, “If I get these boys over here, it would be game over.” So Hov was trying to make that whole shit happen, as far as meeting with Ruff Ryders and Jimmy Iovine [to] try [and] smooth shit out as far as us and Interscope. Then [Def Jam] came with the offers and we sent it back. Then it was to the point of like, alright, we cool with that offer, now let’s work it out.

Realistically, when is the deal going to be finalized?

The LOX album will come [out] early next year, realistically. We got 15 [to] 20 songs already done.

Have you guys been working with some big producers?

Definitely. So far we got a couple of people: Timbaland, Pharrell, Rockwilder, will.i.am.

What can fans expect from your upcoming third solo album, Silverback Gorilla?

The album is sick, fam. I just finished mixing and mastering [it]. I got my boy Avant on [the first single] “I’m So Hood.” It’s insane. I think the single is [going to be] crazy big. I got my boy Fat Joe on there and of course Styles and ’Kiss. I got my man UNK on a Southern joint with a New York edge called “Get Up Out My Way.” I got Bun B and Ice Cube on “Got A Problem.” Oh my God! That’s monstrous! I also got a song with Dipset that’s gonna shut New York City down. It’s “Dipset, D-Block” [with] me, Kiss, Jim Jones and Hell Rell.



xxlmag.com

Twista: Adrenaline Rush 2007

CRITICAL BEATDOWN
XL

Living up to his old Guinness Book of World Records title of the fastest rapper in the world, Twista has been delivering rapid- fire bars since his 1991 indie disc Runnin’ Off at Da Mouth. But it was his major-label debut, 1997’s Adrenaline Rush, that catapulted the Chi-Town MC into the national spotlight. Unfortunately, his career has been plagued by numerous false starts. After a pair of projects with the Speedknot Mobstaz—1998’s Mobstability and 1999’s Legit Ballin’—Twista got tied up in a tug-of-war with Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records that delayed his Kamikaze LP ’til 2004. Containing Kanye West’s smash hit “Slow Jamz,” the album earned Twista his first platinum plaque. In his eagerness to keep the mainstream love going, the Windy City word-smith oversaturated his next project, The Day After, with R&B duets and pop production. Although the disc went gold, its saccharine sound rubbed die-hard fans the wrong way. So as a show of good faith, Twista dubs his latest effort Adrenaline Rush 2007.

While the new album borrows its name from Twista’s classic, these are still two separate projects a decade apart. With longtime collaborator Toxic and newcomer Cuzo handling a bulk of the production duties, AR2K7 holds true to the overall feel of its predecessor. Toxic’s choppy, ice cream truck–inspired score for “7 Day Hustle” and cinematic board work on “The Come Up” evoke the Tung Twista of old, as he fires off lyrical rounds with Megatron-like efficiency. Meanwhile, Cuzo’s bell-heavy trunk rattler “Whip Game Proper,” featuring Lil Wayne, inspires bombastic bars like, “Vocalistic cataclysms, I spit the biggest words/Fuck you and your bitch-ass crew, I spit the sickest verbs.”

The verbal onslaught continues on the oppressive “Trouble,” and again with the trombone- and bass-fueled “Wrist Stay Rocky,” produced by Basement Beats. While few MCs can keep up with Twista’s speedy spit game, it’s actually a rappa ternt sanga that winds up going flow for flow with the Chicago veteran. Mimicking the cyclic guitar lick of “Creep Fast,” T-Pain chucks his robotic vocals out the window and not only keeps pace with his host, but almost outshines him. Feeling the pressure, Twista turns up the heat with, “I’ma see ya when I see ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya/Got the Desert Eagle/And I’m rollin’ through in the Regal/Lookin’ at you from the eye of a needle.”

