Illuminati 2G

I2G kicked it with X.O. for a exclusive 2 part interview. This is one of the most extensive X.O. interviews you will find anywhere. Part one we discuss his part in the west coast movement and the origin of the diss track, Put Them To Bed, and his issues with Xzibit and Ras Kass in particular. X.O. pulls no punches in this interview so check it out.

Illuminati 2G is here with X.O. how's it going?

Man I am good man, never been better. I am sitting on top of the world, sitting on the haters man.

First question right off the bat, why the name change for you from Scipio to X.O.?

I felt like I needed a change man, I had been through so much. And it was like me shedding from one person into another. Now I am X.O., hugs and kisses, slugs and stitches, second in command, only second to God though, you feel me?

I feel you. I was going over your bio and I was reading that you have done songwriting. If you could name some of the people that you have done song writing for and do you feel as a MC, do you find it harder to get into the persona of writing for another artist or is it just another process in writing that you do?

To be honest..., well to answer the first part of that question, some of the people that I have written for, Trina, Kelly Rowland, Dr. Dre, Xzibit. Actually it is easier for me because there is less pressure on me. For some reason I put more pressure on myself and I am so hard on me to be great and to be the best that I can possibly be and get the results I want out of my music.

In writing for other people, that is easy because I write it and I don't have to think much. The shit that most people want is really typical, like if I wrote a whole verse for Nas, and he took it, I would be really excited. But for the most part I don't get too excited when people take my songs I wrote for them because it is so easy for me to do. Writing for other people I do that in no time.

You are looked at more now that you have signed on with Black Wall Street as having more of a street and a gangsta rap image. In starting your career, you were more looked at as a lyrical MC. What do you feel is going to separate your music from say the success of not only west coast rappers, but others like say a Kid Cudi or Drake? Because the west coast is really not getting that shine right now, what do you feel like you are going to bring with your music that is not only going to bring you success but the west as a whole?

What I plan on bringing is me and that is all that I can bring at the end of the day. That is the best music that comes across, I can write a Superman That Hoe song all day. It would be good but it would not be me so I am going to try my best to give the world me. What is in me is the lyrical dude, I find when people do searches of me online, there are more people that listen to my shit that also listen to Nas and Jay-Z, as opposed to someone else.

With Game you might get a different group of rappers. I never get people that listen to Gucci Mane that listen to my shit. I always get a catch a lyricists ear and preference so I am always going to provide that because there are not a whole lot of lyricists on the west coast. I just want to tell my story and it is unique it its own right. Everyone has a story to tell and I plan on telling it in the most detail, but I also got to make the music so that people will like the shit.

Because I don't want to be like Immortal Technique, not shitting on him or anyone else that makes underground music, but they do not do it for the sales. They do their music more like however they feel when they wake up in the morning, they rap like that. I got to think how do I want to market myself with other music that is out there and keep the people in mind out there that still buy albums. With that said I am going to give my best and give people my story.

You recently released the untagged version of the track Put Them To Bed which was on the Slugs N Stitches mixtape last year. This is kind of a 3 part question, I know you used to run with Ras Kass a while back and there is not alot of history about you guys running together. Alot of people were kind of caught off guard with the track. Could you explain a little bit how you two met and what let to your fallout with Ras and also what is going on with you and Xzibit?

http://usershare.net/z65n3kmtgpha

The situation with Ras Kass, how we met, we met through a mutual friend. His baby's momma is my ex girl's sister and I basically grew up with this chick. I have known her for about 15 years, and his kids are like 12, 13 now, no 14 now. Needless to say I have known him for that whole period and the reason why we fell out man is because it was a series of events that led up to me feeling like I was being disrespected and not appreciated.

Because when the nigga went to jail, I held him down. We had the whole Re-Up situation, which was a record label situation, even before the Clipse had their company. We all went in on it, me and the homie Stix along with Ras and Ras went to jail on some dumb shit and I held the whole shit down. I put my shit out there, I was talking to different outlets and magazines and putting quality music out there. I had a mixtape hosted by Ras live from prison.

When the nigga gets home, I get the nigga a studio. Studio, beat cd with some fire ass shit on it, and I bring some bitches to the studio. That is the best welcome home I can do without having super, super paper. He had done things before all this that was kinda ehh, but I remained loyal. If anyone can remember the history, I am sure the people on the inside of all this can, during that period that was when I went on tour with Game. Game offered me a record deal while I was on tour with him and I turned it down because I am a loyalist.

I turned that down to maintain the situation I had going on with Ras. So he gets home from jail and I let him stay at my house my nigga because I am doing my 1 2. He fucked me over and what really did it was a song, it was me, Ras Kass and Xzibit and Chamillionaire on a joint. I came off and the shit was crazy, this nigga Ras takes my verse off. For that to be your lil homie..., I could see if my shit was wack, but for that to be your lil homie and for me to show love and for him to do something that disrespectful, I felt like knocking the nigga out.

