Juice Interview

I2G chilled with BWS/HYP Records own Juice for a exclusive interview. Done days after the All Star game in Phoenix, Juice dropped his Position Of Power street album for free download. We discuss the street album and how he linked up with Amare Stoudemire and Grand Hustle, his upcoming debut album, The Anticipated, his situation with Game and BWS and much more so check it out.

Illuminati 2G is here with Juice how’s it going?

I’m good my G how are you?

Good. Let’s get right into it, how did your new deal with Amare Stoudemire and Grand Hustle come about?

Well the particular situation with Grand Hustle and Amare, the homie Amare seen me out in the city and I am a Black Wall Street affiliate. I was groomed into this industry by one of the biggest rap names out, The Game. He seen my buzz and work ethic and the type of person that I am. We sat down and we talk about having some ownership in a label, I always wanted to own or at least have part ownership in a label. We put some numbers together and found out that we are on the same page. And that is how HYP/Hypocalypto Records came into the picture.

You dropped Position Of Power about a month ago (interview conducted a couple days after it dropped), how has the response been for the street album so far?

Oh man slam dunk. Position Of Power right now is probably the biggest mixtape out. I have been checking out the blog sites and seeing what the people have been saying. Alot of people have been comparing it to Trap Or Die or Stop Snitchin Stop Lying so that is a real good look for myself. We have gotten thousands of downloads so far. I want to say the first week we were at 10,000 promotional cds that people have been buying so the fans and the people have really been eating it up. It is really doing justice for myself and the state of Arizona.

Do you have any plans to do any videos or anything from the project?

Yeah actually I am shooting my first one right now called Everybody Knows Me, featuring my boy P-Thoro who is in my group called The Council. I am going to shoot that and follow it up with a video for Hustlers Theme as well. I am going to make sure I keep the visual online for everyone to check out. They just got to stay tuned to www.iamjuice.com or jump on my myspace. But it will be out there.

So what is up next for you now that Position Of Power has dropped? Are you working on your debut album or anything or is there any details you can give about what you have coming up next?

Yeah right now I am putting the last finishing touches on my album called The Anticipated, which will be the most anticipated west coast classic album since The Documentary. I am going to be the most anticipated artist since The Game. Right now I am putting the finishing touches on it, I am trying to release one of the singles right before summer. So it is looking real good for me right now.

Let’s talk Black Wall Street. Any plans for you appearing on any Black Wall Street mixtapes or albums or anything in the near future?

Yeah man I think people really got the situation messed up. I still am Black Wall Street. People got to understand that I was handpicked by Game and that is my big brother and my mentor and he brought me into this industry. I am still on every Black Wall Street album, Game is on my album, I am on New Jerzey Devil’s album, Clyde Carson’s album. I just had to add a bigger business situation to myself to help push to where I want to go. I am still on tour with Game so it is Black Wall Street all day. BWS/HYP is the new movement to move with.

Has Game checked out Position Of Power and if so did he give you his 2 cents on what he thought about it?

Yeah well you got to realize Game got the street album before anybody so he helped me critique a couple of things. It is funny that you said that because he hit me and he told me nigga you sound like me a couple years ago. I was like yeah I do but I got more swag big homie (laughs). But nah he really loved it and he liked where I am mentally at and the music that I am picking out and creating. He is a reall support system man, he just wants to see me win man. He loves it.

One of my favorite tracks from you is a track called Rollin that was on the Black Wall Street Journal volume 1 mixtape. Could you tell me some good memories you have making that track?

Yeah man Rollin is the first track that I ever recorded at Black Wall Street. I remember I flew into LAX and Game picked me up, we was on our way to the studio for him to finish the Doctor’s Advocate. He was working on a record at that time called Wouldn’t Get Far, which was produced by Kanye West. So keep in mind I walk into the studio and I see Game, Kanye, and I see Common. I am just a dude from the streets of Arizona walking into that particular situation was big. So Kanye started playing a couple beats and Game really was not feeling them too much and he played the Rollin record. I looked at Game and said yo can I jump on that? He said do you have something ready? I said yeah, he let me jump in there and I dropped a 16, he jumped on the hook and it was on man. That is probably the dopest record I feel like I have ever made compared to what I am doing now.

Yeah that was a crazy track. What is your personal thoughts now that a year has passed since you dropped your first mixtape, Death Certificate, on BWS. How do you think it was received?

