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ThaFormula.com - What made you drop the album independently?

Priest - You make more money going independent.

ThaFormula.com - Alot of independent artists tell me that more than half of the artists on major labels really don't make much money. Is this true?

Priest - Hell yeah man. They rob you, it's like this man my predicament was fucked up cause I was dealing with some foul people that was working with my project. It could a worked, it's like MCA had millions of dollars, they just didn't wanna add no more millions to it. They just wanted to get their money off of what I did. Get their money and close shop and call it a day. They didn't care about if I got paid or not. 

ThaFormula.com - The lyrics on your new album are pretty nice. I'm really feelin that track madness.

Priest - Thanks man, I'm just tryin to get the old fans back and build some new ones.

ThaFormula.com - Now let's get down to what alot of people have been wondering. What went down between Priest and Wutang?

Priest -Well, it was not a big thing about me and Wutang. It was really Rza never produced any tracks for my album. And I was always independent doin my own thing anyways, but it was always love between everybody but it was just that you know when I was on my own I had to strive for more. I mean people would come up to me and say "hey, yo Priest your a dope lyricists" Why aren't you on the Wu album? You have to ask them that question!    

ThaFormula.com - Yeah, cause alot of people, including myself always wondered why you weren't on the Wu album.

Priest - Yeah, Why i'm not on the Wu album and why they got Nas and everybody in there. I know everybody is askin them that question, but you gotta tell, See when you get alot of money like that, you get kinda confused and you just wanna do your thing and you know ask him that question!! See when I first came up in the game nobody really helped me. The only thing they helped me with was gettin a deal and I pretty much locked that down by myself

ThaFormula.com - That B.I.B.L.E. track seemed to open alot of eyes. How did that come about?

Priest - I just wanted to get on. At that time I was hungry, I was young you know. I didn't even like that rhyme to be honest with you. That was just a rhyme I threw on there you know, Gza put it on his album and you know I thank him for that cause he did bring me into the game.  Gza was the one that brought me into the game. He brought me into it so I got on there and spit that rhyme and they liked it and kept it on there and it was magic from there. We shot the video for it, because really Gza was controllin most of his album. Rza wasn't controllin Gza's album and as far as the first song that I recorded that was called B.I.B.L.E. What happened was the original Bible track was uh wound up getting lost, I mean the song that I originally recorded in Rza's house all of a sudden they told me they didn't  know where it's at. So I had to rerecord that song and I pleaded "Yo Gza put it on your album" So Gza put it on his album, and then when we was in the studio one time, it just popped up. Rza was goin thru his uh CD's and shit and the song popped up. So I just felt always like Damn man! you know cause I wanted the original version to be on there, but things still worked out cause God has his own plans you know.

ThaFormula.com - So their is another version of B.I.B.L.E. out there huh?

Priest - Yeah man, I had to rerecord it ha! ha! ha!

ThaFormula.com - Did you ever get a copy of your tracks?

Priest - Nah man, When we recorded back then man I would just record and you hear it in the studio and you leave. And you know, being young in the game you don't really care. I mean I just wanted to spit cause you know I'm thinkin I'm in good hands, when really it was all about everybody doin for themselves. I thought I was in good hands you know. I thought you know maybe Rza will throw it out there, whatever, but it never came out.

ThaFormula.com - So were you a part of the Wu-Tang Clan, I mean were you a close member of the family?

Priest -Yeah, but you know the last shall be first. That's why when we did the Sunz of Man album, I was like Yo! we should name the title the Last Shall Be First because, I mean the title came from my hook from the B.I.B.L.E. I mean it was a little bitter shit back then but  I took it in stride because I'm a strong man.  I  did my whole album by myself you know the first Heavy Mental. With no fucken help! Word! and that was my first time really in the studio holdin down my whole album.

ThaFormula.com - Now Heavy Mental seemed to be looked at two different ways. By some people it was looked at as a let down and by others as a classic?

Priest - Yeah, that sort of makes me feel good and I always wanted props for what I do cause you know each one teach one and I know alot of rappaz that give me alot of props. Every time I see a Rappa, they be like "Yo Priest your ill", but inside you know I just want to be shown more, you know what I'm sayin. I felt like I didn't get the right exposure. And you know Rza for being in the position that he's in and knowin that I'm ill, cause how I'm not gonna be on the Wu album!!! I mean am I wack you know what I'm sayin. i mean what's the reason for me not being on there. Why you gonna get Nas and stuff like that. That's the only problem I don't like and people started seeing that.  So fans start tellin me "Yo, what's up with that" and I know they tell him when he's on the road.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah, some heads did wonder why you never appeared on the album?

