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Huge thanks to Amir for taking time out to answer the
questions fans wanted to know!
(Interview was done by phone In May of 2003)
Questions Are From Fans Over At The WCC
Forum And Asked By : Nima
Amir Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
Amir Dropped A Verse! Check That Here
Full Interview In Audio : Here
dubcnn.com : What's up man, introduce yourself to the people who don't know
you yet. Who are you, where are you from and what do you represent.
Ok, my name's Amir, I'm out here in L.A. holdin' it down for the West Coast
Rap scene, and basically trying to break through the ice in this game, cause
this game is real crazy. I'm Persian and german, but really on the Persian
side of things *laughs* that's what I come wit. I basically hooked up wit DJ
Quik out here and he brought me in the game.
dubcnn.com : I heard you were involved in a car crash...
Yeah, actually I went off a 300ft cliff called Top Of The World, it's like
where everybody goes to drink, and everybody goes to blaze up, you know,
it's like a landmark spot, everybody knows about it it's called Top Of The
World. So we went up there like 3 in the morning one night, and I had
previously got jumped earlier that night, so I was already unconscious, I
guess I was still talkin' but I was laid back and I was relaxed. So my homie
lost control of the car and shit, he just drove off right off the cliff, and
we started rollin' all the way down until it finally stopped. The armrest on
the car was just smashin' my head, so I ended up not bein' able to walk
when they got me out, but my head was also cut wide open, and I was bleedin'
outta my head for like two hours when we were stuck in there till like 5 in
the morning before help came. My homies walked up all bloody and shit, saw a
couple up there making out and smoking and shit, so they told them that we
were down there so they went and got help, and that's how we got outta
there.
dubcnn.com : What motivated you to start rapping?
I basically died and came back, you know what I mean? I was basically stuck
unconscious for two and a half years, so I was numb to the world, was in my
own world and didn't really know what to do. I came back to L.A., I was in
Utah actually cause I had a kid out there, so I had a little boy, and my
life was just all goin' downhill, and I came back to L.A. and was just
sittin' around one day, and I remember I heard a friend of mine was doin'
some production, and he had studio and stuff, so I was like "fuck it, that
sounds interesting to me cause I love music so much". So I called this dude
up and told him that I would pay him to sit wit me for like a couple months
and show me the ropes in the studio, you know? So he did that, and I gave
him a little check, and I ended up gettin' real serious and buyin' the
equipment myself about 3 years ago. I started my own record label "Dope
Fiend Records", cause I'm a dope fiend straight up, I fiend dope shit! If I
see something I like I'ma fiend for that shit till I get it, you know? It's
like drive, fiendin' is like drive. To me its fiendin' dope music, don't so
much fiend drugs, although I can't tell somebody you're an idiot for doin
drugs coz i've done em, know what I mean? Some people gotta go through
their on shit to actually come back. I think that, that two thousand dollars as a
good investment for me, cause now I'm where I'm at as far as finishin' my
album and havin' the guest appearances and guest producers as far as Quik
and Erick Sermon and Fredwreck, Jewell from Chronic and Tupac album. I went
for the key players in the game, dudes that get alotta respect.
dubcnn.com : Do you consider yourself a West Coast MC?
Uhm, I don't know, I love the West Coast and I'm from the West Coast and I
consider myself loyal to the West Coast, but I think my style is just way
beyond just the West Coast, cause the West Coast has been comin' wit similar
music for a long time, and it's gotten bottled into a certain style, and
everybody is comin' wit the same kinda sound, you know? I'm blessed that
Quik didn't just give me the normal Cali shit, he gave me that different
shit.. universal style, the shit that I can create my own style with it, so
really my style.. the gangsters on the West Coast will feel my shit, and the
people on the East Coast will feel my shit cause I feel like I put a little
bit more into my lyrics than.. writing a rhyme, like.. "all my 20s is
spinnin'".
dubcnn.com : That's how it should be!
