Artist: Sani G
Interviewer: Alexander Fruchter

Growing up in Gary, Indiana, the murder capital of America, Sani G had a lifetime’s worth of experiences before even being old enough to vote. Like many youth growing up in the Northwest-Indiana city devastated when the steel mills closed, Sani succumbed to the lures of the street at a young age. He joined the Gangsta Disciples, a very dangerous and prominent gang in the Chicago area. At 14 he started rhyming. It was shortly after that he began to question where a life of crime would lead him. After seeing multiple close friends die as a result of gang involvement, Sani left Gary, Indiana for Wilberforce, Ohio and Central State University. It was in Wilberforce that Sani gained a college degree, as well as a daughter. After college he returned to Gary to pursue his rap career.

Sani teamed with other artists such as Dave Speed, DJ Meech, and The Fam and released several mixtapes through Rob N Hood records. The mixtapes moved more than 21,000 units and generated a large buzz for Sani in the Midwest. His influences include artists from all over the country, and those influences combine to give him an eclectic sound that can be appreciated nation-wide. He has since appeared on mixtapes all over the country. SoundSlam.com caught up with Sani G while he was in New York doing some promotion. Check out what the emcee from the Hoosier state has to say about growing up in Gary, his role as a Hip Hop artist, and what’s wrong with the way Midwest rappers are depicted in the media.

SoundSlam: Could you give the people reading this a quick description of what it was like growing up in Gary, Indiana?

Sani G: There’s really nothing much in Gary but negativity. There were not a lot of job opportunities. My mother, she struggled all her life. Basically the whole city’s impoverished. You’re in Chicago right?

SoundSlam: Yeah.

Sani G: It’s basically the same as the Southside….A lot of people selling dope, gang banging, the same thing. As a shorty though, fortunately I had a mother that had a strong belief in God. She tried to keep me clear away from a lot of negativity. But it was constantly around. Sometimes it’s inevitable. Certain things in life you’re going to go through. It has its problems and its negatives. But like I say, it wasn’t all bad. I got memories that will stay with me a lifetime.

SoundSlam: I know there are a few famous people from Gary, Michael Jackson, Glenn Robinson. What are they thought of there? Are they seen as hometown heroes or people that left and….

Sani G: It’s funny man, those two people. Gary sees both of them in different lights. Michael Jackson for the most part, as far as my people in Gary and the people I associate with, he gets no love. My mother actually went to school with one of the older ones. I forget which one, Jackie, or Jermaine. The older people can tell you stories about them. When I came along he was at the height of his fame he had basically left. I think it was the 70’s, and he never came back. There was never a charity game or a benefit or anything for anybody in Gary as far as the Jackson’s are concerned. Glenn Robinson, we went to the same high school. I’m way younger than him. But he went to the same high school I went to. They got a strong tradition, and he’s more-so looked at as a hero. When I was younger he used to come back, I used to attend his basketball camps and stuff. He more-so has donated to the community. He bought my team new uniforms when I was in high school, everything. They’re actually looked at in two different lights. He is a hometown hero. He is a representative of Gary more-so than Mike.

SoundSlam: Can you tell us a little bit about the Hip Hop scene there? What is it like?

Sani G: I mean it’s banging. Like I said, once again it’s almost similar[to Chicago], I would say similar cause a lot times it crosses over. A lot of Gary artists deal with Chicago artists and vice-versa, so it’s similar. We got a lot of artists out there, and producers too. I tell people all the time, ‘what’s wrong with the mixtape scene in Chicago?’ I talk to a lot of people and I don’t know, you see examples of New York. And Chicago, you would think that we could follow suit. Do the same thing they did and unite. But I tell people, I’m in New York right now, I’ve been up here for about a week, I was talking to a producer yesterday and I was telling him it’s a whole different thing in Chicago and Gary because you got artists, you got some people that seclude themselves. You already have the people that don’t like the Midwest. Then when you go into the Midwest you got people that won’t listen to an artist that might say something about Vice Lords cause they’re Vice Lords…That shouldn’t be like it is when everybody’s trying to unite with the same goals, living good out here. That’s what I’m about.

SoundSlam: Chicago almost has a vibe like people are too cool to work with each other.

Sani G: Exactly, exactly. Everybody has their nose in the air. My friend is better than you so why should we work with you? I’m open to work with anybody. I’m ready to work with anybody and everybody out there. Because that’s what it takes to build and get to where you’re trying to be. But the Hip Hop scene is big man. It’s real big.

SoundSlam: When you’re out in New York and you tell people you’re an emcee out of Gary, how do they react to that?

