ThaFormula.Com - Who would you get to come through to the Hip-hop Shop in Detroit when you were hostin’ it?

Proof - Some people came through and got crushed. Some people came through and did damage to people. Big L, he came through there and crushed some people. Young Zee from the Outsiderz and Pacewon used to come through crushin’. Fat Joe usually came up in there. Milkbone came in there and got crushed. A few people used to come in there and started getting that recognition like if you’re an MC, that's where you gotta come. That was the only flavor that was in Detroit. I'm the one that put the whole concept of that together with the instructions of Maurice Malone, cause I was travelin’ from city to city and just used to battle people everywhere. It started when Craig G came here and me and him battled. He crushed like 2 other cats and I kind of got him at the end. He was killin’ muthafuckas and I got up there and mirked one off on him, but one thing about Craig G is that Craig G is dope, and I just think he was sleepin’ and didn't think there was some real MC's in the D after the first 2 dudes he challenged and he kind of took it easy on me. That's how I look at it because Craig G is Craig G. That inspired me to go city to city to battle and that was from the Craig G blueprint right there. He was in our city battling. “What the fuck are you doing in our city battling?” “Why are you here?” He was there for the cause of hip-hop.

ThaFormula.Com - What do you think is the biggest difference between crushin ’ somebody in a freestyle battle then crushin’ somebody on a record with a written?

Proof - I'll put it to you like this. The muthafucka that can't even rhyme could probably sit down and formulate a 2 month or 3 month diss. But right there, front to front, that's hip hop right there. That's what the game is. We don't have nothin’ to think about. You see me and I see you. You don't know me and I don't know you, what's up! That ain't nothing but skills.

ThaFormula.Com - Now there was a case where you actually wanted to battle Supernatural. What actually happened in that situation because I caught up with him at a show a while ago and he said that he served you and that it was over?

Proof - ahh, nah, nah, nah, nah. See that's what I'm sayin’ and Sway from Sway and Tech will even tell you this. What he did was the most gayest shit you could ever do. Now I respect him as an MC, but until he becomes a man and respects the fact that what he did was hoeish. What happened is, he bust his rhyme, I bust mine. I mirked him the first rhyme. Everybody was like damn! So he had to come back, all right, boom, then I came back. So he got the second round right. Third round, he goes first then guess what? He takes the mic says it's his booth and won't let me rap back again. Come on man, you don’t get your ball and just score and get your ball and go home! You gotta give the person another chance to score. That's the most hoeish shit in the world. Then to be speakin’ on it like he did something? Then on top of it he can't even rap. Hopefully that will make him mad so put that in there. Nah, but he can rap though I just got to put that in there to make him mad.

ThaFormula.Com - Honestly speakin’ though, a lot of great battle MC's like Supernat have done great in battles, but seem to have problems making great records. Why do you think that is?

Proof - In order to become a record seller uh, okay take 3 songs from Supernat, Cannibus, and Craig G who are great lyricists. Take any of their songs, 3 of their verses of 3 different songs and switch them up. You won't be able to tell the fuckin’ difference. What it is is that they write so that there's no substance to it. They got the flow, but they lack the substance. It's so funny how they could be so intellectual but still lack all that substance.

ThaFormula.Com - Do you see that happening to you ever with your new solo project?

Proof - Nah and the reason is, I don't wanna be battlin’ on wax. I don't wanna hear no fuckin’ battle rhymes all day. I save the battle rhymes for me in the club when I'm one on one. I don't even wanna cheat my people like that. That's theirs you know what I'm sayin? That's another thing. People don't appreciate fans. A lot of people think they are greater then their fans and that's another downfall of a lot of dope MC's.

ThaFormula.Com - Did you and Eminem actually ever get in to a battle at all at the Hip-hop Shop?

Proof - Nah, not at all.

ThaFormula.Com - Is the way they showed you hostin’ the battles in 8 Mile exactly how it went down, or was there a little Hollywood extras added?

Proof - That's it. That's exactly the way it used to be. That's no movie magic.

ThaFormula.Com - Why did you choose to come out independently and not on Shady Records?

Proof - That's just the way I wanted to do my business. In order for me to do me in the way I wanted to be seen as an MC and have creative control over my thing and have my own company this is how I got to do it.

ThaFormula.Com - Now a lot of people have said that D12 just got put on cause they roll with Eminem and would have never made it if it weren’t for him. Does that bother you?

Proof - Nah, it doesn't bother me at all because then that just shows how shallow minded people and if people think like that then it's up to me to show different.

ThaFormula.Com - But let's take a situation where I recently heard Benzino on Hot97 ask Angie Martinez and the listeners if they can name all 6 members of D12 as a joke. I mean doesn't that bother you at all?

Proof - You got to understand this though. Em is the biggest rap artist that you have ever seen in your life. So how about that? So it don't hurt me indirectly, it hurts everybody indirectly if that's the case. He's the icon of rap and therefore there's a big ass shadow. So if somebody like Benzino ever says that…How many people ever heard of you until you got to talk about Eminem to even get an interview? He hurts himself.

ThaFormula.Com - Now you and D12 got involved in all the other Eminem beefs, but you guys seemed to have stayed away from this one. Why is that?

Proof - We did have our diss ready, but Em was like “fuck him cause he ain't doin nothin’ but trying to sell records,” and that we don't even know the muthafucka. I mean his diss is not even genuine. He contradicts himself every time he talks so therefore it ain't even fit for war. Every time he jumps around, he jumps around to a different point and makes no sense. The dude is half white and half black himself so it's to late to pull a white and black card and on top of that you can't even spit. It ain't a person that can say you are spittin’ with that caliber. I mean you’re not even in the top ten. Your not hittin’ with Nas, Method Man, Redman, Jay-Z, Scarface, so what the fuck are you talkin’ about?

ThaFormula.Com - Did it surprise you that a guy as wack as Benzino would diss you guys?

Proof - It's hilarious, and then I really started laughin’ when Em started responding to him like is it that serious? But it's the battle MC in muthafuckas. Like you got something to say then I’ma roast your ass. They really showed how insecure Benzino is and how untrue the Source can be. How you have a power 30 and not even put Em in there, but they will kiss ass and try to cover it up and put Jimmy Iovine and Steve Stout. That's what generates everything though so it's good they still had to kiss some ass some kind of way.

ThaFormula.Com - What do you think the biggest reason is that you guys have had a lot of beef with a lot of artists?

Proof - Cause a lot of muthafuckas ain't makin’ no money man. That's what it comes down to cause it's like for one thing you don't even know us so what the fuck is you talkin’ about? Nobody has nothin’ personal with us. It's all over rap and on some realistically shit, none of these muthafuckas that got beef with Em can even spit half of the caliber of Em. Em's like “when is a muthafucka that's fresh gonna diss me man,” and I feel him though cause it's like he's wasting his time responding and you don't do nothin’ but help them make some money. He helped Benzino. Benzino has never been on 106 and Park, never been on MTV. Now he gotta wake up everyday in the morning as a man and deal with it like “damn it took somebody to diss me to get this far.”

ThaFormula.Com - I don't usually say this, but yo that guy is wack straight up as an artist.

Proof - It's so funny to hear him talk on the radio in L.A. He said “I'm trying to save hip-hop and put it back in the streets.” “I want the streets back.” Now one thing is if you want the streets why the fuck in the same interview does he say I'm trying to get up out the hood man. I wanna get away from the hood. I'm trying to get my family away from the hood and all that. So I'm like what the fuck is he sayin! So we laughin’ cause this muthafucka really don't know what the fuck he doing.

ThaFormula.Com - Now put yourself in the other person's shoe that's not making a penny. A lot of them and magazines like The Source are saying that Eminem has ruined hip-hop and is stealin’ the hip-hop culture and becomin’ the hip-hop Elvis, What are your views on that?

Proof - Yo, I can stay in my shoes on this one. Now when they try to hit you with that I mean they are going corporate. Corporate is The Source Magazines biggest two sellin’ issues was the ones with Eminem on the cover. Now I bet you that any of these black owned African American magazines would love to have Em on their cover even if they were gonna diss him in the magazine they would want it just for the sales. Everything will come down to green at the end anyway it go. Muthafuckas talk about all this black this and white this. Hip-hop started in the biggest melting pot of America which is New York. You had whites, blacks latinos, and all kinds of shit when hip-hop first started. For people to say that this is strictly for the blacks and shit, uh nobody said that when all the white kids started buying NWA albums when they had no radio play. But now it's a problem cause they are buying the Eminem records? So they should shut that shit up. Go do the math on it and don't get mad now.

