Excerpt from Beanie Sigel interview

B=Beanie Sigel
S= James Spady


S: Who was in the car leaving from Philly going up to New York that day you met Hova?

B: It was me, [Philly’s] Most Wanted, Siddiq… It was like five of us in the car. At the
studio, Diamond In the Rough and The Rangers was there. Couple of people. I know the
studio was packed.

S: Were you sweating?

B: Nah!

S: Come on, Beans.

B: I was a little upset ‘cause Most Wanted had their situation with Roc-A-Fella. They were going for a meeting for their situation. They talk and I don’t know what was said. I heard Siddiq say to Dame, “But I got this other cat. He crazy with it.”

S: When you heard them say that, Beans, what were you thinking?

B: I’m like, “I’m about to spit for these niggas.” Dame was like, “Nah man, send in a demo. You gotta tell him to send in a demo.” I’m in the corner. I’m pissed right now. I’m heated. I’m ready to leave for real. I’m like, “I ain’t no rapper.” I’m like, “I’m up here wasting time. I could be on the block making my money.” After he said that, I’m sitting in
the cut. I’m just watching them. Other cats were in there. They were from... I don’t know where they were from.

S: Down South somewhere?

B: Nah. They were from New York. So they started rapping. Dame was like, “Yeah, these guys, we’re about to put them on a rap.”

S: How they sound?

B: I killed them! I killed them.

S: What you do, Beans?

B: I started rapping. I stood up in they face and started rhyming at them. I came at all those guys that were rapping. Dame was like, “See, I told you.” He’s telling Siddiq. “I told you these cats right here, they hot. They from such and such.” So, I was like, “I ain’t from Brooklyn. I’m from Philly.” So, Dame like, “You from Philly?” Siddiq was like, “That’s the boy I was talking about.” Dame was like, “Come here.” Siddiq was like, “Nah, nah. We going to send a demo in.” They like, “Nah, nah. Come here.” So we go out in thehallway. I rhyme for Dame again. He like... He just looking at me shaking his head like this [Beans animatedly demonstrates Dame’s response.

S: What was Jay doing? He wasn’t showing no reaction at all?

B: I ain’t seen Jay yet. So, I go into the studio where Jay at. He at the track board.

S: Oh, you were in the hallway at first, right?

B: Yeah, I was in the hallway. So, Dame calling all these people, “Yo, come on over.”

S: Who Dame called? Who he call?

B: Man, I don’t know who he didn’t call. All I know is before I looked up the whole studio was full. Jay got out the booth. He looked around. He was like, “Alright, ah, who gonna rhyme?” So, everybody was just quiet, standing around. So Jay was like, “Ain’t nobody
gonna rap?” So I stood up and I started rapping. Spitting. I was rapping at Jay and Jay was standing up looking at me. So I’m rapping to him.

S: Was there a mic or what?

B: No mic. Straight acapella. Spittin to him. So, he sitting down in the chair. So, hestanding up. So I’m talking to him and I’m walking to him while I’m spitting. He sit down! He sit down in a chair. He like this [Beans illustrates how Jay-Z responds. So, I pull a chair up and sit down in front of him. And I start rapping in his face like... I was like, he ain’t showing me no expression. He just like [Beans imitates Jay-Z’s poker face. And I’m like... He thinking he like, “Yeah, well nigga? I’m Jay, whatever.” So he....

S: But he wasn’t doing that. He was taking it in, wasn’t he?

B: He just was sitting there. I remember, he just was sitting there, face frowned up. He’s like [Beans imitates Jay’s facial expression]. And I’m like, “Man, you ain’t gonna say nothing?” Everybody else in the room going crazy, like “Woeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

S: You slaying them muthafuckas!

B: So, after I spit and I got finish spitting, Jay was like... He stood up and looked around. “Who else gonna rap?” So, ain’t nobody say nothing. He called Siddiq out the room.

S: They doing little talking right?

B: Yeah. They talking. I don’t know what they talking about.

S: But, you see them talking.

B: Yeah, they go out the room. So I’m sitting down, me and [Philly’s] Most Wanted. So I’m talking to Bubonic like, “Yo, think he was feeling that shit?” Bubonic like, “You ain’t see how all them people in there going crazy? He got to feel that shit!” So dude, Too
Short, like, “Yo, where you from?” I’m like, “I’m from Philly.”

S: What Short say?
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