Yeah! I feel so too, cause the game is cheated right now, you know? I feel
like, take 50 Cent for an example. I mean it's cool and shit, but it's like
kid rhymes, I know kids that are 14 year old that could write those rhymes
you know? You got catchy hooks and shit, that stick in your head, but as far
as a rhymer, as a rapper, it ain't really that much time put into it, like
"I love you like a fat kid love cake" that to me is cool, but there's really
nothin' to it. I like to give somebody somethin' that they could listen to
it, and the first time, they'll get somethin' from it, but the 50est and the
hundrest time they listen to it, they'll still get somethin' new! Like I
hide shit all in my rhymes, but I still 'em in there wit that catchy shit.
So I think that's what MCing is about, an MC to me is.. like Mobb Deep never
came out and said "Fuck Pac" you know what I mean? They did it under their
breath, its easy to rhyme and just told somebody "Fuck You", but it's harder
to rhyme and say what you mean, but hide it, and they can think about it and
some people will get a different feel for it.
dubcnn.com : Who was your main influence while growing up?
I really listened to, if you look in my CD Cases, I got a grip of CDs, but
real spread out, my CDs are spread out from West Coast to East Coast but I
like Mobb Deep, Pac was a major influence, one of my favorite rappers is
Twista, to be able to bust that fast and still be lyrically dope, it's real
hard to do so I give it up to that dude. Plus he makes a lot of his own beats
and that's what I do too, I'm makin' some beats on my album. But the LL Cool
J, Ice Cube was a major influence to me, like he got me through some times,
you know what I mean? But alotta people man, I listened to alotta rap music,
East Coast and West Coast I didn't really discriminate. Erick Sermon is one
of the dudes I grew up listening to, I told Erick Sermon in the studio when
I got down wit him, that one time at magic mountain I picked up a sweater
and I had em airbrush EPMD on that shit, those dudes were hard, they came
out just bustin and rhymin', and I try to rhyme and keep it Hip Hop, keep my
DJ involved, scratchin, fundamental shit.
dubcnn.com : Why should people go and check your shit out?
Cause first of all, it's real different, and I come wit concept songs, like
Bombs Over Saddam was a concept song, it had nothin' to do wit terrorism, I
wrote that shit like over two years ago, before the 9/11 acts even happened,
but it's like hand in hand wit whats goin' on, but actually people from the
Middle East and from that area and that have been raised in that area, and
saw those things, they would know that I'm just speakin' of somebody comin'
from Iran, loosin' their whole shit, everything they own, to have this
freedom. And then come here to be crucified and get told shit, spit on, like
they not from here, and it was hard to really explain myself to people, off
just looks, off just looks, or by judgin' a book by its cover, you get a
different feel for it, but when you really know who I am, or what I am, then
you understand. I got concept songs, I got songs that you could feel, songs
that hurt you, you can cry on some of the shit that I got, but you'll still
be able to bump my shit. You'll get all these things from my CD that's why I
think you'll buy it.
dubcnn.com : How did you meet DJ Quik and what's your relation with him?
Quik walked into my studio one time, we were doin' a mutual session, and he
was in the studio A, I was in B, and he had walked into the studio that I was
in, when I was just recordin, cause I believed in myself in the beginning,
so I just went after goin' into major studios. So he just walked in, started
puttin' in a couple on nods, and grindin', groovin' and just told me to come
through in his session, and I played him some of my stuff, and he told Hi-C
that I had a hit, and I'll never forget that. It was Bombs Over Saddam, and
so he remixed it, played the bass-line, him and G-one played the
bass-line, he played the hooks bass-line and G-One played the verse bass line, and from
there I asked him to do some tracks on me, I asked him to do a track on me,
and it was Slipped On Da Ice which is on the Head Of State movie, wit Chris
Rock, that song made it on there. So he blessed wit that one, then he told
me that I had pursued him on another track, and then that track became
another track, and than him rapping on it, and it became a situation where
now he's bringin' me out, now I'm his protege, everywhere, Quik presents
Amir on his own DVD and the CDs he passes out. It became a thing where I was
now his artist, but at the same token, it was alotta confusion, as far as
what to do.
dubcnn.com : That must feel great!
