deliberate131 (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} deliberate131) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} hiphopmusic,@ 2006-12-03 22:21:00 |
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jim jones interview with The Source
[Put your biases aside and really read this interview. Maybe it'll help some of y'all to understand what The Diplomats are really doing. It's more than music, baby.]
After reading this, it makes listening to Hustler's P.O.M.E. a totally different experience. These dudes represent the stuggle. I guess you're either down with that or you're not. But I really don't even want to hear anything you have to say unless you actually read it.
It's September 26th and Jim Jones is preppin for MTV. The Game walks in and the mutual admiration is such that both MCs espouse one another's hit as bigger than his own: Jones' "We Fly High" and The Game's "One Blood". It's an interesting exchange, considering that Jim Jones is arguably a one-man industry -- CEO, video director, director of A&R, rapper, sponsor of an extreme sports team, and rich at 30.
As Jim is leaving MTV's studio sporting a hoodie, jeans, sneakers, a Yankee fitted and a one man security team, the bright lights of Times Square do little to mask his own shine. He's approached by a 13-year-old boy who tries to thrust his CD into Jim's hands while teenage girls frantically whip out cell phones for pocket-sized pictures of the handsome "hustler". The icing on the cake: a young man on Broadway freestyling for Jim on a bullhorn. Jim huffs, "This 'Ballin'' shit is getting out of control," but he poses for the pictures, sings the autographs, takes the CDs and gives out countless dap until is mountainous security man ushers him toward Quad Studio. It seems as if everyone wants to take a sip of Jones' Purple Kool-Aid.
When it comes to Jim Jones, expect the unexpected. "Some people look at him and say he's a criminal," explains Hip-Hop mogul Damon Dash, who has known the artist since Jim was 7. "But he has an executive job, he directs his own videos. He can take care of his own destiny, and he's always up in somebody's school." Some didn't think he'd ever leave the 'hood, but eight years ago Jim Jones became the co-founder of The Diplomats with Cam'ron. Two years later, he started directing Dip Set videos, and in 2004, he unveiled his purple liquor "Sizzurp", which came with its own mixtape, Sippin' on Sizzurp Vol. I: Getting Drunk on Music. Jones released his own DVD, signed to Koch Records as a solo artist, put out two back-to-back albums (2004's On My Way to Church and 2005's Harlem... Diary of a Summer) and now a third, Hustler's P.O.M.E. Last year he founded a new label, Byrdgang Records, and also recently announced his sponsorship of his extreme sports team, affectionately called Dipskate. Next up in 2007 is a family line of clothing called Nostic.
Jim Jones claims he never wanted to rap but he single-handedly engineered his first LP "using ProTools while lounging in [his] boxers with one sonck on by a Miami pool". Koch plans to make Jones their biggest artist, and last year, Warner Music Group's 2nd top executive personally drafted him to become Director of A&R. Jones' single "We Fly High" is getting play from Greece to Georgia, and Jim seems to be riding this train until the wheels fall off. In case you've been sleeping, Jim Jones has been flying pretty high for the past six years.
The Source: 106 & Park noted "We Fly High" as their first "Street Buzz" because people wanted it on the countdown. Did you expect it to be such a phenomenon?
Jim Jones: When I see kids who are 3, 4, 5 years old coming up to me and they're like 'Ballin', ballin',' it feels great to know that people are in tune with the Dip Set and what we do. You do the music just for these moments. You can capitalize, but these moments are priceless. It's hard to come up with another "Ballin'" but a nigga like me don't really care because it's gonna be a whoe 'nother way that I'ma get you into it. Like I said, it's what you do it for--this moment right here.
How did you land the gig at Director of A&R at Warner Music Group?
Two years ago Kevin Liles had just left Def Jam. I knew he was over here [at Warner] so I left him a message and he told me to come and have a meeting. I just had the Koch success from the first album [On My Way to Church], so in my mind I'm thinking, I need to be on this major label. He said, 'You know the artist thing is cool and you can do that for a little while, but you can be in this game for about as long as you want.' He wanted me to do this executive shit. I thought about that shit, and I sa, 'Damn right.' I get to play both sides of the fence.
Did going from the behind the scenes to the forefront help make your music more universal? Because we've seen all different kinds of people riding for Dip Set.
