http://www.sohh.com/thecore/read.php?contentID=6832
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Editor's Note: On Thur, March 10th (1 week after this interview), C-Murder was denied a retrial by The State Court of Appeals. C is currently facing a mandatory term of life in prison without parole.
New Orleans native C-Murder (a.k.a. Corey Miller) step on the scene in 1995, when he joined his brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker in the No Limit super group, Tru. He soon carved his own niche, bringing a harder edge than his brothers on the solo albums Life or Death and Bossalinie. Then in 2000, he landed two breakthrough hits, with his verse on the 504 Boyz' "Wobble Wobble," and his own hit single with Snoop, "Down For My ni99az." The year 2000 also brought C-Murder a different kind of attention, the kind no artist wants. After the nightclub shooting of a teenager, C-Murder found himself on trial for murder, with his own name and lyrics used against him in court. He was swiftly convicted and has remained in jail for over 3 years in Louisiana's Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. But last year brought new hope of a release as his defense team uncovered the involvement of racist cops and dirty prosecutors, who withheld information about their witnesses. This convinced the judge to overturn C-Murder's conviction, and now he's waiting for a new trial and a second chance at freedom.
In the meantime Corey hasn't let the iron bars keep him from his grind, recording a new album The Truest sh!t I Ever Said, set for release on March 22nd. He made prison authorities furious when he managed to film a video for the lead single "Y'all Heard of Me" from inside the jail. Despite the stress of his situation, C remains positive and focused. This week C-Murder used his 15 minutes of phone time to speak with SOHH.com about the evils he's up against, the new album release, and his hopes for his own release.
SOHH: First off, how are you holding up? What do you do to stay positive and keep your head up while you're in there?
C-Murder: Well you know, I chill basically. I'm working on a book that keeps my time occupied, writing these two books, plus I like to do a lot of reading. I read everything from Malcolm X's autobiography to Terri Woods' novels. And I get visits every Monday, so I'm straight.
SOHH: What's the status of your trial situation right now?
C-Murder: The judge overturned my conviction, so right now I should be straight with that. The DA is trying to overturn the decision, so we're waiting on that appeal, and that should come back any day now. But I'm confident because basically we let 'em know the truth, from my private investigator doing his job. He found out that these witnesses were tainted and told what to do, so basically it was a big old setup on me, you feel me?
SOHH: Do you think there was a lot of racism involved?
C-Murder: Yeah definitely that. Because Jefferson Parish is predominantly white. It's only ten minutes from New Orleans but it's in a whole different city, and if you've got Black skin it's real hard for you once you get in the system here.
SOHH: New Orleans itself is known for its racist authorities. Is Jefferson Parish even worse?
C-Murder: Well you know in New Orleans the police got a real bad reputation, from back in the days it came out they were selling drugs and killing people. So from day one we never had no trust with the police whatsoever. But with Jefferson Parish I had never been on this side, so I was kinda dumb to this whole system over here. The police are corrupted on both sides, but I'm seeing that this side here is a little worse cuz they just want to put you in and get a conviction no matter what. Over there in New Orleans you might just get killed or something once in a while, but the police over here are more organized about it, and they're out to straight up take your freedom.
SOHH: Are a lot of the other inmates there because of the same racism and corruption?
C-Murder: Yeah, once I came here and started talking to all of these dudes, learned about all of their cases, I saw this was going on way before I got here. That's just how Jefferson Parish do. They clean up their witnesses' records, they coerce and tell them to say this and say that, and then they give the witness some benefits in their own cases. And everybody's been going through that, it ain't just me, it's just that I have an opportunity to expose it. Cuz it was a big old hidden subject going on, and I got lucky and found out what was going on and exposed them.
SOHH: So beyond working on your own case, you also want to use your clout as an artist to shed light on this issue.