Unfortunately, Twista veers off course and begins to test the mainstream waters once again. Enlisting the once-guaranteed hit makers the Neptunes for “Give It Up” results in Pharrell’s rigidly stale hook being the foundation for a contrived club cut. Trying to recapture the crossover magic of Kamikaze’s “Overnight Celebrity,” Twista pens misplaced serenades like the R. Kelly collabo “Love Rehab,” which stands out amid the album’s harder material. Then, of course, there’s the inclusion of “Trappers Delight,” a throwaway cut from Cee-Lo and Jazze Pha’s unreleased collaborative project, Happy Hour.

Finding the perfect balance between commercial and creative content is difficult for any artist—even an OG like Twista. While Adrenaline Rush 2007 is a definite return to the raw, the aforementioned tracks, coupled with a bloated track listing, subtract from his fully recapturing the past glory of the original. Still, with potent material like the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony collabo "Ain’t No Hoes” and the high-octane “Pimp Like Me” loaded in the chamber, the Midwestern rhyme slinger proves that, even after more than a decade in the game, he still got that fire.


XXL Magazine 2007
October Issue #96

Pride: Miami Tattoo Artist

"CAN'T GET ENOUGH"
MIAMI'S TATTOO KINGPIN HAS RAPPERS COVERED.

They say tattoos can be addictive, and based on the multiple pieces of body art on Lil Wayne, Baby, Young Jeezy and Yung Joc, there's some truth to that theory. The man responsible for easing those and many other rappers' ink obsessions is Miami-based tattoo artist Luis Bustos (a.k.a Pride), whose custom line work has made him tops in the game.

Born in Brooklyn, the 27-year-old tattooist split his youth between his parents' native Bogota, Columbia and Miami, where he developed a passion for drawing portraits at age 12. After viewing the Latin crime flick Bound By Honor, Pride was inspired to turn his artistic flair into a full-time career. "I saw Mexican dudes in jail [with] tattoos that were really good," he recalls. "That gave me an idea, like, that's what I want to do." Dropping out of high school in ninth grade, Pride spent his teen years apprenticing at local tattoo shops. In 1999, he scored his first celebrity client—fellow Dade Count resident Trick Daddy—after meeting him through a mutual friend. Having seen Pride's work around the way, Trick solicited him for four tats, including one of a smiling clown with three dice and the words "head crack" on his arm.

Pride kept perfecting his craft until 2005, when he opened his own parlor, Prides' Tattoo Gallery, in Miami's South Beach. The skilled ink man soon landed high-profile clients like Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem and James Posey and quickly became known as the area's best portrait tattooist. So when M-I-A transplant and Cash Money co-founder Baby wanted etchings of his loved ones on his skin, Pride, who has also inked Pharrell, Cee-Lo and Jacki-O, was the obvious choice. "Most of the newer stuff, from the past two or three years, between [Baby] and Wayne is all my work," says Pride. "They got something, like, every three weeks." While Birdman boasts tats of eight family members on his stomach and chest done by Pride (including the infamous portrait of Wayne on Stunna's right pec), Wayne has serveral nonportrait drawings, including a depcition of Hurrican Katrina and a Jay-Z verse, by the skin artist. "He the talk of Miami 'cause he a real dude, and it reflects through his work," says Baby of Pride. "Dude is gifted. That's why everyone comes back."

With prices ranging from $300 to $15,000, Pride can accommodate the common man's budget while still setting the benchmark for originality. "I don't want to repeat my tattoos, and I don't want my tattoos to be duplicated," he says. "Whenever [people] come in here, they're gonna get an orginal piece."
That's why he's the besssst.


XXL Magazine 2007
October Issue #96

Outkast: Men of the year 2004

"TWO GREAT TASTES THAT GO GREAT TOGETHER."

OutKast had 2004 wrapped up before the year even started. Already on the short list of greatest rap groups of all time, Atlanta’s Andre “3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton were in midascent to total pop culture dominance when the calendar flipped. Released late 2003, their bold, double-disc opus Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was on its way to selling over five million copies (earning just the third diamond plaque the RIAA has ever bestowed upon a hip-hop album), while their twin tower singles—“Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move”—held the top two spots on Billboard’s pop charts for eight weeks running. When “Hey Ya!” finally dropped from No. 1, in February, “The Way You Move” replaced it. That same month, at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, they took three trophies, including the big one, Album of the Year.

