There’s a lot riding on Bishop Lamont. Not only is he expected to be a main factor in helping to bring the West Coast back to it’s former greatness but he also has the added pressure of being signed to one of the most successful labels in hip-hop.

Under normal circumstances, Bishop would be in the perfect position, but unfortunately, these aren’t normal circumstances. The music business isn’t what it once was. Sales are down dramatically and the business as a whole is at a major crossroads.

Being signed to Aftermath and serving as the legendary Dr. Dre’s right hand man just a few short years ago would all but have guaranteed rap music multi-platinum status, today however, not so much. This leaves Bishop Lamont with the weight of the West on his shoulders.

Truth be told, if anybody can live up to the hype it’s the Carson City MC. Armed with a down to earth and humble personality as well as lyrical abilities normally reserved for artists from the East coast, the odds are in his favor.

While he waits for the perfect time, Bishop Lamont doesn’t have a second to spare, working on Detox and his own debut album. I was able to catch up with Bishop during some very rare downtime to pick the Cali rapper’s brain on exactly how Dre found him, when we could expect his solo a Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. lbum, and of course I had to get the dirt on Detox. Check it.

So tell us man, how did you officially get down with Dr. Dre and Aftermath?

Man it’s been so long; let me get my story straight here. I had this mixtape; Who I Gotta Kill To Get A Record Deal, which was starting to bubble on the streets and on the underground, was getting into a lot of people hands. My boy gave it to Common and he played it for Kanye and they were interested. At the time, the video for the rap song “Dreams”, you know The Game was coming up, so my boy from Interscope called me and told me Kanye was gonna be in town so I should go down there and try and hook up with him. He was supposed to be in the video for it.

So me and my boy DJ Rampage went to the set, stole a golf cart to run away from security and hid out on the set. True story, a lot of people don’t know the shit you gotta go through to get to your dreams. So we sit out on the set or whatever and eight hours later we hear that Kanye isn’t even coming. So I see Dre come out of a trailer and there was a lot of bitches at the set and I wanted some kinda fulfillment, something to make it worth while so I told my man, “Yo, I never asked you for nothin’, can you introduce me to Dre?” I wanted the bitches to see me talking to him so I could crack ‘em, you know?

So my man introduces me as the next best thing in the West Coast and I didn’t need all that, just an intro woulda been cool. So Dre was like “Really, you got some hot shit?” I told him I thought it was dope but you know so I gave him my last tape and he told me he would call me if it was hot. So I’m thinkin’ this nigga bullshittin’ and I’m thinkin’ that I talked to him for long enough that I’ll be able to crack one of these bitches over here.

He told me he was gonna listen to it on his way home to wifey but I’m thinkin’ I’m gonna get some air time and he’s gonna toss it out the window. I have my own thing where I take wack ass demos and I speed up to about 80 or 90 and give them some air time and throw them out the window. So anyway, Dre called me a couple weeks later and said he wanted to start working and that’s how it started, long ass story, but that’s how it started.

No doubt, so you’ve been there at Aftermath for a while, what have you been doing?

It’s just been a learning experience with my business as well as my music. When you get to this altitude it’s a whole different set of laws, I wanna say physics of this business. It’s me being an understudy of Dre and learning how everything goes down. It’s like school; it’s been me re-designing how I approach things. When is this shit gonna drop? How we gonna market this? I’m just making sure anything I do comes out as a phenomenal situation. That’s what it’s been, and of course working on Detox and my album. Focus got an album coming out too so I’m pretty much spent at this point, I gotta recharge but that’s what it’s about.

So it’s definitely a case of you putting in work and learning and not a case where you’re sitting on the shelf?

Nah, never that. Anybody that was on the shelf got dropped.

I wanted to clear that up for everybody.

Yeah, please clear that up. If you on the shelf you basically in the trash can and that’s how it goes with Dre. Anybody that’s there now is there for a reason and they’re coming out and if not, they already got their pink slip.

