MVRemix: What was the lowest thing you ever did for money?

C-Rayz Walz: One time, I robbed this Indian man on a train and his son was terrified. I really felt bad about that sh*t. His son was definitely terrified. He was mad scared. I gave him half of his money back. That’s how bad I felt. The dude probably had mad children. He was so scared but he was holding on to his pocket unconsciously. I was like ‘You see this f*cking gun in your face, man!? What the f*ck are you doing?! I know you are staying downtown. F*ck this!’ He was like ‘No! No! Please!’ and I just gave half of his sh*t back. I didn’t really do any other foul sh*t. My hustles were always legit. I had a train hustle. I used to steal tokens. I was sticking up and strong arming cats. I always felt like I had to justify my sh*t. When I was robbing people, I was like ‘Fuck it! I’m stealing from white America! They owe me for slavery.’ I was on that type sh*t. Oh, I almost forgot this! The lowest thing I ever did for money was sell crack for 2 weeks. I got locked up immediately too because I swore that I would never sell drugs because my father got murdered for being a drug kingpin. I swore that I would never sell drugs and the one time I did, I got locked up immediately. I had to do a 6 month bid real quick.

MVRemix: What is the story with your father’s murder? Can you tell us about it?

C-Rayz Walz: Yeah, they murdered him up in his hotel. I was like 2 years old and sh*t. I didn’t see it but I was around though. He was a big drug dealer but a good man. Like I said in ‘Protect My Family’, I said ‘I’m not trying to die in the street but my people need something to eat. I’m just trying to feed my fam. Straight up, I need cash in hand.’ That would be a tie for the dopest album because that is 100% real. My father was truly trying to be a father to me and his other children. He had a couple. He was a Muslim. He was selling bean pies in the mosque. That sh*t just wasn’t working. He was a good man, trying to do it. He just got caught up. That’s what happens when you deal in that circle. You get caught up. My man, Killa Kal, who is on that track, he’s an original Knockout King. He was one of the only cats who could ever beat my *ss in life but now, he’s like a supreme father. He teaches his children. You would never know the type of life that he came from if you looked at him or talked to him. The song ‘Protect My Family’ is real. ‘I’m going to be the dad my father couldn’t be. He died. One of the many reasons I cried. Could it be? I find I take Bacardi shots. That’s my excuse for living. Ravipops’ You know?

MVRemix: What was your father selling? Cocaine? Heroin?

C-Rayz Walz: He was selling all of that sh*t. He was controlling n*ggas and all that sh*t. He was gangsta, gangsta.

MVRemix: How did you survive such a loss?

C-Rayz Walz: My mom was a strong Black woman. She pimped the system on some DP (Dead Prez) sh*t. Juggle welfare, juggle social security, switch names up. F*cked the system up. Once I got 12, I started strong arming n*ggas. I was always socially dysfunctional, as far as not being able to deal with other kids having fathers. I was mad jealous my whole life at cats who had fathers. A lot of elders, older Black men helped me deal with it. By the time I was 12, I decided to look at it for what it was. I realized and felt that his spirit and energy was with me. His essence was here and I moved on from that. I’m saying, I’m still socially dysfunctional. That is why I over compensate with such great lyrics and great performances. That’s why I wish that a lot of cats would stop rhyming like this is some cool sh*t to do. This sh*t is not cool to do. People that rhyme are special people. They are not regular in this society. My chicks can pick up rhymes and dictionaries and rhyme to dope beats like nothing. That don’t make you an emcee. Understand?

MVRemix: Well, I am very sorry to hear about your father.

C-Rayz Walz: It’s all good but I’m not going out like that. Through him and me, Ravi gets to have a father.

MVRemix: Would you say that you would approach an emcee battle similar to the way you would approach a stick up?

C-Rayz Walz: Undoubtedly. No different at all.

MVRemix: Word association time. I’m going to say a name of a group/emcee and you say the first word that pops in your head. So, if I say ‘Chuck D’, you may say ‘Revolution’. If I said ‘Flavor Flav’, you may say ‘Crack’ Okay?

C-Rayz Walz: Word, exactly!

MVRemix: Atmosphere

C-Rayz Walz: Clouds.

MVRemix: Jay-Z

C-Rayz Walz: A paid n*gga.

MVRemix: 50 Cent.

C-Rayz Walz: A Warrior.

MVRemix: Nas

C-Rayz Walz: Lyricist.

MVRemix: Phife Dawg.

C-Rayz Walz: Shorty.

MVRemix: Common.

C-Rayz Walz: (Laughs) Laughter.

MVRemix: Wu-Tang Clan

C-Rayz Walz: The swordsmen.

MVRemix: Ras Kass

C-Rayz Walz: Undoubtedly.

MVRemix: MF Doom

C-Rayz Walz: Spooky.

MVRemix: MC Paul Barman.

C-Rayz Walz: Dope, dope, dope, dope.

MVRemix: Eminem

C-Rayz Walz: Underrated.

MVRemix: George Bush.

C-Rayz Walz: D*ckhead.

MVRemix: You are a father. Has being a father affected your career or creativity?

C-Rayz Walz: It changed my career totally. I don’t really exist for myself anymore. All my music has to be Ravi certified. I think of all the children out there. I’m going to follow the hip-hop rules. I don’t have as much time to run around and go to your house, and listen to beats for 2 days. I gotta go home. I gotta go feed the kids. I have to study longer. With everything I do, if I can’t give it to him, I can’t give it to myself. Those are words to live by. As far as my lyrics are concerned, I’m much more serious. It may sound corny, but I’m trying to maintain my soul. I don’t want to sell my soul to materialistic goals. I want to maintain my sh*t, yo. I want some old fashioned God in my life.