8/10/05

What's good Ike?

Right now, nigga just gotta go away for two months real quick, it's fucked up, a nigga can't stay away from that haze, a nigga love that shit. But I got some lawyers so I don't have to be sitting up in that fed joint because that ain't no place to be, up there a nigga's mind be fucked up. So I gotta go through this 60-day drug program. They wanna make you out like a drug addict because you smoke a lil' haze, that's crazy. But whatever, fuck it man. It's either that or tell them "fuck you" and then they lock me up.

How would you describe your music?

My shit is dope, it's not like my shit is corny where I could say "fuck it." My niggas' Ag's shit too is crazy, there's no words to explain it. His album is coming out. Niggas already hearin' him on that Purple City shit and that's just one little step you know?

Who exactly is Ike Eyes?

I was born and raised in Red Hook Projects, Red Hook Brooklyn. That's the home of the motherfucker. I lived in Bushwick, Bed Stuy, I'm in Crown Heights right now, Franklin Avenue. I started rhyming as a kid, I got in some legal trouble and they put a nigga away. It just so happened that Curtis Jackson was my motherfucking bunkie. I started rhyming with him, and this kid Desmond, he used to be down with the Derelict Camp. We was just doing out little thing, and whatever. After that, a nigga got out of that predicament and just went back to the streets. I was around people that just made me nice. The niggas I fuck with are nice. Niggas be running all over the street and niggas ain't got time really to just stop and make music because niggas got families and lives to live.

How did you get up with Agallah?

I met up with Ag like 10-12 years ago and it was over from there. Once me and this dude got together, it was over. It was just like, we connected and we family. That nigga's like my motherfucking blood right now, we've been doing the shit for so long.

What did you start making music with Ag?

I met him when Ag was starting to pop with the production and we were like "oh shit, this nigga's popping." I wasn't even trying to stress him on the beats right away. We were just chilling, smoking and shit. I put a home studio together with a rusty 4-track and a fucked-up beat machine and we started making music, and we started fucking with PMD, so we had a little short-lived group thing with PMD but niggas got their own agendas and shit. I'm a soldier but I'm ready for the war. Nigga you gotta put your all into me because I'm gonna give you my all. So that was just a short-lived little thing and then I went back to the streets hard trying to get that money.

That can be a trap…how did you balance the two?

I was making joints here and there but I got sidetracked when I started seeing paper. I was kinda like "fuck this rap shit." If you listen to my music, I say "fuck this rap shit" in half my rhymes because that shit will sidetrack you. But eventually, Ags was trying to get me to stay focused on the music shit and then I got in trouble again. Like right now, I just got to focus and do this shit. You know, I put the studio and recently we've been banging out and doing shit.

You've been doing some work with Purple City too…

I'm always on them shits. Shout out to Shiest and Un Kasa. If you see any of those tapes, I'm on there. That's another step forward for me and my nigga Ags. Right now, it's just crazy. The music that we're making is music…it's straight music. I ain't even gonna say this shit is rap, it's just beautiful music, some heartfelt shit. Niggas is pouring their souls into this shit.

How was it rhyming with 50 in jail?

He was always him, he was always dope. I always felt son, even when he came out, I bumped into him over the years and it was always love. He'd say "Ike, call me…" but I was never focused on this shit, I was always the little nigga that thought I was so nice a deal would just fall out the sky. When you get older you realize shit don't happen like that. I always supported dude over the years knowing that he was putting mixtapes out and all that, I was always pushing his shit and eventually dudes just pop and I ain't no nigga to be jumping up in a nigga's lap, but I wanna play him my shit and see what he thinks.

What are you gonna do when you get out?

Oh man, words can't even explain it. I know my niggas is gonna be buzzing. I'm about to have like five mixtapes out within those two months while I'm gone. I know my niggas are gonna be riding for me when I'm in so I just gotta lay low and get my head together and keep my cool, so when I come out just see what it is.

Why should we check for Ike Eyes?

I'm a Hip Hop nigga. I grew up in this shit. I was a lil' nigga in the park in '86 doin the Wop and shit. I was one of those little 6-year-old niggas who was loving Hip Hop, the culture, writing graffiti, I was breakdancing…I did all of that shit! I'm just a real dudem, I got love for everybody, and my shit is dope and it's original. You hear these dudes, and right away you can categorize them. You can see who they're trying to sound like and all that. You can't say Ike Eyes sounds like anyone! It's original, it's creative, it's original, and it's funny. I'm doing my shit for the ladies that wanna dance, the real niggas out there grinding that just want to hear a nigga they can relate to, for the niggas that want lyrics. If you're a real Hip Hop dude and you really love this rap shit, then I think you can really fuck with the kid. But that's my opinion, and I'm my biggest fan. But I got niggas on my side that's fans that love the kids when there's times when I'm ready to stop and I see how much people love my music, I'm like "wow." It just blows me away. So I gotta do this, you know what I mean. Not only for myself, but for everybody else.

What do you want to say to everybody out there?

I just want to tell them to just stay in tune with the kid. Agallah, Purple City…and there's a bunch of niggas waiting in the wings for their chance. Whatever it is, just stay in tune with the kid. I'll be out in two months. I just want my shit out there. When I get back, I'm gonna pop-up fresh on these niggas. That's basically that!