When is your new album coming out?
My new album should be out in the second quarter. I’m finishing it up now. Before I Self-Destruct.
What's the meaning behind that title?
It’s the history of entertainment. They build entertainers in order to destroy them for the sake of entertainment. I believe
the process of me being destroyed is coming.
How long have you been in the business now?
4 years.
That's a pretty short life span for a Hip-Hop artist.
Yeah, but it’s a shorter life span because of how much success [I've had]. People don’t dislike you until you start doing good.So when you first came out, you think everyone was just riding for the underdog?
Yeah, and I have been enduring a lot more than they actually understand. Like in 'Piggy Bank,' when I write, that’s just about
artists. That’s about rappers that express discomfort with the success that I am having, because they can’t see themselves having
a record that sells over 12 million in their career. LL right now is working on album thirteen. I am executive producing his new
album. I’ve done what LL’s music career [did] on my first record.
Do you think that bothers LL?
Not at all. LL is the kind of person that is smart enough to see it and go, 'maybe you have something or information to offer me
that allows me to take what I am doing to the next level.’ There is no one who’s shown more discipline in the music business than LL.
Considering that the theme of his career was ‘Ladies Love Cool James,’ he has managed to keep himself at a point or position, where
it’s still interesting for a woman to look at LL Cool J.
LL has spoken out against Jay-Z, before made the announcement that he was working with G-Unit. There were rumors that maybe there
was a diss song in the works. What does 50 have to say about that?
LL, he is not in that space.
But are you in that space? Would you?
I would write a record if I felt, if I had feelings, I would just let everyone know how I feel, 'cause I'm direct. LL said ‘Jay-Z did a
good job at marketing himself.’ For example, Jay-Z’s marketing plan was probably $20 million dollars. Nas’s was probably $2 million. You see
what I am saying, so he did do a better job at promoting himself than anyone else on the record label, and it's obvious. It's plain as day.
You saw the marketing campaign. It’s the best marketing campaign I have ever seen. You have to tip your hat to him in business. It says that
he's on another level business-wise. He has changed my business mode. Believe me, there will be 20 million dollars spent on my next album.