Speaking of people getting dropped and all that, I wanted to address the situation where people were saying there was some friction between you and Joell Ortiz.

I’m glad you asked that. There was never no words between Joell Ortiz and me. That little bitch Miss Info had a little interview where she said, “Bishop Lamont said you got dropped.” I wanted to get a hold of Joell and straighten the whole thing out because people were telling me he was comin’ off a little salty and actin’ like he didn’t even know me like that. I sat in the studio with dude, I fucked with dude and we spoke on more than one occasion. So when it came down to the interview and they asked me I said, “I haven’t heard about that but if it is true it doesn’t fuckin’ matter because we still family, we got records together”. I was like shit; Jimmy’s tried to drop me before too so I wouldn’t be surprised. And I’m Dre’s right hand man.

Is that true, Jimmy Iovine has tried to drop you?

Jimmy tried to drop everybody, God. It’s business and you can’t take it personal. It’s not just music; it’s the music business. That’s why I said in that interview, “It don’t matter if Joell Ortiz got dropped, don’t quote me on that, because I ain’t heard that but we still rollin’, we family and I like dude.” Joell been blowin’ himself up. He been doin’ this and that, he got the independent album out. Niggas love sensationalism and they wanna create shit, so they started talkin’ all that. You can go on my MySpace page right now and see pictures of us rockin’ in the studio, it’s one family.

If I got a issue with a nigga, I’m not gonna address it on the internet. We gonna do what we gotta do but I like to keep this shit positive. I’m glad you asked that question because it needs to be addressed. I’m too busy to hate on niggas that’s family. I’m workin on Detox, what am I gonna hate about? I got my own debut album comin’ out and all that bullshit is just the power of words. So again, fuck that bitch Miss Info. That bitch was tryna start beef with the Wu-Tang niggas, tryna start beef over there too. Tell that bitch to get a real job. I’ll put some young bitches on her head to slap her around.

So tell us bro, how’s Detox coming?

It’s coming amazing man, but you know how Dre works. You could do the most amazing shit in the world and this nigga won’t even lift a eyebrow. (Laughs) We turnin’ out amazing record but right now Dre is looking for something even more amazing. So far, so good, we got a lot of great records and I can guarantee you it’s coming this year. We probably gotta do another five million records (laughs) before we get to the 15 or 14 or 12, however many he wants to use for the album. I’m amazed by the beats he’s making and it’s incredible. I wasn’t around for the Chronic 2001 so it’s an honor to be here and be working on the Detox shit.

Let’s see how much I can squeeze out of you. Can you tell us who else has been working on the album?

I can’t. Dre got the gag order on us with that. He wants it all to be a surprise, the cameos, guest appearances, and all that. Em is on there, 50 is on there, the usual suspects but the parts that are gonna be exciting are the ones you’re not used to seeing.

You’re over there at Aftermath surrounded by greatness with Dre, Em, 50, Cashis, and all the rest. People say you’re the next best thing coming out of the West, how do you feel about that?

I mean, that’s a blessing man. It’s an honor. I mean, I’m a fan of these dudes even when we’re in the studio together. It’s just a huge honor for people to be able to places me amongst great artists.

Do you think that the West Coast can get to its past level of success?

Time machines don’t exist so we can never go back, you know what I mean? We can get a higher level of success, we can get a higher level of notoriety, and we can get a higher level of respect and be at a higher place in the industry. That’s the way I look at it and I just wanna see hip-hop get to a place of greatness. I never look at the just the West Coast. We do this music for the world and we want to be respected on a world stage. I want the music to touch people everywhere from New York, to the South, to the West, to Spain and overseas, just everywhere. And we want that respect and that love.

The Caltroit mixtape with Black Milk was crazy, how were the fans feelin’ that?

That’s my man, that’s my partner in crime man. Thank you so much man. It was crazy, we was movin’ units like niggas albums. I’m serious dog. We had like 150,000 by the second day and by the middle of the first week another 80,000 downloaded. I had my boy from Ireland call me and tell me they were bumpin’ Caltroit out there. There were people from so many places that were listening to that album; it was dope, Germany, London, Moraco.

