Hell Rell Interview

DJ Booth:  What’s goin’ on ya’ll?  It’s your boy “Z,” doin’ it real big, and joining me inside the DJ Booth is a member of the Dipset movement who on September 25th will be releasing an album for the hell of it.  Please welcome my man, Hell Rell.  How you doin’?

Hell Rell:  Yes sir, man, takin’ it easy.  Same fight, different round.  I’m in the building.

DJ Booth:  In the building, doin’ it big in the DJ Booth.  If taken literally, your album title could insinuate you’re releasing the project, “Just because,” or, “Why not?”  Explain what this opportunity really means for you.

Hell Rell:  I didn’t wanna name my album nothing complicated, nothing too crazy, you understand what I’m saying?  Plus, it wasn’t no motivation behind.  I ain’t tryin’ to get money, or tryin’ to acquire fame.  It was just for the hell of it, so that’s why I named the album, “For the Hell of It,” because it wasn’t money-motivated or, behind it.  So I just kinda did it for the hell of it, you know what I mean?

DJ Booth:  Definitely.  The cover for your new album has your mouth open wide and your teeth replaced by bullets.  Does Koch offer you good dental insurance, Rell?

Hell Rell:  [laughter]  No, I pretty much did that, man, because, you know, you got the down South trend where everybody wants to show they grill, and like to show their mouth, so I just wanted to do the same thing but have a bunch of bullets in my mouth to just make it gangsta.

DJ Booth:  And you know what?  That’s an expensive grill, too.  One of the songs on the new album is entitled, “Showoff.”  I need to know: is a high-end purchase worth making if you can’t take it back to wherever you’re from and show it off to all your friends?

Hell Rell:  Yeah, yeah, it’s not worth it.  It’s not worth it because if you’re a person who’s into something like that and you want to show it off, then you gotta make people feel like is it there’s too.  We used to buy things for the block, like my man Digg he used to always buy motorcycles and new cars every summer.  And when he would buy it and come to the block and show it off, he would get out the car and give you the keys and tell you, “Hey, you go take it around the block,” and then he would say, “Hey, you go take it around the block,” so everybody felt like it was their car.  It’s not like he’s coming to the block showin’ off his new @*#$!.  No, he would come to the block and let everybody show it off, so it kinda felt like it was everybody’s.  When you got people tryin’ to show off, you gotta let people know that once you buy things that supersede the level of, normal person can’t buy, you have to give them the impression that it’s theirs, too.  Just like me puttin’ a piece of chicken on my neck, a big-ass steak, and just wearin’ it around people who ain’t eaten in two or three weeks, you understand what I’m saying?

DJ Booth:  People are hungry.

Hell Rell:  People are hungry, exactly so – you gonna show off, let everybody else show off with you.  Let everybody feel a part of what you doin’.

DJ Booth:  Now, just to play devil’s advocate with you, when you hear about artists in the industry who show off chains and necklaces, and then they end up gettin’ jacked by someone, or even your Dipset brethren Cam’ron got shot in his blue Lamborghini – does that signal to you maybe in some places it’s not smart to show off?

Hell Rell:  Yeah, and in a way no, because why should we be prisoners of our own fame?  It’s just the type of places that we are – you have African-Americans that make a lot of money, it’s not probably a little bit more, and you don’t hear these things happening to them.  You got black judges, you got black lawyers, you got black professional athletes, you don’t really hear about too much sh*t like that happening to them.  Because it’s the places that they go.  We like to be around a lot of people who don’t like us; you know what I’m sayin’?  That gives you more of a thrill, like when you shinin’, you in the presence of a bunch of haters, that just fulfills the excitement more.  We like that.  As opposed to Kevin Garnett – he’s not gonna go around a whole bunch of motherf*ckers that don’t like him, and that’s ready to shoot him or do anything to him ‘cause he has on a nice chain – he’s just not gonna do that.  Us as rappers and young street people love to do that.  Just for the thrill, then when it happens it’s like, “Damn, n*gga shouldn’t've shot me for my chain.  Dude should’ve robbed me for this,” or you know.  We kinda like set ourselves up for that.

DJ Booth:  Well you never know about Kevin Garnett.  He made the move over to Boston from Minnesota, so he might wanna touch out to his community there and show off…

Hell Rell:  Yeah, it’s not a problem, you know what I mean?  It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.  I feel anybody should drive their cars, or spend they money however they want.  When you’re doin’ it and you put your nose in the air, you’re lookin’ down on a person who’s less fortunate, that’s pretty much when you should get your sh*t taken.

DJ Booth:  Most of the attention that Dipset has received the past months has surrounded the beef from within between Jim and Cam’ron.  Has that situation caused any friction amongst the rest of the crew, including you?

Hell Rell:  It kind like caused a bunch of bullsh*t because of how the media blew it up, the media kinda made it bigger than what it was.

