Faizon Love says Jay-Z wasn’t really a drug dealer, just a “puppet” in the crew.
Jay-Z is one of the most famous artists alive and it’s universally known that the rapper has a street background. If you know hip-hop, then you might have heard a thing or two over the years about the rap mogul’s previous drug-dealing career. Though it was never in question before, actor Faizon Love left minds shattered when he said Jay-Z was never a real drug lord.
In a new interview with DJ Vlad, Faizon says slinging dope was like a soundtrack for rap music back in the day. “Crack and rap hit the same time,” he said. “It’s a fact.” He went on to explain that he criticizes Jay-Z for the drug lord narrative because he blames him for influencing the youth under false pretenses. “Jay-Z creates this drug dealing drug lord, I’ma drug dealer, I’ma drug lord. These kids are like, ‘We gotta do it, too.’ Not knowing that this is all made up sh*t.”
DJ Vlad says his favorite guy from the crew, De-Haven is someone he interviewed before and he corroborated Jay’s past. However, Faizon says De-Haven was the real drug dealer while the rapper was “looking, eating chips.” Vlad cut back to the interview he mentioned and De-Haven was visibly rattled by the question of what Jay’s position was. Though he said he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is without the rapper, De-Haven never explicitly said what role Jay-Z played.
“De-Haven knows the truth,” said Faizon. “Listen to me. I heard one dude say, ‘Jay-Z had so much money, drawers full of money.’ If he had so much money why does he have to go to [Kareem] Biggs [Burke] to start a record company? Just go start it yourself. All the money’s yours.” He added that Biggs was his favorite member of the crew and a real one. “He know the code,” Faizon said. “He’s quiet” because “he’s about that life for real.”
“That’s why I was like ohh, this n***a is a puppet,” the actor continued. Can you imagine Jay-Z fighting somebody in the streets? Somebody slap him, taking his cocaine, what he gon’ do?” When DJ Vlad suggested that the rapper would have to call De-Haven in that case, the actor agreed that this outcome was likely “but that’s not the game.”
Do you think Jay-Z pulled one over on millions of fans by overstating his history as a drug lord?