Oh yeah man, it was a good thing! At the same time, you never know what's
gonna happen, you gotta prove yourself. I'm real independent with mine, so
when Quik wanted to sign me, I couldn't see myself signin. I've been
independent the whole time, I started my record label, I believed in myself
from the jump, I got all these people into the project in like two years,
two and a half years of just learning to write rhymes! The first rhyme I
ever wrote was two and a half years ago. So from that, it feels cool, but at
the same time theres alotta politics involved, and alotta "well let's see
what you can do wit it, i'll give you the credit card and see what you can
do". I just take it wit a grant man, and try to make things happen on my
own. Like Master P made things happen on his own, those are the kinda people
I look up to, look up to what they did, Cash Money, cause that's where the
real money is. An artist makes 80 cents a record, that's cool. But I gotta
make 8 bucks!
dubcnn.com : Knoc-Turn'Al told us he has been writing for DJ Quiks new album.. So he's not
retiring?
Uhm I don't know as far as if he's gonna retire or what.. Quik is real hard
to figure out, you know what I'm saying? I think he keeps alotta people
guessin. And that could be a good thing, if you're workin' wit him.
dubcnn.com : And if another album happens, will you be on there?
We'd have to see what I do wit my stuff, I feel like nothing is gonna be
given to me if I'm not willin to sacrifice. I'm down to pay my dues, but I
don't think anything will be given to me unless I prove myself. Like it's
dope, you're a dope MC and shit, but I mean, there's two things. If I sign
with anybody, I put my fate into somebody else's hand, and I'm givin' up
control and anything can happen on that. It could be a situation where I get
signed, and my project aint looked at as something that needs to be put
out right now! I have to make sure my album comes out, so what I'm doin' right
now is, if I get on that album, I get on that album. I know I'm worthy of
it, I know I can bust with them, with that caliber of person. I've rapped
with Erick Sermon on the same song back and forth actually, wrote the hook
on that song, we banged together you know what I mean? It's a good thing, so
I know I can, but it's just politics, the game is shady dog.
dubcnn.com : When is your solo album coming out?
Ok, my album will be droppin' late September or August. Right about then,
we'll have three months of heavy promoting and stuff, I'm hookin' up with
this one person who's very influential in the game, she's like in the
Sources top 30, and I think I'll be hookin' up wit her. I don't wanna say no
names until shit actually goes down, but I'm hookin' up wit her on the 1st
of June, and she gets alotta key shit in the game, so the hookup wit her is
gonna be major, cause that's the road I'm lookin' at, what she's done, and
the people she's brought out who later made the big record sales on their
own, you know what I mean? So I'll be dropping about September August, I'm
finishin' up my album, me and G-One are lookin' on finishin' it up, I got
Quik on four tracks on my record, he produced three tracks and co-produced
another track, really he mixed it and played the bass. So he's touched four
tracks on my album, and Erick Sermon, Fredwreck you know from Snoop Dogg's
label.. I've touched with some key people, but I'm still not done, I got two
songs to finish, but right now in these next three months, I'm really gonna
react, so I've been just held up waiting.
dubcnn.com : What's the album called?
Initially I named it "Amir: Image Of My Mind", but it got changed up in
different interviews I did, "Images Of My Mind"..
dubcnn.com : So what's the exact title?
I'd say "Amir: Image Of My Mind", but Images of my mind it could be *laughs*
It just depends on how it goes down in the end. Either Image or Images of my
mind.
dubcnn.com : What's the first single called?