Sani G: You got to understand, New York people have a New York state of mind. Potentially they think New York is the center of the universe. If you told them you were from Indiana they would think Gary is all cornfields. And there isn’t a cornfield no where near Gary. They’re presumption is distorted. When they think of the Midwest they think of someone like Chingy or Nelly, or Bone, stuff like more of the gimmicky artists instead of the true emcees out there. “Gary, Indiana?!” One guy yesterday I had to correct mid-interview. He was like, ‘you’re from Gary right?...Suburb of Chicago.’ I’m like, ‘Hold on man. Gary’s a city. It’s not a suburb.’ ‘Michael Jackson’s from there, it’s kind of South.’ I had to tell him, ‘you Bronx cats and Harlem cats, I don’t think y’all want to walk through Gary.’

SoundSlam: Speaking of the Midwest, I think a lot of artists in the Midwest are able to take influences from both East Coast and West Coast and aren’t as much caught up in choosing a side. How do you think that has influenced your sound, being exposed to everything?

Sani G: That’s the key ingredient to my style. That’s the key ingredient. I listen to everybody. I had influences from every culture you could name, and almost every different style from East coast to West coast, down South, as well as Midwest artists that preceded me and paved the way for me like Twista, or Pyscho Drama, or whoever you may name. I listened to Snoop Dogg and NWA, as well as Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, Scarface, UGK, 8 Ball and MJG. The way I do it is universal so everybody can feel it. You won’t hear an East coast person saying, ‘turn that damn down South stuff off.’ That’s how a lot of people react too. A down South cat might say, ‘cut that Hip Hop East coast stuff off.’ When somebody hears my stuff they’re like, ‘keep it playing, keep it bumping.’ I get love out here in New York right away.

SoundSlam: You have a record label Rob N Hood…Robin Hood the character is known for sticking up for the underdog and taking from the rich, giving to the poor. Did that go into you guys naming the record label Rob N Hood?

Sani G: Definitely, that’s what we’re about. You start to talk to Jedi, the CEO, he’ll tell you he’s not the CEO who’s out here trying to rape his artists. It’s all family and love from the CEO down to the artists, down to family, down to the community. I got a rap where I say something about that. It’s not about just making a dollar and getting out here saying whatever and getting paid. I do realize I’m an influence. I’m trying to talk to some kids. Even though I may talk about this, talk about that, if I talk about it I’m going to tell them why I talk about it, and why they shouldn’t do or should do what I do. It’s more than just getting in the rap game for me, it’s basically my life.

SoundSlam: That’s a good point….Do you see rappers as just entertainers, or do think they can take more responsibility?

Sani G: Back in the day I saw rappers more as reality. Like Tupac Shakur…The guy was very intelligent and articulate. He could speak on any topic, versus a 50 Cent today who youngsters today are following a guy like 50, I mean I could see the dollar signs in his eyeballs. That’s what it’s all about. Even my mom, she’s like, ‘why do you talk about…’ I’m a product of what I came up with. I have a college degree. I’ve done both sides, but I still act the way that I act. Your content, you could preach about God. In my raps you’ll hear me say I believe in God. But you’ll also hear me say things that endorse other things which aren’t necessarily the right thing to do, but this is the world we live in. Pick your poison.

SoundSlam: You spoke briefly about other Midwest rappers. And you have a track dissing Chingy, how did that come about?

Sani G: You know man, and I hate to come at dude, but it’s like I just said earlier, and you touched on people’s images of the Midwest. When somebody’s out there and they’re supposed to be representing a region of the United States, and he says he represents my region, the way he carries himself, the way I see them, I see them on several videos, DVDs and the way he carries himself does not represent what me and the people in the street and everybody where I’m from, what it stands for. You don’t see people in Chicago and Gary acting like that. East coast people see this. The guy yesterday in New York doing the interview he said, ‘the first person I think of is Chingy, or Bo-Bo-Bone,’ like some kind of clown. And they automatically put us to the side, ‘oh they’re not as good as us…They don’t have the skills that we have.’ That’s not true. There are some cats in Gary and Chicago that will eat these New York guys alive, me specifically being one of them.

SoundSlam: You’ve been on a lot of mixtapes, do you have a traditional album coming out?

Sani G: Yeah. Actually we did one last month. We’re doing the Hood Life series. I did one, not last month, actually it was in March. My next one is set to drop probably next month. Right now our entertainment lawyer’s negotiating with labels and stuff. We’re trying to wait for a couple for negotiations to go through before we drop the next bomb. We’re trying to get the buzz a little bit more, because the buzz is booming right now. We’re just taking it step by step.

SoundSlam: For people that haven’t heard you and are just going to be reading this interview, what are they going to get when they listen to your music for the first time?

Sani G: It’s a real guy that’s going to do real talk for real people. I don’t talk about nothing but my experiences, things that I’ve seen, things that I’ve done, or things that I would do. I feel like I represent the average young black male today to the fullest. Not just the street guy, but the intellectual guy. I speak for people in the street as well as the brothers that got a 9-5. I speak for people my age. Because we’re basically going through the same things no matter what avenue you may choose in life. You said you’re a teacher, other guy might be a policeman, other guy might be involved in the street, whatever role you choose in life, I’m representing everybody that’s in the boat with me.