Many interesting happenings have taken place in Hip Hop recently. We have spoken with Fong-Sai-U in quite a while and shares his thoughts on a few of them. He talks about the Drake and Joe Budden back and forth, Gene Simmons comments about Rap music, Afrika Bambaataa and his upcoming album.
SFHH: Â Talk about what you have been up to lately.
Fong-Sai-U: I been working on my new album FONGSAIACUS – well it’s done but I started working on a EP with my longtime friend Anthony over at his studio club house, he’s engineering the project. It’s just something I can give out for free while the people wait on my FONGSAIACUS album to drop. I gave away The Last Ronin album and that did 300,000 plus streams so just being more strategic but new music coming soon
SFHH:  What do think of the molestation accusations against Afrika Bambaataa?
Fong-Sai-U:  I think he did it no second guessing about u not going to have 5 grown men that doesn’t want no money and have the same accounts he is not powerful enough to be on no government radar and no body wasn’t even thinking about this dude until this shit popped up—-hell a lot of our so called pioneers of Hip Hop is either cracked out from the 80s or bitter cause they don’t get acknowledged enough and even if he didn’t, you can put a lot of lies on a person but when child molestation get thrown in the mix, shit gets real. Only him and god know!
SFHH: NORE interviewed KRS-One and asked him about Afrika Bambaata. KRS-One responded and many people don’t like how he responded. Have you heard the response from KRS and if so, what do you think of it?
Fong-Sai-U: I heard that bullshit and like I said fuck what someone did for Hip Hop when it comes to molesting kids it’s no way in hell you going to tell me about this dude’s contributions after hearing that. And I’m going to say I don’t care about what he did cause he for Hip Hop. I seen Kweli make a post about he was mad about the Zulu Nation and demoting Bam… are you fucking crazy. Even if he didn’t do it, it’s still kids involved and I feel like any man or women with kids should understand that. I guess I’m wrong… these dudes on some other shit.
SFHH: Â At this point we are sure you have seen the Bird interview that has had the internet on fire as of late. How do you think he should have handled the interview if he had a problem with the radio personalities?
Fong-Sai-U:  Wrong place wrong time. He should of did it off air and that’s not to take nothing away from BIRDMAN but I felt like once he started to go in he had to finish it—there was no going back so he shouldn’t of walked in. My opinion, especially after coming in there like that. I just didn’t like prince died a day before and it got shadowed by that bull… feel me. This industry is built off illusions and perception.
SFHH: Â Many people think Drake is on a decline. He is arguably the most popular artist in Hip Hop right now. What does that say about Hip Hop?
Fong-Sai-U:  Man we in an era were biting is cool, not thinking is cool or repeating yourself 50 times. Hell you have old n*ggas trying to rap like the kids instead of trying to keep their legacy. It’s the Wild Wild West. You can do whatever and that’s what’s fucking the game up. Drake is winning cause he does what n*ggas ain’t doing no more. Rapping something very simple but when you have a hundred n*ggas that can’t rap and that’s all you hear… different is going to win. This ain’t 94 were you had to be nice to get on, it’s the total opposite. You have to be trash and being nice is outlawed.
Nowadays lol that’s why when I look for new artists like my man artwork I have to hear that Fire.  You know I don’t want you to sound like no one else. Most of my squad is my real family. My lil cousins I raised or my best friend COOPDAVILLE and that’s where it stops. I think one day it will come back to lyrics — if Drake had a ghost writer or didn’t, he still did his thing. People love to be in other peoples’ business and jugging people is wack. Let that n*gga breath.
SFHH:  A few days a George Zimmerman said he would auction off the gun the killed Trayvon Martin? Why do you believe Zimmerman continues to get press?
Fong-Sai-U: Â Because the press gravitates to drama and negative bullshit. Ask yourself why would you even report a story about a man that took a life that should not have been taken. This world is crazy. You have Vine that gets a kick out of the disabled and finds there handicaps funny. Then you have WORLDSTAR that will put any dam thing on their site from a killing to fights. This place is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. I talk to Top Dog from TDEÂ every now and then and he said something one day I really thought about.
