Bronx native Remy Martin is ready for her close up. After being discovered by Big Pun, and blazing tracks on the new Terror Squad album True Story, the 23-year-old emcee is preparing to step out on her own. And it’s about time. Don’t get it twisted, Remy is no overnight celebrity. She’s been patiently waiting to shine since she came in the industry at 18 years old. So it’s long overdue. The road to “Lean Back” wasn’t easy for the girl from BX but Remy Ma has learned a lot along the way. Now she’s nothing but focused on what she needs to do. MahoganyGirl has some uncut girl talk with the Terror Squad don diva as she prepares her solo debut. Take notes as Remy Ma discusses music, men, business and the rumors you may have heard.

MahoganyGirl: Whatsup Remy Ma!
Remy: Whatsup.

MG: It’s been a long time coming for you. The TS album is finally out. How do you feel about the response and the sales so far?
R: Yo, did you see our sales?

MG: It was 90,000 or something like that right?
R: Yeah, that shit is wack yo.

MG: [Laughs] What do you think happen? Cause Lean Back is the hottest song of the summer.
R: Your boy Joe didn’t want to do a promo tour.

MG: Why not?
R: He wanted to work on his album. And our release date got changed around a lot too.
I think our second week sales will be better but just seeing 90,000 or whatever is like blah! You know.

MG: [Laughs] Yeah… I heard you weren’t even on the original version of “Lean Back”. Wasn’t it just Fat Joe and then you got your vocals on the track?
R: Yeah. I was down in Miami and we were doing some recording. Cause sometime we do everything separate. While I was in the studio the engineer played “Lean Back.” I was like ‘yo this shit is fuckin crazy’. So I jacked up the engineer and was like ‘take out that second verse and put my verse on there. Not just on the track but up in the instrumental too so you can’t even take that shit it out’.

MG: [Laughs] What did Joe say when he heard it?
R: He thought it was hot.

MG: At one time wasn’t there some beef between you and Joe. And that you even had a diss record about it floating around. Is there any truth to that?
R: Nah. I mean we all have problems. But it was never a diss record toward him or anything like that.

MG: Everyone knows that it was Big Pun that found you. How was it working with him and did you feel like things weren’t going to happen after he died?
R: He [Pun] was really good. I was dealing with Joe even before Pun passed and he told me that it was all good and that just cause Pun was gone everything thing would still be cool.

MG: Okay, the TS album is out. It’s hot.
So the next step would be for you to get a solo deal right?
R: I actually just got my deal. I signed my deal last week.

MG: Who did you sign with?
R: SRC Universal. I met with everyone last week that’ll be working with me and everything. They’re gonna give me full control of my project.

MG: Have you already started on your album?
R: Yeah, I gotta few songs now.
I gotta go back in a do some mixing and all that.

MG: Who do you want to collaborate with on this album?
R: I’d like to do something with Nas and Mary J Blige. Good people you know. People that would make you say ‘yo you did a song with them’.

MG: Do you feel like your business is straight now?
R: Yeah. Now I’m in control. I’ve learned a lot. I don’t depend on everybody. I know to depend on myself now.

MG: Who made you want to get in the rap game?
R: Man, a lot of people. Like Jay Z, Pac, Big, Method Man and The Lox - a lot of people from the 94 and the 95 eras. Cam’ron, Mase, Nore all of them.

MG: Alright Remy. What’s up with your love life? I’ve heard rumors about you and The Diplomats’Juelz Santana?
R: What did he say?

MG: [Laughs] I haven’t talked to him.
R: What did you hear?

MG: I heard that ya’ll were seeing each other. [Laughs] Your voice just changed right there. You just went from off the chain Remy to sweet girl Remy.
R: [Laughs] Nah. That’s my peoples yo. I mean he might let me use his car or something like that, we cool. I mean I’ve been knowing him since forever, before “Hey Ma” and all that. From back in the grimy house eating Papa Johns and smoking weed with a gas mask on yo.

MG: [Laughs] So no truth to the rumor huh?
R: [Laughs] Nah.
I don’t wanna be like ‘nah I would never fuck wit that nigga’ we’re just real cool.

MG: So who is sexy to you in the industry right now?
R: I’m planning on breaking Beyonce’s heart.

MG: [Laughs] So you like Jay Z huh. Is it the lips?
R: Nah. I don’t even think he’s all that cute. I just like Jay Z. You don’t have to be all that cute for me to like you. I just like tall niggas. I’m 5’9, so I always get these Lil Kim height dudes trying to holla at me. And they always wanna go out to places where I gotta were nice shoes, so then I’ma really be taller than them.

MG: Word. I feel your pain. It’s not a lot of tall dudes out there.
So who else besides Jay are you feeling right now? 50 Cent?
R: I used to like 50 but he disgusted me. I’ve seen him a few times and he didn’t respond to me. I was looking real cute too with my outfit and everything when I saw him.

MG: Maybe he’s just a little afraid of aggressive women. I’ve scared a few rappers in my day too?
R: Yeah maybe that’s it. Beside them I’d have to say Carmelo Anthony.

MG: Yeah, he’s dope. He’s doing it.
R: Don’t say that again. I might have to get mad.

MG: [Laughs] You could cop a condo in Denver to get close to him.
R: Nah. I’m not trying to go to Denver.

MG: Yeah, that’s not a good place for black people right now.
R: Yeah, and I’d have the Ricans and everybody down there with me. They would be like ‘what the fuck’.

MG: [Laughs] So what’s going to be the next single off the Terror Squad album?
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah….
R: Naaah, the next single will be “Take Me Home” but we did shoot a video for “Yeah Yeah Yeah”. It’ll only go to the smaller grimy outlets not BET or MTV.

MG: Do you plan to get into anything beside music?
R: I did do a movie called East New York. It was cool, I had to rough up this dude and ask him where was my money at. I had guns and all that in the movie. But I’m just trying to focus on my music and put out this album. I wanna spend 90% of my time on the music and the other 10% on some nigga.

MG: [Laughs] Hilarious.
R: [Laughs]

For more information on the Terror Squad and Remy check out www.terrorsquad.net

- [ LS ] -