Death Certificate really classified me as someone to really look out for. I was my first official mixtape, it got nominated for 5 Justo Awards and I ended up winning one, New West Coast Artist Of The Year. Death Certificate really groomed me and mature myself into a better artist. I got to sit in the studio and work with different producers, jump on different instrumentals and come up with different concepts to really create who I am today. Death Certificate was a real great mixtape my G.

What is the biggest misconception people have about Phoenix, Arizona from just a music standpoint. Just when people say Phoenix, just a big misconception people have about hip hop in Phoenix?

I think that the misconception was that people did not really understand or know what was really out here. Jim Jones is my homeboy, Game is my homeboy, whenever I go to New York and they see me in a Phoenix jersey or a Phoenix hat the first thing they say is where you from? What the hell is out there? Do people even rap out there? I think the biggest miscommunication is that Arizona is just desert and cactus. We got the same things going on just like any other city, you got hot spitters out here, you got beautiful women and money out here. It just took a couple real niggas for them to latch on to for them to come out here and see what it really is. I think now with myself and a couple other artists, people are really starting to respect where we are from and what we are about because we are really kicking the same caliber of music that they are.

What is your thoughts on the state of hip hop as far as the west coast is concerned?

I think people classify the west coast as the NWA days. Ice Cube, Ren, Eazy E, Dr. Dre. All those are legends and kings that I grew up to. But I think people need to realize that we are in a different frame of mind. There are some new artists like myself and a couple others from the west coast who are really trying to hold it down. We got this thing called the new west movement, myself, Glasses Malone, Crooked I, Roccett, Ya Boy, Jay Rock, Nipsey Hussle who is really trying to, I don’t want to say follow the NWA mold, but create our own lane.

How was the All Star weekend for you in Phoenix?

Oh man the all star game it was welcome to Arizona. Alot of the homies came out, we popped every bottle in the city. We had the welcome to Arizona party, me, Amare, TI. I had the concert at the Celebrity Theater with TI, Keri Hilson, it was just a real big event. I thought that it was a good look for people to come to the city and blend in with us and people from here. I think that people really respect Phoenix now and what we got going on in our city.

What do you think the Suns are going to do now with Amare going out with that eye injury?

The big homie man that is a unfortunate situation. He will be out for the season but Amare is a warrior homie, he is going to bounce back and do what he need to do and at the end of the night as far as the rap game go he know I got him. Everything is cool with him now, he is a little upset. Anyone would be upset if something was taken away from them that you love to do. At the end of the night, he just got to heal up and get better and come back and ball harder.

Tell me a little bit about your new website that you put up, I Am Juice.

www.iamjuice.com. It keeps my fans up to date with the mixtapes, all the information that is going on, shows and things like that. It is also a social site where people can give and get feedback, I log on sometimes and fans get to meet each other and do certain types of things to really update this movement.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates coming up that you want to let the people know about?

Actually I will be on tour with Game for the remainder of the month. We will be hitting up Texas, Seattle and a few other cities in the next couple months and then take a break to close out my album and get ready for the summer.

Well that is all the questions that I have for you, appreciate you getting now for the interview. I must say that I am a big fan of your music since Death Certificate and Rollin came out. It is cool to see a cat from other than Cali, doing it big out there on the west coast. Because I am from Vegas, so it is cool to see someone next door in Phoenix doing they thing and really home grown talent. There are so many people out, they want to claim that they are out here and they are from Massachusetts or somewhere else, but really home grown, born and raised talent from Arizona. I really appreciate that you are doing your thing.

Oh man I totally appreciate you. I am trying to get out there with you in Vegas and get it poppin. That is the brother to Arizona. I am trying to get out there with you man, hit a couple of slot racks, throw a little bit of dice, pop a couple bottles and get it poppin man. When you gonna let me come to your city and get it poppin?

Anytime man. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas you know how that go! (laughs)

(laughs) That is real talk homie. You got my connect, let’s just keep in contact and anything you need from me or Black Wall Street and Hypocalypto and Grand Hustle we got you my dude. Let’s keep in contact and keep this movement poppin homie.

You got any last words or anything for the people?

Yeah man I just want to say Position Of Power out right now. Log on to www.iamjuice.com and get a free download. Make sure you look out for my most anticipated album coming out called The Anticipated dropping later on this summer. We about to get it in man, it’s ya boy Juice, the new movement to move with. Either get with it or get out the muthafucking way, SALUTE!

Appreciate the interview.