TSS PRESENTS SMOKING SESSIONS WITH HELL RELL

"Smoking Sessions With..."    By TSSCrew on October 17, 2007 at 9:58 am

When the streets are talking, chances are people are listening. Everybody wants the latest scoop or dirt on the who’s and what’s of the business. It sure helps when they have to something to talk about and an artist such as Hell Rell has the remedy. As a loyal lieutenant in one of Hip-Hop’s most storied followings, The Diplomats, Rell has played his position for years contributing to the Dips’ numerous solo projects while simultaneously building his rep on the mixtape circuit that blends gangsterisms with lyricism. On the heels of his solo debut For The Hell Of It, Hell Rell chops it up with TSS Crew’s T.C. to discuss the industry, the new album, and the future of The Diplomats.

TSS: What’s good Ruger?

Hell Rell: What it do homie?

TSS: I’m chillin’. First and foremost, can you clarify on what really happened in Grove City [Ohio], ’cause the Internet is sending mixed messages…

Hell Rell: Oh, no doubt. Aiight, what happened was, I looked it up, it’s a predominately white town, a suburb. I was trippin’ for even rolling up there from jump, but we stopped there on the way to Cleveland to get some gas and something to eat. We went to like a plaza outside and went to a pizza shop and then over to a Blockbuster to grab some movies for the road. We go in and see the little white chick behind the counter, she looking all nervous. So we asked what’s up with a bootleg section, ya know to break the ice. She give us a lil’ fake laugh but the underneath the counter she dialed 911…

TSS: Say what?

Hell Rell: Yeah, I know. So we ain’t see no movies we liked, so we left out. It was me and my manager Diddy. But then Duke [Da God] came in talking on a $600 iPhone so ya know we ain’t got no reason to be stealing. None of us. But Duke on the phone yappin’ and realized that he don’t have no money on him. So he puts the movies on the counter and runs over to the ATM and comes back to police waiting right there. Big redneck cracker. The whole while, the lady behind the counter talkin’ bout “he looked like he was stealing movies” and the police saying “Can I search you?” while starting to search him, which is illegal right there. So they found some weed in his right pocket and they arrested him….

TSS: But you didn’t get arrested? That was the all over the Internet…

Hell Rell: Nah, I know. It was just Duke Da God. He paid the fine and bail right there. We just had to pick him up from the precinct.

TSS: Sounds like Grade A racial profiling.

Hell Rell: Hell yeah it was. Because this lady told my man don’t stick around because the town had just got off that KKK bullshit like ten years ago. But we ain’t know, so we had to go through that. Screw Grove City…

TSS: I feel ya. But yeah, the album For The Hell Of It got released a couple weeks ago. You happy with the reception?

Hell Rell: Yeah, September 25th. I put out the realest street album. The streets is feeling it so I’m good.

TSS: What have you been doing to promote it?

Hell Rell: I just been grindin’ man, going wherever I can grab a mic, get on stage and perform, staying in the streets, basically being tangible man. I didn’t just make an album and stay up in the crib. I’m always out, always promoting, staying on the radio, interviews, because you know the radio play Top 40 or whatever’s poppin’ commercially, and my music ain’t really commercial music so I stay in my lane – the clubs, the streets, little events, things like that.

TSS: That’s what’s up. I see got Young Dro on the strip club joint “You Know What It It”. Is that an indicator that New York rappers aren’t biased to the down South mainstream explosion?

Hell Rell: Nah I’m not biased to the South. Nah no way. I’m just biased to dance music getting more love than real Hip-Hop.

TSS: No doubt. Okay, since your career is basically synonymous with Dipset, obviously Cam and Jimmy [Jones] got a little dispute going on between them. In the case that they make their split official, are your loyalties with Cam?

Hell Rell: I mean it’s always Dipset for life, but ya know I gotta career and a future too. So at the end of the day, I’m an entrepreneur. That’s what makes us a movement. I’m not just Cam’ron’s artist. I have my own label, which is Top Gunnas, I’m in the studio recording with my artists, so if they split, or anything happens, I’m straight. It’s not like I’m gonna “run with Cam” or “go run with Jim”; I’m gonna stand on my own two feet and run with ME (Laughs). I ain’t wit’ all that….

TSS: (Laughs)

Hell Rell: People would do that in the streets, ya know what I’m sayin’? If it was street beef and I had a better relationship or communication thing with either party, then it would be a pick or choose thing like “I’m going with this nigga cuz such and such” and vice versa. This is an entertainment business….I’m going with the MONEY! You feel me? And I’m not gonna sell my soul to get it or compromise my gangsta or integrity but I’m going where I can feed my family. I have a daughter so by me being successful in my career prevents her from being on the stripper pole ten years down the line…

TSS: (Laughs)That’s real talk.

Hell Rell: Yeah, you know I got friends and associates but I don’t see anyone taking care of that little girl the way I would in case I die. So that motivates me to do what I gotta do to feed my family. So it’s always Dipset for life, but I gotta feed my family.

