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 Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown has been in the game since the late '90s. The Philadelphia native made the pivotal transition to life in Southern California and his music reflects a bicoastal perspective. Kuruption, his double-disc debut displays both his West and East coast roots. Respected Philly MCs like Beanie Sigel and Gillie Da Kid have shown their brotherly love to Kurupt, and has worked with the who's who on the West. The most advantageous thing that Kurupt received from his time at Death Row Records was being around icons. That constant communication helped to infuse Kurupt with his vehement work ethic.
Kurupt enjoys the success as an acclaimed MC and he keeps proving himself as a viable actor. "Hollywood Homicide" and "Half Past Dead" are among his acting credits. But now, the veteran lyricist is again concentrating on his music career. Acknowledging the power of the internet, Tha Penagon is currently available on iTunes. He announces, "We went straight to iTunes, so people can go up there and pick it up. It's out there right now. And then we're going to make the revised one with the main single 'Rap Or Death.'"
In this exclusive interview with BallerStatus.com, Kurupt offers the key to the game. He discusses everything from his past, his current project Tha Penagon, and his future. "Please tell the people that they need to get ready for -- I got these youngsters that I'm f***ing with right now, I call them the Gotti Boys." And with that we begin.
BallerStatus.com: In an interview you did with Murder Dog magazine you're quoted as saying, "I really believe in being balanced and working to create perfection." In respect to your professional and your personal life, how have you learned to implement this motto?
Kurupt: I'm still learning how to balance it. It's still hard. I haven't perfected it. I still haven't got it all together. Sometimes there [are] clashes between the business and my household. I have to keep the business out of the household because me and my wife [Gail Gotti] are in the industry. We both work together towards each other's careers [and] to make things the best. She's an artist and I'm an artist and we're both business partners. So, you know, it's kinda hard when the business comes to the house. We have to take the time out for the kids, as well as to still stay on this grind.
The grind is how I make it for the kids. Then my children are all over -- Delaware and Atlanta, and different places -- it's hard to keep in touch with all of my children. My main thing is to make them understand and to show them that they got family, and brothers and sisters that's all over here. I try to keep them in communication with each other. It's real difficult, but hey, somebody's got to do it.
BallerStatus.com: You entered into hip-hop at a relatively early age, as you've matured as a man and as an MC. What's your opinion on hip-hop's evolution since you've been in the game?
Kurupt: That's exactly what it is -- evolution. You know, hip-hop has elevated, there's so many different genres. I keep telling people how the genres keep stretching so far. Today we've got so many different forms of hip-hop. I think it's a great thing. With change comes a lot of sacrifice and a lot of new ideas and a lot of new faces. It's a great thing to me.
BallerStatus.com: Currently, what's your position within hip-hop? What do you envision for your career in 2009?
Kurupt: I think I'm to the point to where I'm just going to enjoy it, whereas before I had a point to prove. Now I'm just enjoying it. Some people like the new Kurupt thing [and] some people don't like the new Kurupt thing. The most important thing to me is that I like it. I'm more mature now. I have more responsibilities.
 That's just the whole change in me, it's not just the music that I do and that I concentrate on. My music is a little bit more mature nowadays. It has more of a [deeper] subject matter towards it. I approach this game in a different fashion right now. And most importantly, I'm having fun with it, ya dig? That's just the key to the game. You know, the game don't move me. I used to move for the game. Now I make the game move for me.
BallerStatus.com: Given that you've already established a career and a following, how have you maintained your hunger? We often see that once people make it that their creativity falls off.
Kurupt: I stay surrounded by talented people. I think that's the key to the game. It keeps you with that fire. Me and my homeboys, we keep each other on fire, we keep each other straight, musically, lyrically and the whole ball of wax. That's the main thing. It's just who you choose to surround yourself with. When I do decide to do music, I'm around the homies and that just keeps me refreshed.
BallerStatus.com: You were featured on The Chronic and The Chronic 2001. Are you going to be on Detox? Do you have a release date for it?
Kurupt: Dr. Dre is concentrating on so many things at once right now. He's gonna let everybody know when it's time, trust me. When it's time, trust me, you'll know because the Doctor plays no games, ya dig?
BallerStatus.com: Let's talk about your homebody Daz. Y'all had a public falling out some years back, from what I read you were really giving him the blues. What eventually led to your reconciliation with Daz?
Kurupt: Everything plays itself out. Me and Daz we're more family than anything. As you know with all family, they have disagreements, but in the end we're still family. That's the most important thing is that we respect each other.
BallerStatus.com: Your current project is Tha Penagon, what label is it on?
Kurupt: I got me a deal with Fontana/Universal project with my label Penagon Entertainment. We're going to put together the best project that we possibly can. The independent label is doing it big with the majors. That's my thing right there, man.
BallerStatus.com: Have you chosen the lead single?
Kurupt: The main record that we're looking at from Tha Penagon is a record called "Rap or Death." We're just gonna angle all on them [off that one], ya dig? That's basically the whole formula to Tha Penagon album. That's the main record. So, we're gonna be focusing on that one right there, the "Rap Or Death" record.
BallerStatus.com: That was one of my three favorites. I liked that one, "Life We Choose" and "Bacc To The House."
Kurupt: Oh, boy. You liked that one?
BallerStatus.com: It goes hard.
