Author: UrbanIndustry
Published: December 31, 1969
Tool: [ email ]
The General .The Mac. Hip-Hop's Great New Hope. For Philly native Beanie Sigel, the weight of expectations and hype is more than just another day in the game. Let's keep this very real. It's not your everyday MC who gets to follow in the Platinum footsteps of a legend like Jay-Z. Nor does every other "rookie" rhymer pack enough blistering rhymes and intoxicating street charm to get "signed in a week, without unsigned hype or battle of the beats." And that's exactly what Beans did. But it takes a lot more than fame to shake up a hustler like this. Now as the brightest new star on hip-hop's most illustrious squad, Sigel is prepared to elevate Roc-A-Fella and the entire hip-hop nation to new heights. But on his own due time and on his own terms. There ain't nothing like "The Truth," and there ain't no one spitting it quite like Beanie Sigel. So find out for yourself...
- Ui: When did you think of yourself as an MC?
Beanie: First time I thought it was going to be for real was when I did "Reservoir Dogs" on Vol. 2 with Jay-Z and The Lox. It was crazy. I always knew I knew how to rap, my boys would say 'yo you should do it.' But it wasn't my first, second or third choice. It just happened.
- Ui: Tell us about that first meeting with Jay.
Beanie: It really wasn't no meeting. There was a group in Philly called Most Wanted and they were trying to get a situation with Roc-A-Fella. I just had met them. My manager from Black Friday Ent. was going to New York. I didn't even know we were going to the Roc. I had no idea, I thought I was just going along for the ride. I wasn't going up to spit for Jay with high hopes, I didn't even tell nobody where I was going. There were a couple of guys when we got there that were auditioning and I rhymed for Damon at first. Jay was doing a song with Too $hort. Then Dame took me into the studio and said do it again and Jay came out of the booth and it's history.
- Ui: How was your initial connection?
Beanie: It was crazy man. I was just happy to say I rapped with Jay-Z. If it had just ended there, and me saying I was on "Reservoir Dogs," even without getting signed, I would have been satisfied with that.
- Ui: Have you been learning from Jay?
Beanie: Every day. You got to really be around Jay everyday to learn from him. Because he don't sit down and write a rhyme. There is no pen, no pad. You don't even hear him. He just sits there, so you don't know what he's doing. He's just the best. I picked up clarity from him. Words, how to be clear. Listeners got to hear every word. Keep it simple, so simple that it's complicated, that's what I try to do.
- Ui: So how does The General fit into the tight Roc fam?
Beanie: Well I'm a team player. I support my team. I come and play my position. Guard, forward, center, whatever. I am going to play my position, ya know. If I got to rebound I'll rebound, if I gotta block shots I'll block shots, if I gotta pass, I'll pass. Whatever it takes.
- Ui: And how did you ever hook up with the Roots?
Beanie: Awww, that's crazy too. Black Thought, Tariq, those are my men. I grew up with Black Thought, he's from the same neighborhood in Philly. I always knew The Roots, I knew Tariq was doing his thing but I was never like, 'yo put me on.' I didn't look at rap like that. Then I met Malik B and we got tight and one night we were in the studio and they were doing a song for their album. And Tariq was late so Malik was making beats and we were messing around in the booth. So I was rhyming and I said this rap and it stuck. He liked it there so they wanted me to do the same rhyme and it was on their album.
- Ui: There are a lot of eyes on you. A lot of people thinking' you
bringing the truth back to the game.
Beanie: The Truth. That's the title of the album. So I'm a give you what God loves which is the truth. I'll speak on what people don't speak on. What they want to but are afraid to. I'm a say it regardless.
- Ui: How did you hook up the song with Scarface.
Beanie: I was always a Scarface fan. I listened to rap but I wasn't into it like other people. I remember copping about ten peoples albums. My man Kyle was crazy. He had tons of albums, and Scarface stood out as one of my favorite rappers. I was like yo I want to do a song with Scarface. I wanted to go through it, no hook no nothing, just me and Scarface killing the track, four bars all the way through. I knew how I wanted to do it so I did all my parts and sent it to him. It's bananas because we did it separately but you can't tell. That is the only person outside my Roc-A-Fella camp on my album.
- Ui: What else is on this album?
Beanie: Ja Rule is on the hook of one track. But I didn't want to get to many people on this first album. I wanted to give the people Sigel. I figured for the next album, there could be collaborations.
- Ui: Do you feel any pressure that people already think they know
who Beanie is?
Beanie: Oh yeah. Yeah. That is what's crazy about it. Because I can't just come out and be me. You got people saying, 'he's the next this, he's the next that.' I ain't the next nobody. I'm the first Beanie Sigel. That's how I look at it. I love it. The compliments that who people even put me in the category with. But I just roll with the punches.
- Ui: Like what happened to Canibus. People thought he was going
to be a battle rapper and he wasn't.
Beanie: Canibus just put his foot in his mouth messing with L. That's what that was about. He can't be doing that. You can't be a rookie coming disrespecting vets. Play your part family and just get yours. But either way it goes though, I am with it, whatever. It will be crazy though. There is only one truth. Every song on mine is crazy. It ain't a lot of killing and guns, and I this and I got this whip and I rock all this ice. Nah, that ain't what I do. I'm basically talking to you. Conversating every song. What you know a thug about? A question. What your life like? I'll tell you what mine is about.
- Ui: Where does the name Mac come from?
Beanie: This is some true shit. My man Kyle started calling me that first. There was this guy around the hood called Kenny Mac who used to cut hair in his house and only charged $5. You go to the barbershop and it used to be like $15 around my way cause there weren't a lot of shops. So my mom would give me an my brother $30 to go get our hair cuts and I used to go to my cousin's house, cut my brothers hair and keep the money. So I messed my brother's hair up, tore his head up and my man Kyle was messing with me like who you think you are Kenny Mac? Your name Beanie Mac.
- Ui: So who in the industry you want to rhyme with?
Beanie: I'm comfortable. I got the hottest squad right now with the Roc. Who want to mess with me is the question. I ain't looking to make no more new friends. My squad tight. Jay, Bleek, Amil. Know what I mean. Now you got to holla at Sigel. See that was the worse they could have done was let this Mac get in this game. I'm straight from the concrete and I'll bring it to the industry. Whether they like it or not.
- Ui: And who can we expect to check coming in from Philly after
Beans?
Beanie: I got monsters man. I birthed a lot of rhymers from the hood. We got Sparks, ICH, the Young Guns, Ice City, my man Freeway all day, Murder Mil. Philly here all ready but we coming. Eve is doing her thing. Straight out of Philly Platinum. I'm next up. Straight outta Philly Platinum two times, nah three times. I want to be the first artists to come out of the Roc Platinum on the debut.
