THE PREFERENCE for WEST COAST RAP FANS THESE DAYS IS STILL GANGSTA (REALITY) RAP. WATTS is STILL SKID ROW'S MOST INFAMOUS GHETTO AND JAY ROCK STILL GOT HIP HOP WRAPPED LIKE SARAN. THE WEST'S NEXT ALL-STAR EXPLAINS WHY THE HEL-LA SUNSHINE ISN'T QUITE AS HOT AS THE VERY STREETS IT HEATS 
(TS) Jay, Watts up! Been a minute. What's good family? (JR) Watts up right about now is these sunny skies. But I'm in Watts too, so the hustling and the bangin' and street shit is going on as we speak.
(TS) You came up in Watts during the 90's, arguably the areas most murderous decade. Is the street life even more out of hand now or when you were coming up?
(JR) I say now because these days it's not even about a color no more. I mean, we still bleedin' and the crips are still ridin' too. But these younger cats are just out for anybody. They want blood. Almost like anyone is their enemy. Right now it's just straight violence. Anybody can get it anytime.
(TS) What's it going to take to change things? For the social conditions in Watts to improve to the point that it isn't so dangerous for everyday residents?
(JR) Man the mindset is gone have to change. And that's gone take a lot of money. Programs and shit like that. You lookin' at families in this street shit, this gang life, for generations. So it's really about money and opportunities, you know. It takes a whole lot to change the mentality of an entire ghetto.
(TS) You were one of the judges on 106 & Park's "Freestyle Fridays" last week. You went with homie from Jersey. I thought dude from BX was a little better with the flow though.
(JR) Yeah, some people said that too. But I went with originality. To me it seemed like homie from Jersey brought more originality. He had his own style, his own flow. Plus he was reppin' his battle grounds real hard too. Like "I'M FROM JERSEY!" [laughs]
(TS) On the subject of "Orginality" bro, how you feelin' about Hip Hop today? The look and sound? The content?
(JR) I'm liking Hip Hop right now. It's real competitive, and I'm a competitive person. Competition makes you keep your product at a high level... We got the young cats doing the Jerk dances and keepin' it crazy. Now, I can't really get into the Jerk dances and shit. But that's for the young dudes to have fun with it.
(TS) I know you've been all over the place. Your schedule is crazy with travel and everything. What projects are you working on right now?
(JR) Getting ready for the next single to drop. Just released the "Dollars Make Sense" video with Glasses Malone. I'm not going to be one of those artists who's in a hurry to get an album out. Just throw together an album and try to move it. I'ma just keep killin' the streets. Keep giving them what they been missing.
(TS) You work with a diverse group of artists and producers, one of the few West Coast artists besides Game who really collabs with the East Coast and the South. Who are you working with now?
(JR) I'll be in Atlanta next week working with a few different producers. Shout out to my nga Block in the A! But right now I'm just working with a lot of different producers mainly. Getting my sound right. J.R. Rotem, Cool & Dre. My nga Sound Wave outta Inglewood. L.E.S. who always works with Nas. The list goes on and on.
(TS) Talk a little about working with L.E.S. He brings a different sound for you. How'd that come together?
(JR) His people submitted some of his tracks to my team and I was like 'I gotta meet this dude'. Some of his shit was just crazy like that. So I flew to New York to meet him in person. We clicked automatically.
(TS) Jay, what can we expect next from you? What should the music lovers be looking out for?
(JR) Me! [laughs]. Be on the look out for me. All across the country. I'm everywhere all the time giving the streets what they want, what they need. I'm what rap fans have been missing. The real.
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