I was turning into the people I talk about you know…. gossiping and worried about what people saying about you and not the music and staying focused. So I had to get back on my grind the media only wants to focus on the negative and if you get caught up in that shit, it will pull you down. I really don’t understand and don’t want to as far as the outlets promoting this man selling a gun that took a young man’s life — hell on earth is real and you have to make your heaven you dig.
SFHH:  Gene Simmons of the band Kiss made headlines with his remarks about N.W.A. being inducted into the Rock And Rock Hall of Fame? Simmons went as far as to say he wants rap to die. He has now retracted those comments. Why do you think he has such a problem with rappers being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame?
Fong-Sai-U:  Because rap came and killed the game for Rock. Before Rock, you had KISS and DEF LEPPORD, you know the long haired rock gods and when rap came it got crushed and never was able to come back — so I can see why he is bitter. He’s an old wash up man that want to say hateful stuff to get attention in the media. No one was talking about no Gene Simmons. Fuck Gene Simmons! He needs to focus on his life that he still has left and his old Kiss groupies and shut up. Real shit my G.
SFHH: Â Hip Hop seems to be in a weird space right now. Where do you think Hip Hop went wrong and will it ever get back on track?
Fong-Sai-U: I think I kinda answered that earlier but I’ll keep going hopefully but you have people in power co-signing the bull shit to get a quick check or catch they wave. So the game is at a rapid decline — it’s to many Futures and Migos clones. Hell, Kanye is even trying to rap like Lil Uzi. Schoolboy Q just dropped a song with Ye and Q’s shit was a dope concept. And all then here come Ye stinking up shit rapping like he Lil Uzi or one of these kids on top of the lyrics sounding lazy as shit but it’s politics.
No one speaks their minds and I’m speaking in general — it’s forbidden and that’s just my opinion….. but you don’t have to rap like the Migos to stay relevant but n*ggas do. I think TDE is making a change in a good way and Joey Badass even A$AP Mob and Tyler The Creator… so it’s some people making a difference slowly but surely.
SFHH:  We are going back to Drake. Joe Budden said that Drake sounded a little uninspired on his most recent album. Are artists a little too sensitive now in Hip Hop?
Fong-Sai-U: Fuck Joe Budden! N*ggas say things in the media to gain attention so he made himself relevant for a day by talking about someone else. Let that man be and focus on your paper, who cares if he was into it or not. It was a good body of work and people will diss what they don’t understand, instead of saying I have to live with it.
For a minute they quick to classify it — they did that shit with To Pimp A Butterfly, it’s called music. It’s certain albums you can just ride across the country to… and listen to the whole thing. Then it’s albums that you have to skip every song but then you can’t review an album you never lived with for a while — when people do that they just hating and trying to get attention
SFHH:  I don’t know if you have heard about this new deal Soulja Boy has. He supposedly just inked a deal with a company called FilmOnTV. The deal is said to be worth upwards of $400 million. How do think Soulja continues to get money from labels?
Fong-Sai-U:  Well it’s easy, sign for a long time. See everyone paper work is different some time it’s a deal that’s valued at that much. Who know….really not my business…this game, it’s a lot of illusions. A cat might have a deal valued at that much and project it like it’s in they bank account. I know the FilmOn dude is a billionaire.
I also know his business dealings aren’t always good but when you not making no money and someone comes to the table with a decent sum they going to take it… no matter what the negotiations are cause they not hot any more. Have you heard soldier boy lately? Just being honest.
SFHH: Â Do you believe it is important to study those who came before you in Hip Hop or to go with the current trends?
Fong-Sai-U: Â You can use an outline but to study them niggas before you, no. It’s about reinventing yourself or coming up with something no one has done yet as far as flow or topic. These old cats are disgruntled employees of Hip Hop and most of them trying to rap like the kids so they killed there history
SFHH: What artists in Hip Hop do you listen to if any?
Fong-Sai-U: Â Myself
