Get To Know "Chaz Williams"

Chaz Williams is famous and notorious for his past history but the man I met is intelligent and had a lot to say. Not once, while sitting down and talking to the man, did I think about him robbing banks or having been to prison. The interview was fun. We laughed and got to know each other and became friends. So sit back, relax and get to know "Chaz Williams".

NYC: Everybody knows Chaz Williams for his past. Can you let the people know what it is you did in your past?
CHZ: Wow! How far do you want to go back?

NYC: Let's take it from American Gangster (which airs on BET).
CHZ: It kind've started from my youth. I was considered the leader, the boss, the organizer or whatever they were labelling me at the time. (We both laugh) I served 15 years. I received 95 years total! And during the course of appeals and post convictions and fighting in the courts.....getting some of the sentences running concurrent and others thrown out because of technicalities.....it took 15 years before I could finally get out! I came home on parole and once I was on parole I was considered, because of my history, I had a central monitoring type case, I was under intensive supervision.

NYC: Let me ask you a question right quick...
CHZ: Yeah.
NYC: Are you still under that central monitoring?
CHZ: Nah! I'm probably under somebody's monitor. (We laugh) But not that one! (Laughs)

NYC: Now you said you did bank robberies. When I saw American Gangster, you said you were in jail while you were doing it.
CHZ: Well, that was one of the cases that I had. Some of them, they claimed happened, while I was on escape. Some of them, they claimed happened, while I was out free. Some of them, they claimed, happened while I was inside serving time but I was allegedly sending out orders to other people to rob banks. One of the cases they showed on American Gangster was I was inside going out to a study release program. I was going to the University of Michigan and coming back in at night. They had a special program...that wasn't why I did the 15 years. That's part of what I did the 15 years for! I was serving another sentence at that time. When you get close to your release, they kind of want to reintegrate you into society, so they would allow (through a special pilot program) certain convicted persons to either attend school or work for a period of time before they release you. I thought this was pretty good!

WE LAUGH!

NYC: So do I!!! That was pretty good!!!
CHZ: I thought it was excellent! You know!

NYC: Well, did you rob banks?....Only because I notice in your speech you keep saying, "they say" or "allegedly". Did you ever rob a bank? (Laughs)
CHZ: I mean, I've been convicted for it! (Laughs) I mean, multiple bank robberies!!! (Laughs some more)

NYC: I just needed to know because I might need some tips on how to rob a bank! (Laughs) I'm struggling! Teach me! (Laughs)
CHZ: (Laughs) Well, on American Gangster, I kind of walk you through it. On there I say it happened.

NYC: You are smart! I hear how you're talking. "Allegedly, they said". But I don't hear I did. (Smiles)
CHZ: (Laughs to himself)

NYC: How did BET get to know what you did? And how did they approach you about being on American Gangster?
CHZ: I happened to be watching the first season and what I saw on the first season, didn't sit well with me. I contacted the producers. Being in the industry, since that time, I knew who to contact, to get my point across. I wrote them a letter critiquing the show. What I thought they were showing was, they had a couple of cases where the guys were informants, which is definitely something I don't condone! I saw the kind of guys they were covering at the time. I know what they (BET) were trying to do and I understood that but....you have to tell the whole story. If you are going to put it out there like that....everybody that has been involved at that level of crime, doesn't end up dead or in jail. There are other stories that show other sides of what happens. They later contacted me and said we understand you have a story. I told them Yeah! I have a story. So, they asked me if I would be willing to do American Gangster. I told them I would get back to them. I thought about it and decided that I would do it.

NYC: I know you have children. Did you have children at the time of your crimes?
CHZ: Yeah!

NYC: How did that affect your children?
CHZ: Well, I found a way, during the course of my incarceration, to stay in touch with them and stay in their lives as well as I could. I did pretty good actually. (Smiles)

NYC: I heard you are doing a program for the inmates?
CHZ: It's not for them per say. It's for prisoners all over. In other words, I go back into the prisons as a form of outreach. I go in and give them some hours outside of the jail or some time outside of their cells.

NYC: Is prison like how they portray on TV? Have you had any negative experiences?
CHZ: Prison is not like how they portray on TV! I mean I don't even know what some of that stuff is, what they be showing on TV! Prison is not easy, it's violent. There's potential for a lot of things like killings and assaults. You're in there with the most dangerous men in the state or in the country! You're in there with them! It ain't like....how they say? Don't drop the soap...It ain't all that! ( We laugh) For some people it may be that. They do have some of those incidents but the thing is....in prison there ain't no guns. It doesn't matter how much money you got. You could have all the money in the world, which will probably get you into more trouble, you know, if you soft. In prison you are stripped of everything! There's no bodyguards. It's just you and that is it! It's you by yourself in that cell. So if you're not respected or you can't get your respect, you may have a hard time. You may not make it. I'm not saying you may not make it physically but you may not make it mentally! Jail is not easy!

