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Click Here To Download The Confessional.
West Coast Week moves right along as we go to church and talk to the Bishop himself. Directly above this as you can see you can get that new fire directly from Dow Jones' crib. I got that brand new new.illRoots.com: What up?
BL: What's up pimp juice?
illRoots.com: Whats happenin' man?
BL: Oh shit man, nothing. Just about to head to the studio, same ol' same ol' dog.
illRoots.com: Well I just got done listening to The Pope Mobile.
BL: Bless you for it.
illRoots.com:For like, the 30th time.
BL: [Laughs] I appreciate that deeply.
"He had the Big Bang, now we do the Big Gang Bang"
illRoots.com: So, what are we gonna see from this mixtape?
BL: The Confessional is just the last of the street albums man. The albums about to come, so I just want to do one more joint. Me and Whoo Kid have been family for a while, so I just want to do something big to get the buzz up on the east coast and show love to all the cats. Its really some soul power on there man, I always come from the heart but on this one its alot more spiritual shit, alot more thorough, raw shit. We just go for the juggular since its the last one and we put alot of work into it. Its just the culmination of day one with "Nigger Noize", dealing with alot of politics wanting to shut niggas up. Just the whole shabang you know. I'm getting it off my chest man.
illRoots.com: Thats what it is. I have always been a fan of Dready Beats, and it was way more evident when I heard the joint he did for Busta Rhymes album. You know, Shittin' on Fools.
BL: [Laughs] Always. Thats how I met Dready, through Busta, and we've been cool ever since. I was just out in London in the studio with him gettin' it in and we been family ever since. People are going to know about him, he's that next dude.
illRoots.com: Feature wise on this next tape, who can we look forward to seeing?
BL: The Confessional, thats another thing I wanted to do, I wanted to have alot more features for this last one. I want to keep it somewhat of a surprise but Xzibit's on there, Ras [Kass], Glasses [Malone], so many records dog I'm going to forget somebody. Alot of new cats and west coasts. Just fresh shit with fresh voices.
illRoots.com: So your album is coming out right after that, and I'm not going to get to deep into it but let us in a little?
BL: Yeah, I don't want to get to distracted, but yeah thats the goal. All the energy has to go to completely finishing The Reformation and the shit is bananas. Thats why we had to push The Confessional back to June 10th and cut records and get things situated for the album and get the features situated. Then all the business sides of the shit and getting that ready, its a doozy.
illRoots.com: [Laughs] I love the cover for The Confessional that shit is fire too.
BL: Sanctified my brother, sanctified.
illRoots.com: [Laughs] Mo Fire.
BL: Thats the homies Kaps and Edgar, they have done all the covers as well as the album art so look out for that. They always bring that fresh new shit and it ain't no corny shit where a nigga just holding a gun on the cover. We have to go somewhere else with it and they really hit the nail on the head.
illRoots.com: Right, right. What is your genuine consensus of everything in the mixtape game right now?
BL: You know, I don't get to listen to too much of anything unless its the homeboys so I really don't know what's out there. Before I started doing the series, it was just corny shit niggas rapping over industry beats on the radio. My thing was to do original records and to make albums. As well, niggas were trying to sell you garbage for $5 and I wanted to give a better shit for free and make it difficult for these bird ass niggas to make it the same way. I really don't know what it is now, I just know what everybody in the crew does and what we do is correct, the mixes are correct, the features are correct, and its free for download. I make sure its top quality and make people think twice about pushing out music that they do out of they moms house and then they torturing you with a cd for $10 when gas is $5 now.



illRoots.com: God bless you for saying torture, I'm so glad you said torture because sometimes I feel like they try to put your hand in turnicate.
BL: [Laughs] Yeah, and gas is $5 already nigga!!
illRoots.com: You won't even take me anywhere in my mind with your shit and now we won't be able to listen to your crab ass CD because we can't afford gas to bump it on the road.
BL: [Laughs] Yeaaahh, and how you gonna put more money into that bullshit. Like I said, I really don't listen to other stuff and thus have no idea of what else is out there. Its not on any ego shit, its just I never really have time to reach out because we are always in the studio with this Detox shit or its my album or its Focus' shit. We don't get out there like that and then when that shit is presented to me it be boo boo haze. I hope the quality is up, I know Crooked's shit is up but again thats family. Outside of that I don't even know.
illRoots.com: I think right now the whole format of putting it out in a collection of songs. I know people are giving it away in songs and its a collection and if its good then fine. Yet CD sales are down because I can download a song and not an album. Thus I want to buy something that is bonafied heat, like "Oh I saw the video" or "Oh I heard that before". Where as I don't thing like that many do and plus the people who don't have bread download from the community so.
BL: I mean again like I said we are the only ones that did this like albums and had people checking for them. Outside of that ain't nothing going on as well whats after that, now you have a mixtape out, What's Next? You really have to keep your buzz up and feed the streets and thats what I do. To me its almost a wrap because you have to give before you can get. Its just how many can you do? and for what purpose before its just like whatever? They just have to keep evolving and make it better for the people who listen to your mixtapes. I have always tried to do that with "Nigger Noize", "Caltroit", "Pope Mobile", "Confessional", to "Caltroit Metropolis". Even though I'm not dropping "Caltroit Metropolis" until way next year. It was burnt out after 50 did, and now they are burning out the free downloads so whats next?



illRoots.com: The Confessional, give me one track that you feel is going to make an impact?
BL: I think for me on the spiritual side "The Greatest Trick" produced by Denaun [Porter] is going to do that but thats what thats about its not even about emceeing its about spreading the truth and going deeper into some shit. "The Greatest Trick" I think is going to be that track.
illRoots.com: Hello?
BL: Hello?
illRoots.com: Yeah, I thought we got cut off.
BL: You see how powerful the gospel is all of sudden the phones wasn't working.[Laughs]
illRoots.com: [Laughs] Word up. Man I feel you on the whole mixtape thing. Give me your opinion on Commerce and Art?
BL: The Roots new album is ridiculous but...look what Def Jam did with it. They didn't even knew it came out. New York niggas was like "You know that new roots is out", I was like "You serious, I gotta go get that shit". I didn't even know it was out and its been out for a while. I love The Roots but they don't know how to promote them right. Just like the last album they did was fire but people who are straight trash they promote the fuck out of.
illRoots.com: Straight doo-doo butter.
BL: Its corporate. The middle class in this situation has been all but evaporated out of the formula. So you have the poor and the rich. The rich get richer and the poor do what they have to do but the middle of what makes the music drive and who the corporate comes after to talk to isn't there anymore. So you have them that put out the bullshit to the poor people to buy.
illRoots.com: My thing if your poor why would you buy it. So they brainwash people into buying trash.
BL: Right, then for most people they are going to get for free. Why I am going to spend money on bullshit when they are concerned with niggas just being ringtone rappers. Just concerned with a rapper having T-Pain on the hook for each record. I mean so now its not even about that new artist its about that T-Pain hook.
illRoots.com: Right I can't remember whom I heard that from but somebody said that it was an investment for his career to put T-Pain on the hook. They have a saying they used to call people like that, sucka mc's punk bitches.
BL: [Laughs] T-Pain is not going to break your career your just going to help him get more ASCAP awards and more money to buy more auto-tune equipment and thats kind of how the artist gets brainwashed. You want a record that is going to get on radio you have to get T-Pain on the hook if you can't get T-Pain then get Akon. But thats what I'm saying you are just adding to T-Pain's pocket and T-Pain is a good nigga. A person who took autotune and cornered the market so you can't be made at him for that at the same time you have to be able to do your own thing and expand. You got a slew of artists that work with T-Pain on there first song we already know about T-Pain but who are you.
illRoots.com: I'm going to sum up my feelings about the game right now a bar that Rhymefest said "Right now people are so conscience that they appear soft/ and so gangsta that they appear lost". So where do we blur the lines?
BL: Shouts out to Rhymefest too. Its not like blurring the lines but more like resetting them. Its like shit is sideways and nothing is on an even keel. Its either on the art side or the commerce side. We got people who are hella talented and they aren't pushing it right, or somebody who is full of trash but they have all the money behind it.
illRoots.com: Right its kind of like Kweli and then you've got two pistols. I hate to throw names out, I'll have to get the wisk broom and the dust pan and pick those up but its like Mos Def said "if the shoot fits wear it and shut the fuck up".
BL: There it is, I was just watching Talib's "Hostel Gospel its like dope album, great single, but how much is Warner Brothers pushing it like it should be. His shit should be on TRL just like fucking Jordin Sparks is or whatever else being going down. At one time we wanted it to get on MTV and that was a milestone but now we don't even want that shit. Sucka Free ain't even all the way there, its a gang of bullshit. So there you have it, there has to be better balance and a better guard at the gate. Its the same thing at the radio stations. Power 106 out here now has a techno hour and shit, they got West Coast Wednesdays and we are on the West coast how the fuck does that happen. Everyday should be West coast. We are in California but they don't play California they serve to the South and the East and elsewhere and overlook the talent here and thats just always been for along time. Then you have techno hour, you have rappers now rapping over techno beats and it just seems to get gayer and gayer.
illRoots.com: I want to focus strictly on the mixtape but if I had time I would go straight CNN/MSNBC on you. [Laughs]
BL: [Laughs] Next time, next time we do it.
illRoots.com: Straight convo's about how the Roman Civilization parallels the United States with a failing education system, broaden class divide, and how it trickles down to culture and so forth. So why the name the Confessional?, Lets go back to 142 I have to switch back to MTV Jams.
BL: The name The Confessional came about because of the booth, the booth is like a confessional booth and you get all the things off your chest. This is my confessional I'm getting things off my soul and just talking about alot of shit, be it relationships or whatever its alot of demons out there. This CD plays off of alot of issues that surfaced on "Nigger Noize" but this ventures deeper and comes full circle.
illRoots.com: How would you define Bishop Lamont?
BL: Crazy Ass Monkey Ass Nigga.
illRoots.com: I digress, alright. You have to link me with Dready Beats as well.
BL: Oh thats a given, That dude is so talented on the beats and on the mic as well.
illRoots.com: Thanks to Ray over at Interscope for setting this up now go Download the Tape asap before I jump through the screen and choke slam you. Naw I'm kidding but its that good.Oh and head over to www.thabizness.com to see the footage of a true bitch ass bootlegger, do it official or don't do it all. Intellectual Property and Integrity.