It’s beautiful because that’s what the music is made for, to get to the people. Real hip-hop heads and music lovers get to hear their favorite MC’s, that’s what I’m about.

Carson is crazy right now. Besides yourself, there are cats like Roccet with CTE, Clyde Carson, was Carson’s hip-hop scene always this hot?

Bless you. (Laughs) It’s always been a hip-hop scene out there but the light was always on Compton, South Central, Inglewood, Long Beach even though we’re right there. It’s so many people that moved there and vice versa. It’s a musical place; we just didn’t get that notoriety. Ras, Michael Myers, Diverse, Boo-Yah Tribe, they all been there. These cats always been there but people just never really recognized it.

I’m just happy that people are starting to recognize it now because there is so much coming out of this city from rapper, to producers, actors. Forest Whitaker is from Caron dude; I didn’t even know that, it blew my mind. That’s dope. Even Dre grew up there for a period of time and it’s crazy how many cats have come through here. I always wanted to put it down for my city. I always knew I would rep for Carson hard when I started to get into the game so thank you, I appreciate that.

What was the issue with you and The Game?

You know, it was never an issue with The Game and me. The politics and motherfuckers doin’ crazy weirdo shit kinda made it like that and then Game put out a diss record out of nowhere and I was pissed at the shit so me and him had out issues but he’s family at the end of the day. Big Fase is my big brother; his mother is like my mother, his little sister B-Fly. Me and Game, I don’t even wanna talk about this, it’s gonna be so dramatic but I got so much love for dude and you gonna see some things with me and dude. It’s about the West coast moving forward together. There’s too much money and success to be had. You definitely gonna see some magical stuff with me and Game.

So have you gotten any pointers on the business from 50 or Eminem?

You know who gave the most amount of game? 50 gave me a nice amount when he was out here working on Curtis and some other stuff. I got to sit in the studio and he blessed with the game on what the fame does and what the money can do. Busta Rhymes has been a huge mentor in that area as well as Warren G and of course Dr. Dre as well when it comes to how to allocate you money and put yourself in situations where you have your primary money and then you have your money that you can do whatever the fuck you want with and you got the other set of money and a huge chunk.But you never touch that huge chunk and you go out and make another one, man he just taught me a lot.

Just how to make bread and more bread and have staying power, 22 years. If I want to be in the game that long, how to be an icon. Him and Focus, I’m a sponge man. I mean me and him never had that many conversations but we got to chill here in the studio thanks to Scott and we were bubblin’ and got to talk on some stuff. That’s about it. These are the dudes that put that battery in my back and put a lot of game in my ear and taught me things I needed to know.

And how is your personal relationship with Dre?

That’s my big brother from another mother man. When he brings somebody new into his life, he goes all out. That dude has gone above and beyond and blessed me on levels that have nothing to do with music and made my mama proud of me. It’s not just money; you know it’s more than that.

What can we expect from Bishop Lamont?

Man, the Detox album, my album The Reformation. More fly artists, I’m all about pullin’ up new talent because I’m never just about myself. I’ve been seeing me for 29 years so I’m pretty bored with me so I’m all about finding new talent and it don’t matter where in the world they comin’ from so long as they are talented.

Rappers, singers, you might see a country singer, so long as they got talent I’m with it. I just want the movement to continue. I don’t really wanna let the cat out the bag, I want cats to be surprised by a lot of the moves I’m making. I just wanna keep elevating hip-hop. Keep expecting to see Bishop staying true to what got him here.

Anything you’d like to say to the fans at Sixshot.com?

Nah, not really. (Laughs) Just know that Detox is really coming. We jumped the gun before but it’s really coming now. Reformation is coming, my debut album, Statlanta, Busta got an album coming that’s crazy, and it’s almost finished. 50 is coming with Before I Self Destruct. I think they’re coming with a new G-Unit album. There’s a lot of dope mixtapes coming out.

