So when you left the camp, did you keep in touch with Eminem?

Green Lantern: No, we didn’t. I understand the reason, it was probably due to his loyalty to 50. He didn’t want to seem like he was still kicking it with somebody that looked like he was shitting on his man. Without sounding like I’m dissing him, he just... does his own thing. He’s kind of self-enclosed. It’s not like you’re going to run into him. I knew there was going to be certain ramifications, and that was going to be one of them. It was just part of the whole situation. That was that.

Mixtape-wise for 08, what’s the schedule look like?

Green Lantern: I have a few things dropping. I really don’t like to talk about them. I like to just drop them. On a bigger note than that, I actually have been moving away from putting mixtapes out. I think I’m more of a DJ/producer. I use mixtapes as vehicles to promote certain things. I have a new artist that I just signed, and I am going to put a mixtape out with him. I’m going to host a couple mixtapes for people that come along and want to do business. When people come to me and they say they want a Green Lantern mixtape, we work out the business and they’re good.

Who are you focused on promoting nowadays?

Green Lantern: I’m working with Uncle Murda. I’m executive producing that project, along with his manager and Jay-Z. There’s a new artist that I signed, his name is Johnny Polygon. He’s somebody very left of what you would think Green Lantern would fuck with. He is a little bit of Will.I.am, a little bit of a Gym Class Heroes, a little bit of Devin the Dude, and a little bit of Andre 3000, rolled up in one with a guitar.

Yeah, that’s definitely different for you.

Green Lantern: Yeah, definitely different. I’m just showing my versatility and the side that’s actually a real musician/producer. A lot of people just see me as a guy that plays all these crazy hit ’em up, bang-bang gangsta shit, but I’m actually quite diverse with my music that I fuck with on a personal level. I’m starting to delve into that as far as projects that I work on.

What differentiates Murda from everyone else?

Green Lantern: I think Uncle Murda, love him or hate him, is somebody that brings an element to the game, that may be a little shocking to people, but it uncovers a side of the world. It uncovers a real grimy side. The hoodest of the hood is what Uncle Murda describes in his records. That’s really what drew me to him. How he describes it is so damn graphic, and detailed. I call it detailed realism. I get a lot of flack like “Oh my god!” [laughs], but I just see a genuineness in a certain type of artist. He’s genuinely “that guy.” This new guy that I signed is genuinely “this guy.” If you bring up a gospel artist to me and I see that he’s a genuine artist, I might work with him.

You were a big supporter of free speech after Murda’s “I Shot the Sheriff” track came under fire. Were you reluctant to produce that track?

Green Lantern: The funny thing with that track is that I always had the idea to just make that track and have somebody talk about police. This was right when I started working with Murda. This might have been the second song that we did. I just gave him the beat, and he came back and I was looking at him like, “You are going to get us locked up.” But, I can’t tell you to change it up. What the fuck am I going to say? Tell you not to say what you said? That’s just freedom of speech. He said it, it’s out there, but he’s not running with it, and that’s it. I definitely understand both sides of the coin-frustration with the police, but also pushing the line to where you get the Feds and the boys on you, nobody wants that. Trust me. I am the first one that wants to be able to live without police all up my ass. You can ask him his side if you want, but I feel like he said it, and that was it. There’s no campaign or anything like that.

Did you personally receive any bad press from it for co-signing that?

Green Lantern: No. Knock on wood. [laughs] Home // CELEBRITIES // WEB EXCLUSIVE // DJ Green Lantern