Ronald “Riskie” Brent Exclusive Interview

From the street of Compton California to the plush Death Row Records office in Beverly Hills ‘Riskie’ has brought you the artwork for some of gangsta rap’s most notorious and highest selling west coast albums. In this exclusive interview Riskie lets us in on his secret life within art.

TG: At what age did you start taking artwork and or drawing seriously?

Riskie: I started taking my art on the serious route when I got in high school around the age of 17. But I had been fucking around with art since about 5 or 6.

TG: Like many other well known artists now-a-days does your artwork have roots in the graffiti scene?

Riskie: Yeah I was a writer first. I got onto the graffiti scene at a young age I wanted to be like ‘Ramo’ from beat street. Hip hop don’t stop those were those were the good ole days. Doing pieces and rackin’ markers. Getting up on buses we had a crew 10 strong called DTS which stood for Down To Serve. We used to draw shit all over the place.

TG: For those that don’t know run down the story about how you met Pac and Suge and got down with Death Row

Riskie: I met Suge in the ass end of 95” Death Row had jus signed 2pac guess u could say I was in the right place at the right time. The ‘California Love’ video was being shot in the Compton swap meet and that is where it all went down. At that time I was airbrushing t-shirts and the crowd was big when I got there. Suge was surrounded so I waited for the last person to leave and then I approached him.

Once I approached him he had already seen some of my work and heard about me through others. He wanted me to get my portfolio and come back. I left and got it came back and he introduced me to 2pac who was sitting in a van with about 5 girls. 2pac looked at my portfolio 2 weeks later I was working on my first project on The Row for the insert for ‘All Eyez On Me’. Its funny because when Pac was flipping through my portfolio he came across a Biggie picture I had drawn and said “why you draw this mother fucker”, he then made his hand into the shape of a gun and used it to shoot my drawing of B.I.G. After Pac flipped through the rest of my portfolio he looked to Suge and said “put him on the team so he can work on Amerikaz Most Wanted”. The Amerikaz Most Wanted shit never went down so that’s how I was able to get involved in “All Eyez On Me”.

TG: When were you informed you would be making artwork for All Eyez On Me and what did it feel like seeing that in the book upon its release in 1996?

Riskie: I felt like the beginning for me had jus begun. I had finally made my artistic historic mark. Damn! I was hyped! You gotta remember Pac was the biggest artist in the country at the time and everyone wanted a piece of him cause he had just got out of jail and signed with Death Row so to be given the honor to work with him on his new album which was the first ever double cd in rap, shit it was a blessing.

TG: Let’s talk about some of the homies from Death Row that people have heard of but know pretty much nothing about. Lets talk about Hen Dogg, Bountry, and Heron.

Riskie: I know Bountry from growing up in the neighborhood. He was the man, he was a real nigga and had love for everyone. He worked security at Death Row. Hen Dogg I knew from the neighborhood too, he did the Death Row logo so when I got put on at the label he was my first contact. He used to pick me up for work everyday. I was with him every day we did everything together. Heron what can I say about Heron. He was the official funny man but when it came to real shit he didn’t play. He worked security. He was always clowning. He was on Snoop’s album “Murder Was The Case” you could hear his voice during the intro. He was also on the Rage album. He hooked me up with my second baby momma, Im mad at him for that but I love him!

TG: Give me a play by play run down of what a slow day at the office consisted of?

Riskie: A slow day at the office for me was answering only 500 calls instead of 10,000. I used to work the phones, I was doing college radio promotions, drawing, and running errons. So yeah I did the receptionist thing for a minute and I remember after Pac died getting calls from people saying “Fuck Death Row, Its Bad Boy this and Bad Boy that”. But back to the question.. I would go up on the third floor where Suge had a gym set up and work out. I would sometimes go up to the roof and some weed while over looking Wilshire Blvd. I guess I could just get a chance to think, cause on busy days you had so much to do you had no time to think.
TG: We all know Pac came up with the concept for the Makaveli cover, however he instructed you to do it. How did he relay his vision onto you so you knew what he had in mind?

Riskie: He told me he wanted to be on the cross because he felt crucified by some but, he didn’t want it to be disrespectful in anyway. He wanted a map to be on it with some of the biggest cities. He was basically shouting them out. He gave me the idea he had in his head of how he wanted it to be and let me put my artistic skills to work and what came out was a masterpiece.

TG: He also had you do artwork for the cd booklet that was never used. What was his instructions for that one and why wasn’t it used?

