24: How did you get signed to G.O.O.D. Music?
Consequence: Me and Kanye were always cool.
We had a mutual friend by the name 88 Keys. This is the time when Kanye was still
only making beats for Roc-A-Fella as a producer and was not yet signed as an artist.
From there he opened his doors to me and we started working on records together.
The company at the time was called The Kon Man. I put out “Take Em To The
Cleaners”. We all were suppose to go to Interscope Records through Roc-A-Fella
but things happened and an executive at Sony, Kwuan “KP” Pratner,
bought “Take Em To The Clearners” and wanted to work a deal and that’s
how the whole G.O.O.D. Music/Sony worked itself out.

24: Through the highs and lows in your
career, what made you keep focus and never give up?
Consequence: My faith in god number 1, my faith
that I know I was blessed to have the gift to do music. This is not a hobby
to me I have been doing this since a teenager, so it’s hard to just shake
it because things have not been going right. For example, if you love to play
basketball and let’s say you made it to the New York Knicks, then you
got cut. Do you hate basketball? I just could not give up and I guess that’s
the path that god lead me in, to be here now doing what I’m doing.

24: How is it working with Kanye West?
Consequence: Not to sound funny or anything,
but I guess from someone looking from the outside, he’s the number 2-3
artist in the country and to me that’s a friend of mines. We work on things
together as a collaborative effort. I help him with things and he helps me.

24: How involved was Kanye during the
recording process of your album?
Consequence: He was very involved and at the
same time he gave me my own lane because he knew I could put together my own
project from what I had done in the past independently and mixtapes I put out.

24: What other producers did you work
with on ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job’ outside of Kanye West?
Consequence: Younglord “Night, Night.”
Karriem Riggins produced a song called “Uncle Rahiem,” Darren &
Keith “Pretty Little Sexy Mama,” Keezo Kane “Who Knew My Luck
Would Change,” Koolade “Job Song” and Canei did “Uptown.”

24: Who are some of the artist featured
on the album and what’s the first single?
Consequence: Kanye West, John Legend, GLC,
and Really Doe. I did 80% of the album myself. The album is a concept album
from beginning to the end including the skits, so I didn’t want to have
too many features. The first single is called “Callin Me” produced
by Younglord.

24: For someone who has been around Hip
Hop for so long, how do you feel about the statement “Hip Hop Is Dead”?
Consequence: I don’t believe that Hip
Hop Is Dead and I don’t believe that snap music killed Hip Hop. I believe
that Snap Music is apart of Hip Hop. Hip Hop in its truest form was a self expression
and you can’t define it in one form or style of music. If you look go
back to the 90’s you had bass music with artist like the 69 Boyz. They
never killed Hip Hop then and Snap Music is not killing it now.

24: What do you feel your new album will
bring to the game?
Consequence: I think this album brings that
witty, smart, you can party to it, listen to it in the whip and goes through
mood changes. That is what a good album should do with records like “Who
Knew My Luck Would Change” produced by Keezo Kane where I felt like not
rapping anymore and I know people can relate to that I had to go from being
a member of A Tribe Called Quest to working a regular day job. So the first
song on the album I spoke about that its called “Job Song” produced
by Koolade.

24: From your experience, what advice
would you give to the inspiring artist out there?
Consequence: “Don’t Quit Your Day
Job,” I look at it like rap is my day job. I don’t look at it like
I just spit. It’s a job because as nice as you [are] on the mic is the
same you have to be in the office. So if your not on top on your shit, you will
get raped for money, you will get snowballed and your album will get shelved.
I seen it happen. It happened to me! Now I go to my label everyday from April
2006 to now, unless I was on the road doing a show or going to the studio to
label or vice versa. The whole thing with the music industry, it’s a job
and it’s a hustle so if you ever hustled you know you eat accordingly
to how hard you go on the block.

24: What’s your favorite song on
the album that means the most to you if you had to choose just one?
Consequence: If I had to choose one it would
be “Don’t Forget ‘Em.” I dedicated that song to my grandmother.
She’s kind of the reason I started raping and she passed away.

24: Anything you want to promote before
we get out of here?
Consequence: March.6 “Don’t Quit
Your Day Job” in stores. Vote for the “Callin Me” video on
106&Park and TRL. The next single “Don’t Forget ‘Em.”
We just did that video so it will be out soon. I have a DVD coming called “No
Matter What The Consequence Is” due out in the summer and working on the
next album, it’s called “You Win Some, You Lose Some.” If
anyone wants to hit me up, check out my page www.myspace.com/constothequence
and stay updated with everything I ‘m doing.

Interview by: Jay Carter