Black Rob Launches Tour, Plans Video

By archive-Rob-Mancini

May 17, 2000 / 6:15 PM

As his debut album, "Life Story," approaches platinum, Black Rob hit the road over the weekend to tour behind the effort.

The Bad Boy rapper got things rolling in St. Louis and has lined up dates through early next month, with more expected to be added soon.

The trek marks the first bit of major touring for the rapper, though he recently told MTV News that he had been in talks to join the recent Ruff Ryders/Cash Money tour, noting that the inclusion of The LOX on that tour may have nixed the deal.

[article id="1439829"]"I just want to go on my own tour and get people to go on tour with me,"[/article] the rapper explained. [article id="1439829"]"I wanted to go on the Ruff Ryder tour. They wanted me to pay them to go on their tour. Screw them, I'm not going be paying nobody just because you got beef with Puff [Daddy, head of Black Rob's label, Bad Boy Records].

I thought we was cool as family, and I know people would have

wanted to see me on that tour. Being that me and The LOX is cool,"[/article] he continued. [article id="1439829"]"We could have performed so many hot joints, and the world would have been like, 'Damn, well, Black Rob ain't got no beef with The LOX. Man, that's cool. They got beef with Puff, that's cool. At least they brought their man Black with them.'

But with them saying I got to pay to go on the tour, treating me like a crime, come on, dogg.... Don't be mad at me because I'm selling and I'm stopping [your] flow right now. They always used to think that they was better than me. Now the sales are speaking for theyselves." [RealAudio][/article]

In addition to his "Whoa" tour, the rapper hopes to push those sales even higher with "Espacio," the second official single from "Life Story." The rapper will take a brief break from his tour to shoot a video for the song on May 23 and 24 in New York. For Black Rob, both the video shoot and the tour see the rapper

doing what he was destined for.

"I love it. I love it. I'm a born entertainer," he explained. "Ever since I was little, I could dance really good and my family use to say, 'Dance for us.' I used to do splits and jump up like Michael Jackson and do back flips. I've always been like an entertainer. This is the field I was born to be in, and I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm going to milk it for everything its worth." [RealAudio]

The rapper will continue to milk it on the following dates: