In this episode of People’s Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper, actor and West Coast legend MC Eiht. Being a veteran and pioneer of the Gangsta Rap genre, as well as someone who was fully immersed in the lifestyle that he portrays on wax, Eiht has a deeply authentic story to tell. To kick things off, they discusses how Eiht got turned onto gang life at such a young age, the sensationalizing of gang-banging, and how the sets have evolved since he was active. Eiht also digs into his famous long-standing beef with DJ Quik, and how they finally reconciled.
Later, Eiht speaks on his mindset when he penned two of his most memorable records appearing on soundtracks for ‘Boyz N The Hood’ and ‘Menace II Society.’ He talks about landing the role of A-Wax in ‘Menace’, ad-libbing most of his lines, the double-edged sword of filming authentic hood movies, and Tupac’s casting call in ‘Menace.’ The Pac stories continue with his firing and Eiht gives his account as to why the rapper got involved in the gangster lifestyle at the height of his success. Kweli also asks about Eiht’s voice acting work in ‘Grand Theft Auto – San Andreas,’ his short-lived group Warzone, and his friendships with DJ Premier and the Wu-Tang Clan.
Finally, Eiht offers advice to kids growing up in the projects with feelings of hopelessness and no way out.
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