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7/13/2006 What's up? I'm good, man. I'm in this fucking hot-ass LA weather. We're chilling out here, grinding, trying to keep this movement moving. Congratulations on the Interscope deal. How did that come about? Good looking out. It came about with this BYI Entertainment thing. I put out the mixtape City of Gods last summer and that got a big buzz in the streets. We dropped Blow six months later and kept the buzz going. We have Mister Cartoon doing all the artwork and all the art direction. Between him, me, and Lulu, we got the buzz we needed. We dropped Cruzifixion a month ago, but that was after we had already signed. Why did you feel comfortable going with Interscope? There are a lot of different reasons why I think Interscope is a label artists look up to. The independent game is pretty big right now. I think Jimmy Iovine is a big reason. When he supports you and feels your music, nothing can go wrong. Tom Punnunzio from Geffen is the person who got us our deal over there. Interscope is that machine that allows your art form to get to a larger audience. We need that big machine behind us because it's really hard out here for someone to get that exposure if you're not getting pushed. It's hard to get everyone to listen to you when you're Latino. With that big machine behind you, you can't lose. How's it been going so far? We just started working on the album. We're gathering some tracks, trying to get the sound the same and get the direction. We're looking at a first-quarter release. You said it was tough having people listen to you because you're Latino. What challenges do you face? It hasn't been the same since Big Pun passed, Rest in Peace. What Big Pun did was sick. He was a monster on the tracks so it didn't matter what race he was. I'm trying to do the same thing on the west coast what he did on the east coast. It's a little different out here because it's more spread out. I'm pretty sure it's the same challenges Em faced when he was coming out. We have a stereotype of cats thinking we can't rap or that we all do a certain kind of rap or that we all do reggaeton. To get them listen to you is hard. I've been getting that for the past ten years now. Then you look at TI who's making statements about how immigrants should go back to their country. That's an ignorant statement. A lot of people have a different perception of us. I just saw a Saigon video where he's mimicking us and trying to talk like us like he just saw an '80's gang movie. A lot of it is they don't understand the culture and that's what I'm trying to bring to the table. That's what we're dealing with. I'm trying to break that stereotype and let them know we're heated and we have spitters. I'm trying to bring that to the forefront. What would you say to T.I. if you saw him today? I was at the BET Awards looking to talk to him. I think me and Pitbull were the only Latino rappers on the carpet. I was out there twenty-deep with my Dodger fitted. I would have asked him if he wanted my mother to go back to her country and my father to go back to his country. That means I wouldn't be here. What are you saying, duke? Get educated. I'm not even mad about that, but blanket statements shouldn't be made like that by someone in his position. He probably said that because he thought no one would respond. That's a plus to being on Interscope. I have a platform now and people have to watch what they say now. I know there are Mexicans in Atlanta. I'd have to take a walk with him and talk to him and just school him on some shit. I know he knows about LA. We're deep out here, so what is dude saying? Those are the obstacles I'm going to have to deal with that a lot of other rappers don't have to deal with. What about Saigon? (sigh) I just don't think a lot of people have their pulse on the LA streets. He must have not been out here. I don't know who he was rolling with out here, but you can't say things like that and not expect repercussions. Latinos are deep in the game and now we have a voice with me and a few other artists who are bubbling. I just don't understand why cats put themselves in these positions. They must have just seen some '80's gang movie. That's not how we talk. We don't wear hairnets anymore. We're right there in the game. I guess it's just a matter of time before they start seeing us more and they start to realize we're not just extras in these videos. Looking at that, do you feel any pressure to change the stereotypes? It's not so much pressure as it is that I'm going to do me. I grew up in the westside of Los Angeles. The westside is different than most parts of LA. There's more money on the westside so the way people dress is a little different. Hip-hop has borrowed our culture a lot, like the white tees, so now we're going to get our chance to really represent it. There's a lot of the black and gray style ink. That came from the prison Chicano culture and Mister Cartoon is bringing that back. A lot of our culture has been injected into the industry without having an MC to back it up. My father is from Columbia, my mother is from Mexico and I was born here in LA. I have all these stories to tell so that people can understand us a little more, so the next time they get on DVD's, they don't have to make stupid comments like that. You started telling some of those stories on The Cruzifixtion. Yeah. That's a good example of what to expect from a Latin cat out on the west coast. The first song speaks a lot about the whole struggle of being the first-born son of immigrants and my parents thinking that by having me here, it was all going to be good and not thinking about the gang traps and the violence that affects the Latin communities. That's a trap for us to avoid going to college and becoming members of society. We're stuck in the streets and sometimes our parents don't realize that. Sometimes they think it's all gravy just because they made it to the other side of the border. That's what I try to touch on on that album. Did you treat this like an album and not a mixtape? I don't really approach mixtapes like a mixtape. I put albums out. City of Gods was like an album even though there were some instrumentals on there. You can download music on BYIEntertaiment.com. I approached The Cruzifixtion like an album. I tried to bring the Latin sound into it and it's all hip-hop. The struggle between music and the streets saved me. I was talking to Lulu about this yesterday. We feel we have a responsibility to our people, our culture, and the music, and they all tie in. Ten years from now when we leave the game, we can say we made change for