What´s been happening for you since The Sun Rises In The East?
Trying to better myself as a producer,
I´m doing some projects on my own and trying to stay buissy.
What has changed?
It´s like me asking you what´s changed in the past two years- really nothing.
Just gone through different experiences.
Why do you try to have conscious messages in your songs?
Jeru: Because when you have a voice to speak out against the oppressors,
you have to make it count. In some way, you have to wake people up.
You´re one of the more intelligent emcees out there,
what kind of education do you have?
Jeru: I have a basic high school education, but it´s not school that educates you,
It´s yourself.
Anything that you learn in High School, you can learn on your own.
If you have someone to teach you, or you can teach yourself by just reading a book.
What´s your religious background?
Jeru: My music is not religious, it´s just truth.
Religion is not really truth, It´s something that man created.
What I´m doing is just truth.
So you're Muslim?
Jeru: Muslim just means man of peace. I'm everything, I'm
God though. Because God is the father, and the father and
the son are one and the same.
What's happening with the Gangstarr Foundation
now? Is there going to be another album?
Jeru: Yeah Gangstarr´s gonna make another album.
Right now we don´t know exactly when it´s coming out,
but it´ll be coming soon.
How do you feel about the East/West conflict?
I don't give a fuck about that shit because I don't come
from the east or the west. We all come from the eastern
hemisphere. That's just a trick that society puts up in order
to divide all of us and to make us fight each other because if
we knew that we all come from the same place, then there
wouldn't be a reason to fight. But they want to make you
think that you all come from different places but in reality
our ancestors came from the same place. If you trace it
back far enough, you'll find that everyone's ancestors came
from the same place at one point in time. That's why things
like architecture are similar. They don't understand that yet.
They're still on this east/west coast thing. This is what the
slave masters and all that shit created. I'm not fighting for
that shit, you crazy?
What exactly happened in the Bay Area?
Just a lot of misunderstandings. When people feel that you
are a good and righteous person or they think that they
know you, they may cross a certain line and they expect
you just to take it. But sometimes, you just can't take it.
Sometimes you have to show how shit is in real life. It may
come down to some type of conflict or combat, but it's no
big deal. I held no grudges, but a lot of people held grudges
against me, which just showed how small they were. Itís
nothiní to me, it donít matter. Some people wanted to ban
me, it don't matter. That's what the devil would have done,
trying to stop you from getting money so you can't eat, just
because they're mad at you. I felt that it was two different
incidents and two different reasons. One was just a
misunderstanding, and the other was an incident where a
person just pushed me to a place where I didn't want to go.
Would you change anything if you could go back?
Jeru: No, because life is to learn. This way, you might have
to go through it some other time, so why not get it all out
and over with.
So there's no longer any static?
Jeru: I don't know. If there is, I'm uninformed. I never felt
that way, it never went past a certain level with me. You
know why I feel I have conflicts? Itís because I'm for the
brotherman, but a lot of these black and Latino people out
here are on the side of the other man. Although they may
front and act as if they're on another vibe. So it's a conflict
because I'm there doing what the brothers would do,
regardless. People be on some bullshit, racism-type
structure.
Did you hear what the Fugees had to say about you
in their cut The Score?
You got that too? I don't know where that came from. I
don't understand my friend. It's like this, a lot of have just
been challenging me. I just don't understand. Why would
you think I would have beef with the Fugees?
I'm just as curious as your are. First they say
something about the Wu, then they come at you.
Jeru: Maybe because they look like me, maybe they don't
like that. (laughter) I have never dealt or spoke to any of
them in the past. I have no idea where that came from.
Some people just attack me. I never claim to be the most
perfect. All I claim to do is to say a little knowledge for my
people, and that's it. I know who I am, I'm just saying
truthfulness. I don't be sayin' that I'm the best or the most
perfect. They don't know what to be a prophet is. To
prophesize is to tell of things to come. And in my records, I
think that I speak of things to come. Look how hip hop has
changed since my record came out. I could come out with
Come Clean again, because shit has gotten even worse
now. For them to say 'No matter who you damage / You're
still a false prophet' is really corny to me. I don't think they
know where they're coming from. They don't know about
the original man. We're from all over. We all came from the
East. Because at one time everything was called Asia. So
we're all Asian really.
Are you going to have anything to say to the Fugees?
Jeru: I don't know. I'm just doing my thing. They sell a lot
of records, it's cool.
How do you feel about today's flood of crossover
r&b/hiphop tracks?
Jeru: It's kind of corny to me, for real But I am producing
some r&b which I will be rapping on. It's not my record
though, so it's not like that. Her name's Carmina.
When's that gonna drop?
Jeru:I'm trying to get her a deal now. I'm trying to expand
and bring what I have and make it more of the music. So
that I can be the major influence so shit can be right. A lot
of artists come hard the first time, but then lighten up for
their sophomore release. Hey, I ain't got no gimmicks.
You've heard my first album, and when you hear my second
one, it'll be the same way.
What's the new album called?
Jeru: Wrath Of The Math
Whatís the first single?
Itís called Ya Playin' Yaself, produced by DJ Premier.
Who produced the new album?
Jeru: Premier. The album's fifteen tracks thick.
What should people be expecting from your new
material?
Just expect that it's going to be dope. It's going to be the
same so don't worry.
Any last words?
Jeru: Everybody believe in yourself, don't believe
everything you see on TV. A lot brothas are talking a lot of
that shit but not living that shit. So live how you know how
to live and direct your energies towards creating the person
that you want to be, not trying to emulate others.
This interview is taken from Props magazine, Vancouver
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