Yea

Kool G: Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin. Those two are the epitome of soul.

These aren’t bullets, just a couple questions I was thinking about. Have you ever recorded a track that was so ridiculously violent that you was like “Damn I can’t even put this out?”

Kool G: Never. The more violent it is the better.

How did you, Kane and Biz come up with the idea for “Racism?”

Kool G: I came up with the idea for that song. This was at the time when Yusef Hawkins got killed out in Howard Beach. This was like me letting my emotions about it come out in record form.

What do you feel is the most significant thing to happen in your life when you was down with the Juice Crew?

Kool G: Just being apart of the Juice Crew being around Mr. Magic, Marley Marl all the way down to Fly Ty and all the different artists I was around. I was apart of hiphop history just being affiliated with those surroundings. Just being apart of it in general was the most significant thing. There couldn’t have been an incident that was more significant than that.

How do you think you have influenced hiphop in your career?

Kool G: It’s not that I even think, I know I influenced hiphop to the greatest capacity because what street niggas were there before G Rap? None. Not on the east coast. It might have been a nigga named Ice T 3,000 miles away that New York wasn’t hearing about and he wasn’t really that graphic. I didn’t hear any “Riker’s Island” songs at that time, but I give it to Ice T he was doing some gangster shit. He was the closest to that level after that N.W.A, but as far as the east coast I remember Milk is chillin, Giz is chillin, Dana Dane, and the Pee Wee Herman. I don’t remember niggas talking no street shit. The only nigga that came close to being blatant street before me was Melle Mel when he did “The Message” because that was kinda hardcore right there. But he didn’t run with that style. When I caught it, I ran with it. Right after “Riker’s Island” I did “Road to the Riches.” The next album I did “Streets of New York.” What’s more blatant than that? And to this day street rap is what rules. Everyone says you gotta make commercial songs, [but] those songs are street commercial songs. All 50’s shit is some street shit. Jigga’s shit was some street shit. Biggie’s shit was some street shit, they just learned how to do it in a commercial manner. It’s that particular style of rap that rules to this day and in my opinion it’s always gonna rule.

What do you feel best describes you as an artist and as a person?

Kool G: Back in the days I would of said Donald Goines of rap. I would probably still say that, but there are a hundred of them now. Right now the best way to describe G Rap is the only nigga from my era that can make songs with new niggas right now and people in the street will be like how you let that nigga kill you on your own shit. The nigga that shoot down your fucking hero. That’s probably why a lot of niggas won’t do songs with me, but I aint saying no names. You’re not gonna get on a track and fucking destroy me. Be happy if you get a little edge and I don’t really remember that occurring too tough.

How did you and Nas connect I heard one day Large Pro played you a tape of him back in the day when he was like 12?

Kool G: That’s definitely how I heard about Nas. It was through Large Professor. Large Professor knew about him first and he was telling me there was a young cat out in Queensbridge that was fucking crazy. [He was] like he could be the next G Rap or Rakim. Then I was like yea aiight [whatever], because that was a hell of a statement back then. But when I heard Nas I seen what he was talking about. Me and Nas got cool as the years. [It] went on to the point where I had a studio in my house and I had Nas laying a track or two. I was shopping the shit around trying to get him signed. I took them to Def Jam, they said yo he sound too much like G Rap, and they didn’t want to sign him. I know they regret it to this day, because a lot of the same people are still at Def Jam and they fucking remember even though they not saying nothing. My man was just saying that in interviews Nas says that G Rap was the first to shop my shit. I took it to a specific person at Def Jam that’s still there today. That pass up was crazy right there. Nas is a legend. He is one of the niggas I call the hiphop greats and I don’t give everyone that title. Out of all the rappers that there is there might only be ten that make it on the great list.

You know you gonna have to list them right.

Kool G: Ok. I’ll say Kool G Rap, Rakim, KRS-ONE, Big Daddy Kane, Biggie, Jay-Z, Tupac, Nas, and LL no doubt.

We did an interview with A.O. from And 1 Basketball and he said that if Jay-Z ain’t the best something is wrong. What do you think about that statement?

Kool G: Jay-Z is the best to do it in his time, but what about Melle Mel and Grandmaster Caz. These were some serious niggas. They was the epitome of what they did. Melle Mel was fucking bananas. Him, Grandmaster Caz, and Kool Moe Dee. Fuck all that Wild Wild West shit Kool Moe Dee did, that nigga did some real crazy shit back in the days [like] when he destroyed Busy Bee Starsky. Moe Dee was crazy. But there is one cat that niggas never talk a lot about named Silver Fox. This cat would have killed Moe Dee and Melle Mel back in them days. That’s the cat that G Rap got his style from. He was like the main inspiration behind G Rap. I heard him spit and he was killing everybody and [heads] back in those days agree with me. He was with a crew called Fantasy Three back in those days and they got mad cuz Crash Crew bit them and made the song called, “Crash Crew Rocking on Your Radio.” But they got the track from Fantasy Three and when they blew up with the track Fantasy Three made a dis record called, “Biters in the City.” Silverfox was like the head of that group. That nigga was fucking terrific. His flow was just futuristic and that’s where LL got his shit from. Me and LL even talked about it one time because Silverfox introduced me to LL back in the days before LL made his first record. LL was like I’m fucking with Russell Simmons and Def Jam and I’m about to take over what Run DMC doing and all that. He was like a little dirty bum nigga. He had a dirty kangol on and a dirty shirt, but he was nice. He didn’t even make “I Need A Beat” yet.

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