ChiBangin.com - The Official Chicago Rap Site Belo Do or Die Interview

Belo of Do or Die

Back

(*) Indicates credit to each member's question

Q: How long have you been rapping and how did you, AK and Nard join up as a group? (*wardedout)

A: I was rappin' back in '85, '86 when I was in grammar school. One of my childhood friends, Shamone Williams introduced me to AK and Nard. We all hooked up from dancin', to growin' up in the neighborhood rapping. We never really took rapping serious at that point. We took rapping serious in 1991.

Q: Has your current legal situation influenced "The Truth" or any other Do or Die projects thus far? (*C-Stylez)

A: I wouldn't say my legal situation influenced me overall. I would say during the duration of my life comin' up, all the trials and tribulations that I was goin' through played a big part. So you're talking from childhood till now has played a big part to this new album.

Q: Why do you feel like Legion will do better with your album then they did on the D.O.D. project? (*FrumDay1)

A: I don't feel that way. I don't even think about that shit. I look at it like this is the first Belo album. So I'm pretty sure all the fans that I've gained from 1995, early '96 with the "Picture This" album that Do or Die recorded, all the way up to 2006 will support. I'm pretty sure, at least I should hope my loyal fans follow me throughout my career and support the album. So, I know it will do very well.

Q: Do you feel Legion Records could be doing more for your album as far as promotion? (*Payroll_Chitown_Stone)

A: I mean definitely. There's always something better that you can do. You can never do enough to promote an album. We in a world where we competin' against the big boys. They spendin' three, four thousand dollars on a video or they spendin' millions and millions of dollars on marketing and promotions. I take my hat off to The Legion Records because they are an indepedent company. He's putting his heart and soul into this, Rudy Acosta, the CEO of Legion Records. He's doing as much as he can do. At the same time, once we get the majors really backing us, then there will definitely be more done.

Q: Which producer from Chicago do you think captures the true essence of your music and your emotions? (*Daowl)

A: Well most definitely Legendary Traxster because he produced the majority of my album. But at the same time I got a song by Soundmaster T called "Gods Wrath". I also got a song by Cayex. So they definitely can capture the Belo sound because I worked with them in the past, but long story short, The Legendary Traxster at this point.

Q: What made you want to collaborate with The Outlaws? (*chief enforcer)

A: Man it's really just some family type shit from going to L.A., going to New York and dealing with those cats since 1998. So they came and laid it, no charge. It's the same thing I would do for them. Now that's classic (Belo/Outlaws collab), that's history within itself. You talking about some of the greatest guys that recorded with one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Tupac Shakur.

Q: Who else in the music industry would you like to collaborate with? (*D-LUX)

A: In the past I definitely wanted to work with a lot of artists. I don't want to get specific because it's too many. At the same time, I'm at a point in time now where I gotta show up and prove that I can do it on my own. Maybe they'll come knockin' on my door and we'll reverse that question and see who will work with Belo.

Q: Is there any beef with Twista? (*123456)

A: I ain't gon' call it beef, cause it's definitely not that. I ain't gon' sugar coat the shit either. That's shit that Twista and myself got to sit at the table. He know where I'm comin' from. I don't want to make that as if I'm tryin' to come up off him. I done gained success myself before. My thing is I'm mad right now because he gotta show the same family love that Do or Die hs showed him forever.

Q: What are some of the details involving Do or Die and their relationship with J Prince and Rap-A-Lot Records? (*C-Stylez)

A: That's past man. I still got love for J Prince and Rap-A-Lot. Anything beyond that, I'm looking forward to what we both doin' right now, not what Do or Die is doing.

Q: Do you feel that J Prince and Rap-A-Lot as a whole are prejudice and have a lack of respect for Chicago artists? (*ColdFlow)

A: No.

Q: Would you ever sign a deal with Rap-A-Lot again in the future? (*Face97)

A: Don't know man, it's all business. If J came to the table and met me in terms of the deal meeting my criteria, my needs, then maybe so. I'm not looking forward to that right now. I'm looking forward to focusing on "The Truth" album.

Q: What made Do or Die choose Legion Records instead of a different label once being off of Rap-A-Lot? (*C-Stylez)

A: Long story short, AK and Nard met Rudolf Acosta. They talked for a short period of time. I came in at the last end of the conversation. I vibed with him real good and we made the deal happen.

Q: If Legion and CWAL were labels in New York instead of Chicago or had the backing and publicity as NY labels, do you feel they would be as big or bigger than BadBoy and Rocafella were when they were on top? (*DLCT/The Silencer)

A: I don't know that's a question you gotta ask them because it's beyond CWAL and Legion. You got mufuckas that's been doing this forever. All due respect to Trax, but he's a producer. He's just started on the rapping. It takes the artists such as Do or Die, Crucial Conflict or even Twista, Snypaz, Da Brat. It takes the artists to get together and establish a foundation to where as a whole, we move in one direction. Yeah it could be successful, but as far as going to New York and all that shit, I can't speak for that.

Q: What's your honest opinion on Chicago rap and do you see it changing for the better? (*Payroll_Chitown_Stone)

A: I see it not changing at this point because the cycle is still repeating itself until you get real niggas into to play. Where as if they get on, meaning they gettin' grammy's and gettin' enough money, they can come back and grab groups and individuals who already have a lil name and buzz and put them on the pedestal to where they can blow up. Then they can reach down and pull someone else up. Then those people can reach down and pull somebody else up. It's gotta be a chain reaction, until that happens man, it's gon' be the same damn cycle.

Q: Who do you think are the Top 5 Chicago artists? (*meanmug)

A: In my honest opinion, I can't pick a top 5 because it's too many in that category. I know Belo and Do or Die is definitely 1 and 2 shit (laughs). It's too much politics, you can't leave R. Kelly out because he got grammy's. Can't leave Kanye out, he got grammy's. Can't leave Twista out he got grammy's. Can't leave Shawnna out, she hot right now. Can't leave Brat out she done had grammy's. Can't leave Flict out they done had plaques. Can't leave Do or Die out, they done had plaques. Common, can't leave him out, you feel me? You can't pick a top 5 like that.

Q: Coach Pat Riley, former coach of the L.A. Lakers trademarked the term "Three Peat" so that he has to get paid every time it's used. A lot of people never used the term or heard of "Po Pimpin" before Do or Die coined it, So how does it feel to hear it used so loosely daily and to see it scattered all over novelty items knowing its popularity actually comes from you and all your hard work? (*ColdFlow)

A: I'm not mad about it, just the credit needs to be given where it's due. They know Do or Die is the originators. They know we started that genre and put that out in the atmosphere. Just give it credit, we not lookin' to come up off it. Sooner or later we will, the whole industry is doin' it.

Q: When Buk was part of the group, were there any other tracks other than the classics "No Love" and "Kill or be Killed"? (*Daowl)

A: We got more tracks we recorded in the past when we was comin' up that may hit the scene.

Q: Do you think there will ever be a collaboration between Do or Die and the whole group of PsychoDrama? (*wardedout)

A: There have been collaborations, we done did joints together.

Q: Do you plan to start your own record label and what can we expect from it? (*D-LUX)

A: Well right now, I'm in the midst of putting together my label Po House Records. I got a few artists on the team who will definitely be coming out shortly. I don't want to bite myself in the ass and start mentioning things that people could start looking for. I'm just gonna wait till it happens and then people will definitely know about Po House in the future.

Q: What other projects can we expect from you in the future? (*wardedout)

A: I've written like 7 scripts, like movies. I'm also gonna be starting a movie production company called Heartfelt Films. I'ma be actin' in a few of ‘em, but mostly directing. I'll be definitely getting into films a little bit down the lines. As a short I ready a lot of books and novels. I always wanted to get off into writing. I was always curious how to capture someone in my mind, sit down and write somethin'. I wrote a book and then turned around and wrote it into a movie. That's what made me more curious about that shit.

Belo shares his personal views on Chicago Rap and it's struggles:

*Download an exclusive interview audio clip: Belo (lo-fi)