Thug Life Army

Robert - Thanks for taking time for this.

Binky Mac - Oh yea man no problem. It's all good dawg.

Robert - So we can get a feel for where you''re from and what kind of place Inglewood is; how would you best describe Inglewood to someone who has never been there?

Binky Mac - Inglewood is a good place. Inglewood is the type of place that is gang affiliated but then you got the city council, the mayor, and all them. They live there. Ya know what I mean. There are beautiful homes in Inglewood and everything. Inglewood is a good place. There's gangs and everything, but for the most part Inglewood is a good city.

Robert - Did you grow up there?

Binky - I grew up here, I was born in Kansas City. I came here when I was real young.

Robert - Did you ''bang'' when you were young?

Binky - I gang banged from mainly Jr. High School and High School. And then after that,  I was really just like an affiliate because all my homies may have still been banging. I  was out there doing my thing, ya know. I was in pop locking groups or singing groups or rap groups ya know what I mean. I was in another group before AllFrumTha I called the 1st Amendment. So I always stayed busy.

Sorta like (DJ) Quik's situation, I remember with Quik's situation he was talking about how the gang banging was around him , he was over there but he was in the house doing music a lot. So it was the same situation, we was running and doing whatever we could to get out there.

Robert - I know Mack 10 got ya''all started in the business but how did you hook up with him and that break come about?

Binky Mac - Mack 10 actually grew up with Squeak. He grew up with Squeak but he ended up being in 1st Amendment with me. In that group there was about 6 of us. And Mack 10 was one of the members in the group, and I was a member in it and there were a couple of other guys.

I remember one day Mack asking me for a track. And I got this thing, even when I was coming up and I was charging ten thousand a track, if somebody would ask me for a track I would never turn them down - I''d give it to them. Cause you never know where that individual will end up at ya know what I mean? Mainly not for that reason but out of love too ya know, so I ended up giving Mack a track. He never actually recorded that track back then cause he was trying to do some solo stuff, so when he actually ended up hooking up with DJ Pooh, and then Pooh introducing him to Cube, and Cube brought him out, he ended up coming back and grabbing us. Me as a producer and Squeak as the rapper, he got us signed with Priority. So that's how we ended up hooking up, but we were in a group called, like I said earlier, First Amendment.

Robert - Are you still in close contact with the Westside Connection crew?

Binky Mac - I talked to WC about, wow, 4 months; last time I talked to him is about 3 or 4 months ago. I talked to Mack 10 about a month ago. We all live really about 5 minutes from each other but where we live at you just don''t bump into somebody. Every now and then ya might but I don''t see those guys all the time. I know Mack is supposedly working on a new album. He asked me to get him a song on there and our schedules has been a conflict.

Robert - I have heard 2 tracks off your upcoming album. ''Hero'' and ''Runnin This'', are they a good sample of what we can expect from the rest of the new album?

Binky Mac - They are a hell of a sample of what you can hear on the album.But when you all get to hear ''Lil Momma'' and songs like ''Can''t Get Enuff'', man it's a hell of an album.

Listen; I''m on the internet all the time now and I''m talking to people directly - they love that. They love the fact that ''we don''t have to go thru no management, publicist, they are talking to Binky Mack or Squeak Ru directly. And they are letting me know; the songs are hot.

Robert - ''Lil Momma'' where can we hear that?

Binky - I''m gonna let that leak out like April 1st. I''m going to go ahead and slip that April 1st and the album drops April 19th, so that way they got the single; and we are getting ready to do a video for ''Lil Momma'' and then we are going to do one for ''Hero''.And I''m probably going to do a ghetto one for ''Runnin This'' with my own video camera ya know.

Robert - I know you both like that ol school Motown sound, (Marvin Gaye) so does any of the tracks on the new album relate back to the Motown old school?

Binky - On this one I think it's really got the; if I could compare it to something I would say its like the first Westside Connection album, with a twist on it.

I''m working on the Boo Kapone album, my solo artist, he just signed with us. His stuff, we definitely went Marvin Gaye a little bit, we went that direction. I love me some Marvin but on this album I think it's just going to be, they are going to say wow. Like with the Westside Connection album people was really like they didn''t know how it was going to be, but when they got it, it was like ''damn this is a tight album''. That is what their going to feel. This is a tight record. On the west coast or even on the east coast or where ever - down south; this is an album you got an earful with the whole album: period.

Robert - Who did the production on the album?

Binky Mack - The production is solely produced by the Product. And the Product is me and my cousin Don Doe. Don Doe produced on there and I produced on there, we did the whole album.

The intro to the album was produced by a guy named Dave Martin, we call him Dave Way. We got this intro that is hot. It's like the president speaking or something ya know.

Robert - The album is on Free Agency Records, who is handling distribution?

