Trag has had a few different kids join him on songs at various stages, but one of the best combinations was when he teamed-up with Iman Thug for some outstanding efforts such as “The Bridge 2000”, “Allumniti” and “True Confessions”. Despite the fact that a lot of people thought that “Confessions” was a Raekwon and Ghostface cut, this was still a dope song (unecessary sung chorus and all).
Iman Thug, who had a somewhat shakey debut as a guest on CNN‘s War Report, had vastly improved by the time he recorded these cuts, displaying a nice rhyme chemistry with Khadafi. Before long, however, things turned sour between the two, and they had a major falling out. “Never Bite The Hand” addresses this situation, as Tragedy explained his side of things in this interview from 2004:
UKBestKept: Did anything happen between you and Iman Thug?
Tragedy: Yeah well you know what happened, it’s basically like I moved on we had some differences and at the time… [pauses for a sec] man f**k it you know what happened…
I felt like dude was real jealous of me and it started showing cause like you know I basically came up with the hooks and I always wrote 2 verses to the song and I felt like the only reason why I’m really putting you on the song is cause you’re my man, I got love for you, we grew up together and I don’t want you to go back in the street getting caught up trying to hustle, I got a way we can get money together and help you grow and it will make me feel good to help my man out. I don’t know it just seemed like after a while he felt like he deserved to get what I got and I’m like “dawg you just started rhyming yesterday”. Not only did you just start rhyming yesterday but I come up with everything and you on my strength, you on my budget. I remember I just bought my car my first real ill joint, I pulled up on him, like if my man get a car and it’s a car that he always wanted and he gets some top of the line banging sh*t then I’ma be like “yeah no doubt baby do you fams”, you feel me?
UKBestKept: Yeah.
Tragedy: You up “do you, your aura is good”, he looked at me like “that sh*t is hot that sh*t is hot” you know what I’m saying and I was like “oh sh*t this nigga just turned green”, so then you know from there sh*t just started, little seeds started getting planted and one day he like came to me side ways and made it seem like it was me on a pedestal, but when I get a cheque, you get broke up, you and your lady sleep on my living room floor, every day my son had to go to school, he stepping over you and your lady. F**k it, I’ma keep it real bottom line I felt dude was a snake I showed him love that’s why I made that song “Never Bite The Hand” that feeds you.
UKBestKept: I know that song, “don’t sh*it where you eat”.
Tragedy: That’s who I’m talking bout, I’m talking bout him cause like we grew up together, my mums was like his mums his mums was like my mums at least that’s what I thought, my mums passed away, if his mums passed away I’m going to the funeral regardless and I don’t even speak to him, she could be in Africa I’m paying my respects to that woman. Then me and Nore had drama…
UKBestKept: He went with Thugged Out [Entertainemt]…
Tragedy: He went with Thugged Out, you know what’s crazy about it I’mma tell you some deep shit, I’m hollering f**k it, I learned a long time ago when I was a little dude, you can’t hate certain shit too much cause the shit you despise it’s easy for you to become.
When we was in the studio and I had the drama with Nore, this ni**a used to hold up Nore’s record cover and rap to it in the booth and I’m like “dog you’re my man and I respect that, I understand you got love for me but why you hate him so much”. “Naw f**k that he sh*tted on you son, f**k that” and he be rhyming holding Nore picture up. I’m like yo this dude is kind of ill. You a little too extra brother, then next thing I know I heard he’s running with Nore. But then the ill sh*t is Nore ain’t stupid, so Nore is like “yo if you sh*tted on your man that you grew up with since you was 6 years old what the f**k u gonna do to me”?. Homeboy could never come up since then.
UKBestKept: Did you buy his new mixtape, I got that here…
Tragedy: Hell no, that shit is crap.
UKBestKept: He got y’all song on there, the classic sh*t [True Confessions] and also QB2G.
Tragedy: I know and I made him take that shit off when he shipped it again I was like “man take my sh*t off of there, he like “yo I worked hard” I’m like “come on man cut it out take my sh*t off”.
Dude is wack period and the ill sh*t is you may say well “damn you and Nore had drama why do you and Nore speak” because the difference is you was my man, you was my brother so for you to do some sh*t like that, the ill sh*t is when I look back on everything you was always like that, I just turned my eye to it, that’s why you gotta really listen to that song I said some sh*t like “but love is blind never knew my own blood type would cross the line/leave the darkness behind me and toss my spine/it was my fault I should have recognised the signs.” Cause it was always there his mums would buy him mad sh*t my moms wouldn’t buy me sh*t, I was always the bummy dude all the time, my hair was always nappy my pants always had holes in them but every time we went outside I got all the attention. He would have on all the fresh sh*t but nobody would pay him any attention. He was always just jealous, a spiteful type of dude, it finally came to surface and it’s real, I appreciate it cause right now I just got rid of all this dead weight. That’s why I said it’s all about Trag I wasn’t trying to be egotistical or anything and I really don’t have to explain that to nobody, I was always put somebody on all the time and always putting somebody before me, I ain’t doing that sh*t no more.
Earlier this year, the P Brothers tracked down Iman and featured him on their “Across The Planet” 12″, and he also dropped a mixtape a couple of years back. Hopefully we’ll hear more from him in the near future.
Tragedy Khadafi and Iman Thug – True Confessions [12″, 25 Ta Life, 1996]
Tragedy Khadafi – Never Bite The Hand [Against All Odds, Gee Street, 2001]
For more Trag/CNN action, get over here.
Khadafi always had the illest vocal samples in a song, just wish he would rhyme to more darker/dusty beatz like “True Confessions”! Truely reminds me of some WU quality production back in the day!
Bless!
Khadafi is incredible, but Robbie, do you think you could do something on Puff Daddy? He has been, without a doubt, one of the most underrated cats in hip-hop for the last ten years.
Yeah, good point. If only someone would give Sean Combs a chance and give him a little exposure, he might actually make it in this crazy thing we call the music business.
I just wanted to thank you for linking my webpage. Peace.
I mean as a producer. Puff has been one of the the most innovative cats in hip-hop for the past decade. Listen to Victory and tell me that he isn’t possessed by genius. Premier wishes he was as dope as Puff.
Yes, Tragedy should do an album together with Puffy.
The coverage of Tragedy here paired with his recent movie (which if you haven’t seen, you sleepin’) just goes to show how under rated he is.
No stories on Puffy PLEASE! Him, Jermaine Dupri, Lil’ Jon are all part of the worst trend in music since 1990…A&R’s trying to be Artists. No message, all method…pure product, not art.
Not like Tragedy. That muthafucker is one of the only cats I’ve seen who can even claim to be “real”.
PS: Thanks for linking to my site. As a thank you to UnKut and all the readers on this DOPE site…my site here has some choice Tragedy instrumentals. Good lookin’ out, keep it on. Great site.
– Peace
Puffy doesnt even produce half the shit he does he has co-producers come up with the beats then he puts his name on it, dude is talentless
Thanks for the Trag/Iman shit tho- does anyone have that P Brothers track Ive never heard it but always wanted to-
yeah Puff will just add a cymbol or something else miniscule and throws his name on it. Do something on D-Dot…
yeah Puff will just add a cymbol or something else miniscule and throws his name on it.
That’s the touch of a genius.
Just kidding fellas. I can’t stand Puffy.
I always thought it was ImaM Thug?
what’s good?i just read that bullshit ass interviewnggz wanna know i feel about the whole shit holla