ThaFormula.Com - But how about the next Elvis thing?

Proof - That can't happen in this culture because there are to many breakthroughs in rap. You have a 2pac you have a Biggie smalls. You have people that know about a Rakim and a Big Daddy Kane.

ThaFormula.Com - Do you feel that things got better or worse after Biggie and Pac got killed?

Proof - I think things got worse to me because by them two leavin’ we lost a lot of creativity and now you got a lot of people coat-tailin’ cause if Big and Pac was here there would be a lot of differences.

ThaFormula.Com - What exactly would be different and do you think that Ja Rule and DMX would even exist right now?

Proof - You know what's so funny? I got a song called the "BigPacology" and it might not make the album. It might just come out on some underground shit where I speak like I'm Biggie and I speak like I'm Pac on each different verse and it talk about situations such as that. When 2pac died you saw the rise of DMX, but I believe DMX could have still made a niche in the game somewhere along the line. I don't think that it's too effective on him but their styles are totally different to me. Now of course if DMX could have got affected by 2pac, Ja Rule would be nowhere without DMX. DMX is the truth to me when it comes to MC shit compared to a Ja Rule, but that's just my opinion. I was in the music store recently and I was trying to look for some 2pac vinyl cause you know I be spinnin’ now and then and shit like that. I grabbed these two vinyls without really lookin’ at them. They was Ja Rule vinyl's and he looked just like 2pac on the covers. I swear!! This ain't even no made up shit man. I actually did this. Pac is a icon of our time and I feel that Ja Rule is robbin’ that. He is not no 2pac.

ThaFormula.Com - Now what about Biggie? Do you think that Jay-Z would be in the position he's in if Big were still alive today?

Proof - Biggie not being here, definitely made it easier for him because they had to put a new crown on a New York king and I think that Jay-Z was the closest thing to a Biggie at that time so of course Jay-Z would be dope, but he wouldn't be the king.

ThaFormula.Com - Now here comes the big one. Would D12 and Eminem be in the position you’re in if Big and Pac were still alive?

Proof - See, now that's what's so great. The greatest thing about hip-hop is to add on. There is nothing that we have done that is stolen from either one of them Icons.

ThaFormula.Com – A lot of people have called Eminem a white 2pac?

Proof - They just now started callin’ him the white 2pac. We talkin’ about the first Slim Shady records. No matter what you try to do we still comin’ to the door with that. That's a done deal. We added on. Shock rap, shock value that was us. Nobody can ever take that away from us. No one can say that their (Big and Pac) demise helped us. That first Slim Shady LP is comin’ through the door regardless. Now how they might have felt about it might have played a different game, but we will never know how they would have took it.

ThaFormula.Com - Now you know how certain rappers periods come to an end as far as their time at the top. Do you think that Eminem would have brought 2pac and Biggies time at the top to an end?

Proof - I don't think so cause to this day we heavy 2pac fans on our side and I remember when there was a point in time when I first brought him "Str8 Ballin" from 2pac. We was playin’ Basketball and I was like “you got to hear this new 2pac song,” cause they was in that underground hip-hop tip back then and I used to be on that rap is rap. There’s some rappers that ain't meant to battle, but some muthafuckas can put together songs you know what I'm sayin, and Pac was one of them muthafuckas to me that could put together good songs.

ThaFormula.Com - So what happened to the original Hip-Hop Shop?

Proof - Actually man Maurice Malone to me, I used the word sold out. He just left it man. He went to New York and just gave it to somebody else. They put the open mic out in the alley and wanted me to come through and do it that way. I was like, hell nah! What now the MC is not good enough to step in the house? So it was that whole kind of mentality that made me stray away from it and not fuck with it.

ThaFormula.Com - Man the battles nowadays are wack now. I look at shows like 106 and Park on BET and that shit is just pathetic?

Proof - Man! Not only are they pathetic, but man see this is what I don't like. You get the one good MC that can do something and he goes through 12 or 30 MC's then you finally bring a muthafucka that can spit, he destroys him cause he's so known now with his style it ain't even a fair battle. It's like it's almost like he's setup. Whoever goes first second can win type shit. I hate those kind of battles man. I mean sometimes it gotta take 2 or 3 rounds for you to go through the bullshit sometimes to see who really is the best. That little you bust one then he bust one and you pick shit is wack.