Binky Mack - Navarre is distributing. The people at Free Agency use to work for Priority and EMI, so they are now executives. We were trying to figure a way out for me to be a partner on the record label but as you know I was a label owner before and we thought it would be better, I thought it would be better; if we just kept it on a creative level and just did a production company with them. That way I could stay in the vocal booth and the boards.

Robert - What kind of feedback are you getting so far?

Binky Mac - I can''t believe it, for real. I can''t believe the good

responses I am getting from people sincerely. Cause I got fans from the second album that email me from like the Netherlands and Australia telling me like ''Bink the second album is cool but we really like the first album'' ''it ain''t as tight as the first album''. And they are truthful. One thing about the fans they are going to be truthful with ya, ya know. They are going to tell you straight out. So on this album man, I swear I haven''t had any complaints. I haven''t had any complaints on those two songs, the response is incredible.

So that's like why me and Squeak, last night we were out at the club hanging out, we got to be out there. We got to hit the street, cause this is the one.

Robert - It seems west coast radio is slow to support and play many west coast artists. Is the record getting any air play out on the west coast?

Binky Mack - We are pressing up the actual 12 inches; they should be ready this week. We''re not going by the first week sales man, it's independent. We don''t have that pressure on us like before. Like I said we can sell between 500 to 5 million the first week it don''t make a difference cause we are going to work this record. Every record we put out we are going back to the old school days where they actually set and work the artist.

If you remember Usher's first album was a flop. Just think if LA Face would have dropped him. If La Face would have dropped him we wouldn''t be hearing this Usher today. Or maybe we would, I don''t know maybe on another label.But that's what we are going back to ; La Face was like No, lets go for the second record now. Let's really just work these songs, let's work the record, because right now it's so corporate that what happened to the love of the music, ya know what I mean? We are not tripping on that , we are going to grind the record out. We''re going for radio, K-Day is back with Julio G and them. So if the The Beat and Power 106 don''t act right, we still got K-Day. Julio G is my people.

Robert - The first single off the album is going to be ''Lil Momma''?

Binky Mack - ''Lil Momma'' is the official single, yea.

Robert - Are there any videos planned for it?

Binky Mack - We are getting ready to shoot that video now. We were with the video people yesterday going over everything. They''re still in the process of putting the treatment together but it should be completed by the time the record drops.

Robert - Do you have a favorite track off the album?

Binky Mack - Wow, man when I tell you that I like this album; Squeak trips off the fact that I play this album all the time. He's like man you playing again huh. Cause I never listen to my music ya know, never hardly; but this album I have been listening to it.I would say my favorites are the single ''Lil Momma'', ''Runnin This'' I love that, I love ''Hero'', ''Larger Than Life'' which is the name of the album. Man I like the whole album, I don''t have no least favorites. That's a hard question. Squeak might have one favorite 2 favorites on there that just stand out but I bump the album, and when I bump it I bump it all the way thru.

Robert - Is the album still on track for an April 19th release date?

Binky Mack - April 19th in stores everywhere and if it ain''t in a store near ya; if you''re in Hawaii or something and ya don''t see it in the stores you can order that baby online. We will be on I-Tunes to Amazon.com so it will be everywhere. And call me if it is a problem to get.

Robert - Out of all the work you do in the industry, rapping, producing and acting; which do you like the best?

Binky Mack - Ya know what, producing. I like to produce. I am getting ready to do some snap shots of me in the studio, just really doing music and have a camera person just taking these pictures, it's historical. hahahah.

I read like the mix magazines, eq magazines; I read that stuff like every month. I''m really like into the gear of it, the analog to the digital, so the producing stands out the most. That's me.

Tomorrow we have a big session with Boo Kapone. We got musicians coming in. We got guitar players, we got background singers coming in. Tomorrow my house is going to be, the living room we are going to have people kicking it over here we are just going to be doing music, we are going to order some some El Polio Loco and just get in there and grind on the stuff. But that's the love of the production of it, putting it all together so I would have to say the producing.

Robert - So that's your strong point?

Binky Mack - That is definitely my strong point, even though I was rapping before I was producing.

Robert - When you start putting an album together like this. Do the lyrics come first and the beats are made for them or do the beats come first?

Binky Mack - Ya know that's a good question. We always start with the beats. But I remember the Westside Connection they started with the title for that first album. They had the title and they matched everything to the title of the album.

But we do the beats. We actually start with the beats because somebody might have an idea and say I want something like this or what ever, but for the most part we start with the beats.

Robert - Well then does it start out as a free style more or less with the lyrics?

Binky Mack- No, I will do that. Like Boo Kapone, he usually always free styles his intro's. He has a hell of an album that didn''t come out on Priority that we still got and I don''t know what is going to happen with that, even though we are working on the new one for him but he''ll free style and then take it home and come back and re-lay it so it's fresh, he will do something like that. But as far as lyrics, cats come in here and sit down and write to it.

