No Jumper - The Jap5 Interview: Growing up Hoover, Prison Time, Crip Mac Beef & More

Episode Date: August 11, 2021

Jap5 talks about his upbringing, heavily influenced by the streets, his environment, doing time, taking music seriously and more! https://www.instagram.com/japanese5_/ ----- NO JUMPER PATREON http://www.patreon.com/nojumper CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5te... FOLLOW US ON SNAPCHAT FOR THE LATEST NEWS & UPDATES https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE STORE!!! http://www.nojumper.com/ SUBSCRIBE for new interviews (and more) weekly: http://bit.ly/nastymondayz Follow us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nojumper iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/n... Follow us on Social Media: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/No_... http://www.twitter.com/nojumper http://www.instagram.com/nojumper https://www.facebook.com/NOJUMPEROFFI... http://www.reddit.com/r/nojumper JOIN THE DISCORD: https://discord.gg/Q3XPfBm Follow Adam22: https://www.tiktok.com/@adam22 http://www.twitter.com/adam22 http://www.instagram.com/adam22 adam22hoe on Snapchat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No Jumper, coolest podcast on the world. And today we got an up-and-coming street icon. Jap 5 is in the building. How you doing, man? What's up, Jap 5, man? Shit, Blas, trying to stay out the way, man. Trying to build right now. Yeah.

Because you, one theme I get from a lot of your music is that you did a bid relatively recently. Yeah. How long was that for? Like, four and some change, like four years and eight months. Fuck. And so how long you've been out for? Like almost two years. Wow.

Okay. In November it makes two years. Okay. And how old are you right now? 24. 24. Fuck. So you did that at like 16? 18. Am I doing the math wrong? 18? Yeah, like fresh 18. Okay. Fuck. So that's like got to be a pretty wild feeling just to all of a sudden be getting to it after having to sit down for that long. Yeah, it's different. But I kind of like, I pictured it.

so when I was in there I'd basically put it together you were just kind of plotting and thinking about the whole time just trying to decide like I had a lot of time to get myself together really like I had a lot of time just sit and think what I wanted to do how I was going to do it what steps I need to take to make it to where I need to get to I kind of just manifested it like I put it all in put it all in thought

and then bring it to life for sure Let's go back to the beginning, though, before we dig into recent years. Where are you from initially and talk a little bit about your upbringing in L.A.? Oh, shit. I'm from South Central L.A. Like 150 Vermont. Okay. So that's where I was, like, born and raised and stuff.

That's where I grew up out of. So that's where a lot of stuff changed from. For sure. So, okay, what was your family situation? Like, you have both parents around or just one? It was like back and forth. It was back and forth. My mom had us for a minute.

Then we went with my dad. My dad went and did his prison bid, so we had to go back with my mom. Oh, wow. Like, yeah, just back and forth. How long was he gone for? He did, like, two different. He went from, like, when I was two to, I remember I was, like, in early elementary school, from about two to early elementary.

Then he ended up going back and did another. bed. We went back with my mom. He got out and did another bid, and he just got back out like six months ago. Wow. So like the entirety of your life damn near, he was just going back and forth? Yeah, just back and forth. What was your perspective on that as a young person? Like, how did you know or make sense of the fact that your dad wasn't around? Do you have any memories of like how you can perceive that? I was young and I grew up kind of fast so I understood. Like, I grew up from the streets. So it was, like, normal where I'm from to see that.

So, and all he had it is like, okay, Pop's doing this bid. Like, he'll be home. He don't got life. Right. So I kind of had that, kind of had that perspective. So to a lot of people doing a bid like that is, you know, shocking, life-changing shit, but you don't even remember ever thinking it was all that big a deal? Yeah, it's life, man.

You're going to come home. You do it right. Get it more time. You're going to stay in there. So did you, when, when, you're going to do it. when you were young, did, you said like you kind of grew up in the streets. Was there like a lot of influences around you from a young age? Yeah.

Yeah, it's not, I'm not going to lie it was. Yeah, it was a cool amount. Like you would just see shit going down on a regular basis, or what was it like from your perspective in terms of all that? Well, basically, like, living with my pops and stuff, he started training us different. Like, when he was raising us, he just used to have us, like, old militant and everybody used to wonder and be thinking like man he hard on his kids like he'd be tripping but in all reality i feel like he was just showing me the real like and i end up growing up

being a different type of individual because i've seen so much at a young age it's like they like dumbed out the rest of the dudes my age like now my mental level is different real so for me seeing like other people and stuff and other like just people around me and stuff like how they act on certain occasions and situations I'd be looking like, man, I would have never moved like that. Right. So. Yeah, because I mean, there is like such a weird thing that is kind of prevalent in society now where when you look back to like what, you know, the streets were like in maybe the 70s or some shit before like crack hit and stuff, it felt like there was like a much, there was a big

chunk of people that thought it was cool to be militant or to be more like disciplined and shit like that. And now like, I feel like I know what you're saying. Because there are a lot of people that you'll be around when you'll just be like, this dude's whole goal in life is to sit around and get high and just be... Exactly. You can see it.

Yeah. All the time. You see it in the fucking artists who are popular and shit like that where even if they're not really like that, they might be the hardest working motherfucker in the world. And they still, in their songs will be sort of glamorized and just sitting around not doing shit. Because they don't know the proper steps to take.

Like I said, that's what I was manifesting when I was in jail. That's what I'm like, I was learning. I was looking at other artists and stuff. And I kind of like was just, seeing like what they was doing wrong. And I just was studying. I was doing a lot of studying because before I went to prison, I never even thought about like being a rapper or nothing.

Like I never, I was boxing. And I wanted to be a boxer and doing tattoos and stuff, cutting hair. So it was like once I got to prison, I would start messing around with my music and it came to. Interesting. So when you say that your dad was sort of strict with you or whatever, like what was the like anything come to mind in particular?

that was sort of that he was having you do to sort of make you tougher or whatever just like having us around when he was outside like around him a lot like he made sure that he watched us he made sure that he trained us like to watch people certain watch cars when they drive by watch body language like he just raised us different and then like as far as i seeing like stuff he never hit us from real life like you know most kids parents see crackheads and stuff and they try to keep kids away from it because they don't want their kids to see it but he kind of let me see it and he'd like son that's a crack kid instead of like just keeping me away from it like they're normal kids so i just started paying attention and seeing stuff like that like real stuff prostitutes and

i start seeing that at a young age i think about that all the time now that i got a eight month old where i'm just like there's going to come a time where i'm going to have to explain to her why this person's acting like this and it's like you can just you can just lie to them you know you can just lie and lie and lie and then one day they're going to figure out you were lying to them all those years and and then it's like how can you call yourself real if you're lying about stuff like that yeah like if you're real you're gonna be real are you really setting yourself your kid up to have a good future if you're not also like teaching them about the world that you presumably understand pretty well at this point you know yeah that's why you got to you got to just move different

especially with your children you got to move different because you're going to show them what you don't show them somebody else is just going to show them so it's like I'd rather just be straight up but was your dad telling you like this is what gang banging is stay away from it or you know this is what crime is like this person breaks in houses this person sells drugs and like trying to tell you you don't want to do this no he never told me that but my pops is also in the streets heavy too Like my pops ain't like no body old's pops Like he's different too So with my pops being who my pops is

He didn't care about none of that stuff Like he was doing him And he just made sure that he kept me on my stuff But he never stopped doing him like Because I'm under my pops My pops name Jap 2 Oh really? Yeah Is there a Jop 3 and 4?

My Pops is Jop 3 I'm Jop 5 Oh okay I thought he said he was two. No, I'm saying that. Oh, he's an addition. Okay. Yeah, what is, where did your name come from?

And, like, what does it mean exactly? Japanese. It's like our hood name. Oh, okay. It's big Jap, little Jap. My pops is number three. He's baby Jap. It's Tiny Jap and then I'm five.

I'm infant Jap. AD was just telling me the other day that there's like infant versions of a lot of hood names. I didn't even really know that until recently. It's like generations. Right. But if you had a son, they just got to start over? Nah.

I have a son. He's going to the NFL or something, man. Like I said, I broke the curse. Do you feel like it was a curse in terms of like, you know, just people sort of being in fucked up situations? Of course that's a curse because it's like, what can you do in a situation that you don't know? Like, what can you do in a vulnerable situation?

It's like if that's all you know, if that's how you was raised and that's all you was taught, like you're going to move like this because that's all you know and that's all you was taught right and when you come and see something different it's like damn that's different definitely so okay like what kind of kid were you in you know junior high and shit like that uh man i always been bad like i always been a little bad boy i've been like i said i was raised different from the other kids so I was more like I used to watch people I used to like he a bitch and I used to be just tripping I used to I don't want to be around him I was like she weird

she'd be talking to all the boys like I was speaking like that you were like opinionated in a way where like a lot of young people don't really they're not like smart enough to have an opinion yet yeah that's that's what it was I was just like people weird and then I was always being bad like I was always the one that none of the kids can hang with they used to tell their mom like don't let Don't let him with your kids How'd you get that reputation You're like stealing shit from the store Fighting and fight

Exactly Stealing fighting just always getting in trouble Throwing rocks at cars Mm-hmm Letting people dogs out Running from them Doing crazy shit like that That's some evil shit bro

I used to do shit like that Sometimes I see like Just dogs running around In neighborhoods in L.A. And I'm just like Some kids probably let them out Yeah that was you I guess No I was one of that

Because I'm like Shit is that runaway dog or is that just like a dog that just lives on the street it's all life like you are mexico and shit they got dogs walking around for real just chilling just chilling they don't even give a fuck um okay so you are widely known to be associated with the hoover's yes sir when did that become a thing in your life all my life since i was a baby you already knew that was that was just like i knew like i knew about it. Like, I knew my dad was from Hover, and then I knew that he was somebody from Hover, and I knew a lot of people looked up to him, so that's kind of what I grew to look up to. Really? That's interesting.

So you never had, like, a bad image of gang banging to you. It was like, oh, this is kind of like the reason why my dad is respected? Yeah, like, me growing up over there, I just seen, like, the people who was respected, and it was, like, everybody, Hoover, where I'm at, the crackheads from Hoover, the Bums from Hoover, the strippers from Hoover, everybody from Hoover. So that's just like, in my situation, that's where everybody's from. There's teachers at the schools from Hoover. And you just like low-key knew? Yeah, I just knew what was going on.

They're not like banging on other students in class, right? Some of them. Oh, my God. That's crazy. But so were you, like, isolated enough that you didn't even know people from other places really that much when you were a kid? Yeah, I didn't know. All I knew is that these was our enemies.

Like I knew who our enemies was because them were the ones that come through and they shoot and we got to run and hide. Like even as a kid hanging out on a block, you know, people don't care. They're going to come through and shoot. Really? So where I'm from, like in the hundreds of L.A., it's dangerous. So you saw a lot of that kind of shit when you were a kid? A lot of dead bodies, a lot of people get shot. A lot of, like, a lot of that.

God damn. Did you, like, realize at a certain point, like, oh, we're not a lot of. only got like some enemies but we got like a lot of enemies like that it was a very big I really I'm not going to like I really like my image of like as far as enemies like you know I grew up and stuff and I was raised and then my gang you know we highly respected so we do be for everybody but everybody want to be for us for a reason so it's like we out here and people like I always downplayed my enemies I always thought my enemies like boo-boo and stuff. I thought all my enemies was bullshit. I used to be tripping. I used to think that

because where I'm from, everybody from here, and we all badass. So I thought until I hit that county jail, you hit that county, well, not even the county, not even the county, Juvenile Hall was where it first started when you start running to enemies that can fight to, and I'm like, yeah. So you hadn't really been involved, you hadn't had a fist fight with somebody from another neighborhood up until that point? Yep, until juvenile hall. Wow. So how'd you end up getting in trouble and getting sent out to juvenile hall? Was that like the first big time that you got arrested?

Yeah. Okay. What happened? I stabbed up some kids at school with school with screwdrivers. Holy shit. You brought the screwdriver with you or you just having to find it? No, I had it with me. Why?

What happened? Why do you have to go that serious with it? Shit, we was playing around. And at my school, like, it was a bunch of, like, Stuff we were just all, we all out there like slapboxing and stuff. We all started off like slapboxing. We all playing around, play fighting and shit. And one of the dudes, he got mad.

And when he started getting mad, he started, I guess we slapped him up and stuff. And he went to go talk, tell the rest of the dudes that we slapped him up. And they came back and they jumped us. Wow. And after they jumped us, I just went for what I knew. But you were like at the point already that you were like bringing a fuck the screwdriver to school just in case some shit went down? No, it wasn't it for, in case nothing went down.

I had a mini bike. I used to ride my mini bike to school. So I had a screwdriver with my backpack because I used to have to play with the throttle and stuff in the morning. Oh, fuck. And so you stab this kid bad enough that? They were like, you had a rescue? It wasn't.

I thought I did. In my head I did. But in Ariadio, it was like a little scratches and shit. It didn't even rip through their clothes. It must be tough to stab somebody with a fucking screwdriver unless it's been like really sharpened. You must have to get like a really clean fucking jab going with that. Yeah.

It didn't, it didn't, it didn't fucking, it just scratched them up. Like, it put, like, ribs on their skin, but it really didn't. But that's what, you got arrested for it? Yeah, I got arrested. And they threw you in fucking juvenile off of that? Yeah. God damn. So you get in there, and, like, how overwhelming is it?

It's just different because, like, when I went in there, like, I knew I beef with, like, the main, I knew I beef with my main beeps. But when I started hearing hoods that I never heard of in my life say they beef with us, I'd be like, what the fuck? And then you got to fight So they want to fight, we fight So you got to just fight And then you kind of ignore each other after that

And the county? Yeah, and juvenile hall, no. Oh really? And the juvenile hall, we're going to fight And we're going to fight and we're going to fight and we're going to fight. So you might see somebody every day and just be Disrespecting each other and just having to get into it Because it's kids

Yeah You're dealing with kids, they really don't know So. That's crazy because, all right, I was interviewing another rapper the other day and he was talking about how because he was in county jail for four years and he said that it was you know that's just gnarly because like when you go to prison everybody's used to like being there for a long time so everybody kind of chills out to a certain extent and they all want to like be able to exist long term but when you're in county like there's a lot of people that only

there for a couple days or a week or whatever but when you say that thing about fucking juvenile hall that sounds even more gnarly because you got all young-ass kids who don't even have been even thought about having something to lose you. right yeah and that's that's the thing they don't care so you gonna fight the same they jump in you they're gonna it's like gonna keep fighting so did this change your outlook on life a little bit where you like fuck I gotta start you know because you're kind of swole now is that was that just from being in locked up or was that like while you were in juvenile hall were you already like working out

shit no like I said that goes back to my dad oh yeah you as a young he had me doing push-ups and lifting weights and shit like he used to make us do push Like I said, other kids didn't have to go through that shit. I was doing push-ups. That's dope. I wish my dad had had me really focused on lifting weights and shit. I felt like that's a great thing to pass on to your kids, you know? It's different, like I said, that's real different because now, look, and everybody

be telling me how I could get like that or what you got to be doing, I'll be chilling. I don't even be working all like that no more. Really? But did you get a chance to work out a lot while you're locked up? Yeah, hell yeah. Do a lot of maintenance? A lot. But I always feel like it must be hard to put on any kind of size while you're in there because

of the fact that you're eating like shit, like the worst food. See, that's false. Really? That's real false. Niggas in jail eating better than people on the street. Really? Yeah, you can order, like, everything. Like, once you get to prison in the county, you can order certain stuff.

You could cook certain stuff. But when you get to prison, like, I was in there the whole time I was in there. I was eating shredded beef burritos and rice bowls with fish and all types of, I was eating fly shit. That doesn't sound too bad. They do food sales. We eating. chicken, we eating Costco's pizza, tamales, all that. Holy fuck.

That was dope. They do, yeah, they do, like, food sales. I thought it was, like, ramen was, like, the top of the fucking food chain in there. In the county, like, you got to cook everything with ramen. Because when you watch videos of people making food in jail on YouTube and shit, it's usually, like, ramen-based. That should be fake, though. Most of that should be faked.

Well, there's probably, like, worse prisons, too. Or, like, prisons where they haven't even, like, got into the business of helping people get a little bit better food, right? Yeah. Some prisons probably don't, but out here where I was at, we was able to order all type of stuff. I'm eating everything y'all eating out here. Right. Wait, okay, so you get put in Juvenile Hall,

and then how long are you in there? When I was going through, it was like six months, nine months, and 12 months. No, you was able to get three months, too, but now it's like five to seven. Okay. And so you had to go do that. I had to do nine months. And then you got out and got in trouble again.

And that's what- I was out for like six months. Mm-hmm. And went back, hit the county, got out, it was out for three months, and I went back. What, when you got out from Juvenile Hall, like, what, would you say that you had changed as a person? Did you, like, all of a sudden understand how to move in LA better?

Honestly, juvenile hall is like the worst thing a kid can do. because it's like throwing the kid in the pit bull ring. Right. Like that's all you're doing. You're just going to make them rough. Like, it's no rehabilitation in juvenile heart. They put you inside of a room and lock you down and you go in there. And you get let out to the day room, watch TV.

You watch a movie and they put you back down. You got every other bad kid in the city in there and telling you what to do. And they all got their attitudes. They all fighting. They all aggressive. They are tripping. Right. It's just like you're just going to make your kid tough.

people treating you differently when you got out? Was it more like all of a sudden? Because, you know, I feel like you, you gain a lot of respect for that. Nah, no, nobody else treated me different. I got out juvenile hall? Nah, hell no. I was like, I was just worse. Like, honestly, juvenile hall made me worse because I got more aggressive.

So I started being like trying to bully. I ain't going to lie. Like, being trying to be a bully type shit. Because you got to be like very aggressive in that environment. And then all of a sudden you're out with like normal people. And you're aggressive. And you still are just as aggressive, even though half the people that are out in the streets are not speaking that same language, right? Everything.

That's exactly what it. Interesting. Okay. So then you get back in the county and what was that for? A pistol. Oh. A pistol and a robbery. Damn, all right.

But you only did a couple months from that or? No, no, I did time for that. Okay. That was the one that you did the four years for? No. Oh. I ended up getting out and came right back. I got out, I'm telling you, I didn't

been back and forth, but that shit, sad. Right. Well, what got you, what landed you doing the four years? Or was it a combination of shit? A bunch. I just had a bunch of different cases. Like, I always just was on bullshed on the streets. So when I finally did, when they finally did catch up with me, they had stupid shit, a bunch of different cases on me.

Damn. So that, what's the difference between, like, juvenile hall and being in the county? And you were in the county for that whole time? You didn't actually get a prison? No, I was in the county for like 26 months. Okay. I don't know.

I don't know exactly how much, but I think like 26 months. So how much worse is that than being in juvenile hall? It's like juvenile hall, but with men. Like, the county is the same thing. Like, it's like juvenile hall with men. But some of them are respected. Like, it's a little bit more, like, As far as like politics, like it's a little bit of politics in the county.

There's no politics in juvenile hall. So in juvenile hall, like everybody do what the fuck they want to. Right. Once you hit the county, it's a, like, it's a chain of command. Right. So now it's like, okay, this person called this off. Like, it's different. But it's some people that respect it and some people that don't.

And you got an answer to it. Right. Damn. So after the two and a half years of that, you did do prison time? Yeah, I went to prison. And how was that? just like trying to get an idea of like how different these three environments are. Prison was more like it was cool.

Like that's where I really found myself. Really? Like that's where I really caught up with myself. I got to think and like it's one thing I could say about prison, prison like rehabilitated me. Really? Like the county made me worse. Juvenile Hall made me worse. Prison was really where I got my mind together.

Why do you think that is because you're like looking at all these older guys that are fucking in there? That's exactly what it was. You're thinking like this dude? sitting here for 10, 20 years. I don't want to waste the next 10 years. My first person that they put me with when I went to prison, when I made it, they put me, I was supposed to go to one prison and he was going to another prison. So they put us in an overload cell.

Like, we had to wake up the next day. And they put us in the cell together and I talked to him. And he was from East Coast. Like, you know, that's one of our enemies. And he was telling me, he like, I can see a lot inside of you. Like, man, he just was talking to me. He like, man, I've been down for 51 years. I'm like, you've been in jail for 51 years?

He's like, yeah, I've been in prison for 51 years. I'm like, damn, I just started listening to him. Once he told me that, I'm like, damn, 51 years ago, I was nowhere to be found. I'm like, that's a long time. And he just was so humble. He had to probably kill a bunch of people that got 51 years, huh? I don't know. He said he'd been down 51, he was just an old man, like, and he was still looking young and healthy.

like he didn't look like he been down no 51 years or even could possibly like he was like 70 something but he was still active I'm like damn what the fuck still doing pushups and everything wow oh god I'm like what the fuck and was he just telling you like

you know basically like you just don't want to you don't want to spend your life here he just to go home he like man go home like man I've seen a lot of people and I had this conversation with a lot of people like he basically started getting on my head and he was telling me because the first thing I did, I banged on him. I didn't know.

Like, when he came in, I'm like, hey, where you from, OG? I'm from East Coast, Chris. No, he didn't want to tell me at first, and I didn't let him in the cell. I'm like, where you from? He, like, why? I'm like, because I got to find out where you from before I let you come in his cell with me. He like. And it's just you two, or it's like a cell with a bunch of people in it?

No, it's just us too. But I just, when they was telling me, they like, man, don't sell up with no enemies. Like, you know, that was one of the politics. They told me, like, make sure you don't sell up with no enemies. So I just was trying to figure it out. And he was like, man, I'm not from nowhere. At first he told me he not from nowhere. And I let him in the cell and stuff.

Then he told me like, man, I'm from East Coast. And I instantly like start thinking like, what the fuck? Right. They're probably about the politic on me. So I was trying to see where he was on. And he just started telling me like, man, you're on bull shit. Like he was just telling me like, man, I could see it in you. Like you.

And I really didn't understand. I just was trying to figure out how to say. my ass. I'm like, what the fuck? Right. Damn. So is that kind of awkward for you to get used to having to, like, basically being around a lot of people that you would be beefing with previously and that you kind of have to turn it down a little bit?

It didn't really make it awkward, but it's like I kind of just learned to look past them. I was like, okay, they from over there and I'm from over here. Like, okay, I mind my business. They mind their business. But it's going to be that one, you feel me, that try to nibble around. But mostly, like, when they come to preempts, you know, they're going to. They clean theirs up, man. They clean up their yard.

We clean up our yard. Like I said, on the streets, we out here beefing heavy and all this shit. But in prison, that shit controlled. Like, you feel me? We're not beefing like we is on the streets in prison. And that's what I don't understand because it's like we out here beefing with each other on the streets. And then in prison, it's like, I was buying stuff from your homie, some of y'all. I had to train y'all.

I was a boxer trainer in the gym. So when they come in, it's like I can't not train them because they're from neighborhood now. So I had to train them too So it's like, okay, we're playing basketball and competitions When you do sign up for recreations and stuff And we got basketball competition We got to play against them

They didn't sign up They got a neighborhood team We got a Hoover team We got to play against them How you feel me? So it's like shit like that happening And it's going clean And then it's like out here

We out here killing each other and shit Yeah I mean I've heard that from a lot of people Over the years that basically like prison was the thing that made them realize That they were sort of wasting their life And that there was too much energy being put and just having problems with somebody who lives a couple miles from you.

Exactly. It's like not even just that. And that's having problems with anybody. I don't give a fucking fist if it's an enemy. I don't give a fucking if it's a rich white man in the store, it could be a homeless person. I don't got no problem. I don't want no problem with nobody.

I'm duck. I said, I'm minding my own business. And that's kind of what I learned. I'm like, I just mind my business. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to talk to him, her. Nobody. Just do y'all.

I'm going to do me. But were you beefing with, like, did you end up beefing with other races while you were in there? Oh, yeah. Really? Yeah, that shit happens, like, over the regular, too. Is it more blacks versus Mexicans or more blacks versus whites? Black versus Mexicans. Really?

And the white people just kind of stay out of it for the most part? They're overpowered, right? Yeah, they probably have minority. They do be overpowered, but they be strong, though. That's one thing I can't say. They always overpowered, but they always strong. Really? So.

When you say white guys in there, though, do you mostly think of, like, Nazi type dudes or are they just regular they'd be cool too it'd be it'd be some of those like it'd be it'd be both like I said just how it'd be crips and bloods it'd be skinheads and like you feel me it's the good white guys that caught the case and just got caught up on some lucky shit and then it's the thugs like you feel me they all we all together like it ain't just a bunch of gangbangers in jail it's some old dudes that didn't kill people over raping their daughter like stuff like that like you run into a lot of stuff like that but Like, were there white dudes who you were just, like, cool with?

Like, they weren't on some racist shit. You could be cool with them, but you couldn't be, like, that cool with them? Nah, hell yeah. In prison, you can. Okay. Not in the county. In the county, they don't want you really doing too much communicating. But once you hit prison, what I used to be chilling with my woods.

That's really what we're doing right now, too. But, so, okay, what do you start thinking about once you realize, like, okay, I'm going to get out? and like what kind of person I want to be. Like how do you start, you say you found yourself, how did you start working on what you wanted to be once you got out? Well, I just knew at the rate that I was going, I was going to be back where I was.

Because it's like every time I get out, I got the same. I never had a goal. That's one thing I could say. When I was in prison, I never, I mean, when I was in Juvenile Hall in the county, excuse me, before any of that, I never had no goals.

So it's like when I finally did put, together a goal like all right let me do this i started it's i started in prison like and uh it just was certain stuff like i'm like okay i'm just sitting in myself every day doing nothing doing nothing every day it's just like like damn if i was on the street i would be doing the same thing like i wouldn't have no go i wouldn't have no objective so i kind of just was doing the same thing i'm like let me switch up my program so i'm like fuck it i want to get a job so they like okay They called me out one day. My counselor, like, what can you do?

He's like, man, there's a gym in a job that's opening as a trainer. Like, do you have any boxing training? I'm like, yeah, like, I boxed all my life. That's perfect. So I started boxing. I started being a boxer trainer. So I used to go in there and now they let me out. So that opened up an opportunity for me right there.

For me being different and just laying in my bed, I got up and applied for a job. Now I get to come out. I get to hit the punching bag. Every day at yard, I get to hit the punching bag. So that helped me with my. stressing and shit and the stuff I was going through. I used to hit that. I used to train people, communicate, talk with people.

And it just, like I said, that made me shoot for better goals. And I just started climbing. I started writing now, okay, I'm going to do this. Then I was messing around and stuff, and I used to be writing rap. But I just used to be freestyle and I having fun. And one of my homies told me, he's like, bro, like, you should get out in rap. I'm like, nah, hell no, fuck that. I'm not going to be no rapper.

Then I end up landing with one of my cellies. He was a young dude like me, and he rap. And they was Lil D. Little D, like, he's like, bro, you got to get out. And we got to, like, he used to, me, been around him, like, open my mind up because he had so much, like, spirit. He used to be like, bro, watch when I get out. I'm going to be rich, bro.

Like, who do, woo, woo. Like, he used to just talk like that. And I used to be just listening. I used to like, and he used to like, bro. And it started from that to me and him building a relationship. Then he was like, watch when we get out. bro, we're going to be rich. And he used to always say stuff like that around me.

So I kind of start thinking it too. And I used to just reminisce with them. Well, not even reminisce. I used to just, like I said, manifest. We used to just sit there and build and be like, this is what we going to do. And I kind of just, that energy that I got from him, I just used it with mine and just kept pressing play.

That's fine. So you get out? What's the first shit you do when you get out? Like the first, like you wanted like in detail or you wanted like... Yeah, like who picked you up? What's the first shit you got to eat? Well, I got picked. I ended up getting picked up by a female.

Oh, okay. So you still are just like having a few numbers that you're calling while you're in there and shit or do you have a girlfriend the whole time? Yeah, I had a, I had a girlfriend. And she helped you down the whole time? Yeah, I had a girlfriend and I had a baby mama. They both played their part. You can double up on the affection right there?

Nah. Nah, they don't get alone, man. I would assume, yeah. But yeah, they both play their part. Okay. My baby mama made sure that my daughter stayed in my life. And she made sure I got to see my daughter and watch my daughter grow up from where I wasn't. You know, I wasn't on the street.

She could have kept my baby away from me, but she played her part. What's the first thing you went to ate when you got out? Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Nice. That's all I was thinking about. You went in the restaurant or you got it to go? I went in. And what was that like?

Just be around all these normal ass people? people all of a sudden after being around all these crazy dudes. It just was different. Yeah. Yeah, it was different. I felt weird. Like, when I first, like, my first three months back on the street, I felt, like, real weird. Right.

I felt like everybody was watching me. Anytime you're kicking it with somebody who's, like, just gotten out after doing a couple years, there's always a degree of weirdness where you can just tell that they're just not, they're just thinking about everything differently and trying to figure out how shit's supposed to go. And it's, yeah. Yeah. Definitely. So how did you, when you get out, did you just immediately start working on the rap thing? Or how did that play out? Nah, I got out and started cutting hair. I was cutting hair first.

Because you got to get a job when you get out, right? They got to be on papers or doing something. They try to press you too. But it all depends on you. Like if you, if they try to press you too and you don't want to, your PO just going to let you crash. But if you got a good PO, he's going to stay on your head. But I'm like, I want to cut hair. I don't want to be in no burger place or I don't want no regular job. Right. Because you actually like the person who cuts your hair. Like, you've got to be nice to them. Yeah.

You got to respect the guy cutting your hair. You don't really got to be that nice to the guy making a burger, I guess. Oh, God. That makes sense to me. But okay, then how did you start working on rapping and putting all that together? Well, I just, I wrote a lot of songs in prison. So I was just like, all right, I'm going to put out this. I'm going to try this rap thing.

I'm going to put out this song, and I'm going to put it on SoundCloud first. If they like it on SoundCloud, I'm going to put it on YouTube. I'll make a video to it. So I made a song, and it ended up doing pretty good numbers. Really? Just right out of the gate, just randomly when you put it in the SoundCloud? Randomly, like, in like, one month it had like 23,000 plays. Nice.

And for me to make that my first song, I seen that was a lot more than a lot of other rappers. Right. I'm like, damn, that's rappers I listen to that don't even get that. So then you start focusing on doing music videos and shit as well. So I made the video to it. That's dope. Yeah. How far do you feel like you've kind of come in terms of getting your music shit off the ground?

Like how long have you even been out for? You said two years? Like almost two years for like 17 months. Okay. So how do you feel about how far you've been able to take it? Like it feels like the last couple months a lot more people have been talking about you and paying attention and shit, right? Yeah, because I always been, always been viral. Like, I've always been going viral and stuff.

I've been real well known, but for different stuff. We were knocking people out and shit. Yeah, like fighting. Did you have a lot of, like, videos on World Star that I would probably never know it was you? For sure. For real. Damn, because I was thinking with the boxing shit, like, I'm sure you got a lot of scraps that you've been in on the streets. A lot.

a lot on everything a lot but it's like all that stuff started and then when I start rapping and I did finally get noticed for my rapping it's like it just helped me out a lot

right definitely do you feel like you were getting support from a lot of people around you and shit like were they happy to because that's one thing tell me if I'm wrong but it feels like

you're from one of the bigger sets, but there haven't been that many rappers to really blow up representing that? Is it true or false? No, that's true. But it's more so true because everybody, like I said, where I come from, everybody's a badass. Right. So everybody want to be their own self. Nobody wants, like if you look around at other gangs, it's other gangs that their

rappers are working together. The rappers are doing songs together. They, you feel me, they coming together as far as artists to do what they got to. do to make all of them uplift but instead my game we all got like that tourist power like we just don't give a fuck we like stubborn and like you'll see like that that goes on a lot where I'm from yeah do you feel like through you getting more and more successful with music do you feel like any of that shit starts to go away over time like once once you are like a really talented or like a bigger rapper that some of the issues between gangs starts to go away or is that shit just last for the rest of your

career? Nah. It's like once you start getting money, you start noticing that. Because when I was broke, I hated all my enemies. Once I started getting money, I'm like, okay, they, they could do them. Right. Like, I'm not going to lose this for that. You kind of get that idea and that, that perspective of people. Yeah, because, like, I used to say, like, oh, like, when you look at L.A., like, you see all these bloods working with these cribs, etc., etc. But then when you really pay attention to it, when you really have, like, hoods that really have, like, eternal hatred of each other,

even when the artists get really big, a lot of times that shit just don't really go away. Oh, no, I just look at that, like, it's goofy to me. Because, like, you can be out here tripping on all your enemies that's from over here, but then you got some cousins that's enemies that you love. Like, it's like, at the end of day, whether that's your cousin or not, you still love a, nigga from the other side. Right.

So why can't you just mind your business with them and leave them alone and let them do them and you do you? But instead, you would rather be out here tripping. And then you're not knowing that you're still hurting your cousin's people's. Like, and it's just like it's confusing. It's weird too, though, because it feels like a lot of people, like, rap-wise, they don't really, like, feel the need to diss otherhoods or whatever, except if they kind of want to go viral.

Like, they sort of know that that's, like, the cheat code to it in a lot of ways. Yeah, but it's two different viral. And I noticed that it's a negative viral and it's a positive viral. I used to be negative viral as far as like the people that

was following me were also negative people. So they used to be posting videos like, when are you going to slap another nigga? They used to be messaging me shit like that. Like when you're going to slap somebody else? And I used to be like, what the fuck? And now it's people like when you're going to drop your new song?

I need advice. Now my message are different. I start noticing that. And a lot of these dudes do that to go viral, but then they're not knowing that nobody knew who you were until you did that video. Now you just made yourself viral

and you got all these motherfuckers looking for you for you dissing their hood in their video. So I'd rather go viral positive way and everybody see my music. I ain't got a disnowhood. So when they see me, they respect me. They had no reason to want to take my head off. I wasn't dissing y'all hood in my song. I'm sure y'all rather

get somebody that's dissing y'all hood, then somebody that's not dissing y'all hood. And then also been that person, it's like, okay, I didn't already fought a bunch of enemies. I'd already been through what I've been through with my gang. It's like, I'm not even worried about y'all. Like, y'all do y'all. I'm worried about myself. So it's like you got to just know how to balance it.

Yeah. Do you feel like the sort of, oh, geez where you're from or whatever, they look at you, like, as somebody who put a lot of work in, but they would rather see you focus on trying to you know become a star out of your area uh that's like it's back and forth it's some people that's going to respect it some people that's not like when you're from a big gang you got positive and negative like i said it goes back like that it's some people that like to see me doing good it's some people that want to see me in the hood shooting that niggas and some people that be like bro, we got to do this.

And there's some people that's going to tell me, like, man, stay in the booth. Niggas, like, do your shit. But I've seen some video on YouTube, are you basically saying, I think the title said that you consider yourself like a gang member but not a gangbanger at this point? Yeah, for sure. What's the key difference there?

Because I'm a gang member because this is where I'm from. This is where I was raised. Can't no, nigga, take that from me. Like I said, at the end of the day, this is where I was raised. raised from Hoover Street and in the hovers and all that y'all can't take that from me y'all can take everything from me but when they come back to where I was raised I was raised here so that's going to always stick with me so once I kind of figured that out and then it's like I started I used to do shit to impress like I used to do shit so niggas can look at me and be like oh yeah like I thought

that was how to give respect but I wasn't paying attention to the fact that these niggas that's getting money and riding around in foreign cars they're not doing this same shit that these niggas doing. They get in respect a whole different level of respect and they get it money. I start paying attention to shit like that. Like, okay. Then it's these niggas getting respect. I start noticing like everybody is different level of respect. There's different people that get different respect. So when they're still with that, I'm like, man, I don't got to do this to get respect no more. And I'm trying to go get money and get respect. Yeah. Like in a lot of ways, when you think about like gang beef and shit, like it kind of like happens mostly between people who

really have nothing who are like they're not at the point in the life where they have money because then if you if you want to beef with somebody over like oh there's money to be made and you're and you're competing for that money that makes sense a lot of stuff with the gang shit it sort originates from people who literally don't have anything except their neighborhood and their self-respect exactly and that's what they have to war over see and that's why you can see that you can see that in the way of how they live in like you notice that the people that got something don't really be on that it's always the people that don't got nothing that's oppressing that they you feel me they run around extra out and all that that's it

it's a shame because like the best the best thing that I think that like poor people in general could learn is just that there's nothing to be gained from getting into it with somebody on the other side of town or putting all your energy into just hating somebody or dealing with the fact that they don't like you and they are dissing you on their story or whatever, like so much extra energy goes into that. And it's not just like the hoods in America. When I'm learning about other countries or learning about history and shit, I just see that over and over and over where people,

instead of working on uplift in their community, will just basically just end up wasting a showload of time and have a beefing with each other. Yeah, that's shit. That's shit crazy. Definitely. I got to ask, how did the beef with you and CMAX start? shit.

Like so. I'm going to correct it. First of all, it's not no beef. Okay. Like, no, there's no way we beef. Okay. That's entertainment. Ain't no such thing as no beef.

Because you never met him. Never seen them. I'd never seen them. I never heard of him before the internet. Like I said, I've been in the streets my whole life. I know his big homie. C-Mack. He used to be my barber.

Really? When I was a kid, he used to cut my hair. So it's like a real small world. Same thing. My mom married another dude from 5-5. That's my brother, like, really like she married his dad. Oh, wow. So I know them.

And I know a few other dudes that I've been in jail with and dealt with. I know a bunch of people from over there. So it's like I never heard of him or nothing. So how I'm going to be for him? I'm not going to beef with you over no internet. I got too much street. for that. Like, I don't know who you are. We can't compare. And then, like I said, I just I just see how he move compared to how I move. Like I said, that goes back from in the

beginning when we was talking. I said, you could tell about how a lot of people move. But so, I mean, I can imagine how it would be for you is that like you get out of prison, you start doing the rapping thing. And then, you know, by virtue of who he beefs with, this has got to be all up in your comments of people want. That's how it originally started. Like as far as the altercation, like whatever you want to call it, that shit started from somebody commenting on his video. Like one of his live video, they come like,

will you beat up rapper, Jap 5? And he got to talk about fuck Jap, and they sent it to me. And they sent it to me. I'm like, I made it on my story first. It wasn't even no Instagram post or nothing. I made it on my story. I'm like, man, who is this weird, nigga? and I seen he had this shit on his head

I'm like this nigga weirdo so I post them on my story and all my homies like what the fuck they all start commenting like who the fuck is that I'm like this nigga weird like look what he's saying he's saying fuck Jabba like I don't even know this nigga

so then the next time I was on live somebody had said it like somebody said what's up with CMA and I said it I'm like man that nigga crazier than me like I'm not about to beef with him like that nigga crazier than me and like I said this nigga fried

Like when I picture this nigga, like, I'd be like, what the fuck? I seen the video he was talking to a cat. I'm like, on the dead homies, I'm not fin of it. I see the video of him where he was like, don't get it fucked up just because I got a cute black cat or some shit like that. See, he's crazy. But like I said, that's the type of shit that you want to do. You can't respect a man with a cat? I got a cat just for the record.

No, I can respect a man with a cat. You just can't be that into the cat? You can't be on live with your cat, describing the people why your cat name is this and shit. This ain't no normal. This ain't no normal gangster shit. Yeah. You stay tall, you're a gangster. This ain't no gangster shit.

I'm really a gangster. That's all the mind of gangbanging when you just have a cat in your gang. That nigga got a cat and he told me. Pay attention to the camera. I said, this nigga fraud. Oh, man. So then what? Y'all go back and forth a little bit on the stories and stuff.

It was a little back and forth. But then you kind of took it to a different level when you sampled his audio and put it in your song. Yeah. And I noticed you spelled his name wrong in the title on purpose. Yeah. No, but look, this, because I ain't trying to, but you can't copyright that. Yeah, but you added the CK, whereas there was normally not. No, I put C.

Oh, you did? Yeah, no, my bad. No, but on the nigger, on the nigger shit. Basically, I didn't do that as no disc. Everybody keep on saying that's a disc track. That's not no disc track. Like, I swear to God it's not no disc track. Because the song's not about them, you just added that in.

Yeah. Basically, what I put that on there for is because, like I said, I said, where I come from, I'm well respected. I do my shit. I didn't do my turns. I ain't ever told. I ain't never folded. Niggas hear about me in the county,

beat the niggas up and doing that. So I'm respected. So I got this motherfucker who I ain't never heard of. Talk about, fuck, Jap. Woo-woo, woo. Like, I just thought it was funny. And like I said, I just used that as an introduction. Because my rap, I had already had it.

Like, I was already fin to drop it. But as far as me putting him on air, I just thought it would be funny. I'm like, man, this nigga popping it. Let me throw him on her. front of my shit. It was funny because like I saw that I kind of knew right away. I'm like, there's no way that he's actually on the song because I heard your name and shit. But then I listen to the song and I'm like, all right, I'm not going to lie. Like he actually was talented.

Like I fuck with this guy. And, you know, from like a little attention getting perspective, it definitely, I think it got the job done. Yeah, for sure. And that's what it was, though. I just used it because I thought it was funny. I thought his voice was funny. And then like I said, he'd be popping it about me. Like, I can mimic you back. Right. And then it If it's on top of that, if it's beneficial, for sure I'm going to do it. You put yourself in that position by saying, fuck, Jack. Right. So if I use you as a stepping stone to do what I need to do, then I'm going to step off your head, nigga.

Right. So are you guys going to do this boxing match? Is that likely to happen? Is shit too real? I doubt it. Is it too real, like the street politic part of it? No. For the right amount of money, I would do it, definitely.

But that's it. Other than that, nigga, you're a bum. I'm not doing no fighting with you. you, fuck, I look like bouncing out this for and fighting you when you in the backseat with a seat belt on. We're not doing that. Oh, God. Okay.

So no boxing match. All right. Nah, hell no. Unless they pay me. They pay me. They could do it. But I'm not fend to just do it just for fun. Like, I don't fuck with nays like that.

Like I said, how is that going to benefit me? That's not going to help me feed my family. Fuck, I'm going to box you for. I got a daughter at home, two of them. What the fuck I'm going to fight? Fuck, I'm going to fight you for all my mama. Yeah. I feel that.

Yeah, normally having this kind of conversation of the rapper, I would be trying to be like, do you think there's any chance that you guys can patch it up and be cool? It doesn't really feel like that's probably worth mentioning. I think best case scenario is probably you guys ignoring each other. Yeah. I'm not sure how likely that is either. No, that unless

unless he want to keep going viral, then that's the only way. But other than that, I don't know. Right. I don't know. I don't mention him no more. I'm not dissing him. He just put back out some other little disc track or something about me, some weird shit. Oh, bro. But I'm not, that, mine wasn't no diss.

So you diss me, you're trying to start some shit. I'm not about to diss you back. Like, I didn't dis you, I didn't diss your hood in my first on. Then you diss my hood on the intro. Like I said, I still put that shit in my song. He does that, like, every five seconds. Yeah, that's. I almost said it by accident when I was asking, I was asking A.D.

I'm like, what? What's that thing he always says? And I started to say, and he's like, no, stop. Don't want to say that here on camera. He's like, just don't. It's a bad idea. Yeah, that ain't the good word. Yeah.

But that's some shit, his goofy ass then made up or something. So, and all reality, I don't know what it means. Oh, really? You're not feeling to make up no word and think that means this in my hood. I'm going to laugh at your goofy. That don't mean this in my hood. Growing up, though, what was the worst thing that somebody could say to piss you off in regards to where you're from?

It wasn't, it wasn't no worst thing. used to want to get cracking for nothing. Or anything. You don't got to violate. Yeah. Yeah, that's been a weird, like, realization that there's, like, all these fucking secret code words that you can't say.

Or you can. No, you can't. Like I said, that shit's stupid. That shit goofy. If somebody's still tripping over a word, they deserve everything coming towards them. Like, you're not... That's ignorant as fuck.

Like, you're going to trip over a word. Like I said, I don't get a fuck. You can say whatever words you want to say. Don't touch me. That's it. Yeah, I'm not going to. Don't stay in my way. Yeah.

I hear it. Okay. But now, like, where do you see your shit at musically? Have you, like, I don't know. What's the game plan in terms of putting out new music, new videos, et cetera? Like, where do you see your career at and where are you trying to take it? I see myself going pretty far with the music. I got a lot of labels and stuff.

I was wondering that. The label's tapping in? Yeah, they've been tapping it. And then I ran into it like I've been at the club and stuff I met YG Oh for real? We chopped it up I'm shorty shorty you know he from my hood oh is he okay yeah so I'll be with Shorty Shorty Shorty chopping up with other celebrities and everything I was clicking on some videos that were like top 10 Hoover Rappers and shit and I was learning I'm like oh what there's more than I knew of It's a lot of it's a lot of Max O' dream

Oh yeah Max O Creame yeah I hung out with him a lot didn't wasn't even thinking about that He'll be doing his thing. That's the man. For sure. Okay. So, yeah, I don't know. Like, what do you, do you have anything for us to be looking forward to? You think about doing like a tape,

or you're going to just keep doing one-off videos and shit? Yeah, I got a tape coming song called the Famous Game Banger. Okay. And I'm going to drop that. Do you plan on, you're going to be having features on there, anybody in particular that you plan on working with? Yeah, I got a few. features. I got a few. I got a young note. He's from San Bernardino. He do his thing. Well, he

from Marino Valley. Out that way, he'd do his thing out the IE area. I got blue rags. He does his thing too. Hit a J3. Okay. Yeah. I've seen this shit. I got a few. That's what's up. Um, okay. Anything else you want to tell the world in terms of like what what your mission is or anything that you got coming? Shit, basically I'm just, I'm more so on a positive mission now. Like, I'm more so trying to build. And I feel like everybody should have that same mindset. Like, as far as, like, what we're sticking around doing?

If it's not benefiting us, if it's not beneficial to us in any type of way, like I feel like everybody should see the world, how I see the world. I feel like the world will be a better place. if everybody seen eye to eye with me. As far as like the people I come from and stuff, I feel like it'll be different because I do got a cool vision. And I'd be trying to help. Like I said, I'd be talking to kids.

I'd be trying to, like, build up the community. I'd be trying to be positive. And, like, I'm just not really getting started. So I'm just getting my feet with. So when I get, like, the help behind it, like, the proper help I want and I can do more. But as far as me, doing it by myself, I do it. enough. I do a lot.

Oh, yeah. For sure, man. Well, yeah, we definitely, I got to pull up to the boxing gym sometime. Oh, yeah, man. You can show me what's going on. That'd be good. If you had a clip knocking me out for the Instagram or some shit. No, that's fucked up.

No, that's fucked up. You got a lot more experience than me. I don't know. I'm gonna be training, though. I got some, I just started back training. That's what says. So. One of these days they're going to make, like, a actual good box, like, rap boxing match type thing

happen. Now, I'll really put on the show. I got, I got clips and stuff. Like, you can look me up. I really, I really know the fight. But I just, if it's not beneficial in no type of way, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna play with it. I think the time is right though. The Blueface just finally did a fight. D.D.G. did a fight. I mean, rappers just were not doing this until recently. So now I'm starting to feel like it's becoming more normalized. That's from Jake Paul and then Jake Jake Paul opened up the door for that day. And they're making like tens of millions of dollars. They fight in fucking world boxers and shit. They're doing their shit.

Yeah. I'll tell you, they're smart. Hell, yeah. I'm sure they probably just thought of the idea. And nobody never probably thought it to go nowhere and look now. I was, like, talking to Jake's brother Logan the other day. And he just said, like, we figured out the cheat code. Like, you know, it's a cheat code.

Like, the amount of money they can make boxing in comparison to, like, making YouTube videos. Yeah, YouTube video money's cool. The boxing shit is a totally different thing. But as far as like that, they also. Ben had money. Yeah. So when you come from money, it's easier. When you really don't come from no money,

that's where, like I said, like where my area is, it's a lot of good rappers over there, but they really don't come from much, so it's hard for them to be seen when everybody that come from money is just they got the money to pay to do certain shit.

Like, we really got to work out the mud. So it's a little different. That's real, for sure. Well, you're definitely talented, and I appreciate you coming on, telling your story and shit, man. appreciate you jap 5 appreciate you man much love jap 5 no jumper coolest podcast in world check us out on youtube patreon soundcloud iTunes we got the patrons on the screen right now

like comment subscribe nojumber dot com if you want to support and go listen to jap 5 on spotify and all that appreciate you man