BUTCH CASSIDY (December 2006) | Interview By: Nima

       Dubcnn had the fantastic opportunity to speak with an artist that has lay dormant for some time however is now ready to take the mainstream by storm. The unmistakable talent of Butch Cassidy is back in the industry, making music and most importantly hits. We took time to discuss the collaboration project we recently announced with Damizza called "Back B4 Ur Lonely," found out what happened with the split from Universal and his recent down time from the game, his plans to release his long waited solo debut album in 2007 and much more in this exclusive interview.


As always we have the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com



Interview was done by phone in December 2006


Questions Asked By : Nima


Butch Cassidy Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here (Audio)

Full Butch Cassidy Interview : Here

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Dubcnn: We are right here with one of the smoothest voices out the west coast Butch Cassidy. You’ve been pretty quiet lately. Let’s start it off by you letting everybody know what’s up with you right now.

Well right now I’m in the process of doing a duo record with Damizza and we’re putting that together and are about to drop the first single that’s called “Cruising” this month and it’s something real hot and soulful for y’all and ya’ll be hearing that real soon.

The album will drop around February 07 so be looking forward to hearing that and then after that I have my solo record coming behind that like towards this summer around June. That’s when we will drop the first single or something. And it’s going to be real hot we got a lot of stuff going on right now.


Dubcnn: Okay and how did the Damizza record come together?

Well me and Damizza been working together for a long time and I first met him when we did the Kurupt record. He produced a track for Kurupt and they called me in to do a hook and that was like in 99 or whatever and ever since then we’ve been pretty much just working together and putting some stuff together for our own things and our own careers. We trying to start off our own companies and get a lot of stuff going. We just been doing music together ever since then and the shit is hot and we’re going to bring some more to ya’ll.


Dubcnn: Okay so you’re officially a Baby Ree artist?

Officially yea, Baby Ree/KCP (which is my own thing) so it’s like a joint venture. We putting it together and it gives me my chance to get my own company and everything off the ground.


Dubcnn: Tell us a little bit about your “Back Before You Lonely” record, are you and Damizza going to be on every song?

Oh yeah but except for maybe like 3 or 4 songs. Because I got two solo songs by myself and he has two. But the rest…like the other 8 songs will be just me and him. The “Back Before You Lonely” record is a record we loved and we liked the title of the track and I know a lot of people have been waiting to hear what I was coming with because I’ve done so many records in the past and every time I meet my people in the streets they ask me when are you coming with it? So I thought I’m giving them a taste of what I’m coming with and that’s why this one is called “Back Before You Lonely” and then we going to touch them with my record. But the “Back Before You Lonely” song is real crazy and I think people are going to be excited about it.


Dubcnn: Okay so what are you talking about on the record? It sounds like it’s aimed at the ladies, is that right?

No, that record is pretty much aimed towards like the streets and it’s just letting people know that we’re coming. It’s just to let people know that we’re coming. It’s been a long time and we know they been hungry for us so we coming back before they get too lonely.


Dubcnn: So the “Back Before You Lonely” record is for the streets and not for the ladies?

For the ladies on the record I got a song called “Talk To Me” and it’s telling the women to talk to me and tell me what they want and then I got something called “Once Lovers” talking about all the ladies that were once lovers of mine.


Dubcnn: *laughs* Okay and who can we expect on the record as far as guest appearances and production go?

As far as the duo record?


Dubcnn: Yeah.

The duo record is pretty much just me and Damian. But we got some help come in from Warren G and we got a lot of new cats because they bringing that new flavour that nobody has heard.


Dubcnn: Yeah because we just premiered a song on the site that Damizza sent us. It got Damizza, Bishop Lamont, Roccett and this girl [Vanessa Marquez] singing the hook. It’s called “View From The Top”.

Oh okay, I know which one he sent you. Yeah that’s pretty good but I’m not on that one.


Dubcnn: Yeah I know and that’s why I was asking about ya’ll being on the songs because I heard that but you weren’t featured on that one so.

Yeah it is from “Back Before You Lonely”. Because see on my solo songs that I did I’m like putting them towards the R&B stations.


Dubcnn: Oh yeah that’s why after this duo record people are waiting for the solo.