C-Murder: Exactly, that's what I'm doing. That's what I've been doing with my attorney, bringing all these things their doing to the light, and I don't want to hold nothing back. Just like they flashed me on the news saying I'm this and that, I ain't gonna stop till I see all these people from the system walking around in handcuffs on TV, just like they had me. You feel me?
SOHH: What can you tell us about how you got the new video done from inside there?
C-Murder: Well you know me, I don't like to half-do nothing. And when I decided to do this album I wanted to go all the way with it. So when you see the video, you'll see there ain't no actors or nothing like this, it's straight up real. They didn't think I was gonna be able to go all the way and have a video and everything, but me being me I like everything to be top notch professional. So I just said "I gotta put my all into handling this and doing this." So... I did it. Basically.
SOHH: Has the staff given you a lot of trouble since they found out you got that done without permission?
C-Murder: Oh yes indeed man. They've been shaking me down every day, coming in here throwing stuff around and tearing my cell up. But you know, I'm used to that. They've been doing that since day one, so I kinda grown immune to them with that, and I ain't tripping. They're mad, they're pissed off, but there ain't nothing they can do about it, you feel me?
They've been handling me bad while I've been in here, but one thing they've got to do, they've got to respect me. Cuz I'll stand up for whatever and stand my ground. I ain't trying to get in no physical altercations with them or nothing like that, but I ain't to be played with either. So they hate me, but they gonna have to respect a ni99a, you feel me?
SOHH: For those of us who only see jail on shows like Oz, how much of what we see on TV is real inside there?
C-Murder: Well I'm in a parish prison, Jefferson Parish, this ain't a penitentiary. Penitentiary is like that but this here is just like being in a little hotel, right now. This is a stepping stone where if you're unlucky you go to the penitentiary, and that's where all that you see on Oz will happen in certain situations. But it only happens to the ones that allow it to happen to them, you heard? It's rough, you gotta hold yours and get into some scraps and all that, but that's just what you gotta do. But as far as being in a parish, it's basically protected and you get in trouble if stuff goes wrong, so people just be trying to chill in there.
SOHH: What's the biggest misconception about life in jail?
C-Murder: The thing most people don't know is that all the bullsh!t you gotta deal with in here is much bigger than just fighting and getting into it with the next inmate. Cuz basically most of the inmates in here really get along. But it's this bullsh!t you gotta deal with, with the deputy and the warden and the rules, that's the main thing. It's these damn rules and them always picking with you, always in your face about this and about that. You gotta maintain and deal with that while at the same time trying to get home, don't do nothing to prevent yourself from coming home.
SOHH: Let's talk about the new album, what makes this one the "truest sh!t you ever said"?
C-Murder: Well I've been in here for a minute. Locked up for three years and change, you heard me? There's been a lot going on, the rap game done changed up, and I want my fans to know I'm still holding it down, still voicing what I need to voice, rapping and keeping it real.
SOHH: How has the game changed since the last time you came out?
C-Murder: Well, we don't really get videos here, but when I travel to another parish I get to see the videos, and I occasionally hear the radio over the phone. And I'm seeing a lot of beefing and warring, or it's all about what you got, your diamonds and your Rolexes. So you try to come hardcore but it keeps coming back to that flossing and that beef, and I ain't really with that. We need to get back to what's happening, start spitting that knowledge to the people and stay away from these conflicts.
SOHH: The beef is really heating up now with Game and 50.
C-Murder: Yeah I saw something like that on the news but I really didn't know what was going on. I just try to put my head down from that, really. All this foolishness there, we need to sit down in a room like men. We're either gonna work together or we ain't gonna be together. There's enough money out there for everybody.
SOHH: On the new single you say "I spit that gangsta rap, forget that hip-hop" What's the difference between gangsta rap and hip-hop?
C-Murder: Well hip-hop is more of a party and dance type of thing with a fun attitude, and there ain't nothing wrong with that, I love it. But with what I'm going through right now I don't want to talk about no parties, cuz I ain't having no parties in here. I want to spit straight gangsta sh!t that's real. Let people know what happens on the dark side of life.
