Features

ThaFormula.com - Where do you see Hip-Hop going next?

Wise Intelligent - Hip-Hop goes through changes and right now it's at its peak with what's out there now.  So I don't believe it has no other place to go but political.  The money aspect is always gonna be there.  Just like when the politically conscious rap was on the surface, the gangsta rap existed also.  It just wasn't getting no shine because it was bubblin' underneath the surface.  That's just the nature of Hip-Hop and the hood.  Back then a lot of the heads that was bringing conscious music were actually street heads from the trials and tribulations of crack sellin' and weed.    

ThaFormula.com – How old were you when you got your record deal?

Wise Intelligent - I was like 17.

ThaFormula.com - How is it that you and many other artists who started around that same age were kickin' shit that a 17 year old today could never do?

Wise Intelligent - Because now there is an over abundance of that lifestyle.  When we were coming up that lifestyle wasn't constantly playing over the airwaves.  When we grew up Public Enemy was playing across the airwaves.  We were listening to Melle Mel & Rakim.  We were listening to conscious groups on the radio. That's the 70's generation that were spittin' lyrics at that time.  This generation now are the sons and daughters of the crack generation.  A lot of these kids spittin’ right now were born in the mid 80's when crack just hit the block.  These kids are from that era when “Things Fell Apart” as The Roots would say.  So that's what we are dealing with right now.  A lot of these kids got fathers who are locked down or dead from that crack lifestyle in that era.  Or there mother was strung out in that era.  A lot of these kids were born in prisons, but that's where we come from.  Then you have the radio who will run a “Stop The Violence” ad and then the next record that comes on will be like, "Look, my lead will go crack, your head will go back."  So that's the time we livin' in right now.  It's about marketing.  You got young kids around the way thinking they got to get shot 9 times before somebody listens to my rhymes.  So heads is on that right now.  A lot of these kids are growing up without parents and being raised by their peers.  You got grandparents raising a lot of the kids right now that's doing Hip-Hop and that's a big generation gap right there.  They don't understand the youth culture.  The kids are frustrated ‘cause there is no outlets for them.  Hip-Hop is the only real outlet for a lot of these kids in the urban area from the way they looking at it.  How you gonna tell a kid no.  To just go to school, get a degree, finance a BMW or whatever.  Not when he's watching MTV cribs seeing a young cat like Chingy with a crazy house and whip.  Lil' Romeo with some wheel’s and can’t even drive.  They are looking at that and they want it right here and now.  How you gonna tell a kid to go to school when that number one entertainer in the world is a ex-crack dealer according to his own words?  That's the route they wanna take,  they are saying, "I'm gonna get rich or die tryin' man."  It ain't hate though man.  It ain't a matter of us speaking down on it.  It's a problem and I think that it's something that needs to be worked out in the community, as opposed to on radio or on TV. 

ThaFormula.com - Is this one of the main reasons that you and many other rappers of the Golden Era have decided to come back out again?

Wise Intelligent - The timing is not in my control.  It's the way I move.  I kind of submit to the power of creation.  All I'm responsible for is choosing the thoughts and accepting them.  Whatever force that I choose and accept, that becomes my reality.  This was just the time to do it and it's happening right now. 

ThaFormula.com - It's just that I'm seeing Brother J, A Tribe Called Quest, Fudgee’s and others getting ready to drop a new record.  You got Brand Nubian, Masta Ace, Pete Rock, Special Ed, and others of that era dropping albums now, why do you think that this is all happening now?

Wise Intelligent - In my opinion it's because Hip-Hop is stagnant right now and it's going back.  It's just like the clothing that the kids are wearing now.  They are wearing sneakers from our era.  Everything they are wearing is retro and throwback to when we were doing it.  This has not been a creative era in the world, period!  The only thing that has been advancing is technology.  Products faster and that's it.  But everything is going back as far as fashion & music.  Everybody is looking for the soul in everything now and that era that we were in projected that.  It’s going back to that right now.  That's why it's kind of relevant for the rapper from that era to be able to come back and command the crowd.  I mean the best part of the BET awards was the history of Hip-Hop part with the so called old school heads.  I don't like to use that title because Hip-Hop is not that old. As long as Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones can keep touring and fillin' up stadiums, why can't Melle Mel do the same thing.  Why can't MC Shan & Marley Marl still pack crowds? It should be possible.  I think that Hip-Hop has a lot of negative slogans and quotations that get planted into the subconscious mind of the culture, leading to actually become a physical reality.  I think we create self fulfilling prophecies for ourselves when we use those negative titles like "old school" or "played out."  I mean the number one rapper of this era just retired and he's from our era.

ThaFormula.com - What were your thoughts on what Bill Cosby spoke on recently?

Wise Intelligent - Bill Cosby is our elder.  We have to respect Bill Cosby's opinion.  We have to take that, chew it, and digest it.  Because for the first time, one of our elders actually put us under the microscope.  We’re dealing with an anti-intellectual environment right now.  Matter of fact, that's the second Wise Intelligent album title.  Look at MTV cribs and all the rappers on MTV cribs.  I don't remember seeing a library or study in none of there homes.  I didn't see a lot of books in nobody's houses.  Were in a situation where we need some education bad.  That’s what my thing is.  My thing is to educate the babies.  We are working on a music program right now, where were taking kids from the hood and teaching them the industry.  Were letting them start an independent label, put out the music, scout the talent and record the records.  They are gonna engineer the records, do the graphics, shoot the videos, and all that for this particular label.  They are gonna man all the positions at the label and they gonna put out music.  Were gonna teach them how to become self empowered.  Our thing is to teach them how to become emotionally, financially, domestically, and spiritually self sufficient.  That's what need and necessary.  We need to be able to show the minority youth in general that there is other ways to make cash without risking life, limbs, and physical freedom.   That's what the goal is with the Intelligent Music Program.  

