Born in Chicago and raised in the city of Compton, Guerilla Black is ready to change to the game with his debut album, Guerilla City. The album reveals his stories of poverty, personal struggles and even the pain of losing his wife to the disease meningitis. Guerilla Black is an open book when it comes to sharing his thoughts and life experiences. So what’s his mission? To change the stereotypes of West Coast hip hop music and to dismiss the claims of his attempts to be another Notorious B.I.G. in the process. Guerilla Black promises that if you give him enough time, you’ll see that he’s not a reincarnation or a duplication, he’s just B.L.A.C.K. G Black talks to MahoganyGirl about growing up in Compton, losing his wife and the state of West Coast Hip Hop and he promises that he’s for the ladies.

MahoganyGirl: What’s Up G Black?
Guerilla Black: What’s Up.

MG: Are they working you hard?
GB: Yeah, It’s crazy. I think in the past week I’ve had 14 hours of sleep.

MG: That’s crazy…You’re on a promo tour right?
GB: Yeah, I’m on a promo tour now. Doing radio, retail and all that.

MG: You’re originally from Chicago right? How did you end up in Compton?
GB: Yeah, I was born in Chicago. Then my family ended up in the south and all that and eventually we ended up in Compton. I’ve been here for so long. Compton is home.

MG: How has Compton influenced you and your music?
GB: Compton is a big influence of me. I mean I grow up watching Eazy E, NWA and MC Eiht. The life I was leading was just like Eazy E. I was in the streets doing my thing. Eazy had a curl and gloves; I had a curl and gloves.

MG: You had a curl!! I’ma find the pictures.
GB: [Laughs] I pray you don’t. I praaaay you don’t. I looked like Big Worm.

MG: [Laughs] What can people expect from your debut Guerilla City?
GB: They can expect a different collage and concept of west coast music. I got women friendly songs, songs for the streets, a song about my wife, some R&B and all that. I’m telling stories and just getting away from the typical stereotypes of what people think west coast music is, you know.

MG: You just mentioned your wife. I know she passed away and for awhile you didn’t want to rap. What made you wanna get back out there and pursue your career?
GB: My brother was an influence is getting me back up and out there. So many things were going on around that time around me. When I lost my wife, I lost my heart - a part of me. But eventually my brother helped me get up and get myself back out there.

MG: Let’s talk about the Biggie comparisons, I know you’ve heard them and there’s some hate out there too about it. How do you feel about that? Cause Big is a legend.
GB: Comparing me to Big is a overstatement. Big and Pac are legends, Icons. I mean they compare everybody when they come out. They compared 50 to Pac. When Ja Rule was in that video with Jay Z with that bandana on they compared him to Pac. They compare Fabolous to Mase and even Shyne to Big in the beginning. I mean we both heavy voiced, dark skinned brothers on the heavy side you know. As you look at me longer you’ll see that I’m just B.L.A.C.K.

MG: There have been rumors about Mario Winans and other big labels trying to sign you in the beginning. Can you clear that up?
GB: I mean a lot of big labels made offers; I won’t speak on it in detail. Mario Winans never tried to sign me; he was just a genuine friend to me from the very beginning. I mean that guy has done a lot in his career and for him to be down wit me is a blessing. My second single is with Mario.

MG: How did you connect with Beanie Man for the single and video for “Compton?”
GB: I always liked the movie Belly and when that songs starts in the movie. The beat was already done and I had my verses on there but we didn’t have a hook. I was like let’s get Beanie Man on there. So we sent the track to Kingston and he got on it and it was a beautiful thing. My wife was Jamaican too so I got a lot of love for Jamaica.

MG: Tupac always said that if you rap for the women they’ll support you…Do you have songs on your album for the ladies?
GB: You’re right about that… We made “Compton” for the fellas but the ladies ended up liking it more and that made the fellas like it. I got some songs on there for the ladies.

MG: It looks like the west is coming back. I mean two artists coming out of Compton, you and The Game - that hasn’t happened in a while. How do you feel about the west coast hip hop scene right now?
GB: I mean it’s a beautiful thing. You got The Game, Sly Boogy, Bishop Lamont, Spit Fire, The legends like 213, Snoop, Dub C. I mean Snoop was on the radio the other day endorsing me. I mean he’s a legend and he’s endorsing me. So I’m down to work with him on his Star Trak project or anything. I mean to have it be no west coast artist out there to now it being 10 and 12 artists coming is a beautiful thing. Everything always comes back around. I think people really wanna hear some west coast music again and they’re going to appreciate it more this time around.

MG: Speaking of working with other artists…Do you have any collaborations in the works?
GB: Yeah, I just did a song with Young Rome called “Freaky.” And I did a song with Marcus Houston and did two songs with Tyrese. I’m still doing mixtapes too. I just did some stuff with Whoo Kid and Kay Slay. I’m just trying to work as much as possible you know.

MG: At the end of the day what do you want people to get from your album?
GB: I want them to recognize the change in west coast music and see that its universal.
I want them to see that cats out here are hungry. I want them to see the good, the bad and the ugly. I got something for everyone. I got songs if you wanna hold ya lady or songs if you wanna buck off, you know.

MG: Any last words?
GB: Guerilla City September 28th, go to your stores and buy that!

For more information on Guerilla Black check out www.guerillablack.com

-Guerilla Black Quote-
“Yes I’m The Illest…No One Is Like Me…”

- [ LS ] -