The Lost & Found interview series is where we rediscover the ill cats that were holding it down (and continue to) but for whatever reason are now out of the spotlight. It’s much more than a ‘where are they now’ as we not only discuss their time on top but also the lessons they’ve learned that can be imparted to up and coming hip hop artists and fans.

We also have a section called Snapshot where we post pics of fans finding one of these “lost” artists. If you have some pics of you and say Redhead Kingpin or you’re walking down the street and bump into of Das Efx chillin at BK’s send it into us at lostpics@halftimeonline.com.

The fourth installment of our Lost & Found series gets serious and we catch up with Nine to find out who kidnapped him in 96.

Nah, in all seriousness any real head from the mid 90s will remember Nine as the gruffed voice spitter, the precursor to cats like Jah Rule and DMX. Back in ’93 came on the scene with Funk Master Flex and Tragedy teaming up on a track called ‘6 Million Ways to Die. While that got the labels buzzing it was Nine’s “Whutcha Want” from his much lauded first album Nine Livez that most heads will likely remember. In 1996, After another solid effort in Cloud 9, Nine pretty much vanished from to scene only to be heard on a few scattered tracks over the last ten years. The Halftime crew tracked him down to find out what happened and what he has in store for fans who have been patiently waiting his return.

Myspace Page: Myspace.com/nineix

Halftimeonline: Before we even get into where you’ve been can you give cats a little background on your career and how you got into emceeing?

Nine: I was a teenager in the 80s so I was a fan of hip hop music. I was in a bunch of little rap groups. I was in a group called Deuces Wild with Funkmaster Flex and Chuck Chillout was our manager. Eventually Flex and Chuck went to do radio but when we were together we did a song called ‘Six Million Ways to Die’ and it really was the beginning of the development of the Nine style. My name was 9MM at the time but I didn’t want to be just named after the gun so I dropped the MM and did the song with Flex. A lot of labels started calling but me and Flex weren’t really artists together. He would like certain things and I liked certain things but we could never nail down a project together. So I made my move and chose Profile Records. I picked Profile because they were the only label that wasn’t afraid. Around that time a lot of people were beginning to know me as Flex’s rapper and you didn’t really want to upset a radio DJ. Around ’92 and ’93 radio djs were really powerful so no one wanted to mess with me until I went to Profile. I knew “Whutcha Want?” was a good song. It could have been a much bigger record if I had been on a better label, but I knew it was a good song and that I could make move and make a name for myself. That’s basically how I got my start.

Halftime: How did you develop your style?

Nine: Well, I have a deep voice but [the voice I use on records] comes out mainly when I talk loudly. So I don’t generally walk around talking like that but I used to sing along to Buju and Shabba and the voice would come out and my man was like yo why don’t you rhyme like that? He was like why don’t you just flow like that and a light bulb went off like ding! At that time I was really trying to find myself because I didn’t really want to sound like nobody. It’s not a trick or anything it’s my real voice [so it doesn’t hurt to speak that way]. It’s just a gift that I have that I can change the octave of my vocal chords. I’ve always been able to do it.

Halftime: I knew you were on a song with Flex but I dint know ya’ll went back like that. Do ya’ll still get up?

Nine: Oh yea we came up together probably since we were 17. I’ve know him a long time. He’s still my boy. I still holla at him when I got that material. He’s been playing scattered Nine songs throughout the last six years especially between 2000 and 2003. I’d give him a joint and he’d spin a couple of weeks but he’d always tell me yo D man radio ain’t the way no more you gotta relearn this game because just playing the record on the radio ain’t gonna do it for you. It’s not gonna make people sign you, buy your record or be interested. You gotta do other things and the game has changed a lot. So I had to take some time to even relearn how to rhyme because to me rhyming is an art form and art should grow and you should change along with it. I think a lot of dudes who are considered great emcees but can’t compete today were too successful with their style. I never really saw that platinum success so I maintain a hunger that they probably don’t have anymore.

Halftime: Back in ’96 you came out with the track “Lyin’ King.” Was there anybody specific you were aiming at?

Nine: Just basically everybody. It wasn’t artists even that was big because I was still listening to the underground scene. So after B.I.G. started coming and Raekwon started coming [it was like] everyone was drug dealers and gangstas. Half of them I know and were on tour with and saw them tuck in their chains in L.A. around real gangsters. I saw dudes get smacked and niggas get robbed in their own hotel room so I’m like you not gangsta! I have seen dudes afraid to cross the road. I used to go to the bar of whatever club we were in without security or whatever because I’m not scared of my own people. But I’ve seen a lot of dudes that were really afraid and then I would hear some records and be like where did that come from? It’s like you ain’t never sold no drugs, or shot nobody and you tuck your chain in around real dudes but you a gangsta. It just started getting frustrating so I decided to make that track.

Halftime: Did anyone ever come up to you like yo son was you talking about me?

Nine: The bugged out shit about is that one time I was in Paris with Jesse West working on a 24/7 project for Loud records and Capadonna walked up to us and was like yo was you talking about Rae? And I was like come on man Rae is one of my favorite people. Outside of just being an artist Rae is a cool dude to me so I was like nah man I was talking to the other dudes. But he was the only one whoever said anything. He didn’t approach me like he wanted to fight or anything he was just asking. I ain’t one of those dudes that pose so if I was talking about him I would of said yea and? I’m from where you from and been locked up like you been locked up so I’m not afraid of you. Nowadays if a dude think you talking about him there is a possibility for violence which I think is stupid. I think it’s like that because dudes don’t even battle on a skill level no more. It’s like what’s the most insulting thing that I can say about you, your people, your family or your past. It’s not a test of skill no more.

Halftime: So what happened after Cloud 9? After that album you pretty much vanished?

Nine: They didn’t even promote that album they just put it out there and let it do what it did. They didn’t really care because right after that they kinda shut down the place. I don’t even think I ever went back up to the office after the last meeting I had with them about the album. It was crazy. What happened was Profile wouldn’t let me go. Then they got sold to Arista and it took four years for the deal to go through. Then the guy who was interested in all of the acts from Profile got fired in the interim. I think Profile was trying to keep the RUN DMC catalog and sell everything else but Arista wasn’t going for it. So they were negotiating. Then Arista wouldn’t let me go right away. They wanted to hear something first so I gave them some bullshit little demo. If it was the days like today where you just go up in the label and kick in the door I might have done that. I was tempted to do that but I felt I could just wait it out because I knew the skill wasn’t going to leave me. Then during that time period you had other people coming out sounding like me which kinda distracted from the whole point of it but nowadays biting is cool. Now labels look to sign you if you sound like somebody else. Oh you sound like Jada sign right here. It’s a business though and I really took my time out to learn the business and make sure that this time around it’s gonna be a whole lot different.

Halftime: During that stint did anyone come up trying to buy you out or offer you a different option for another label?

Nine: Not really man. I’ve always been a stepchild of this game. I didn’t have too many friends in the industry and I still don’t. That was partially my fault because I didn’t go out or search out people I just accepted the situation. To do anything else at that point would have been panicking. My mentality was never I want to join this group or get this rapper to help me. That was never my mentality so it didn’t change when I was hurting. I just sat it out. I got kids and found other things to do. It’s a real bugged approach but I’m being honest.

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Posted by Jbutters on Monday, December 18th, 2006 and is filed under SICKWIDIT, LOST & FOUND, INTERVIEWS.