FEATURE: Freekey Zekey,What’s Really Good Pt.2

A hook man/hype man extraordinaire, Ezekiel “Freekey Zekey” Jiles is known as the Dipset’s resident comedian. Tonight, at the studio in Jersey, though, he’s more subdued. Forthcoming and polite, he takes a seat and sets to explaining the difficult situation he finds himself in, caught in the middle of internal crew drama.

XXL: So, to you, what’s the status of the Diplomats?

Freekey Zeekey: Well, first, anything with Jim is never gonna go smooth. You pass Jim a blunt, he says: “Why you pass the blunt that way? Why you pass the blunt with the fire towards me? You trying to hurt me?” The Diplomats, it was always Cam’ron and the Diplomats.

XXL: The four of you and some extras, like Hell Rell, right?

Freekey: The founders of Diplomats Records is Cam’ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey. Then, after we came out with [Cam’s first solo album, 1998’s] Confessions of Fire, then we picked up Juelz. That was, like, the foundation. The core four. Everything was popping off ’til I got locked up. So I see everything—“Whistle,” “Suck It or Not,” “Ballin’”—and I’m superhappy, ’cause I’m already counting my money, seeing how many bitches I can bone, how many cars, houses…

XXL: Meaning, while you’re locked up, they’re putting money aside for you?

Freekey: Right. Shows and anything. Any side deals they get. [Then, in late 2006, when I was] on my way home, I called Jim, and he was like, “Yo, shit is fucked up, man.” So I’m like, “What happened?” “You’ll see when you come home.” And that’s when everything blew up. But right now it’s myself, Jim and Juelz. And I speak to Killa. I love Killa. That’s my family. And Jim did some bullshit, and Killa did some bullshit. But they two bulls, and they gonna ram, and they seem like they not gonna give. But there’s a lot of things that Cam could succumb to that will make things a lot better, too. And this is coming from someone who loves everybody. I could go to Cam house and chill with him and call Jim like, “Yo, I’m at Killa house.”

XXL: So how come you can’t get them together?

Freekey: Cam needs to humble himself and be like, “Fuck it, we here, let’s rock out.” That’s my honest opinion. And Cam know I love him. This is basically my shout-out to him.

XXL: So have you tried to do that?

Freekey: Hell muthafuckin’ yeah! One day I seen Killa, he was floating up Fordham Road. And I ain’t try to run him off the road, but I ran up on him. He was reaching, and I’m like, “It’s me, hold on.” So we got out and talked, and that’s what we talked about. Cam is a strong-minded dude, and there’s a lot of things that he just got to succumb to now.

XXL: Does Jim have to succumb to a few things also?

Freekey: Hell yeah. Cam gotta succumb, and Jim gotta succumb, to a lot of things. They all just got to take they helmets off. -Vanessa Satten

For more of the What’s Really Good Interview make sure to pick up XXL’s March issue on newsstands now.