Robert - Who makes the finial decision on what goes onto an album, like between you and Squeak?

Binky Mack - Well we both do, believe it or not. Because there was a song on there called ''Everywhere I go'' that Squeak was loving. He said it might have been the best song we had ever, I said it might be the worst song we had did ever, and there was another song that was bumping to me called ''Focus'', it's not on the album. Squeak didn''t like the song. It was his least favorite, he didn''t really like it. So for us to throw either one of those songs on there would have been like we both would have fast forwarded them and we don''t want that. So neither one of those songs went on the album, even though ''Focus'' is going to be on a few different albums. I don''t like wasting songs but we both decide. We kinda even it out, we work together well. We balance everything out. Just to show you how we do work, neither one of those songs are on the album, we worked it out. So we both definitely had a final say.And then if it came to some thing we just couldn''t agree on, what we would probably do since everybody got love for each other, we like a family, we would probably get Don Doe involved. Get the label involved. The label owner is a good friend of mine. We would probably get him involved. Then you see what everybody thinks.That is what we like to do, ask 5 or 6 people and see what they say and then kinda roll with that.

Robert - How long does it take to complete a project like this one - from start to finish?

Binky Mack - Man it depends on the actual rapper. Because the

production ain''t lacking at all. Me and Don Doe constantly pushing out beats.

We are going to be working with a couple of  (quote on quote) old school (knowledgable) artist like Yo Yo and probably MC Eiht. But I was in the club last night with one of the members of 702 and I am going ta be probably getting her over here to

work on some stuff with her. We are just going for it, so it really depends on the artist how quick they are.

A person like MC Eiht, we could do an album honestly in 2 or 3 days. Becausehe is so quick, he can go from song to song.

I never worked with Tupac directly but they say Tupac was like that. The only person I know that is like that is MC Eiht; he's quick.

But then you got a person like Boo Kapone. He may take a lil while it's different for different people. It really depends on the artist.

But beats, we got them ready. We might do something for finger snapping, have them rapping to the finger snap or something, ya know. Just get real creative.

Robert - I see that you were part of the production on the new Celly Cel album. How did that come about?

Binky Mack - Well Celly called me. Celly liked my production and to be honest with ya, (I don''t remember, unless I was drunk back in the day) kicking it with Celly Cel at all. So I sent him the beat and he got on it, but he called me and seemed like a good dude, and I like his music. I bump Celly Cell.

Robert - Yea both the cats you just talked of, MC Eiht and Celly Cel; I interviewed them both and they seem like ''real'' good people.

Binky Mack - Yea, MC Eiht is my people, MC Eiht is like family. And Celly Cel just talking to him on the phone he seems like a real kool dude. He came at me and he asked me how much, and we talked about it and he sent it. I noticed one thing about Celly Cel, he is real business. I like that about him and definitely I''ll work with him again. But next time we work together I''m going to have him out here in the studio.

Robert - Well how long have you known MC Eiht?

Binky Mack- Actually when he signed with Hoo Bangin'' that was my first time. Actually if you remember it was for the ''Rhyme or Reason'' DVD that Mack 10 was in; I first met MC Eiht at the premier for that, it was like an after party. He was running up in the club and we were running up in there to and I met him there. Then eventually he came over and signed to Hoo Bangin'' and we clicked like brothers. We started kicking it and everything and then we kinda got our own agenda going. But I''ve been talking to him lately so he''ll probably be coming over here to Free Agency. He might be signing to Free Agency and doing his thing over here.

Robert - What's the status of Hoo Bangin''?

Binky Mack - Ya know what, that's a question for Mack 10. I thought it wasn''t another Hoo Bangin'' but then I think he had an artist recently that came out on his label, so I don''t know if it's an active label or not. I don''t even know. Matter of fact, last time I talked to him we didn''t even get into that. We were talking about so much other stuff.

Robert - What other projects have you been involved with lately or are you working on just your album?

Binky Mack - I worked on my album. I''ve done some jingles and stuff. I worked on NBA Live, Inside Drive NBA for X Box. I did a couple games for X Box some of them I can''t remember off hand. I know Inside Drive 2004, I did 2 songs for that game. I was rapping on one and did the beat, and then Boo Kapone rapped on one and I did the beat on that. And also we did a lot of jingle stuff. I wanted to test my hands in that and that's a crazy business. But I wanted to get into that and see what that was about. But I knew I had to get back into the music, because I left for about 2 years to try some different stuff. I''m like an adventurous cat. So I get into ring tones whatever, ya know. But now I know my calling is definitely this music and getting back to it. I got a few rules but if everybody agrees and we come to the table, I just can''t get with somebody and start working on a project, we got to talk things out. Sit down and holla for a sec.

