Dubcnn: What’s up
y’all it’s Jose with Dubcnn, I’m here with Butch
Cassidy.
Butch Cassidy: yeah what’s happening Dubcnn. Always showing me so much love so I gotta give it
back.
Dubcnn: You guys all
know Butch Cassidy he was on some big tracks, singing hook sand stuff, Snoop
Dogg and a bunch of other people. So this is Butch Cassidy and we're
gonna talking to him. First of all tell us what’s up first
of all. You got a new album that just came out.
Butch: Yeah I got a new record coming out, it’s called Black and Brown coming together. It’s with my homeboy named Spirit.
We’re trying to bring the Latinos and blacks together on this project because
there’s been a lot of nonsense going on the streets of Long Beach and we’re
trying to clean that up. Black and brown need to come together ‘cause once we
come together they don’t run shit. So the record’s got, you want me to get all deep into that with the who on the tracks and all that?
Dubcnn: Yeah, you got
me, those were the questions I was gonna ask anyways.
Butch: Well I hooked up with spirit and I did a song with
him for his last project so we decided to put something together for this
record. We was like we need to do a whole album and all that stuff we start
working and we was liking what we was hearing and we stuck with it. We got cuts
from Focus, Dae One, Camouflage, I can’t start
thinking about all of the business now. When I figure out all of y’all I’ll
bring y’alls names out, don’t be insulted. We got features from of course
Pr1me, y’all know Pr1me been doing a lot of big things out there, we got down
from lean like a cholo, we got one with snoop, we got one uncle Isaac on there,
we got big tank on there, just a few artists that’s up and coming that wanna do
they thang and get they shine, but the first single is Who Got the Girls, and
it’s off the chain, featuring Fingaz, and y’all need to check that out. I’m
sure y’all love the record.
Dubcnn: So how did
you and spirit link up before the album? How did that whole thing come about?
Butch: I hooked up with Spirit at a car show in Oxnard about
two years ago. I was doing a show out there, I was performing my song
“Cruisin’”, and I hollered at him backstage and he was like, “man I need you on
this song, we need to hook up, I’ll take care of you.” You know the same old
boom bam stuff. I liked what the dude was bringing to the table so from there
we just stayed friends, cause he keep that good smell in the air called that
greenery. So you know we just kept going on from there. After we started making
the records we dug ‘em so much we just said let’s just do an album, and here we
is with the black and brown.
Dubcnn: So you guys
work together and got a good vibe and shit. How do you think you complement
each other musically to the point where you’re like,
“Yeah we should do an album together.” What strengths do you have that he
doesn’t have and vice versa.
Butch: Haha. Well the strengths, I don’t lack any strengths,
that’s just me. I do whatever’s called for. I feel I’m a B+ rapper, I’ll rap if
I have to and I give him some of the knowledge that he need about his rapping
and some of his melodies and things that he needs to work on, but as far as me
putting my stuff down with the hooks and the verses, that’s no problem. I’ve
been doing it so long. We collaborating and coming together, give me that
Latino feel. I’ve worked with other Latino artists but not just sat down and
did a whole record like that. It feel kinda good. And
when we shot the video all the Latinos come out show me a lot of love, you know
the Latino crowd they always show me a lot of love, down with everything I do
so much love to them. But far as now that we have the whole record done we got
a nice little connection going, you never know two years from now we might do a
Black and Brown Part 2.
Dubcnn: Is there
anyone else that you’d wanna do an album similar to
this with, as far as doing collabs, a collab album?
Butch: A collab album? No really I stand
alone, nah I’m just playing. Right now I’m, in the process of working on
an album. It’s going really slow because my homeboy, he’s so big and he’s such
a rockstar and it’s called The Blues Brother
Pr1me: Yeah.
Butch: It’s with my homeboy Pr1me and we about two songs
deep.
Pr1me: No, stop lying, cause you already know. I’m waiting
on BC to finish up a few hooks we been working on, we already been workin’ on a
few records. And BC he, he’s so bombarded with people hittin’ him up, with
doing records all of that so he put this on the backburner, so blame BC for the
blues brothers record.
Butch: Check it out, this boy right here Pr1me is bad. So we
workin’ on a record called the Blues Brother. I did a couple songs with him for
my own personal project, “Chillin’ on the West Coast”, Standin’ in the Mirror,
what’s that song?
