The stakes are too high in 2009 for rappers with hidden agendas. 40 Glocc is not now nor has he ever been that man. The Inland Empire veteran is one of the most contentious topics currently in the game. His Zoo Life movement is strongly felt bicoastal and many are right to be concerned. The rapper has the street stripes to say what he feels, and although it’s shocking at times, perhaps it’s what legions of others were thinking.
When reading what the longtime G-Unit/Infamous affiliate has to say, one may not be able to distinguish whether this controversial Rap artist is a friend or foe. 40 Glocc could care less. His intentions are not to cater towards anyone’s likes or dislikes but his own. The man’s mission embodies the truth by neglecting impartial societal opinions. 40 creates a career by simply not bending over. After the success of his last project, the Dr. Dre-assisted The Jackal he’s back again to infect and reject hip hop with his new album, released today: Concrete Jungle. DX takes a moment to talk with 40 and find out what everyone else is too indirect to inquire.
HipHopDX: You have one the more bad ass attitudes in the game right now. Even though your buzz is just growing, how afraid should the industry be in knowing that you’re here?
40 Glocc: I’m definitely going to change the course of where the industry is going. I feel like I’m just bringing the reality into it. Right now the industry for so long has just been a creative facade or somewhat of a gimmick. Music used to have a realer feeling to it, you used to listen to it and get goose bumps. I think that’s what I’m bringing back to the table. That’s what a lot of people have to fear because you can’t just go on [gang affiliation] no more and just say this or that. Basically I’ll give you a perfect example of what I mean: you’ve got Chris Brown, who was doing his thing but who is at the same time was secretly kicking his woman’s ass. It was hidden from you and no one knew he was kicking her ass but it was brought out into the light. You’re going to see that type of reality in the front with me; I’m taking the curtain off. I’m giving people the real and just being myself. I know they definitely have a fear because I’m bringing a whole new structure to the table.
DX: As an artist from California how important is it for you to preserve that west coast distinctive sound and show the world why it’s still prominent in Hip Hop?
40 Glocc: People have to realize that the west has never left, but they expect us to be different or they want us to change. How are we gonna change when our environment hasn’t changed? In fact our environment has even increased in gangbangin’. People have this attitude like, “Oh, gangbangin’ is old or played out,” but no, that’s what is really still going on here. I show that to the world. I speak for our streets out here and everywhere. Everyone is not running around and partying or dancing. Everyone isn’t out wearing these loud colors and big chains with giant medallions on their necks made of silver and passing it off to the public as diamonds.
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It’s heavy here on the west coast. We go through racial issues mixed with the street elements. It’s super active over here. The sound is going to come out how it comes out. I like music and a lot of different genres of music. I’ll walk in a techno club and if that shit is bumpin I’m gonna nod my head.
DX: How do you define living the Zoo Life?
40 Glocc: Zoo Life is just a group I came up with because I felt like when they lock you up, they call you a menace to society and treat you like an animal. I’m not an animal; you just don’t understand me and where I come from or what I go through. I represent the minority and the minority is the majority. Since you wanna call us animals then this is the zoo. The streets are the zoos and we risk our lives everyday to be stuck in that cage.
It’s not like the suburbs where you can just walk around freely. On our streets it’s like we’re living in a zoo and the police are the zoo keepers. As soon as we step out of the house its like “put your hands on the wall” or when you’re driving and you get pulled over it’s not just “show me your license,” it’s “get out the car.” So if they want to treat us like animals then fuck it, it will be Zoo Life. We turned the negative into something positive and created a movement.
DX: Your material can be categorized as gangsta. Can someone outside of the hood still benefit from your music, meaning do you have something to offer everyone?
40 Glocc: It definitely has something to offer everyone because on some level everyone can relate. I give listeners my ups and downs, whether I’m happy, sad, or it’s a comedy. I give all of that. People still stereotype Gangsta Rap. I’m very political and pay close attention to the government. Even in California, where they’ve recently raised the price of tuition so now you’re gonna have a bunch of educated criminals because now people are going to have to do whatever they have to do to get the money for their college fees in order to stay in school because you’ve increased the price. California is like the broke state right now and that’s what you’re going to get from my music, I’m going to tell you the things that maybe you don’t know but need to know. I’m the voice for those who aren’t able to speak the truth. Just because I might make a song that says “shoot this nigga” or “kill that nigga” you have to realize that’s the entertainment part of it yet it’s the reality side of it too. There are a lot of positive messages that are in my music that lends good advice but those are the songs that never get publicized. Take my single “Grindin” that’s an inspirational song about we all are struggling together, but you still have to find a way to stay motivated and get yours. That song is meant to touch people’s lives.
