Sup Juggalos and Juggalettes and Talk Sick Soldiers. It’s your boy BeZerk here with you once again, for some new freshness to burst your fucking ears. Now if ya’ll remember my first interview with Snypa, you may remember me talking about Talk Sick (if you are unfamiliar with it). I love everything out of TSP, so I had to interview the most senior member of Talk Sick, and that would be none other than B-LeaVe.

Coming out of the Chi-Town area, B-LeaVe has been busting his ass since the 90’s, which is longer than most of the people I’ve interviewed. He has worked with a shit ton of people (my favorite track of his was a collabo with Grewsum called Bring The Pain [which is on YouTube, go check it out!!!]), and the last time I was on his Myspace he had 6,356,484 views which is, I think, don’t quote me on this, more than the whole population of Minnesota, or damn near close. More than North Dakota at least. So, juggalos, sit back and enjoy this spin kick to your face full of freshness. Here is B-LeaVe…

Interview for: B-LeaVe
Real Name: Brad Walker
From: Chicago, Illinois – Living in Grayslake, IL
Rolls With: Talk Sick Productions (Co-founder/producer)

Faygoluvers: Why do you rap?

B-LeaVe: Ever since the early 90’s when NWA was blowing up, I’ve had this necessity to write to the beats I was listening to. It was always like a great beat just drew me in, and I would sit and tape the track off the radio and play it a few times ’til I memorized the beat, and I would write out a verse for it. After not too long, in ’96 sometime I started writing battle tracks, and sometime there after on goldmic.com battling other emcees who were out to make a name for themselves. 10 years ago that was the only way to make a name in the underground, was to battle. Eventually I just evolved into writing full-length tracks and putting them down with my crew. Long story short, I rap because I love all forms of the art.

Faygoluvers: How did you come up with the name B-LeaVe?

B-LeaVe: A long time ago, in a shitty town far far away, I was in a crew with Die-Verse-It-T, C-Nile & Chris P call FBMC. Chris and I never had names we used for rap, we just went along with it. Me and C-Nile were chillin one day, and on popped Cypress Hill, he realized the word-play of B-Real could apply to my first initial, and it worked itself out from there. Its become more recognizeable to folks than my real name nowadays haha, the alternative option C-Nile and I came up with was Crunky McFiend, and that name just sucks haha.

Faygoluvers: Who are your influences?

B-LeaVe: Musically my first influences were Easy E and Ice Cube. Cube worked on shit with everyone from Dre to YoYo to George Clinton back in the day. Then as rap came along, more influences did too. For a while I thought Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock were hot, and tried to use them as an influence, which is why I no longer keep any of my tracks from the late 90’s haha. When Jadakiss hit the scene he was a huge influence, same with Joe Budden. They’re both great emcees with a lot of talent. Now-a-days, I’d say Tech N9ne, Eminem, Twiztid, Critical Bill, and Slaughterhouse are the biggest influences musically. Even my lady, she’s hard into metal, so when I hear something I like from her part of the musical world, I find a way to incorporate it into my music. Which led to a great track by myself and Grewsum not too long ago with a Metallica sample. Outside influences are my boys, Skrapt Soulz (Silentz and Spooky) who showed me their dynamic way, and opened my eyes to alot of new shit, and even having my daughter Alisha, the love you have for your kid can power anything, she influences me to push myself harder and make better music everytime I pick up the pad.

Faygoluvers: Who have collaborated with?

B-LeaVe: Dude, this is a rigged question, it’d take me an hour to pull ’em all out, over the last 14 years, I’ve worked with well over 250 artists on tracks. My favorite people to work with, and have worked with are Kung Fu Vampire whose on the title track for my upcoming album, DZK, Hard Target, Gravity, Infinite Skillz is the fuckin man, Ends, Grewsum was great to work with, ClaAs is the shit we’ve banged out a few tracks, back in ’06 me and my dude JR did a track with Akon, F.a.T, Jay Red, my main man Missin Link, theres way too many to list, and I can’t forget my homie from Pakistan Adil Omar. Kids ruthless!

Faygoluvers: Who have you opened for?

