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Music

03 Greedo Has Made 13 of the 30 Albums He Promised to Make Before Prison

In an interview with Billboard, the LA rapper opened up about his upcoming 20-year prison sentence.
KC
Queens, US
Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images

2018 has been a hell of a year for 03 Greedo. In March, he released The Wolf of Grape Street, a project that was projecting the Watts native as the future of West Coast rap. Days later, he made headlines denouncing Tupac, agreeing with Lil' Xan's stance that the late California rapper made "boring music." But it wouldn't be long before his controversial comments seemed insignificant in comparison to what was ahead. In April, 03 Greedo was sentenced to 20 years for drug and gun charges. Yesterday, in an interview with Billboard, Greedo reflected a bit on the turn his year has taken, talking about his upcoming jail time, new music, and the legacy he thinks he deserves.

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After his sentencing last month, Greedo was on a mission to complete 30 albums before his incarceration. In the interview, he reveals that he's almost halfway through that goal with 13 new projects complete. "I do like fifteen songs a night, so I can do that in like two days," he tells Billboard.

"When they found out I was a rapper, they wanted to hurry up and make me take that deal," he said. The West Coast rapper, who's spent most of his life incarcerated shared his opinions on the criminal justice system.

"This is not normal," he said. "This is a trap that they took over already and we’re way generations down the line. We’re not even supposed to be over here. They went and got us, and now they don’t want us over here. The legal system is fucked up."

He's even hopeful that his career will continue to flourish while he's behind bars, citing rappers who received more acclaim after time in prison like Boosie and Gucci Mane. He shared what he hopes his career looks like after being released. "Bigger than Michael Jackson. Up there with Bob Marley and shit," he says. "Melodically, lyrically and creatively, the way I move, the way I change things for my community, is what’s going to make people love me as a revolutionary. I ain’t sitting here trying to be a Black Panther, I ain’t sitting here trying to be nothing that was already out."

Throughout the interview, Greedo is optimistic about the work he's been able to produce as time inches closer for his lengthy prison sentence. It's a change in tone since he tweeted, "Never thought I'd have to retire the year I blew up. But shit was fun." At least he's leaving behind a trail of music for the G-Hive to stay busy with. Read the entire interview at Billboard.

Kristin Corry is a staff writer at Noisey. Follow her on Twitter.