Six Reasons: I’ve been around a lot of camps here on the West Coast. One of the things that has turned me off – and I ain’t saying no names on who I am talking about – but I’ve been in a couple of camps where the moment they find out that you are dope, they will never speak your name or let anybody else know that you are dope. You become a ghost. There was a point Styles where I couldn’t buy studio time. There was a time where I couldn’t buy a beat – not because I couldn’t afford it but because niggas wasn’t fuckin’ with me trying to block me out. It’s a shame! They won’t speak your name or let people know that you are dope. The only time they will speak your name is when it’s beneficial to them. That’s one of the main problems with the way that the West Coast operates. I will never say any names because the names aren’t necessary. I am here now and I’ve never tried to take a short cut – ever!

There were plenty of times where I felt like, “This was a hot record! Felli Fel should have played this.” I’ve realized that God’s timing is just as important as his plan. When I was 19 – 20, I was no where near as mature as I am now.

Styles: So are you saying that if you had attained success at that age, you would not have been able to handle it?

Six Reasons: Absolutely. Let me tell you something and I am not exaggerating or putting extras on it. At the time I thought it was stupid and I don’t know what made me do it, but I did it anyway. When I was younger, I remember praying to God on many different occasions, “Do not give this to me until I am ready.” I would get upset at myself for praying that too. I remember praying that a lot though because deep down I knew that I had to protect me from me. I was doing a lot of things that I shouldn’t have been doing and I probably would have wiped out a long time ago. If I would have got rich at 19, I would have wiped out. I knew that deep in my heart. God has preserved me for a time such as this. Pipe Dreams is not a Hip-Hop album. That’s a Hip-Hop nomination! These consumers are tired of a lot of the music that they are hearing on the radio. I nominated myself to restore music to a time where everybody who did music loved music – and not treat it as something to make a quick dollar off of. Some dudes make up a gimmick and a dance and make up a word like “zoogle-google” and if the people don’t fall for that then they will make up another word like “chinky-dinky.” I can’t knock it though because it’s necessary to a sense. How can we know how bright the Sun is if it weren’t for the night time? But dancing is important too. People need an escape. I’d rather that people get a quick high from my music than from drugs. We are in a recession so it’s ok to escape and dance – and forget for a minute that in 2 days your phone is getting cut off. That’s why I supply music like that on my album. But most of the time I make sure that I put things on my album that is going to make you think.

Styles: Being from Watts, have you taken any personal flack for not doing gangster music?

Six Reasons: Not really – somewhat though. When people would say that, I was afraid to be who I was. I would try to make my voice sound different than it would naturally come out or use words that people would be more comfortable with. But I realized that I’ve got to be who I am. I am on the West Coast but I am Southern rooted. All of my family is from the South. I’m a Southern step-brother – it’s in my blood. If you grow up in a house that speaks Spanish, guess what you are going to speak? My style of music is what’s in my blood. I got comfortable and started doing me. But at first I thought that I was a hairy-ass dog and let me tell you what I mean. The whole West Coast is all Pitbulls and German Shepherds – and here I am trying to fit in. They can see me because I’m hairy as hell. Then I realized that’s what was wrong with me. I am not a dog – I am a lion! I’ve been hanging around dogs but I’m a lion. I had to be true to what I am. That reference wasn’t to diss anybody but to show my point. When you drive past a farm, you will never see a bunch of geese hanging with a duck. Cows hang with cows, pigs hang with pigs, and sheep hang with sheep and so forth. I try to surround myself with people that can make production to what I like. I got tired of hearing, “you are ahead of your time.” I was told that for years and I was like, “Fuck being a head of my time. I want to get in!” I’m a writer Styles. I’ll write anything from rap to R & B. I’ll just write it and y’all can classify it. I feel that I am as good as these mainstream rappers that have gone multi-platinum. The thing is though, is your record good if nobody hears it? If nobody can hear it how can anybody tell if the song is good? I was putting out records for years, spending money and not making money because I was giving them out for free. I just wanted to be heard and acknowledged. I created my land and I stay in my lane. You can’t compare me to what Lil Wayne does. He’s excellent at what he does because that’s what he does. He writes stuff that is slick and clever. I write songs that try to provoke emotion. You can’t compare the two. That’s like trying to compare Stephen Spielberg to Martin Scorsese. How are you going to compare the director of Jurassic Park to the director of The Godfather?