Robert - Are you now currently on tour with Yo Yo and Boo Kapone or is that coming up soon?

Binky Mack - Right now Squeak has been doing a lot of shows with Yo Yo. They have been out there. They have been everywhere; I think they are going to New Zealand coming up. They are staying busy doing that. But we are definitely getting ready to kick off a small tour for the summer, I know for sure, but it is in the process right now.

Robert - Where can we find a list of stops the tour will make and dates?

Binky Mack - I''ll make sure that gets to you as soon as it is all definite.

Robert - Is touring something you enjoy? And does it have its drawbacks?

Binky Mack - Let me tell ya, I hate to use the word ''retiring'' from rapping and going out, but when my son came man, I stopped everything, cause I wanted to be with him. So for me to be gone a long time and if he ain''t around, I''m serious I don''t know if I could handle that - period. So for me, I like the fact that we can bounce out somewhere and come on back that week end. My play brother Jalil from Whodini, they do that. They go out every week end and then they come on back home. That is what I''d rather do as opposed to being gone for 4,5,6 weeks ya know. But when the time comes I am definitely going to have a lap top that's going to match my studio and I''ll be working while I''m out.

Robert - But you will have to take your son with you right?

Binky Mack - Do one of those Rollin Stone numbers or U2 numbers and sell a lot of records. Yea my son we will have to get him a tutor and get out on the road, bring my wife with me too.

Robert - What is the status of DeDal Records?

Binky Mack - DeDal Records we had distributed thru Bayside man. Bayside Distribution - man, to me it was a nightmare experience. Being a label owner is a hell of a job. So even with Free Agency, I''m not the label owner actually, but we are doing label work. So DeDal Records for me was a hell of an experience, and it is no more. We put the second record out on DeDal and I was doing that with a friend of mine. Me and him owned the label. We really didn''t have the support of the distribution people. Even though you are the label you are suppose to handle things but if we are getting spins , we''re getting spins in Sacramento, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, The Bay Area your suppose to step up and say ok we probably need to put some fire behind this baby, cause it looks like things are going to happen. And the next thing you know the record died out. That was the single we had with Bad Azz. But actually, that was the labels job, not there's per se.

Robert - The ''Black Republicans'' album was never released, what happened to that project?

Binky Mack - Never released, The Black Republican Album; boy where you find these questions (laughs), you must have done your research huh?

Robert - Man if ya don''t want to answer.

Binky Mack - Naw, I''m going ta answer cause I got Black Republican views. I got republican views. People trip on me about that, ya know. I''m not a Democrat or Republican or none of that, that was really the album coming out. Some of my views are Republican but I''m for the ghetto. So add that up. Rebulicans are about they paper, Democrates are about the people (some of them). So I am a Republicrat. But the whole thing is that the Black Republican album, I had never started on that record. I haven''t done one verse, one snare drum for that record.

Robert - It had a release date though.

Binky Mack - Well, coming soon. I don''t think it had a release date, it had a coming soon. That was in the magazines. In the Source and all the magazines that were out I guess. I don''t know rap pages, whatever was out. But we never started on it. But it wouldn''t have taken me no time to do it, it's just that Hoo Bangin'' was doing the No Limit thing, trying to hurry up and put out all these releases. I''m really about quality. I''m about the quality, but I am a little quick to put it out at the same time. So it wouldn''t have taken me no time to do that

record.

Robert - So do you have plans to follow up on it?

Binky Mack - Believe it or not, with the deal I got with Free Agency I''m putting out three records. AllFrumTha I is one of them, Boo Kapone is the second.The third is a solo album, that I haven''t decided if I''m going to do it or not. I don''t know if I want to do a solo album, or maybe do something like Dr. Dre did with the Chronic. Have people, a couple of guest artist come in; I haven''t decided that yet.

Robert - Well Squeak has a solo coming up soon don''t he?

Binky - Squeak got a solo album he just completed yesterday. It was actually done, mixed, and everything yesterday. So they will probably be mastering that baby, and he''ll have a release date for that soon. I''m sure he is going to give you a lot of information on that.

Robert - Big Syke is from Inglewood to, how is your relationship with him and do you ever see him around?

Binky Mack - Squeak probably knows him. I don''t know him at all. I know I like when he be bustin'' on the mic. I like his lyrics and everything, but I never met him in my life. Squeak is out there all the time ya know. Me, I''m like in a cave. I''m always working or doing some family time thing, ya know. I don''t hang to tough. My gang is my son and my wife, ya know what I mean. Going out to the club last night for me was, even though I enjoyed the hell out of it; really the only time you are going to see me out in the club is if I''m promoting something. So for the people who see me out in the club, I got a record getting ready to come out if you see me.