TSS: Speaking of the split, Jimmy just signed a contract with Sony for reportedly millions of dollars. Are the Diplomats involved with that at all?

Hell Rell: Pretty much kid. You gotta understand that Jim is a hustler! He’s an executive of Diplomat Records, but it’s not a Diplomat move….well it is cuz he is Diplomats, but it’s not on my radar, that doesn’t have anything to do with my everyday business, nah mean?

TSS: Yeah, I get it. But it seems like you guys are always dropping something new. Duke Da God has a new DVD coming out. Are you in it at all?

Hell Rell: Yeah, it’s called Eye Of The Eagle. It pretty much shows all the members of the crew and we each got our own scene so you can catch me on that.

TSS: What about the acting? You already got “Killa Season” under your belt. Any plans for more?

Hell Rell: Yep, sure that you mention it, I’m actually gonna be in L.A. next week cuz I’m reading like three scripts. I’m gonna meet with the directors and see what’s good.

TSS: What kind of movies we talking bout?

Hell Rell: A couple of comedies and some action. So look out for Hollywood Rell real soon (Laughs)

TSS: I hear you got a book coming out too. Can you elaborate on that?

Hell Rell: Yeah, it’s called For The Hell Of It, just like the album. Pretty much every chapter coincides with a song, breaks it down even further and tells what I was going through when I wrote em’. That shit right there is original so if you hear anyone else doing it after this interview, they BITING!!!

TSS: (Laughs) What about the New York rap scene? People say its stale and boring right now. The Dips been doing it on the street level for a minute, would you say a lot cats sound just like ya’ll?

Hell Rell: Not necessarily sounding like us, but these cats just ain’t hot! Just dropping music sounding any ol’ way. You know, I be on the internet, reading comments about me, people saying I’m one dimensional and what not…

TSS: But you got concepts and punchlines…

Hell Rell: Exactly! I can actually rap! So yeah, I got hard shit but I don’t have to fabricate my rhymes because my shit is authentic! You can look me up on Department of Correction.com. A lot of these dudes is studio gangstas, but you that’s not new, you already know that.

TSS: So would you say the streets are crowding your lane? Like say an Uncle Murda…

Hell Rell: Uncle Murda? Well ya know, he’s a real street dude, real grimey in his raps. But he’s got something to say, streets relate to Uncle Murda, as they do me. You know, I put these type of records out and I know they’re not gonna be big on radio but at the end of the day, that’s me.

TSS: So with all the “street” music, do you feel like beef is unavoidable in this game?

Hell Rell: Yeah of course it’s unavoidable, but we need to take this battling back to an artform that can be appreciated because this beef shit is completely different, ya know what I mean? If it was some real beef, I wouldn’t be here, behind bars or dead. I could’ve caught a bad break plenty of times. I’m one of those dudes that’s not supposed to be here. Like Kanye West got in the accident, he’s not supposed to be here. So in the position that I’m in, I’m going for mine, under any circumstance. I’ll try to squeeze water from a rock if I have too (laughs). But yeah real beef and battling is totally different things. Niggas need to take it back to some skills challenge, some real MCing. Fuck that corny made for T.V. shit. Fuck that shit…umm…what’s it called?

TSS: Fight Klub?

Hell Rell: Yeah that’s wack. What niggas need to do is get a real deal arena for some hip-hop shit. The real rappers. Ones with deals. Ya know, let niggas put whatever they wanna wager and some judges with no affiliations to either side decide the winner and let em’ just go at it! I’ll battle Wayne, Jay, it don’t matter kid! That shit would get mad ratings, and it would all be for the love. And the loser would fall back with a smile on their face like “Yo homie, you spit that shit! You got me…” It’ll help take the game back to its original essence cuz you 80’s rappers impressed. Rakim is a true legend. And the battles they had – LL vs. Kool Moe Dee, KRS-One vs. Shan – were all skill.

TSS: Yeah nowadays it seems like any type of beef is just used to create hype to sell records.

Hell Rell: Definitely, and it’s played. Niggas don’t want no real beef because it’ll fuck em’ up. That 50 and Ja – that’s real beef. Shit can get ugly. The game is crazy. I used to laugh at the rappers a few years ago. I had the same cars, same jewerly, all that shit. They lookin’ at me like “I wanna be you!” And look at me now: a rapper! (Laughs). But I’m hot! You got rappers wanting to be drug dealers and drug dealers wanting to be rappers. That’s what we’re dealing right now.

TSS: Craziness. Well I appreciate the interview Ruger. Hope all your future projects are successful.

Hell Rell: Thanks for having me homie. Like I said before, screw Grove City. But I got love for the rest of Ohio, out there in the C.O, Cincinnati, Akron, Dayton, Toledo, and Cleveland. Album is in stores now and keep looking out for those mixtapes.

TSS: Aiight Ruger good lookin’.

Hell Rell: Yep. One.

For more info, visit www.myspace.com/hellrell.

“I Aint Playing Wit ‘Em” (Audio Stream)

“Show Off” (Audio Stream)

“I Ain’t Playin’ With ‘Em”/” You Know What It Is” (Video)

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