It’s about to be a busy year for Jim Jones, and the Harlem Capo is staying focused. Catch him if you can.

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(ILLUSTRATION) CHAUNCEY MEDDER; (BARBER) CARLOS THE BARBER; (HAIR) JANOI BURROUGHS; (PHOTOS) AP PHOTO

He finally came out and said that he couldn’t rock with you because you appeared onstage with 50, kind of questioning your loyalty.

Jim Jones: He’s questioning my loyalty? He was questioning himself. At that point in time when I did [appear onstage with 50], I was doing all business. I was doing what was best for Jimmy, what was best for my career. It was in my best interest to do publicity stunts and get hype. He was nowhere to be found, so who is he to be questioning what I was doing? He couldn’t do that from the get-go because I helped start all this. What went on between him and 50 was a mockery—that was niggas making jokes. That was a YouTube snap battle. It was nothing remotely physical about that battle. I can’t indulge in fun and jokes that’s like wrestling.

In the documentary, there’s mention that Jay-Z stole the beat for “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” from you and Cam, that Kanye agreed to give the beat to you guys. What’s the story behind that?

Jim Jones: Kanye came to our studio session at Sony, and he was playing some beats back when we were all signed to Rocafella. Cam was about to come out with Come Home With Me, so we told Kanye we wanted to buy the song “H to the Izzo.” It was an understanding we had between us and Kanye because we were all under the same label. So then, I’ll never forget it, we’re at Cam’s house and this hip-hop award show comes on [BET Awards, 2001], and Cam and I are watching it on his couch, and we’re like, “Next year we’re gonna be up there.” So they announce that Jay-Z is about to perform his new single off The Blueprint, and the dude comes out with the “H to the Izzo” beat. Cam and I look at each other like, Oh, we’re going to kill Kanye. Oh my God, when we catch this nigga,we’re going to do something terrible to him. And that’s how Cam ended up getting the “Down and Out” beat. Kanye gave it to him free of charge as payback.

You and Dame have criticized Jay-Z for continuing to rap at his age; do you think you’ll hang up the mic when you’re his age?

Jim Jones: Pretty much. I don’t think my pride or my ego will let me do it. As a joke, maybe, like Will Smith does every now and again. He’s making $20 million a movie—he doesn’t give a fuck. But for me to base my whole life and career and every dollar I make off of rapping and keep on doing this in my 40s, I don’t see that happening for me. Who wants to be stuck in here in their 40s dealing with these youngsters? You fuck around and slip and get your head cracked wide open at 40, you ain’t recovering like you was 20.

You hear it all the time, but NY rap is still not back to being at the forefront of rap. Who else would you enlist to bring the game back?

Jim Jones: Without my own personal hatred—I got to put all my feelings aside—to bring NY back properly, I would definitely put the Lox as a whole. Definitely 50. I fuck with 50, and beyond everything we got a mutual understanding. I think we think alike in some ill twisted way. But, it’s still aggressive competition above all, because we all trying to eat out the same pot.

So even with personal hatred aside, Nas and Jay are still not on the roster?

Jim Jones: To bring New York back? Shit, why they ain’t bring it back already? It would’ve been back. I didn’t even think about them. The integrity of their music right now is not where we come from any more. Nas is still stuck in Africa, and Jay is talking about way too much money and Merrill Lynch talk and shit like that.

You’ve said that there’s no more Rocafella, but Kanye has had great success, and he still claims the Roc.

Jim Jones: I don’t know if he’s actually with Jay-Z from the looks of things. From what I’ve been seeing from since we were signed until now, I think Kanye actually hates Jay-Z. [Dame Dash interrupts:] No, he actually does. He hated Jay-Z ever since he wouldn’t give him a fucking Rocawear chain in Chicago! I’m telling you. Jim Jones: I don’t know if the song “Big Brother” was correct, but he might’ve hated him since he didn’t give him those tickets to Madison Square Garden. Damon Dash: This was before that. He was already in full hate by that time. [Laughs.] This nigga [Kanye] was like, “Wow, he ain’t going to give me the chain.” I had to take off my chain and give it to him, and I was heated. I had the real canary diamonds. That shit cost $40,000! I told Kanye, “Yo, you got to give that back when we get off this stage!”

Jim, do you have any theories?

Jim Jones: Jay-Z never sells as much as Kanye. Jay-Z wishes he could sell as many records as Kanye. So he’s only beating him with terrible swag. Like over there, their swag is terrible. They having a terrible swag contest. It’s really bad over there. Home // CELEBRITIES // COVER STORY // Jim Jones