Lil C.S. Interview in RIME Magazine
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Lil C.S.
“The Gangsta Lyricist”
By Colin Marshall
Not a whole lot of rappers have come up out San Diego in hip-hop’s history. Only a few people like Jayo Felony have really hit it big and represented the city. There’s one name that can’t be left out when conversing about the San Diego rap scene though and that is Lil C.S. Without a doubt he’s that someone special that SD has been waiting for, ever since Jayo put it down. Not only is he one of the realest rappers when it comes to the validity of what he speaks on, but he also writes lyrics that not many others can. Check it out as we take you from his childhood to where he is now.
How old are you?
“I’m still young enough not to give a fuck, but old enough to know better.”
Where are you from?
“I’m from a spot in San Diego called East Dago. It’s the same old shit man, with the ghetto type environment. There were a lot of dope spots in my hood back in the day, because most of my hood is mostly apartments. It ain’t no suburb over there.”
How did you get into rapping?
“I was rapping way back in Jr. High School. I got into it from listening to dudes like Run DMC, Rakim and then NWA, Ice Cube, Too Short etc. I was rapping way back then. It just so happened that I was bangin’ and slangin’ and rappin’ at the same time so I was rapping about dope before I even heard of NWA because that’s what I was doing. I’ve been doing this shit for over 15 years.”
Didn’t you do a lot of time behind bars?
“Yeah, we got indicted for numerous charges. One of them was a federal charge called 848 CCE. The CCE stands for Continued Criminal Enterprise, and also was charged with distribution of cocaine and numerous other drug charges. There was some other shit too. It was more hearsay on shootings and stuff, but that’s all it was and there wasn’t any charges brought against us for that. I did over eight years straight in the feds.”
Did you record anything before you went to prison?
“Yeah, I had a little 5 song EP. It was some street shit that I was going through at the time, but I wasn’t even selling it. I was too much into the streets. I was one of the main dudes out here in Dago as far as ballin’ and bangin’. I had a street rep before this rap shit. I had a Benz at age 18, and had contracts out on me and shit. I was just out there wild. We never tried selling it my ep, but we were going to try to start our own label back in like ’88 right before we got indicted, but we got cracked before we got our break.
Were you still putting in work when you were in prison?
“When I got there I was young and wild so I was still on one from the street. When I did put in work, it was necessary. I just didn’t go around doing shit, trying to put a lot on it. I ended up being in two riots while I was locked up. The first one was against the police because they got this law called the crack law. It gives people who slang crack a 100 to 1 ratio over people who slang power, which means you can get caught with two ounces of crack and get ten years and get caught with five keys of powder and get the same ten years. Mostly young blacks were the ones selling crack, so we were the ones with all the time. We thought the law was unjust. We just went off one day on the police and everybody. I was in another riot when I got shipped to Louisiana. That was over some penitentiary bullshit though.”
What does the C.S. in your name Lil C.S. stand for?
“Well my brother’s initials are C.S. Before I went to the pen, my street name was DJL, or people called me by my real name. My brother has always been C.S., and we were on the same case. He has to do a total of fourteen years, so he still had like six years left when I got out. After I got out, I felt like all the homies had forgotten about him, so I told him that when I get out and get this rap shit crackin’ because all my niggas know that if I wouldn’t have went to the feds I would’ve been a major factor in this rap game, so I call myself Lil C.S. out of respect for him because my brother is one of the realest muthafucka’s I know.”
What inspired you to make your own independent label rather than joining somebody else’s?
“I was a hustler from the jump. When I was ten years old, we were stealing dogs and selling them. Then I started selling weed, then dope. When I first started rapping I was always thinking of ways to start my own label. When I went to the pen I studied business and how to run a record label, and by the time I got out I knew enough to start one, and run a business. I learned accounting and everything. When I got out I was hella determined, so I just put it down.”
How did Ghetto Classics fare as far as the street response that you got?
“Music is all about timing. At that time it was tight for ’99. People were really feeling it when it came out. It could’ve been a little better because I put it out so quick, but it was good enough so that people would be waiting on my next album. I built a little fan base with it and got up in a few big rap magazines.”
How are you pushing Dollars and Sins and what’s been the response so far?
“We do it all. Me and my homie 1-Hun sell out the trunk at the malls, and a lot of different events. Plus we got nationwide distribution through Bayside Dist, and it’s selling on all of the West Coast, the Midwest and the Northwest. We put up our own posters and hand out our own flyers, and we got street teams in other cities and states. Our shit is even sellin’ overseas. We’re also promoting it on our website www.ghettoworld.com and www.siccness.net and we had some full page ads in magazines. Word of mouth though is what really is makin’ my album bubble. People have come up to me and told me that Dollars and Sins is one the best West Coast albums they heard in three or four years. They say the production, the lyrics, my delivery, the versatility, and the rhyme structure is just incredible. We got Jayo Felony, Bad Azz, Brotha Lynch Hung, Mac Dre, my group The Mobstaz, and some other Dago cats. I got eleven solo tracks on there and six with features so it’s not a compilation like some of these other solo artists out. Personally, I don’t think another album came out in 2001 that can fuck with it. That’s not just me saying it either, a lot of people have been telling me that too. I took more time with Dollars & Sins. The production is better than the first album, and just lyrically I just smashed niggas with this album. It’s unfuckwitable!.”