Riskie: He was gonna diss a couple of people he felt betrayed him. That work u just have to see to believe. It never made the release. That album [Makaveli 7 Day Theory] was supposed to be a bootleg album but after 2pac died they made it a commercial release. Removing the insert.

TG: Pac approved the artwork before his death correct?

Riskie: Yes I took it to him myself the week before Vegas.

TG: What was the atmosphere in the office following Tupac’s murder?

Riskie: It still. Everything stopped moving. It was like being frozen with everything around you still moving. It was sad everybody was crying. We had all been sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to hear he was gonna be ok so when we got back from Vegas on Sunday so we got regular updates on his status and then the next Friday (the 13th) we got the news that he had passed. Everyone was crying, you had to be there, its hard to describe. I remember that was pay day and niggas didn’t wanna cash their checks that day.

TG: At the time of his death Death Row had plans to breach out onto the East with Death Row East. You were tapped for the logo, what did it look like and who thought it up?

Riskie: Suge told me what he had planned for Death Row East and that he needed a logo. When they said Death Row East the statue of liberty came to mind as the biggest landmark in New York so that’s why I went that way with it. The logo looked like the Death Row logo standing like the “Statue of Liberty”, but standing up out of the electric chair.

TG: What is your best memory of Pac?

Riskie: My best memory of 2pac was in the Can-Am recording studios where he performed “Against All Odds”  off the Makaveli Album. It was so much different from what was really put out he had a lot more to say.

TG: You got a chance to go to 2pac’s apartment on Wilshire Blvd. days after his death, tell us about that experience

Riskie: That experience was silent for me, hard to believe that was the spot where I was once standing a few weeks prior making plans for an art show he was going to help me with. It felt as far away from me as he was. Watching them move out all of his belongings,  I had finally seen for my self that the man I idolized was gone forever. It seemed like it was just a dream, I wanted to be woken up!

TG: Do you feel you’ve been held back due to do so much work for Death Row, do you feel like you have been overlooked and written off as “one of those death row guys”?

Riskie: I really don’t know how to feel. Sometimes I do feel written off that jus makes me work harder. Deep down It bothers me because I remained true to Riskie at all times. I never jumped ship when offers were made I jus remained loyal. Loyalty didn’t get me anywhere or anything but an empty stomach and a stressful journey of wondering how did I get off of a ride of a lifetime with hardly anything to show for it but album credits. I had relationships with some of the artists that jumped ship and once they made it again they never would reach out.

Even after I left I thought we were all straight.

TG: You did work on Snoop’s Doggfather album, would you work with him again if given the chance?

Riskie: Yes, I worked on it along side Joe Cool. I don’t know if I’d get the chance to work with Snoop again. I probably wouldn’t cause if he really cared I’d be already working with him now.

TG: You did the Daz Dillinger Retaliation, Revenge, and Get Back cover, how did that concept come about?

Riskie: Daz wanted it to resemble one of Marvin Gaye’s old album covers.

TG: Out of all the album artwork youve done, released or not, what is your favorite project besides Makaveli and why?

Riskie: ‘Christmas on Death Row’ because I made my kids apart of that cover.

TG: After Death Row what was life like for Riskie?

Riskie: I fell into a deep depression. I had to work hard for the things by doing things I didn’t wanna do. I missed that lifestyle I was living I was addicted to it like drugs. No more parties no more covers no more 2pac no more fat checks. I was shut out from the place I called home I felt abandoned.

TG: Your now into tattooing as well air brushing on the regular, if someone wants some Riskie work how can they get a hold of you?

Riskie: They can contact me thru my email riskie06@yahoo.com or myspace. com/riskie72
Or shout me at (714) 553-9998

TG: Coming from a air brush background was the transition into tattooing hard or something that was easy to pick up?

Riskie: No, that was very difficult for me. It was another type of technique to pick up within itself. Tattooing is more like craving. They make it look easier than it is but I got my skills after hours and hours of practice.

TG: What keeps you motivated and inspired when it comes to your current artwork?

Riskie: What keeps me motivated and inspired when it comes to my current artwork is that
I know that no matter what happens with my career from today on. That I have made
my mark in hip hop history and that I can be successful at my pencil once again and
this time around nothing or no one can take it away from me but me.

Spider Loc Exclusive Interview

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SPIDER LOC
From gang life in Compton, California to Death Row Records to 50 Cent’s G-Unit, Spider Loc has been his fair share of drama, highs, and lows. If there is beef in rap Spider is the butcher. TooGangsta.net sat down with SPI in the studio to conduct this exclusive interview December 4 2008.

Listen to Spider’s drop for Too Gangsta.net!

