GrippinGrain

It wasn’t long ago that I caught up with Big Neal of 4th25. For those of you that don’t know or don’t remember, 4th25 is a group of guys that while doing a tour of duty in Iraq got some recording equiptment shipped to them and recorded a real and raw album about the military life, Iraq and their experiences in the war. So not too long after Big Neal and the guys got back i spoke with him on the phone and arranged this interview to talk about many things. His views of the world, the war, the music and anything else on his mind at the time. It’s a good read, and he’s got a lot of things to say that you guys should hear, along with the music. So check it out.

GrippinGrain.com: So what made you start rapping in Iraq? You must have been into rap before then?

Big Neal: Yeah, we’ve been into music for a while but I personally wanted to do more than talk about what everyone else was talking about… Rims, women, cars, money, diamonds… Wanted to stay away from the whole pop culture aspect of
the game… When we got the news of our deployment it was like , ok, this music thing will go on hold for a year… And maybe when we get back we’ll be able to put something together… But as soon as we got to IRAQ it was like a whole nother world… And so much was happening that I was like… If I ever considered myself to be an artist than how could I not write about the most influential and memorable experience in my life…

GrippinGrain.com: Who’s idea was it? Or what made you guys decide this was what you wanted to do?

Big Neal: The “LIVE FROM IRAQ” concept was mine… I wanted to capture everything that we were going thru… Exactly how we felt about what was going on… Unadulterated music… That wasn’t about album sales or image… Finally,
we could produce something real… Something that no one had ever done, something that everyone needed to hear… We could finally give the world the true perspective of soldiers… And There was no decision about it…
I knew as soon as we started going thru shit that this is just what had to be done.

GrippinGrain.com: So the album is out on CD Baby and it’s sold out, I’m hearing a buzz, how does that feel?

Big Neal: Its more than on cdbaby… You can pick it up on our site www.4th25.com… And you can even download it from itunes… And yeah, it feels great… Because while we were recording, we tried to get everyone involved but very
few people felt like this project was something that they wanted to do because they thought it wouldn’t sell… And that’s part of the problem with the industry now is everyone is to worried about whats going to sell as a means of determining what music gets recorded… I guess a lot of these guys that didn’t get down on this album just wanted to talk about what
everyone else was talking about… Rims, bein a gansta, etc… They didn’t think that army shit was cool enough for em…Oh well, fuckem… Cause they didn’t ever have to feel me… And I’ll never compromise my own integrity to record some bullshit just because I think it will sell… To be honest I wondered how this whole thing would take but at the time
that’s nothing I was going to concern myself with… Cause the bottom line is that none of that mattered… How it took wasn’t going to keep it from happening… But since the release I’ve got nothing but rave revues and emails upon emails telling me how great the project was… And to me, that’s the greatest feeling in the world..

GrippinGrain.com: Now look I see some people make music to make music and some people have a message and make music to make change. Your tracks tell me you want change, or you want people to see the reality you guys have seen,
why? Why do people need to hear what you guys have to say?

Big Neal: Well I think everyone needs to understand what war is and how it changes those that fight them… And war is, enough death until your enemy concedes their point… And those that fight them can no longer be worried about
whats right or wrong… Only with life or death… And that’s serious business… I think that some people are under the impression that soldiers can deploy and no one has to die, but I don’t ever remember being at a shooting range and practicing walking up to targets and pretending to shake hands… I remember putting a hole thru it!!! I also think it may be
difficult for some people to understand whats really going… Especially when their only source of information is what they see on the news… But the news only gives them half of the story, and forces them to decipher the rest… And the only basis they have for coming up with the rest of the story is what they’ve been thru in their lives… And the life we lead here
in america in no way prepares us to determine the life of a soldier at war… So, we wanted to give them just that… The life of a soldier at war… All that we endure, all that we must become… Only then can you peel away enough at the surface to see an inkling of whats really going on.

GrippinGrain.com: So you’re in Iraq in the middle of an insurgency that seems like it has an endless amount of fuel at times. How did you guys find time to escape for even a moment to refresh and keep going? Was it the adrenaline, the music and letting it out, emails from family? What was it?

Big Neal: You have down time between missions… I mean, You have to eat, sleep, and mentally unwind… And that’s when we would produce write and record… And you have to maximize it so when it was time to eat, we would have guys bring us plates from the dining facility as not to lose our focus… Or we would lose a couple ours of sleep to finish things up when necessary… And yeah, The album was definitely an outlet for us… It’s not like you could just call home and tell your family that’s worried sick about you everything that you were going thru… And there are times when you feel like your
chain of command could give a fuck about you… So the album was our release… It was everything we were feeling at the time captured.

GrippinGrain.com: You know I listened to the tracks and I know that alot of people immediately let the cursing or the violence jump out at them and miss the message, this is deep but how do you reach those people who can’t see past that or isn’t it possible that they will never see it?

