By Billy Kiernan, San Francisco Independent
The Secret Service tapped his phone because of his song about the imaginary assassination of the president. Both Warner Brothers and Polygram Records refused to distribute his new album, "SIeeping With The Enemy," because of tracks such as "Bush Killa" and "Coffee, Donuts & Death." So, in a last-ditch attempt to get his music heard, San Francisco rapper Paris ended up putting out the controversial album on his own tiny independent locally based Scarface Records.
So why the fuss? "Ice-T really set it off...and it's really due to the political climate this year. Rappers like myself are becoming more of a liability than an asset," Paris said. The inner sleeve is a picture of President Bush with Paris hiding behind a nearby tree with a gun in hand looking ready to assassinate.
"'Bush Killa' is not the only song on this record," Paris stressed. "The scope of this album goes far beyond that to touch many relevant social issues and that's what the real controversy is."