At first, I was obviously surprised, I couldn’t believe it. Next thing I know, I was on a flight with my close friend and manager, and we just moved out to Cali for awhile. I tried to absorb the culture and see what it would be like to be a part of that whole Aftermath experience. Eve was on there at the same time, the young lady from En Vogue, Dawn Robinson, and I think that a couple of months after Eve, Eminem got signed too.
Everything was cool at first…But, to give a little hindsight on Aftermath, Dre was just coming off of the whole Death Row situation so there was a lot of uncertainty in the air. He had put out an Aftermath compilation that didn’t do the numbers that the “masses” of record people thought that it should do, so they started looking at his career questionably. Like the next thing that he came out with had to be a sure fire hit. Some of the acts that were signed started feeling like they were neglected for whatever reason. I may have done two songs in the studio with him, but that was it. The rest of the time I was just in my hotel room.
I pride myself on being a real productive person. Any time that I feel like I’m being stagnant, I gotta move on and do something else. After a couple of months of deliberation and not getting a firm response as to why I couldn’t record regularly, I felt that it was time for me to move on, and there were no hard feelings between me and Dre, or nobody in that camp. Had things worked out, I think we would of put together some real dope sh*t. A lot of the “underground” acts that I really respected at the time started treating me differently once I signed with Aftermath. Almost like, “F*ck him, how’s he gonna go sign with Mr. NWA.” I think a lot of those acts were jealous and frontin’. I know I wasn’t the only one in 88 and 89 who was listening to NWA on the east coast. I thought that maybe in a small subtle way we could be a part of healing some of the wounds that took place from the whole east coast-west coast thing. I’m not gonna front, after that…a part of you feels like I’m on top of the world and I’m really about to make my mark on Hip-Hop, and then you feel like, “Wow, I could never achieve anything like this again, like this is a one shot deal.”
I will never be able to recapture anything like that again. That was a unique situation. But, fortunately enough, because I had already had a foundation kind of like spiritually and culturally, I knew that a higher power would see to it that if this Hip-Hop thing was meant for me that I would still be heard. It may not be at the same capacity of being down with one of the top three producers, but the higher power and the force has a plan for me.
To me, being an MC is like being a Jedi. Jedi’s come in two. There’s always a teacher and an apprentice. Prince Paul is my teacher, and I’m sort of his apprentice in terms of Hip-Hop. Mr. Walt and Evil Dee have made a commitment to me. They feel that as an artist I have something that the world needs to hear…so we’re gonna see that my story isn’t totally brushed aside. For them to take me under their wings, and teach me the ways of the Hip-Hop force…I have a responsibility to that.
A Jedi’s life force is having knowledge of the force, but also being nice with that light saber. At any given point, another Jedi whether good or evil, may step to you pull his light saber out, and be like what! Bring it! I definitely think that the storytelling I do is always important, and the real introspective rhymes, but I also keep a nice stash of battle raps. Especially considering everything that has taken place within the past two years, and all the major battling that has been going on.
I think it’s healthy for Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is also a sport like anything else, and it breeds competition. I’m waiting for someone to mention my name in a rhyme.
Words by The Last Emporer...Interview and Transcription by: MOSES MILLER