"I Am The Difference"

Vibe.com, January 27th, 2006

Juelz Santana - Harlem thoroughbred, Diplomatic Warrior, Human Crack in the Flesh. However you size him up, this young entrepreneur who made his official mainstream debut on the single "Oh Boy," - which not only changed the complexion of hip hop music, but began the Diplomatic regime as well as the reemergence of the trendsetting Harlem heavyweight, Cam’ron - has a new found moniker that he should now be officially dubbed: “THE DIFFERENCE”

An innovative MC deserves an innovative setting. If the facts are all that you want, then the facts are all that you will receive. This is word-for-word Juelz Santana… no story fillers, no transcriptions, no BS. You can read these quotes in any order that you wish. If you don’t want to read about, “The way to his heart” for instance, just skip over it.

Enjoy this VIBE.com exclusive at your own convenience. You’ve read it here FIRST!

HIS GROWTH
I’m very humble about what I do, because I know that this can be taken away from me at any given time. I was a dude who came from nothing. I appreciate everything that I have right now; that’s what humbles me. I strive and I work hard everyday, so my confidence is far from a cocky thing. I know that the more that I put in, the more that I’m going to get out of this situation.

The game has been missing that sense of realness. I’ve titled my album What the Game’s Been Missing, because this time around I’m not only letting people know how I get down and bringing that authentic feel to the table, I’m serious about being ‘that difference’.

A LOOK INTO THE ALBUM
My debut album was more personal. This time around it’s more heartfelt, it’s everything - this is what I’m doing, this is how I’m doing, this is how I get down, this is how it needs to be.

I got tracks with Lil’ Wayne, Young Jeezy, Sizzla (the only artists other than Dipset to appear on the album) & of course the family: Dipset.

Be on the lookout for “Make It Work for Ya” featuring Lil’ Wayne and Young Jeezy. The song that I got with Cam’ron and Sizzla is called “Shot Ya.” That’s like “Gangsta Muzik” times 10, man. That’s some real street good shit, man. Listening to “Little Boy Fresh” & “Gone” is like opening up a book, or watching a movie.

PRESSURE FROM THE LABEL
The label can’t put no pressure on me, I can put the pressure on the label. There was a time when they didn’t even look at me as a priority. They didn’t even expect me to sell what I sold the first time around. I felt like since I wasn’t priority, DEF JAM didn’t work my record the way that it should have been worked. So now that all of the attention is where it should have been from the start, that’s good to me. With a Gold album (500,000+ copies sold) notched to my resume, they’ve gotten more than enough from me; I could have taken this shit somewhere else. That’s the bottom line.

TACKLING A CLASSIC
Ah, man. There are too many classics to just narrow it down to one song. But if I could cover one classic, I would have to do a B.I.G. joint, I would have to go with “Juicy.” That song is so real. That’s the way I feel - It was all a dream. Coming from where I came from, and for every MC in the rap game, I feel like that’s the song for everybody. Before you make it, you feel like it’s all a dream, you feel like it could never happen. I would also cover 2pac’s “Dear Mama.” I really appreciate my mother, man.

WHY PEOPLE FUCK WITH JUELZ
The diversity of my content is why I feel that my music is so appreciated and why it comes across to so many different types of people. I got gangstas that fuck with me… I got street niggaz that fuck with me… I got hustlers that fuck with me… I got regular niggaz that fuck with me… I got the chicks that fuck with me… the younger chicks fuck with me, as well. It’s not like I just have one kind of listener… I got the best of every type of listener fuckin’ with me. It’s pretty much in the way that I was brought up. I’ve been around a bunch of different shit, but I’m family oriented as well. It’s not like I’m just a street violent person. Yes, I’m into violence because that’s what I come from, so you have to be into it to protect yourself. I’ve been involved with hustler shit, I’ve been involved with gang stuff, but like I’ve said before, I’ve been a family man all of my life as well. I love my moms’, I got a real cool relationship with my brothers, and everybody in my family. You get all of that in my music. I feel that the youth is so connected with who I am because, “I am what they are growing up to be.” I’ll tell you something man, the worse niggaz in the streets have the best parents. They got that sense of love, respect, & pride. You’ll never get a cold-hearted Juelz Santana, because I’m not. Every aspect of my life makes me who I am as a man.

IN REGARDS TO BEING “THE FUTURE OF DEF JAM”
I’m not looking to be the future of no one. I’m looking to be the future of myself. I put in a lot of work. I took a lot of money out of my own pocket to build my own studio, I shot my own videos. I’m doing a lot of shit that other artists aren’t taking the time out to do for themselves, and for their careers. I’m just trying to make things work for me.

THE WAY TO HUMAN CRACK IN A FLESH’S HEART
Honestly, she has to know what she wants out of life. I just love a girl that knows what she wants. And the life that I live doesn’t matter to her. She doesn’t want to know me for just Juelz Santana. Even though that is a beautiful thing, I don’t want for her to get lost in just that aspect. She has to be herself when she’s around me. I don’t need for her to be around me because she feels that it’s just the place to be for that time.

JUELZ “TOP 3” PICKS TO LEAD A DIPLOMATS GREATEST HITS COMPILATION: