The Notorius B.I.G., Biggie, Big, however you referred to him, one thing we can all agree on was the legacy he left behind. With Hip Hop in a state of turmoil, particularly on the Eastcoast, it was refreshing for Scheme to have the priviledge to speak with film producer/director/fashion designer, April Maiya. Discussing everything from Damion Butler a.k.a D Roc’s friendship with B.I.G., to the infamous HOT97 shootout, Ms. Maiya promises that Life After Death: The Movie DVD, will satisfy the Biggest Biggie connoisseur’s appetite. Ten years later and the game probably needs him more than ever.

SCHEME: Damion Butler/D Roc, considered to be Biggie’s right hand man, who also managed Lil Kim, had previously declined all interviews in regards to the HOT97 shootout, which led to Lil Kim’s imprisonment. How did you manage to get him to speak?

April Maiya: Well basically he didn’t testify during the trial, after Kim was sentenced, there was a whole tale spin. People thought Kim was just stupid for lying, D Roc was upset that they were portrayed by media as dummies with guns. He felt that it was wrong, coupled with the fact that they are carrying the legacy of what Biggie left behind. So, he called me to go to his mom’s house and get all the evidence from 1993-2003. I got so much raw footage of him and Biggie just hanging out, from wild scenes with groupies to them just doing real stuff. Now you know when you’re on trial they use what they call discovery, to mount up all the evidence. He had it all locked up, and the evidence can’t lie, he wanted to finally put the record straight. We’re an honorable crew.

SCHEME: So do you think this documentary will set the record straight?

April Maiya: Exactly that, nothing more nothing less. The whole point in doing the film is to shed light about what happened, it’s just closure for everybody, Kim, D Roc all of us. I didn’t want to throw Lil’ Cease under the bus, he kind of threw himself under the bus and run over actually. The film will definitely display that, it is what it is.

SCHEME: Have you had a chance to speak with Mrs. Wallace in regards to her views about the film?

April Maiya: Definitely, she was all for it. D Roc has a very unique relationship with the Wallace‘s, it extends outside of business, he has always been like her other son, she was very happy for him, because she knows this project will help him. When Puff heard about it he was finally supportive as well.

SCHEME: D Roc is still serving out his sentence, when does he get out?

April Maiya: Umm, without really getting into that, he will be coming home shortly. It’s definitely going to be interesting when he gets out.

SCHEME: Why do you say that?

April Maiya: Well, the only message he got from Lil’ Cease, was that he was mad at him because he thought D Roc left him for dead when he went to jail. Nobody really even came to see D Roc since he’s been locked up.

“But He (B.I.G.) got everybody to work together so this project will hopefully remind people of what NY was then. With all respect to the South I have a whole bunch of TI and Luda in my cd changer, but from clothes, to grills, NY was the first to do it. This project will make a small contribution to Hip Hop.”

SCHEME: So Lil Cease is upset because D Roc went to jail?

April Maiya: Lil’ Cease has always blamed everybody for his failures. It just shows his mentality. This is one of the most amazing stories, I mean really they were one of the 1st families to do this in Hip Hop. Tragic, just a reminder that no matter how much you think you know somebody, you really won’t know until it goes down.

SCHEME: The release date of the documentary is set for July 3rd, what can die-hard biggie/hip hop fans expect to see?

April Maiya: People are going to think they’re going to see a documentary about people who didn’t really have much to do with B.I.G.. They will be presently surprised, there are no interviews, this is straight footage, and when you watch Jamie’s narration, each character’s personality came out through footage. It’s like reality TV before reality TV, really, it’s just naked candid footage. People will be able to really see D Roc and Big’s sincere relationship. Like everything they rapped about and talked about, they really did. It’s crazy how it plays out because everybody’s true position will play out, whoever is the villain basically turned out in the end. Mind you, D Roc is in jail, he called me to quote un quote straighten things out. I have over 100 hours of footage from his mom‘s crib.

SCHEME: So you mentioned Jamie Hector, how did his part come about?

April Maiya: I needed someone neutral to just tell a story, I basically started the film in chronological order so I realized I needed a believable voice to tie one year after another. I’m a big fan of the WIRE, Marlo’s character is like a loner, renegade, myself and D Roc are both like that. Less than a minute after discussing the opportunity, Jamie was like, I from Brooklyn, and jumped on board.

