How you doing Bullet? What's happening?

Man you know trying to keep up with the pace of life. My past is kind of catching up with me at the moment, and so I'm actually out on bail, for crimes I committed in 1992, 93, and 94. I also managed to catch some new charges in the process. I currently have 11 outstanding criminal matters in Washington, Idaho, Iowa, New Mexico, and Missouri. I have sentencing January 14, 2003 on four of those cases. As to my immediate future plans, they kind of revolve around my freedom at this time.

How did you celebrate your New Years?

My reality has kind of slowed my life down so I've been staying out of the spotlight if ya know what I mean. I did some drinking in Boise, Idaho to bring in the New Year but nothing too much.

Your highly anticipated up and coming album, man when is it going to hit the streets!

The goal was to send it to press this month but I still have three songs I haven't been able to finish. I'm working on getting an extension on my criminal cases so I can wrap up the album and send it to press. Unfortunately I would say it should hit around April or May. 

Tell us a bit about the album, who does production and who features?

The new album "Dedication & Desire" (2CD) is my fourth. I have spent a lot of time on this record, and really tried to evolve as an artist. The new album touches on so many aspects of my life. During the creative process I decided to really express who I am, both on and off record. That's why the album, talks about topics like love, affairs, abortion, politics, incarceration, poverty, alcohol, sex, and every day street activities. There will also be three R&B songs on the album, one will feature me rapping, but the other two are songs that I co-wrote. I'm far more than just a rapper and its time for people to see that. The album is scheduled to have 37 new songs. It has N2Deep, Messy Marv, Frost, Baby Beech, Mac Dre, A-Wax, Free Agents, Latino Velvet, Bill Yuns, Arjay, Jazz, Todd G, Dividenz, and Khevlar. The production was done by Big Ice & Oral Bee (Oslo, Norway), Bosko, Funk Daddy, Philly Blunt, Johnny Z, Wolverine, D-Sane, Tory Ward, Big Squeeze, Bill Yuns, & A-Wax. 

What's it like living in Portland?

Its cool, you know I always liked Portland before I ever moved there, but Bellevue is still the spot. I like to travel and see new shit, and after 6 years of Portland I'm ready to see something else. I have lived in Des Moines, Iowa, Odessa, Texas, Las Vegas, Nevada, Bellevue & Seattle, Washington, to name a few. I'm not the cat who can stay in one place for to long. I had never left Washington until I was 19 years old. In the past 8 years I have seen over 25 states, by getting in the car and driving there. I want to see the world. I have plans to go see Norway, England, and Egypt in the near future. The best shit I've seen was the memorial in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for terrorist bombing of the federal building. I will be relocating to a new city and state in the next year. 

So what was it like for you growing up?

I was born in Des Moines, Iowa, I moved to Bellevue-Kirkland area when I was two years old. It wasn't the best of circumstances for me as a kid. I grew up real poor, section eight housing, on welfare, in an area where most people weren't poor. Back in the early 80's the area was almost completely white, my brother however isn't. In school, I fought a lot with other kids and wasn't treated very well not only by students but also by the teachers. My home life wasn't really much different. My brother's dad was an alcoholic who beat my mom when he was drunk. Occasionally if I would try to intervene I would become a target as well. I was eight by the time he left, but did have anger problems even before then. I started getting kicked out of school in 7th grade, and got arrested my first time when I was fourteen. I was in and out of jail, and on probation until I was twenty. That's when I left Bellevue, Washington. I still to this day haven't moved back. My pending criminal matters are the reason I decided to leave and it was the best thing I ever did. It took a fresh start, to really grow as a person. I went back to where I was born, back to my roots, and it was there that change began.

Do you ever get beef for being white? Are there still ignorant muthaf****ers out there?

You know racism is a sad thing and it isn't just about the color of your skin. When I was a kid I was treated unjustly because my mom was poor, and because my brother wasn't white. I know that it affected me, and it was far more damaging to my brother. I'm not a racist, and so I will never understand why people are. In the music industry there are far more racists than any one could ever imagine. I have received the white boy comment repeatedly, and after all of the discrimination other races have been subjected to here in America you would think they would have enough compassion not to feed in to the cycle. When racial remarks are made, racists make them. I hope that someday racism won't exist. There is already enough hate in the world

What keeps you going everyday? What's the first thing that you think about when you wake up in the morning?

MUSIC. 

What pisses you off about this whole hip-hop community?

The politics involved. I get tired of the politically correct answers. The shit is fake, meaning the farthest thing from real. I hate that an obviously poor attempt at a song, can get played to death, and a well put together song, can't. I'm not speaking on opinion, I'm speaking of obvious matters like poor quality, bad singing, bad production, outdated rapping, and horrific engineering. This shit plagues the fucking industry.

Are there any artists that you would like to do a song with?

I have collabed with almost everyone I would have liked to. I am a fan independent music so naturally that it is who I wanted to collab with. I have done that for the most part. The few independent artists missing are Kid Sensation, Sir Mix A Lot, and Kory D. The big artists that I would like to collaborate with are Dr. Dre, Dj Quik, Sade, Eminem, and Michel'e. 

What hip-hop song do you wish you had written yourself?

STAN from Eminem is my rap favorite for creativity. It was ahead of its time, and proved him to be far more than just a great rapper. The angles he took on that song and the subject he hit will ensure him as a timeless artist. KING OF SORROW from Sade to me is the best song ever written. She has lasted for 20 years with the same members in her band. They write all of their material and have a unique sound. This is the best song writing team and probably one of the most underrated. 

Dedication and Desire is a dope album, that shit bumps. When you performing live what tracks are you really feeling when performing?

When The Rain Falls. The single off the new album. It gives me that feeling like I got something special. I hope that proves to be true in time.

What cd's are you bumping right now?

The Relatives, The Takeover. It is a hot record. I have also been playing, Ja Rule, Nelly, Free Agents, Latino Velvet (Velvetism), Irv Gotti presents Murder Inc. and a few others.

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