D.A. Smart

Im Gespräch mit dem Mann, der mit “Walk Wit Me” die wohl schönste Anti-Hymne geschrieben hat, mit der Chicago je bedacht wurde – D.A. Smart über seine Heimatstadt, die Nation Of Islam und das Neueste in Sachen Musik.

Let’s take a look back to the days when “Walk Wit Me” first dropped – how did you experience the impact of this song?

I experienced the impact of this song when everywhere I went I heard people playing it in their rides and that’s when I knew people liked the song, that’s when I felt the impact of this song.

Tell me about the political intent of your music. What’s going wrong in Chicago and what has to be done?

The same thing that going on in every inner city in America. Politicans lying to the people and giving them false hope and never deliver. And on the side of the people meaning black people we just won’t give up hope in them no matter how much or how many times they dissappoint us. We as a people just won’t get up and do something for ourselves, so that’s what I see the problem is in Chicago and the world for that matter.

Could you just share some personal thoughts on the cover artwork of your latest album “Millions More Movement”?

Well the first thing you might see on this cover is the three pictures and the first on on the top is of Master Fard Muhammad, the second one is The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, and the last one is of our brother and servant Minister Louis Farrakhan. These are the three men in my opinion that brought to the blackman and is still given to the blackman the solution to all the problems that plague black people here in the wilderness of North America. Since the blackman in my opinion is in most need of a solution than any of the so called citizen in America I believe their mission was and is for them first but ultimately for the brown, red, yellow and even whites, that’s why you see the colors of that rainbow being depicted in the background of the album cover. Master Fard raised the Honorable Elijah Muhammad then he disappeared, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad raised Minister Farrakhan then he departed, but before he departed he told Minister Farrakhan that he will get all of his people and that’s my interpretation as to what the Millions More Movement is all about getting all of our people and that’s what I tried to mirror with the artwork on the CD cover.

What’s the most important thing you learned from Minister Farrakhan and what does he mean to you today?

He taught me to love god, myself and my people and work hard everyday for the benefit of those three, and what he means to me, there are not adequate words to describe what that man means to me so I will just say he means everything to me.

Dead Prez set a new trend with their slogan “Revolutionary But Gangsta”. Does the revolution need gangsterism to catch attention nowadays?

The revolution needs soldiers and at this point the only soldiers we have are the ones that dub them selves gangstas, so in order to get them to understand the revolution we need to speak the language that they understand and if that’s what they call gangsta then we have to put medicine inside the dog food in order to make gangstas revolutionaries.

You’re the founder of B.O.I. which stands for Boys Of Islam. What’s the purpose of this movement?

The purpose of the B.O.I. movement had the same purpose as the F.O.I. which is to retrain, rebuild and re-educate my people starting with the young men in the Robert Taylor Homes with the hopes of spreading it through out the world.

So you try to educate and uplift black youth with your music – how’s your music received by them?

I believe that they love it. The ones that hear it and see me perform, they may not play my music all the time because of the constant bombardment of what’s played on radio and TV and I don’t have the budget and promotion dollars like they do, but when that’s all done they go slip in that D.A. Smart in so they can know what’s going on in the world from my perspective, but I also got music that sounds like the music they listen to everyday so they receive me very well.

Do you feel like Chicago’s rap music lacks depth and spirituality?

I just feel like the majority of Chicago rappers is just jumping on the band wagon and doing what everyone else is doing so they can get on and have the money and fame as many rappers they see on the videos, but some of us don’t sellout and is still grass root MC’s.

You announced two further albums in 2005 – “Walk Wit Me Part 2″ and “Fuck Tha World”. What’s the state of the recording process and what can we expect from these records?

Well “Walk Wit Me PT 2″ and the “Fuck Tha World” album is done, however I haven’t finished the documentary that was to come out with the “Walk Wit Me PT 2″ album, so since it’s taking so long to finish I might just drop some singles from the album to keep the buzz up or I might just release the “Fuck Tha World” album. But now I’m just gone to go ahead and release “Walk Wit Me” this Sept. 23 with or without the documentary so that’s where I’m at at this point.So you can expect hard beats and rhymes from the likes of The Legendary Traxster and myself so the streets as well as the intellectuals will be able to get into it with no problem.

So what will be the next thing to drop and when will that happen?

“Walk Wit Me Part 2″ this september as a single for the album.

Your started your own label Terror Records some time ago. Do you plan to sign other artists that share your purposes?

Yeah, I have like three artist that I’m working with: one is a group that’s name JMD it’s my sons Jamil Malik and Donovan or Just Making Dollars JMD. And I have a singer by the name Latrice – she has an album we working on called “Innocent But True” and I just signed this new group called The Hoosier Boys.

There are mad rumors going on that you did this and that and sat behind bars for several years. Do you want to clear things up?

Yeah like most of us that get caught up in the law or on the wrong side of it I just kept getting caught up with weapon charges and like we say in the hood I rather get caught with it than without it, ya know. But all that’s over now we only doing the right thing and that’s all I need at this point.