[EXCLUSIVE] ‘Love & Hip Hop: New York’ Co-Star, Precious Paris, Speaks Out About Her Life, G-Unit, & Her Friendship with Jhonnie Blaze

VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop New York” Season 5 is a wrap. The explosive personal and business relationships among the cast members was front and center this season, with a couple of new faces entering the mix. As the season played out, we got a chance to meet female emcee, Precious Paris. The G-Unit signee appeared on the show within the Rich Dollaz and Jhonnie Blaze story line. Well, despite her beef with Jhonnie Blaze- which later the two squashed on the reunion – Precious Paris is pushing forward in a positive way. During the airing of part 2 of the LHHNY reunion, STACKS Magazine’s Quinnie caught up with Precious Paris to learn more about her background, present working relationship with G-Unit and Jhonnie Blaze, and her career plans for the future.

It’s been said that you had a rough up bringing. What did that entail?

Well, I mean… I hate to sound like a statistic but, you know my mom was a single mother and she didn’t have the best upbringing. So she wasn’t emotionally stable, but she did the best that she could. I had an older brother that was on drugs and my sister got murdered. The street kinda raised me. I was out on my own since I was like 15. My mom wasn’t really able to raise me by herself anymore. I wouldn’t say that it was that rough of an upbringing, but I came out of it. I did alright for myself.

God has been on my side.

Was writing and rapping a way to escape from your reality?

To me, my reality, my world wasn’t so bad. It was normal to me. Writing was something that I actually enjoyed. I’ve been writing ever since I could put a sentence together. I would just go to my room stare out the window and write, be real imaginative and creative. I was actually excellent in school with writing, that’s how that started. It started with poetry and plays with acts and things like that. So that’s how that all started and the music came from me emulating people and everyone would say “Wow” you kinda sound like something. MC Lyte. So, I would put my lyrics with that voice and eventually I became serious about artistry.

At what age did you start to take your craft seriously?

It’s been within me forever. I sent my first demo to Def Jam when I was 8. (laughing) I just recorded it and sent it. I didn’t have any management or anything. I just got the address and mailed it, it just said, “To Def Jam.”