What’s up with your lyrics compared to other rappers?
“Certain rappers use a simple rhyme structure, but I rhyme multi-syllable. If I say something like ‘Dollars and Sins’ I’ll rhyme it with ‘Impala’s and Benz’ or ‘Hydraulics and Rims’, and that’s multi-syllable rhyming. At the same time I keep it real lyrical but I put it from a street perspective telling real-life true stories. I feel that’s the advantage I have over most West Coast rappers because they just go on content, they don’t go on skill and how they format their rhyme structure. There’s a few out there like Crooked I that put it down like I do. He’s really the main person I’m feeling right now, and I think I’m right up there with him as far as I’m concerned.”
What producers are you dealing with?
“To me, I work with the three tightest producers that just ain’t discovered yet. I had Cricet, VMF, and Ecay Uno producing my new album.
How did you and Jayo hook up?
“It’s a long story. When I went to the pen, I was real well known in the streets out here in Dago. I was known for street shit more than for rapping. So when I was in the pen, he blew up, and I’m glad he blew up because he brought respect to Dago the way he represented it. When I got out, a mutual homie introduced us. His double OG homey Lil Bull (R.I.P.) Jayo had heard of me already because of my street rep, and we just hooked up.”
Anything in the plans to be released on Ghetto World?
“We’re gonna put out this dvd documentary called ‘In the Ghetto World: Faded & X-Rated’ and the Soundtrack sometime by the end of this year. It will have footage of studio sessions, shows, and freak shit. Jayo, Bad Azz, Mac Dre, and Rakim are all in it. After that we’re going to put out The Mobstaz album early next year, which is going to be called ‘All Part of the Game.’ The Mobstaz is Playboy Floyd, Big Mar Dog, Baby Ant, and me. After that I’m releasing my third solo album titled ‘The Hardest’, because I proved on my album Dollars & Sins that I’m one of the hardest, and on my next album I’m going to prove that I am ‘The Hardest’. I already have the concepts worked out for it and everything. I’m also on a lot of upcoming compilations so look out for that.”
Would you like to say anything else?
“Everybody go pick up that Dollars & Sins album if you haven’t got it yet. I guarantee you are going to like it! You’re going to rank me up there at least in the top five spitters in the West Coast. I call myself the ‘Gangsta Lyricist’ because that’s what I am. Be on the lookout for anything from Ghetto World. It’s guaranteed heat!”
“The Gangsta Lyricist”
By Colin Marshall
Not a whole lot of rappers have come up out San Diego in hip-hop’s history. Only a few people like Jayo Felony have really hit it big and represented the city. There’s one name that can’t be left out when conversing about the San Diego rap scene though and that is Lil C.S. Without a doubt he’s that someone special that SD has been waiting for, ever since Jayo put it down. Not only is he one of the realest rappers when it comes to the validity of what he speaks on, but he also writes lyrics that not many others can. Check it out as we take you from his childhood to where he is now.
How old are you?
“I’m still young enough not to give a fuck, but old enough to know better.”
Where are you from?
“I’m from a spot in San Diego called East Dago. It’s the same old shit man, with the ghetto type environment. There were a lot of dope spots in my hood back in the day, because most of my hood is mostly apartments. It ain’t no suburb over there.”
How did you get into rapping?
“I was rapping way back in Jr. High School. I got into it from listening to dudes like Run DMC, Rakim and then NWA, Ice Cube, Too Short etc. I was rapping way back then. It just so happened that I was bangin’ and slangin’ and rappin’ at the same time so I was rapping about dope before I even heard of NWA because that’s what I was doing. I’ve been doing this shit for over 15 years.”
Didn’t you do a lot of time behind bars?
“Yeah, we got indicted for numerous charges. One of them was a federal charge called 848 CCE. The CCE stands for Continued Criminal Enterprise, and also was charged with distribution of cocaine and numerous other drug charges. There was some other shit too. It was more hearsay on shootings and stuff, but that’s all it was and there wasn’t any charges brought against us for that. I did over eight years straight in the feds.”
Did you record anything before you went to prison?
“Yeah, I had a little 5 song EP. It was some street shit that I was going through at the time, but I wasn’t even selling it. I was too much into the streets. I was one of the main dudes out here in Dago as far as ballin’ and bangin’. I had a street rep before this rap shit. I had a Benz at age 18, and had contracts out on me and shit. I was just out there wild. We never tried selling it my ep, but we were going to try to start our own label back in like ’88 right before we got indicted, but we got cracked before we got our break.
Were you still putting in work when you were in prison?
“When I got there I was young and wild so I was still on one from the street. When I did put in work, it was necessary. I just didn’t go around doing shit, trying to put a lot on it. I ended up being in two riots while I was locked up. The first one was against the police because they got this law called the crack law. It gives people who slang crack a 100 to 1 ratio over people who slang power, which means you can get caught with two ounces of crack and get ten years and get caught with five keys of powder and get the same ten years. Mostly young blacks were the ones selling crack, so we were the ones with all the time. We thought the law was unjust. We just went off one day on the police and everybody. I was in another riot when I got shipped to Louisiana. That was over some penitentiary bullshit though.”
