I was watching Fergie’s “Glamorous Life” video the other day and I swore I saw Carlton dancing at the house party.

Whoa. Ok, I’ll slow down because I realize your first reaction must be “what were you doing watching a Fergie video anyway”? Well if you must know… my girlfriend had the remote and wanted to watch it. No excuses like the batteries in my remote died and I was too lazy to get up; it was her turn to pick so I had to do my time (life is about compromise fellas and sometimes we have to share the remote). Anyway, I thought I saw Alfonso Ribeiro aka Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Of course she disagreed with me so I started asking my friends and googling it but got no further. The answers were split 50-50 and no one, I mean no one was unsure about their answer. Either they remembered the same Carlton shuffle I remembered, or they were 100% certain that it was not him and started explaining the differences in eye brows and jaw lines. Pretty weak arguments (can’t eyebrows change in ten years?) but I excepted them…..until now that is.

I am now proclaiming that Carlton Banks (screw his government) is in Fergie’s “Glamorous Life” video.

If you don’t believe me check this out…

by Jeremy Simmonds

MVRemix: Where in the world have you toured?

Dru Down: I’ve been all over. Everywhere except China.

MVRemix: That would be pretty big if Dru Down rocked China. Have you been to Canada?

Dru Down: Yeah I’ve been to Canada a few times. As far as rocking shows, I’ve never done one, but I’ve been there cuz I do this pimp thang! You know what talking ‘bout I’m real in the fields.

MVRemix: In September of 2006 you dropped your sixth studio album titled “Cash Me Out” in collaboration with your cousin Lee Majors. Tell everyone out there about this project and your upcoming “Crack Muzic” mixtapes?

Dru Down: Crack Muzic is all out about taking a mutahfucka-it’s going to be inspired by it’s some different from Dru Down. People ain’t heard me rap over others, been waiting for. It’s with my blood cousins, but at the same time there gonna have to love my cousins…which is real family.

MVRemix:In your music you make a point to express your roots and where you come from. Tell me about how Oakland shaped you as a person and why you take such pride in representing your town?

Dru Down: I’m 35, people don’t know. I feel like I’m still 20, like Jay Z. We’re out here in the gusto, if you see me you think of that. Hyphy is just another term of mobbin’. As far as the 50s, that’s the hometown. That’s my base, that’ my heart, that’s where I was raised. I been here for a lifetime. Everyone have a grandchild when they been here, I been back in forth between counties in La. But you know I stay town bound to the fullest. East Oakland, North and West, that’s my town, we all Oakland.

MVRemix: Do you ever feel as though you’d get more acclaim and attention if you were based in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta?

Dru Down: Well right now maybe Atlanta, ‘cause it’s on fire. Right now they on fire. We had that, then LA took it, and New York. But as far as respect, I get respect as soon as I step off a plane. I’m different by my ways, I stay oceaned up, curls, gold teeth, town business all the time. People ain’t gona say I’m NY, people know I’m a Cali cat, you know East O.

MVRemix: On a number of your songs you talk about police corruption and police brutality, such as “Bad Boys” among others.

Dru Down: Police ain’t nothing but a gang. They’ve been a gang, that’s way back if you look at the Al Capone days. They made it bigger, legit, just to stop him. People may do crime in the streets, and they’re made to catch it. That’s all it is, some people don’t understand crime, they a gang. Fuck the police, in my book. Any time they try to arrest me, I’m running. Any time they try to put a cuff on me, I’m out the dirt! American society is up on police brutality, that’s why people run, cuz of the situation of brutality. They don’t know what’s gonna happen. But when you’re legit, you can talk shit! [laughs]

MVRemix: Explain the origin of your word “pimpydoism” and what it means.

Dru Down: Oh pimpydoism is a mix of everything. That’s me, within all the game a mofo got and what goes with it, town business, within family origin of blood line; a pimp.

MVRemix: You have a lot of character and creativity in your writing and rapping. Among them is Jackrabbit the Bugsy. How would you describe that character, how it is incorporated into your music, and you come up with it?

Dru Down: Just fast rapping, Dru Down is typically more slow, but from my album “Pimpin Phernelia” that’s how everyone know about Jackrabbit the Bugsy. The fast style of rhyming.

Original Article