DJ Booth:  Always happens…

Hell Rell:  It’s pretty much Scottie Pippin and Michael Jordan disagreein’ with each other.  But you know, ESPN didn’t make it seem like they was ready to kill each other or split from the team.  The critics and the media coverage for hip hop is way, way too f*cked up.  I could be seen arguin’ with JR Rider in front of some public place and somebody see that and they wanna go to the tabloids and tell off me and JR is about to kill each other, or we’re leavin’ the group.  You understand what I’m sayin’?

DJ Booth:  And it couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Hell Rell:  Yeah, you know, things like that happen.  I’m not gonna sit here and say a disagreement didn’t take place, but, you know, it didn’t get to the point where it compromises integrities, principles, and daily dealings of the business.

DJ Booth:  Has it affected you personally?

Hell Rell:  Nah, it hasn’t affected me personally because Jim didn’t sign me, Cam’ron did.  Even though they’re both executives, Cam’ron signed me so it’s not like I had to really go through any business dealings with Jim, you understand what I’m sayin’?

DJ Booth:  Hypothetically, if problems did arise within your clique, would you consider a career move?  Would you feel comfortable leaving the Dipset in order for a better situation to occur for you?

Hell Rell:  Yeah, I would rather leave than sit here and watch them two fight each other, ‘cause at the end of the day I can’t break it up.  They both knew each other ever since they were four years old, five years old.  So that’s a long time – it’s a personal relationship.  This is not a hip hop relationship, not a business relationship – it’s a personal relationship that extended further.  If I can’t resolve it, I would rather leave because my career would be affected.

DJ Booth:  Well, that’s a smart move to make there.  Always put yourself first.

Hell Rell:  Yeah, of course.  Self-preservation is the best preservation.

DJ Booth:  The Dipset gang have always been trendsetters – slang, fashion, accessories.  What’s going to jump off toward the end of 2007 and into 2008 that you’re up on that you need to put everybody else up on?

Hell Rell:  I’m about to put everybody else up on the “Showoff” dance, pretty much.  You know, I got a whole bunch of new slang, a whole bunch of new trends – I always keep a whole bunch of eighteen, nineteen-year old dudes around me.  So, you know it’s the young dudes that’s always bein’ creative.  So I’m just gonna bring a whole new – it’s gonna be a breath of fresh air.  It’s gonna be like, “Hoo, okay!”

DJ Booth:  Everybody’s gonna have to step back and just take it all in?

Hell Rell:  Yeah, yeah, pretty much!

DJ Booth:  Pretend for a second you are on the QVC network selling yourself and your new album to the TV audience.  Why should I call in and buy Hell Rell?

Hell Rell:  Because it’s a soundtrack to what’s goin’ on in America.  My music depicts what’s goin’ on in the neighborhoods.  So if you have any questions to what’s goin’ on in the ghetto, inside the crack houses, why we do the things we do?  My album will basically pretty much answer these questions. Back when Marvin Gaye made that song, “What’s Going On,” he made it because of the state that America was in.  We was in Vietnam War, drugs was just everywhere, lootin’, riots, civil rights movement – kinda made that song like, “What’s goin’ on with us?”  This present time we’re at war with Iraq, it’s an AIDS epidemic, Ecstasy pills are destroyin’ the urban community – and it’s always been in upper-class communities, but, it’s startin’ to spill over to the urban communities, and I’ve got friends that’s overdosin’ on it.  So, you know, that music just basically captures all the things that are goin’ on.

DJ Booth:  Well, I think you’re gonna say it best with the single, “Streets Gon’ Love Me,” because you’re touchin’ the audience that you’re tryin’ to appeal to, and that’s the streets, so what better to do than that?

Hell Rell:  Yeah, at the end of the day, no matter how many times we drop an album, pop culture is always gonna be susceptible to it, receptive to it, and want to know what’s goin’ on.  50 Cent made an album called, “Get Rich or Die Trying.” The opening to the song was, “What up, Blood?/What up, Crip?/What up, gangster?” and he sold ten million records.  We all know that after you sell two million records, you’re spillin’ off into the white community who’s buyin’ these records.  After two million, you’re touchin’ into the pop culture.  So that means, if these people are sellin’ this much records, then that means there’s a fan base for it.  All it takes is a machine, like an Interscope or a Def Jam, or a Universal just to get behind the project and promote it.  But there is a hardcore audience for this sh*t.

DJ Booth:  With Koch (Records) behind you, what type of audience do you think you can reach?

Hell Rell:  I’m caterin’ to my audience because I know that my audience is never gonna turn me down, never gonna sh*t on me.  If it spills off into another audience, then cool – so be it. 

DJ Booth:  Rell, give everybody a website or a Myspace address so they can find out more about yourself and your brand new project, “For the Hell of It.”

Hell Rell:  Aw, man, you can go check me out at myspace.com/hellrell, or producers who’s looking to send me beats, you can send that to rugerrell@gmail.com.  Album’s September 25th, you already know, go get it.  Ruger!

DJ Booth:  Rell, I appreciate your time.  I wish you nothing but the best of luck on this project, and nothing but success into the future.

Hell Rell:  Aw, I appreciate it.  Thanks a lot, man.  Any time you need me, just get into contact with me and I’m here.