Stephen Jackson Speaks on His Rap Career, 2 Chainz Sleeping on His Couch and More…

In his 12 seasons and counting in the NBA, Stephen Jackson has seen and accomplished some pretty amazing things. In 2003, he won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs. A little more than a year later, as a member of the Indiana Pacers, he was suspended 30 games for his role in an infamous brawl that took place during a game against the Detroit Pistons. In 2007, he played a major part for the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in their upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. And in total, the former second-round pick has earned nearly $59 million in salary alone.

Last season, though, while back with the Spurs, something unusual happened that needed adding to the 34-year-old’s highlight reel.

“One game last year,” starts Jackson, who, like Bun B, comes from Port Arthur, TX, “when we was about to play the Phoenix Suns, I went to work out and they [the Suns] were bumping my mixtape. That made me feel good, to see another team jamming my tape.”

A long-time basement rapper—he recorded music for over a decade before releasing any of it to the public—Jackson finally unveiled his affinity for hitting the studio during the NBA’s prolonged lockout last fall in the form of a DJ Scream-hosted mixtape, entitled, What’s a Lockout?. Since then, the 6' 8" forward-turned-fledgling-rapper who uses the pen name Stak5 has released a slew of music, performed to live audiences and started a YouTube page dedicated to his craft.

With an album, Jack of All Trades, due out within the next month, Jackson phoned in to talk about his second career, the famous features on his upcoming release, and some of the good friends he’s made in hip-hop along the way.—Tzvi Twersky (@ttwersky)

XXLMag.com: So you finally started releasing some of your own records last year. Why now, after all this time, did you start letting the public hear your joints?

Stephen Jackson: Well, I got tired of having all this music and not putting it out. During the lockout I had an ample amount of time to get stuff done, so I just took that time, went in the studio and knocked out two mixtapes before the lockout was over. During that time, I had so much music done, I was able to put it out. Now, I have a lot of people begging for an album, begging for more music, I think it’s only right I give the people what they want. So Jack of All Trades will be coming out soon.

Yeah, a while ago I was talking to [Boston Celtics Player] Marquis Daniels and he said you guys were already recording back when you were teammates in Indiana.

Yeah, we’ve been rapping for a while. I mean, we know basketball is our bread and butter, is our blessing, and we take that seriously. At the same time, we have more than one talent and I think it’s time for people to see that. But he’s on my album, though.

So when did you start writing verses and when did you get serious about it?

I’ve been writing and recording for about 13 years now. The last couple of years I decided to put some stuff out, but as far as rapping I’ve been doing that.

But even when you were a kid, did you used to cut it up for fun?

Yeah. Coming up in Texas, we grew up on [DJ] Screw music, and that music is basically based off of freestyle rap. So, we all used to put our Screw music on and bust our little Screw style raps and try to see who could rhyme the longest without falling off. I think we’ve been doing that since middle school.

One of the joints from your last tape [“Cars and Clothes”] was produced by Big K.R.I.T., Trouble is in your latest music video, so I assume you’re cool with a bunch of hip-hop artists?

Yeah, I think sports and music go hand-in-hand. A lot of rappers and entertainers want to be athletes, and athletes want to be entertainers. I think, a lot of guys, we all grew up the same way and we all have different blessings to be able to live good lives and take care of our families, so I think we all see eye-to-eye in that way. But I mean, real recognize real, man. I respect them—the respect is there—and it’s just all love. It’s easy to work with guys that you respect.

So is Trouble on the album?

No, Trouble’s not on my album. But I will have some music out with him soon. Alley Boy will be on the album, but Trouble didn’t make it. Trouble’s real busy right now with his own stuff.

Who else have you worked with, or who else do you want to work with?

Well…I got Game, Jim Jones, Bun B, Alley Boy, several cats from my label. I got one of the hottest rappers out of Atlanta, Twin, on my album. I got Messiah, Pepa Spray, B-Lean, a lot of guys, Scarface, I got a song with Kevin Durant, Young Chris. I got everybody on that album. It’s going to be crazy.

Did you do most of the collaborations and features through email or did you get in the study with guys?

I got in the studio with Twin before. I’ve been in the studio with Bun before. I’ve been in the studio with Killa Kyleon a lot of times. I’ve been in the studio with Jim a couple of times, the record I did with Scarface and Chris I was in the studio with them. So a lot of guys I’ve been in the studio with to knock them out, but sometimes guys are moving around. [As] long as we get the song done, though, that’s all that’s important.

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You ever work with 2 Chainz, AKA Tity Boi?

Man, I’ve been knowing Tity Boi for about eight, nine years. Man, Tity Boi slept on my couch. We used to go out together a lot. We haven’t done any work together, but that’s a real close friend of mine. I’m happy for his success.

I was gonna say, what do you think about how he’s finally jumping off?

He deserves it, man. He paid his dues—he’s been in the game a long time—so it’s definitely his time.

You just knew him from being around Atlanta?

Yeah, ATL. We used to go out together. People used to think we were brothers because we’d be together so much. Believe it or not, Tity Boi used to play basketball a little bit.

Yeah, I heard he even played a year in college.

Yeah, he was pretty good. He had an injury on his lower ankle, in his shin area, but he used to play a little bit.

And even then you knew he had the skills to jump off and just needed the opportunity?

You know, everybody got to pay their dues. I always listened to his music, cause that’s my boy. He always was the guy who had all the swag and that was giving DTP a lot of their swag, and it’s good to see him stand on his own.

You mentioned that KD is on the album. How do you kind of stay away from getting grouped in with all of the other NBA players who try their hand at rapping? A lot of people have this and that to say about players who make music, so how do you kind of stand alone on that?