Well I dropped a record, but really the whole situation I was in was not a
realistic situation. I just got caught up dog, I'm tryna do as much as I
can. Slipped On Da Ice I dropped it, and it ended up on the Chris Rock
movie, it was number one in Japan... See Bombs Over Saddam is more like,
just feeling. Slipped On That Ice got a swing to it. It's all over the
place. But right now, I'm about to drop that Erick Sermon joint, through my
boy Mar, we gonna drop that one and then drop a Quik track on the b-side, so
that's gonna be a hot single I'm about to drop. Lookout for that
"Loogies I Spit" joint featuring Erick Sermon, producing and rapping on it. He laced me
with that one. This is a heater.
dubcnn.com : Who did you collaborate with on "Amir: Image Of My Mind"?
Quik, Erick Sermon, Butch Cassidy, Jewell, Oz my artist, Oz got down on that
"Bloody Murder" track with DJ Quik producin' on it, Oz's real sick, he's
actually my boy for 10 years now too, I just called him up and said come out
here, I'm doin' it. He's from Kansas City. He's real tight, we'll start
recordin' his album in the next couple months too.
dubcnn.com : Do you think you'll be able to blow up and reach the mainstream?
Uhm, of course! I mean the game is all about me right now, and that's why
nobody's selling records. If you stick my face on every fuckin' magazine,
you stick my face in everybody's face, everywhere, every place I can be..
payin' all this money to get some major exposure, I pay every radio station,
$25,000 just to give them a little change so they can throw my record in,
then of course! But I think i'll blow up on my own, because the real stands
out. The real will always stand out. If someone is talented you can't say
he's not. But it's like Kobe Bryant is gonna come into the NBA, Kobe
Bryant is gonna test Michael Jordan. That's just the way it is! On one of my songs
I say "ask yourself one thing: why is there always a greatest, till he gets
knocked out the ring" You know what I mean? There's always a greatest, like
somebody will always say "this dude is the greatest" and then this dude
comes along, and now he's the greatest. You just gotta be able to respect
the real and that's what the world is all about, there's always a time for
the greatest, but the greatest will always get knocked out.
dubcnn.com : Who are you feeling in the game right now?
Who am I feeling? I feel Twista's new shit will come sick on Rocafella, I'm
real interested to hear his album, he's real sick. I like Fabolous, I think
Fabolous is cool, but he's real commercial..
dubcnn.com : I don't really like Fabs voice..
Yeah his voice sounds like Mase. But I feel Eminem is real tight.. That's
why I don't really understand the 50 Cent thing, with Eminem, because he's
so lyrical.. But I like Redman, Redman is hard, Redman STAYS hard.. I
lookout for the dudes that spit lyrical shit. I lookout for Crooked I on the
West Coast though.
dubcnn.com : What can we expect from you in future?
You can expect me to.. I just want the people that hear my CDs and the
people that like my shit, to be as anticipated as I was to get Pac's next
album, you feel me? When Pac died I was crushed. The only person I ever
bootlegged in my life was 2Pac, and that was because I knew he was dead, you
know what I mean? And I knew that I would never get this CD if they choose
not to put it out. What you can expect from me is to keep giving my tightest
shit on each record I put out, I will not put out no half ass shit, I will
not put out no teenie bop shit.. I'ma come wit it everytime. I don't have
the person over my shoulder sayin' "don't do it this way, do it this way".
I'll bring a song to the table and do it. Like Slipped On Da Ice, I brought
that song to the table and they put the beat there. Put it this way, when
they brought me Slipped On Da Ice in the studio, I didn't know what 16 Bars
was. They were like "Hey Amir, take this beat home, this is the layout, this
is 16 Bars, here goes the hook, here's another 16 bars and the hook, and then
bring the song back". So I said cool, went home, wrote that song, called
them the next day and said I got the song. You feel me? So I'ma just keep
coming with my A Game and no give them no half ass shit. If I got 5 songs on
there that are all tight, you gonna get 12 songs on there that are all
tight. I just want people to be anticipated to get it and feel like its
something valuable you wanna hold on to. Hey man I'ma tell you like this: I
been holdin' back for a while man, I'm not sellin myself to this game, so
it's been a godsend that I hooked up wit this one lady, thats gonna step in
and get the rest of this finished. But everything gonna be cool dog, I
promise you that, at the end of the day, they'll get a chance to hear me.
The Middle East people are really supportive out here, not just the persians, but the
Arabic's too, the Armenians, the Syrian people, everybody out here is really supportive, so I just that I can be the one that can come
out and start some shit off.
dubcnn.com : What are your feelings on the US Government and the current happenings
wih the war and all?
Hm, the US Government man, is kinda like.. it's kinda crazy what's goin' on
there, cause it's so real. But at the same time it's so far from me you
know? Like I'm over here just dealin' with the street and shit, just dealin'
with L.A. and different places I choose to go. But to think of the country
way over there and what they doin', it's real far from me. But to see people
jumpin' around after they did that, and happy, I think there's something
behind it that we don't know. Kinda like the Alien thing goin' on. Like is
there Aliens? Or isn't there? You might not know, but you might think
something. We don't exactly know what they're doing over there, and what the
real main purpose is, and who the real people backing this are.. But all we
know alotta people are angry about it, alotta people are gettin' killed, in
the process. So it's a thing that you have to do... I don't really know what
I wanna say but I wanna say that, maybe if I'm over here, on this side of
the place, and I'm from the US and I'm here, I gotta watch out for where I'm
at. So if it makes sense to watch our back and go do that, then it makes
sense, but if it doesn't make sense and at the end we're all gonna die it's
like "aw shit, you die for this and you get forgotten the next day". I don't
wanna be that dude! When I go out, I wanna go out in a blaze, like "remember
me!" Take Jesus Christ for an example right? He was on the same earth as us
right? So how is he better than me or you? It's like I'm not knockin nobody!
Jesus is the son of god right? So what am I? I'm a dude, I'm a male, so a
child of god. But they don't wanna call you a child of god. I'm a son of
god, right? Cause I'm a male. So if I'm a son of god, Jesus is a son of god.
To me Jesus' story just kept goin' and goin' and goin' and he did so crazy
stuff back then, and that's all good. And people talk about 2Pac like Maaan,
2Pac! 2Pac! Does that mean 2Pac is the new son of god? Now we're gonna have
a church called 2Pac? 2Pacanity? I say, don't think about Jesus Christ and
wait for all that, do your own thing! It ain't about religion, I think
religion is the biggest war. The people on top of religion have money. And
money is power. If Bill Gates wanna to get on TV right now and say "Ima
speak right here and everybody is gonna listen", then he can do that!
Cause he's got the money! I don't really believe in a religion, I believe in
higher power, God, Allah, Buddha, however you wanna call him it's cool, I
don't wanna argue you for what you wanna call him either. But I'm sayin' we
just need to be all as one, even though we don't have to gather together, but
just don't be like "I'm this religion I can't marry you, because you're this
religion". It doesn't make sense, when I was born on the same earth as you!
If we can be cool, then we can be cool! If you're jewish, and my family is
muslim, we can still be cool! I got alotta Jewish friends, and it's not that
serious with me, but there's plenty of jews dyin', and there's plenty of
muslims dyin', and there's plenty of Christians dyin', and soon everybody is
gonna start dyin'! For what? We don't know, it's like the aliens.
dubcnn.com : That's it for the questions, thanks for taking the time man, is there
anything else you'd like to tell the people out there?
Ahh, just be expectin my album, it's been a hard process, but a short
process, and when everything is said and done, you gonna love it, I appreciate
DubCnn for takin' the time out, I appreciate Nima for taking the time out for this interview, much love and much respect! Thanks to everybody
else out there listening, and all my fans out there, be expecting the CD to
drop this year, it won't get no more delayed, no more delays, and I'ma make
it as powerful as the tracks you already heard.
dubcnn.com : Aight, thanks a lot.
Thanks dog, I appreciate it.
dubcnn.com : Stay up
Peace.
Dubcnn.com Shoutout : Here
Amir Dropped A Verse! Check That Here
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Amir