And that’s what they going to get and they will not be disappointed.


Dubcnn: What’s the label situation for that duo record? Under what umbrella is that dropping?

That’s under Fontana/Universal.


Dubcnn: Oh okay so it’s going to have the distribution and everything?

You better believe it. It’s going to be in every store near everybody.


Dubcnn: Let’s go back in time a little bit. You used to be signed to Universal Records what happened there?

Universal didn’t know how to work my project and then when I started doing my own music, Universal thought that my record was just going to be totally to the streets. They didn’t understand how much I love these women and since all the features that I did in the past on the gangsta tip, you know, they thought I was just going to be a singer coming with just a gangsta flow all day. That is not needed because it’s already like a street singer already out there like my cousin Nate Dogg and then when I got my own opportunity to do it, I was coming for the women you know; because that’s what I always been pushing my music towards, the females.

We had a single...me and Snoop did a song called “Bang This” that’s going to be on my record now that they were going to push, but then for some silly reason they backed out on it and got scared, it was a lot of things going on there. I mean I got the deal from messing with Warren G at the time and you know once his record came out it didn’t do to big of an impact. Then they got totally scared on the whole west coast thing right there.


Dubcnn: Okay you talkin’ about the “Return Of The Regulator” record?

Yeah and everybody was on that record. He had Dre, Snoop, Nate, me and WC. I mean the list goes on and on. Even Stevie Wonder and then once that record pretty much tanked then they put a little damper on me because they were like “Oh my god maybe the west coast ain’t where it’s at”. So they put me on hold for a minute and after I got tired of being put on hold I asked to be released so I could go out and do my own thing. And it was a good thing that I did that because this deal that I got now gives me a chance to make way more money than I ever would of thought of making with them. So at the end of the day I guess you can say God works in mysterious ways.


Dubcnn: Do you still keep in touch with Warren G?

Yeah, I still talk to Warren all the time. Everybody’s still cool, me and Warren, Snoop, Nate, Daz, Kurupt. The whole crew from Longbeach, we all still down.


Dubcnn: You’re the cousin of Nate Dogg and how close were you coming up and how did that affect your life or your career?

Me and Nate we’ve been singing together since day 1. We started singing in the church and the dream of ours...we used to say like we going to come up and just get in this game and just be doing music and once he stepped in, he brought me along with him on his G Funk classics Volume 1 and 2. I got like 3 songs on there with him; a couple of classic ones. One called “Scared Of Love” and “I Don’t Want To Hurt No More” and “Going Down Tonight” so we put that record together and you know did our thing. Then the musical differences started to take place because I wanted to do my thing and he was doing his thing so then I branched of and said I’m going on my own.

I started putting music out there you know just on the underground, on the streets and I got connected with a DJ by the name of Kevin “Slow Jammin” James who was at a station out here on 100.3 The Beat and he was playing slow jams and he liked the slow groove that I had called “You Tonight” and he started playing that like every weekend just for like 3 or 4 months. Then Snoop heard it and called him up telling him to get him in contact with me.

From there I talked to Snoop and he told me he was working on a record called the Eastsidaz album and that they needed my vocals so when I got down there we started doing a bunch of songs and the rest was magic because we put together a hot record that sold over a million copies and I’m sure you remember that record The Eastsidaz record?


Dubcnn: Of course I remember that.

We dropped the first single called “G’d Up”. And then after that it just took off.


Dubcnn: My personal favorite is from the second record, “Cool”? Remember the song “Cool”?

Oh yeah that was supposed to be a single but that got mixed up so I don’t know what happened to that. That was the hottest record on that.


Dubcnn: Yeah that shit is still the dopest song to chill and blaze too.

Oh man “Cool” was a crazy song.


Dubcnn: And you know for a few years you were a strong part of Dogghouse Records because you were shining on all the records and everything. What’s your current relationship with all them like? What happened, why haven’t we seen ya’ll working together with Snoop and DPG anymore but you said everything is cool right?

Everything is cool you know. It’s just the way that I am you know I’m a man and I make decisions for my family, I mean you know when I was with Snoop Dogg he put me up on “G’d Up” and then his solo record came out and we did...


