Web Exclusive: Cellski Interview Raw and Uncut

Web Exclusive: Cellski Interview Raw and Uncut 

By Travis Jensen

I pulled this Cellski gem out of the vault the other day. This interview was conducted in early February of 2003, one week after local San Francisco rapper Hitman of RBL Posse was shot and killed while driving his car in Hunters Point. This here is the raw, uncut version of the interview. A much shorter version later appeared in Vapors Magazine, Issue 16.

Cellski (a.k.a: 2Took, Young Cellski, Big Mafia, Break-a-Bitch) is by far one of the most prolific rappers ever to come out of the Bay Area. Cellski has independently released and distributed six solo albums, three EPs and an infinite number of mixtapes, with reported sales totaling over 150,000 (sound scan 70,000). His first solo album, “Mr. Predicter” (1995), is arguably one of the most popular albums ever to come out of San Francisco.

Over the years, Cellski has worked with many prominent artists and groups, including Master P, Yukmouth, E-40, RBL Posse, Cougnut, Killa Tay, San Quinn and Lil Flip, among others.

There was a lengthy, elaborate intro that accompanied the print version of this interview, which talked about meeting Cellski on the street back in ’98 and how he hooked me up with a free “Canadian Bacon and Hashbrowns” (1998) tape, but I can’t find the file for the life of me. I still have the tape though. I’m actually listening to it right now.

For more on Cellski, visit www.myspace.com/cellski.

-- Travis Jensen

(Photo above by Travis Jensen 2003. All other photos appear courtesy of Cellski)

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(February 2003)

What’s up, Cellski?

Just chillin man, working hard, trying to drop these albums and get this distribution thing right. You know how it is in the game right now. It ain’t like it used to be back in days. Everybody’s bootlegging cd’s and all kinds of shit, man. I got a lot of good music, but I just don’t wanna put it out there without the right distribution, you know? I got Lil Flip, E-40, Benzino, Mobb Figaz, Luni Coleone, San Quinn…I got some heat, man.

I know you just got back from Atlanta. What were you doing down there?

It was All-Star weekend. I had to go out there and represent for the Bay. You know, a lot of cats out here never leave and that’s why they always talking ‘bout, ‘Man, we don’t get know love,’ but you really gotta leave and get out there, so you can be heard, you know? We’re already big in our own region, but you gotta go big in other regions. I hooked up with my boy Lil Flip and kicked it out there with him most of the time. I was just out there connecting with everybody. The whole industry was out there.

Aren’t you working on a project with Lil Flip right now?

Yeah, I got a DVD and an album called “Southwest Connections” in the works. We also gotta freestyle mixtape that we’re working on together too. Well, it’s really done, but I’m just gonna wait and put it out at the Kappa Beach Party in Texas.

How old are you and when did you first start rappin?

I’m 28 and have been rapping since I was damn near nine or ten years old. My uncle gave me my first drum machine when I was nine. I used to make beats on that muthafucka and that’s back in the days of T La Rock, Mantronixs, Run DMC and Peter Piper. I used to live on top of a record store when I was younger, so I would always have the hot shit when it first came out. You know, 2 Live Crew, Ice-T, all that shit. That’s my era, man. That’s when I came up.

Who were some of your early influences?

2 Short. I used to have homemade 2 Short tapes that my cousins and them had and he was just blowing me away. I was only like nine or ten years old and he was just on some real shit like nobody else. Oh, and Ice-T too! The first rap I ever wrote was to “Breakin’” (1984)? Remember that movie? I rewinded Ice-T’s part hella times and wrote my own rap to it. That’s how I really started rappin (laughs).

What year was that?

I think that was like 84’ or 85’? I used to break dance and was all into graffiti too.

How did you get the name “Cellski”?

Man, to tell you the truth, I don’t even remember. Somebody gave me that name, but I just can’t think of who it was right now. My other rap name used to be “Easy Rap.” Then, fuckin Easy-E and N.W.A. came out and I changed it to Cellski. Back in the day, the “ski” used to be the big thing, you know.

This is where I’m a little confused. Was your first album “Inner City Life”?

Naw that was an EP. It was six songs. See, what happened was it was really an album. I had songs on there with Totally Insane, Cougnut, R.B.L. Posse…and I’m talking bout in 91’ and 92’, but somehow the songs got erased off the dat. I was so frustrated with the shit that I just put out the six songs. I sold probably damn near 10,000 units back then – tapes nigga!

And you sold them all yourself?

All myself, start to finish. I went to the studio, and then to Music Annex studio to record and press it up. I spent like $1,100. After that, I went and got my graphics done, and then just went everywhere selling them for $5 or $10. Then I seen how much money I was making off it and thought, “This shit’s just like the crack game.” It’s the same thing! So, I really got serious about it. I already had a lot of knowledge about the music game because I read a lot, so I always knew to stay independent before people were really hip to it.

How many solo albums do you have out?

Four: “Mr. Predictor,” “Canadian Bacon and Hash Browns,” “Mafia Moves,” and “The Collection.” I think that’s it (laughs)?

I recently read that you’ve appeared on over a 100 different albums?

Yep, I got a list of them somewhere. I’m gonna put it up on my website for everyone to see.

Do you have copies of all that stuff?

Probably most of it. I’m a collector, man. I collect baseball cards, autographs and everything.

Really?

Yeah, I got a Ken Griffey Jr., Upper Deck rookie card. I actually got a couple of those. Let’s see, I’ve got some Randy Johnson rookie cards, Gary Sheffield, Don Mattingly. Um, I’ve got a Shaq rookie and a Kobie rookie too. I’ve got hella’ cards, man.

Back to the music. Who are some of the different artists that you’ve worked with?

I worked with Master P before he went big. I helped his punk ass get shit crackin with that “West Coast Bad Boyz” shit. Man, I remember back when we were doing that album hella muthafucka’s didn’t even wanna’ be on that shit. But then they heard the songs I was doing for it and was like, ‘Damn, I wanna’ be on that shit!’ Master P actually offered me 125k to come fuck with him, but I turned it down. I wanted to do this shit myself. I also worked a lot with my boy Cougnut (RIP), Yukmouth, E-40, B-Legit, San Quinn, Lil Flip, Benzino, Messy Marv, Luni Coleone, Marvelous, R.B.L., Tottaly Insane and all my boys in East Palo Alto. Shit, I fuck with everybody, man. I try and rep Northern California to the fullest!

So have you talked to Master P since he’s gone big?

I haven’t talked to him. I was at Spring Bling in the fuckin front row of dude’s show like, ‘Nigga’ you don’t see me, nigga (laugh)?’ That muthafucka tried to act like he don’t know me. I was out there in Louisiana before C-Murder went to jail kickin’ it with him. C-Murder is my boy, man. He always kept it real with me. Oh, and my boy Magic! Those are my fuckin niggas, man. Shit, all I wanted to do is just holla at “P”, feel me? That’s all I wanted to do. You know, ‘What’s up, niggy? Can I get on a soundtrack or something?’ (Laughs.) I just want a gold album on my wall. But you know, I used to tell people, I respect “P” for his hustle, but he bites a lot of shit…everybody knows that. Whatever’s hot, he’s gonna make a clone of it. It’s not that I’m hatin on him or nothing, but I just couldn’t see myself as a No Limit Soldier.

Do a lot of people recognize you when you’re out and about on the streets?

Yeah, I’ll be up in the mall or some shit and people will come up to me and be like, ‘Damn you look familiar. Are you Cellski?’ I’ll be forgetting that my face is up on the cover of all my albums and everything (laugh). Sometimes I’ll be up in traffic and people will be looking at me and I’ll be like, ‘Man, why they muggin’ me?’ But then I just know that they know it’s me (laughs).

Did you ever get caught up in gangbanging or selling drugs?

I only got caught up in turf shit. You know, we don’t gangbang out here in Frisco. I’ve done hustled though, man. I had my whole fucking neighborhood sowed up. Everybody came to me for work. When there was a drought, I always had work, know what I’m saying? Everybody knows that Cell’s got work. The police even know that. That’s why they respect me so much, because they’ve seen me come up as a youngster from doing nothing, just being out in the streets and shit. Now when they go up in the record stores they see nothing but me up on the shelves (laughs). When they pull me over I’ll be like, ‘What the fuck you pulling me over for? I got a license, registration, and tags! Leave me the fuck alone!’ (Laughs.)

