Occasionally, the Capri Lounge will open up its doors to the hard-working interns here at RS. Here's the latest dispatch from the unpaid labor battlefield.

For our first blog post assignment last week, we interns were asked to describe what doing unpaid labor for Rolling Stone is really like. Let me tell you that it took every inch of resistance in my body to not simply respond with the words, "Everyday we're hustlin'."

You see, ever since I transcribed Austin Scaggs' interview with Miami rap boss Rick Ross, I have become fairly obsessed with the ethos and philosophy of the Trilla One. The magic that came out of my headphones that day had much to do with the casual rapport Scaggs tends to build with his subjects. But, more than that, it had to do with Ross' unique perspective on fashion, drugs and dining.

His positions on the first two subjects can be explained fairly briefly. They involve, simply, a pair of Timberlands he once had emblazoned with the words "Rich Off Cocaine" and his assurance to Austin that there is never a time at which he does not enjoy smoking marijuana. Amusing bits of audio, no doubt, but only a brief tease leading up to the real plat du jour.

It was toward the end of the interview that I got to experience what it means for communication to truly break down. Ross seemed to have let his guard down in a way that I truly had not expected. Innocently, Scaggs asked, "So where can I get some good soul food in Miami?" After naming several restaurants, Ross settled on a Caribbean joint called The Bahamian Pot, where, he said, Austin could eat with all the D-boys in Miami.

This recommendation came with a warning, though: "But you better have your .223 with you, you feel me?"

"No, what is that?" Silence. For 15 seconds. Broken only when Scaggs decided to move onto his next question. The interview ended shortly afterward.

What I learned that day was that, when interviewing a hustler-cum-rapper, it is indeed quite possible to create a lovely professional relationship. That is, until said hustler-cum-rapper is asked to explain a gun reference. At that moment, you may find out that, in the words of Ross himself, your subject "ain’t 'bout no funny shit."

[Photo: Getty]