Tragedy Khadafi Hopes To Work With Nas Again

After a three year hiatus, Tragedy Khadafi returned to the scene last week with a new full-length project titled Pre Magnus Opus. The latest offering from the Queensbridge rapper serves as a warm up for what he has in store for 2015. Within those projected plans, the Intelligent Hoodlum will be bringing together the best MCs from his beloved borough of Queens and unite them on the forthcoming mixtape, Queens Vs. Everybody.

For his latest release, Khadafi partners up with some familiar producers while incorporating hip-hop acts such as M.O.P., Meyhem Lauren, Royal Flush and more. Tragedy stays true to his Queensbridge roots, but gives fans a more modernized sound while keeping the lyrics passionate and complex. During his promo run for Pre Magnus Opus, XXL caught up with the Thug Matrix rapper to find out more about his new LP, his future projects in 2015 and the rumors behind the third C-N-N project. —Roger Krastz

XXL: Tell me about your new project Pre Magnum Opus. How did it come into fruition?
Tragedy Khadafi: The new project came out last week. It’s been a minute since I came out with a commercial-release studio album. This will be my 10th studio album so that’s a big thing for me, especially considering all the things that we through to keep this going and to keep the legacy of Tragedy going. Pre Magnum Opus is a glimpse of what the Magnum Opus will sound like, which will be an extension of past works but also with a modernized Tragedy.

You know, I’m not trying to fit in per se to, like, what the current artists right now [are doing], and that’s not to take anything from them or whatever, but I didn’t try to fit in with the times with this project, so you’ll get those emotional songs, passionate songs you’ll get those balanced out conscious hood lyrics as well just dealing with where I’m at right now in my life.

I know you have an M.O.P. feature on this new album. Who else did you work with on this?
Oh, we got various producers man, but a lot of the producers are people I’ve been working with. We got Audible Doctor, Scram Jones. We got different features on the project. We got unexpected surprises on there. I wouldn’t say underground features, but just the MCs that I feel.

You know, I hear a lot of people whining and complaining that hip-hop is whack now, but me personally, I don’t want to hear that shit because you have a lot of artists out here who still carry the torch. They are still representing hip-hop in terms of what they feel like hip-hop is to them and, you know, they are not getting the support that they deserve. So I like to work with artists like that.

Did you learn anything new about yourself as an MC while recording this album?
Yes I did. There were times where initially—especially with the Thug Matrixes towards the later Thug Matrixes—I was trying to feel my way out or feel my way in what my position would be in the current music today. And fortunately I had people to kind of like rear me along and help me catch up to speed, so to speak. Not necessary with what today’s artists are doing but catch up to speed with Tragedy and where Tragedy needs to be.

And I learned a lot about myself in terms of [being] an artist, because I learned that I have a great ability to adapt in a certain kind of way which at first was scary to me, you know. Coming back into society was like a culture shock. When I left, dudes didn’t have denim jeans suffocating their scrotum—and not that I’m against skinny jeans, because I actually rock them, too—but I just don’t rock spandex jeans, and there’s a major difference. Before I left you can go to labels and get a nice budget if you had a solid project. Now you coming home to 360 deals and all these of new spin-offs.

So it was a culture shock for me as well. So I learned that Tragedy the artist today, can adapt more business-wise, artistic-wise and just do what he has to do as an artist.

For those people that don't know, tell me why there was a long hiatus between projects?
There’s no mystery that I did time and I had stints where I was away [Ed. Note: Tragedy Khadafi spent just over three years in prison between 2007 and 2011 for selling narcotics]. I was “out of the game” just dealing with life issues and getting my life together. Now I’m back focused, but I feel like I never really left. Just like I said, them life issues, because if it was up to me I would’ve still been out here doing this. You know, things happen and we deal with them.

What other projects should we expect from you in 2015?
We got a Queens Vs. Everybody project. It’s primarily me and Royal Flush, spinning off the Queens Finest thing into a more Queens Vs. Everybody thing. We got some interesting features on there. It’s not just Queens artists but it’s the Queens artists spearheading it affiliated with artists from L.A., artists from Brooklyn. But it’s a solid project and we coming with that immediately after the next release.

With Queens Vs. Everybody, do you think we can expect a part two to your hit record “Calm Down” featuring Nas and Noreaga?
I’m going to say this right now. Nas is a phenomenal lyricist, a phenomenal visionary and MC. Facts. Nore brings that energy. Great MC. Nas is on a different level from me, a different level from Nore and we’re in different levels from each other, but what I will say is this that would be a dream come true to me because if those energies come together it’s going to cause an explosion like a "Calm Down." Is it impossible? No. Has it been talked about as far as the trilogy of us? No.

Now, me, Nore, of course [we] want to get Nas, we just have to get to him and have that talk and have that union. But I know it can happen because I see Nas is in a good space of maturity in his life and we are too, and we can all get past the little trivial egos and pride and all that because we’re grown men now, and it's evident in the way all three of us are moving. So I would love that, because they are like my favorite dudes. We owe it to the fans and to ourselves.

Nore mentioned a few months back that you will be featured on the third C-N-N project.
Oh yes. We got a mixtape coming. He’s been blasting that all over the web. I actually have to finish up some joints for him for that mixtape he’s dropping. Also, he’s also featured on the Queens Vs. Everybody mixtape and of course the C-N-N project. He’s been releasing singles and gearing up to release more tracks. Nore is controlling the direction of this album, which I’m totally comfortable with. He’s focused. He has excellent direction and it's just an honor to be in the passenger seat on this one.

You were featured all over the first C-N-N project. How has it been for you to see the growth of Nore and Capone since the 1997 debut LP?
It’s amazing because it’s no mystery that Nore and I had our differences and we bumped heads. But you know, as men you go through things like that in life. You grow, you get past it and fortunately, you know, we didn’t do each other to a level that we couldn’t get past it. And it’s a beautiful thing for us to get past it. I speak to Nore on a very frequent basis, not just on music but on life issues, and I can say I'm really honored to have him, not as a friend, but as a brother in my life. Because there's a lot of things we bounce off each other on a personal level that I'm pretty sure helps him out and it definitely helps me in my life. And that kind of answers the question to say how much he’s grown and matured as a man and not just an artist and a businessman.

What’s the difference between Tragedy Khadafi and Intelligent Hoodlum?
The difference is that Intelligent Hoodlum was a young kid, naive but gaining consciousness in different realms in different sciences in life. Tragedy Khadafi is more seasoned, more mature and more aware of what those sciences mean now.

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