When I do my music, I try not to personalize it too much. I want everybody to feel like 'Damn, I been through the same thing!' Even though it's not in thier own words, these are the words they wish they could say. Sometimes you get so caught up in the energy of people that when you step out, it makes a nigga want to cry. That's why I wear dark shades and keep it moving. Music is like food. I need this shit.
HUSTLER'S POEM
Hip-Hop is what bound two friends from Uptown, Manhattan, and inspired them to start a movement. It was 1998, and Cam'ron was on tour. He was blowing up and Jim JOnes was the marketing madman behind the explosion. They founded The Diplomats--a crew of men and women who claim to live by Black Panther-like codes of loyalty and discipline. "We used to sit in my house when Cam and Jim was like 17 and we would talk about how we had to control our own destinies," explains Dame Das. "They knew they wanted a movement and The Diplomats was their plan, with Jimmy as the manager."
Born Joseph Jones to an Aruban mother and a Puerto Rican fater, Jim was raised the oldest of five by a religious grandmother, who sent Jim and his cousins to St. Ann's Catholic school in the Bronx. Like many little ghetto bys, Jim grew up a product of his environment. "Being on the grind the way I was, Jimmy would get up at 3 years old and take care of himself when I was too tired from the night before," asys Mom. Mama Jones breaks into tears recounted a promise Jim made years ago to buy her a house. He's kept his word. In fact, Jim carries a 10-year-old yellowing piece of paper in his wallet with an itemized list of things he'd like to accomplish. Nearly everything could be checked off.
Accomplishments notwithstanding, there is another nagging aspect of Jim's life that has been cause for inquiry and concern. There's a war going on int he streets of Harlem that bleeds the color red. It's a war that has little to do with Hip-Hop and eve less to do with Jim Jones, but he's often painted as public enemy number one. "When I was younger, I was coming up dressed all in red, but no matter what color I go on nowadays they always see red," says Jim. Coincidentally, Harlem has become one of the biggest hubs of the Bloods gang in NYC. Harlem, which has a storied heritage of infamous hustlers, Black revolustionary groups, Muslim ministers and legendary b-ballers, can now unfortunately, add gangbangin' to its history. Jim has been linked to the B's, but downplays any affiliations to the street organization. Unfortunately, violence seems to follow Jim to some of his performances. It's gotten so crazy that the rapper issues a disclaimer before every concert stating that he's making music about his past, but he does not condone violence. Why the disclaimer? Amother phoned Jim one day to tell him that her son had been murdered while at one of his shows. Jim will forever be sorry, even though he had no idea.
Though his raps paint a picture of being "heavy in the street", he's more about the business of music and his other ventures. But the "Hip-Hop cops" never got the memo, and according to Jim, "are always on his tail". His manager, Yandy Smith, used to brush Jim off as paranoid until experiencing the harassment first-hand. "I got pulled over one time with Jim. He was like, 'Just relax.' I pulled out my Blackberry to take badge numbers and they were like, 'We know there are guns in the car.' Then, after humiliating us, making me spread my legs while searching me, they gave everything back and said, 'Have a nice day, Mr. Jones.' I knew Jim wasn't exaggerating anymore because they knew his name."
Jim can speak of these encounters nonchalantly, but he's full of passion when discussing his fans or his movement. "You want to hear the craziest thing that ever happened to me? I was getting my hair done and somebody's grandmother sent her Bible for me to sign. It gave me chills 'cause I felt that love. I'm not trying to let nobody down. I'm trying to be there for them as long as I can." When it comes to accountability, it's a heavy load. "Part of me feels responsible for a lot of things that's going on with our youth sa far as them needing guidance and someone to look up to. I'm no role model but trust me, I know."
Knowing what Black men deal with daily has engaged Jim, and he's passionate about the state of affairs in his community. One of Jim's most surprising supporters is Dr. Ben Chavis, co-founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, who credits Jim with attending more Summits than any other artist. "The thing I was most impressed with regarding Jim Jones was his commitment to change the reality of Harlem and other communities. In 2004, when we had our voters drive, Jim got on the bus with us. He would walk into projects, and people treated him like they were welcoming him home. He helped register a lot of voters."
Why do you think people try to put you on blast?
You can't put a nigga like me on blast 'cause I'm willing to die for what I believe in. I'm not putting on a facade by any means. AS far as my whole perception and persona and coming up young, the whole gangbanging epidemic in New York City, the media ain't got nobody substantial to point the finger at. It's a bunch of little fuck heads out there that wanna be the bad guy. You can have it 'cause I'm not trying to be the bad guy.
