Ron Artest seems the same as the day he left Chicago. The former Bull and current Sacramento King, record producer and rapper, politely described as “eccentric,” lived up to his reputation in a recent interview.
The Bulls lost “on purpose.”
Downtown Sacramento is “racist.”
Artest is “ghetto” and proud of it, but he has a taste for lobster and asparagus.
His infamous brawl cost him more than $6 million and an R&B group.
“Everything I put into [Allure], I might as well have put into the toilet,” Artest told RedEye as he prepared to start his eighth NBA season and launch his debut rap album on the same day–Tuesday.
Artest admitted he has learned some expensive lessons, but he doesn’t mince words and doesn’t shy away from his successes or failures.
Whichever path “My World” takes, you likely won’t hear a word of regret or boastfulness from Artest.
“My strength is making the song,” he said. “I got pretty good flow. I’m not no lyricist, I’m not Rakim, I’m not Nas. My style [is] more like a poor man’s 50 Cent.”
The Queensbridge, N.Y., native has staged his own musical training camp of sorts, opening for established artists Young Jeezy, Fat Joe and Ludacris at separate concerts.
On the stage or the court, fans feed off his energy. “It’s definitely like playing,” Artest said. “You’re trying to get people to react, keep the fans interested.”
Artest, who owns the label Tru Warier Records, seemed most proud of the beats he recorded in his own studio with the help of an in-house producer. “We make beats all day, constantly working to come up with creativity,” he said.
Creativity has a cost. Artest said he has spent about $500,000 on “My World,” which features guest performances by Mike Jones, Diddy, Juvenile, Allure and others. Artest hopes to sell about 100,000 copies by the end of the year, he said.
And if he doesn’t reach that goal, it still would be a less expensive lesson than his dealings with the girl group Allure. Artest guesses he sunk at least a half-million into producing and promoting the trio’s third album. But 2004’s “Chapter III” sold just 1,200 copies in its first two weeks, according to the Detroit Free Press, citing Nielsen Soundscan figures.
“It was hard on me, I put so much into it. I was looking forward to getting [the money] back,” he said. “I had to drop them. I wish I could have kept them.”
He couldn’t because of an even costlier mistake on Nov. 19, 2004: The Fight.
Two weeks after getting benched–for reportedly asking his then-Indiana Pacers coaches for time off to rest from promoting Allure–Artest found himself in the middle of one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.
His hard foul on then-Detroit Piston Ben Wallace bubbled into a flurry of punches involving players and fans.
The NBA suspended Artest for 73 regular-season games and the playoffs for charging into the stands toward a Detroit fan that Artest said hit him in the face with a cup of ice. All told, the punishment cost him $6 million, Artest told RedEye last week.
“It was definitely a struggle,” the father of four said of his finances. “When the NBA took that big check, I had to stop pushing Allure. They couldn’t go on tour; everything stopped. Their whole life was put on hold.
“I wish I would have done it differently.”
It’s not often you hear that sense of repentance from Artest’s lips. His relationship could be prickly at times with the team that drafted him in 1999 and traded him 2002, and he still criticizes those Bulls of the past.
“I felt they were losing on purpose. It was killing me,” Artest said. “It was at times, this one guy shouldn’t be starting, why are we not getting [free-agent] players in here, why did we trade Elton Brand?”
But Artest seems to hold no grudges as he readies himself to face his former team and his old nemesis under the familiar roof of the United Center on Friday.
“I’m excited to play Ben Wallace and my old team. All that’s exciting. We’ve had a lot of controversy together, and he’s a great player. … And Chicago, they’re an up-and-coming team.”
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plthompson@tribune.com
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ON TV
Bulls at Heat: 7 p.m. Tuesday on TNT
Opening fire
The Bulls get to play in the first game of the NBA season, which means waiting out a ring ceremony for Miami. Their lack of size gets tested early against Shaquille O’Neal.
In the last meeting, O’Neal tallied 30 points and 20 rebounds to end a first-round playoff series with Miami’s 113-96 victory May 4 at the United Center.
The Bulls enter the season as part of a horde of Eastern Conference clubs who believe they can challenge Miami. They kept most of their core from last season intact, plus made a huge acquisition when they signed center Ben Wallace away from the Detroit Pistons.
“We were close with Miami,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. “It was 61-61 going into the fourth quarter of Game 5, and then we just went dry. Dallas also had them down, but you have to tip your hat to the world champs. Just because we were close, we know we still have a long way to go.”
— Tribune, Associated Press
