Really the game is big enough for both and all the petty shit that goes on in-between the cause of this beef is really just bullshit. I embrace the young cats because they bring new blood into the game. But at the same time a lot of the older generation rappers, they made this game. And there wouldn’t be this game for these young motherfuckers to be doing shit if it wasn’t for the roads they laid and doors they opened for them. So it’s about a mutual respect. The older cats got to realize that this is a new day and age, a new time. So circumstances on which you get put on, whether it’s getting signed or getting rotation for video and radio, it’s a whole different ballgame, man. And you can’t hate on these youngsters for what the motherfuckers who actually control this shit (do). You can’t be mad at them. It’s petty; they need to get over it.

I’m sure in the next few years you’ll see collaborations between vets and youngsters and shit like that. But everybody’s got to put out quality work, from the veterans to the young cats. Put out some shit that really means something. Hip-Hop has so many different faces and so many different types of fans that if these dudes are just doing meaningless shit that means nothing, it’s just party fun shit… whatever. That’s their grind, people like it, you can’t be mad at them. If the vets want to say some shit with substance and meaningful shit, there’s a lane for that too, man. Motherfuckers just got to get over it. Everybody, the youngsters and the vets.

TSS: Your name says it all, man. A lot of the things you rhymed about on your records, those are things that you’ve actually lived through. Nowadays a lot of cats are getting exposed because they haven’t been truthful about their pasts. At the same time, N.W.A. crashed the door down for gangsta rap but not all of them lived what they said either. So how important is it for a rapper to rhyme about what he actually lived?

B-Real: I think if you’re going to be that type of rapper, you need to be as truthful as possible. Let’s be realistic: Hip-Hop is a lot about bragging and talking shit for the competitive sake, you know? So people are going to exaggerate here and there or put more on it than there really is. But if you’re gonna be one of them rappers, you can’t be falsifying shit and talk about shit you ain’t never did because people will call you on it. If you ain’t that motherfucker, you ain’t never lived that life and it’s just entertainment, then you’ve got to come out and say that. Say, “Hey, you know what, I’ve been through a couple of things but this is mainly entertainment. I’m like a fuckin’ actor right here.” Arnold Schwarzenegger ain’t no goddamn superhero, Keanu Reeves doesn’t really live in The Matrix. It’s a fuckin’ role.

You just got to be real with these fans and they’ll appreciate it. You might catch flack from your peers but if you’re gettin’ yours and you just be yourself, people understand that. But if you’re trying to be superthug and you’re really supersoft, motherfuckers are gonna see that. Like for instance, MC Hammer, and this is just an example ‘cause MC Hammer is actually a cool motherfucker. When he started he was the dance dude; he was the entertainment guy. That’s specifically what he came out saying, like, “I’m an entertainer.” The minute he went with Death Row, he tried to get gangster and people weren’t really buying that, ‘cause they knew this dude wasn’t really that. He got a lot of flack for that shit as opposed to if he had just come out and said, “This is a new role I’m playing,” I think more people would’ve respected that. But because he tried to make such a heavy switch… You’ve got these young cats these days who think that’s the lane they got to be in to get respect. “Oh, I’ve got to be superthug for motherfuckers to respect me” and really it ain’t that.

You look at guys like Common and guys like Kanye. You look at guys like that who are in the game, super-respected; they ain’t never had to act thugged out and shit like that. They are what they are, they’ve been very honest about that and people respect them. So you don’t got to go that stereotypical way and act like, “I used to be thugged out. I shot motherfuckers. I did this and I did that.” I mean, come on, man. That shit is played out. Just do good music, whether you’re talking about street shit or whether you’re talking about just partying. Whatever you’re talking about, just do good music and be yourself.

TSS: Of all of the crazy joints you’ve been rollin’ up in your new “instructional” video clips, which is your favorite one and why? You have some pretty interesting creations there. Which one do you enjoy rolling and smoking the most?

B-Real: I think The Satellite ‘cause it’s a trip, you know what I mean? Out of all of them it gets you highest the most. I don’t know what it is about it but it gets you super-fucked up (Laughs). You could roll a joint that’s the equivalent of all those fuckin’ joints and smoke that one, and it still wouldn’t get you as high as smoking The Satellite. The Crystal Spear was good too, though. I’m trying to figure out what I’m gonna do for the next one. People keep hounding me about it, like, “C’mon, man. You’re laggin’. What are you gonna do for the next one?” But you know it takes time to create something that’s gonna trip people out. So the next one is gonna be fuckin’ sick.