Robert - The Relatives (Big Wy, and Suga Buga ) are from the Inglewood too. And not long ago they put out a diss track on Mack 10, what kind of relationship do you have with them?

Binky Mack - The Relatives is the homies, I got love for them, period. I have had nothing but good vibes from them every time I see Suga Buga or Big Wy. We holla every time we see each other. And if you remember they were on our last record. They were talking at the end of our last record. But eventually we will hook up and do some music and stuff together but we definitely got a good relationship and Squeak is real kool with them too.

Robert - Do you think the west coast is experiencing a second wave of talent and that people are starting to take notice again on a national level?

Binky Mack - I think we are slowly coming back yea. But we will never win if we keep putting out the same old artist, we''ll never win.

You got to remember, you know how many generations since Whodini ? You know how many generations it was when De La Soul came along? You know how many generations it was when Rakim came along? Those are so many different generations, think about it. You got GrandMaster Flash, Melle Mel, and all them cats. You got Kool Herk and all them before all that. Afrika Bambatta and then you got the Rakim's the Big Daddy Kane's, the LL's all these different generations of artists kept coming thru. With the west coast we had Mix Master Spade and them, Ice-T; God Bless Mix Master Spade he just passed, so God bless him and his family and everything.

We had them and Ice-T and then NWA came along and that's basically it.

We had about 3 generations, because after NWA and them came along DJ Quik, and then you got AllFrumTha I , Dogg Pound it stopped. Our new generation now that we have is Game, Gorilla Black and I give both of them pats on the back for doing their thing - period. As apposed to people dissin, because we don''t have time to be dissin. We losing; we don''t own no basketball teams, we ain''t got no shoe lines, we don''t have time to be dissin. We have to get together.So shout out to everybody out here doing something.

Kam has a hot song out. I got love for Kam. Yo Yo's doing her thing. Yo Yo's doing her thing in a big way. She is out there doing shows with Squeak. So we coming back, but if we don''t breed a new generation; it's good Yo Yo coming back, it's good DJ Quik doing his thing, Dr. Dre but you have to put these young cats out - got to. And you got to keep doing it and then those young cats have to put they young cats out. And the next thing you know generation, generation, generation: that's how it's got to work. If it don''t work like that, we don''t eat. It's got to be talent to. Don''t forget.

Robert - Along with the new artists that are coming out of the west, it seems that a lot of the heavy hitters are releasing albums lately. MC Eiht, Celly Cell, JT The Bigga Figga DJ Quik has one coming and Dub C as well and the list goes on. Is there a reason for all these heavy hitters dropping so close to each other?

Binky Mack - People probably got the idea that since Game got the big door open; everybody run thru, that type of mentality. But it's more than that. It's really the love for the thing - period, that we keep working, we just gotta keep working , we got to put out good material. There is some material out now that ain''t dope at all to me, but they sell records. It's a certain market that sells records, there not dope to me but their consistent and their working harder, you know what I mean. We are going to have to, as the west coast; put out quality music and just keep working and keep working and eventually the flood gates are just going to have to just open up.

Robert - What are your thoughts on some of the new west coast artist and some of the new talent coming out of the Bay area?

Binky Mack - E-40 is definitely one of my top 10 rappers. E-40 might be one of my top 10 rappers  but I keep seeing people in my face like Turf Talk, Messy Marv, never met the cat but I think it is a good thing that I keep seeing these cats out there. At least they are doing their thing up there in the Bay. Ant Banks is my peoples, playa partner. So I love the Bay. Every time I go up there I''m loving it. And I love their hustle. Sacramento too, JT and them doing their thing. I love their hustle. My thing is let's just keep doing what we''re doing, let's get these young cats out there.

We got people on the album; Cyphakon, Madam Brown, Boo Kapone is on the record. I got 2Eleven, he hot. My lil nigga 2Eleven, 2Eleven can be the next nigga. He stay up in Vegas now but he's from Inglewood. That niggaz hot. AndI got K.G. Superstar, I got Fuzz Priceless; ya know what I''m saying. It's the new cats man, we got to keep these new cats going. If you notice on our albums, besides the first one, well even on the first one but the second one and the third one we put new people on there - period. I could put the Mack 10, Ice Cube and everybody on your record that's cool but you got to let these new people in

Just think about JT The Bigga Figga he put out Games album. He was working with Game before niggaz knew who he was. And that's what it's about.

Robert - Yea and that paid off for everybody.

