Published: Wednesday - January 17, 2007
Words by Francesca Djerejian
Uncle Murda (Photo: GMG)
Coming straight out of homicide central, East New York, Uncle Murda has made a name for himself supplying the streets with his mercilessly hard, outlined-in-chalk "go and shoot the police music." Co-signed by Cutmaster C, Green Lantern, Chris Lighty, and a growing legion of fans appreciative of his loaded personality and no holds barred realness, the Getting Money Gangsta is poised to make an industry move any day now. But is Murda's music, to quote his own mixtape title, "too hard for hip-hop?" Or, can the rapper, who claims as many bodies as 50 Cent has bullet wounds, get away with, well, murder?
50, Jay-Z, and the major labels seem to think so. The game is in need of some excitement, and if Uncle Murda's mixtapes are any indication of the musical slaughter to come, he just might be the one to supply it. Ballerstatus.com caught up with Murda in East New York's Cypress Hills projects to get a glimpse into the rapper's current state of mind.
BallerStatus.com: How have you been?
Uncle Murda: I've been good, I'm working hard.
BallerStatus.com: For clarification, is it Murder with the 'er' or Murda with the 'a'?
Uncle Murda: It's always been Murda, but people misspelled it. I ain't gonna make a big fuss about it, but it's always been with the 'a'.
BallerStatus.com: I've heard you rep Pink Houses, but now you rep Cypress, why?
Uncle Murda: I'm from Pink Houses, but I f--- with Cypress n----s. I got a lot of problems with Pink Houses. I had a lot of shootouts in Pink Houses and I hurt a lot of people, so they don't like me too much.
BallerStatus.com: With all the bodies that you claim in your music, are you worried about the hip-hop police being on your case?
Uncle Murda: Hip-hop police done came to my PO already. I had a meeting with them and all that because of my "I Shot The Sheriff" video. But, you know, it's just music, freedom of speech.
BallerStatus.com: You also say they can't prove anything, like you're untouchable...
Uncle Murda: [laughs] I'm just making real gangsta music, taking about my life, my n----s' lives, and sh-- like that. Schooling these young n----s, trying to make n----s not snitch, and if you don't really feel you wanna be a part of this sh--, then leave the streets alone.
BallerStatus.com: Your hatred of the cops seems particularly intense, is that from experience?
Uncle Murda: They done shot my man, I done been in an incident where I had a little altercation with them involving a shootout, whatever the case may be. I just don't like the sh-- they do and are able get away with. They shot the boy, he had no gun on him. They just killed the boy in Queens about to get married. They move like savages sometimes, and they get no penalty for what they do. So, I just say f--- them. They harass n----s, lock n----s up for bullsh-- all day, so I just don't like the police.
BallerStatus.com: So you're going to start the revolution?
Uncle Murda: Yeah, you know what I'm saying? The gangstas vs. the police. I say f--- it, if you got enough heart to go shoot another n----, you must have enough heart to go shoot a cop.
BallerStatus.com: What were you doing before you got in the rap game?
Uncle Murda: I was just running around in the streets doing what I do, staying alive, surviving. I'm making it hard for n----s, and that was it really.
BallerStatus.com: What exactly went down with the Ruff Ryders deal you had back in 2000?
Uncle Murda: That was my n----s, but they were just trying to get distribution through a major and it just wasn't working out. I think it was either Virgin or Def Jam, but it wasn't going right, it was taking too long. But Dee and Waah, those are my n----s, especially Dee. I f--- with him hardcore. But, I didn't just want to wait around. I still f--- with him to this day, he still come to the studio, those my n----s.
BallerStatus.com: Cause on one of your tracks you say you had beef with someone they knew?
Uncle Murda: Oh yeah, it was a little incident, some street sh--.
BallerStatus.com: How did you first get on with Cutmaster C?
Uncle Murda: Through one of my mans, one of his peoples knew Cut. And they hooked Cut up with some of my music and he was feeling it, and then Cut just became a rider, he was GMG. It's been on ever since, you know?
BallerStatus.com: You have a deal with Violator now?
Uncle Murda: Yeah, I f--- around with Chris Lighty. He been bringing me to all the big dogs and all that. I'm f---in with Violator. As well as Manhood, Manhood is my management, but they working some things out with Violator, so they f---in' around too.
BallerStatus.com: Are any of the big dogs biting?
Uncle Murda: We got a little bidding war going on, we got a couple of labels interested -- Atlantic, Universal, Warner, Interscope about to jump on board. We just sat down with Jay-Z and 50 Cent and all that, so sh--'s lookin' good.
BallerStatus.com: Did 50 and you talk about the tracks you have out where you get at him?
Uncle Murda: Yeah, he said it's nothing.
BallerStatus.com: Green Lantern thinks you are going to bring New York back. What will that take?
Uncle Murda: sh--, I'm just gonna bring gangsta music back. I'm bringing street sh-- back, period. I happen to be from New York and Brooklyn, so I'm bringing New York back as well. But my music is so real, so hood, so street... I don't give a f--- where you from, you gonna love my sh--, you gonna f--- with it. As long as my sh-- get marketed and promoted right, as long as my sh-- is everywhere, I'm good to go.
BallerStatus.com: You've said you're "too hard for hip-hop," so do you think the game can handle Uncle Murda?
Uncle Murda: Yeah, the game need Uncle Murda. There's too much bullsh--. When I come out, n----s that's not living the street sh-- ain't gonna be able to talk about it. They're going to have to talk about cars or jewelry or going to the club, or how they fell in love with a girl and she broke your heart. Because a n---- gonna know you lying, "That n---- frontin, son, that's not one of them n----s Uncle Murda is talking about."
BallerStatus.com: What do you think of the New York mixtape rapper scene?
Uncle Murda: I don't pay them no mind. It's all about Uncle Murda to me, you know what I'm saying? I don't even look at the mixtape scene, I just look at the Uncle Murda mixtapes.
BallerStatus.com: You've been taking a lot of shots at the heavyweights, it almost seems like you're telling them it's time to...
Uncle Murda: Chill the f--- out. I just think it's my time. It's Uncle Murda time, it's time for me to run sh--. They got money, a lot of money. I need some money.
BallerStatus.com: You've been doing some big name collabos lately, is there anyone you would like to be working with in the near future?
Uncle Murda: Not really, it's whatever. I don't really give a f--- about who the other rapper is. As long as the song makes sense and it's in my zone, I tear it up. People might be looking to work with me.
BallerStatus.com: How will your album compare to your mixtapes?
Uncle Murda: It's going to be a real album. It's going to be the realest sh-- you ever heard.
BallerStatus.com: When will we get to hear the Uncle Murda album?
Uncle Murda: Right after we finish the deal. We in a bidding war right now, so hopefully in the next two weeks everyone will know officially where Uncle Murda's home is, and then that album is dropping. You know, we making a movie, we ain't just making music. It's going to be big.
BallerStatus.com: Anything else you wanna touch on?
Uncle Murda: I'm Uncle Murda, aka f--- the police, aka NYPD can suck my nuts, and that's that.
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