I heard you’re writing a book?

The book’s about Black Wall Street, which is my new company. Black Wall Street is a network, first and foremost. We’re not a record label. Get Low Records is the record label; Black Wall Street is the network of people that I’ve been workin with over the years plus a bunch of new people that I’m workin with. We’re about helpin the underground, informing the underground. We did the ad in Murder Dog to test the waters out and got so many phone calls from all over the country. People sent in CD’s, DVD’s, all kinds of material, because we sent out an invitation sayin that we wanna help the underground. What they found out is that we connect them with a network. If someone needs help with promotions, posters, flyers, I send him to Promo-X. They need beats, I send ‘em to Sean T or I do it. If they wanna get their album out, I get them with Bayside or Select-O-Hits. The main thing is just networking.

With Black Wall Street you’re giving advice to new labels, and you’re trying to guide them to do it independently?

Right. And I always promote my track record—everything that I’ve done myself—to help them see that they can do it too.

Where did you get the idea to form Black Wall Street?

I went to a Hip Hop summit with Russell Simmons and Minister Farrakhan. They were teaching us about helpin the underground, networking together, working with each other to make the underground better, make stronger communities, create more jobs and things like that. I got the idea there. The original Black Wall Street came from a situation in 1920 in Tulsa, Oklahoma when the Blacks and the Indians came together and put their money together to build up their neighborhood. It was a real good thing, but then they got destroyed. We got the concept for Black Wall Street from them. They had the most money out of every Black neighborhood in the whole of America. It was in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the Greenwood district. When I heard that story, I thought it was a good name and I got the idea. I put them two together, mixed with my Get Low Records hustlin abilities and networkin abilities and came up with the whole formula.

You said the book is about Black Wall Street. How is it set up?

The book is detailing a step by step formula of how to put out an album. The first chapter is "Blueprints to Being a Successful CEO". That teaches people that even if you are a rapper, artist, musician, producer, it tells you how to take your talent and turn it into something. Like my homey right here, Lil Ric. He’s a rapper, you got talent, but if Lil Ric don’t know that he’s a CEO also then he’ll just think that he’s a rapper. He’ll think that in the beginning of his career he’ll have to give his talent over to somebody else, let them do whatever they can do to get it out there. He’s not knowin that he’s a boss too and ownin his product, he’s blessed with the talent. The book teaches him how to take his talent and negotiate from a boss position. That’s what it’s all about—showin the little man on the bottom how to maintain a boss position. How to be your own boss. The second chapter is called "12 Tips to Running an Independent Record Label With No Budget". A lotta people got labels with no budget. Lotta people got raps, songs, got a studio, but they don’t got no money, so they think that they can’t do it. What I did was outline 12 steps for them. I gave them 12 key things that you must do when you don’t have no money to get further. Your talent combined with a few steps will get you further. It will advance your career without sittin around waitin for someone to come discover you. You discover yourself. Another chapter is "How to Distribute Your Own Product". I show ‘em how to press a thousand CD’s. Anybody in America could eat off of that formula. You could pay your rent, phone bill, insurance, child support, whatever it is you gotta pay, with $8,000. Who couldn’t live on $8,000 a month? That’s $96,000 a year, sellin one thousand CD’s a month. You don’t have to go to college for that. You don’t have to be 21 to do that; you could be 15 or 16 doin that. This information, they could sit at home and read it. And then they get to look at my history. The first half of the book is autobiography, all about how I did it. The middle part shows every album that I put out, a discography and movies. When we added all the product we was at 54 albums from 1992 till now. Then I’ve got a chapter called "the Legal Team and Its Value", discussing how lawyers can help you. Not only do you look at lawyers as someone to help you get your business together, lawyers also help you get money.

That’s a huge amount of information you’ve put out there. As a rapper you’ve always come on a conscious tip. Lately, with all the rap lyrics focusing on ballin and money, very few people are putting knowledge in their raps.