Just get ready for more fresh shit. Keep supporting the real music and the underground and the musicians themselves. Fuck what these other niggas is doin’ because it ain’t fresh like that. Do you, do what you wanna do with the music as long as it’s true. God is good. Fuck the haters man and fuck Miss Info! Losers gotta get they jobs too but fuck Miss Info for real.

Miami native Rick Ross spent years and years grinding on the underground hip-hop scene trying to get his voice heard. It was only a few years ago, however, that he hit the big time with his mega-hit, “Hustlin’”.

As a part of the most historic label in hip-hop history, Def Jam, Ross delivered his first number one album Port of Miami to rave reviews. Ross brought that hustler rap music back to the forefront. With the success of his first rap music album, his hit singles, and his numerous amount of guest appearances, it was about time for Ross to release his second album.

With the pressure on, as CD sales are down across the board and the industry down 35% overall, Rick Ross did the unimaginable and opened at number one with his second release Trilla, with 198,000 copies sold, beating out veteran acts Snoop Dogg and Fat Joe. Sixshot.com caught up with Rick Ross to discuss his massive success, his plans for the future, and when he’ll know he’s finally made it.

Sup Ross, what’s good?

I’m good man, I’m good.

You just scored the number one album in the country man, how does it feel?

It feels good man, it feels good my brother, you know what I mean? Trilla, if you ain’t got it already then go Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. pick it up. It’s in stores right now and it’s the trillest album of the year, you know? You know, that’s what I set out to make man and you know I’m just happy to see the people and the streets appreciate my music and go out and cop it.

You charted number one and there was a lot of competition from established, veteran artists like Fat Joe and Snoop, how does that feel?

I’m gonna keep it real; I don’t really consider it that I beat them. Those dudes are blessed to have what we call careers and that’s what I’m trying to establish. I got two number one albums back to back but that’s what I’m looking to establish is a Snoop Dogg longevity or a Fat Joe longevity. I gotta commend both of those dudes for that, you know? But you know, I’m the biggest boss in the business.

You got the M-I-Yayo movie coming out too, what can we expect from that?

Yeah, it’ll be out this Tuesday. You can expect a history lesson on M-I-Yayo, where it comes from and what it is.

I know you were grinding hard on the hip-hop scene for along time, did you ever think that Miami was gonna blow up the way it did?

I mean, of course I saw what it did in the Luke Skywalker days so you saw the potential most definitely but it was just bridging from the club music to the street music so I think dudes like JT Money, Poison Clan, and Trick Daddy made that possible for me to come with the music I make, you know what I’m saying?

‘Hustlin’’ was your first nationwide hit and it was all over the place, when it hit like that, was it crazy for you?

Yeah, you know what I’m saying, I was still in the streets so you know, that’s why it was a sincere song to me and that’s why I think it had staying power because I was really in the trenches when I wrote that.

Was the transition hard going from living the street life to having a number one record?

I’ma be honest, I don’t even know if I made the transition yet. It is what it is; you know what I’m saying? One or two years of being successful can’t wipe away twenty-nine years of your lifestyle; you know what I’m saying? It is what it is.

When you were making Trilla, what was your goal, what did you wanna do with this album?

I wanted to come back in a bigger and better way and just shut down motherfuckers who ain’t really understand, like you know, a lot of time people be asking me questions like they don’t understand what my job is here. I’m a hundred percent street hustler, a rap music boss that came in this game playing my position. I came in the only door I saw that was open and now they just see me on the elevator going to the top and it’s like, that’s the plan, you know what I’m saying? That’s been the plan. I been on top of the game with my own labels and all that but none of that shit entertains me because I had paper before I felt like I got big with a label. Me being on what label never mattered to me. It was just about the team and having that support system and those people around me that could do what I couldn’t do.

Personally, I feel like you’re the strongest artist to every come out of Miami, would you agree?

You know, to me, when I look at the best, I look at the best from a boss point of view made of paper, you feel me? That’s why I don’t consider myself beating, that’s going back to Snoop Dogg and Fat Joe those dudes money is real long, you feel me? That’s what I respect as a boss. Of course, as an artist, those little accolades are cool but you know what means the most to me and my team and my family and my niggas is being around forever and touching that hundred million dollar mark, that’s my goal. Once I reach my goal then I could say what I did and what I didn’t do.

Did Jay-Z leaving Def Jam affect you at all?

Yeah it affected me, it effected me in a great way. It let me know that my mentality and the way that I see things is right on time, you know what I mean? I love to see Jay go on to new, bigger and better things. He became a president of the biggest label in the business. He showed he was successful, he signed me and I got two number ones back to back. Now, he’s going to do bigger and better things and that’s more important to all the black kids in the ghetto, the Marcy projects or the projects where I’m from. It just lets us know that the sky is the limit, real talk.

So Rick, what’s good with your label and Carol City Cartel?

Yeah, Maybach Music Group, look for that this summer, its finna go down, you know what I’m saying. Triple C’s.

Being around dudes like Jay-Z, did you pick up any business tactics?

Of course, that’s what you pick up, you pick up business savvy. That’s why you see two weeks after I debut with a number one album you see the documentary in stores right behind it, that’s all strategic. That’s the plan and that’s what it is.

Rick, as an artist who sells a lot of records, what do you think when people say the game is going digital?

I sold a hundred and eighty something last time and a hundred and ninety-eight thousand this time with the industry down thirty-five percent so you gotta embrace that. Being a hustler, that’s like when there’s a drought and there’s no dope. You gotta find a way to stay alive, you feel me?

You might sell cars, you might do some other things and that’s what being a hustler is about. When one thing sets itself down you open the door to something else. As long as you got hot music, you gonna stay on tours, stay doing more features, and you just gotta stay busy, you gotta make a way.

How do you feel about all the dudes that aren’t from Miami heading down there?

It’s all good, as long as they bringing good business, I’m with it.

Has Miami changed a lot from when you were coming up?

Definitely man, South Beach and all that shit has become more popular but as far as the inner city streets it’s still the same. We still got them candy paints, them 24’s, and them grills.

Aight Rick, what do you have coming up that we can check for?

Go get Trilla if you ain’t got it, number one album in the country. M-I-Yayo, Carol City Cartel, Flo-Rida in stores, that’s the team and we stay grindin’, you know what I’m saying?

Anything you want to say to the fans out there?

Thanks for supporting the boy and keep that album at number one because I’m gonna keep it realer than a motherfucker.

1. A great diet consisting of (40% carbs, 40% proteins, 20% Good Fats), like the one I recommend on my Bodybuilding Nutrition Basics article works best for the purposes of losing body fat.Carbs should come mainly from complex slow releasing sources such as oatmeal, grits, brown rice, sweat potatoes in combination with fibrous sources such as green beans and broccoli.

   Proteins should come from chicken, turkey, tuna, and lean red meats. Since you are focused on reducing body fat, dairy products and fruits need to be eliminated at this time, not because they are not healthy but due to the fact that the type of carbs contained in these foods may slow down fat loss.

2. A good weight training routine that has you in the gym for 45-60 minutes four to five times a week, with an abdominal program that is performed at least 3 times a week. Please refer to the Weight Training Principles page for numerous articles on training routines.
3. Enough cardio built into the program to start the fat loss process and burn some extra calories. 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week at a challenging pace should start producing results. For those of us with a slower metabolism, we may need up to 45 minutes 6-7 times a week. Please visit the Cardio Basics page for many examples of cardiovascular training routines.
4. Finally, consume no more than your bodyweight x 12 in calories per day. On Sundays, increase this amount to 15 in order to increase the metabolism. Do the caloric increase in the form of carbs.