Hip Hop God, Craig G., out with his new album I Rap And Go Home, sat down to talk with RAPstation a bit about his new album and his career in general. Former Juice Crew member, Craig G. came from Queensbridge, New York, and has been rapping for what seems like his whole life. At a young age, he began working with Marley Marl of the Juice Crew and went on to where he is at today, still making music as a solo artist.
RAPstation (Kianna Woods) How did you get started with the Juice Crew?
That story is actually not as exciting as a motion picture but how I started with the Juice Crew was I had the good fortune, basically, of living in Marley Marl’s building in Queensbridge. I used to harass him constantly just to have him hear me rap and then one day he had an idea for a song and he didn’t have to go far. Just come down to the second floor. It was luck and annoyance!
Did you freestyle?
That was all I ever did. Actually, when I recorded my first record I had to have MC Shan help me do the song because I knew nothing about song structure. I just went in the studio and rapped non-stop. So they were like “no you have to break them up put them into parts and put them a hook!” I was like “oooookay…?” So I mean that’s all I ever did. I didn’t even write my first single. I actually just freestyles it. Not any more so much. It kind of “Pigeon-holed” me. I had a few legendary battles or “legendary battles.” This was well after I made what would be considered classic songs and people were like “well, you know, guys that freestyle can’t make songs like Craig G.” and I was like “ok, I want to try and create some albums” so I kind of stepped back from it.
What was it like working with the Juice Crew?
It was like family. The main thing for me though was during like the heyday of the Juice Crew, I was still very very young. I was like 15 years old and my mother was an educator, so I couldn’t go on the tours if they weren’t on a weekend or my older brother came with me or something like that. It wasn’t like I could be around as much, but I was around Marley more than anything because we were of the same neighborhood. It was always a friendly competition. I’d be like “ok I gotta write” you know what I mean? It was never anything personal with competition between us but we were all from different areas. Being the youngest, the only person I really hang out with was mostly Marley and Ace.
What drives you today to continue to make music?
Pissing people off. You know, they have this thing where for some reason out of all the genres of music, Hip-Hop has this sort of self-imposed expiration date that no one informed me of. So I just believe that as long as my mind stays sharp and I can still create, I’m going to continue to put out music because I believe that they marginalize our whole section of fans. They feel like if you grow to be 35, or whatever, you’re not supposed to like Hip-Hop anymore. You’re supposed to listen to what a 17-year old’s rapping about but there are tons of artist that are still making quality music. I believe that recently they have these classic Hip-Hop stations popping up all over the country and the ratings are great because that dynamic of people are who advertisers want to advertise to. People that grew up listening to me now have houses, and bills, you know, family and they still enjoy Hip-Hop. They just don’t enjoy what’s being forced down their throats.
What made you want to be a solo artist?
I’m really antisocial, and I don’t like people.
*Laughing* I would not be able to tell!
Well, I mean for one, RAPstation has been very very supportive and I feel like actually with this album, titled I Rap And Go Home, it’s like I’m getting a lot of rest so I’m actually in a better mood these days.
Your latest album, I Rap And Go Home, what led you into making and releasing it?
Well every one of my albums I’ve done, and I hate to sound like a hipster when I say this, “organically” because the production team that did the album they are friends of mine and I’m very much into sneakers and stuff like that. We became friends because he owns a sneaker store way out in Long Island and we were hanging out and, you know, one day I just went to his crib and we were at the studio, we were playing music and he started playing these beats and I was like “ok, send me that, send me that, and send me that!” I don’t know, four months later we had like 25 songs. Every album I do never really starts out as an album. It’s just “ok, I like this guys vibe, I like the sounds, so let’s record them.” And then you listen back and see a body of work that is like “ya, this would actually be a dope album! Ya so let’s get it out!” That is the freedom of independent artistry.
What does being an independent artist mean to you?
It means that I don’t have some snot-nosed college kid telling me what to rap about.
*Laughing* It’s true, look at Prince.
Well, he was my hero because he was one of the few guys that actually fought his major label conglomerate and won! To me, especially with Hip-Hop, it didn’t start out with any rules, you know? We just did it! It actually started out from having nothing. Some guy one day said “you know what, let me take my grandmother's turntable with my aunt’s turntable and let me see if I can make these records blend toge… OH SH!T! I DID IT! WOW!” There were no rules. Now, when the major started putting their hands in it, it was like “well we want you to sound like the last guy. This record was big we want you to do something similar to this,” but in the heyday of me coming up, sounding similar to get you to approach that shelf, you know. Nope, biting was a crime. That could possibly get you beat up. But now everything is a clone of something. I believe that the majors, the radio, have the biggest argument. It may seem I come across a lot go times as chastising other artist but they’re only doing what they feel they need to do to be heard.
Who, in the beginning, inspired you?
To be honest with you, before the free styling and stuff, before the Juice, I was a huge fan of any Hip-Hop I could get my hands on. A lot of the early artist, like in the late 70s and early, early 80s, their image, as far as how they dressed (which I understood because they couldn’t get the clubs in the city unless they dressed a certain way) never resonated with me. When I saw Run DMC, and I saw them looking like my older brother or my cousin and rapping about things I could relate to, to me it made me feel like “ok they are representing the ‘every’ man,” and now I feel like I can do this. I don’t have to put on a costume or have the smoke machine. I could just come on the stage like I just came off the street. SO to me, they were like, you know how in the black households you have like Martin Luther King? Well, I have Run DMC on the wall.
Today, who inspires you?
Anyone that keeps the original elements of what Hip-Hop was built on. Even if they do go reference style they keep the basic elements of Hip-Hop and they still think lyrics are important, that’s who inspires me. We are speaking to a lot of people and why take that opportunity to say nothing?
Who would you want to work with that you haven’t had the opportunity to, yet?
Let’s see, I would really like to work with, Pharoahe Monch, he’s like a great friend of mine. Like a lot of the people I consider friends in the music business, we don’t talk about music. Like with Monch, I talk about the Mets. You know, again, not to sound like a hipster, I don’t want to force any of that I just like when it’s done naturally. Like when people ask me “well when you did the symphony, you had to know it was a classic?” I’m like I believe any artist that made a great mark they didn’t know what they were doing when they did it. They just did it because they loved it. There was no preconceived notion about it. There are more artists but I hate to make a list and I leave someone out than see them at the bar and they’re like “why didn’t you mention me?” and I’m like “I smoke reefer…? I blame it all on that.”
*Laughing* If you could do a tribute to anyone, who would it be?
Bob Marley. He was fearless in the stuff he talked about in his music. Even singing about the worst conditions till sounded like a feel good song. I would love to have been able to sit in a room and smoke a couple of spliffs and just pick his brain.
Lastly, do you have any shoutouts?
Just if you still believe in the blueprint of what Hip-Hop was, go get the album I Rap And Go Home, it’s out now, it has 11 songs on it. It features Ras Kass, Canibus, Jarobi, Buckshot, Kool Keith. After this, I’m working on an EP with Nottz who’s like a grammy award winning producer and, um, no I don’t want to shout out any of you guys, because you know what, y’all only say you’re going to buy it on social media, GO BUY IT FORREAL! Naw I’m just playing! *laughing*
Long time artist, Craig G. has put in work and remains true to the “blueprint” of what Hip-Hop means to him. His album, I Rap And Go Home, is available now! Support those, like Craig G., who stay true to the Hip-Hop you grew up with!
By Kianna Woods for RAPstation.com