DX: What have you learned from working with some of the OGs in the game like Suga Free and Spice 1?
40 Glocc: Suga Free and Spice 1 are my homeboys. I learned a lot from ‘Pac, Snoop [Dogg], Dr. Dre, South Central Cartel, and Mobb Deep. I watched a lot of niggas come up in this game then lose theirs. Even when I was a kid, the girl group J.J. Fad that sang the song “Supersonic” lived in my neighborhood and I used to see them in the hallways rapping and practicing and we use to run up to them like, “y’all wack” and they use to chase us. [Laughs] I used to watch Eazy E and see him come through and pick Dre up. By seeing so many people get to a certain status then fall it made me see how easily it can all disappear and leave you assed out.
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That’s where my grind came in; I always stay humble and don’t let the industry affect me. I don’t feel like I’ve made it or that I’m no where I stay hungry. I feel like a have more to get and a way to go, I want the globe I want it in my palm. My inspiration came from seeing other people get it and take it for granted. I observed and learned from so many artist and it helped me to stay pushin.
DX: Tell me how did you came up with the concept of your album Concrete Jungle? And what type of growth you have experienced from The Jackal to this project.
40 Glocc: The Jackal was dope, that was my first album and people will get to see that I’ve grown. Concrete Jungle is more of a Zoo Life Movement album. It’s filled with animals fighting animals and everybody is clashing just trying to live. Right now we’re the biggest movement on the west and I’m proud of that. The concept is just bringing that street element back. Tip Toe, Cas, Gail Gotti, Yacc, Sun, Zoo Babiez, Nut, Boo, and everybody is just putting the street chemistry in place. It’s a different sound and not like the other stuff that’s out. My work ethic is crazy we stay in the studio and entertain in everyway.
DX: What is it like working with Gail Gotti? This is like the first time in history that someone is working with another rapper’s wife on a positive note. Does that create any interesting dynamics not in a scandalous way but historically?
40 Glocc: Yeah, Gail Gotti is my heartbeat and that’s Kurupt’s wife. Kurupt is my heartbeat they are both my loved ones so the chemistry is crazy. We rap together and he respects it ’cause at the end of the day, we’re homies. He knows he got a bad ass bitch, he knows his girl is finer than a motherfucker but at the end of the day he’s not a jealous type because he knows she has a hell of a talent. I think as a female artist, she stands up front as far as the west coast goes and we go hard at it.
DX: Tell me about the pending case that the state is trying to bring up against you and what kind of time you could be facing.
40 Glocc: People don’t realize, I’ve been around this shit since I was knee high as a grasshopper. I’ve been running around this industry since I was a teenager, I’m a real street baby I call it a Zoo Baby. I left my mom when I was 13; I use to sleep in the back of grocery stores outside. My food wasn’t shit, I remember my favorite time of the year was Halloween because I knew I could take my pillow case and fill it up with free candy so I could eat. It’s sad now that I think back on it ’cause I didn’t see my mom or dad again until my twenties. My whole story has been a struggle with everything I’ve been through, even with being shot by the police. People don’t know the trials and tribulations of the ghetto even right now and what we go through. People don’t even pay attention to the way we get treated, it just gets swept under the rug. They’re grabbing gangbangers and calling them terrorists.
