Of the St. Louis American
Should you see a peanut butter-colored pretty boy rocking a white tee and a St. Lunatics hit as he whips through town in a pimped-out CL 6 Benz and you swear it’s Nelly – do a triple-take, first – it might just be his brother and fellow Lunatic City Spud.
I got an “Amen!” from sales assistant Charmaine Brown, who was manning the reception desk of the American when Lavell “City Spud” Webb mobbed in for his first exclusive interview with a major publication since he hit the bricks on June 16.
“I had to do a double-take,” Charmeezy (that’s what we call her) said. Fellow reporter Sandra Jordan was more taken with the wheels the fresh-out-of-jail Lunatic rolled up in.
“Now, that’s a bad car,” she said, after walking in from lunch.
Not everyone can bunk and junk from an 8-year bid in the pen and step into a brand new Benzo, a crib and unlimited studio time. But you can if you’re City Spud, who went to jail in 1999 – while the St. Lunatics’ deal with Universal was still on the table.
The ‘Tics had just finished Nelly’s 9 million-plus copies sold, yes, multi-platinum debut CD “Country Grammar.” City Spud had spit on the album’s hit “Ride Wit Me” and “Steal the Show.” And he laid the tracks for the smooth and melodic jam “Lovin’ Me”; “Greed, Hate and Envy”; “Thicky Thick Girl” and “Never Let Them See You Sweat.”
He was flying back and forth from New York to St. Louis. The Big Apple dangled his hopes and dreams of becoming a national-recording rapper and producer, but St. Louis was beating with the reality of jail time as he flew in for court dates.
City Spud was sold on the possibility of probation, until his attorney allegedly told him on sentencing day that staying on the streets wouldn’t walk.
Three years was the next best thing, and Ali (the big brother of the ‘Tics) calmed City Spud into accepting that he could easily walk down three years.
To his surprise, City Spud was hit with 10 years, with an 85 percent mandate, which meant eight and half years.
“The courtroom went crazy, but I was stuck and that was what it was: off to the pen I go,” City Spud said.
Of his time inside, he said, “It’s crazy – it took some getting used to.”
He elaborated, “You get thrown into chaos and dealing with the people we throw away, Missouri’s worst, 1,500 attitudes in this small place with thieves, murderers, con-artists and rapists, all in one spot.”
He bowed out of the subject with, “It’s kind of hard to talk about because you never want to visit that feeling again.”
City Spud was charged with armed criminal action, 1st degree assault and 1st degree robbery, charges he attributed to being with the wrong cats at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Doing time as a celebrity, he said, was good and bad. “Some people liked you more and even hooked me up with their sisters and mamas, and some people hated you more,” guards and inmates alike, he said.
But kept his head straight and concentrated on the now instead letting the success of his crew consume him. Though he eventually did some acting with the Prison Performing Arts, contracting the acting bug, he didn’t write for the first three to four years. He missed producing tracks, but was forced to concentrate solely on rapping.
Not these day. City Spud does big time now in the Derrty ENT studio, working on tracks and rhymes, including albums for Murph and the Lunatics.
He hit the bricks in time to get on Nelly’s upcoming Brass Knuckles album, due out September 16. Spud is featured on “Chill,” and can’t wait for the CD to drop or the tour to start.
“To be out performing with my crew again and being around them everyday is going to be lovely, because now you’re getting the complete package,” he said.
“It’s like Country Grammar all over again, because I didn’t get to see it, so I’m experiencing it like it’s the first time. I’m able to promote, tour – all that – and I’m excited about it.”
City Spud got a taste of the stage in June when Hot 104.1 FM rolled out its packed Super Jam concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Murph called him onstage at a moment’s notice.
“I hadn’t performed in so long, and the last time I did it with them there was only about 200 people in the audience, so to go from 300 to 10,000 was crazy,” he said.
“But when I walked onstage it all came back to me – who I was and what I was a part of.”
City Spud gave his fellow ‘Tics a surprise of his own when he showed up to the Sky Box for Nelly’s victory party for the Iron Ring series on BET.
City Spud is hooked up with Slim of Loose Cannon fame for his own birthday party and City Free celebration planned for 9 p.m. this Sunday, August 31 at Lush.
Other than that, he’s just concentrating on music, his solo return (which he Nelly are plotting) and just being peaceful and enjoying life.
He said, “I wasn’t able to learn what they picked up, so I pick it up from them, which is good, because I don’t have to make the mistakes they made.”