What part of S.F. are you from?

I’m from Lakeview, right over the hill from City College. You know, City College is the good side and you come over the hill and it’s the bad side, ‘The Lunatic Village’ (laughs). You ride that M Street Car down Randolph and you’ll see everybody outside kicking it, 100 niggas posted up on the corner.

It’s hot up on Randolph Street right now, huh?

My neighborhood has always been hot since I can fucking remember, man; ever since they put gates on the park. But now, it’s just the new generation. Some of these young niggas running around here ain’t nothing but a one-night-stand for a fifty shot of rock or something, know what I mean? And people wonder why these niggas is so crazy and shit. It’s the chemicals. They’re born like that -- crack babies. They’re 16, 17 and 18 years old now and out there running around the fuckin streets like gremlins.

How did you feel when you heard the news that your boy Cougnut (I.M.P.) died?

Bald Head Rick called me all hysterical on the phone and I was like, ‘Man, what’s wrong?’ Then he told me, ‘Nut’s (Cougnut) dead man!’ I was like, ‘Man, come on, quit playing,’ thinking that it was just a rumor or something. You know how rumors start? So I had my partners drop me off over there and they started telling me the shit and I was like, ‘Just get me the biggest bottle of Remy Martin that ya’ll can find man.’

There was a really big funeral for him too, right?

Yeah, they had the whole fuckin 3rd Street blocked off like the president was out there or somethin. They had a horse and carriage and we were all in black and red tuxedos. We went all out for his funeral. Suge Knight sent a big ass Death Row flower bouquet for him. That’s another reason why I don’t fuck with Master P, man, ‘cause that muthafucka sent a letter saying that he was going to send Cougnut his plaque for the “West Coast Bad Boys Vol. 1,” but never did. I haven’t even gotten my plaque yet either. He also said that he was going to send some money to Cougnut’s mom and put a song on the “West Coast Bad Boys Vol. 3,” but he didn’t come through on none of that shit, man. What’s 10 or 15k to a 100 millionaire? It wasn’t even about the money. He shouldn’t even have sent the letter in the first place if he wasn’t going to follow through.

Damn, what was it like a week ago that Hitman of R.B.L. Posse got shot and killed? Wasn’t he one of your partners, too?

Yeah, I remember when young Hitman was a little ass nigga coming into the studio when I used to live on Harbor Road with Black C and them. This is back when the whole Harbor Road was cool with one another. You know what I’m saying? The whole Hunters Point was cool with one another. Anyway, I remember when Hitman used to come up in there making his little beats and shit, rappin’ and shit. He had a different style, so I would always be like, ‘Bust one, nigga!’ He always used to say this one little rap to me, and then when we did the song for “Mr. Predictor,” he went in the booth and busted that rap, and I was just pumped off it. He was like, ‘Yeah, I saved that one for you, nigga.’ Shit, I had just seen him like a week ago at the studio before he got killed. He was leaving when I was coming in.

How old was he, 24?

Yeah, I think so.

Damn, that’s my age.

Yep, that’s just that Hunters Point life, man. Shit is rough. Sometimes muthafuckas get caught up in more shit than they can handle.

Yeah, that shit’s pretty crazy. Are there any shout outs you wanna give to the people out there reading this?

Shout out first of all to you for doing this interview. I gotta give love to the almighty God, my family, my daughter Jameesha, the whole Inner City 2K family, E-40, San Quinn, Lil Flip, Benzino, Bald Head Rick, Killa Keise, and everybody else I’ve fucked with. I wanna’ give a shout out to the world and all of my fans that support me. I wanna say Fuck You to all the bootleggers out there! You can bootleg the mixtapes but not the albums, because that’s taking out of my daughter’s pocket. Shout out to all the thugs and all the badest broads in America. Shout out to Japan, China and all my fans out there across the globe. And that’s a rap (laughs).