Big Neal: Hahaha… Yeah, there is a lot of cursing… But when I said FUCK I meant it… And had I meant anything else I’d of said it… But as soon as they speak to all the cursing and violence they’ll just as soon turn around and laugh their ass of at their favorite comedian(who curses), curse themselves, or go watch an R rated movie full of hollywood violence… But I guess that’s just it… The language and violence in the album is not make believe… It’s real. And I think reality scares people… They’d rather live in a world where all you had to do was keep up appearances… But that’s their problem, not mine… Be a curse word/violence hypocrite on your own time.

GrippinGrain.com: The internet it’s a powerful tool, so many people see it as an entertainment venue and miss the reality of the tool that it is to share on a bigger scale than every possible before for individuals. How do you see the internet working into your message and how important will it to be you?

Big Neal: Well seeing as how no major label wants to offer anything close to serious… The internet is key to an independent success and getting the album out there… Thru blogs, links, discussion boards etc… You just keep hitting em up… And if word of mouth is the slowest but most effective means of marketing/ advertising… Than it will take longer but word will spread. And even if the entire world doesn’t buy the album they would have at least burnt a copy, let somebody borrow it and never got it back, or shared the mp3’s… Sure we have bills to pay and we need money to do more and bigger things… But the bottom line is that the project is heard and felt… Everything else comes second.

GrippinGrain.com: Tell me on a daily basis your interaction with the people of Iraq, did they understand you, your country, your government, how did the average person react to you?

Big Neal: Daily interactions? Well when they’re not shooting at you… Your giving them money… Taking them food, kicking in their door, rebuilding what the insurgents and us have blown apart, or your listening to them lie to you…
And yes, they understand whats going on but most of them are so used to being run by an iron fist that when you do something nice for them they don’t understand… And they take it as though you are weak… Because the
insurgents take everything and leave them with nothing… Its what their used to… So when you give them things their like, hold on… You mean yall can get ambushed everyday, know we know something about it… But when
we lie and tell you we don’t know shit because were scared the insurgents are going to kill us when you leave, you’ll still bring us food, medical supplies, and give us money for different projects??? Yall must be the stupidest fuckers in the world. There are those that are willing to put it all on the line… And that is a wonderful thing… But im not sure if its
because they are so poor and the idea of steady money and being able to support their families better than what they’ve ever been able to is the real motive or not… But in the end doesn’t everything boil down to money??? So I guess some of them are willing to make that sacrifice while the majority of them are not… But to be honest I think I got it out of my
head a couple of months into our tour there that I could understand anything that was going on and focused on me, my boys and what it was going to take to make it home.

GrippinGrain.com: Tell me a positive experience that you had while in Iraq with the people of Iraq and how it affected you?

Big Neal: There are plenty of positives but they always seem to be outweighed by the negatives don’t they??? I guess I would have to say that the most positive thing was seeing Iraqis willing to lace their boots and fight along side
us… It made you realize that we weren’t the only ones willing to sacrifice for the good of their country. That while everyone else layed down there were those Iraqis that would stand.

GrippinGrain.com: You’re back in the US now, does it feel like home or does it feel a little different? Have you got a new perspective?

Big Neal: Being home is a breath of fresh air… Because in iraq you have no control over whats going to happen to you… Here you can control everything… I mean you can see things coming and simply choose to walk away… And things
wont escalate past what you allow them to… You are in control…

GrippinGrain.com: Have you heard from guys in the field what they think about your music and message, do they email you or call you?

Big Neal: They love it… And no matter where you are across the battlespace, The situations and experiences remain the same… That just proves how real and accurate the album is… Nothing can be disputed… Its bulletproof!!!

GrippinGrain.com: What’s the future or 4th25? You guys don’t seem to me like the type of guys that are done, you seem to have a message that you want to get out, what’s coming for the future?

Big Neal: Who can predict the future? All I know is that we will continue to make music and we will continue to do things that no one else has done… And we will never record anything just because its whats hot right now… I guess
you could say that 4th25 will be taking out the trash so to speak… But that’s already too much information… Whatever it is its not gon be what your used to and I guarantee it will ruffle more feathers than live from iraq.

All in all guys the album and the things it say are real and the truth about what’s really going on, straight from the mouths of the guys putting their boots on the ground and asses on the line. The media says one thing with it’s slant right or left, the politicians do the same, but these guys were there, the brass might not like what they have to say, but the men doing the grunt work know it’s real. If you’re a fan of rap, it’s still good rap with nice lyrics and beats, yeah it’s not a club banger for you to bump in your caddy while you’re trying to pick up a chica at the local car wash. But it’s something to nod your head to and think about. Close your eyes and let guys like Big Neal and the other members of the group take you on a trip lyrically to the reality of the world through their eyes straight from the streets of Iraq, just as if you’re there.