he fought for. Like, really? We
were battling a while before the
Proving Grounds too, just not as
long as you guys.
Vader: In an interview with http://
www.hiphopisreal.com, Math
Hoffa said that “PGs don’t know
their worth.” He also said that
PGs are like Mexicans, “They
come in, they’re just happy to
be here and they don’t work for
anything.” Are PGs destined to
stay in that Proving Grounds lane
or is the natural progression to
prove yourself and move on to top
tier rappers?
Prez Mafia: Math has to
understand that he is respected,
but until he gets a permission
slip for good behavior for battle
rap he is not going to be around
for long. And Math is nice,
I think he can be one of the
greatest, but his ignorance and
acts aren’t good for the culture
anymore. If you want growth,
you’ve got to leave some stuff
at the door; and I respect you
saying that we don’t know our
worth, because I forgot which
battle rapper said, “we don’t
blog and we don’t do freestyles”
— that dropped a jewel on me
and now, I’m on it. But until he
works on his professionalism,
we’re not even on the same page.
I’m here to add new flavor and
show class in battle rap.
Vader: Permission slip, good
behavior; I see you scheming that
in a battle, if you haven’t already.
Prez Mafia: (Prez Laughs) No, not
at all; that’s off the head. But if
70
anybody is really up there that
I have bars for, it’s John John.
Yeah. I said it, so...
Why do you think that Top Tiers
don’t entertain having battles with
up-and-coming rappers?
Vader: That would be a cold battle
too. We’ve got to get that set up.
Why John John, out of everybody?
Prez Mafia: Because they’re scared
— point blank. Or they think
that if they lose to [PG battlers],
their stock is going to drop and
they won’t be able to afford
leather sweats or be eligible for
Wild N’ Out. They’re too scared
to even look like kings, but yet
they talk like them. What empire
doesn’t defend their throne? The
so-called “Top Tiers”. Top tier
means, “I’m scared, so that’s my
crutch.” No BS.
Prez Mafia: Because all he does is
say he is going to kill me when
he sees me; and I respect John
John, because the first time we
met I didn’t have to approach
him. He walked up on me like,
“Yo, what up. You nice, but I’m
a kill you.” At the BET event, he
saw me again and said, “What’s
up? How you been? You know
I’m going to kill you, right?”
(Prez laughs) So I’ve been in my
bag with shots; just in case,
because I’m not going to play
with “Pointdexter”.
Vader: (Vader laughs) OK.
Ultimate Freestyle Fridays just
went down, but the footage hasn’t
come out yet. Any thoughts on
the outcome?
Prez Mafia: I can’t really get into
that, due to the circumstances of
the business side of things, but
tune in to BET on March 28,
2014 for the second season of
UFF. Tell a friend to tell a friend.
Classics all across the board
though; I can say that. We set
the tone for bars on TV, unlike
those top... nevermind.
Vader: (Vader laughs) I can see
you that you’re about to be a
problem for these vets. I think
it’s cool to be a Top Tier, but
you have to defend your crown
to prove why you even have it.
“The only thing that some
PG dudes are missing is
performance, but imagine when
we all gain that attribute. We
will literally bring a shock value
to battle rap.” — Prez Mafia
Vader: What will it take to change
the flow in battle rap, so we can
see new top tier rappers and a
different wave of battles?
Prez Mafia: [What it will take is]
for people to really focus, look
past the lights, the venues and
stages; and listen to this bulls**t
they’re selling y’all; and listen
to the quality difference. The
only thing that some PG dudes
are missing is performance, but
imagine when we all gain that
attribute. We will literally bring
a shock value to battle rap. Wait
until the UFF battles drop;
battle rap hasn’t had battles like
that in a while. And we put on
shows with only two minute
rounds.