TSS: Yeah, that Crystal Spear is tight, man. I got to get that down pat. But let me ask you, what do you think about those Naked Papers? I tried to roll some of those and it takes some time to get used to.

B-Real: I don’t really like those.

TSS: You either, huh?

B-Real: Yeah, I don’t really like those because it’s a weird texture so they’re hard to roll and shit like that. And then when you actually smoke them, they’ve got a really weird fuckin’ after-taste about it. So I don’t really dig on ‘em. They’re cool; they’re a good novelty thing.

TSS: As a longtime marijuana activist, do you see anything changing on that front? Is the U.S. getting any closer to legalizing herb?

B-Real: Well, there have been some big steps that have been taken when you think about how many states have adopted the medical marijuana legislation. You’ve got to figure there’s being some great progress made, you know? Just the fact that Massachusetts and Michigan just recently… I think both of them or one of the two… just adopted a medical marijuana law. And the fact that an East Coast state has done that shows that people are ready for it.

It’s just a lot of the politicians worry about what the conservative voter thinks and what the religious right thinks. And what they really got to think (about) is that this country needs another revenue stream. If you put up medical marijuana shops, you allow people to have farms that grow and provide the herb for these medical shops…it would be a whole new fuckin’ stream of revenue that has been untapped.

They need the tax dollar, man. They need that shit, and the sooner they recognize that, the better off they’ll be. Because they’ll realize it’s not as addicting as alcohol, ‘cause alcohol is very addicting. It’s not as dangerous as alcohol or tobacco. They’ll make more room in the prisons for real criminals because your average drug offender, somebody who got caught for some weed or some bullshit like that. Those people ain’t real criminals, man.

TSS: True indeed. As a longtime fan I’m curious about at what point in your life did you dedicate yourself as a rapper? When did you first take rap serious as something you could bank off?

B-Real: Before I was rapping, I was banging. I was in the hood and Muggs, Sen Dog and my boy Mellow were trying to get me out of there. Trying to get me to write and do music again. When I got involved in with banging, I was pretty much deep in that shit, y’know? I didn’t see anything else; I was in the hood doing my thing, whatever. But they were persistent about it and I started writing some shit on Mellow’s record, his first record and what not. I started getting the hang again, my writing, timing and all that shit, and I started having fun doing it.

Eventually, we started doing our demos; I think it was when we made “Real Estate” or “Kill A Man.“ It was like, “Okay, you know what? This is what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ma step away from this gangbang shit. Hopefully my homies will understand and what not. If they don’t, there’s nothing I can do but go for mine regardless.” Fortunately they understood and didn’t try to give me a guilt trip about leaving the hood or nothing like that. I was just trying to do something positive and a lot of them understood that. So that’s what it was, when we started getting deep into the demos. I didn’t want to fuck it up for these guys ‘cause they’re taking a chance on pulling me out the hood to do this shit.

TSS: Will there be another Cypress Hill album?

B-Real: Yeah, we’re actually mixing it now. We still have a few recordings to go, but we’re actually mixing it now so we can put it out in June possibly.

TSS: That’s whassup. Any parting shots for the Smoking Section readers? There’s a bunch of them out there.

B-Real: I will say this, man. Thanks for all the support throughout the years. We’re coming with some more shit. And as far as the medical marijuana movement; read the legislation in California, Massachusetts and all the other states that are slowly applying it to their state, and see what you can do to make it happen in your state. We need it to be decriminalized and legalized. We need the money, y’all.

Smoke N Mirrors in stores February 24th, 2009 courtesy of Audio Hustlaz/Duck Down Records. The album features beats produced by Alchemist, Scoop Deville, & Sick Jacken (from Psycho Realm) and vocal appearances by Snoop Dogg, Buckshot, Kurupt, Too Short, Sen Dog, of Cypress Hill. For more info, visit www.DuckDown.com, www.myspace.com/brealonline and http://www.youtube.com/BRealtv.

Video — “Don’t Ya Dare Laugh”

Audio — B-Real Feat. Xzibit & Young De – “Don’t Ya Dare Laugh” Remix