Kurupt: With that "Rap Or Death", we [actually] have an original "Rap Or Death." That's the remix you got there right. We were listening to everything. It's only mandatory that I give it to them; the real one. I already have visuals for it. The original "Rap Or Death" is something that you're getting ready to hear. It's new. It's something that we're adding to the album and that's going to be the main record for the album.
BallerStatus.com: May I ask you a couple personal questions?
Kurupt: Like what?
BallerStatus.com: About your life growing up in the streets.
Kurupt: It's a lot of pressure. But, it was also fun, man. It's family because it's all that you got. This is the only way that you can make your ends meet and it's the way that you chill with your people; it's family.
Most of my folks were trying to keep me away from any gangbanging or anything like that. They wanted to keep me as an artist and [have me] make this music and stuff. When you go in, you gotta go in with both feet to the ground and just keep pushing forward. You can't even think about it.
Right now, we're trying to get the youngsters to calm it down. We try to get them to see things eye to eye. That's the type of people I'm rolling with. [They are] the people who are trying to put a positive spin on this and are trying to get the youngsters want for more.
BallerStatus.com: Some people easily identify with you because they may share a similar background, or they can relate to your story with being affiliated to a gang. What do you think about these entertainers that perpetuate an image of gang life that they never lived? One minute they're calling out "cuz" and the next they're calling out "soowooo."
Kurupt: I think there's a lot of that going down. There's nothing new under the sun. That's the same way they were back when we were pushing. There's nothing new under the sun. So, you can definitely say that a lot of people are living off of what they ain't living. There's also a lot of people out there living what they say they are living.
When I was young, I always had somebody that was there for me, to keep me away from trouble and all of that sort. But, when I got grown, I started living everything that I couldn't live before. I started living it then. That's when my life changed [and] my rap started to change. I started pushing a different rhyme. I started banging with the homies and you know -- the problem in this is the template, the scriptures, and the stories from the ghetto the streets and from all over the world. It's a different perspective. If a person isn't living what he's saying in his raps, he is basically telling you, "This is what I want to live." You know, and that's what's crazy about it because, what you manifest is what you reap. Be careful what you ask for because it just may come true. You may start living that life and it's not the life you wanted to live in the first place.
BallerStatus.com: There's so much truth behind that: what you focus on, you get more of.
Kurupt: That's life.
BallerStatus.com: From listening to Tha Penagon, you had a crazy punch line that stood out. You referred to the upcoming rappers as amateur grammar scramblers. (laughs)
Kurupt: Oh boy. (laughs)
BallerStatus.com: In your opinion, what's the most important thing that aspiring artists should be aware of when they're entering the music business?
Kurupt: Be careful in what you ask for, keep your skills up and stay on your business. Be a step ahead of us. Back in the day, we had the skills, but a lot of us, we weren't on our business. So be ahead of us. When you see the mistakes that were made by us in the past, be better than that. Be on your business and be on your talent.
Your talent is the number one thing, you understand me? That's the most important thing you need to perfect. You need to have your business on deck [and] you need to have it down to a certain perfection. Trust me, you'll love me later, that's the best advice that I can give 'em. Keep a lot of people out of your mix, be aware of the people that you surround yourself with because that is who you shall become. Ya heard that?
 BallerStatus.com: What kind of relationship do you have with Marion "Suge" Knight?
Kurupt: None!
BallerStatus.com: Enough said. (laughs)
Kurupt: (laughs)
BallerStatus.com: How do you feel about the new breed of West Coast MCs?
Kurupt: I love it.
BallerStatus.com: Ya Boy's track, "Superstars", features E-40, Glasses Malone and yourself, what kind of reaction are you getting from it?
Kurupt: The "Superstars" record, that's real groovy right there. You know, the reaction I'm getting is that people want to see us live and on stage. The people that I've talked to who have heard that record are like, "Man, what's happening? Are y'all going to be rocking some shows soon?" Me and Ya Boy, we be spilling on them all the time. I got a couple records with Ya Boy. He's also a part of this family. I roll with Ya Boy. I've got a lot of positive responses out of it.
BallerStatus.com: That's what's up. Will y'all get together any time soon to perform "Superstars?"
Kurupt: I know we got a couple things coming up, me and Daz. But, you never know who could be there. You'll never know.
BallerStatus.com: Is there anything else that you'd like to elaborate on?
Kurupt: Make sure that you check out Tha Penagon We are the Pentagon, that's game, you know what I'm saying? Ill Gotti, Tek-[Neek], Young P, Axe, Roscoe, Desoto, you know? Big Tri, Bizzle, Slo Stalone, Tone, you know? We are the Pentagon. We're here to stay. We got Slim Tha Mobsta, all of us, man.
Just keep checking out our stuff. We have a lot of good stuff for you. You have to give it up for the homie Casper. All of that is Penagon, we stretch real far. On production to artists, A-Dub, that's Penagon. It's a lot of us, all of us have a certain kind of talent. We all push a fine line in this music game. Most importantly we're all we got. We got some youngsters who are Penagon artists that are coming straight from L.A. We got them coming from Compton, from everywhere you can imagine. Just support us, come and some love to some of this good music that we do. Also look out for that DJ Quik/Kurupt album called Blaqout. It's going to be dropping June 9th. Get ready for that new Kurupt solo album, Street Lights, that's gong to be dropping in October. That new Snoop Dogg album that'll be dropping soon. There'll be a new Dogg Pound album, Get Paid 100 Ways, we're separating that out in two CDs.
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