Priest - Well look, that album I wasn't on there and nobody liked that album. It was a let down right. Come on be honest with me.

ThaFormula.com - Ha! Ha! Yeah, well as a fan of the Wu I got to admit it was a little more than a let down for me?

Priest - Yeah, it was a disaster! Cause I'm from the streets. I keep the pure ethics about what it's supposed to be about. See Killah Priest is about Keepin It Real! Straight Up!! Everybody else they do them and if you do you that's fine, but I'm just sayin I'm doin me right now. And right now I can't hesitate and wait on cats cause I'm on a waitin List. You know what I'm sayin. Why I'm on a waitin list!!

ThaFormula.com - So what do you feel  the problem was with Rza. I mean was it hate or fear of something?

Priest -Yeah it's hate! uh I don't know what it is some internal shit that I feel is not correct, you know what I'm sayin. Rza don't put me on his songs and I don't sweat him to be on his songs. I asked him one time "Yo, the track is on, let me get on there", and he was like "Nah, Nah, Nah, that's for somebody else".  So i'm like fuck it! I'm a man to. Straight out I ain't gonna beg him. Yeah it is hatred! It is hate.

ThaFormula.com - You know I went to that Digital Bullet Tour and

Priest - It's wack huh, come on tell the truth. ha ha ha!

ThaFormula.com - I mean I was a little disappointed

Priest - It's cause he left the root, see I'm a rappa, I mean I'm a better rappa then Rza I mean come on now let's be real ( laughs). I mean come on why not put me on, what's wrong with me. What I'm the Black Sheep of the family. I didn't do nothin to nobody. And I got more fans tellin me this everywhere.

ThaFormula.com - So when did you come into the Wu?

Priest - I came thru Gza, but I was there from the grave. I mean I battled Rza a long time ago when he was just Prince Rakeem. 

ThaFormula.com - What happened to the type of beats Rza was makin during the 36 Chamber days, they don't seem to be as hard hittin as they used to be?

Priest - Nope, see cause you can't do stuff to people and it not come back around. Yo! when you got Cash Money Brothers. Juvenile first came out and he went and got his click, he got Cash Money and they all eatin right now. So did Nelly, Nelly came and did his thing and for the Clan it was a collective group. Why not put me on, what's wrong with me.

ThaFormula.com - So what's goin on right now?

Priest - Right Now, I got more exposure right now. Right now, this is the first time I had a full page ad. Ans when I was on a fucked up, rich ass label like MCA, they couldn't give me a full page ad. What was that about! That was a bunch of ass kissin man and a bunch of nerds in Hip Hop. I mean what's the problem with me, what did I do to anybody. 

ThaFormula.com - Now this is a discussion I was having with a couple a homies once and it's something that alot of people have been speakin on lately. Do you think hip hop has gotten infested with NERDS?

Priest - Yeah, CIA members. I don't know what. People that just got into hip hop and not really about what it's about. Not really about lyrics and content or whatever and the beats and the songs. The way the whole thing goes together and puttin together a costructive album. Look they all about what did he say, she say, he say. Hip hop is money, see the executives of the company only look at the numbers. They don't care about Jay - Z, you think they care about Jay - Z. They don't even look at him they just look at the numbers. I'm glad he's doin his own thing now. I mean he's got his own label. But I'm sayin if Jay - Z stop makin money, they stop likin Jay Z. See these executives up their are like political pimps and were like some type of artistry hoes you know and these guys they be up top, but you know you got some fair presidents, I mean if their not locked into that world. But you know it's a bunch of bullshit. I wish I was on Def Jam, I ain't gonna front cause at least Def Jam family expose their artists more, but in a way I'm glad i'm not. Because I don't wanna be up there with all those artists and they start that bullshit. I mean I know people who was signed to Def Jam and never came out.

ThaFormula.com - On Def Jam you got all these dope artists, well not dope artists, but you got, ah well actually I can't think of many, but anyways besides all the exposure and record sells, do they make any money?

Priest - (Laughs)  Uh, some of them make a few pennies or whatever. Listen man! You get a dollar off of each record you sell. C'mon man! 2 dollars most! And then the politics, I mean I hate the industry attitude, because I'm not like them dudes. Those dudes are Tweedy Birds! I'm a warrior straight from the heart! These guys be sittin around here runnin around with this ganky attitude, you know and they don't really expose realness to, I mean I respect them! If you gonna be a Tweedy Bird be a Tweedy Bird! Another thing, I'm not even on The Bobby Digital Tour.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah, I know man.

