How did you determine the name of your album?

Lord Jamar: I’ve been a member of the 5% Nation for over 23 years now. The 5% album is just…that’s what it’s all about; the nation of Gods and Earths. That’s who it’s for and that’s who I’m trying to get understanding from. Basically it’s the only album ever made that is specifically focused on the 5% Nation.

I haven’t heard about the 5% Nation in years.

Lord Jamar: That’s right. And that’s not good. We’ve been in hip hop since the beginning. We’ve had such a major influence on this culture. At the very least they were influenced by the 5% Nation. We haven’t been seen as of lately, how we used to be.

And for those who don’t know, can you explain what the 5% Nation is?

Lord Jamar: Basically, the 5% Nation is not a religion, it’s a culture. It’s a re-education. 5% represents the population of the planet earth that believes that God is within themselves and there’s no mystery God in the sky. And then you have 85% of the population who have no knowledge of this and believes basically what is told to them.  Then there is the 10% who have the knowledge but hold it from the 85% in order to be the blood suckers of the poor; to be able to use their knowledge to be able to oppress.

Doesn’t the Five Percent Nation have Islamic values?

Lord Jamar:  You have traditional Islam’ as far as Orthodox Muslims of a more Middle Eastern Islam. And then you have Islam for here in North America which circumstances that are a little different. So this came out of Islam which was in North America from like Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam of North America. The father Allah, Clarence 13 X Smith, he was a member of the Nation of Islam. He was in temple number 7. So this comes out of that type of Islam. Not the Islam that you might think of in the Middle East or something. So, it’s quite different. It addresses more of the concerns and the civic things that’s happen to black people here in North America.

Are you trying to resurrect that with this album?

Lord Jamar: It’s not that it was dead so it’s not a resurrection. I’d say it’s something to show and give concrete for history to see our influence in hip hop and just our influence in general. It’s to clarify who we are and what we’re about.

What songs portray that on this album?

Lord Jamar: I’d say a song like ‘Greatest Story Never Told’, with that you can get a good history on the Five Percent Nation and how it started. A song like ‘Supreme Mathematics’; ‘Original Man’ …a lot of the songs on there really; …

So basically this album is to give people a better understanding about the Five Percent Nation?

Lord Jamar: I’m not here to preach to anybody. I’m here to let people know what I’m into. For the people that think like me, they gone love this. But really it’s for people who think like me. If you take the Five Percent out of the equation, then there’s just good hip hop. You’ll like that too.

Are you still involved with Brand Nubian?

Lord Jamar: Absolutely. They’re on my album. But this is my time. They, both of them, have had solo albums. We still did Brand Nubian albums after that.

Why such a long wait for a solo project?

Lord Jamar: Just a lot of things going on. And I’ve been kind of critical of myself over the years. I had songs that I’ve felt good about but I’ve never had a body of work that I’ve felt strongly about. So I think its just timing. Timing is everything. Sometimes it takes a long time for your time to come around.

‘Respect the music. Don’t burn or upload’ is what’s on your release. What do you think of technology and its effects on music?

Lord Jamar: Technology is helping the little man. It’s helping to level the playing field. You can have a studio in your crib now. You don’t have to pay all this money in the studio just to get your ideas down. Technology is enabling you to …relatively you can make records in your crib. That’s how I made most of this record. In my crib. And then the internet makes it able for you to touch people and get your information out there fast.

Does new technology cause you to have more control over your music?

Lord Jamar: Well, as someone who’s been in the game a long time, I’m not really worried about that. I’m educated enough in this game where I’m not worried about them trying to take the publishing and all that type of stuff. You can get scammed no matter what happens. Especially if you’re doing this from home, somebody can come in there and talk you into giving your publishing away.  It makes it easier to get whatever you want out there without having to rely on a big machine to do it. As far as people downloading, it’s cool. I’m not really mad at that. First of all, my particular record comes with a book that is very informative. If you really want to get a clear understanding, your not just gonna want to download the record, you’ll need something to go with the record so downloading this particular album to get the full effect…that’s not going to help you.

Tell me about the book that comes with the record.

Lord Jamar: It comes with the record. A 90 page book chronicling the history of the Five Percent Nation, the different artists from the beginning of hip hop until now who have made there affect and stand point in this game.

Brand Nubian is icons in the game. You’ve been through tight jeans, loose jeans. Timbs. What do you think hip hop has become?

Lord Jamar: Hip Hop is many different things. What are they focusing on? LOL. Because I think what they are focusing on is not what hip hop is. The focus is materialism and basically, you know some bullshit. But that’s not the whole genre of hip hop. And we have to realize that there are other things out there that are just not getting promoted the same way as what we see in the mainstream of hip hop.

In your experience, are there more underground cats that have more devotion to the real focus of hip hop as oppose to the glamorous side of it?

Lord Jamar:  Absolutely. There are plenty of artists out there. Dead Prez a group that I brought to the table. There’s a lot of people out there that have something to say that aren’t getting played.

What do you think of the major changes in hip hop, as far as the Biggie Smalls, the Tupacs, etc? And how did it get there?

Lord Jamar: Hip hop is just a reflection of society. Of what happens in life from being in the hood. It’s like, the Biggies and Tupacs’ die everyday but we don’t know their names…know what I mean? There are so many people who are loved by so many people who get killed and shot everyday. It just so happens that those people, we knew on a mass scale so it really affected a lot of people. It’s just symbolic of what happens in society period. How did we get there? We got there just from being here in America. In a violent society.  We grow up with violence around us, hearing it in movies and all types of shit.

What can people derive from your album?

Lord Jamar: Life messages. ‘The Corner of the Streets’…that is a cautionary tale of history.

You worked with quite a few people on this album?

Lord Jamar: I got RZA, Raekwon, Wu-Tang, Prodical Son. Young GZA, Young Dirty. I got my youngest son on there. Brother’ from Long Island, I got 40 Bandits.

How was it working with your son?

Lord Jamar: It was great. His name is Jamar. But on the record it’s Young Lord.

Does he have anything coming out himself?

Lord Jamar: Not really. He’s on this cause this is a family thing. In the Five Percent Nation we stress to save the babies. So I had a song, ‘Young Gods’, dealing with the babies. Being that it was all about the children, I thought that it was best that I let the children represent themselves.

Any advice?

Lord Jamar: Be original.

Lord Jamar: The 5% Nation in stores June 28th 2006.