TG: Everyone is talking about the situation with you and Lil Wayne. Take us back and tell us how this came about.

Spider: Lil Wayne has a pretty popular record that was on the radio and he had a lyric on it that said “Suwwooop Gang, if you aint with that your in the food chain” or something to that effect. For quite a few weeks if not months every time I heard it it just irritated me. The reason it irritated me is because I’m a former gang member here is Los Angeles, still obviously associated to the point where people look at me as a crip if nothing else. Shamefully allot of people see me as a crip before they see me as a rapper. One of the most common ways for bloods to diss crips to to call us crabs so when he said suwoop gang if you not with that you in the food chain it was just a real close connection between food chain and crabs to me and I felt like he was being a little slicker with his tongue then he had the authority to be. Not because I am affiliated or because I am or was a crip but because I’m from Los Angeles the Mecca and the home of this situation and I’ve been involved with battles, rap battles, with bloods. I interact with real authentic bloods and we never have a problem saying things to one another to where the other person is offended when it comes to actual gang shit. For the bloods and the crips in Los Angeles I felt like somebody needed to check Wayne for being so careless with his tongue. So I became aware he was going to be in my facility working on the video ["Got Money"]  I wanted to go approach him and ask him about it to see if he really even knew what he was saying. That’s all it was. I was going to talk to him. The vehicle he was transporting in as I was approaching was leaving so I approached the vehicle, nobody inside really.. it kind of got shook. Nobody wanted to talk. That was basically it man.

TG: Where you going up there to just talk or did you have other ideas?

Spider: Initially the sky was the limit as to what could have happened but prior to me leaving where I was and going around the corner to where he was one of the homies that was with me was over excited about the idea and wanted to go live from his kyte phone which I couldn’t quite understand. I pleaded with him, debated with him, slightly argued with him not to go live. He insisted on going live and there for my intentions were not to do anything other than talk cause I’m a 2 time loser, 2 strike ex-con and I cant afford to be doing anything more than talking to someone on camera.

TG: Has anything happened with Lil Wayne since that incident. Any communication with him?

Spider: No I don’t have any communication with the dude. Two red rags that I know associated with him. I spoke with them about it. But I think cuz got the point. I think the point was made. He needs to watch his mouth. I stood up and tried to communicate that to him and not just because my personal feeling but for allot of people out here that have been real careful and make sure we don’t have a crip vs blood situation in this rap game. There is so many people in this game from both side that interact and cross paths so much and they get on records and diss each other and talk about about each other but still never say anything that would make you think they were trying to instigate some sort of gang situation. I think it was real blatant for him [Wayne] to make that statement. Because of the situation we’ve dealt with out here for years [gangs] we’re growing by leap and bounds especially industry wise when it comes to interacting with the red and blue. I think the shit he did was take steps back. And I know he is affiliated with the red side but to such a corny extent he definitely doesn’t have the right to be saying anything that could flare up the other side.

TG: That leads me to my next question: do you think he is going to far when it comes to representing his blood gang affiliation?

Spider: His reason is what makes it seem like he is going to far. What makes it seem like he’s going to far is I can show you pictures of him in the same career we know him from, the same Lil Wayne, with blue rags all over his body. The fact that we know its brand new and he had 7 figures in his bank account is what makes it obviously going to far. Not necessarily cause the fact that he is out of town cause the epidemic has spread so far there are some people his age that grew up gang bangin’ from out of town its just he is not one of them. Its just real corny.

TG: It seems like allot of rappers these days are starting their own social community websites. What separates yours SPIindaStreets.com from others out there?

Spider: Ours is a entertainment overload. SPIinDaStreets is a totally embodied site. To keep it 100 it is patterned from ThisIs50.com of course obviously it isn’t anywhere as near as large as of yet. His [50] is more for the mainstream but SPIinDaStreets is for the underground artists but the professional artists not just the anybody nigga with the demo but for the professional underground artist that is grinding out here. We created the same platform thisis50 had for the mainstream so although it is SPIinDaStreets, its a entertainment overload its not me its my whole BayMac camp, its anybody that gets in touch with the pipeline that has quality underground professional work we’re trying to help them get exposed.

TG: You have put out a few official mix tape projects through Koch. What were your expectations for those projects and have they reached the goals you had for them?

Spider: The expectations were extremely low, I didn’t actually have any expectations at the point of putting those projects out. I was just concerned about having something on sound scan and having something registered in the system because I am fully aware that once a project on a major level does have some success that anything you have in the system is rebirth. I have more, if not total, control over the proceeds of those projects so when I do indeed drop a major debut I believe the interest in other projects will pick up to and it will be a good little financial situation. So its more for the future in devours then for the moment. But also this year I have been dedicated to giving the fans a mix tape a month and I’ve heard that term [mix tape a month] come up quite a bit towards the end of this year from different artists and I’m pretty flattered that I’ve heard it so many times recently because I cant ever remember hearing the term before I actually introduced it. I’m glad that the major push was through the internet because everything is documented by date of when it was introduced so I challenge someone to go find mix tape a month with someone proclaiming that they will do it or have done it before the end of 07′ because that’s when I announced it and I did it throughout 08′ so the mix tape a month was introduced to the rap game by S.P.I and that is what I’ve been doing this year and “The One You Love To Hate” as well as “West Kept Secret” which did come this year were just a opportunity for me to make a larger push with my mix tapes. I put the mix tapes out via my website as well as pressing up units myself to move through the streets so when I was able to partner up with a distributor [Koch] to do a mix tape it was just a bigger opportunity so I jumped on it.

TG: When it comes to your debut album I know there were plans to put it out through G-Unit is that still the plan and if so when you see that coming to stores?

Spider: I would love for my album to come under G-Unit. I would have liked to come out a long time ago or as soon as possible. As the readers and you and I know I do not have the final say so as to when that will be. It is getting to a crucial point in my career where certain decisions will have to be made rapidly but it is my desire and intention to stay with the plan and that is to be released under G-Unit.

TG: Everyone watched as the drama went down with 50 and Young Buck with the phone call taped and the diss songs back and forth. Was that hard to see go down considering Young Buck brought you to 50. Did you feel a need to show any loyalty to Buck?

Spider: I didn’t have any struggles with loyalty to him [Buck] because prior to that happening it was a situation that built up. Young Buck’s personal communication with me has always been lacking loyalty for quite some time so it was easy to play my position and do what I felt I wanted to do when he said “fuck g-unit”. If it had nothing to do with how he felt about 50 Cent and what they were going through and he felt he really had to separate himself from the situation because it was no longer the best situation for him at that point of his life I don’t think I could do anything but respect that and let him do what he do but to disrespect what I represented [G-Unit]  and having misrepresented me for quite some time it was real easy to say fuck him. Bangadoshish 3, go get Bagadoshish 3 its dedicated to the young bitch boy Buck.

TG: Have you had any contact with Buck since you’ve been putting the diss records out?

Spider: I aint had any contact with him at all what so ever. I know he be out here in Los Angeles, really in Compton, with one of my patnas who is a mutual acquaintance so I know he be out here at certain times but I haven’t actually communicated with him.

TG: With you being a former or current gang member and growing up in that environment, does it bother you to see rappers these days not from California coming out and representing a gang almost like its now part of their image or appeal?

Spider: Its more funny than anything. You gotta laugh at it. It doesn’t really make me upset its more funny than anything. It so comical I cant understand how some of these grown ass men take themselves seriously.

TG: Do you feel its necessary though these day for rappers to feel they need to rep a gang to get respected?

Spider: I think its totally unnecessary. I don’t know why they feel its necessary. If that’s what it is then that’s what it is but I don’t believe its necessary. I don’t believe Kanye West had any problems being successful without assuming that type of image. Same goes for 50 Cent, Ludacris, Nas, T.I., Jay-Z, I don’t believe Ice Cube had any problems being successful without assuming that image. But I guess its a sign of the times but I think its totally unnecessary and ridiculous.

TG: Since you’ve been in the spotlight you’ve had a constant beef with someone from Snoop to Game to Buck etc. Is there anyone that you’ve once had beef with that you were able to hit down with and squash it?

Spider: Yukmouth and myself, we met face to face after we had our infraction more than once. We smoked together and buried the hatchet, I respect him for that. Had a slight situation that seemed like it was about to be on with the boy Messy Marv up north because of the Yukmouth situation and the big homie E-40, shouts out to E-40, he put us on the phone together and mediated the situation to where it didn’t escalate beyond anything. At one point in my rap career me and C-Bo bumped heads and we’ve been in each other presence numerous times since then and gotten beyond it. I whooped on Sir Jinx at one point, I’ve seen him quite a few times since then and we’ve supposedly gotten beyond it.

TG: Snoop tried to set up a boxing match with you and Game which didn’t sit well with you, tell us about that.

Spider: He’s a weird dude getting in two grown men’s business which is totally totally goofy to me first of all, speaking on some shit he didn’t have nothing to do with. He was suggesting that the bitch boy [Game] and I should be in ring fighting. Real goofy shit man I don’t respect that he got my business at all due to the fact that he and I had conversations prior to that and then when he made that statement about the bitch boy and myself fighting and statements he made prior to that collectively it just representing a disrespect for the agreement he and I had made to keep shit cool so I don’t respect his man hood or character at all. He’s wishy washy and bi polar, he reminds me of Doja [Game] in allot of ways.

TG: Snoop and the majority of the industry hail him as the king of the West Coast. Do you agree that he is in fact the king?

Spider: They use the term “king of” and I don’t know what exactly the meaning of being a king of something is but its hard to deny he’s been the most constant, successful, long running artist on the West Coast. So there is a bracket of superiority or accomplishment that you have to give him but that’s totally corporate. All he has been doing is handling good business in the music industry on the West Coast for a long time. He’s done the most. But I don’t understand what more points you can give him outside of that.

TG: Do you feel Snoop has done what a king of the West Coast should do as far as helping out other artists from and in the West Coast?

Spider: How many careers has he spawned? How many people has he helped get their career to where they can be compared anywhere near his? I don’t see him, someone that calls them self a king or a ruler of a certain set.. I think its his responsibility to mix with those that are also in that set that are deserving receive the maximum exposure they can see. I don’t believe he’s been dedicated to making that happen what so ever.

TG: Your in the studio right now finishing up the new mix tape “Jackin’ For Beats”. What can people expect to get from that and when are you putting it out?

Spider: We’re gonna probably put it out towards to the end of next week.  Expect some of the beats they’ve grown to know and love over the years. Fire rhymes from S.P.I. on there. We fucked around and re-did the beats the fans already love and all the Bay Macc artists on there.. Big Foot, Snipe, Paybacc, E-Note, its just a good collection of music to add to the rest of the S.P.I. catalogue.

TG: You got allot of recognition when you signed with G-Unit and I think the first song that you did that really blew up online on the solo tip was “Blutiful World”. What has that song meant to you and your career?

Spider: I believe that song semi- gave me a identifying mark, people had heard my name and may have heard music and not realize it was me but that record just gave me my own name. It wasn’t a G-Unit records. It didn’t have any other features on it. I think it just proved to people that I could put together a solid effort alone. The record was just a mix tape record actually and correct me if I’m wrong, I’m sure someone will correct me, but from what I can perceive that’s one of the biggest records in a long time that didn’t have any type of push behind it at all. It was just released as a mix cd to pass out with a bunch of other songs. Blutiful World became what it is without a dollar being spent on promotion or any kind of actual push behind the record. I’m pretty proud of it I think we would be pretty hard pressed to find another record that became that popular without any type of campaign.

TG: 50 Cent did a interview some time ago and they asked him abut you and he said he didn’t understand why people ask him about you or any of his other artists cause they didn’t deserve their albums out. What is your reply to that?

Spider: If I remember correctly he said he would love to put the album out if the right momentum could be generated by the artist. And he didn’t understand why people were even asking about me because I didn’t have a interesting record out at the moment. I spoke with him about that statement cause it really rubbed me the wrong way. He admitted he was wrong for saying that and went on to explain his frustrations with Young Buck and what he went through with the bitch boy [Game] and explained what lead him to have that frustration at the moment but it was shocking to hear at all because Blutiful did hit the scene and I actually shot a video independent of the boss’ help and I forwarded a copy to the G-Unit offices and he called me personally and told me and I quote: “You know you got a joint right here man and it looks like you spent a quarter million on this video”. He went on to say he had a whole idea and plan about what he could do to push it. The follow up never actually came but I was shocked when I saw that interview. I feel like I have a album that is over ready.

TG: You’ve mentioned Game a few times, with the history of beef you two have when he puts out records like ‘L.A.X.’ can you look past the beef and listen to the songs for what they are or can you not take the guy seriously because of the beef you guys have had?

Spider: I never actually mentioned Game but I did mention Doja and the Bitch Boy a couple of times. Every time he’s dropped something I listen to the music and I listen hard to find something that makes me feel like this guy is really good.  I always listen, I listen hard to try to find some special in what he’s saying and I’m yet to find it. I have no problem checking on his shit and I definitely pay attention and that shit is not special. Nothing special at all. The shit boo boo man I’m tired of hearing a nigga talk about 1,000 niggas that we all know. Famous niggas. Talk about someone we never hear about. He gotta have some g homies, why we never hear about them? That nigga is so corny he did a song shouting out g homies from my hood that he aint never met in his life that will bite his head off, he’s so weird.

For more info on Spider visit: www.spiderloc.com and SPIinDaStreets.com