Killer Mike could be a motivational speaker. Not a cheesy, wholesome one that visits high schools, but one whose message smacks you in the melon. Dude is as real as he is passionate. Whether it’s about the president, Oprah or a d-boy on the block, The Killer is someone you listen to. Not just because he’s a dope rhymer but because what he has to say is intelligent and raw. Leaving old label fallouts behind him and building his own Grind Time brand, Killer Mike has his hand firmly over his heart – pledging his allegiance to the Hip-Hop hustle. He sounded off to Vapors about his career, Obama and why he is not interested in fans.
On the intro to I Pledge Allegiance to The Grind 2, you say, “We don’t have fans, we only have supporters.” Can you explain that difference?
There is no need for a fan when you not hot. Supporters support you when you hot or you not. They are going to support you by going out and finding new music from you. Supporters are going to support you even if the tide of the public is against you. I have, will have and always want to have supporters. UGK, 8Ball and MJG, Wu-Tang Clan and The Dungeon Family have supporters. Ringtone rappers who come out with huge hits and next year you can’t find them, they have fans.
I’m not mad at fans, fans are a driving force of revenue for the music industry but supporters give people a 15, 20, or 30-year career. I’m more interested in having people support me. I say supporters because when people spend 15 or 20 dollars on a record, they have to work two hours. Most people who buy records don’t make a gang of money so they have to work an hour or two out of their lives. To me, when you buy my music, giving an hour or two of your life to a time clock, that’s support. That’s more than something that just dies off when the heat turns down on you.
You encourage supporters, asking them to “Fire your Boss,” in order to motivate them to accomplish what they want. What sort of relationship do you have with your audience?
We are all underdogs. I am an underdog in the music industry. Most of the people that listen to rap music, not just my rap music, are underdogs. They are people who people don’t expect a lot from. They don’t expect them to go to college and prosper. Most of all they don’t think that these people will ever create their own businesses.
I’m only trying to encourage young people, or old people, whatever your dream is, to chase it right now. Chase it is as though tomorrow is never coming and you might die today. If you don’t attack the world with that kind of tenaciousness then you will forever be sitting next to someone or worse shit, you will forever be an employee.
Why don’t you think more rappers have a motivational message?
Rappers, like politicians, like preachers, are for the most part pimps. You have a very small percentage that actually gives a fuck about their audience. That hasn’t always been like that. I felt like the rappers that I listened to gave a fuck about me. Somewhere rap turned the corner and they only spoke about their own personal experience or their made-up experience to get people to worship them like gods or idols. Now that’s a good feeling but that feeling does nothing for the audience.
When I heard ” Git Up, Get Out and Get Something,” it struck a cord in me. If as a rapper, I don’t influence my audience to do anything except join a gang, do dope, party, throw money, then I failed my audience. I don’t ever want to be held in the same regard as a bullshit politician, a poverty pimpin’ preacher or a piece of shit rapper.
Recently, Nas and Luda’s voices have been heard in America’s mainstream media about the election. Do you think rap has a role to play in getting Obama elected?
I believe that rap has a role to play in creating an audience that is politically aware. Is rap going to help Obama get elected among disenfranchised black youth and black men who have not been voting? Yes. In the bigger spectrum do we help Obama by making songs that contain slanderous material? No it doesn’t. We gotta make sure that we target out message only to our audience so it cannot get exploited by the wider mainstream media to hurt brother Obama.
On the Grind 3 is already slated for January 2009 release on your label. Have you thought about returning to a major label or staying Independent for a while?
I’m going to do what’s in my best interest. Right now being independent is in my best interest. Grind Time, in its inception, is an independent company. We will always have an independent leg that breaks music through the underground. That breaks music from a grassroots standpoint. I believe that’s what every rap label should be.
I Pledge Allegiance to The Grind 2 is out in stores NOW!!!
