When I rap, I talk all of that shooting stuff but in my neighbourhood, it’s like “So, we all do it.” If you see 20 guys around me from my neighbourhood, at least 18 of them have shot somebody. Some neighbourhoods are known for robbing. Some are known for selling drugs and getting money. You have different neighbourhoods in Philly. Where I’m from - it’s sell drugs, carry guns, and shoot.
North Philly is probably one of the worst parts of Philly. What it was like growing up in North Philly? I felt like I interviewed someone from my past or my brother. As a child in grade school, I lost a lot of my male friends to gun violence and the prison system. When we sat next to one another, he held my phone and used my leg for elbow support. Like several individuals with troubled pasts, there is a softer side to experience. While those things are relevant to his character as a street rapper, Mr. The “AR” in Abdul Ibrahim West’s name stands for Assault Rifle. To which he released his version warning his fellow Philadelphian that he would send shooters his way. In the past, he was linked to murder and other crimes.įamously, Toronto’s flagship artist Drake mentioned his name in a diss record (“ Back to Back”) for Meek Mill. He has served time for drug trafficking (crack cocaine). Two years before that, he survived ten gun shots. That year, Complex Magazine named him one of the ‘ 15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW’.
Five years later in the midst of a healthy buzz, AR-AB turned himself into authorities. Soon after in the summer of 2008, he released his debut mixtape, ‘ Welcome to Trap Street’. Approximately a decade ago, he entered the battle rap scene and joined Cassidy’s group: The Larsiny Family. If you’re not familiar with the rapper, he is one of the most notorious figures from the Commonwealth state. According to Lorenzo, “it was down to the wire.” Bartee and AR-AB at Roseville Music Group in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Photos by Nick Perry for GrungeCake He played a game of chess with Lorenzo, the studio manager.
Before sitting to interview with me, he made himself comfortable. The North Philly entity walked into the basement studio with his entourage. Days after signing to one of the most famous music labels in the world, AR-AB traveled to Brooklyn to talk to me about his new deal, his influence in Philadelphia, his relationship with Cassidy, and more.
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