Priest - Why not, my album is cummin out! I mean people need to adress him on that. I mean c'mon, Rza will never be the best MC in the world. I mean c'mon, you can't be the best mc in the world. I mean c'mon, you can't be the best mc in the world. I mean alot of people cummin up. I don't know what it was man, but I just wanted to be exposed and I don't like that.

ThaFormula.com - Now let's settle this rumor once and for all. Alot of people think that their is beef between you and the Wu. Is that true or is their no beef?

Priest - Nah, Nah, theirs no beef man. I don't associate myself with no beef. If their was beef their would be somebody with me, cause I'm not startin no beef with nobody. And if somebody had beef with me I'd handle my shit. No what i'm sayin!

ThaFormula.com - So basically, this is you speakin your mind and that's it?

Priest - Yeah, it's just me speakin my mind, straight up. The facts are there, you know what i'm sayin. If you get to listen to the albums from Cuban Link on down and you tell me if you enjoyed it. After Cuban Link and after, well Ghost's album was hot man! I liked Ghosts album, I mean as far as the beats shit.

ThaFormula.com - I was really feelin the Gza album?

Priest - Oh yeah! he's the only one that put me on his tracks.

ThaFormula.com - So Gza had full control of his albums?

Priest -Yeah, Gza was doin his own thang and I appreciate Gza for lettin me on the song. I mean he's the only one that showed love. I mean I don't expect nobody else to show me love, but if I'm around, man! See I would be around in the studio writin rhymes right, then at the end of the day Rza would tell me. "Yo, uh this track is already done". Like I'm not from the

ThaFormula.com - So was their something that brought this on, I mean was their a problem between you guys?

Priest - Their's a problem with him, I mean it's obvious theirs a problem with him. It's got to be a problem with him. I don't know what it is, but theirs obviously a problem there. I'm not on none of his tours. You see I don't have no beef, but my thing is if he would sit up there and address it and been like "You know what Priest, I don't like you because such and such" or maybe "you pulled alot of girls" or maybe you know uh, Ha! Ha! Ha!

ThaFormula.com - What do you think of Eminem? 

Priest - Oh! Eminem is my nigga. I ain't gonna front, I see D12 and them man and Yo I see Eminem and D12 and them niggaz is sittin up their giving me props sayin Yo! Priest man I gotta take my hat off to you. I'm feelin mad great, I'm like yeah man more rappaz show me more respect then them Cats, and I came threw that camp. I mean this how I see it. If your real with yourself which is why I don't  kick it with them, you always gonna be that what you started out to be.

ThaFormula.com - When Rza was Prince Rakeem and doin "Ooh I love you Rakeem". Was that by choice or label pressure?

Priest - (Laughs) I don't know man you really gotta ask him, um, he says it was the label, but it was him. He ain't changed. You know he was rhymin goin Ooh we love you Rakeem know what I'm sayin.

ThaFormula.com - In Wu who were the main ones kickin knowledge?

Priest - Each individual kicked not. Me especially I been doin this from the grain, I been doin this from a while back. Just kickin and sharin jewelz amongst the clan. I was the one sittin around with RZA sharin Jewelz with him. He understands that too, I mean we both sat down there. I kicked somethin to him and he listened to it like "yo man you makin sense". Because I don't come from the same old aspect of the Nation of Islam or the 5 percent way of thinkin, the way everybody was going towards.

ThaFormula.com - Now most of the Wu follow the 5 percent way, but you don't right?

Priest - Nah, see I don't say that I'm a five percent of anything. I'm spiritual man and I believe in both sides and everything. 

ThaFormula.com - A question that has been asked alot is, Who do you feel would win a battle between you and Rza?

Priest - Come on man that's obvious, Rza do his thing but he can't, he can't you know a battle between me and Rza I just take it with more passion and back then to be honest with you, I don't think nobody won cause we were just testin each other out. He didn't burn me and I didn't really burn him because I was just rhymin, I wasn't battlin.

ThaFormula.com - What happened with MCA?