NYC: When you were released, you changed your ways for the positive. You started Black Hand Entertainment....
CHZ: Black Hand started in prison. It was a group of guys that thought alike and believed in the same things. We made a pact that we would always stay in touch. It just evolved. The logo is the hand with 5 fingers. The 5 fingers, at first, represented the 5 boroughs. The palm represented unity. We would stay in contact throughout our incarceration. Some of us went to the state and some of us went to the feds. We communicated with other dudes who thought like us. The group became close and we stayed in contact. A lot of people went home during my incarceration. I was in facilities all over the country. When I got out, I was under intensive supervision and the job of the parole officer who handles intensive supervision cases is not to help you stay out but to get you back as soon as possible because they don't believe you should be out anyway. When you are under intensive supervision you are either with organized crime or considered a super violent type person. Something along that lane or both. So they don't want to see you out anyway. And what they would do....part of your condition to receive parole is to be gainfully employed. They make it very hard for you. What I did to combat that was I started my own business. They could come by all they want, it's all good.

NYC: So when did you start that? Black Hand....as your own business?
CHZ: Around 1989 or 1990.

NYC: What does Black Hand Entertainment do? I know you have Grafh.
CHZ: We do have Grafh. We are a multi entertainment company. We do management, music with Black Hand Records, film and artist development.

NYC: I know you have Grafh and he's one of your main artists.
CHZ: Yeah.
NYC: What is Grafh up to?
CHZ: We have a distribution deal with Koch Records for his album called "The Evolution". He also has a mixtape coming out with Green Lantern and his first single is "Bring The Goons Out".

NYC: Who are your other artists?
CHZ: Prinz.

NYC: I know you had Foxy Brown at one point.....
CHZ: I was managing her at one time.

NYC: Were you trying to develop her?
CHZ: Nah! She actually approached me but it didn't last long because she went in (prison) shortly afterward.

NYC: I heard there was a beef. Foxy Brown states that she didn't give the ok to release "Brooklyn's Don Diva".
CHZ: Foxy Brown...she probably didn't give the ok since she was in jail but she was contractually linked to Koch Records.

NYC: So that didn't have anything to do with you?
CHZ: No! I guess she would've sued them for falsely releasing the album if they did something wrong. I didn't see that happen so...she recorded the records...but I have said sarcastically in the past that I recorded them, I wrote them, I picked the music, I went in the booth and recorded them....so it's my fault. (We laugh) And it's all good.

NYC: And with that being said, Foxy Brown made a comment back to you.
CHZ: I forget what she said but she was just passing blame. Whatever goes wrong with an artist it's always the manager's fault. That's part of the management thing.

NYC: Are you still working with Foxy Brown?
CHZ: No I'm not.

NYC: Do you plan on working with Foxy Brown?
CHZ: Absolutely not!

NYC: Now, there are rumors and I just want your opinion. Is Foxy mental? Can you verify if that's true or not?
CHZ: No I can't verify that.

NYC: Is she on medication?
CHZ: No comment! (We laugh)

NYC: So what is Chaz working on right now?
CHZ: We are working on the album "The Evolution". We are also working on a film project called "Inside Out". It's a story about my life.

NYC: Will you be featured in the film?
CHZ: Nah.

NYC: My next couple of questions are gossip related with certain things that are happening in the industry. If you had your chance to smash anyone in the industry who would it be?
CHZ: If I had my opportunity (laughs) What are we talking about? Music? Or....

NYC: It could be anybody. It could be anybody in the entertainment industry. Anybody you desire. Who would it be?
CHZ: I would pick Nia Long, Toni Braxton and LisaRaye but I heard what she did to that African dude.

NYC: Who? Michael Misick?
CHZ: Yeah! Wasn't she acting crazy?
NYC: No!!! He was cheating on her and what happened was she went to the mansion....
CHZ: Yeah!!!
NYC: And he didn't let her in. Now that's his wife! He should've let her in! So what she did was she ran her SUV through the gate...
CHZ: Yeah! That's crazy!

NYC: I mean every woman has a little crazy with them.
CHZ: Nah. I pick Halle Berry.

NYC: Now, who are you voting for?
CHZ: McCain!.....Nah!!! Obama!!! I was just joking with the McCain thing! (We laugh)

NYC: If people wanted to reach out to you, how would they go about doing that?
CHZ: They can contact Young Wayne AKA Maxx Wayne. YoungWayne@gmail.com or my MySpace at myspace.com/blackhandchaz.


After all the laughing, we spoke more about Obama and McCain. As we all know Obama won the race and the rest is history. Chaz Williams and I have become friends and are working on some future ventures. So stay tuned cuz I'm always working on something!