Journalist: Life after Canibus

“I would never want people to get it twisted,” assures Journalist. “People hear my name and say, ‘You think you’re a journalist?’ I didn’t go to school for journalism. I’m telling you my story, what happens to me. I like to visualize, get creative, be witty with it. But don’t take it too deep.” Basically it’s a nickname. “My cousin gave it to me,” he continues. “We used to have freestyle sessions in the basement and I would spit and paint pictures. I always try to tell it like it is. I was called mad journalist and then I dropped the mad.”

About two years ago, in the summer of 2000, Canibus released his sophomore CD 2000 B.C. The lyricist who went head to head with LL and then dissed Wyclef featured a hot young rapper named Journalist on two joints, “Life Liquid” and “Die Slow.” Everybody heard the heat. XXL profiled him in their “Show & Prove” section. “That put me out there more on the street buzz,” Journalist agrees. “Everyone was checking the DJ Clue, Kay Slay and Stretch mix tapes that I was doing. People were like, ‘Who’s this cat running with Canibus?'” Though Journalist and ‘Bus haven’t been in contact since, Journalist has nothing but love for his mentor.

“Though I’m a big fan of his/ We’re two different sandwiches/He’s the illest alive.” Journalist raps about Canibus on “A Journey.”

“He’s one of the hottest lyricists,” emphasizes Journalist. “And he gave me the opportunity when no one else would. People can affiliate me with him but me and Canibus are two different people. His situation ain’t got to do with my situation. That’s not being a man if you put another person’s situation on somebody else. Holla at me if you want to know anything about me. One thing I learned from him was to stay on top of your game because there’s always people that make you stay on your job.” Especially in Philly. “Philly is here,” he says of his hometown. “It’s so small and crowded. We’re like crabs in a barrel. It’s every man for himself. I respect what Beans did as far as holding it down where people want to come here and check more cats out.”

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Like his one-time rhyme collaborator Canibus, Journalist concentrates on his rhymes. “I try to stay as lyrical as possible but at the same time paint a picture for everybody,” he explains. “I used to look at Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane and Rakim and say I want to be there. Then Biggie, Jay and Nas came out. That’s what makes me move and stay on top. There are lots of rappers but they don’t have the whole package. I can freestyle all day but can you paint a picture or bring a concept to somebody? Like Nas’ “Rewind.” Can you do that?” Journalist does. “‘The Way It Used To Be’ is my most touching song. It’s a dedication to fallen homies. And ‘Getting The Games Confused’ is my best song because there’s a message coming across but I’m still throwing it in a gutter way so it’s one of my most creative.” Journalist begins to break down his steez. “I know I’m nice. I know that from the gate. My life has its ups and downs. My life ain’t all butterflies. Some days I make the best out of it. Every now and then I want to school the young boys because I got nephews. I know what I came up doing and I want to tell that part of the story. It’s going to be hard to categorize Journalist. I ain’t gonna beat nobody in the head with no particular style or message because when you do that people get tired of you.”

Perhaps the most curious fact about Journalist is that(,) unlike most rap artists these days, he rolls dolo. No crew included. Besides MOP, Backbone, Sleepy Brown and Floetry (they share his same manager, Julius Erving III, the NBA star’s son), his CD’s cameos are few. “I had a crew, The Corporation,” he reveals. “A few cats I grew up rapping with, and then the Black Opps, an underground Philly group But it’s hard. Loyalty plays a big part when you’re dealing with a clique. You don’t want nobody around that’s gonna jump ship when it feels like the ship is sinking. Right now I’m just choosing to roll solo. I haven’t found a loyal person that could go through the storm with me because this is the storm period. I got a deal but it’s still a grind. There ain’t a lot of people who are willing to grind with you. They want to wait until you sittin’ and then hop on ship. I wouldn’t mind joining another clique. My mind ain’t that far up *ss where I say I’m too nice to join somebody else’s camp.”

Right now, Journalist is focusing on music and his fan base, the streets. “The streets got me here and so I’m going to bring it back to them.” Check for his mix tape featuring exclusives-freestyles and a couple of new songs. Plus he has plans to start his own label. “I know how hard it is to get into this game. Being nice and not having an outlet into the game is one of the worst feelings. I want to be that businessman and help other artists to get on.”