After being incarcerated for three years the energetic member of the Diplomat family is ready. Zeke has bottled up a lot of emotions and is primed to get back into the studio, run Diplomat Records, and think before he acts.
MVRemix: How you doing man?
Freekey Zekey: Here just eating some KFC, I stay around my chickens you know what I'm saying…whether they cooked or not. [laughs]
MVRemix: So I heard your release date is the 1st of November?
Freekey Zekey: That got pushed back because of an altercation I got in with some dude, who was trying to get too big for his britches. We got into a little argument that turned into a back slap and he told me. So now instead of the 1st it will before Thanksgiving.
MVRemix: What's going to be the first thing you do when you get out?
Freekey Zekey: The first thing I do when I touch down on that New York soil again is get some pussy! I'm gonna blow a couple of people's backs out, I need a minimum of four or however many of them are there, that's how many are going to get it. After that your boy will fall back, go home and see Momma Love and see the little ones and then it's on to the studio. I give myself, no homo, a hard 48 hours before I hit that studio.
MVRemix: When is the release date for the album?
Freekey Zekey: The album is titled the Book of Ezekiel, that's my first name and he was a profit and I feel that I have a lot of things to talk about, and you can learn from my experiences through life. So I'm going to lockout in the studio, do a mixtape, I don't know the title of the mixtape right now but we are just going to keep making music…like we've been doing. Diplomats have over 100-300 songs.
MVRemix: Do you consider yourself a spiritual or religious person?
Freekey Zekey: This is what I do believe, I believe in a higher power whether you call it, Jesus, Allah, Hovah or whatever type of name you give to the higher power. I believe that there is a higher power and from there and that's where I gain my confidence.
MVRemix: What do you feel like you have taken away from being in prison?
Freekey Zekey: Being incarcerated taught me first and foremost, patience. Have patience, fall back and observe before you react because there are a lot of people that we call time stretchers out there. They make sure they do things to get you hype by starting a situation, knowing you're impatient and don't think about the reaction they just act. Once the smoke clears he finds himself in a world of trouble which causes more time and he's basically going to be fucked up for lack of a better word. It also taught me to recognize real true love from your family. When you're locked up you honestly really need people. You need someone to come over to put money in your account, you need to have someone answer your phone calls, you need them to bring you clothes. That's when you find out who truly cares for you unconditionally.
MVRemix: Who have been your biggest supporters while being incarcerated?
Freekey Zekey: My moms, she held it down and my pops but outside of the immediate sperm donor and sperm holder…I knew Dipset as my family would be there for me, but just to watch them do it just reinserts the love they have for me again because this is when your girl leaves you, your moms don't get at you. Here, what they did was step up even more. I'm in North Carolina and they flyin in when they don't have to be here, or some days they come when there are no visitors so they was really there, and a couple of dudes from back when I was young they held it down for me to. So basically the Diplomats family really held me down.
MVRemix: How is your relationship with Jim [Jones]?
Freekey Zekey: Me and Jim bumped heads back in third grade fighting over a token that somebody else dropped, so I stepped on it and Jim was like, "that's mine." I'm like, "how could that be yours." So we in third grade mind you and I'm like, "that's mine I was going to trade that in and get a pizza." He was like, "that's mine I was going to trade that in a get a soda." So I said I'll get a pizza and the little money that we had and he got a juice and when your little, little things count. He lived on the 5th floor, I lived on the 5th floor, both our mother names were Sally, so when you like eight or nine that means something and from there we just clicked and never looked back.
MVRemix: So who has been handling your operations since your incarceration?
Freekey Zekey: Well I'm the President of Diplomat Records but Cam and Jimmy I mean all the energy I put into Diplomat Records… but we are all so close knit any and everything that had to do with Diplomat Records all three of us have been involved in. So when I left there wasn't a major lull because Cam and Jim picked up where I left off.
MVRemix: You spoke of challenges, what have been your biggest challenges since being incarcerated?
