The Clipse‘s Malice drops off the latest vignette promoting the release of his new book Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind And Naked coming on Vaseline Valentine’s Day. After the jump, Malice talks to HHH about the new project, his future as a hip hop artist and more. Be sure to pre-order copy of the new book if you haven’t already!

HHH: First & foremost, congrats on the new book. Was the transition from rapper to now published author difficult?

Malice: Man I’m not even gonna act like it’s a big deal. I had a story to tell. (Laughs) I wrote my book. I started my publishing company. Really it’s not a transition. When you read this book you still hear the same voice of Malice from The Clipse. Even as I was writing it, it’s still the same thing pretty much. I’m just very glad to be able to tell this story and share this story with my fans and everyone that supported The Clipse throughout the years.

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Tell us a little bit about how the process for the “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind & Naked” came along?

Well.. There is (laughs) THE wildest series of events that happened to me in my life. And it’s so wild that every time I tell family or I tell friends about it, it would always take like two and a half, three hours to tell this story. It’s like crazy, it’s phenomenal. so I knew the book had to be written. I just want to say it’s nothing at all convenient about what it is I’m doing. And I never had any desire or aspirations to write a book, so this was something I felt compelled to do and that I had to actually do so I wouldn’t have to keep telling this story and I think more people should be exposed to this story.

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After writing an’ autobiography people usually feel like they are “free”. Once you got down to the last page in the book did you feel like a certain weight was lifted off your shoulders?

I actually felt good just knowing that finally it was completed but I think I felt even better once it got into the hands of the printer. And knowing that I had no more adjustments, no more changes, nothing to add or omit and just get it off my hands because this book has definitely been a burden to me over the past two and a half years. And like I said it’s something I just felt compelled to do, I actually just had to do. I know my fans that supported me, they seen The Clipse at all of their high moments. Our lives has definitely been a open book through the music. It always showed me in my splender. I just wanted to let people know. Especially, my message is definitely for the youth and anyone who aspires to be a rapper, a musician or a athlete, or in anything that you do. I think you just have to be focused. And if you’re not focused, you can easily find instruction. So I just wanna share that with people.

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Was there any reason for your book being released on Valentine’s Day?

Well the slogan I’m running with is “Remember Your First Love”. I think by now everybody knows I am definitely Christian. And what I say all the time, my story is not to convince anyone to believe what I believe or to think how I think or anything like that.. This is just MY story! And it’s a true story and I just wanna share it.

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So given the opportunity to change your life over, are you completely done with rapping considering there is an alternative?

No, no, no I’m not. I feel like my music is even getting better now. I’m definitely not finished with hip hop. You’re gonna get another Clipse album. You’re gonna get another Re-Up gang album. It’s just right now I had to stop what I was doing to labor this project right here. So as of Valentine’s Day people will be able to get their hands on it and then from there I’ll decide what my next move is gonna be.

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What advice do you have for someone who maybe wanting to change their lifestyle, but is afraid to change or even give up rapping?

I know this is not what your saying but I definitely don’t think you need to give up rapping to change your lifestyle. I definitely support hip hop and I love hip hop. I think one of the biggest things is, everybody knows the content, I hope I’m not going off on what you just asked me, but everybody knows the content of The Clipse and what we talk about and our experiences. I’ve just come to a realization in my life that just because it’s real, doesn’t make it right. And I think we did it so well that it became attractive, but if you ask me now how I feel about it when I have to go visit my manager (in prison) with his daughters and his family, and when I see them kids looking at him behind that glass, you can’t help but think of everything you ever said, every show you ever did when everybody was hyped behind all of that. And you know, the videos and the songs on the radio that reach so many people that so many people love and enjoy. Some people can listen responsibly and then you have some people out there who music is raising them. I’m at point now where I’m just more cautious about what I say or how I present things.

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So you “can see clearly now” so to speak?

Naw, it’s still some shades of grey, you know? (Laughs) I’m better then I was before. And growing up like for me, listening to N.W.A., I loved N.W.A., but I never tried to go out and do all the stuff that they said. But then again, I had a dad who was like 6′1″ or 6′2″ and you know he just won’t have nothing stupid (laughs) you know, come in his crib. So I realized that a lot of people, a lot of younger kids aren’t as fortunate to have the force that I had to make sure to curve some of the stuff that you do or whatever. And the music is what they emulate or whatever. I think it can be good to emulate some music but you have to know it can’t raise you. You have to have your head on, you have to have your foundation, then you can enjoy whatever it is you wanna enjoy after that. But you know, not everyone was as fortunate as I was coming up.

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I see what you’re saying. Now to wrap things up, what can we else can we expect from Malice in 2011?

Definitely a name change. (Laughs) I’m working on that right now, it ain’t come to me yet. But you could definitely expect this book, my manager and I we’re working on another book together, the title of that book is Thirty Two, referring to his sentence. There’s gonna definitely be a movie in the works for this first book Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked so look out for those kind of things from The Malicious.

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