Styles: You dropped the album Pipe Dreams and gave it away on the Internet. Most people would drop a mixtape to promote the album and then put the album up for sale. Why would you give away an album for free?

Six Reasons: I did it for the same reason that Bill Gates gave away millions of dollars to charity. He’s got a lot of money and I’ve got a lot of songs. You can check the comments on my Myspace. People are telling me that I’m tripping for giving it away. I’ve got 4 and a half albums done – not including the one that I am giving away for free. It was never about the money. Yeah I need money – everybody needs money – but I am doing this for the love. I’m a consumer also; a lot of rappers don’t buy music. I buy music also, so I have opinions on both sides of the board.

Styles: Let’s talk about the radio for a moment. You got your single Tattooed Up on KIIS FM in Los Angeles, which is basically a pop 40 station. How did it get on the pop station and not on urban outlets like Power 106 & KDAY?    

Six Reasons: For obvious reasons there only so much I can say on that but I will put this out there. First off all, the record was a hot record. On the phone lines it went top 5 with no corporate push behind it. I started my career on a pop station [L.A.’s KIIS FM] which is the 2^nd biggest radio station in the nation and that’s where most rappers hope they will end up one day when they realize that there is money in this genre too. The people that listen to this particular station are the people that will stand in lines to buy tickets to your shows. I started my career where all smart hip-hop artists want to end up at. That’s a blessing right there. But the people over there [at other radio stations]… that’s the 2^nd biggest radio station in the country so do the math. I ain’t dissing no radio stations or nothing like that, but KIIS took a gamble on my record and it paid off – but that’s why they are the 2^nd biggest radio station! If you are tired of being the #3, #4, #5 radio station then look what they’ve done over there! They are winning from doing it. But that’s as far as I can go on that comment and be safe because there are rules to this game. Nobody is dope enough to not abide by the rules too. I’ve proven that a hardcore hip-hop rapper like myself, check the album too, can start his career at a pop station. I hope that DJ Felli Fel at Power 106 will go and do his homework on me and check my character – and then check my music. I hope he decides to check my music and decide to spin my record. The music speaks for itself. Go find out from people. I don’t have to sit here and champion myself. Just press play in front of people.

Styles: That was cool though that KIIS FM rated it in the top 102 songs of the year.

Six Reasons: And it was out less than 90 days when it was rated. It really speaks for itself so everybody else needs to follow suit. I’ve got to wait for these people over here or over there to wake up and realize. It takes time for some people to finally believe. I don’t mind because right now I feel that this industry is over-saturated and everybody who doesn’t love this shit will tap out. When the smoke clears, everybody that is left is deserving.

Styles: How is the acting going? Are you still focusing on that?

Six Reasons: At this present time I do have a couple of things in the bag but I like to surprise people. Every movie, show or TV commercial that I’ve done, I’ve never really told anybody about it beforehand. The last movie that I did was Grid Iron Gang. After that I called it quits because both the rapping and acting crafts, you have to respect them. I wasn’t at the point in my career where I could do both and have them run themselves. I was at a point where one was hindering the other. When you are acting you have to get so far in to character – and the way the character walks talks and thinks. You don’t have time to get 100 percent in to the music. Or if you are doing music, you don’t really pick up that script. There were a couple of scripts that I never bothered to read and I just showed up on the set and took it one page at a time. I should have read what the character was doing two days earlier. But I was doing music so I would procrastinate and read it later. It came to a point where you have to decide to shit or get off the pot – which one are you going to do? Music comes easy for me. I would tell you that I’ve written songs in my sleep but I’m afraid I will come off as vain or as a liar [laughs].   

Styles: You didn’t get any tips from Xzibit on the Grid Iron Gang set on how to balance rapping and acting?

Six Reasons: Naw man, I didn’t get no tips from Xzibit. I get tips from God. If you talk to God, then he will talk back. But God isn’t going to open the clouds and speak in surround sound and say, “Follow the yellow brick road.” He talks through people. When I speak to people and listen to what they have to say. You can try it for yourself tonight. Go pray about something and then a few days later a 7 year old or an older person will tell you something that you are supposed to hear. That’s how God operates – he works through people.

Styles: What’s next for you after this?

Six Reasons: Next is to make sure that Cup of Ice breaks on Power 106 & KDAY. I’ve got an upcoming interview on U92.7 to have them spin the record and break it. It’s about getting Cup of Ice out and making sure that everybody knows that the Trojan Horse franchise is here.     

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