illtema

1. Where were you born?

Harlem Hospital

2. Who did you live with while growing up?

I got two little brothers. Fred Money raps and Spectacular makes beats.I got an older sister too.

3. What kind of music were your parents playing in your house?

My parents played Salsa and Merengue cause I’m Dominican. My older sister and my cousins threw house parties. I was always rocking to Snoop Dogg, Wu Tang, Tupac.

I heard you like Tupac A lot. A lot of people on the East Coast don’t fuck with Tupac like that.

I think he’s one of the greatest if not the greatest.

4. Cause you think he’s saying something?

When he spits he puts his all into it. See how Eminem raps? Sometimes he gets compared to ‘Pac because you can feel him, you can hear it in his voice. There’s not a lot of people out there I could still rock with to this today.

5. So you tried to go for that same vibe on your album?

Nah, my vibe. He’s ‘Pac, I’m me. I’m just bringing you me, JR Writer, where I came from, what i’ve seen, what I’ve been through, and what my friends and family been through.

6. Name an artist that people wouldn’t expect you to listen to.

I like a lot of music out there. I like Gwen Stefani, a couple of her songs people wouldn’t expect me to listen to. I don’t listen to the whole album, though. I like that song I did-over on my mixtape. I don’t really go outside the boundary. I like real hip hop.

7. Have you ever been to the Dominican Republic (DR)?

Yea, I been to DR. I haven’t been there in a minute,last time I was there I was 11 or 12.

8. You still have family out there?

Yea I got family there. I got family all over. DR, Washington Heights. I been in the Heights a lot.

9. You grew up in Spanish Harlem?

Yea Spanish Harlem, Harlem I moved around a lot. 130th and St. Nick, 131st and Lenox.

10. What’s gonna be the most common response to your album?

You just gonna witness greatness. Everybody that listens to my album thinks it’s a throwback to hip hop. [The] only songs I got [circulating] from my album are “Grill ‘em” and “Bird Call.” I did that because I’m a fan of Rap. Back in the day I used to pop in niggas’ CD’s and get tight when they’d rap their freestyles on their album. An album takes time and work and you do all that just to spit the same shit [all over again]? You make people wait and go spend 25 dollars on your CD for that? So, I got 18 joints and two skits, it’s a full album. Jim Jones is on it. Hell Rell is on it. Cam’s on it. Nicole Wray’s on it. I got Paul Wall on a track too.

11. How’d you link up with Paul Wall?

I linked up with Paul Wall through my man Spliff. This was before he popped. He was in town and I hit him up. I told him I wanted him on my album. He was down, he was like ‘Let’s do this.’ He was on 48th, I was on 56th and he walked over with Michael Watts to the studio. We did the joint, blew smoke down with some piff and put that crack together. That shit came out retarded. I got that on camera for my DVD.

12. Whats your favorite Dipset CD?

My favorite? They’re all classics. I like Diplomatic Immunity 1. Diplomatic Immunity 2 is my shit.

13. What’s your opinion of the war in Iraq?

To keep it real I’m not even paying attention to that shit, man. I already know it’s retarded. I’m focused on me. I’m not focused on that shit. I’m not even gonna sit here and lie and say ‘Well that shit’s crazy.”

14. You put a song out against Ma$e. What was that about?

[Laughter] They wanna know about Ma$e. Basically it’s not against anyone. I didn’t take no shots at noone. I actually did, but I was just defending myself. Everybody I dissed on my mixtape, they done came at us. They either said, “Fuck Dipset,” or “Fuck Cam,” so I’m just responding and standing up for the Set.

15. What’s your relationship with Cam?

That’s my nigga.

16. You met him when you were how old?

About sixteen.

17. What’s your opinion on the Jay-Z vs Cam’ron shit?

My opinion on it? It is what is. Hov got beat on and he didn’t respond. He didn’t respond because he didn’t want Cam to pop off. He’s a hater. I know y’all don’t know that, cause y’all dont know him, but that’s what it is.

18. How’d you come up with your name?

My middle name is Junior. And I thought JR would be too plain of a name. The only thing I could come up with was JR Writer. I thought that shit stuck with me cause I write alot.

19. When you first started rapping did you have the same style or did you just gradually develop into how you spit now?

I think I get better and better every year. I don’t think I was this nice as I am now, three years ago or two years ago. I think my style and my swag develop every year.

20. Are you influenced by Cam or Juelz when you’re rhyming with them?

I’m not really influenced by them as much as I get motivated by them. If I see Juelz doing 170 songs I tell myself I got to work just as hard.

21. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I would like to have a label by then, but I got my own movement right now, Writer’s Block. Every year I’m trying to put out an album. I’m just beginning right now. I’ll be here. How old is Hov? 36? That’s a decade and five years from now for me and he’s still poppin, so I’ll be here for a minute.

22. What else is there besides rap? What else are you passionate about? Do you collect anything? Boats?

Rap is my life. I wake up in the morning. Before I do anything I’ll turn on my G5 listen to some beats, spark a blunt and start writing. Besides that I like to hang out. I don’t really get a chance to hang with my dudes. I got a daughter, so I be with my daughter. Collecting? I don’t collect boats. I like colorful jewelry.

23. How much piff do y’all roll with on tour?

You wearing a wire? [laughter] We get high, that’s all I’m gonna tell you. You know we got that piff. We get purpled up.

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