The media's one thing, but then you have artists like Tru-Life...
This nigga's life ain't true. He wanted me to sign him to a deal. Your claim to fame is robbing Mobb Deep. I'm not trying to disrespect nobody or be funny, but what else do we know you for, homie? I ain't got no claim to fame. It's just me. You can go to newspaper clippings and rewind my life, dead serious. This is why people want to pick on me. There ain't no trophy to be the toughest; it's heartache. I approached him: 'How you wanna handle it? Shoot, stab, fight?' I put up $50,000 out of my own pocket. But you see there was no rebuttal. None of his bosses put up money. So I'm Tru-Life, ya dig? Jim Jones a.k.a. Tru-Life. My whole life is true. And that's just that.
Your voice mail says, "Dip Set, the new Black Panthers." That's a heavy claim.
It's the way they embodied the discipline and loyalty of soldiers. Everything they did puts me in mind of what we're doing now. A lot of people take it just for music, but it's more than music. Back then [Huey Newton and Geronimo Pratt] were exercising their rights to freedom of speech and to carry firearms. As far as freedom of speech, that's what Hip-Hop is about. [The Panthers] helped put rooves over peopel's heads, helped educate people, put food in stomachs. Basically, it's the same thing we do. When I say we're the new Black Panthers, by no means am I advocating violence. People paint a dirty picture about us, but so many know about the good, and that's what holds me up today.
When you and Cam founded The Diplomats, were you thinking "The new Black Panthers" or were you just trying to make music?
As far as Cam is concerned, we were just trying to make music and create opportunities. I always thought in a whole 'nother way of how powerful and strong we could be if we made it right.
So what's the next step for The Diplomats?
We could do music forever, but for me it's much deeper. It's chances to open up schools, clinics, hospitals, law firms. Everybody who's coming out of school right now listens to Hip-Hop. So why not create a whole world around Hip-Hop? There's plenty of doctors who listen to Hip-Hop. These are the types of things I want to focus on. You'll already know that you're in a physician's office that was built on Hip-Hop music. You already know that you're in a condominium that was built off of Hip-Hop music, ya dig? This is what I'm trying to get across.
[Put your biases aside and really read this interview. Maybe it'll help some of y'all to understand what The Diplomats are really doing. It's more than music, baby.]
After reading this, it makes listening to Hustler's P.O.M.E. a totally different experience. These dudes represent the stuggle. I guess you're either down with that or you're not. But I really don't even want to hear anything you have to say unless you actually read it.
It's September 26th and Jim Jones is preppin for MTV. The Game walks in and the mutual admiration is such that both MCs espouse one another's hit as bigger than his own: Jones' "We Fly High" and The Game's "One Blood". It's an interesting exchange, considering that Jim Jones is arguably a one-man industry -- CEO, video director, director of A&R, rapper, sponsor of an extreme sports team, and rich at 30.
As Jim is leaving MTV's studio sporting a hoodie, jeans, sneakers, a Yankee fitted and a one man security team, the bright lights of Times Square do little to mask his own shine. He's approached by a 13-year-old boy who tries to thrust his CD into Jim's hands while teenage girls frantically whip out cell phones for pocket-sized pictures of the handsome "hustler". The icing on the cake: a young man on Broadway freestyling for Jim on a bullhorn. Jim huffs, "This 'Ballin'' shit is getting out of control," but he poses for the pictures, sings the autographs, takes the CDs and gives out countless dap until is mountainous security man ushers him toward Quad Studio. It seems as if everyone wants to take a sip of Jones' Purple Kool-Aid.
When it comes to Jim Jones, expect the unexpected. "Some people look at him and say he's a criminal," explains Hip-Hop mogul Damon Dash, who has known the artist since Jim was 7. "But he has an executive job, he directs his own videos. He can take care of his own destiny, and he's always up in somebody's school." Some didn't think he'd ever leave the 'hood, but eight years ago Jim Jones became the co-founder of The Diplomats with Cam'ron. Two years later, he started directing Dip Set videos, and in 2004, he unveiled his purple liquor "Sizzurp", which came with its own mixtape, Sippin' on Sizzurp Vol. I: Getting Drunk on Music. Jones released his own DVD, signed to Koch Records as a solo artist, put out two back-to-back albums (2004's On My Way to Church and 2005's Harlem... Diary of a Summer) and now a third, Hustler's P.O.M.E. Last year he founded a new label, Byrdgang Records, and also recently announced his sponsorship of his extreme sports team, affectionately called Dipskate. Next up in 2007 is a family line of clothing called Nostic.
