Interview by Jayson Rodriguez

James Lloyd, 30, of Brooklyn has led a life usually reserved for men with balding scalps and graying beards. But Lloyd, better known as Lil’ Cease is no ordinary man. When he was just a young teen he clicked with Christopher Wallace and a few other neighborhood kids to form the Junior M.A.F.I.A. Wallace would go on to become The Notorious B.I.G. and usher in a rebirth of New York hip-hop, spark the rise of the Bad Boy empire, and cement a legacy as one of greatest rappers of all time. But the plot didn’t play out exactly as they planned. Biggie and Co. became embattled in an ugly coastal feud with the California-based Death Row Records and his former friend, Tupac Shakur. It played out like a movie the way headlines were made with each taunt, dis record, and ultimately the deaths of Biggie and ‘Pac. Cease was on the front lines for everything, including the aftermath that saw him, Lil’ Kim and the M.A.F.I.A. part ways. Now, with the production of next year’s Biggie biopic “Notorious” wrapped, Cease-a-Leo looks back on a story that can make a young man feel old.

By the time the movie hits theaters, 12 years will have passed since Biggie’s death. With this movie, though, it’s still fresh to a lot of people and every detail is sure to be scrutinized. To you, is the film as close as a representation as you would like it to be?

Yeah, you want things to be 100 percent real as possible. But you know, when you’re doing things in a movie form, some things are going to get tweaked. It’s somewhat real, but it may not be exactly what we said because we might have to change certain words for TV. ‘Cause once I was up there, there was a lot of stuff I would look at and go: ‘Nah, we wouldn’t say that.’ But the director [George Tillman, Jr.] would tell me, This movie is coming from the perspective where there are 45 million other people who might not have known who B.I.G was. You want everybody to be able to understand what’s going on. So instead of using all this slang that they might not understand, you have to use language that everyone will get. So a lot of times that happened, but a lot of times you had your freedom [as a consultant]. So that’s a good part of it. But I was there everyday on set to make sure everything was there. When they shoot certain parts, for them to know it was right, they have to go, Cease, is this how it happened? And I’ll tell them.

At the time, the East Coast/West Coast rivalry was mostly covered in magazines, today it would have been online daily. Is there still more details to unearth?

All the dots will come [together]. Now people will really get to see everything. It’s different than reading it, to see it visually and see how it happened. The incident at Quad, the whole B.I.G. and Tupac relationship; so people really get a chance to see what happened. Maybe it’ll change their perspective about the way they think about things. Because even to this day, people have things to say.

Like Chuck Philips. Although he recanted his story about the Quad incident, he still stands by his story on Biggie being behind ‘Pac’s killing.

When I heard about it, I was just…I don’t know man. I look at people like that and I try to understand. What’s your reasoning of doing these things? Both of these people are not here. These people got parents and kids, why do you want to stir something up that won’t make things better, they’ll make things worse? Why would you do it and you’re not a 100 percent sure about these things. What’s your purpose on doing that? What are you trying to get out of it? What’s your angle? When he tried to put B.I.G in Vegas, like, Damn, you don’t understand, people can get hurt by the things you’re putting out there.

Lil’ Cease & The Notorious B.I.G.

And now he’s working on a story about who killed Biggie. One day you’re gonna wake up to calls about that story.

Nowadays, it’s been so long….It’s just more of a regular thing. I try to stay as far away from it as possible. There’s a certain time in my life, where I say, you know what, I’m gonna leave the B.I.G. thing alone. It’s been 10 years since my man been resting. I want him to rest in peace. After 10 years, I didn’t want to do interviews anymore about B.I.G.. If they want to know anything about B.I.G., ask his mother, or ask his son. Ask his daughter. ‘Cause it was to the point where some people didn’t understand, he was a friend of mine. The first few anniversaries came about and I did it off the strength. But I’m a grown man now. I don’t want it to seem like that’s my kick. Every year you call me about B.I.G. Ask me what I’m doing. I didn’t want to talk about B.I.G. anymore, let him rest. He’s going to be my man for life, but I didn’t want to keep talking about him 30 years from now. But when the movie came about, that was a reason to talk about him. But I just want to stay away from certain things. I want grow out of thinking about all that….I just want him to be my friend. I’m gonna miss him, I’m gonna love him, I’m gonna hold that down all day. I want to focus on my situation. People don’t understand a friendship. People think, ‘Oh, Cease has been trying to use B.I.G. for the longest.’ I gotta do that. I’m gonna support him all day. They get it twisted, ‘Oh he wants money, he can’t get his own thing together.’ People get the perception wrong. I never did anything to make money off it. I was still getting checks from him [from the Conspiracy album], but I wouldn’t accept them. I’d give them to his kids.

