Earl 3X: Being one of the West Coast hip hop innovators, who are some of your inspirations?

Warren G: My father, my brother (Dr. Dre), Snoop Dogg, Eazy E, NWA, MC Ren, Yella, Rakim, Eric B, Slick Rick, Russell Simmons, Fat Boys, old school and jazz music.

Earl 3X: Elaborate on the present state of hip hop; is it in a positive state?

Warren G: It�s at more of a positive state. Rap music is a business. The Nas, Jay Z drama causes sales. They don�t necessarily hate each other�s guts, but it�s a business, it shows that we�re battling on a skill level; we�re not going to kill each other. Hip hop is going straight to the top; it�s one of biggest brands of music. Hip hop inspires rock and roll.

Earl 3X: How has Minister Farrakhan impacted your life?

Warren G: I look at Minister Farrakhan as a leader, as a man who sets trends for middle age Black men, young Black men, and babies. Everybody needs to take heed to the word that he�s speaking, and follow it. It�s a lot of poison out there in the game that steers us different ways and routes, that�s a part of life, but I know everyone can get it together. I�m riding with Minister Farrakhan.

Earl 3X: Minister Farrakhan consistently reaches out to the youth and has conveyed the importance of spiritual development within the hip hop community, specifically at the hip hop summits.

Warren G: That is extremely big. It needs to be like that. We need to get on that positive level. I think we�ve calmed down a lot of the cursing in songs, but then again that sometimes gets a point across. Hip hop is a business, it�s selling, yet I understand we don�t want to let business ruin our generation. I really understand. That�s why if you listen to Warren G, I send a message in everything that I do, like I mention on my album, "Young Locs Slow Down." I�m saying for all the young guys that I know, 13- and 14-years-old, killing and murdering each other as a hobby, don�t do that. I�m saying don�t let these older guys pump you up to do that. Get your life together. It�s hard �cause it�s a lot of material stuff out there that steers people, at the same time they�re trying to take care of their families.

I look at it like this, $40 billion was funded by the government through our tax money when the terrorist attacks happened. Most of that money went to the Armed Forces and not to the families who lost lives in the terrorist attacks. Forty billion dollars is more than enough to take care of them. A lot of that money could have been generated to the ghettos. Innocent people were lost over something we don�t know about. We don�t know what happened to make them come over and do a terrorist attack; it�s messed up. Lots of innocent are dead over what we know nothing about. Everybody needs to look at that and not congratulate these politicians. There are names being congratulated for innocent people dying.

Earl 3X: What direction should the U.S. focus its efforts?

Warren G: Step away from other peoples� foreign affairs and just take care of home. Take care of these folks hurting, �cause they don�t have a father, a mother, a grandfather, an auntie, an uncle, a brother or a sister. Stay out of other folks� business, �cause that will cause more innocent casualties, that we have nothing to do with. Take care of lost loved ones of 9/11, then take care of the neighborhoods. There are folks starving. How about the people in Africa that had a volcano blowup and mess up their whole city? Where is the money for them? If we�re going to aid others to arm and destroy lives, why not aid them to help them build and relocate. More controversy will come to us trying to dictate and destroy other countries.

Earl 3X: What can we do in an independent way as a people to help heal our suffering?

Warren G: We need to start building. I know lots of people making money in a constructive way. We need to start conventions where we get together and show each other how to build and get apartment buildings. Young Black accountants should be more involved in helping Black people do things with their money. People on the streets need to come together. It�s hard �cause a lot of lives have been lost to the streets, but it can happen.

Earl 3X: Where do you see hip hop in the next few years?

Warren G: On top, like it�s doing right now. It�s making a lot of money, but we�re getting cheated out of the game. Record companies get $6 or $7 a record, we only get change, like 90 or 50 cents a record. At least, if they get $5, give us $2.50; if they get $6, give us $3; if they get $8, give us $4.

Earl 3X: What would you truly like The Final Call readers to know?

Warren G: I�m riding with Farrakhan. I�m riding with The Final Call, it�s all good with me, and whoever�s down with me, they gonna ride with it, too.