Antonio Montana

By now we all know the story of 50 Cent’s rise to fame off by heart. We’ve heard the songs, read the book and seen the movie. But few have heard about the man behind the scene: his business partner and fellow Queens native Sha Money XL. Having established himself as a producer and all around go-to-guy in the industry since the early ‘90s, Sha first encountered 50 while they were both working with the late Jam Master Jay. Their paths would cross again later at the Trackmasterz studio where they would have their first musical collaboration. A few years, and nine gunshots later, they would connect again - this time to formulate Plan: G-Unit. The rest as they say, is history. Now, having dominated every facet of the industry, including music, shoe, apparel, film, beverage and book publishing, Sha Money sits down with HHDX to break down the method behind the madness, his move into artist management and what’s in store for G-Unit.

You played the piano at Carnegie Hall at the age of 11. When did you first realize you were musically inclined?

I was nine years old. My mom put me in piano school to keep me occupied, and I just knew how to play… At the time I didn’t like it, but it was a big day for me…it felt good. But after that I started getting more involved in the streets and I started thinking that it wasn’t cool to play the piano anymore. Like, “fuck the piano.” So I went into the streets, playing ball, running around, smoking weed… I just had a lot of different influences. I was running wild, so I left the piano stuff alone. Then at 14 I started DJing, buying equipment and got back into music… I wanted to get an MPC but that shit cost like 2 Gs, and I didn’t have no money, so I went back into hustlin’. As I was doing that I got locked up. I got caught with some shit and I had to do like eight months in jail. I did my time, came home, got right back into the music, started back on the hip-hop scene running through the underground – this was like ‘93-‘94. Got my shit together, got my GED, went to College. After a while I started making some money from selling beats. I had every artist that rapped out of Queens, they’ll all tell you they worked with me… I had a chance to get out and say “I ain’t gonna do hustlin’. That’s not my thing. I’ma make this music shit happen.” I went to NYU. I used to always be up at the radio at night, so I got to meet all the underground MCs. I started putting out independents myself, had artists that I was putting out. I even started pressing vinyl myself, doing everything from produce it to press it to put it out and promote it. That’s when everything changed because I surrounded myself with people who were really striving for this and were in it. This was around the time of Rawkus: Mos Def, Medina Green, Talib and all them… it was like everybody was comin’ and it was fun. Then I got an internship at Def Jam through NYU and worked under Julie Greenwald and Heidi.

Is that how you came to work with Jam Master Jay?

I caught Jam Master Jay in a room at Def Jam. We’re both from Hollis, and I told him, “I’m from Hollis man, I’m here as an intern, yo I do beats, I’m Hollis ni--a, put me on, let me rock.” He just felt my energy, so he let me rock. From that day on, if I wasn’t in the backseat of his car, I was in the studio and he was letting me make beats in his spot. At the same time, I had made this Cormega record, “Angel Dust,” that started smashing the underground. We killed it with that, so my name was starting to sizzle in the building, like I had some things under my belt…so I was coming up. They were feeling the energy of the little dude. And I started meeting more people, like Onyx. One day I was on Snake Road, in Far Rockaway…there was a studio that Jay had there in the basement, and that’s the day I met 50.

What was your first impression of 50?

Yo – I mean I was in full producer mode. Jay had me producing for everybody he was working with. So I done seen some crazy rappers, some dysfunctional ass ni--as that he had with him. Then I seen this dude hop out the Jeep and he had this chain on with quarters and nickels in it and it was in the shape of a cross. And I thought that was different…like this dude’s got the image. And I heard his music ‘cause Jay kept playing it for me. And before he came and pulled up that day I was like, “Jay – you gotta let me work with this kid” because he was hot. Jay would say, “alright, I’ma let you work with him. It’s something I’m working on.”

Then you went on to work with Trackmasterz, right?