Freekey Zekey: My biggest challenge has been putting a low fuel on my emotions like being able to be there when Cam got shot. That really troubled me and touched me a lot and I couldn't be there for him and none of that would have happened if I was there. Certain incidents with Jim where he would get into tussles, like Virginia where he had nothing to do with it, but I'm like none of that would've happened with me around. Basically not being able to be there for family, like my son got sick and I usually take him to the hospital and he wasn't able to call on me so I can do what I do.
MVRemix: What is your relationship with your son now?
Freekey Zekey: I have two kids but my son and my relationship has grown much more. Like when I get a chance to speak with them they feel like they can talk to me a little more. Like when they talk to me they like. "My mother gets on my nerves!" I mean it's always been like that but now they realize since they got older that even though their father is away they understand that they can still have a good relationship.
MVRemix: Since you've been on the outside looking in for the last 3 years what changes have you seen or people have you noticed making moves?
Freekey Zekey: There's a lot of people making moves in the rap game. You know how it is, one day its everybody you know and the next day someone comes out with a single that nobody knows about and he's up and poppin, but there's always going to be change and its been like that really since back in the day. The Bronx had it with KRS-One, Too-Short was doing his thing and then Face came out, so the weeds always move so to see new change it doesn't affect me because I've been living through it since the 80's. You know everybody say the South got it now but the South never really went anywhere! Face been holdin it down, there are a whole lot of people from the South that have been rockin. The light on the South is shining a little more now but that's beautiful you know what I'm sayin get money!
MVRemix: So what's your opinion on New York rap, and the argument that New York lost it…
Freekey Zekey: That's just ignorance to me. That shows some type of segregation which we don't need… We've been segregated and everything. In that case why do New York dudes come down South to hustle, why are you making it an issue now? That doesn't make any sense to me.
MVRemix: What plans do you have for Diplomat Records when you get out?
Freekey Zekey: Biggest thing for me is to keep doing what we do best which is make music and make money because it's out here and it's so easy to get a dollar. You just have to be focused. So basically when I get out I'm going to act like Diplomat Records just started and bring that extra hunger, because while I'm here this shit has been getting packed in and as I get closer to my release, and there's so much I have to do and say that's been backed up for three years that once I release its going to be a new energy. My dudes, even if they slack back a little because everyone is in they million dollar bracket now, they cruisin, they smoking and they're at a point where their comfortable, they still hungry but they can put their seat back a little. My seat is still straight up like I have never driven before.
MVRemix: What is your whole opinion about the Jay-Z situation? Cam came at Jay, Jim recently came at Jay what is your perspective?
Freekey Zekey: A lot of people don't really understand, this beef really started in 2002 when we first signed to the Roc. This is not for publicity; this is not something where we said we'll go at Jay now. We were on the Roc and we were doing what we were doing, when we signed with the Roc to be honest we did cart wheels, who wouldn't want to be on Rocafella Records! There was Jay, Bleek, Beans, and the whole State Prop so honestly I don't know why Jay didn't fuck with us while we were on the Roc. We basically had to run behind him, get his people's to call him up just to try and get a word out of him. It took Dame 2 ½ months to get Cam on that New York City track. So we were like why, what is it? So Jim, Cam or myself don't know but he gave us that cold shoulder and Dame was always like relax. The day that Roca-fella broke up and Jay took everything from Dame, Cam couldn't hold it anymore and he basically unleashed the beast.
MVRemix: So what is your perspective on life now as you get a second chance?
Freekey Zekey: I see life through different eyes and you just have to do what you have to do and take care of your business and give over 150 billion percent because for me in my situation nothing is really promised tomorrow. I almost died over a little robbery attempt. So I just take life like it's my last. When God puts a cover over you he opens your eyes up to all the negativity and what that happens a whole lot of people are going to fall off to the side but hey everybody got haters, but it just opens your eyes to the bullshit.
MVRemix: Anything else you have to say to the people?
Freekey Zekey: Basically its your boy Freekey Zeke aka slap the shit out ya' hood boxer, get your cars, get your house get your girls get everything and put everybody up and stash them because when I come home I'm taking everything.
