Rapping on Tha Eastsidaz's "Got Beef" last year now seems like a prophetic move for Jayo Felony.

Months after the appearance, the San Diego rapper started feuding with Eastsidaz leader of the pack Snoop Dogg, with Jay-Z and with Def Jam Records, the label that released his first two albums (see [article id="1442649"]"It's Jayo Vs. Jay-Z Over Dis Record"[/article]). In short order, Jayo was no longer affiliated with Snoop, had dissed Jay-Z on "True'd Up" (a cut from the Bullet Proof Love Volume 1 compilation) and left Def Jam Records.

Yet like P. Diddy, Jayo Felony refuses to let anything hold him down. He released his third album, Crip Hop, three weeks ago on his own Loco Records, and he's in the process of setting up his own Loco Entertainment enterprise, which includes a film division.

"I'm just blessed to get the album out there because there's been so much turmoil and so many problems and controversy behind me this year," Jayo said. "I just wanted to hurry up and get the album out there before the year was up. The timing came up perfect so that I could get my frustrations out and start new when the new year comes around."

Next year will likely be a calmer one for Jayo Felony, a spirited gangsta rapper whose super-aggressive work is highlighted with vivid imagery and clever punch lines. His skills led Def Jam, home to Ja Rule, DMX, Jay-Z and others, to release his first two albums, 1995's Take a Ride and 1998's Whatcha Gonna Do. Yet even after making acclaimed appearances on Tha Eastidaz's "Got Beef" and albums from Scarface, Ja Rule, LL Cool J and others in 2000, Def Jam kept pushing back the release of Jayo Felony's third album, Hotta Than Fish Grease, which was supposed to arrive in fall 2000.

Jayo Felony was frustrated by the situation and decided to leave the storied imprint because he felt the label didn't consider him a priority. Def Jam kept churning out what he viewed as inferior albums by inferior artists from Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Even worse, he felt as though the company's executives were trying to tell him what type of music to make.

"They're trying to tell me how to make a gangster rap record," he said of Def Jam. "The sh-- wasn't gelling. When I left them, it was like, 'Bam!' I'm back in the hood. I'm with my homies, where I'm supposed to be. They took me out of that for so many years. You can feel the difference with my music. I'm just a happier person being at home and being able to do what I want to do."

That happiness was tempered with additional disappointment when Snoop Dogg started incorporating "crip hop" into his musical repertoire, a phrase Jayo coined on "'Cause I Can," a song from E-40's Charlie Hustle: The BluePrint of a Self-Made Millionaire (1999). Snoop then included a song with that title on the 2001 Eastsidaz album, Duces 'N Trays: The Old Fashioned Way.

Free of his contract with Def Jam in 2001, Jayo Felony renamed his third album Crip Hop and attacked Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Roc-A-Fella artist DJ Clue and others on the new collection, which is a mix of new tracks and songs originally scheduled for Hotta Than Fish Grease. The songs drip with West Coast funk and are propelled by Jayo's spirited lyrics.

Jayo recently shot a video for "She Loves Me," which features 7-year-old Loco Records artist Young Nube. Nube, also from San Diego, will release his debut album in 2002.

"He's a superstar," Jayo said of his young protégé. "He's natural. He kept me up all night. It's amazing how he put it down. The West Coast, we've got our own little kid, and he's only half the age of them other cats [Lil' Bow Wow and Lil' Romeo]."

In addition to Nube's album, Jayo Felony is planning to release his "Crip Hop" movie, which next year will be the first release from his Loco Films. The straight-to-DVD-and-VHS film documents the origins of the Crips gang, whose history Jayo said might surprise people.

"It wasn't about Crips killing Bloods and all that bullsh--," Jayo said. "It was about community, revolution and progress and Crips protecting their community against crooked cops and motherf---ers like that. It was a whole different story."

Jayo Felony wants his story to include a positive ending, which is why he said he's moving beyond the problems that plagued him in 2000 and 2001. His new work, which will include the spring 2002 release of his If the Shoe Fits album, won't contain disses toward Snoop, Jay-Z and others.

"I rolled on them. I spoke my peace, and I'm moving on to bigger and better things," Jayo said. "I ain't even tripping on them anymore. I'm living a positive life and staying away from these haters. If they bite my sh--, I'm taking it as a compliment and keeping it moving."