Binky Mack - It paid off for everybody and from what I''ve read I guess they worked their deal out on points and all this stuff but it is the young cats. I can''t stress that no more. We got to keep putting these fresh , just like Clue went and got Fabulous when he was fresh and young. We got to keep doing that.I don''t know how good it is for us that we have to go to New York and grab somebody or what ever down south and grab somebody and put them out. There is to much talent here for that. There is too much talent right here. I got partners who are getting ready to move out of town feeling like they got to go to Atlanta to blow up as producers and all that, we can do that right here; we don''t have to go nowhere. Puffy and them niggaz got houses in Beverly Hills out here in our back yard. They know it's the jack-pot out here, it's money here - we don''t have to go anywhere else.

Robert - It seems that you have worked with almost everyone on the west coast. Is there any new west coast artist that you haven''t had a chance to work with yet that you would like to hook up with?

Binky Mack - I have done music on Scareface, Redman, all these different people but I would like to work with some cats in other places as well. I want to continue working with the new cats out here but like Ludacris is hot. I wasn''t even feeling him on his first record. That niggaz new album, I heard a few songs off that, it's fire. I like Juvenile for the down south.One person I really wanted to work with when I first started producing was Ice Cube. I got a chance to work with dude so, Jay-Z of course homie, ya know what I''m saying. Jay-Z is incredible. I''d like to work with Jay-Z and DJ Quik. Ya know I really like producers who rap, like myself. So Ilike Quik, I like Daz, Daz is my nigga.

Daz is doing all that independent stuff, I''m loving that. And I''m

loving DJ Quik. I got almost every DJ Quik record in my I-Pod. I''m missing about 2 or 3, but I will be getting them soon.

Robert - Yea DJ Quik has a new record coming here soon.

Binky Mack - Yea that's what I hear. Quik is real talented, I''m loving it. These are the cats I''m loving. Dr. Dre has like that Quincy Jones mind thinking ya know. Nigga got love for Dre. Dre been doing it so long. Nobody can hate on that track record.

Robert - As long as you have been in the game, did you ever or was there a reason you never got to hook up with Tupac?

Binky Mack - Guess what - well I use to work at the airport, at LAX right. Back then we had the black kaki's on, it was like a security company. And we kinda use to work with INS; sub-contracted. I wasn''t making no money. And we use to have these black coats on with the black kaki's we be just like around the airport waiting for a call to do whatever we had to do.

So one day I come out of, what airline at the time was that; PSA was near American West or something. Tupac was out there. And I had the van parked out in the front. So I come out and he is like looking around, he's got one little book like a phone book, but there might have been lyrics in there. He was sitting there and he said ''Hey man you know where United is''? And I said you know what; the way you go around the airport when you drive around, you got to pass United to leave the airport but you have to go around a big U. So I said I''m going that way homie, if you want I''ll drop you off. He was like cool. He hopped in the van. You could tell he was buzzing ya know what I''m saying, (both Binky and Robert laugh); he was just looking straight the whole time and really wasn''t saying nothing, in his own world. We got about half way around and I said to him - ya know what? I do beats. I was like I have to get in the game, this was before the whole Westside Connect thang, before I even got in the game. And he was like ''for real''? He was like cool.

I said yea man - ya got a number or something. He said ''yea'' and gave me some number. But it was the corporate number; he gave me a corporate number. Some office or something, I don''t know.

But I would have loved to hook up with him. The closest I came to even working with him was on the; what movie was that he was in? We had a song called ''Get Your Bang On''. I can''t think of that sound track but yea he had a song on that and I had a song on the same album. Oh yea, "Gang Related".

Robert - Dub C has an album coming out this summer. Can we look for you to be on that?

Binky Mack - I haven''t done a song on Dub C's album. I can''t even answer why not either. I don''t know what it is. Dub C is a tight nigga, he's dope on the rap's. And my nigga Crazy Toons, his brother, is tight on the beats and DJ''ing (He needs to do some more mix tapes). Them niggaz is really like family. But I never can answer why I never had a beat on one of his Dub C's records. I don''t have an answer for that.

Robert - When you guys were starting out we lost Tupac, Biggie, and now more recently we have lost Mac Dre, Jam Master Jay and a host of others to senseless violence in the rap game, and we have others who are locked down-Do these things that seem to happen as part of the rap game ever make you reconsider your being part of it?

Binky Mack - When you come thru and you work with me, we have to have a sit down. You could be gang banging, all red on; but if me and you are going to click up and get some kind of relationship going where we are going to be working on some music or what ever, we are going to sit down and have a talk. And I''m going to let you know where I''m coming from and you can let me know where your coming from.

Last night we had fun at the club, I had cats that use to thug with me at the club that knew how to act. I use to thug it up. So we had a great time at the club last night. No shootin, no fights.

We''re not for that, we try to have all allies in place. Fo real, when it's time to go out to Iraq we want to have everybody in place (example).For cats to be killing each other man, my thing is that like, if Jimmy Ivene ain''t dissin Tommy Mattolla , why am I going to sit up here dissin Daz or Quik, ya know what I mean. I''m not doing that.