“I just want to say that I sincerely apologize for putting out incorrect information about Lil’ Kim and D Roc, so I’m just happy that I had this opportunity to correct things.”

SCHEME: Your directorial debut was in the critically acclaimed music documentary Chronicles of Junior M.A.F.I.A., how was that?

April Maiya: Actually I also had worked on the Wu-tang documentary as well. For the record, the Junior M.A.F.I.A. film is definitely one project I wish I could have done differently.

SCHEME: Why do you say that?

April Maiya: No one including D Roc thought Lil’ Cease was going to take the stands. It was like, oh sh*t, we just finished this project, but the master was already out. I just want to say that I sincerely apologize for putting out incorrect information about Lil’ Kim and D Roc, so I’m just happy that I had this opportunity to correct things.

SCHEME: Ten years after the death of B.I.G., people probably celebrate him even more than when he was alive, what do you think contributes to that?

April Maiya: I think that Biggie represented a time in NY hip hop, hip hop in general, which was like the Golden age of hip hop. NY, in my opinion, when Biggie was around was crazy just much more love. Everybody in NY worked together. It’s really different now, now you have crews going at each other, it just reflects the current state of hip hop in NY. I know it’s like what does this girl know about Hip Hop, I just write about it and make movies (laughs). But He (B.I.G.) got everybody to work together so this project will hopefully remind people of what NY was then. With all respect to the South I have a whole bunch of TI and Luda in my cd changer, but from clothes, to grills, NY was the first to do it. This project will make a small contribution to Hip Hop.

SCHEME: Well, (laughing) you kind of stole my next question. What cd’s do you currently have in your car?

April Maiya: I have Life After Death, TI, Chris Brown, that doesn’t’ make me soft does it?

SCHEME: Nah you’re cool, whatever gets you in the mood.

April Maiya: I listened to a lot of mixed cd’s. but to tell you the truth, I’m glad I grew up when I did, because it let me really appreciate hip hop. I remember being in high school listening to Nas’s It Was Written, back to back, you can’t do that with albums now and days .

SCHEME: I see that you attended the University of California, Irvine as a business law major and then you shifted your interest and made NY your home in 2002 to pursue a career as a filmmaker. How did that transition take place?

April Maiya: Well I’m from LA, and I’m actually a real valley girl, (laughs). I just always loved NY, as a young girl from California, you always think NY is so sophisticated. The more I was in law school, I found out that the law was all for the people who could pay for it. So I came to NY, and I never went back.

SCHEME: You really just picked up and left?

April Maiya: Yes, I actually went back once to get the rest of my stuff. (laughs)

SCHEME: I also read that besides producing and directing, you’re a fashion designer. I believe in 2002 you launched a lingerie swimwear line, BellaHoney.

AM: Oh wow, yeah, BellaHoney was a Swimwear line, with a girlfriend of mine. I’ll just say that she did more than she was suppose to do, so I withdrew from the team. I have a new fashion venture coming home, BellaHoney times ten.

SCHEME: So what type of clothing can we expect?

April Maiya: It includes lingerie, swimwear, and stiletto heels.

SCHEME: I’m sure both the ladies and fellas out there will appreciate that.

April Maiya: Well I hope so, that’s what I love, fashion is my hobby, I can enjoy it without the pressure of trying to see if it makes money. It’s my outlet, with me doing hip hop documentaries, I’m surrounded by testosterone and guys all day long, so it’s nice to explore my feminine side.

SCHEME: So what’s next for Ms. Maiya?

April Maiya: I was doing stuff for Rap City, but it became like a 9-5 job, and uh not good at that. I’m much better at cranking out projects. I’m still doing stuff for them, but next I will have another project with D Roc. It’s another biggie project, this project is closure, the next will be the lost tapes.

* Life After Death: The Movie, in stores now. The movie includes actual footage of the HOT97 shootout, as well as footage of Biggie, Lil Cease, Mase, Jay-Z, The Lox, Snoop, Redman, Mario Winans, Big Pun, Sisqo, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Charlie Baltimore and more.