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They’re training people to associate the term and definition of terrorist with you if you say you’re a Blood or a Crip. So once they’re mind frames are in place within the public they can come in and make new laws to support it and ship you off to jail. That term terrorist can hold you up to five years. They walk around the hood and they see the gangbangers and now they’re hitting us up with injunctions. You don’t even have to be a banger to be effected. Basically just like I’m talking to you right now, if we were to get acquainted and we’re cool with each other that means you’re affiliated with 40 and that makes you a Crip. That’s how they doing it over here. Right now I got hit with a case State of California v. 40 Glocc. My trial starts in January. I’m fortunate that I have the voice to speak on what I’m going through and my voice is powerful so you can’t just sweep me under the rug. I’m going at it with the D.A. and everything, which is turning into a personal bout. I’m supposed to be getting judged by 12 of my peers in a jury right, so how are you trying to convict me of something and suppose to be taking me to trail but the D.A. goes and personally request a Trial by Judge and it gets granted. The Judge and the D.A. are working together to railroad me right there. If you’re saying that I’m a Crip and I’m doing this and that to the people, than bring the people in and let them judge me. Let the people decide if I’m doing wrong, but they can’t do that because they know they’re lying. Even if I lose at least I’ll be able to say I fought them motherfuckers so fuck ya! They use these interviews that I do all in court but I don’t give a shit. I can say whatever the fuck I want to say. That’s why I have that tape over my mouth on the cover of Concrete Jungle and N.W.A. It’s freedom of speech and I can say what I fucking want. They’re trying to make me the bad guy because I’m refusing to be silenced.
So basically this is a lawsuit but within the grounds of the lawsuit means that now if we place this injunction on you as a labeled gangbanger than if you get caught for something else that would normally be classified as a misdemeanor its automatically going to be a felony. Once it’s considered a felony, now you get a free trip to the pen, which places you in the system for the remainder of your life. This is how they’re doing the minorities. They’re manipulating the people in order to control the ghettos. They’re taking our freedoms away daily. They’re using the citizens to vote against us and make us submit.
A gun won this land. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and nobody thought about the fact that they took this land by robbing and stealing but now they want to lock us up because they don’t want us to steal it from them. Our Independence was won off the efforts of militia and they know that gangs are just modern day militia groups. It’s the street people that are really going to protect things not the troops or the soldiers. It’s like the meaning of my name, which lets you, know I ain’t taking no bullshit: I will use a gun, I will bust on your ass, I will bust your ass, and all that. My name is an acronym because instead of the 40 acres in a mule they were suppose to give use they switched it and gave us the Ghetto-Legally-Oppressed- (with) Crooked-Cops. I’m a G and I can do whatever the fuck I want too and my street cred will never be questioned. I’m just standing up for what I believe in. They twist things and talk about how I got shot, but don’t talk about the fact that the officer shot me and lied bout his actions and intentions. They tried to lock me up and gave me a million dollar bail but I’m still on the streets screaming fuck em’. They don’t like it but that’s who 40 Glocc is.
DX: You’re already expanding your artistic portfolio by adding acting to your list of accomplishments. What was it like working on the film Miss March? And what other roles can we expect to see you in soon?
40 Glocc: I did this other short film called Second Half. I’m doing other shows and I’ve been taking up auditions. I’m just working heavy I even have inventions that I want to make. I came from nothing to having something and wanting more. I’m a entrepoornigga. I’m just trying to get it and stay active. I want to be able to provide jobs for my homies. I don’t treasure money – fuck money. I believe you should help people with your success.
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DX: So personally you’re not very respectful of the gay community. As an artist who is in business to make sales why are you not concerned with alienating an entire demographic from your music?
40 Glocc: It’s a lot of weird shit out here right now like these skinny jean motherfuckers. That skinny jean shit is crazy and don’t tell me that you’re not gay when you’re doing things a gay person would do. I’m trippin’ right now off this shit ’cause these skinny jean dudes be carrying guns in they backpacks and man/woman purses. I look at it like when you tell your kid something that they’re not supposed to do. For example, let’s say your kid is always pissing on himself in the bed. You’re going to whoop his ass and tell him that you better not pee in the bed ’cause you don’t allow peeing in the bed. That’s not alienating him you just don’t allow peeing in the bed. All it means is if you pee in the bed homie, you’re not sleeping in my bed. That’s how I look at it.