ThaFormula.com - With all these people talking about voting for this or that guy.  Do you think it even matters who wins as far as Bush or Kerry when it comes to the ghetto youth?

Wise Intelligent - No it doesn't matter at all.  Major corporations are ruling right now.  John Kerry is a corporate guy.  He's a billionaire.  He agreed to go to war and Iraq.  He approved all that.  Look at his track record.  His track record is not much different from the current president.  It's like who you gonna vote for, Satan or the Devil?  That's what it is.  We need to really refocus our energy directly into the community.  Why are we putting all this faith, power, and resources behind a man that we know is not gonna do anything for the communities that need it the most.

ThaFormula.com - No doubt about that!

Wise Intelligent - You got to understand that you can't be having rich or middle class, without a poor class.  Somebody has to take the garbage out.   Somebody has to do the fries at McDonalds. It is necessary for them to teach our children in school how to go to school and become good workers, bottom line!  That's why there is no financial information given to the children in school.  Kids come out of high school and go to college with no knowledge on how to save, budget and invest money into America and it's over 10,000 publicly trading companies on the New York Stock Exchange.  There is no knowledge given to the kids on how to do this because our children are being raised to be employees, while their children are being raised to be employers.  All you have to do is look at how much money is being allocated to inner city schools versus the schools that their children go to.  You have some places in New York where kids are given $26,000 per student.  Then you have kids in the hood getting $3,000 per student.  This is ridiculous.  That is because they are raising employees in our neighborhoods and employers in their neighborhoods.  That's the entire school curriculum right there and that's the way they break it down.  They stick to it and try to stop any movement that's gonna teach the kids otherwise and that's what we have to pay attention to.  I was watching that BET awards and it dawned on me that there is enough power, money and resources in that one room for that one given night, to affect change in the black communities in America overnight.

ThaFormula.com - But what is the main reason that something like that cannot and will not ever happen?

Wise Intelligent - Lack of unity, love for self and fear.  They fear losing their positions.  So the people conform out of fear.  Nobody is willing to take a stand.  I thought Danny Glover was gonna say it when he went into his speech about how powerful an influence Hip-Hop has all over the world.  He named all the countries that Hip-Hop is so prevalent in.  He said that you got to use that power.  Then he said to go vote?  I didn't get that.  We voted last election and look what happened.  We’ve been voting ever since we had the power to vote in this country.  We can vote, and vote, and vote until that ballot box busts.  It's not gonna change a system that is designed for a particular purpose.  It's in place for what's happening now.  What's happening is what's supposed to happen in this particular system.  Until we challenge the entire system, nothing is gonna change.  That's where the problem is.  I think we need to harness all that power that Hip-Hop has and focus on aggressive campaigns and programs to come into the hood, and affect change.  We can do it without spending a dollar.  All it takes is some time and setting up some educational programs, and spending some time in your hood.  If you’re from Marcy projects, go to Marcy projects and set up some programs, and let the kids know how they can achieve that way that you achieved without the gun.  We can't tell the kids get rich or die tryin' right now.  Especially when that's not how you got it.  I don't know a rapper that shot his way out the hood.  He rapped his way out.  Don't tell the kids that you sold crack to get out the hood.  You rapped your way out.  You became a business man.  I think we need to really focus on us.  I see Black and Latino kids in the hoods on a regular basis just starvin'.  Fifty percent of Black youth in the country are livin' below the poverty line.  How is that for statistics?  From 1996 to 2000, the homicide rate rose 154 percent amongst teens under the age of 18.  That's ridiculous!!  154 percent in four years!  We represent forty nine percent of all the AIDS cases and were not even 15 percent of the American population.  How is that for statistics?  Voting is not gonna change that.  Aggressive programs for change in the communities is what's gonna change that.  We need to start getting to the youth directly and changing the way they think.  The only way you can change your conditioning is through changing that way you think.  If you fail to change the way you think, you’re gonna fail to change your condition.  When a kid is growing up in the hood and there is poverty all around him, his conscious mind is planting into his subconscious mind, poverty and failure.  That's all he sees around him.  He sees base heads, winos and bums everyday.  He sees failure.  The majority of the black men in the community are locked up.  That's what he sees.  Whatever he puts into the subconscious mind, becomes his physical reality.  People don't understand that.  That's why we have to change the way the youth are thinking, so that they can create a circumstance of positive more abundant lifestyle.  So right now it's overwhelming for the youth.  

ThaFormula.com - No doubt, Wise.  Thanks for the interview…a lot of people are looking forward to seeing in Los Angeles again... 

Wise Intelligent - No doubt that's love.  Y'all know Tha Formula.  I give you what I feel is my formula and y'all gave me a formula.  So let's put Tha Formula together and make something happen.  Make sure you remind the people about www.intelligentmuzik.com.  You can go there and check out what's going on with Poor Righteous Teachers.  So we gonna be out there This Thursday Night October 28th, 2004 at The Gabah.  Poor Righteous Teachers is gonna be in the building.  You gonna be able to cop that Declaration of Independence joint that's back ordered on Amazon.Com right now.  But make sure you look out for all PRT projects.  Go to that web site and support the movement man.  We hustlers of culture since 1989 man and that's how it's going down. Authentic music, no gimmicks, just lyrics!

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