Dubcnn: “Lay Low”

Yeah and then we did “Loosen Control” and then after that I pretty much thought that it would be my time to do my record and after that he chose to put out the Doggy’s Angels, which I thought was a terrible mistake because nobody had even heard anything about the Doggy’s Angels so why would they be the first ones to come out? I mean we had given them no promotion and nothing. I mean I was the one that was out there really with him you know what I’m saying?


Dubcnn: Right.

If I’m going to be a business man and I feature artists on my tracks like an artist that’s up and coming and I put him on “Lay Low” and “Loosen Control” and just being smart I would put his record out next, because this is the guy that I gave the exposure to. So why would I take a group that I gave no exposure to and put them out next. It just makes no sense so once that happened I was like okay well if it’s still not my time yet then I guess this isn’t the camp for me to be in. I got to go find me a deal and get a situation going for myself, so that’s what I did.

They was tensed up at first but you know, he got over it because he knows what I did was right. That’s why he came down and got on my record with me, because he knew there was no need to be upset. We got together and did a track called “Bang This” and recently I been working with Snoop. I did a couple of songs with him and he will be on my record that comes out so there’s no beef there at all.


Dubcnn: And you just told me that you hooked up with Snoop through the whole radio thing so it wasn’t even through the Nate Dogg connection?

No but I always knew him though, but see they thought once I had stopped fooling with Nate it was just pretty much like I was quitting until they just heard me out there still mashing so then he was like “Oh I got to give him a call, I see he still trying to keep it going.” Because I never stopped and I wanted to do music before I knew anybody so I don’t feel like I would need anybody just to push me for my career you know what I’m saying? If people don’t want to be down with what I’m doing, at the end of the day I still got to feed my family. So I’m going to do music whether I’m with you or without you.


Dubcnn: Right, when did you realize the talent you had and that you wanted to do this music thing for a living?

It was a while back, I been knowing that I wanted to do it because like I said we was real young. When I first started; me and Nate had a little group together and when I first started singing with him neither one of us had met Snoop and them yet. I had to be like 9 or 10 years old when we first started writing songs so it’s just been that we used to sing together in the church so we always knew that we would do it but once you get out in the game and then you know the competition thing; everybody just start getting upset and the music just disturbs and tears everybody up and that’s why half the groups out here don’t stay together.

I don’t know what it is about us black folks but for some reason once the money gets involved, everybody just falls apart. But it seems like when we’re broke we just the happiest people around. But once you throw some money up in the mix of it than it’s just all twisted and everybody starts getting mad at each other. The main thing is that everybody just wants to be the boss and if you have a man in your camp that want to you know do his own thing, then it just turns into a problem. If you look at it you know Snoop and Dre ain’t together no more and you got Outkast about to break up. You got the Westside Connection that done broke up. The list goes on and on, Jay Z and Dame Dash broke up, and it’s just like you can just see that it just don’t work out for some strange reason everybody just decides to split up.


Dubcnn: Yeah that’s true.

I’m just getting confused about it and I just wish we could all stick together and make it work but sometimes that just don’t happen.


Dubcnn: Although Nate Dogg was the most wanted hook singer for a few years and he was all over the radio and everything, he never really managed to have that success on the solo tip. Do you think that the whole curse of the hook master who can’t have no success on his own might hurt you as well?

No because it boils down to the songs that you put out. When you’re doing your solo thing I believe it’s kind of hard when you just concentrate all the time on just doing hooks. And then when you turn around and have to do a whole song, that’s when the problem start to kick in because you’re really not used to doing whole songs. You’re just always used to having a piece and when you’re out there on your own then it’s time to really show and prove what you got.

That’s why when I put my record out I don’t want that many features on it because I feel that people have heard me enough over the past 5-6 years singing with people and having little parts here and there. Now it’s time to show them what I really can do. So you throw a couple of features on there but the whole record is mainly about you. I mean if they want to get a compilation record from me they can just listen to all the stuff that I did before.

