05/14/2021
May 11, 1999: I’d been incarcerated for 7 years. A validated gang banger, level 4, classified as “High Notoriety” and a “Public Interest Case.” Only Tookie Williams and Monster Cody Scott were classified the same and they were both telling me that I had an obligation to say something meaningful.
My life was at a turning point. I had learned so much and realized that I not only had to grow up, but I also had to share what I had learned with as many people as possible. Wendy Day was writing me, teaching me and pushing me to be better.
I recorded “The Unforgiven” in the midst of being plotted on by rivals and investigated by law enforcement. I started on a Friday and finished on a Sunday at 5:00 am. I did over 50 songs in 52 hours, intent that no matter what happened, my voice would be heard.
On May 11, 1999, “The Unforgiven” was released and debuted on the Billboard charts, rapidly becoming one of the most legendary albums in West Coast hip hop history.
I was sued by the state of California under the Son of Sam statute, alleging that I was profiting from a crime I had not even rapped about. The case would be dismissed and California would no longer be able to stop inmates from making money for books, music or any other creative outlet they had manifested.
I still had 19 more years left.
Hated by some, loved by many and respected by all, “The Unforgiven” was my declaration that I would never stop. 22 years later, it’s still considered an undisputed classic.