our people and we made it easier for our people to get in the game and we put our stamp on hip-hop culture. A lot of artists say music is therapy. It seems like it's much more to you. It's religion. You can see all the religious undertones, with the title Cruzifixtion and in a lot of other ways. When you come to my show, you're going to church. Picking up the pen and pad is my confessional. I'm not trying to overdo it, it just is who I am. Have you started your debut album? I'm working on it and just going through some tracks right now. We have in-house production from ROME. He's bringing that sound that you hear a lot on The Cruzifixtion. He did the meat and potatoes of that. He's bringing that soulful, Latin sound. We're also looking at other cats like Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, and the Dr. You thanked Dr. Dre for advice on the mixtape cover. What advice has Dre given you? He's given me direction as far as where to stay with the music- keeping it street and keeping it gully. As long as it doesn't go too far overboard and you keep your ear to the streets, you'll be good. That stuck with me. There is definitely a lack of Latin MC's in the game right now and I'm just trying to fill that void. In talking to other people from New York as well, they've been saying it's time for a Latin cat from LA to come out. They're saying it's the next thing. I'm not saying it's the next big thing, but there's definitely a lack of Latin MC's. How valuable is tattoo-legend Mister Cartoon to your team? I've been grinding for over ten years and I met him through Lil' Lucky over at Joker Brand. He's been instrumental in helping me to get my name out there. I come through with the lyrics and he comes through with the art direction, cinematography, and the videos. Lulu is the CEO of BYI and our team is so tight and everyone comes through. We're able to do what we need to do in the game and back each other up in our individual art forms. Cartoon is a huge hip-hop head. He loves the old-school. Whenever I'm over there, he's blasting my music or the oldies. I don't think you can have the artwork without the music and vice versa. For us to hook up, it wasn't a fly-by-night thing. We've known each other for years. To have him in my corner is a blessing. What's it like getting tatted by him? That's therapy. That's therapy right there. He never told me, but he might have a Master's in Psychology because you come out a lot smarter than when you went in. He's a very smart individual. I guess he's been talking to a lot of different people and he's picked up on a lot of shit. That's definitely therapy for me. I come out of there a lot smarter and his advice is very valuable. I think that's why people like to go to him so much, because it's like an experience. You don't just go to get an "I Love You, Mom" tattoo and pay him $40. There's like a six-month waiting list, but it's worth the wait. I've had some friends get messed up by some crappy tattoo artists. I would never let anyone touch my skin but Cartoon. It's going to be on your skin the rest of your life and I don't understand why people want to cut corners. If you need a heart transplant, would you go to a bootleg spot because you want it done cheaper? If you have your idea, let Cartoon do it and you'll have it on your body for life. It's going to look good and it's going to be on your body until you pass. How strong would you say your team is? Honestly, I don't think people realize that's what it takes in this game. I could never take all the credit. I do what I do and I know it allows everyone else to move as well. Lulu is the CEO of BYI, which stands for Beyond Your Imagination. We're claiming that new dynasty. We've looked at what all the great teams in history have done, like Dame and Jay, Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, and Diddy and Biggie. If it's done the right way, it can last. There has to be loyalty. It allows us to move forward in the game and take people with us. We have a strong team in the streets with the flyers and signs. The big thing is we're letting people know that we're here and it's time for them to get used to us. The team is essential. A strong team is essential in this game. Did you face any challenges with the name change from Blunts LLA? It was also a growth thing for me. I wanted to put more of myself in the music and it allowed me to get a fresh start. I put the Blunts LLA name to rest, but I still claim the LLA. Omar Cruz is something different now, but it's still me. It was like a natural progression. What's your next move? I actually have a show this weekend at the Envy Expo. Game and a bunch of cats are going to be there. That's going to be crazy. Other than a few shows here and there, I'm just working on my debut album. I'm putting my heart and soul into that. I'm going to be working on that for the next six months. I'm trying to get out to New York. I might get out there and record some of my album out there. I'm looking forward to that. We get a lot of love online from cats in New York, Brick City, and Miami. I'll probably get out there and show some love back. It's going to be hard for me to not drop anything between now and then. I'll definitely be dropping some things. Can your album change the way people think about LA hip-hop? Definitely. I think the Game definitely brought some light back to the west coast. I'm going to illuminate it in a different way. There were no Latinos on both of The Chronic albums. I'm definitely going to change the big picture to what LA hip-hop is. I'm going to place the final piece of the puzzle that hasn't really been placed. God willing, it will shine through. Does it ever get frustrating that LA is known for being super-gangster or super-backpack? I think that's because we're all touched by this gang lifestyle, and sometimes you want to take it the other way. All these gangs used to do diss raps against each other. This was when the Pharcyde was coming up. I was thinking LA hip-hop is bipolar and there is no in-between. Either you know someone who gangbangs, your family gangbangs, or you gangbang. There's no separation. You have cats like Jurassic 5 and Dilated who go the other way, and they still talk about street shit, but they go about it in a different way. I don't know if I'm going to be in the middle or not, but we're doing LA street music and they can take it however they want. What do you want to say to everybody? I'm here now and just keep your ear to the streets. We're in the building. For more info, check out http://byientertainment.com

By Brian Kayser

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