You’re absolutely right. Nas is one though, Nas is spittin it real. He bringin real information to the table. He’s not preachin, he’s just tellin the truth. He’s sharin on all levels. He’s talkin to the gangsters, he’s talkin to the ladies. He’s somebody that I can give a thumbs up to. I’m not criticizing no rappers. I’m just sayin everybody’s in it to get their money, they’re makin good music, but they don’t have the knowledge to share no information cause a lotta them don’t got it theyself.

You are putting a lot of information out there with your music, your book, your network. A lot of people wouldn’t want to do it.

It puts you in a position to come under criticism, and I don’t care about that criticism, cause to me it’s more important to inform people than to know something that could help people and then you don’t tell them. As you see your community fall you don’t feel the pain from it until you start lookin at what you could’ve done. That’s why at funerals the people that scream and holler a lotta times are the people that didn’t do the right thing. Then they feel bad cause it’s too late. I’m not sayin people shouldn’t cry at funerals for their lost loved ones. But as far as in your community, if you’re talkin about killin on every song, or if you’re talkin "fuck them bitches, fuck them hoe’s" and then in your neighborhood AIDS is spreading. You’re talkin about brothers killin brothers, bodies everywhere, murders, broken homes, little kids growin up in dope fiend crack houses. You don’t want to contribute to that.

It’s a sad state for a lot of Black people in America. On top of that people are eating really bad food—junk food, fast food, too much meat, oil, and sugar. Eventually it catches up to you.

That’s right. It’s just like the drugs. Even with drugs, that’s a battle. To smoke drugs, to sell drugs, that’s a battle. Even with cigarettes and alcohol. All of those things are weakening our people. We get in it at a young age, not knowing the responsibility that we have not to get caught up. The flash of it, the promotion of it, the lure of it will reel you in. Once you get on it, you get caught up in the lifestyle that it go hand in hand with. A lotta bad conversations take place over drug deals or smokin drugs. This is something that we know is killin us, but we still get caught up in it. It’s the same with the guns. Now you got guns, that’s another culture. What you need to carry a gun for if you ain’t in no beef? Or you ain’t a robber or somebody’s gonna rob you. The way I see it, responsibility is something that you get once you wake up. You gotta take a responsibility in some kinda way to participate in making it better. Closing your eyes and lookin the other way, you can do that for so long, but when you learn better you gotta do better. Me as an individual, I’ve learned better now. The Nation of Islam taught me at a young age. Remember back in the days in that Murder Dog interview we were talkin and it was different opinions, controversy. How can you be with the Nation of Islam and talk about "fuck them bitches"? It is a process. This is helpin me to be a better person to do what I’m doin right now. I learned how to do it from the Nation of Islam, and I’m thankful.

You’re still involved with the Nation, but you keep your Rap separate?

No I don’t. The trials and tribulations of a Black man. As a rap artist and as JT the Bigga Figga, that is a job that I have. But in my job, in the character of JT the Bigga Figga, is a responsibility that I have to be an example. As JT the Bigga I’ve come from one stage to another stage. From ’92 to ‘95 when I first signed to Priority, that was one stage. From ’95 to ’98, that was another stage. From ’98 to 2003 it’s a new stage. Now I’m writin books, but my books ain’t got one cuss word in it. My books is givin them a positive message. Even though it is all about Rap business, it’s positive. I got a chapter called "How To Leave the Street Life But Keep the Hustle". That’s real. Just don’t hustle that bad shit. Don’t hustle that shit that’s gonna destroy your community. Get away from the things that have a bad payment. They say "the wages of sin is death." I’m still strugglin. I’m in the Nation of Islam and still strugglin. And I’m thankful. Without strugglin that mean you dead. It’s like what I learned is that your gifts come from the creator, he eternal. As men and women, you got some of him in you. As a Rap artist you gotta know that your talent come from the creator and you gotta use it to benefit everybody else. That’s what I learned. Everybody is supposed to benefit off of your talent. Like me, helpin other people, I see that I was born for this. I was born for helpin my brothers out here on the street get a better understanding of this blessing. I learned it. I got it from Minister Farrakhan and I heard Russell Simmons say the same thing. When you got the spiritual world mixed with the business world, when you bring them two together in the right way, then you create a power that can make a difference. You can’t just have money and don’t got no spiritual. And when you spiritual eventually you gonna have some money. You don’t need it to survive, but the creator gonna make a way cause you gonna do it the right way.

You’re talking about power. I feel like a lot of people don’t know the power they have. I think you’re a person that discovered that as a human you have a lot of power to change things. There’s so much you can do to change the way things are.

It’s so much of a blessing to hear you say that and to know that’s exactly what happened. That’s what made me different from everybody else. Not better, different. Cause I look at my talent in a different way now. And it was scary in a way, cause I’m already, not up there, but I’m out there. Now I’m puttin it out there and I’m seein a return. And I gotta live up to this too. Can’t talk it and not walk it. So the struggle come. Now I understand better about the battle of good and evil, cause I can look at my own life and look at my face in the mirror. I can’t look at myself and know I got things that I gotta work on as an individual, as a human being. The more I do it the greater I really become. Not because of money or cars or rappin on albums, none of that. I feel better, cause I know what I’m supposed to do.

After the book is done, are you planning to do anything on the music side of it?

The book is already done. I been sellin my copies direct. I go to Kinko’s, buy ‘em for $50 and sell ‘em for $100, one at a time cause I ain’t got not mass printing yet. I went all the way underground with the book. I wrote it from cover to cover. Once it was done I hooked up with Shemp from Photo Doctor Graphics, he laid it out, and I went to Kinkos and got some black & whites and a couple color. It looked so good, I got excited. I started makin changes, corrections, added a few chapter. I recently got a little side deal with a couple independent labels who wanted me to produce some albums, got a studio and got back into music making. So now I’m producing again JT the Bigga Figga beats.

You used to have a studio four or five years ago...

It got stolen. After the studio was stolen I felt bad. At that time with Priority Records, we had parted ways. Even though I walked off with my masters and I got paid like a muthafucka from ‘em, the pain of losing the opportunity to do it bigger, it was a loss. Also the GLP (Get Low Playaz) walked out on me. Everybody left me. I was on my own. Then I hooked up with Mac Mall to do the movie, Beware of Those, which separated me from everybody else and put me in my own category. A similar situation right now: workin with Bayside, fallin out with them…

What happened with Bayside? You’re not dealing with them anymore?

I’m not dealin with them—I actually am dealing with them, cause they got my albums. The way I’m lookin at it, the book is similar to doin the movie. I’m not the very first person to do a book. The difference is, their story’s gonna be their story and my story’s gonna be my story. All my trials and tribulations are gonna pay off now through my story.

You were probably busy for a few months working on the book.

I wrote the book in 12 days, from scratch. It started with just a few pages, then I wrote 7-8 more pages, then 5-6-7-8 more pages. When you think about a book, like an autobiography, hella words, a few pictures. I say, I got so many pictures of myself doin things I could tell the story just through pictures. So I start puttin the pictures in there. I put my pictures next to the paragraphs over at Shemp’s place and it looked dope. So I kept writing. At the end of 12 days I had my first copy in my hands. That showed me, once again, human being potential. So now I’m an author. Never been to school, ain’t been writin, but I wrote a book. And I thank the creator for the knowledge to write it

You’re guiding people to be able to have their life in their own hands, to be independent.

That’s what I’m sayin in the book: Quit blamin everybody else for something that ain’t happenin for you. This book will help you to see that you gotta do for yourself, be independent. Get off your ass, quit cryin about everything. I tell my artists all the time: you gotta do some work like I’m doin work or you’re gonna be over there starving.

Now you said you’re back to producing tracks. Are you working on an album?

Right now I’m just makin beats. What I did was I got some songs that I had already did. I got an album called Game Tight. And I got a producer album comin out called Blue Prints. The original Blue Prints that was gonna come out back then, I’m puttin that out and it’s all instrumentals, about 30 or 40 beats, double CD. I’m just givin them the music and beats and do whatever they wanna do with it, but it will be for sale. I’m gonna release those two albums and I’m also gonna put an album together on Black Wall Street—twelve songs. And the DVD is almost finished.

Which DVD is that?

The DVD Black Wall Street. DVD/album/book. All three. That was something I wanted to do three years ago, but I didn’t know I could do it this easily. I feel blessed cause Shemp, one of the best graphic artists out there, helped me do it and made it look dope. Dope dope. So I give a shout out to Shemp and Mercedes Gonzales, she’s Editor-in-Chief. She’s got her own company called Señoritas of Color. Give them two credit for helping me get my shit done.

Do you think 2002 was a good year for Rap? You’ve been in this for a long time, you’ve probably seen a lot of changes.

I wasn’t so much lookin at what was good and what was bad as far as the albums. What I looked at was the whole Hip Hop movement itself. The last year for me was a year that I had to really slow down. It was a lot goin on. I released a lotta albums last year. But Black Wall Street, that whole concept was what I was focusing on. I was watchin other artists and labels, seein what they was doin in the movement.

What about outside of you? What did you see going on in 2002?

You know what I was seeing? The fall of America. In 1973, the year that I was born, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad released a book called Fall Of America. And he started outlining that America fulfills that prophecy of Babylon from the bible. All that drunken on power and corrupting rulers all over the earth with their power and makin everybody do their bidding. Babylon could’ve been saved, but Babylon wasn’t. His people didn’t wanna change, so they went to hell. Also he talks about Jonah the prophet. Jonah went and warned the people and they listened, so God spared the place. Well America also had some warners. Elijah Muhammad came as a warner and as a messenger of Allah and Minister Farrakhan is continuing to warn. But like he said, this is gonna be the final call. Like the Final Call newspaper, he’s warning America to change, be more humble with your power, don’t try to bully the rest of the earth. And atone, everybody atone—Black, White, Mexican, Chinese—because God is not happy with the way we live here in America. In America, the money, it looks good. But now God is takin their feet from under ‘em. This is just the beginning and it’s gonna get worse. Clean up your life. Put your guns down, quit that pimpin. We’re doin everything we can to save this world. Look at the signs in America. They got rich off a bad foundation, and now it’s comin back. You can’t get rid of this history. It’s time to cut it out, clean up and start to do good to rebuild. If I’m still alive right now, I gotta use my life for something better. I gotta use my life to help my people, cause it ain’t guaranteed for nobody. While you got it use it for the purpose you can. I was born to lead my underground people. I was born to help my brothers and sisters and my Asians, my Latinos, my Filipinos, my Samoans, my Indians, even my White boys.

What I see is that right now you’re focusing on other things.

I’m focusing on power. But for the right purpose. Not to get drunk off power like American and use my power for destructive purposes. I don’t wanna do that. I believe I’m on the right path because there is no one else like me in the Rap game. If you look around, no one has this track record. Nobody work like I work, I’m very different—I walk different, I walk different. I’m the same as anybody, but I woke up and found out I got some power to make a difference. And if I line up with the eternal God—whatever name everybody know him by. The one that made that sun, I’m talkin about that one. The one that made this earth, I feel that power flowin through me. And the more I try to help my folks make a difference, help feed they families, stay outta jail, stay out the cemetery, I’m gonna be OK.

JT The Bigga Figga

BG
solid crew
wolf town recordings
narcocorrido
x-ecutioners
spice
swizz beatz
paris
c-bo
nelly
the grind family
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