All that gay shit… I mean if you don’t want to buy my shit, I don’t give a fuck, but you’re not peeing in my bed. I don’t feel like I’m alienating anyone by stating the truth. Either you like the music or you don’t. Be who you are, if you’re a fag then say you’re a fag. I don’t have any beef with fags, but I don’t do that fag shit. If somebody chooses to be a fag, gay, or bisexual then that’s on them. As long as you don’t come around bothering me, it’s whatever. If I have to do business with you, then cool. But I’m not about to be indulging with you or doing any activities like that. That’s not my thing. I don’t feel like I’m alienating anyone, naturally if somebody knows what you don’t like they’ll try and say they hate you back. That’s like your kid saying they hate you for telling them something that’s right. So if you’re going to hate me for telling you what’s right, then fuck it. So what? You’ll realize one day that you were wrong.
A fag will realize one day that they were wrong for being gay after they catch something from banging someone with feces on their shit. That’s when they’ll see they were wrong and feel like, “Damn I should have listened to everybody.“
DX: You always stand so firmly on the realities of your life, walk me through your shoes on a typical day.
40 Glocc: I don’t like fake shit. If I see you doing some fake shit I’m going to jump in it and help the guy you’re doing the fake shit to. Even with my homies, I tell them if you’re wrong, then you’re wrong. Sometimes I go through certain situations and shit gets crazy. Even yesterday I’m going to tell you something personal that just went down. Last night I’m walking in the mall and I keep a gun on me so somebody seen me and I didn’t even know this person but he ran up on me and pulled out a gun. I had to immediately stop niggas from whooping his ass. I gave this dude a pass and let them leave. They left then came back in the mall with their pistols out, which made me feel like I shoulda just fucked they ass up right there. So I pulled out and now I’m at a point willing to lose everything I got ’cause I gotta bust in the mall just to protect myself and when they seen that they turned around and ran. This happens every day, but people can’t see it and they think oh the west is just on that Colors shit like the movie but no this is some 2010 Colors shit.
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DX: I know 50 Cent has been instrumental in helping to launch you as an artist I know you’ve spoken against Rick Ross, Game, and Young Buck so is it safe to say that 50’s beef are also now your beefs?
40 Glocc: Oh, definitely. I grew up from the south and my family bred me to be loyal. My grandma, rest in peace, used to always tell us if one of you fights then you all have to fight. That’s how I grew up and what was instilled in me. The gangs out here are really like family that’s why they trip and have so many issues because you might have killed someone that maybe 100 other people love and now it’s a problem. 50 [Cent] is family to me, I’ve slept in this dude’s house, he’s taken me all across the globe. Hell I’ve learned agriculture and social studies from traveling with 50 Cent. He took me around the world like a Marine to Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Moscow, Spain, Australia etc. He took me places I’ve never even heard of. 50 has helped me a lot and the same goes for Havoc and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. I will always stand up for my family. It ain’t about money; 50 doesn’t owe me shit. Our relationship is above that. If he needs me, I’m going to be on the front line. I’m behind him 100% whether it’s Rap beefs or real beefs. I have nothing but respect for him.
DX: I’m sure you’re familiar with the tensions between Beanie Segal and Jay-Z and the many talks of Beans possibly coming over to G-Unit. With you already being affiliated with G-Unit, do you see this potential signing as an asset that the entire camp could benefit from?
40 Glocc: When 50 makes moves regardless if it’s an asset or not, we’re going to stand behind him and trust his judgment. I support everything he does. Beans is dope. I’ve known Beans for a while, and as far as I’m concerned he’s already family. I feel Beans, and you know Fif is competitive. He’ll give Jay-Z a run for his money.
DX: You have the song “3 Amigos.” You’ve been known for separating the fake rappers from the one who have actually lived the lifestyle they rap about. When you showed up at the video shoot and Plies ran away from you, were your intentions to just be there in support of the project and Plies got the wrong impression and assumed the worse so he bailed or did you come there to scare him intentionally?
