"If you listen to today's emcees, anybody within a stone's throw of a mic or within driving distance of a project building professes his/her thugdom - that elusive element of street credibility that continues to have rappers padding their lyrics with "real life" tales of murder and madness. So if the question is, "Will the real bad boy please stand up?" the answer may very well be Black Rob. With roots deeply entrenched in the soil of Spanish Harlem, Black Rob has feet firmly grounded in the streets. His lyrics managed to push through the cracks between the sidewalks to see national sunlight via Mase's "24 Hours To Live" and his own "I Dare You," and now he has an album full of Life Stories to share with the world." In the interview include in The Source back in '99, Black shares that it was Puff who gave him his stage name ... the hold ups between when he got signed to when he's finally set to release "Life Story," future plans, as well as his influences, some back story to his album, reppin' Spanish Harlem, and among other things, how he manages to fit in over at Bad Boy. Read the full interview above and below. - The Source, January 1999. Photo by Jonathan Mannion.
