Let the readers know who you are?
Just Blaze: Wud up, this is Just Blaze, we here at Broccoli Fest 2014 Washington DC.
So my first question to you is Broccoli Fest, what brings you here?
JB: Well, I like the cause and the message and what’s going on. Everybody has fun but beyond that it’s also about educating people about living a green lifestyle. Which is always important and that’s something that I’ve always been a big supporter of. I prefer to do things paperless, electric cars, you know I’m all about em’. I actually have a Tesla I’m waiting for right now.
Oh really, what type?
JB: The “S” and don’t get me wrong it’s a cool looking car but for me it was more so about the fact that, I can just plug it in to my wall and charge my car and go. I don’t have to worry about gas or the effects it has on the environment.
So my question to you is, I’ve always been kind of a stickler as far as the Tessla. Be honest with me is it a gimmick?
JB: No, there’s electric cars and then there’s hybrid cars. A lot of people get the two mixed up, they’re not interchangeable. A hybrid car like a Prius, you still got to put gas in it, you know it’s much more efficient with gas but it still requires gas. I prefer, to be able to plug my car up and charge it the same way I charge my phone or my computer. This model successfully is one of the few that’s pure electric. What we went through with the gas crisis in New York after Hurricane Sandy, I never want to experience anything like that again. If it also helps protect the environment I’m all about it. And all my billing is paperless, like anybody who knows me knows that I’m a big Ralph Lauren fan. And whenever they send me their material, I’m like this is so wasteful. They send me catalogs packaged in boxes that come in boxes, and I’m just looking at it wondering how many trees we have to chop down to send this out.
JB: You know you don’t have to send me a giant box of boxes that contain things, you know what I mean it’s just very wasteful. So again, going back to why I’m here, I connect with these kinds of people all the time and I like the cause.
So just to piggy back on what you were just talking about, what things do you do in your life to promote that on an everyday basis?
JB: I wouldn’t say, that I do things consistently on an everyday basis. I do believe in the cause. Whenever I reach the opportunity to talk about it, like now, you know obviously I’m somewhat very invested and I have no problem conversing and chatting up about it. One of my big causes is probably animal rights, but that’s a different topic. But anybody who knows me knows that I am very big on animal rights and I’m very big on things about the environment and I do talk about those things on twitter. Is this something that I’m crusading for everyday? No. Is this something that I very much believe in? Yes.
So as far as your community back home, what do you feel like your community can do to sustain and make the community more Eco-friendly to everybody there in your opinion?
JB: Where I live, you see a lot of that already. Because where I live, people use reusable grocery bags and things of that nature. A lot of places and the “hood” don’t have that opportunity because of the establishments that don’t set up shop until they can see that what they are getting out of it. So I would like to see more in the unpolished areas and the less fortunate areas. I like to see more avocations of doing things a bit greener, getting more eco-friendly and getting more organic food. Truth of the matter really, and this is one thing I never really understand is if some things are produced naturally from the ground, why does it cost more? I never understood that.
Right.
JB: What I don’t understand is, if you have something coming from the ground that produces naturally on its own why does that cost more than something that requires chemicals and factories to produce? Never understood that. But like I said, I don’t quote myself to be more adverse than that and the food industry, it’s just something that’s brought up publicly and would love to see effort to push those healthier foods into the less unfortunate areas.
That’s cool. So my last question is regarding sustainability and you know in hip hop a lot of people are doing the whole healthy living thing from The Game and Nelly starting their own training programs to Styles P owning his own the juice bar. Do you see yourself starting a venture or anything of that sort promoting living a healthier lifestyle?
JB: That’s an interesting question, and to be honest I don’t have an answer? Okay so there are certain things that I am more adverse to and there are certain things that I am not. I know what I do personally, which we are focusing on but what I can do on public level in the future I don’t know. But, maybe this can be the start of it.
So you know Broccoli Fest is an initiative that promotes sustainability, what are some of things back in Harlem that you do to make a more sustainable living?
Cam’ron: Well to be honest, Harlem is kind of already like moving up in being sustainable. If you look at Harlem five years ago and look at Harlem today, it’s a whole different place. You got Applebees, Checkers, Red Lobster, Joes Crab Shack and even buildings being renovated. But then, you have some residents in Harlem that are not appreciative of all this stuff going on. What’s crazy is some people take offense to it. Some residents feel like they are being pushed out. Honestly, if you look at Harlem from five years ago today, we made a big change and I think in another five years we can make an even bigger change.