There's cats that came in my studio, I swear to this day right, actually in the last couple weeks and they sit up and diss some key people in the game. You''re never going to hear it. I''m not ever going to let it get out. I might erase it off the computer. I''m serious, because it ain''t worth it man. I didn''t know about it and the engineer was here and he was working with those guys and I found out they did a diss record on some people. One of the people they dissed is a good friend of mine. Not a good friend of mine, I mean we don''t kick it all the time but he is good folks, and they dissed him. And I''m like that ain''t gonna work, we aren''t going to let that happen. I talked to them about it and said that ain''t cool man. That nigga ain''t said nothing about you, he just don''t like the fools ways or what ever.

Yea I mean I talk to everybody man, when you come thru and you hang out with us, we got a good vibe going here - we got a family thing. And I think that is going to play a big part in what we accomplish - I would hate to seclude us from everybody else right now but I reached my hand out to a lot of people and they didn''t grab it on this project, or the last project. And right now I''m thinking to myself who are you to not grab my hand when you losing to. When I say losing, that means come on; Jay-Z is part owner of a basketball team, and Nelly ya know what I mean. These cats are really doing it. We had the opportunity to do that. I''m feeling like we got to make a come back man, and we are going to need each other to do that. Everybody I seen in the club last night I''m like what ever you need from me, you got it, and if I need you for something lets do it.Somebody has to start there. And eventually instead of us being at war with each other, lets get that Tommy Mattola money and that Jimmy Ivine money and lets do what they do, better. Ya know the whole Death Row thing crumbled but where is Jimmy Ivine at ? He's experiencing good record sales from AfterMath. He's having a beautiful day, out with his kids. Ya know, walking in the park.

So I''m not rolling like that. I''m going to roll with how they rollin'', I''m rollin''. They got big houses in the hills, I want mine. Nobody different than me, so that's how we are going to do it. We are going to get paid and we gonna have fun.

What sense does it make to make all these millions if you got to be getting shot at the club?

Robert - So you pretty well just ain''t got time for that , right?

Binky Mack - Yea, I ain''t got time for that. I told ya my gang is my son and my wife. That's my gang, we call it gang members (me and my cousin Soup Bone); this is my gang members. We go out, we go to the park, the beach, to eat on the water. We like to look at the ocean out at dinner, ya know.

Robert - How would you compare today's rap to the rap of back when you first came out ? Has it progressed or is it stagnant?

Binky Mack - You talking the west coast or music in general?

Robert - Music in general.

Binky Mack - I think we have progressed man. The other coast got on the map, down south ya know. You can''t blame them cats. They started buying their own records. If you remember those where a lot of the people buying west coast music; mid-west and down south. So now our sales might have slumped, could be because they are buying their own peeps down south - period.

But the music has advanced. I think we doing more stuff now. Like Eve said, she uses the rap music as a stepping stone to get to the movies or acting or what ever. That's a good thing but some of the music that's out right now is not up to par to me.I think everybody is in a hurry to get a record done. Everybody rap's, everybody does beats but when are you all going to do songs? That's what we need, we need songs. I know a lot of people that can do beats. I know a lot of people that can just rap and they can rap over that beat but when you put a song together; Cube really taught me that. I''ve studied  Dr. Dre, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, all them. You don''t have to be dead in ya grave before I give you credit for your talents. But nobody did it like Marvin and the "I Want You" album is the GREATEST album ever. I wanna see somebody do them backgrounds like Marvin did on that cd. You new school r&b rookies !Incredible. Marv be havin the greates backgrounds goin on, string sections, musicians, etc.

So back to my answer. Here is an example, but not always in the same order.

Boo Kapone came in he rapped on the beat but we are not done yet.I got musicians coming in, we got the backgrounds coming in. And then on the production end me and Don Doe got to go over the production some more and add some more stuff and then I will start mixing. It is all about good music. The kids are younger so they are only going to listen to what they know, but there is a lot of trash out there.

But my hat is off to Fat Joe with that new single, that's hot. Refreshing to the ear. And Ludacris with the Austin Powers beat, I mean that stuff is hot.

50 Cent album, I''m a little disappointed because the first album was so fire. The 1st cd keeps me in the gym losin some of this weight.

Robert - I think he is not a lyricist though, I think he lives off the beat, and a rapper can''t live off the beats. The beats are suppose to compliment the rap and with him it's the total opposite.

Binky Mack - What it is he's got catchy sayings. Which I''m not hearing that on this new album. He has real catchy stuff that he says and I''m not hearing it at all on this album. Besides the Piggy Bank song about Vivica. That's what I mean by catchy.