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Editor's Note: On Thur, March 10th (1 week after this interview), C-Murder was denied a retrial by The State Court of Appeals. C is currently facing a mandatory term of life in prison without parole.
New Orleans native C-Murder (a.k.a. Corey Miller) step on the scene in 1995, when he joined his brothers Master P and Silkk the Shocker in the No Limit super group, Tru. He soon carved his own niche, bringing a harder edge than his brothers on the solo albums Life or Death and Bossalinie. Then in 2000, he landed two breakthrough hits, with his verse on the 504 Boyz' "Wobble Wobble," and his own hit single with Snoop, "Down For My ni99az." The year 2000 also brought C-Murder a different kind of attention, the kind no artist wants. After the nightclub shooting of a teenager, C-Murder found himself on trial for murder, with his own name and lyrics used against him in court. He was swiftly convicted and has remained in jail for over 3 years in Louisiana's Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. But last year brought new hope of a release as his defense team uncovered the involvement of racist cops and dirty prosecutors, who withheld information about their witnesses. This convinced the judge to overturn C-Murder's conviction, and now he's waiting for a new trial and a second chance at freedom.
In the meantime Corey hasn't let the iron bars keep him from his grind, recording a new album The Truest sh!t I Ever Said, set for release on March 22nd. He made prison authorities furious when he managed to film a video for the lead single "Y'all Heard of Me" from inside the jail. Despite the stress of his situation, C remains positive and focused. This week C-Murder used his 15 minutes of phone time to speak with SOHH.com about the evils he's up against, the new album release, and his hopes for his own release.
SOHH: First off, how are you holding up? What do you do to stay positive and keep your head up while you're in there?
C-Murder: Well you know, I chill basically. I'm working on a book that keeps my time occupied, writing these two books, plus I like to do a lot of reading. I read everything from Malcolm X's autobiography to Terri Woods' novels. And I get visits every Monday, so I'm straight.
SOHH: What's the status of your trial situation right now?
C-Murder: The judge overturned my conviction, so right now I should be straight with that. The DA is trying to overturn the decision, so we're waiting on that appeal, and that should come back any day now. But I'm confident because basically we let 'em know the truth, from my private investigator doing his job. He found out that these witnesses were tainted and told what to do, so basically it was a big old setup on me, you feel me?
SOHH: Do you think there was a lot of racism involved?
C-Murder: Yeah definitely that. Because Jefferson Parish is predominantly white. It's only ten minutes from New Orleans but it's in a whole different city, and if you've got Black skin it's real hard for you once you get in the system here.
SOHH: New Orleans itself is known for its racist authorities. Is Jefferson Parish even worse?
C-Murder: Well you know in New Orleans the police got a real bad reputation, from back in the days it came out they were selling drugs and killing people. So from day one we never had no trust with the police whatsoever. But with Jefferson Parish I had never been on this side, so I was kinda dumb to this whole system over here. The police are corrupted on both sides, but I'm seeing that this side here is a little worse cuz they just want to put you in and get a conviction no matter what. Over there in New Orleans you might just get killed or something once in a while, but the police over here are more organized about it, and they're out to straight up take your freedom.
SOHH: Are a lot of the other inmates there because of the same racism and corruption?
C-Murder: Yeah, once I came here and started talking to all of these dudes, learned about all of their cases, I saw this was going on way before I got here. That's just how Jefferson Parish do. They clean up their witnesses' records, they coerce and tell them to say this and say that, and then they give the witness some benefits in their own cases. And everybody's been going through that, it ain't just me, it's just that I have an opportunity to expose it. Cuz it was a big old hidden subject going on, and I got lucky and found out what was going on and exposed them.
SOHH: So beyond working on your own case, you also want to use your clout as an artist to shed light on this issue.
C-Murder: Exactly, that's what I'm doing. That's what I've been doing with my attorney, bringing all these things their doing to the light, and I don't want to hold nothing back. Just like they flashed me on the news saying I'm this and that, I ain't gonna stop till I see all these people from the system walking around in handcuffs on TV, just like they had me. You feel me?