Priest - I can't stand MCA. For the record I can't stand this lady named Wendy Goldstein who was workin at MCA, who tried to stop my records and Rza got down with heron my first album Heavy Mental and sat with her and they sat and they went up to the President and they told them not to release my album. That's what happened and that's the truth! And then I asked him, I confronted him, and I was like "Yo Rza, why didn't you wanna release my album" and he was like, "Cause the Sunz of Man was comin out" and stuff like that when you know that's my group.  Yeah, but that didn't mean he had to go to the corporate guys and shoot my shit down. Imma be real right now. Now when we was on the Sunz of Man album. The album dropped and The swarm album dropped at the same time, so we couldn't get as much sells a we needed to get because Rza had dropped the Swarm album. It's just that I love hip hop and I love my fans and I'm being sincere and honest about everything that I'm sayin.

ThaFormula.com - Now the first Killah Priest album was done with 4th Disciple, right..

Priest - Yeah

ThaFormula.com - Now the rumor is that their was a misprint on the production credits and that rza actually did a track. Is this true?

Priest - No, he didn't do nothin.

ThaFormula.com - You heard about this right?

Priest - Nah, I never heard of it. Listen the song that he did, he pulled off. I mean the one he did he jumped on and rhymed on, he took his verse off and that's the one that Deck is on. Me Deck and Gza and I was like "Yo Ra, why you pullin your verse off" and he was like "Yo man, they wanna use it for a soundtrack and you know I don't wanna do that", but I do, shoot why not. They did so many soundtracks, I can't even name em. I never got one. The only ones I ever got are the ones that they took. My soundtrack was, uh, Caught Up.

ThaFormula.com - Now The Wu Chronicles Just Dropped and you got a couple of tracks on that.

Priest - That's wack!

ThaFormula.com - What's up with that?

Priest -Man, they put some ole wack old song freestyle that I did. That's the name of the song.

ThaFormula.com - Without your consent?

Priest - Without my permission and if your gonna put somethin out by Killah Priest, why not put Judge Wisely, 4th Chamber, B.I.B.L.E., somethin.

ThaFormula.com - But some people would argue that Rza is givin you exposure by puttin you on that album? 

Priest - See being exposed and not seeing a dime or nuthin man, I mean theirs more to it. I mean I'm sittin up hear and I'm writin for hours man, just to not get promoted. That shit just hurt me man. That's for the birds, i mean I'm writin hours, i'm puttin my time in. I go to the studio and I can't get on a song! But I'm a warrior.

ThaFormula.com - How come no more 4th Desciple on production?

Priest - That's because, I guess when he did a song with me, i guess that was like "Yo don't do that"cause you know it's just like what Cappadonna told me. It's like this, when your workin hard you wanna be shown love which is what proverbs is about.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think things would be different if odb was still around? 

Priest - Dirty Bastard is one of the realest cats I've seen, I think with all the negative and the stardom that's going on, I think that sometimes you tend to lose focus on what you really about because Wu Tang is supposed to be about knowledge, not about Digital.

ThaFormula.com - Well I remember reading an interview once where Ugod said he didn't like that Bobby Digital thing?

Priest - Yeah, i don't like that shit either. I don't understand what drugs got to do with knowledge, you know what I'm sayin. It doesn't mix, it doesn't mix, it's just simple. it doesn't make sense and I wouldn't promote it. 

ThaFormula.com - How is it signing to a million dollar label like MCA?

Priest - Man I didn't get shit, man these cats couldn't even get me a full page add. They gave me a half page. Geffen got me one quarter of a page and they had the money to do it. I called up Cassandra at MCA and I told her "Yo what's up with this half way ad shit, what's that about". She said "Oh, were sorry Priest, we got you on the next one". Boom! next as come out, another half ad. I was ready to come out here and bust somebody up, but they corporate so they probably put me in jail the way they do it. So , I was like Yo! MCA did not do anything and it was because certain people up there was hatin because they wanna be fans of other shit that's out there. And that album "View from Massada", I just gave that album to them. I took songs off of it that I didn't think they deserved. Stuff that Imma put on Proverbs music. I finished that album within a month and this bitch there gonna act like she lost my album. Now MCA want me to rhyme over certain beats, so I just knew it was bullshit from there. 

ThaFormula.com - What do you say to all the KP fans that think Killah Priest sold out with View From Massada? 

Priest - Yo, I didn't sell out. I'm cummin more raw and it was MCA, it was those record labels. It was Rza and them without proper exposure and now I got the exposure that I want. Now you gonna hear the raw. "This for Black, Chinese, White, Hispanics". "The One who dies is the one who panics".  " Don't get upset at how the world turns, it's alot of things for you to learn".

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