Published: Monday - April 16, 2007
Words by Francesca Djerejian
JR Writer (Photo: Ballerstatus (file))
Sharpening his lyrical skills in Harlem ciphers as a young teenager, JR Writer had battle stripes years before he became the Dominican prince of Dipset. With a seemingly endless arsenal of metaphors in his repertoire and the confidence to match, it was nothing for JR to convey the cockiness befitting of a Diplomat. Patiently waiting for Cam'ron to approve his formal induction into the game paid off, and JR became the first of the younger Dipset generation to put out an official album in 2006's History In The Making. While the album's sales were disappointing, in part because of his fanbase's propensity to download, JR stayed on the radar with the requisite mixtape releases, guest features, and notable radio appearances.
Out with the fourth installment of his Writer's Block series, distributed by Asylum, JR has been buzzing as the first infantryman in Dipset's latest verbal wars. Newly dubbed A.R. Writer, the battle-bred rapper has been putting his ability to use dissing Dipset rivals regardless of their stature, from Tru Life to Jay-z. In today's world of rap beef, it seems that the new jacks feel entitled to come at the O.G.'s. And while Jay Z calls for a board to approve such lyrical attacks, Writer enjoys diplomatic immunity and defends his crew at all costs. Ballerstatus spoke with JR to clarify his perspective on the various crossfires his crew is now caught in.
BallerStatus.com: How has Writer's Block 4 been received so far?
JR Writer: It's been a good response out there. I'm just getting off the road, just left DC and they love it there. The streets love it. It's been out for for a while now, so it's a good look.
BallerStatus.com: How has the touring been going?
JR Writer: It's been going good. We getting off tour, just coming back to the city to record and handle our business out here. It's been love everywhere I go. All the DJs, they love the single, they love the mixtape, and they can't wait for me to put out my sophomore album.
BallerStatus.com: Who made the decision to distribute a mixtape on Asylum?
JR Writer: Cam had stepped to me with the offer and he told me it was a good deal, so we went with it. It came out, everything went well. It is a good look [to put it out as an independent], it's rare. A lot of people put out their mixtapes through the streets for free. I put out three mixtapes like that, but this one right here was six digit deal, so it's real big, real big.
BallerStatus.com: What's the status on the Double Trouble album with Hell Rell?
JR Writer: It'll be out soon as Rell put out his album and then we'll probably come out with that Halloween or something. The album is hard body. It's halfway done, but we got other stuff to do, finishing up albums. But that's gonna definitely come out this year hopefully, or beginning of next year.
BallerStatus.com: Were you happy with the way History In The Making did? And do you think it quieted doubts you were strictly a mixtape rapper?
JR Writer: Yeah, I was happy. It was a good response. It was my first album. I went in and did it myself. I put everything together. At the end of the day, Cam looked it over, but I went in there with my own creative space. I could just go in there and do my album, so I did my album and I got a good response. I'm almost at 100,000. 7$ a record, I mean God damn, that's good right there. Basically [it quieted the doubts] because you can tell the difference between my album and my mixtape. On my mixtape, I'm just going in airing them out lyrically, just letting you know what zone I'm in and getting me prepped for my album.
BallerStatus.com: Companying the music on the last mixtape to the first Writer's Block, it sounds like your less metaphor-heavy and punchline driven then you used to be...
JR Writer: Nah, I don't think so. I think when it comes to me writing rhymes, I'm not like other dudes. I don't try to be simple, I try to be as clever and versatile as I can be, so once you put my mixtape in, it's like the first four lines is retarded. So, I don't think I strayed away from metaphors and punchlines.
BallerStatus.com: To me it sounds like that, like you're delivering less punchlines and you've switched up your flow.
JR Writer: Hell yeah, hell yeah. I've definitely improved and really mastered my flow, but I'm still mastering it. I try to, every other beat, switch up my style and switch up what I'm talking about just to keep it versatile.
BallerStatus.com: Who produced that "Get Em" track?
JR Writer: Actually that's my little brother that produced that. That's a hot joint right there. When it come on in the clubs, it be crazy.
BallerStatus.com: You boast about your lyrical skills more than other members, would you say you're the most lyrical rapper in Dipset?
JR Writer: No, I wouldn't say that. Everybody got their own style, got their own sh--. Juelz is lyrically inclined. We all lyrically inclined. A lot of people feel Cam, a lot of people feel how Jimmy is, you know? You can't really pinpoint it, fans got they own opinion. They gonna say whatever they say.
BallerStatus.com: What has Cam taught you over the years?
JR Writer: Just basically to stay focused and keep going hard. Use the haters as motivation to get money, don't worry about what everybody else is doing just do you and get your stuff out there, basically.
BallerStatus.com: Why do you think people dismiss you as a Cam clone?
JR Writer: I don't think so. I mean maybe it's the swagger, maybe it's cause I'm from Harlem, but when we on the same track, you can tell the difference. You know who's who. I feel like that's another excuse for somebody to hate on me. When you nice and up and coming, everybody got something to say, either you too fat, too skinny, too small... so I don't stress it. I keep getting money and getting them deals.
BallerStatus.com: It seems like you, Hell Rell and 40 Cal are really tight knit, even though you all joined the Diplomats at a later stage. What makes you guys so close?
JR Writer: We not a label. We don't carry ourselves like a label. We are family. When we in the studio, we kill it. We go smoke a blunt together, we party, we do everything together -- we family. So that's the difference between us and other labels. We're not a label, we're a movement. Everybody that's with me on the road, we family... like we all like friends. We ain't on it like that. It's never problems or anything like that.