SOHH: What can you tell us about how you got the new video done from inside there?
C-Murder: Well you know me, I don't like to half-do nothing. And when I decided to do this album I wanted to go all the way with it. So when you see the video, you'll see there ain't no actors or nothing like this, it's straight up real. They didn't think I was gonna be able to go all the way and have a video and everything, but me being me I like everything to be top notch professional. So I just said "I gotta put my all into handling this and doing this." So... I did it. Basically.
SOHH: Has the staff given you a lot of trouble since they found out you got that done without permission?
C-Murder: Oh yes indeed man. They've been shaking me down every day, coming in here throwing stuff around and tearing my cell up. But you know, I'm used to that. They've been doing that since day one, so I kinda grown immune to them with that, and I ain't tripping. They're mad, they're pissed off, but there ain't nothing they can do about it, you feel me?
They've been handling me bad while I've been in here, but one thing they've got to do, they've got to respect me. Cuz I'll stand up for whatever and stand my ground. I ain't trying to get in no physical altercations with them or nothing like that, but I ain't to be played with either. So they hate me, but they gonna have to respect a ni99a, you feel me?
SOHH: For those of us who only see jail on shows like Oz, how much of what we see on TV is real inside there?
C-Murder: Well I'm in a parish prison, Jefferson Parish, this ain't a penitentiary. Penitentiary is like that but this here is just like being in a little hotel, right now. This is a stepping stone where if you're unlucky you go to the penitentiary, and that's where all that you see on Oz will happen in certain situations. But it only happens to the ones that allow it to happen to them, you heard? It's rough, you gotta hold yours and get into some scraps and all that, but that's just what you gotta do. But as far as being in a parish, it's basically protected and you get in trouble if stuff goes wrong, so people just be trying to chill in there.
SOHH: What's the biggest misconception about life in jail?
C-Murder: The thing most people don't know is that all the bullsh!t you gotta deal with in here is much bigger than just fighting and getting into it with the next inmate. Cuz basically most of the inmates in here really get along. But it's this bullsh!t you gotta deal with, with the deputy and the warden and the rules, that's the main thing. It's these damn rules and them always picking with you, always in your face about this and about that. You gotta maintain and deal with that while at the same time trying to get home, don't do nothing to prevent yourself from coming home.
SOHH: Let's talk about the new album, what makes this one the "truest sh!t you ever said"?
C-Murder: Well I've been in here for a minute. Locked up for three years and change, you heard me? There's been a lot going on, the rap game done changed up, and I want my fans to know I'm still holding it down, still voicing what I need to voice, rapping and keeping it real.
SOHH: How has the game changed since the last time you came out?
C-Murder: Well, we don't really get videos here, but when I travel to another parish I get to see the videos, and I occasionally hear the radio over the phone. And I'm seeing a lot of beefing and warring, or it's all about what you got, your diamonds and your Rolexes. So you try to come hardcore but it keeps coming back to that flossing and that beef, and I ain't really with that. We need to get back to what's happening, start spitting that knowledge to the people and stay away from these conflicts.
SOHH: The beef is really heating up now with Game and 50.
C-Murder: Yeah I saw something like that on the news but I really didn't know what was going on. I just try to put my head down from that, really. All this foolishness there, we need to sit down in a room like men. We're either gonna work together or we ain't gonna be together. There's enough money out there for everybody.
SOHH: On the new single you say "I spit that gangsta rap, forget that hip-hop" What's the difference between gangsta rap and hip-hop?
C-Murder: Well hip-hop is more of a party and dance type of thing with a fun attitude, and there ain't nothing wrong with that, I love it. But with what I'm going through right now I don't want to talk about no parties, cuz I ain't having no parties in here. I want to spit straight gangsta sh!t that's real. Let people know what happens on the dark side of life.