Jim Jones claims he never wanted to rap but he single-handedly engineered his first LP "using ProTools while lounging in [his] boxers with one sonck on by a Miami pool". Koch plans to make Jones their biggest artist, and last year, Warner Music Group's 2nd top executive personally drafted him to become Director of A&R. Jones' single "We Fly High" is getting play from Greece to Georgia, and Jim seems to be riding this train until the wheels fall off. In case you've been sleeping, Jim Jones has been flying pretty high for the past six years.
The Source: 106 & Park noted "We Fly High" as their first "Street Buzz" because people wanted it on the countdown. Did you expect it to be such a phenomenon?
Jim Jones: When I see kids who are 3, 4, 5 years old coming up to me and they're like 'Ballin', ballin',' it feels great to know that people are in tune with the Dip Set and what we do. You do the music just for these moments. You can capitalize, but these moments are priceless. It's hard to come up with another "Ballin'" but a nigga like me don't really care because it's gonna be a whoe 'nother way that I'ma get you into it. Like I said, it's what you do it for--this moment right here.
How did you land the gig at Director of A&R at Warner Music Group?
Two years ago Kevin Liles had just left Def Jam. I knew he was over here [at Warner] so I left him a message and he told me to come and have a meeting. I just had the Koch success from the first album [On My Way to Church], so in my mind I'm thinking, I need to be on this major label. He said, 'You know the artist thing is cool and you can do that for a little while, but you can be in this game for about as long as you want.' He wanted me to do this executive shit. I thought about that shit, and I sa, 'Damn right.' I get to play both sides of the fence.
Did going from the behind the scenes to the forefront help make your music more universal? Because we've seen all different kinds of people riding for Dip Set.
When I do my music, I try not to personalize it too much. I want everybody to feel like 'Damn, I been through the same thing!' Even though it's not in thier own words, these are the words they wish they could say. Sometimes you get so caught up in the energy of people that when you step out, it makes a nigga want to cry. That's why I wear dark shades and keep it moving. Music is like food. I need this shit.
HUSTLER'S POEM
Hip-Hop is what bound two friends from Uptown, Manhattan, and inspired them to start a movement. It was 1998, and Cam'ron was on tour. He was blowing up and Jim JOnes was the marketing madman behind the explosion. They founded The Diplomats--a crew of men and women who claim to live by Black Panther-like codes of loyalty and discipline. "We used to sit in my house when Cam and Jim was like 17 and we would talk about how we had to control our own destinies," explains Dame Das. "They knew they wanted a movement and The Diplomats was their plan, with Jimmy as the manager."
Born Joseph Jones to an Aruban mother and a Puerto Rican fater, Jim was raised the oldest of five by a religious grandmother, who sent Jim and his cousins to St. Ann's Catholic school in the Bronx. Like many little ghetto bys, Jim grew up a product of his environment. "Being on the grind the way I was, Jimmy would get up at 3 years old and take care of himself when I was too tired from the night before," asys Mom. Mama Jones breaks into tears recounted a promise Jim made years ago to buy her a house. He's kept his word. In fact, Jim carries a 10-year-old yellowing piece of paper in his wallet with an itemized list of things he'd like to accomplish. Nearly everything could be checked off.
Accomplishments notwithstanding, there is another nagging aspect of Jim's life that has been cause for inquiry and concern. There's a war going on int he streets of Harlem that bleeds the color red. It's a war that has little to do with Hip-Hop and eve less to do with Jim Jones, but he's often painted as public enemy number one. "When I was younger, I was coming up dressed all in red, but no matter what color I go on nowadays they always see red," says Jim. Coincidentally, Harlem has become one of the biggest hubs of the Bloods gang in NYC. Harlem, which has a storied heritage of infamous hustlers, Black revolustionary groups, Muslim ministers and legendary b-ballers, can now unfortunately, add gangbangin' to its history. Jim has been linked to the B's, but downplays any affiliations to the street organization. Unfortunately, violence seems to follow Jim to some of his performances. It's gotten so crazy that the rapper issues a disclaimer before every concert stating that he's making music about his past, but he does not condone violence. Why the disclaimer? Amother phoned Jim one day to tell him that her son had been murdered while at one of his shows. Jim will forever be sorry, even though he had no idea.