I don’t care, I don’t pay attention to it, I’m me. Who cares what people say? I mean, people’s opinions are like buttholes—everybody has one. I don’t even pay it attention.

So Durant’s kind of nice with it?

Yeah, KD can go, man. I respect him for even getting on the track with me, because a lot of athletes are scared to even get on the same song with me 'cause they feel I’m gonna embarrass them. I’m just happy he took the time to do it, and he really killed the verse so a lot of people are gonna be surprised by it.

Cool. Do you listen to any of the other players who are out there, like Lou Williams or—and obviously you do—Marquis Daniels?

Yeah, I listen to Quis. I haven’t heard Lou Williams rap before, but I heard he’s pretty good. But me and Marquis been rapping for a long time together. Baron Davis, also.

So when’s the album slated to drop?

Either the beginning of next month, or the end of this month. We’re trying to figure that out now, but the album is done. We just have to go mix and master it and touch it up.

Do you have your own studio, or you rent studio time or what?

I’m in the process of building my own studio in my house in Atlanta, but for now I bounce around to different studios. My album was mostly done here in San Antonio.

So it was recorded mostly this summer?

Yeah, since the season’s been over.

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I know you dropped a video a couple of weeks ago, do you plan to drop more videos and really promote it?

I’m gonna put out like four more videos. My album has a lot of songs that I need to do videos for. I plan on putting out four, five videos and then see how many shows I can do before it’s time to go back to work.

Do you feel there’s a single on it or any song on it that’s gonna pop off of it?

I have a lot of singles, man. I have so many songs on that album, we were trying to figure out what should be a single. Of course, the Kevin Durant record’s gonna be a big one. I have a song called “Diamonds” that I’m still trying to find the right feature to go on. The “Trill Anthem” with Bun and Killa Kyleon is gonna be a big record. And I have a story I did about my family called “Life Story,” which is bananas. So I have a lot of songs that could be singles, I just have to figure it out.

And “Life Story” is autobiographical?

Yeah. It’s mostly about my family and coming up where I’m from and how I’m just thankful that my mom paved the way for us to be who we are today.

On a different tip, I was covering the Finals and spent some time with Kendrick Perkins. One thing he told me was that you were one of the first NBA guys to reach out to him and look out for him when he was young, like still a freshman in high school. And I know you look out for DJ Augustin and a bunch of other cats in the League said they have the utmost respect for you. Do you sort of feel like an ol’ head to a lot of guys in the League?

Yeah, I’ve been around a while. You know, around everybody I’ve met I’ve continued to be myself. I’ve always represented where I was from—I’ve never tried to be from the East Coast, West Coast or anywhere else but Port Author, Texas. I think people respect that. And I’ve never been a shady dude. I’ve always respected people that respected me. And if I’m your friend, I’m gonna ride with you to the end. There’s not many people like that these days.

So how’d you hear about Perk when he was so young, just because he was from around the way in Texas?

After I left, my high school coach went to his school and started coaching him when he was coming up. So when I used to go back home, I used to go work out with Perk and my high school coach, and I just started raising him from there—working out with him, showing him the ropes, keeping him positive. He lost his mom at a very young age, so it was good to see how mature he was with that happening in his life. Kendrick’s been a man from a young age, and I’m not surprised at where he’s at now because he’s been through a lot and fought through a lot to get to where he’s at.

And it reminds me of you in that people misread Kendrick’s body language and facial expressions a lot. So they think he’s one kind of dude when he’s really a good guy.

Yeah, and he’s like me too in that he really don’t care. He has a beautiful wife, beautiful kids, beautiful family and that’s all that he really cares about. I don’t think he really cares about what people on the outside say. At the end of [the] night when he gets on his knees and says his prayers, that man upstairs is the only person that matters, and the people in the house that he’s sleeping in. I think we all was raised that way.

And you said you’re cool with Bun B. Is that also cause he’s from PA?

Bun and my older brother were real good friends; they went to school together. I think the first song I prolly ever heard in my life was by UGK, so we was raised on UGK music and that’s all we know. A lot of times when people ask me where I’m from, I say “Port Arthur.” They’ll say, “Where?!” I’ll say, “Same place UGK is from,” and once I say that people know where I’m from. UGK did a lot for our city. I don’t think anybody would know about Port Arthur if it wasn’t for Pimp C and Bun B.

Perk said “Murder Music” is his pre-game UGK song of choice. Do you have one?

I don’t have a favorite because I like all of them. I know all of them word-for-word. It’s not one word I would mess up on any song. You name it and I could say it, trust me.

Who else did you come up listening to? I know Screw, UGK, anybody else?

Scarface. I grew up listening to Nas, Das EFX, D.O.C., N.W.A., Snoop—I listened to a little bit of everything. A lot of R&B, a lot of soul, I listen to gospel music. I sing gospel music around the house. Music is everywhere around me, bro, you can’t miss me. And then if I don’t know the words to something, I guarantee my wife knows the words. We’ll be at Joe’s Crab Shack, a song will come on and she’ll start singing the words. I’ll be like, “How you know that?!” You can’t miss us with music.

Do you feel like all those types of music influenced your own musical style?

I think growing up in the Church choir, singing, that started it all. Music just became a part of my life, and I don’t think it’ll ever leave because it’s so dear to me. I have a lot of memories of singing in the Church choir. I think that’s why I got my love of music from.

In my head I’m imaging Tim Duncan bopping to your music.

Yeah, Tim has both my CDs. He’ll text me every blue moon saying he likes one of my songs. Tim’s not really a big rap guy, but if I need his support, he’ll definitely give it to me.

I assume Pop [Gregg Popovich] isn’t a big rap guy, either.

I don’t know what kind of music Pop listens to, but I would never give him my CD.