Friendships can grow apart because of adulthood and other responsibilities. But those younger years, you can still talk about them forever. For you, though, that person who you shared those times with isn’t here. And the rest of you crew have gone separate ways, too.

Yeah. A lot of it, that’s how it is. When we started shooting the movie I would see people I didn’t see in years. Money L, that’s my man. We used to be on the road everyday together. But like you said, you get older, and not purposely, you grow apart. I was used to living with all them dudes, all my life. Then next thing you know, you don’t see it happen or you don’t plan it, but everyone goes separate ways. You grow out of it. Once one thing happens, it all opens after that. But it’s like everybody gets older, you have your girlfriend, you have kids, you move on. Now it’s like, ‘I’m not living with no dudes, I’ma live with my girl.’ Some dudes got married, some dudes had kids, some dudes just did their own thing. But on set, you see people you haven’t seen in a while. And that’s the good thing about it. It takes you away from thinking about the sadness and bullshit of things. You caught in that zone and you take it back. It puts a smile on your face. We just trying to make it as positive as possible. Some parts, of course, are like, ‘Damn, I wish B.I.G. was here.’ But also, you know what, things happen for are reason. He ain’t here, but he’s still here. It’s a movie about my man’s life. That’s big, that’s B.I.G.!

Lil’ Cease & Biggie’s daughter, T’yanna Wallace…

When was the last time you saw Biggie’s kids or Faith?

I saw his son for the first time in three years and that made my day. And I saw him on Fulton Street. [Laughs]. On my old block and he was playing his father. It was just like, wow! I cried tears. Not for sadness, but it was just wild. His son, playing him when he was little. I don’t think people understand that. But that cheered me up. And seeing all my M.A.F.I.A. members outside, in the old neighborhood, Ms. Wallace was there. Faith was there, I hadn’t seen her in three years. Just to see them, we talked about things we did four or five years ago. And Faith seen the other M.A.F.I.A. members she ain’t see in a while. It just felt like back in the day. It’s something to embrace. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. And it feels like a blessing to be a part of. That’s something I can really brag about; you tote guns, you keep it real. Nah, I’m 30-years-old and I can say: My life is really a movie. It’ll be out in January, full swing. [Laughs].

Catch part two later this week where Cease discusses Lil’ Kim, Junior M.A.F.I.A., and what’s next for him.

Bun B’s been known to work with an artist or two. Back in 2005, during his “Free Pimp C” campaign, the underground king was among hip-hop’s most sought-after guest MCs -working with everyone from Beyonce Knowles to Little Brother. But, “That’s Gangsta,” II Trill’s lead single featuring teen sensation Sean Kingston, caught some by surprise.

“Well, it’s not like I said, ‘I’ma just do a song with Sean Kingston,’” Bun explained. “When I got the track, he was already on the track. I got the track from J.R. Rotem and he’s J.R.’s artist. I didn’t see the need to put anybody else on that record. I didn’t look at it like it’s a kiddie style. I don’t look at the world like that. I heard [a record] where he was already singing on it. I didn’t see a problem with it.”

The brow-raising single did see minor problems, though. Unable to get some legs under the song’s video in time for II Trill’s initial release date, Bun decide to push the album back. “We pushed it back to allow the video some time to play,” Bun told XXLMag.com. “By the time the video came out and started running , it was gon be when the album was coming out and we needed at least a two or three weeks burn of the video to get some awareness.” –Carl Chery

Opening arguments in the long-delayed R.Kelly case are finally set to begin today.

Up for central debate is whether or not the Grammy-winning singer is even the man in the alleged sex tape featuring an underaged girl.

Kelly’s lawyers maintain the singer is not the man in question in the production. Meanwhile, prosecutors are out to erase any tinge of reasonable doubt about who was on that tape and what took place.

At the heart of the case is the now 23-year-old woman that prosecutors say was the girl in the tape. The woman denies she’s the girl on the tape and the defense also contends, whoever the girl was, may not have been a minor at all.