ThaFormula.Com - How do you look at the battle that you guys had with Dilated Peoples. Do you think that was an even battle?

Proof - You know what. That shit stayed where it was supposed to stay and it could have been sweeter but I think that Everlast got too big for his britches, came to the D, started mouthing off and got his ass whooped and I think that took it to a whole totally different turn and shit. The Dilated battle was definitely a battle on wax cause I got respect from them boys. I wish it could have went more. I feel like that was really cool because I feel like Dilated got dragged into something just like we got dragged into something. That put us both on fair grounds where we didn't have to do nothin’ physical to each other and that's what it was and that was cool. But when Everlast started takin’ it to the physical shit that's where I think it got kind of fucked up.

ThaFormula.Com - What led to the end of the battle?

Proof - I felt like them brothers right there even though they put him on the song, but we had been heard that they didn’t really want to get to the dissin’ like that especially since we both had mutual friends. I respect them. I mean they’re MC's over there and they are somebody that we can acknowledge and say “yo at least they can rhyme.” Instead of Benzino we should have dissed Dilated more. Let them sell a lot more records. Let's get Dilated on MTV and BET instead of Benzino cause I feel like they are way more praise worthy then a Benzino would be.

ThaFormula.Com - No doubt and I hope you guys really crush Benzino and the Source who are both a disgrace to real hip-hop along with anyone who supports them.

Proof - And nobody gets that man. Listen man. This muthafucka for one is just mad cause he missed his boat. That's the bottom line.

ThaFormula.Com - Man he never had one!!

Proof - Right! I mean RSO, Made Men, that shit was...

ThaFormula.Com - Wack!!!

Proof - It's still wack and it ain't gonna get no fresher and it's sad that they are using The Source magazine to take advantage of people. Okay maybe were tootin’ our own horn a little bit. Maybe Em don't deserve 5 mics, but you all knew you had to give Dr. Dre 5 mics for “The Chronic 2000,” but you all tried to rob him cause Em was on it. The Source never gives Em a quotable from his own records. They only give him one off of Dr. Dre records. Ain't no one can front on Em lyrically. Ain't nobody fuckin’ with Em right now like as far as being on the top pedestal with muthafuckas doing their thing. You got only about 4 or 5 top guys like Nas, Red, Jay and uh, you know who was dope back then but then got out the game. I used to like Mase even though he was into that pretty shit, but his word structures and syllables that he used to use. He knew what he was doing...

ThaFormula.Com - Why name your upcoming album "Searching for Jerry Garcia?

Proof - I used to study Jerry Garcia. He was a great man and he was an open artist. Everything from jazz, rock, folk whatever and that's how I feel that you should be able to do whatever the fuck you feel to express any side of you that you want. The dude died because of poor diet, stress, and drugs so I feel like one of those if not all three. Every human has got to deal with that so I felt like we all were searchin’ for Jerry Garcia. So I feel like to me I used to fuck with drugs, I'm always stressed out, and my diet is horrible. So I'm searchin’ for Jerry Garcia and that's how I took it.

ThaFormula.Com - I know it's got to be a real hard thing to be healthy, to be focused and stress free when your livin’ a lifestyle that a music artists lives right?

Proof - Right and it's so funny that even people that's not inside the rap life can't even do that. It's the weed, poor diet and the stress of workin’ a regular job. Cause ultimately Jerry Garcia died from these things so we got to get out of them you know what I'm sayin?

ThaFormula.Com - How come with all the power that D12 and Em has, you don't reach out to legends like Kool G Rap, Kane, etc.?

Proof - You know what, Em was gonna try to get KRS-1 cause that's Paul Rosenberg's favorite artist and shit but sometimes you don't know how people are gonna go and take shit like that.

ThaFormula.Com - But even producer wise, why not reach out to a Large Professor, Pete Rock, etc.

Proof -  The reason we kind of stopped trying to reach out though is a while back we reached out to Pharoahe Monch to be on the D12 album, but he turned us down. We were like damn! It must be some of that New York - Detroit beef or something? Then you gotta think that there is already 6 of us in the group. So that mean when we reach out to someone, more people gotta jump off songs, but as D12 with something I started is that we all split the publishing and all that evenly. It don't matter who was on this many songs and all that. We ain't one of them kind of groups. It's 50/50 soldier style, let's go.

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