So you have to really do your homework. When it’s time to drop your record you have to do your homework. You got to listen to all the old school cats and find out how to do a record so you can do it right and present it to the people the way that you want to present it. Other than that you’re going to run into problems if you really haven’t been singing songs by yourself and then you run into the thing where people just say “Well he’s just a hook singer and that’s what he needs to stick to doing, because he can’t deliver a whole song”. See I don’t have time to run into that shit. If anything the thing that happened to him taught me and showed me what not to do and then I can deliver what I’m supposed to do.


Dubcnn: Okay, so you’re about to do that in 2007?

I’m about to do that in 2007.


Dubcnn: Okay, before we wrap this up man go ahead and promote your “Back Before You Lonely” record and let everybody know to look out for it and everything else you want to say.

Well I just want everybody to know that Butch Cassidy and Damizza is coming out with a new record called “Back Before You Lonely” and it’s full of banging beats and hot hooks and silky deliveries and everybody just be prepared for that. You won’t be disappointed. 2007 it’s going to bring a lot of new things and a lot of good stuff to come so just be prepared for that record and it’s going to be ridiculous, so be looking for us in 2007, which will pretty much be ours, we’re going to take it over and bring the music. I really don’t want to keep talking about it because I want the people to hear the music and then they will believe. But on another note “The Curse” of what you said that happened to Nate Dogg that’s not going to happen to me.


Dubcnn: Well I wish you the best of luck because we’ve been waiting on you to come out with a record. Even if it flops at least put it out. *laughs*

Yeah you got to put it out, because people want to hear what you’re saying. But if I put it out independent, it’s going to be cool because when I put it out there the format is set up perfectly. What you do when you get ready to put out a record is, you put a warm up record and even if people like it or not, at least they are back talking about you and know you put something out on the streets and there’s a little buzz going on about you. Then you turn around and drop your single and put something out. See that’s the way you put a record out.

People know I’ve been on the G-Unit records and all that stuff that came out 2004 and 2005, but it’s been like a year since. By the way I got something coming out with D12 too so throw that in there...But people have been waiting so I’ll be a fool just to drop my solo album like boom here’s a single and then just drop the record. No, you put out a warm up first, like this record, with some bangers on it, and get everybody back to talking about you then you drop your single and then you will have success. It’s just a format that you use. If you noticed, before Snoop Dogg puts out all his records, it’s always something that comes out first like he would put out the 213 record with his group. Then he will drop “Drop It Like It’s Hot”. He will put out the Dogg Pound record with “Cali Iz Active” then he will drop his “Vato” song. Do you see the format?


Dubcnn: Yep

It’s always something that comes before he drops his record. So I used that and learned from it so I’m going to do this duo record and get everybody fired up talking about it then I’ll drop my solo record and knock their heads off!


Dubcnn: That’s what’s up. You should hook up with DJ Quik on that because that track you had with him called “So Cold” that’s probably the dopest shit I heard you on except from the Eastsidaz records.

“So Cold”?


Dubcnn: Yeah you know that song?

Yeah it’s my song I know it!


Dubcnn: Yeah I know a lot of times people be forgetting their songs.

Oh no I ain’t forgot, that “So Cold” that’s a hot record that’s going on my record most definitely.


Dubcnn: Oh so you ain’t letting the songs that slipped under the radar a few years ago just slip off so you’re putting them on there?

No nothing's old that you haven’t put out. It might be old to you but if you haven’t put it out there for the fans to hear it it’s still brand new. I mean I got songs in my car that I play, that I did like 5 years ago and if I played it for you it would be fresh shit to you. See what I’m talking about, so you can’t really throw no songs away because you never know what you throwing away.


Dubcnn: Shit a lot of people do that man.

Then they are foolish. The only thing that you can do is if it really sounds old and dated you can just put a remix on it and just get a new producer to do it over and put the song out.


Dubcnn: Shit there’s people that trying to break in to Dre’s house to steal all his shit that he never put out. *laughs*

*laughs* That’s what I’m talking about. You never know what you got because like I said you never know what people are going to like. Like I got songs on records man that I just be like “Oh that’s cool” and then you will play it for somebody and they will tell you that’s the first single what are you talking about cool? And then the one that you think is fire they don’t even like it, they bypass that. Like I said 2007 it’s on so let everybody know!










 

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