B-LeaVe: Shit, it feels like everyone. Tech N9ne, Twiztid, Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, Critical Bill, Primer 55, Kung Fu Vampire, Esham, both Mars and Marz, King Gordy, Scum and Twiztid, again. We’ve done a lot of shows man, too many to even remember.

Faygoluvers: This being FLH, what is your favorite Faygo flavor?

B-LeaVe: I’m old school man, Creme Soda and Root Beer are my shit.

Faygoluvers: Who does Talk Sick Productions include?

B-LeaVe: Let’s see here, myself, Skrapt Soulz (as a duo), Silentz, Spooky, Snypa, Lil Sicc & Intrekit. They all do most of their own booking, I record and produce myself, Skrapt Soulz, Silentz & Spooky. I produced Snypa’s first mixtape One Helluva Ride, although a bitch made graphic artist named Charles “Inquisitive Mindz” Shank took my name off of the album art like a bitch. Lil Sicc & Intrekit came into the crew with their own recording spot, and as a group we’re like family. We fight, we get over it, we continue working as a unit. Success only comes by way of mutual work towards a common goal.

Faygoluvers: What was your favorite show to do?

B-LeaVe: The Tech N9ne show we did at the Pearl Room in Mokena, IL was the fuckin bomb. Me, Spooky, and Silentz ripped it front to back. The shit was crazy. It was the first time we hit a big show working as Talk-Sick and we made a hell of an impression with everyone in the building.

Faygoluvers: What do you have planned for the near future?

B-LeaVe: I’m working on a couple mixtapes, 1 is for Talk-Sick, the other is the prequel to my album. The mixtapes gonna be called Mosaic. And the album is gonna be called Rapocalypse Now. I’m hoping Skrapt Soulz get an album ready, and I’m helping Silentz work on his mixtape currently. Lots a shit to do, too little time haha. Also got a few tracks lined up to release soon, me and Snypa been workin on a couple over mainstream beats too.

Faygoluvers: When and where are your next couple of shows?

B-LeaVe: I’ve been taking most of the winter off from music and doing the family thing. Once I get the mixtape ready for release, I’ll start hammerin’ out shows, but for now, it’s the holidays, I’m kickin it with my munchkin and my brother haha.

Faygoluvers: Shout outs?

B-LeaVe: Oh I gots me some shoutouts. First of all to all you cats in Dupage County in Illinois, get your asses over to Downers Grove Tattoo on Ogden Ave, and get tatt’d by my brother Ritch. He does the best tatts at the best price. Tell him I sent ya. Also hit up my homie Spooky for tatts in Lake County, IL – hes easy to find thru myspace at myspace.com/spookysosic.

Now on to the shoutouts – my amazing daughter Alisha, and wife Jasmine, I love you guys beyond belief. My older brother Ritch, I love you big bro, you’re THAT dude haha. My best friend and partner in musical crime Silentz. My brother from another mother Spooky. My man Snypa. My sister in law Amanda, Pigtard you’re the bomb. My homie Tank aka Brian haha. My great friends Mike & Amber. Big shouts to my boys in the industry DZK and the Warlab Family, Infinite Skillz, Grewsum, ClaAs, Gravity, KFV, YOU Mr. Ken (BeZerk) haha, Lil Sicc & Intrekit, the boys in Comatose In2 Addiction fuckin raw ass group, Powerdise, DRP, Rick Dogg & my homies at wicked wisco, Adil Omar, Tok 5’1, Intaflex, Savior, Pebbles aka Jennifer, my boy Pantz is out there somewhere, Triple 6, Dzasta, Mnemonic Devize, my father in law Ramon, POPS YOU THE SHIT! Rupee Rich, Psycho Jesus, DJ Se7en, Saint Sinna, BadLuck, Nikko, F.a.T, Cryptic Wisdom and last but not least Ends, my most frequent collaborator hahaha.

Hit me up if yall folks wanna drop a track with any of the talk-sick family [email protected]

Talk-Sickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!

Websites:
B-LeaVe @ Myspace
B-LeaVe @ Facebook
Talk Sick Productions @ Myspace
Talk Sick Productions @ Facebook