I felt like beating the dog shit out of him. That continues to festure and go on and on, we go on tour and shit gets funny again there. I felt like this nigga did some sideways shit to be on purpose and it was like after I lefted that tour, I felt like I was at rock bottom as far as trusting niggas. I was like fuck everything, I am going right at the nigga. I maintained myself and my music during all this but for me the Ras Kass situation was more personal. I found out that nigga did some shit that is not deemed acceptable as far as I am concerned and it had to do with some funny business and I don't want to put it out there like that. Just for also the safety of the others involved as well I am not going to speak further on it.

That was another contributing factor as to why I turned away from that nigga. I pride myself in being a stand up nigga, I am a nigga of principle before anything. I am pretty sure I could have done something a million times over that would have me popping the way Drake is right now, or where the other artists that you mentioned are at right now, but I don't believe in that. I believe I am going to get it as God chooses to give it to me. I am on his watch really, but aside from that, I put that nigga Ras to bed.

There is a song out there called Poppin Shots, he threw something about me a rhyme on that and I heard it and this was after we stopped fucking around. If you google my shit back then I was Scipio, the song is called Poppin Shots and I went straight at that nigga. He did not want no problems since then as it was what it was. He ended up getting beat up by Game, but whatever.

The situation with Xzibit, he is a bitch ass nigga in terms of he don't want to see anyone else win. It's the crab mentality and I was just a young nigga to them and I used to come around and this nigga used to always give me the hardest time on some gay ass shit. He was probably feeding Ras Kass with all that bullshit but the nigga said something on one of these websites. I stay on these streets and I have a close relationship with all my fans. My fans have my cell phone number, I have not changed it and they be hitting me up and one of the homies hit me up one time and said yo this nigga Xzibit said on this particular website that he is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that you don't shine.

Wow

Mind you this nigga got mad movie money, mad music and touring money. What warrants that?

Right

I tried to reach out to the nigga several times and he could not reach back. Right around the time I started back fucking with Black Wall Street about 2 years ago, I come in the studio on a Game session and this nigga Xzibit is in there. I come in with my lil cousin Blu Rose and he is in there and he sees me. This is the first time he has seen me since I started feeling like he was having problems with me. He looked at me like he seen a ghost or something, I don't know if he knew I was fucking with Black Wall like that. This nigga ends up going a door over and he is in the kitchen, music bumping, Game in there writing and doing his shit, for some reason the music cuts off and you know how those studio doors be and there is 2 big ass studio doors my nigga. It's blocks the sounds from coming each way and it just so happens that the music cut off and I heard this nigga speaking my name in a negative light.

What did I do? I went out there and rushed the nigga. I get at him on some real shit and I told him come outside and catch my fade. Win, lose or draw this is how I am because I feel that I am a man of principle. Something has got to happen and that what put that in my brain. I got at the nigga and he did not want to come outside and catch my fade but he wanted to sit there and talk shit about me and drag my name in the mud while I am right in the other room. So what is you talking about now that I heard you? I am right here in your muthafucking face my nigga, come outside and catch my fade. That nigga stayed in the chair in that kitchen at Encore Studios and sat his ass right down in that chair and he did not move.

I did not know Big Kev, Game's security guard, Kev was trying to spaz out on me because we did not know each other. He was just looking out for the studio environment, which he should do and he did everything correct. Once Kev went over to him, then Xzibit gonna try and get up and flex. Nigga you ain't take one jewel off, you sitting in the corner. It ain't nothing to glorify but you ask for my story and I am going to give it to you exactly how it happened.

That is what it was with Xzibit and I hate that shit because I have never done that to nobody else. No niggas of mine, no bitch that I might be pillow talking to, nobody would come to you and say that I would say that I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you don't eat.

Right.

Come on what kind of faggot ass nigga is you homie? People recieve chances but that does not mean that they are a smart person. They may have made all the right moves and been at the right place at the right time. I respect that but for a nigga that is older than me to come out of his mouth with some shit like that on a website, what kind of nigga do you think that I am?

Right

Clearly he did not know but he found out that day when he did not want to come outside, now mind you that is over a year and a half ago, this nigga probably been in the weight room, taking kick boxing classes, yoga with Russell Simmons, trying to get ready for X.O.

(Laughs)

I really don't got any problems with these niggas to be honest but I feel like I am a man of God, I feel like God works through me and I feel like I am a good nigga. It says in the bible you are not held accountable for killing somebody unless it is innocent blood. You don't kill innocent blood but other than that, if any of these fucking niggas...., I look at these niggas like demons homie. And I will put a hole in your head..., not to anyone in particular at all. It is just a statement for the fucking world, not even for no rapper. It is what it is and that is how I feel. Enough about those scumbags man.

Did you have a Slick Rick influence to your flow on that song Put Them To Bed? It kind of flowed like Rick's A Childrens Story, was that something you were trying to emulate or project on that song?

Yeah man Slick Rick, I always wanted to try that style. I think I did a pretty cool job, I always wanted to so something like that and of course it is a mixtape joint, and Snoop Dogg did a remake of Lodi Dodi on Doggystyle. But I hope it does not get lost in translation and people can appreciate the track. I am glad you appreciate it, but I had fun doing that joint and yeah that was influenced by the great Slick Rick.

Be sure to be on the lookout for part 2 as we discuss X.O.'s feed the streets organization, his upcoming projects and much more.