Jury selection was completed last week for the trial; the jury consists of 12 jurors, eight of whom who are white and four who are black. Among the jury are a young woman who said she was raped before, a businessman who said he believed Kelly to be guilty, and a Baptist preacher’s wife.

Kelly, who has pleaded not guilty, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. -Jayson Rodriguez

I recently found one of my old Timberland boxes full of CDs. I’m talking about joints ranging from like 99 to 2003.

That’s all I used to do in college: cop CDs. I used to work at Red Lobster at the time. This annoying ass buss boy always used to ask me, “Carl, what you do with your money?” I bought CDs. That’s what I did, anything from Grand Agent to Punchline and Wordsworth’s EP. Whatever I couldn’t cop, I got from Napster. Remember Napster?

But anyway, I went through all these burned CDs and uploaded them on my iTunes. I ended up importing a good number of songs, but didn’t get to actually listen until last night. I was at the gym between sets and scrolled through my iPod until I found J-Zone, the “Bum Bitch Ballad” in case you’re wondering. Man, I was in college again. Then I went on to Planet Asia’s “Pure Coke” and started daydreaming about all these cats I used to listen to during that 99-03 period. Taping Stretch Amstrong and “Future Flavors” back to back on Sunday nights. Remember that kid, Rise? Where the hell is Jane Doe? I never quite found that damn “Bisexual” song. Anybody got news on Apani B. Fly MC? Is J-Live still recording? Where’s Wordsworth? What about the Last Emperor? I was just bumping “Monolith.” Where’s Sonya Blade? I can’t find “Lookin For Da Name” for the life of me. Is MF Doom on strike? I’m seriously asking here. Though they may have, I’m not saying these folks disappeared. I’m asking because I completely lost touch with the underground.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, I used to play mostly subterranean music in the Discman (remember those?). I can’t even front. I even briefly fell into the “underground music is better just cause it’s underground” mentality. I can’t stand people like that now! But now looking back, it seems that the deeper I got into music journalism, the more I distanced myself from the underground. I mean, besides Little Brother, Immortal Technique and a few others, I don’t check for underground cats like I used to.

It does seem like the indie scene isn’t as viable as it was 9 years ago, but product-wise, I couldn’t fairly say whether indie music has deteriorated or not. And come to think about it, the faces have changed. You have Kidz In The Hall, Skyzoo and the Cool Kids now. I’m on a mission, though. I’m gonna start digging again. I get enough mainstream submissions. I need to balance them out. I might even start going to Fat Beats once a month or something. I used to go to Beat Street (R.I.P.) in BK between classes to cop the latest. Maybe I’ll start listening to Peter Rosenberg’s show. I like his internet interviews, so I’m thinking the show must be good.

You guys have any suggestions? Anybody I need to check out? Oh, and if somebody finds Jane Doe, tell her Jackpot said, “holler!” Speak on it.

If you have been coming here for the past year you know that I like to do semi-annual assessments on the hardbody status of regions in this country.

The East has pretty much held shit in check overall thanks to all the wild jigs in Detroit, Camden and Philly. Yes bitches, Detroit wakes up to EST(no Acknickolous) and not CST like Chi and the Lou.

The South stays hardbody thanks to dead people still being fished out of watermains in N’awlins and the singlehanded prowess of Latarian Milton.

The Midwest has KanYe who is the Paris Hilton of the rap game because he is so hot. Hotness is usually 180 degrees from hardbody status but the Midwest has Arizona and Texas. Syzurp reportedly hardens your intestines so you can say that is like getting hardbody by default.

The West ain’t had shit in a minute. The return of Ice Cube? Sheeeeeit! The return of Ice T would get more spins. Body Count was the most hardbody band since Bad Brains.

Speaking of tea. I fucks with McDonbald’s Sweet Tea. Hardbody.

But f’real tho’

The West needed that nigga Game like niggas need pure oxygen in Beijing. Actually, rap music needs that dude even more. Game might be a shameless name-dropping emcee but at least this nigga loves the game. All these commercial niggas love their ice and their champagne and their ladypurses but no one loves the game anymore. Except the Game. And old washed up rappers that no one wants to buy records from.