Yeah, that was the next phase of both of our lives. He parted with Jay and went with Trackmasterz. This wasn’t something that I was doing with him at the same time. On my separate mission as a producer I connected with Steve Stoute, who I grew up with – he lived one block away from me. I got into Sony, he took a meeting with me, this is when he wasn’t really fucking with nobody from the ‘hood no more, but he let me come in and holla at him. I played him some of my beats, like “send me there – please. Just send me to Poke and them. They already seen me around and know who I am. Just tell them I’m here to play beats.” He made the call, Poke said cool. I drove by myself. That was my mission: to go see Trackmasterz. They’re upstate in Bearsville, where they got a studio. You’ve got all types of people in there: Allure, Nore, Nas, Slick Rick… When I walked in, the first person I seen that I already knew was 50. I was like, “yo - you here? What’s going on?” He was like, “yo, I left Jay, son. I’m with these ni--as.” So I played him my beats and he rapped to like two of them that night. He searched through all my beats trying to find ones that he could rock with. I just kept staying up there, even if I wasn’t doing tracks just to kick it with him and chill. Everybody else would be in a rush to go home – other artists that were there that ain’t even poppin’ right now – and I’m just watching them thinking this dude’s energy is crazy. He did like 18 records in 9 days. He was killing it. He just kept going and going. I stayed there the whole duration and he just banged out a whole album. We fell back in the ‘hood and I would still connect with him in the ‘hood, check him out at the crib, so we just gained a friendship.

So at what point did you guys decide to start G-Unit?

That wasn’t until after he got shot. We came back from Bearsville, his album was tight and Trackmasterz finally had this record that he did with Destiny’s Child… shit was poppin’. He was getting close to releasing the record and doing the video – like this was gonna make him. And right before that he got shot. It was fucked up. He rehabilitated, and when he got back I got this call and I was like, “who this?” and he’s like, “it’s the kid.” I was like “get the fuck out of here.” I’d been calling his grandmother, “Mrs. Jackson, whenever he’s back can you tell him…” When I first met him, I was still living at my house, but then I got some money off of this deal I did with Jive…so I moved out to Long Island and bought a house. I was still working to pay the bills, but I had my shit. I told him, “yo, I’m away from the ‘hood. You can come to my spot any time. Ain’t nobody know where I live or none of that shit.” He came once, and we did a song that same day. He went home, then came one time again. You know, he would come every day of the week… From Monday to Friday, me and 50 would be rockin’ in the house from about 10 in the morning to 10 at night... He would be getting records done, then we started doing the mixtapes. That first G-Unit mixtape was without a DJ. I put that together from all the freestyles that we did. We put that out and we also put out that independent Guess Who’s Back? I had done this independent deal – this is from me knowing all the independent guys – and Bob Perry was the one poppin’ at the time with Landspeed, and he worked out this deal with me for $4 a record. And this is right when ni--as wanted him, and we put it out. That shit went crazy. And that’s the CD that Eminem got. That’s when we got the call to fly over and meet with him and Dre… 50 was seeing what was going on and how people were loving them, so every three to four months we’d drop one… We started something that changed the whole mixtape game. Working with him, I got to see every aspect because there was a point where I was the engineer, the producer, the musician… It started from that, then turned into manager and all types of shit. I learned how to really be a functional person in this game and know how to do business and what’s good business and what’s bad, and deal with everyone of every level – from producers to artists to managers to labels and promoters. I dealt with them everyday because of the shows, from being on the road with 50 every day for two years straight. Right during that whole run – when it was real…there’s still beefs going on and shit, but it was a point where it was real intense and we couldn’t go without the best – we was just militant…we made sure just watching his back that everything was straight.

Talk about Sha Money Management.

I got a crew of producers I manage. I’m stepping heavy into management right now. I got the best producers right now. I got the new Kanyes and Just Blazes that’s laying out all the hits for G-Unit: Chris Styles who did “Window Shopper,” “Disco Inferno” and “In My Hood;” Jake One; Nick Speed; Black Jeruz; Chad B; Scram Jones…I’m working with a lot of producers heavy and making sure they’re here giving me the hits. I co-managed 50 up until we formed G-Unit, then I moved on to running the company and maintaining the management on Banks, Buck and Yayo. And we just got it a tight way where 50 is definitely the boss and he has a great vision of what he sees and what he wants and we all follow through, comment on things and make shit work together, and it’s been successful

You guys have your hands in so many things now – from book publishing to vitamin water, to apparel…how did all these sub-ventures come to be?

I mean, 50 is a marketing genius. He has marketed himself from day one and knew how to do it. That’s something that no one can take credit for. He knew what he wanted to do, and what businesses he wanted to get into. G-Unit clothing: The kids are loving it. These even some nice girls stuff going. The sneakers – we sold over 2 million last year. We’re killing them with the sneakers. It’s a brand now and we’re selling a successful amount of units. And now that 50 doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke weed, so he’s a health guy. He drinks water, so that’s what he did. And Vitamin Water loved the idea and brought him on and partnered him up, and it’s working.

Speak on the “fuck the ‘hood” comments you made after the whole barbershop situation.

It’s like this: I love my ‘hood. Still to this day I run through there. Just the vibe – me walking in those streets and knowing the pain that come from comin’ from there. It made who I am. It made me know I wanted to get out. I got a lot of people employed for me that are from the ‘hood. But you can’t take the whole ‘hood. Black people: There’s a lot of us in the ‘hood. I know everybody from my ‘hood – I wasn’t one of those dudes that was there but wasn’t active. I was out there selling drugs and doing everything they were doing. It wasn’t like I was some chump that just blew up and left. So that one day when I went back I had my homie Smack, who I’ve known since first grade – he does Smack DVDs. He’s from that ‘hood, but he didn’t even want to come out and do nothing for them ni--as. I was like, “yo, son, come do this for me. Give these ni--as a shot. These ni--as wanna get on, let them prove to the world who they are. Let’s help them.” So we went to the ‘hood. In between all of these times, you have people around you that you thinking are cool – and they aren’t. They’re scheming. You got people asking you for jobs, and I’m the type of person who will say, “There’s nothing poppin’ off or open. There’s nothing I can do for you.” I’m saying no, without saying no, and they’re not wanting to get that. So they’re gonna still try… So everybody I haven’t seen in four years because I’ve been on the road doing my thing and not sitting around with these ni--as, you see them come out… and the next thing you know, these ni--as done called some other homies from out the ‘hood, like “yo, I got food for you to eat man.” These ni--as are all in the ‘hood, and I don’t understand how none of them got any toast. I’m fucking with these ni--as trying to do something for them... They just disrespected themselves by allowing that to happen, because now who is the ni--a that they can say is gonna try to help them again that’s from that environment? That done came out and prospered with the right blessing? My blessing is clear. I’m paying a karma debt to the ‘hood by coming out on Easter Sunday to your Barbershop with my ni--a that didn’t want to come, with a camera, to shoot a video for y’all. I get in the barbershop, there’s like four gunmen in there. You got kids in there trying to run out, and there’s a gunman at the door backing kids up, saying “don’t even fucking move.” And there’s a kid on me, who busts off immediately - shoots off. So I’m like, “all right,” instead of a ni--a letting his life go over a chain… I mean, that’s just the ‘hood. I was out of there safe. But now it’s “fuck the ‘hood.” I done tried to help y’all, but y’all ni--as can’t help yourselves
Tell me about upcoming projects.

We got Banks coming in July. Then Young Buck and MOP right after…they’re at 50’s house. They’ve been up there for like three months recording. They’re having fun, living in luxury, recording, eating good.
How come Olivia’s album never dropped?

Because we didn’t want to drop the album just to drop it. We want to drop a successful one. And we got a certain blueprint that we follow to make sure we know that the artist is fully, fully seasoned. And she’s coming to that point, so her album will be dropping this year too.

There’s been talk of you guys scooping up Keisha Cole. Any thoughts about
doing that?

No. She’s cool. She’s definitely family. I love her music. But no, not at this point. We do love her and support her. It’s all Interscope, so she cool

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skunkie

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TRK

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Tonza

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My trigger finger itch, so I'm quick to blast

F.A.M.E.

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