BallerStatus.com: When you were a teenager in Harlem battling in the streets, did you ever envision Dipset as a crew you wanted to be down with?
JR Writer: Hell yeah, I'm from Harlem. Cam been holding it down for Harlem and I definitely would have loved to get down and I'm here. But I was a fan of a lot of rappers when I was coming up -- Snoop Dogg, Wu-Tang. Cam was one of the people I listened to when I was growing up.
BallerStatus.com: Besides Jae Millz and Versatile, are there any other battles that really stand out for you that you did before you were signed?
JR Writer: No not really. That was the most famous battle right there, but I battled a lot of dudes in the streets before I even met Cam to get my street credibility up and my name. A lot of rappers don't do that. They just luck up because they know somebody who know somebody. But I went through all that to the point that I was battling 2, 3, 4 people at the same time and I just felt like the battling sh-- was wack, so I just left that alone and started recording and really getting my sh-- in.
BallerStatus.com: Before Cam called in to the 50 Cent interview on Angie Martinez, 50 gave you props when he said that the back-and-forth between you and Tru Life was one of the things he respected that was going on in hip-hop right now. How did that feel to get props from 50 and then have Cam go at him?
JR Writer: I mean, it's cool. He said what was going on between me and Tru Dyke, it's cool. But Cam felt like he crossed a certain boundary and he said he'd shut down any project at Koch, so he felt disrespected and that's why he called up. It don't matter what he said before that. Once he felt disrespected by him saying Koch is a graveyard and he'd shut down any project, that's the reason he called. He don't care what he said before... he said my name, he said Jim's name, but it didn't matter. What mattered is that he said he would shut down any project at Koch. He said "any," that was the key word. He didn't say he'd shut down any project at Koch except for Diplomat Records.
BallerStatus.com: Would you feel comfortable getting at 50 after he praised you?
JR Writer: Nah, nah, it don't matter. If a n---- say my name man, I'm coming at him. I'm going from J.R. to A.R. Right now Cam can handle that, you've already seen. It's the Curtis campaign out there right now, so Cam don't need no one's help at all. I mean, if somebody jump in and other people get involved then I'm here. I'm in the forefront, I'm ready.
BallerStatus.com: It seems like with the Roc situation, you're the go-to guy when it comes to the diss tracks?
JR Writer: Yeah, I came in the game doing that, so it's nothing for me to go back and get at you, you know?
BallerStatus.com: Way back on the first Writer's Block, you're taking about older rappers and saying, "Your times up, why you think you still at your peak." It seems like now you're saying that in a more direct way, dissing people like Jay-Z. But do you ever think twice about dissing a legend?
JR Writer: I feel like a lot of rappers is holding on. If anyone disrespects what I represent and the people I roll with, or me, I'mma get at you regardless. So if you washed up, I'mma say you washed up. I don't really look at it like that [going at a legend], I look at it like he's just been in the game longer than me. I'm lyrically inclined as well, I don't look at anybody like, "Oh he's over me, he's been here for 12, 15 20 years." I'm good.
BallerStatus.com: What are your thoughts on Bleek right now?
JR Writer: Memphis Weak? Memphis Bleach? He's corny, man. He came in the game with Jay writing him his rhymes. They rolled him in the game. The people that are real hip-hop fans, they know that Bleek is definitely not lyrically inclined, and he's not hot at all. He'll make a hit record when Jay-Z get on a verse and pop off, but that's about it. He can make female records, but as far as going toe to toe with a n---- like me, he need to fall back and hit his head, word.
BallerStatus.com: And the same goes for Tru Life I take it?
JR Writer: Tru Dyke? People ask me about Tru Life and I really get it confused with the reality show on MTV. We call him L.J./Tru Dyke. When you ask me about him, I just know you talking about L.J. He's a DVD rapper. He's good for talking on YouTube and Myspace, talking to the fans. He's not rapping. I finished him with that track with me and Killa. He's still putting out YouTube footage. I mean answer brother, you're done. That's why I named it "You're Done" because I knew there wasn't going to be nothing afterwards.
BallerStatus.com: You're the first of Dipset's younger generation to have come out with an official album, so you're kind of the next in line. Do you feel pressure to keep the movement moving?
JR Writer: No because before I was a rapper. I was a hip-hop fan, so I love it. I love doing this -- I love rapping, writing. This is an everyday thing for me, so as long as I'm breathing and I got my voice, I'm going to keep rapping. I'm only 22, I'm not 38 like Jay Z, so I'll be here for a minute.
BallerStatus.com: So where do you want to take it?
JR Writer: I'm trying to make it big and build my own movement, do the entrepreneur thing and open up doors for my friends and family, get my sh-- poppin', you know?
BallerStatus.com: What are the next plans?
JR Writer: My next album called Write Away. It's going to be crazy. I'm halfway done with it and it's going to be crazy. I know what it takes to really push an album and I'm familiar with the road and a lot of sh--, because I've been putting in work. So that gets me ready for a great album, it's going to be a classic.
BallerStatus.com: Is there anything you're going to approach differently from your first album?
JR Writer: Yeah, with History In The Making, on some tracks, I strayed away from talking about myself. I feel like I really got to give the people my story and get the people familiar with J.R. Writer.
BallerStatus.com: Anything else you wanna touch on?
JR Writer: Nah, basically go pick up that Writer's Block 4, History In The Making in stores right now, Write Away coming out this summer.
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