The Hip Hop Project Page #6

Where I want to go in life

motivates me.

Hip-hop motivates me.

Just doing this album,

that'll be enough fulfillment

for me,

because it's like

I didn't give up on my dream.

- I was stressed out because

I had to call all these different studios

to try to get them

to give us a reduced rate.

Out of nowhere,

I get a phone call,

and it's somebody

from Russell Simmons' office

saying that Bruce Willis

and Russell Simmons,

they're working together,

and he just says,

"Yo, I'm going to donate

a studio to you. "

Actually, I thought it was somebody

that was playing at first,

but I realized

that they were actually saying

that we could get a studio.

So, man, I was hyped.

That's the gift of a lifetime,

especially being an artist myself.

It's like a gift from God.

- Yeah, I dressed up.

- What's up, man?

Wow.

- How you feelin', man?

- Good.

- Yo, thank you, man.

- Oh, you're welcome.

- We used to record in,

like, a little closet,

you know what I'm saying?

So I knew it was going

to come together some way.

You know, we were just trying

to get all these different studios

to, like, donate the time

or whatever.

But, yo, just-

- The world moves

in mysterious ways, man.

- It does.

- Rap has been an expression

from poor, disenfranchised people.

It has reached the world,

but it's been a voice

for voiceless people.

What it's done for race relations

in this country is phenomenal.

It has made this world

much smaller.

- Color lines live

in people's minds

that are over 35,

40 years old.

You know, the world is changing

little by little.

- Music is going to bring

together the young people.

That's what I stand behind.

And also hip-hop is changing

the world as we see it,

if you to turn on

your television every day.

And right here,

it's bringing us together.

- Through art,

people survive,

and expression really gives you

a chance to dream

and to have vision.

And with the school systems

not supporting these kind of efforts,

it's so important

to have projects like these.

- I have a lot of faith

in these kids

and the entire program.

In five years,

hopefully there'll be 25 Art Start programs

in 25 other cities

in this country.

- The landlord is trying

to evict us.

It's all due

to my ma's passing.

After she passed,

the building was trying to say

that we had no legal right

to stay here.

We don't have no problems.

We're good tenants.

We're never late with rent,

you know what I'm saying?

So there's no reason to, I feel,

that we should move out of here

just despite that the building

would want to rent the apartment out

to somebody

who will pay more money.

You just counting each day now, like,

okay, this is the last Sunday

I'll stay here

or the last whatever,

you know.

You count-you marking the days.

I don't want that to happen.

- Sometimes people say

they want to do something,

and then the opportunity

presents itself,

and then you're like,

"Do I really want to do this? "

You know,

or you sabotage yourself,

because sometimes we're afraid

of our own success.

I thought people were more hyped

before we got the studio.

When you get

what you've been striving for,

it's like you get stuck

for a minute.

Everybody kind of like scared

or something, you know?

Not holding their weight.

Why you don't have

your four songs?

- Not being consistent

and lack of motivation.

If you don't finish what it is

that you start,

the energy that you had

making it's

not going to be the same

the next day.

So it's like,

you just push it to the side,

and it's,like,

just not following up.

- Being truthful with yourself,

most people just be fronting

all the time, lying.

You know what I'm saying?

In time past, you know,

and I'm speaking from experience,

you really don't accomplish what

you thought you would accomplish

because you was living

in an illusion.

You know what I'm saying?

We all go-we all do it.

- My schedule is crazy.

I'm doing school,

putting an album together,

helping my family,

staying strong,

and trying to stay sane.

Nothing in life

is going to come to you easy.

You're going to

have to struggle,

or you're going to have to

work hard.

I can't imagine where my life

would be right now

if I didn't go

to Hip Hop Project.

This is what made me

go to college.

This is what made me understand

that, okay, you had an abortion,

but it ain't the end

of the world, baby girl.

You're going to be all right.

Today, my dad got sentenced.

So I'm going to call my mom

and find out what happened.

- Hello?

- Hey, Mommy.

- So you don't know

how much time he got left still?

- Did she get to speak to him?

So yeah, y'all

should definitely see that man,

because usually,

if you get sentenced

and they give you

a little time or whatever,

that's only a detention center.

So they send you to another spot

after you're sentenced or whatever.

- Yeah, send him upstate

or whatever.

- Yeah.

- All right.

So we'll see.

It was crazy.

- Basically, what goes down

is a court date,

and this'll determine

whether or not

we're going to be staying here.

So it's a pretty crazy day.

See you later.

All right.

- We are going in to see ifwe

could win the apartment back.

I feel it's going to happen.

There's no other way.

We're hopeful.

Yes.

- Ivy did, what I would say,

is the most responsible thing

she could do.

Her daughter passes.

She goes and gets custody

of her two grandchildren.

She gets all the documents

together from school,

and then she goes

and presents it to the landlord.

And the landlord's response is,

pardon me, but,

"F*** you, and I'm going

to evict you and kick you out.

Let me do that first thing,

you know, immediately. "

And that's what he did.

It'll probably take a full year

of litigation.

- I pray for guidance

and focus today

to accomplish

a productive meeting.

I also pray for strength

and courage and unity

to go the distance.

A lot of times,

we start a project,

and along the way,

people fall short,

and meeting the goal

is not as easy as it seems.

Focus on principle rather than

the price of gold,

things that can stay

with us always,

not just things that just

pass through our hands.

Sometimes a situation calls for you

to let certain things

just roll off your back,

but sometimes, you know,

I'm human too.

Some days I do not f***in'

want to be here.

I really don't, you know?

But the only reason I'm here is

'cause I put my word out

that I'm going to be here.

And that's the only thing

I've found in life.

That's the only thing I respect

about anybody, you know.

We're all just here.

We all want to work,

so let's get it on, man.

I mean, nobody get a f***ing

gift like we got, you know?

And it's like we got the gift,

and everybody got lax.

Everybody, like, took a step back.

- 2:
00 p. m. ain't the same.

- 2:
00 p. m.

Do it at 1:
00, because he just

going to be sitting there.

- Can you be there at 1:00?

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