Though his raps paint a picture of being "heavy in the street", he's more about the business of music and his other ventures. But the "Hip-Hop cops" never got the memo, and according to Jim, "are always on his tail". His manager, Yandy Smith, used to brush Jim off as paranoid until experiencing the harassment first-hand. "I got pulled over one time with Jim. He was like, 'Just relax.' I pulled out my Blackberry to take badge numbers and they were like, 'We know there are guns in the car.' Then, after humiliating us, making me spread my legs while searching me, they gave everything back and said, 'Have a nice day, Mr. Jones.' I knew Jim wasn't exaggerating anymore because they knew his name."
Jim can speak of these encounters nonchalantly, but he's full of passion when discussing his fans or his movement. "You want to hear the craziest thing that ever happened to me? I was getting my hair done and somebody's grandmother sent her Bible for me to sign. It gave me chills 'cause I felt that love. I'm not trying to let nobody down. I'm trying to be there for them as long as I can." When it comes to accountability, it's a heavy load. "Part of me feels responsible for a lot of things that's going on with our youth sa far as them needing guidance and someone to look up to. I'm no role model but trust me, I know."
Knowing what Black men deal with daily has engaged Jim, and he's passionate about the state of affairs in his community. One of Jim's most surprising supporters is Dr. Ben Chavis, co-founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, who credits Jim with attending more Summits than any other artist. "The thing I was most impressed with regarding Jim Jones was his commitment to change the reality of Harlem and other communities. In 2004, when we had our voters drive, Jim got on the bus with us. He would walk into projects, and people treated him like they were welcoming him home. He helped register a lot of voters."
Why do you think people try to put you on blast?
You can't put a nigga like me on blast 'cause I'm willing to die for what I believe in. I'm not putting on a facade by any means. AS far as my whole perception and persona and coming up young, the whole gangbanging epidemic in New York City, the media ain't got nobody substantial to point the finger at. It's a bunch of little fuck heads out there that wanna be the bad guy. You can have it 'cause I'm not trying to be the bad guy.
The media's one thing, but then you have artists like Tru-Life...
This nigga's life ain't true. He wanted me to sign him to a deal. Your claim to fame is robbing Mobb Deep. I'm not trying to disrespect nobody or be funny, but what else do we know you for, homie? I ain't got no claim to fame. It's just me. You can go to newspaper clippings and rewind my life, dead serious. This is why people want to pick on me. There ain't no trophy to be the toughest; it's heartache. I approached him: 'How you wanna handle it? Shoot, stab, fight?' I put up $50,000 out of my own pocket. But you see there was no rebuttal. None of his bosses put up money. So I'm Tru-Life, ya dig? Jim Jones a.k.a. Tru-Life. My whole life is true. And that's just that.
Your voice mail says, "Dip Set, the new Black Panthers." That's a heavy claim.
It's the way they embodied the discipline and loyalty of soldiers. Everything they did puts me in mind of what we're doing now. A lot of people take it just for music, but it's more than music. Back then [Huey Newton and Geronimo Pratt] were exercising their rights to freedom of speech and to carry firearms. As far as freedom of speech, that's what Hip-Hop is about. [The Panthers] helped put rooves over peopel's heads, helped educate people, put food in stomachs. Basically, it's the same thing we do. When I say we're the new Black Panthers, by no means am I advocating violence. People paint a dirty picture about us, but so many know about the good, and that's what holds me up today.
When you and Cam founded The Diplomats, were you thinking "The new Black Panthers" or were you just trying to make music?
As far as Cam is concerned, we were just trying to make music and create opportunities. I always thought in a whole 'nother way of how powerful and strong we could be if we made it right.
So what's the next step for The Diplomats?
We could do music forever, but for me it's much deeper. It's chances to open up schools, clinics, hospitals, law firms. Everybody who's coming out of school right now listens to Hip-Hop. So why not create a whole world around Hip-Hop? There's plenty of doctors who listen to Hip-Hop. These are the types of things I want to focus on. You'll already know that you're in a physician's office that was built on Hip-Hop music. You already know that you're in a condominium that was built off of Hip-Hop music, ya dig? This is what I'm trying to get across.
