ALL STAR 2011 - Ozone Magazine

Tell us about The Gang.Te Money: Chino is the Southsider of the group,Lefty is the Blood, and I’m the Crip. My cousinTurtle handles most of the business, alongwith myself.So you’re a rapper/businessman?Te Money: I just became a rapper. I decided tobecome a rapper after Dolla died. Dolla wasmy artist and my business partner. Everybodysaid I should keep the whole thing going andkeep our dream alive, so that’s what I did. I’mdefinitely carrying on his memory. Me and mycousin sat down and put it together. Akon isstill involved, but as far as the legwork, me andmy cousin Turtle are doing that.“i got homiesthat died gangbangin’.rapperswanna live thatlife, but they’renot where i’m at.you’re on tv gettin’money offthis lifestyleand you ain’tnever lived thatlife. i’m againstthat.” - leftyHow would you define The Gang? Is it arecord label, a group, a clique, or all of theabove?Te Money: It’s a company and a group. It’s amovement. It’s not a negative movementthough. A gang is only negative when you donegative things. Supposedly, Crips and Bloodsdon’t get along in L.A. Supposedly, blacks andbrowns don’t get along in L.A. We tend to stayat war with the Mexicans, and the Bloods andthe Crips get into it. With us being together ina group, we’re trying to show everybody that itcan be a positive thing.So you’re hoping to dispel some of the L.A.stereotypes?Te Money: Yeah, and we ain’t in khakis and stufflike that – we get real fly. We’re not doing it likeThe Game and Snoop with red and blue rags,khakis, and Chucks. We’re on some fly shit.There’s some fly niggas in L.A.Lefty: And they’re not real gangbangers, either.Te Money: Yeah, that’s what people don’tunderstand. A person that’s really lived thatlifestyle, and been through the shootouts andstuff, is tryin’ to get away from it.Since they’re not real gangbangers, are youoffended by rappers like Snoop representingthe lifestyle?Lefty: It’s not even about Snoop, it’s about theother rappers that are doin’ it. I got homiesthat died [while gangbangin’] and I take thatpersonally. There are things we went throughin the streets. Te Money is a Crip, and I’m fromPiru. Chino’s a Mexican. I can talk to them.With my enemies, I can’t talk to them, becauseI lost my homies to that. [Rappers] are gettin’money and wanna live that life, but they’re notwhere I’m at. I really live in my hood. I reallygot homies that are going to jail every day.And then you’re on TV gettin’ money off this[lifestyle] and you ain’t never lived that life. I’magainst that. And you take it to the extreme– my homies are gettin’ 10 years added ontotheir charges for gang enhancement, whileyou’re on TV representing these things andnothing happens to you. That ain’t cool.Are there any artists you feel are accuratelyrepresenting the gang lifestyle?Te Money: I really can’t say what other peopleare doin’. I just know that all of us here havebeen in the trenches before, and this is a wayout for us. Akon helped me get out of my situation,so I just reached back out to try to helpsomebody else out of their situation. Hopefullywhen they become successful they’ll helpsomebody get out of their situation. Like hewas saying, a lot of cats talkin’ about it haven’treally lived it. None of them have been to jail,but when they got money, they get securityto protect ‘em so they can start living the life.This is real. This isn’t a put-together group, likea fake image.Since it’s not “normal” for Bloods and Cripsand blacks and Mexicans to coexist peacefully,how did you three come together?Lefty: My mom’s older brothers are Crips. Igrew up in their neighborhood. My dad is fromPiru [Bloods] so that’s how I came from that66 // OZONE MAG