What does the C.S. in your name Lil C.S. stand for?
“Well my brother’s initials are C.S. Before I went to the pen, my street name was DJL, or people called me by my real name. My brother has always been C.S., and we were on the same case. He has to do a total of fourteen years, so he still had like six years left when I got out. After I got out, I felt like all the homies had forgotten about him, so I told him that when I get out and get this rap shit crackin’ because all my niggas know that if I wouldn’t have went to the feds I would’ve been a major factor in this rap game, so I call myself Lil C.S. out of respect for him because my brother is one of the realest muthafucka’s I know.”
What inspired you to make your own independent label rather than joining somebody else’s?
“I was a hustler from the jump. When I was ten years old, we were stealing dogs and selling them. Then I started selling weed, then dope. When I first started rapping I was always thinking of ways to start my own label. When I went to the pen I studied business and how to run a record label, and by the time I got out I knew enough to start one, and run a business. I learned accounting and everything. When I got out I was hella determined, so I just put it down.”
How did Ghetto Classics fare as far as the street response that you got?
“Music is all about timing. At that time it was tight for ’99. People were really feeling it when it came out. It could’ve been a little better because I put it out so quick, but it was good enough so that people would be waiting on my next album. I built a little fan base with it and got up in a few big rap magazines.”
How are you pushing Dollars and Sins and what’s been the response so far?
“We do it all. Me and my homie 1-Hun sell out the trunk at the malls, and a lot of different events. Plus we got nationwide distribution through Bayside Dist, and it’s selling on all of the West Coast, the Midwest and the Northwest. We put up our own posters and hand out our own flyers, and we got street teams in other cities and states. Our shit is even sellin’ overseas. We’re also promoting it on our website www.ghettoworld.com and www.siccness.net and we had some full page ads in magazines. Word of mouth though is what really is makin’ my album bubble. People have come up to me and told me that Dollars and Sins is one the best West Coast albums they heard in three or four years. They say the production, the lyrics, my delivery, the versatility, and the rhyme structure is just incredible. We got Jayo Felony, Bad Azz, Brotha Lynch Hung, Mac Dre, my group The Mobstaz, and some other Dago cats. I got eleven solo tracks on there and six with features so it’s not a compilation like some of these other solo artists out. Personally, I don’t think another album came out in 2001 that can fuck with it. That’s not just me saying it either, a lot of people have been telling me that too. I took more time with Dollars & Sins. The production is better than the first album, and just lyrically I just smashed niggas with this album. It’s unfuckwitable!.”
What’s up with your lyrics compared to other rappers?
“Certain rappers use a simple rhyme structure, but I rhyme multi-syllable. If I say something like ‘Dollars and Sins’ I’ll rhyme it with ‘Impala’s and Benz’ or ‘Hydraulics and Rims’, and that’s multi-syllable rhyming. At the same time I keep it real lyrical but I put it from a street perspective telling real-life true stories. I feel that’s the advantage I have over most West Coast rappers because they just go on content, they don’t go on skill and how they format their rhyme structure. There’s a few out there like Crooked I that put it down like I do. He’s really the main person I’m feeling right now, and I think I’m right up there with him as far as I’m concerned.”
What producers are you dealing with?
“To me, I work with the three tightest producers that just ain’t discovered yet. I had Cricet, VMF, and Ecay Uno producing my new album.
How did you and Jayo hook up?
“It’s a long story. When I went to the pen, I was real well known in the streets out here in Dago. I was known for street shit more than for rapping. So when I was in the pen, he blew up, and I’m glad he blew up because he brought respect to Dago the way he represented it. When I got out, a mutual homie introduced us. His double OG homey Lil Bull (R.I.P.) Jayo had heard of me already because of my street rep, and we just hooked up.”
Anything in the plans to be released on Ghetto World?
“We’re gonna put out this dvd documentary called ‘In the Ghetto World: Faded & X-Rated’ and the Soundtrack sometime by the end of this year. It will have footage of studio sessions, shows, and freak shit. Jayo, Bad Azz, Mac Dre, and Rakim are all in it. After that we’re going to put out The Mobstaz album early next year, which is going to be called ‘All Part of the Game.’ The Mobstaz is Playboy Floyd, Big Mar Dog, Baby Ant, and me. After that I’m releasing my third solo album titled ‘The Hardest’, because I proved on my album Dollars & Sins that I’m one of the hardest, and on my next album I’m going to prove that I am ‘The Hardest’. I already have the concepts worked out for it and everything. I’m also on a lot of upcoming compilations so look out for that.”
Would you like to say anything else?
“Everybody go pick up that Dollars & Sins album if you haven’t got it yet. I guarantee you are going to like it! You’re going to rank me up there at least in the top five spitters in the West Coast. I call myself the ‘Gangsta Lyricist’ because that’s what I am. Be on the lookout for anything from Ghetto World. It’s guaranteed heat!”