Cause if you listen to the first album the beat is banging already, you don''t have to wait for that hook, cause he is saying some crazy stuff in the verses. It was hot, ya know.

We just need to, like I said, get to the point where we are doing good songs. Out here in the west right now in the camp I''m working in, The Product, AllFrumTha I, Boo Kapone, Nephew - (wait that's 2Eleven - not Nephew, he changed his name, that boy gets down), but we are going back to Motown man. Ya have people come in and sit in, what songs do ya like - what songs you don''t like. We are trying to get this good music going on.

Robert - Going to use some Marvin Gaye samples?

Binky Mack - I don''t use samples at all. If I use a sample - put it this way ''I don''t use no samples''.

I wouldn''t have been able to but my house if I used samples. All those samples, all that money they taking; I''m kool. Give me all my money because I can get down and play my own music.

Robert - What can we look forward to from you and Squeak in the near future?

Binky Mack - We got the new album title we are going to work on after ''Larger Than Life'' called ''The Odd Couple''. I don''t know if I should have blasted that yet but yea ''The Odd Couple'', we gonna do that. I''m a spiritual person, I am definitely a believer in God. That's my own belief, not to put that on everybody but that's what I believe in, Jesus.

Sowe gonna do.... the Odd Couple is gonna kind of be Squeak doing what he does from his perspective, and me doing what I do from my perspective. That's what the album is gonna be about. Rather we record it together or we do separate albums we haven''t decided that yet. But it's coming and that's what we are going to work on.

Robert - If you never got started in the rap game what do you see yourself now and how would your life be different?

Binky Mack - I''m a hustler so - a legal hustler so I do what ever I got to do to get out there and make it happen for my family. I would probably be - I don''t know. I got my own business now so, I work for myself. I''m at home a lot working so I didn''t go to no big university UCLA or USC or nothing, I don''t know what I would be doing. That is a good question. I don''t know, a minister. Maybe be a counselor helping people out, talking to them; cause that is what I do anyway. When ever I get a chance I talk to folks and if I feel they are on the wrong

>track I think I can encourage them to get on the right track. Help them out at least ya know.

Robert - Is there anything we missed or failed to mention?

Binky Mack - Naw - the release date April 19th 2005. We got the Boo Kapone album coming. We got Nephew's (2Eleven's) album coming. We got a female on the album called Madam Brown and by far she is the hottest female from here. I love Yo Yo, and I love Rage, Rage is from VA though. But Madam Brown is fire. And there is another female rapper named Keesha Rowe. She ain''t on this album but she will be on some stuff soon cause she is pure fire.

The difference in the two is that Madam Brown is just raw. She is on our last record and she is on this record ''Larger Than Life''.

And Keesha Rowe is like Magic Johnson and Madam Brown is like Michael Jorden. Cause Keesha Rowe is like an all around ball player, and Madam Brown, she will just dunk dead in your face, I mean just cold.

We don''t give love to the west coast females ya know, or west coast singers.

Barbara Wilson is on everything; Nate Dogg, Dr. Dre, Snoop, AllFrumTha I, Ice Cube she has been on everything.

Then you have Ebony Burks. Ebony is singing on the album to and she is hot. She is actually, I believe, from Chicago or Detroit; but she has been living out here for awhile. Ebony is going to be on all of our stuff. She's dope, she has got down with Sunshine Anderson, she has done stuff for the Dixie Chicks to Raven-Samone she's dope. Lot's of folks. I hope I didn''t get the 5% of her credits I can remember wrong.

Robert - Any shout outs or things that need to be said?

Binky Mack - Shouts out to all the west coast artist who are doing it right now, rather independent or major label. Everybody from Game to MC Eiht, Mack 10, Snoop is doing his thing, ya know all the rappers DJ Quik, Daz, everybody who is doing their thing. Suge Knight, bring some of these Death Row artists out, put them out there so we can hear them and have our 15's bumpin. Kurupt - I''m shoutin'' out all of them. Ice Cube, Dub C, Yo Yo, everybody - I got so many shouts out we could be here all day.

My partner Squeak Ru, Don Doe, Mark Copeland, Betsy Bolte (my publicist) And shout out to the Road Dawgs , Naughty by Nature my folks and then the one and only Whodini.

My son is on this album, Justin. He produced the song on the part that he's on to. He produced it and he did that when he was 4, he is 5 now. So when you hear the beat, I didn''t do nothing but press record. He did everything, and he is rapping on it. So watch for that little skit, it's hot.

Robert - Well we wish you much success with the album and the tour. We''ll be looking forward to hearing more from you, please stay in touch.

Binky Mack - Alright man, it's all good, it's all gravy and    shouts out to ya at ThugLifeArmy.com for lookin out.

Robert - Thanks again - Peace

Binky Mack - anytime...

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