40 Glocc: I try and always stay opened minded and put myself in the other person’s shoes by wondering how did I just make them feel. When I make moves, I try to look at every scenario. If you a shook ass nigga and you talk all this “I’m a goon,” but then turn around and see some real niggas that you know are about some shit then yeah you’re punk ass will jump up and run. It was Jamie Foxx, The-Dream, and Plies, and I just showed up because this is the west coast and it’s super territorial out here. So for people to just come out here and think that they don’t have to abide by the rules, you will get fucked up like that. Especially when you call yourself gangbangin’ or saying you’re a goon this or goon that. Talking about how you’ve got a million dollars and you’re around our radius and you ain’t kick nobody in or pay to record this video here, then yeah, you’re gonna get approached ’cause we get shot at just for being on these streets wearing the wrong color so you’re not going to just come and go. I just came to holla, I thought I was being humble but when I showed up niggas just took off running. Naturally, when a dog sees a cat run he’s going to chase. I didn’t make Plies run and hide in the bathroom. Jamie was a real man he stayed there and kicked it. Plies was acting like rich white people whenever they see a ghetto motherfucker walk by their car, and they hurry to lock the door. There’s no justification for that bitch ass shit.
On top of that, Plies called the police on us but these the type of niggas always be in front of the camera’s talking that hood shit, that five-star Blood shit. Come on, man, we don’t pay to be gangbangers here. You don’t pay to be in a gang because you have to put in work. You be claiming all this shit then think you can just come to town and roam free ’cause you’re a celebrity, nigga please. Plies knows what he did and then he turned around and made a diss record called “Letter to the Industry” which was some bitch shit to do that’s why I did the song with my homie Lil Boo called “Return to Sender.” I didn’t have no respect for how he came in with that, then this bitch ass nigga calls me the next day which I have the footage of, talking about “I appreciate your ways and thank you for not taking advantage of me,” that’s some shit a bitch would say. I can be at any event, any where so just know that eventually, you’re gonna have to see my face and answer for what you’ve said.
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DX: You’ve had some similiar run ins with Lil Wayne and accused him of being a fake Blood. If he continues to make claims of gang affiliations are you going to continue attacking him?
40 Glocc: Yeah ,I’m gonna always put him on blast, I call it being on his bumper. They got a real good lesson learned. They paying up now and kicking in real good in Southern California. They’re paying to be Bloods. You want to act like you’re a Blood and this and that, well guess what, we have real street codes out here. For you to think you can come out here and be a super Blood and be dissin’ Crips on records, man, we don’t even do that here and the ones who do it is based on some real killer shit going on. When I say dissin’, I don’t mean like me and Game, I mean like dissin’ the word and culture of a gang.
With that being said, them niggas gotta answer for that. You owe us an apology and you’re going to keep paying to be a Blood every time you come over here. And they’ve been reaching out to me like [trying to trade a verse to get me to fall back] Do I look like a Lil Wayne fan, nigga? That nigga better make a public apology. First of all, you taking our shit then turning out the kids with this tight pants shit. He got gay-ass ways, putting lip rings in his shit and whatnot. I can’t respect that. To me, I have such a disgusting-ass taste for them weird ass niggas. I can’t stand it; I see this nigga Baby got a big ass red star tattooed on the top of his head. Like he’s really taking this fake five-star Blood thing to the max. You still ain’t no five-star Blood, what the fuck? Is that some made up shit, ’cause I ain’t never heard of it. If it is some real shit then you ain’t representing it right, so somebody gotta holla at cha. I don’t feel them niggas and how they carry themselves and they have no respect for what they’re disrespecting. If they think they’re gonna come over here with that shit they have another thing coming ’cause it gets worse than us surrounding your cars and you being afraid and calling the police. They’ve learned their lesson and are going to move a lot lighter and quieter. They’ve been paying the right people lately so for now it’s all good.
DX: Any last thoughts that you want to leave the people with?
40 Glocc: I want people to recognize who 40 Glocc is. Fuck that, I don’t like these niggas here on the west coast that don’t respect what I’m doing or that disrespect my movement with Zoo Life. I see them in their interviews and I be like, “Damn, I know them and when I see them on the streets is all good but when you get asked about who’s making moves here you don’t acknowledge me.” In my interviews, I have to say who’s doing they thing and making noise but these bitch-ass niggas don’t pay me the same when they know what time it is. The interviewer will insinuate something that goes on with me and 40 Glocc will be on that person’s mind but they still won’t respect it and say my name. I’m watching everybody in the game do this with me. Trust me niggas, I’m coming for all of your heads. All you niggas that was scared and tried to stop my movement or stop my success I swear to God I’m going to be a problem for you. Be prepared for when the tables turn.
