Speaking of “On The Run,” how come the beat on the video was a different beat than on the album?

Kool G: I did the original track. When I did the track for “On the Run” it was the first time G Rap was producing. Even with my first album I bought the records and told Marley what to do, but this was the first time G rap was doing tracks for himself without a well-known producer. I think I might have been second guessing myself. I had Sir Jinx go over my track because he was a more credible producer to me. I let Jinx go over a lot of my shit, but Jinx watered down a lot of [what] I did originally. A lot of shit that I did that sounded hard, [but] Jinx added strings and a lot of keyboard effects and it didn’t have the same potency. A lot of people that heard the original shit said that to me like, “the shit was hot the way you had it why you let that nigga fuck it up?” I knew I wasn’t a producer and I was second guessing myself which I shouldn’t have done because I should have just known I know what sounds hot to my ears. When I finished doing the album with Jinx I came back to NYC and hooked up with Trackmasterz before they ever did anything with anybody because I didn’t feel like I had any singles that were G rap singles. So I did “Ill Street Blues” with them, they remixed “On The Run,” and for the video they used the remix version. That’s how that came about.

How did you get down with the Juice Crew?

Kool G: I used to listen to the Juice Crew like I can’t wait for my turn. I got the link up with the Juice Crew cuz I was cool with Eric B at the time and he introduced me to Polo. I was telling Eric to put me on because they had “Eric B for President.” They was like one of the hottest acts in the country. They was touring everywhere off of a fucking single. I was affiliated with Eric B so I was like hook me up. I was a neighborhood known rapper and Eric felt me and hooked me up with Polo, who was the neighborhood known DJ. Polo had a relationship with Marley because I think they went to high school together. Polo ended up bringing me by Marley’s house to do a demo. The demo we did just turned out to be the first single, “It’s a Demo.” That’s how I got to be apart of the Juice Crew because once I did the shit at Marley’s house I guess Fly Ty, Mr. Magic, and everybody heard it and felt the shit. Nobody even came to me like we want you to be down with the Juice Crew. I was just part of the Juice Crew without me even knowing.

I read an interview with you and the guy asked if it was true if your original verse on the Symphony was over twenty minutes long and you just said “Yea, that’s true.” So we here at Halftime had to ask what the hell is up with that yo, cuz that’s crazy.

Kool G: Haha. The original verse I did for “The Symphony” was the verse that’s there with the first verse of Men at Work that I did on the first album. That was all one long verse. So when I did “The Symphony” I said that whole long shit and the reels ran off at Marley’s house in the studio. I ended up having to shorten my shit down, so I just used the first part of the verse, cut the rest off and used it for “Men At Work.”

Did you just zone out on that one?

Kool G: We talking the days of lyricists. So when I was writing back in the day I was writing as a fucking lyricist and I wasn’t stopping short of 16 bars. In those days, you proved your point to where there ain’t no argument after that. It’s undeniable, like he’s that nigga he don’t give you 16 bars, he give you 50 bars. I was writing in that attitude every time I wrote.

I also have the “Raw Remix” you did with Kane, which is like the sickest joint I ever heard. It sounded like you two were trying to destroy each other and the track. A lot of people have talked about an unspoken rivalry between you and Kane. Did you go in there like I’m about to show Kane what lyricism is all about? How did that track come about?

Kool G: Let me tell you what happened. This is a time when G Rap is just getting into the game. I got a few records under my belt, but I ain’t prove to the world that G Rap is a fucking force to be reckoned with yet. I’m constantly making ammunition and I just had wrote a crazy freestyle before I got called to the studio. I didn’t even know I was doing something with Kane. Marley just called me into the studio one day. I come in the studio and Kane is there, the newest member of the Juice Crew. He started rhyming over his “Raw” track and he had already did the “Raw” record. And I think the “Raw” record is out of this world. I’m like this nigga fucking murdered this shit. So I come into the studio and Kane is doing another rhyme besides the “Raw” shit over his own beat and now they want me to rap on it. I’m like boy am I prepared. I just finished writing some shit just in case a nigga tried to ever call me out. That shit was right on time for me, so I just spit the shit that I just wrote. It wasn’t for Kane it was for anybody, but I guess with the attitude that I wrote in laying that shit down on the “Raw” track with Kane it came out like me and Kane might be getting at each other. Everybody thinks me and Kane had a rivalry, which it might have been, but it was never a rivalry like me and Kane knew we was going at each other. It wasn’t a conscious thing, but I think it was a competition thing. We never battled we were down with the same click anyway. If anything we would have teamed up against KRS-ONE. Back in those days I don’t think it would have needed a team, I think Kane or I could have went at him directly. I am not taking anything from KRS-ONE either because he’s phenomenal, but we was equipped to go at him or defend any attacks.

Ace told us that you and Kane was arguing over who was going to go first. Did you want to go first or last or what?

Kool G: I don’t even remember. I didn’t even know what we was doing. This was another time I was called into the studio at Marley’s House. I went by Marley’s house, he had this track playing and I didn’t even really like the fucking track to be honest with you. “The Symphony,” one of G Rap’s claim to fame and I didn’t even like the track. Anyway I came into the studio and I seen everybody there and I didn’t know what the fuck we was doing and Marley was like we gonna do this track. So the only thing I had was that long ass rhyme I told you I wrote. I don’t recall any arguments of who was going first. I probably just don’t remember. I didn’t care if I was going 1st, 3rd, last, I was gonna get my point across. It’s not about who goes first it’s about who everybody wants to listen too. If that was the case it would have been a big thing about Kane going last. Back in those days I didn’t think nobody was hotter than me.

How did you come up with the name Kool G. Rap?

Kool G: I’ve had the name Kool G. Rap since I was about fifteen years old. I’m thirty-five now so that gives you an idea of what I’m saying. I was a fifteen year old nigga rapping listening to Cold Crush Four, Furious Five, Crash Crew, and Force MCs before they became Force MDs.

I didn’t know their name was originally Force MCs.

Kool G: Yea, them niggas was rappers yo. Mercury, Stevie D and all them niggas was rappers man and they was nice. They wasn’t just average, they was bananas. Them niggas battled Cold Crush Four and all that. Grand Master Caz was reputable for his lyrics back then and they was battling up against niggas like that. Then they switched they game up, became Force MDs, and started making slow songs and love ballads and all that shit. They had crazy routines and I grew up listening to that. These were the days I made the name Kool G. Rap for myself. The name was Kool Genius of Rap and I didn’t want to prolong the shit, so I just shortened it to Kool G. Rap. The letter G ain’t got nothing to do with my real name or nothing like that.

A lot of people have said between your first and second album that you turned into a gangster rapper, but in an interview you said that the life around you changed and your lyrics reflected what was going on in NYC. What were some of the things that changed in your life that really shed light on why your lyrics became more violent?

Kool G: When I made “Road to the Riches,” G Rap made an impact on the hiphop listening world. Everywhere I went I started meeting niggas. I got new relationships with different people because everybody is crazy about G Rap and I met a lot of wild motherfuckers. Being affiliated with a lot of wild shit going on just changes your whole aspect on things.

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Posted by Halftime on Wednesday, November 12th, 2003 and is filed under HIP HOP ICON SERIES.