Published: Wednesday - March 14, 2007
Words by TJ Kee
A.G. (Photo: Look Records)
In conversation, words flow from him the same way they flow into a mic—forceful and with a natural rhythm. He chooses every answer carefully, timing it right and pausing to let the meaning sink in. Dressed in a leather fitted-cap and a thermal white tee, A.G. is open and comfortable as BallerStatus sits at King Steak's on 149th and Brook Ave in The Bronx. He illustrates with his hands as he talks about what it was like to grow up in the birthplace of hip-hop. He tugs on the ends of his braids, reminiscing on the early days of studio time with Show, Big L., Fat Joe, and the other members of the D.I.T.C crew.
Since then, he's dealt with both extremes in the industry, from being on a major label, to selling CDs from the trunk of his car. A.G. has been a showstopper on tours (like last year's 2KSports Mixtape Live Tour) and has even seen a copy of Runaway Slave (his debut album with partner Showbiz) sell on E-Bay for $475. Through it all though, his passion for the hood and its music remains clear and strong. The Giant is not about rap, he's dedicated to hip-hop. So here it is, "Some Things I Bet You Didn't Know" about A.G.
1. He knows that his eighth album, Get Dirty Radio, wasn't what everyone expected.
"It's been six years since I put out a studio album, and I didn't want to be reintroduced on the same mark that I left off with. I've been on tour a lot, so I have a... a global perspective now. I've spent a lot of time in Europe, in Germany, in Denmark. I've spent a lot of time in California. How could I not incorporate those experiences into what I'm doing now? So when you first hear the album, it's a given that you think 'he's all over the place.' Because I am."
2. He's not an underground artist.
"All I care about is making music my way. I've never been in heavy rotation on the radio, but that doesn't matter to me. My fans have always found a way to get my music. I don't like the word 'underground.' It gives labels the chance to slack off on promotion. And for artists, it gives them the excuse to put out average music. I've never been average. I'm not an 'underground' artist, I'm an independent artist. In '98, me and Show sold 30,000 pieces of vinyl with no promotion. And we weren't on a label. Now we're probably some of the only artists that still put music out on vinyl, but I don't know anybody else who could have done it like that."
3. He disagrees with Nas.
"Hip-hop is very much alive. As long as I'm alive, how can it be dead? It can only be dead if everybody who creates it and everyone who listens to it is dead. There's a difference between hip-hop and rap though. I think hip-hop is the voice of the people, and rap is an avenue to make money. That's why I don't consider myself a rapper. Rap is what you get on BET, hip-hop is a culture. It's a way of life. It has changed, but it's still the voice of the people. We're still sticking our middle finger up at the establishment, and I think everybody alive can connect to that. That's where the crossover appeal comes from."
4. He supports hip-hop's new generation.
"Hip-hop started with the youth. Just because some of us have been in it for ten plus years and others are overnight superstars, doesn't mean that we're not bringing the same energy. Personally, I'm inspired by everybody from Lil Wayne and Juelz Santana, to Terminology and Immortal Technique. If I had one issue with the industry now, it's that we don't hold tradition high. If Rakim or someone like that isn't no. 1 on your 'greatest of all-time' list, then there's something wrong. But that's also part of our job as veterans: we need to get together with the younger cats to do something that connects both markets. And also, to educate them. Because I don't care how young you are, but Biggie Smalls is not old school."
5. He didn't think Kingdom Come was good ... at first.
"I thought it was horrible. And I'm not the dude who says 'I'm an artist, so I can judge another artist.' No, I buy albums, so I feel like I have the right to critique them. I bought The Game and Fat Joe's albums. I bought Ghostface's album. So I got Kingdom Come, and I wasn't feeling it at first. The only track I really liked was 'Dig A Hole.' But I listened to it again, and I think, lyrically, this might be the best album dude has ever done. Yes, it was very different from what everybody is used to, but it shows his evolution, like Get Dirty Radio shows mine. As an artist, you die if you don't change. And if you don't grow, then how does your audience grow? Dude is talking about IPOs now, and some people can't relate, but he's telling you as an artist, how to do it. [He's] telling you how to go from nothing to something. If you listen to someone who talks about the same things you see all the time, what did you learn? Wouldn't you rather have an artist who is a visionary? Someone who can show you things you might not have seen? The fan is taking the concept of education out of hip-hop... and that's the disconnect."
6. You can still catch him in a cipher.
"I'm trying to put hip-hop back into the street. My favorite place to perform... is in this neighborhood right here. Not even perform, just sit in the park or at someone's crib, and create a cipher. There's energy that comes from within that back and forth. It's hood energy, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to tell the same story. Some dudes are still hustling, others are not. No matter what they're doing, it's the one with the most passion that's gonna win. I'm like an educator, trying to help them get that passion out there."
7. You might see him coming to a cable network near you.
"My brothers and I, we've recorded two pilots for a hip-hop show. It's mostly sports, kind of like a 'Pardon the Interruption' thing, but with real arguing. I mean, cursing and shouting, so it's strictly for the hood. But it has different segments, so we touch on everything from who's jump shot is trash to whether J-Lo is really representing for the B-X. We've argued like this since we were kids. My mom always said that we needed to film it, so we decided to take her advice."
8. He stacks books like weight.
"I read a lot. I'm reading this book right now, The Notorious C.O.P. I'm a big conspiracy theorist, so I've got like, None Dare Call It A Conspiracy, The 48 Laws of Power, and anything by Noam Choamsky. Some people deliver reality with extreme vision. A good writer will do that."
9. It all started with a typewriter.
"My godfather, Joseph Gravney, instilled my love of reading. I used to study with him on the weekends, and I swear, my weekends felt like years. He's partly why I'm such a seeker of knowledge. His support has always been unconditional. When I was like, eleven, and I told him that I wanted to write, he got me a typewriter. The things I wrote turned into rhymes. When I got older and started to show interest in Islam, and being a Five-Percenter, he went out and got me the Koran. And this is from a devout Christian. But he supported me, no matter what I wanted to do. Not everybody has that much faith behind them. That's a different kind of love, and it changed my life. I'll always be grateful for that."
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