It was all the result of a novel production process. Andre, bored with a rap game he’d been pushing the boundaries of for years, wanted to make another kind of music. Big Boi, always the duo’s tether to the streets, wanted to keep it hip-hop. So they recorded separate albums—Andre’s The Love Below, an eclectic collection of purple-funk love ballads and genre-melting hummables, like “Hey Ya!,” and Big Boi’s Speakerboxxx, a hood-certified juke joint full of monstrous 808s, state-of-the-art rhyming and smooth, brass-backed come-ons, like “The Way You Move”—and released them as one under the OutKast rubric. Together, they cast an awfully wide net. Pitched an awfully big tent. OutKast became that rare phenomenon in pop music—the act loved by everyone and their mothers. And everyone’s mothers’ dentists’ aunties’ plumbers. And... Anyway, XXL got the guys on the phone recently to learn what
that’s like.


XXL: What are your fondest memories from 2004?

Big Boi: The craziest was the back-to-back performances of “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move.” Whether it was on Leno or Letterman or the VH1 Awards, BET Awards or MTV—whatever it was—it was just back-to-back. At one point, we was running from one award show and going to the next one to perform. We were moving maybe nine to 10 pieces in each of our setups, to go change clothes and jump into your suit and go ahead and do it, man. It was a lot of fun.

How did it feel to lock down the Grammys?

Dre: Shit, man, that was amazing, to be honest with you. I mean, OutKast, we been around since ’94. But a lot of people, believe it or not, that was their first time hearing about OutKast. So a lot of people don’t even know that I rap, which is funny. To get that kind of award and have old OutKast fans be like, “Oh, y’all just now catching on?” You know, it’s kinda cool.

Big Boi: I flew like maybe 40 of my family members out there that never been out of Georgia—aunties, cousins, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandmama and everything. So to have my family and Dre’s family out there to enjoy it, and we win and celebrate after that, you can’t beat it. It was like a big-ass family reunion. I mean, the energy in the whole house, and when the music cut off and they announced “Album of the Year.” First rap group to win Album of the Year—period.

XXL: Were you surprised by how well your music was received by the mainstream?

Big Boi: Umm, yeah, I was. We didn’t know that the album was gonna be that big. Like, we put out the singles, and that shit just took off. We knew the music was good, but a double CD, two solid albums’ worth of two guys who’ve been in a group together just almost... What it did was just solidify that identity of Andre 3000 and Big Boi. Okay, cool. These niggas been in a supergroup since they was teenagers. Believe it.

Dre: I really was, because it wasn’t your everyday stuff. That sounded nothing like anything on the radio. It came at a great time, and I think people were just ready for something new. It was great timing, and it could’ve gone either way, and I’m just happy that it went this way.

XXL: Do you consider yourselves pioneers in the emergence of Southern rap music?

Dre: I feel like we’ve played a significant role in it. But it wasn’t just us. It was our whole Dungeon Family crew at the time. We were the first people to come out of the gate, but even with our first album, that was pretty much everybody involved. You had Goodie Mob on the album, you had Witchdoctor, Cool Breeze, Big Rube, Rico Wade. Even the name of the album at the time, Southernplayalisticadillacmusik, that was pretty much ushering in our Southern lifestyle at the time when L.A. and New York were reigning supreme.

Big Boi: That’s for the people to decide. We’re definitely on the fore-front, along with the Geto Boys, 2 Live Crew, UGK, 8Ball & MJG and those that came before us. But we definitely was holding the flag. How it is now is crazy to know that we was a part of that whole movement. 1996, bruh, they ain’t wanna hear our shit. But now, they can’t get it away from ’em.


XXL 10th Anniversary 2007
Septemeber Issue #95