Following the release of his new Gangsta Grillz mixtape, Dipset member Jim Jones stopped by the Breakfast Club and spoke further about his the dangers of being a rapper.
Jones, who also took a moment to address rumors regarding his run-in with Freddie Gibbs, explained what his advice is for younger people coming up in the world of hip-hop. He believes there’s “no protection” for rising acts these days, and that some artists will have to leave certain aspects of their lives behind if they want to seriously pursue music.
“I’ve come up different, so for me preaching to them…I wanna give them the proper advice,” Jones said at around the 15:00 point in the video above. “I’m just trying to give you a fair warning of things that could happen if you keep going in that direction. If you wanna do music, one of these things you’re gonna have to put down, it’s not gonna add up. You’re either gonna do the streets, or you’re gonna do the music. Because it never mix, it never works. I’ve never seen nobody do that successfully, as we can see with so many examples in front of us.”
From there, Jim again said he “stands by” his comments regarding how dangerous being a rapper can be. “There’s no protection for the artists anymore,” he said. “I stand on what I said, being a rapper is the most dangerous job in the world. … Some of the biggest artists that we’ve seen come out this game are getting gunned down, due to street violence and things like that.”
In early 2020, Jones faced criticism for suggesting being a rapper is “more dangerous” than being a soldier. “Since I’ve said that comment, I would like somebody to count the deaths of rappers,” he said. “You tell me if I hit it on the head or not.” Since Jones made those comments, the likes of Pop Smoke, Houdini, King Von, Young Dolph, and Drakeo the Ruler have been killed. “You gotta move tactical out here.”
He also gave his thoughts on the New York Police Department’s infamous “hip-hop police,” otherwise known as the Enterprise Operations Unit. According to those familiar with the NYPD’s inner workings, the unit was reportedly employed to gather information on the scene to monitor for potential crime. “I don’t know, they’re just trying to catch the young rappers up,” he said, also cautioning rising artists not to carry a firearm. “Just be smart when you moving around here. If you the artist don’t be in the car with the hammer.”
Jim Jones briefly addressed the rumors about his run-in with Gibbs at a restaurant in Miami. “I don’t tussle baby,” he said at the 20:30 point after avoiding the question. “Nah, I don’t know what they’re talking about. Rumors fly.” Later, he reiterated that he doesn’t have any ill will for Gibbs.
“All jokes aside, it’s a clean slate, man. Shouts out to that guy Freddie Gibbs, man. Wish you nothing but success in all your endeavors throughout the game.” He then talked about “all this hoopla in the media” before trailing off, and added, “I would hate for my name to be in the media that way. Show him some love, ya dig?”
And of course no chat with Jones at the moment would be complete without someone asking about the whole kissing/not kissing his mom thing. The 45-year-old laughed as soon the topic came up. “Made it seem like I was tongue kissing my moms…no, I was not tongue kissing my moms, like come on, give me a goddamn break. … But, for the most part I was trending and was viral all month. That helped the record.”
Watch the full interview above.
