August 03, 2004 @ 7:04 am

Interview: Remy Ma - First Lady of Terror Squad Uncut

by: Alesha R. Bradshaw

“Lean Back,” has been blasting on airwaves since the beginning of summer, making the song a certified Terror Squad hit. But it isn't Fat Joe, the godfather of the crew, who makes the song, instead it's Terror Squad’s first lady and battle rap champ Remy Ma. Born and raised in the Castle Hill sect

What makes you different or stand out from other female rappers? I'm my own person, my own identity. I do my own music, my own everything and no one tells me what to say or what to do. I'm no one's puppet, I'm real independent. I know there is a lot of people that are not. They have people writing their rhymes for them, formatting their songs and giving them choruses. That's whack to me. They not really an artist. Ok, how did you come up with the name Remy Martin, was it given to you? My mom happened to name me Remy, actually it's Remy Ness, it's supposed to be one name but they fucked my whole shit up. So my name is Remy for real and then I live in the projects my whole life with alcoholics and they always like Remy Martin. I didn't know what the hell that was and it just kind of stuck. Then they started calling me Remy Ma, nowadays I just get just Rem actually. I still hear a little Remy Ma. Yeah everyone says Remy Ma, I think that's cute it makes it seem a little softer. I understand Big Pun discovered you and Fat Joe added you to the Terror Squad. How did you hook up with Pun? Thank God Pun was one of the few millionaires who just didn't want to leave the 'hood. He lived around the corner from my mother and I met him one day coming home from school through like a mutual friend. He was like, "Yo, your dope I like your shit and whatever, I'ma call you." I was like yo alright whatever, but he really called me like the next day and was like come downstairs I'm in front of your building and ever since that day I was kind of, but not really, kidnapped. I never went home and I practically fuckin' lived in the back seat of Pun's car like oh yeah where we going now. And it wasn't like on some me sweating him shit he was just like, "Yo, Rem we out come on let's go, what do you mean you want to go home, for what you can spend the night here. What do you need clothes? I'll buy you clothes what do you need food? Here." There was no reason for me to leave and even after he passed, Joe was like yo you was down with us after all this time we got you. How does it feel to be the first lady of Terror Squad? The only one and as long as I'm still here there will be no second lady of Terror Squad. I'm a hater, I'm jealous, I'm selfish and there's no room. Its not like they treat me the bomb anyways its not like Remy our little sister. No, they treat me like their fuckin' little sister-dump the garbage, wash my socks, massage my back, take my girlfriend shopping. Fuck out of here. It's like my real brother in real life, like he was the worse, now I have fuckin' 30 of them. Can you imagine 30 niggas all at the same time? Who has influenced you as a rapper? All the great ones. Pun, definitely. He really helped because when I met him I was rapping but I didn't care, I didn't want to be a rapper when I grew up, I didn't think it was for real. But, um Pun, Pac, Jay-Z, Method Man, Red, the Lox, Mase, DMX. Oh my god like the "Niggas Done Started Somethin." That was the best song I ever heard. That was like the first time I bought a [DJ] Clue mixtape. You know what I'm saying like all them niggas that been doing it for a minute on the mixtapes because that's when you get to hear songs that's not on their album or on the radio. You get to hear niggas in their rawest songs, you can say whatever you what on a mix tape. Definitely the mix tape. Which three female rappers do you think are your competition lyrically out there today? Do you think there are any? Only if Lauryn Hill decides to come back anytime soon. I don't really think there is any steep competition. I mean I like, Shawnna. I only heard her underground shit. I can't really say because I know for a fact that a lot of these girls don't write their own rhymes. I can't even include you if I know you don't write your own rhymes. So people going to read the article and be like yo, "She doesn't think that this person is on her level," I'm going to be like, "No, maybe the ghostwriter might be close to it." People I know who write their own shit, like I know Shawnna writes her shit and Babs been trying to spit lately. I don't really think she's competition. She [Babs] reminds me and she sounds like me when I first came out. She sounds like a young me even though I'm not old. Like I heard a song by her the other day and she sounds like me to me. But Shawnna is cool, Babs is alright, but the only one who counts is Lauryn Hill. The other two you can leave blank, they not really competition they just people I listen to. What do you think your mark on hip hop will be? I think I'm going be that chick that makes it so that no one says female and male rapper no more. That really bothers me. People don't do interviews and be like how does it feel to be a male rapper. What do you mean female rapper? I mean I'm better than most of these wack as niggas. Once I establish that a girl can do her own shit and be better than the majority of the guys that's doing it I think it would be easier. Like niggas won't be so shocked when they hear a girl that's spitin' crazy and automatically assume that some nigga wrote that for her. Why cant? it be my own shit? That's what I want my mark to be. How would you rate yourself as a rapper on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being bad and 10 being the best? I say I'm like a eight, why? Because I have potential to be the best. I don't focus enough, I smoke a lot. When you don't smoke you think so much clearer, your thoughts are deeper. People be like I smoked some shit and I thought of some shit. That don't help that fucks your whole thinking up. Also, I want to know how to do everything. I want to know how to make my own beats. I can make my chorus, I can write my own rhyme, I can pick a dope beat but I want to be able to make a whole song by myself on some Eminem shit. I want to be like that. Once I get to that then I can be like a 9.5 or 10. Now im still learning my voice is still changing, I can do a song that I did last year and my voice is different. How do you plan on changing the game or do you think the hip hop game needs to be changed? I think it's cool I think that just somebody needs to save people in the projects there are so many other things that need to be saved. Everything changes, everything has its own time. Like right now Reggaeton is popping. Everything has its own time to do its own thing. It was never dying. If you have to rate the top five rappers of all time who would you pick? In no particular order, Pun of course. I think he's crazy. It's not even because he put me on and he was my mentor. Once I really met him and listened to almost every song he did and I watched him work, I felt different. I always was a big Pac fan. I think Jay-Z is incredible and I love Nas. It kills me it's a real thick thing between Nas and Jada. I can even say Jada - the Lox period. They make me go harder. I understand you won the battle against Lady Luck. How do think battling has helped your career? I mean It definitely put a spotlight. It definitely put the focus on me but at the same time I don't recommend it. I cant argue with you and then we're friends again. I don't like her anymore and it's all because of the battle. It's not a healthy relationship. Some people can do that like it's nothing. I'm a sore loser and I didn't even lose. I listen to the tape now and hear shit that she says and I want to fight her now. I can't do shit like that. What makes you different from other rappers beside being female? I'm my own person. I say what I want. A lot of people have everything they do and say screened. I'm real outspoken and I demand certain shit. Like if this is the way I want to do it then this is how it's going to be done. I don't even like doing clean versions that takes away from the song. Check out music from Terror Squad's True Story Listen to "Lean Back" click here To watch the video for "Lean Back" click here To hear more music from the album click here To Read The Terror Squad Feature Story In Our September 2004 Issue, Cop It At Your Local Newsstand Now! ClickHere! To Receive a Full Year of VIBE for $11.95!

Article tags: Interview, Remy, Ma, First, Lady, Terror, Squad, Uncut 

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