May 23, 2005 @ 4:06 am

Online Exclusive: Junior M.A.F.I.A. - Life After Biggie

by: Clover Hope

Just a decade ago, the nine members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. were gettin’ money with Notorious B.I.G. That was before Lil’ Kim departed to pursue her solo career, befor

Just a decade ago, the nine members of Junior M.A.F.I.A. were gettin' money with Notorious B.I.G. That was before Lil' Kim departed to pursue her solo career, before Biggie was fatally gunned down in a still unsolved murder mystery. After a belated 10 years, the replenished crew has returned with their sophomore album, Riot Musik under the independent label, Mega Media Records. Although the Bedford-Stuyvesant M.A.F.I.A. squad never fully emerged from Biggie's cover to certify their status in rap, they did gain considerable respect along the years rolling with the legendary Brooklyn MC. Outspoken M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease, 26, says he had no problem being Biggie's silhouette during the group's introductory stage. "I felt good 'cause I knew my man had my back. I knew that at the end of the day, besides the business [he] was my friend," says Cease, who released a solo LP in 1999. "That was one ni**a I know that loved me to death, would have done anything to see me prosper, and I did the same for him. I was a hundred percent loyal to Big." After Biggie's death in 1997, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s ties to Undeas Entertainment, then headed by Biggie's partner Lance "Un" Rivera, essentially deteriorated and M.A.F.I.A. eventually strayed. Though the new Riot Musik album cover shows only three members-Cease, Banger, and Klept-the group also consists of Chico, Nino Brown, and Trife. Cease describes the album as rowdy, energizing, Lil Jon-esque music. "It's that same kind of approach just with a New York vibe," he says. "We just took it back into the days when Onyx was slam dancing and s**t was popping." Features include Beanie Siegel, Memphis Bleek, Jadakiss, and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. And despite the general rap atmosphere being beefed up by the likes of 50 Cent, you won't hear very much drama. "We didn't really want to focus on that. We just wanted to do s**t that will catch the radio and the clubs," says Cease. "We did a bunch of up-tempo real radio [songs]. But it's still edgy. It's still hard s**t," says Nino Brown. "[The album] is not too much negative stuff, not into all the controversy that's going on today. We're just trying to get the party back and let people hear us again." As times have changed, so has the infamous Mafioso team. The rap unit who generated the classic street anthems "Get Money" and "Player's Anthem" is minus their petite lieutenant, Lil' Kim. While walking the streets of Times Square in New York City, Cease clarifies how his relationship with Kim fizzled over the years, which he attributes mostly to her fixation with plastic surgery and "f**king up everything that was beautiful about her." Cease adds, "Shorty couldn't keep her legs closed to save her f**ing life. She acted like we just shi**ed on her [and that] she kicked us out when it wasn't that. There was a lot of personal s**t that I can't put out there because it would jeopardize other mothaf**kers I was running around with." After conversing with a former school friend he encounters on the street, Cease further explains his severed bond with Kim, every other sentence laced with profanity. "We all just grew up and wanted to do our own thing and she didn't want that from us," says Cease. "She wanted everybody to play under her." Both Cease and Brown concur that Kim, who was recently convicted of perjury, put herself in a predicament by allegedly lying to a grand jury about her association with two men involved in a 2001 shootout at Hot 97. "She put my name out there like I ratted and told on her," says Cease, who testified in the trial. "For shorty to do that to me and not really go out and protect me knowing I didn't do that, I figure she must have really had no love for me. So I threw all my sympathy cards away." Yet while Cease and Kim had a tumultuous relationship at times, Cease says he harbors no ill will. "I can sit there and talk foul about Kim 'cause [she's] like my sister. I argue with my sister, I argue with my brother. I can do that," says Cease. "But no matter what we been through, I don't want to see shorty in jail at all. I'd rather deal with her and my problem on the street than to see her dead or in jail." Brown conveyed similar love and respect for Kim, who is facing up to 20 years in prison during her June sentencing. "I hope the outcome of the case turns up good 'cause I still love her no matter what," he says. Often perceived as the first rap family, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s arrival under B.I.G.'s wings undoubtedly initiated a new phenomenon, particularly with their inclusion of a female rapper. Choosing to release their new LP Riot Muzik independently, the group hopes to continue to thrive sans their BIG mentor. "I know as far as my name, I can sell 100,000 records," says Cease, tallying the figures. "No matter which way you put it, we gon' make some money." So Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s still gettin' money? Biggie would be proud. Video: Junior M.A.F.I.A. - "Just Us"

Article tags: Junior M.A.F.I.A., Notorious B.I.G., Lil’ Kim, Lil' Cease, Lance "Un" Rivera, Chico, Nino Brown, Trife, Beanie Siegel, Memphis Bleek, Jadakiss, Prodigy, Mobb Deep, 50 Cent.