This ain’t to shit on niggas that is “hot”. I prefer my emcees ice cold like a Kool G Rap verse, but if I am fucking with a “hot” rapper then ‘Ye Tudda be that dude. Is it any coincidence that your favorite rapper spits his best punchline evar after linking up with a profound punchline rapper? If you can’t recognize whose pen that is you need to get on your Colombo, and I ain’t talking about the yogurt.

So Game comes back on the scene to give the West a spark(no Lisa Leslie) and everyone.is starting to hate? Yeah, we already addressed the fact that sonn is a shameless namedropper. At least this nigga shows love to fucking rappers though. Most rappers now is name dropping Italian fags that make high fucking heels. Is these niggas watching ‘Sex and the City’?

I can’t lie though I watch that shit too and dream about smashing the brunette and snacking on her seat.

For all we know this nigga Game had a love affair with Dr. Dre that Fifty Cent broke up. For all I care I don’t even give a fuck. All I ever want is dope rhymes over dope beats to enjoy while I get right on this park bench on 34th Street.

Oh.

Niggas just turned off the orange and blue lights on the Empire State Building. Time for me to get my ass on the subway.

Someone let me know what happened with the Spurs and the Hornets.

100.

Kanye West is one of hip-hop’s few true geniuses that pushes the culture and musical genre forward with each outing of his. Whether it’s the daring sound of his third album, Graduation, the provocative (or some would simply say confusing) clip for his last video, “Flashing Lights,” or now his otherworldly showcase, “The Glow In The Dark” tour, which stopped at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey over the weekend.

‘Ye, as always, should be credited for his ambition. The Chicago lyricist often goes without praise for the way he introduces the hip-hop audience to global trends and vice versa, introducing the global audience to hip-hop at large.

The downside to trend setting, however, is that every so often there’s a miss.

And unfortunately West is off the mark this time.

He doesn’t miss entirely. The giant LCD screen that West performs in front of for most of his set is impressive. Throughout the show, lights cut in and out and flash in the background while smoke billows on stage, creating a visually stunning sight. At times, West moves in and out of the imagery masterfully, in effect performing almost as an interpretive artist.

His entrance to “Stronger,” and songs like “I Wonder” and “Heard ‘Em Say” are imbued with an emotional jolt by the light offerings and West’s less-is-more vocal delivery on each.

It’s easy to see why Diddy would approve. It’s easy to see, too, why his show has been getting mixed reviews.

“Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” with its big, chanting chorus, on the other hand, was muted by the theatrics.

The song, bare and passionate, became ‘Ye’s first street anthem last year. The theme, more about defiance than monetary desire, connected with fans as West talked directly to both thugs and backpackers alike. Everyone related to the idea of bravado in the face of adversity. Fancy tricks weren’t needed.

So it’s worth noting that West, a natural-born connector if there ever was one, didn’t even acknowledge the audience until almost half-an-hour into his just over hour-long set.

Physically, he waved his arms in order to get the crowd louder. But he didn’t directly address the audience until later in the show. Also, at points, when he performed sitting on the floor or with his back slightly to the audience there was a noticeable lag.

For an artist such as West, who craves acceptance and reception to his work, it was odd. You beg for the world to pay attention and you often speak about how great your work is (which, with regularity, it is) but once you have the stage to yourself you stop talking?

The notion seems extremely self-indulgent. Especially considering a concert is about becoming one with your audience; in this case, the die-hards who supported West and helped his album debut at number one and also top 50 Cent’s challenge last Fall. And now, given the opportunity to reward them, Kanye doesn’t fully.

West is certainly brilliant, it goes without saying, and the light component to the show was impressive, but the combination never coalesced. Far too often, it felt like he wasn’t projecting his presence (‘Ye was the only person that appeared on stage until Lupe Fiasco joined in at the very end). Older selections of West’s also seemed stale when combined with the flashy laser show.

Kanye is at his best when, even though he’s ascended to higher heights, he’s fighting as if he still has something to prove to fans. To prove that he can produce, to prove that he can rap, and to prove that he can be as big a superstar as Jay-Z.

His genius lies in his genuine passion to please, which usually is all heart and about servicing fans. During his “Glow In The Dark” run he’s made it all about himself and aesthetics, without the soul that powers much of his work.

Perhaps ‘Ye could have taken one more page out of Big Brother’s playbook and paid attention to (most importantly) you, the customer. –Jayson Rodriguez

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