Pr1me: The Felli Fel track…”I’m rollin”
Butch: Yeah but we ain’t workin’
with that.
Pr1me: Dirty Mind.
Butch: There was Dirty Mind, what’s that one we did?
Pr1me: Which one, who did the beat, Focus? The Focus track.
Butch: Yeah, “No matter what you talkin’ ‘bout”
Pr1me: Yeah, “Keep Doin’ What You Do” produced by Focus.
Shouts out to Focus, you know what it is.
Butch: What’s up Focus, you know you hot, you real hot. So
we just got a bunch of stuff goin’ on and we gon’ finish this record, and we
gon’ drop that as soon as it’s done and we gon’ have a single that’s so fire.
Pr1me: It’s gonna be so cold. The
tracks that we been workin’ on have been ice cold. Me and BC about to go in
real hard, we just got the budget for the studio time and all of that so be
checkin’ for that, we doin’ it real big.
Butch: Yeah it’s a real big thing.
Long beach come together. And we do need to come
together, and don’t act like we together just because we from Long Beach and I
can speak on a few things but long beach do need to come together.
Pr1me: and you do know that but
I’mma let the big homie speak on that. Bang!
Dubcnn: I saw an interview and you were talking about your “First and
Last” project that album and stuff, and you were talking about how you wanted
to retire your butch Cassidy name. Is that still going on? Explain that.
Butch: That’s real serious. I
counted from the first time people actually heard butch Cassidy,
that was in 1999 with G’d up. So I take it that that’s when Butch
Cassidy was born, in 1999 with his first single Gangster’d up and it’s been ten
years of nonstop hooks and verses. And all my fans have been hittin’ me telling
me they really want that record so hard. So what I’mma do, what I’ve already
done, I’ve put the record together, I’m gon’ figure out which single I’mma do,
cause I got so many hot singles I just don’ t know which one to pick. I got
thirty of forty songs for the record, and it’s just so fire, and it got so much
different stuff on it that I’m just losing my mind now, because we’re gettin’
bombarded by people poppin’ in during my interviews. Thanks a lot. Everybody that’s Aaron.
Aaron: Hi everybody. Just had to
grab some of your music.
Butch: Alright buddy. Talk to you in a minute, keep
it unlocked. Sorry fans I don’t know where I left off
with. I’m gonna give you the Butch Cassidy, you know what, I got so many
songs it might be the first and last, it might be the Butch Cassidy First and
Last Vol. 1 and then drop Vol. 2, and then come with a new name and a whole
different style of music that’s gon’ be more R&B and grown folks. We’ll
give a little something for the kids, but I’m going to another level for it.
I’m not that young kid anymore that’s bouncin’ around droppin’ these little
kiddie singles. It’s time to be that grown man that I am. So I’mma give the
fans what they want. I’m not sayin’ that I’m close to forty but no one wants to
be rapping on the mic at forty, it get’s kinda old, kids can see. Rap is
changing, there’s a new sound, new stuff that they comin’ with. I mean it’s
cool but I really ain’t feelin’ it. So what I’m gon’
do is change it up and start doing my singing and stuff that I know I should‘ve
been doing a while back. But when I came into the game I had to get in where I
fit in, to do what was needed, so I did that. If you put me in any situation
I’m gon’ prevail. So now I’m gon’ take my career to the next level, retire
butch Cassidy, and I’m sure y’all gonna be excited
about it, I’m not gonna let you down.
Dubcnn: You obviously sing a lot of hooks on songs. Do you have
anything that’s coming out in the near future that we should look out for?
Butch: Right now I’m really
excited because I got, besides the Black and brown stuff, I’m excited about
that. I got something going on with Bishop. What’s the name of the song?
Pr1me: It’s a track, Battlecat did
it, Chevy Jones’ featured on it, Bokie’s featured on it, Nothing Could be Better is the name of the track. It’s with Bishop Lamont.
Butch: It’s a bishop lamont song
featuring me, Sugar Free, Chevy Jones, Bokie. Produced
by Battlecat. Bokie, I never met you Bokie, phenomenal, I heard your stuff, but
maybe one day we’ll meet. But the song is incredible and it should be dropping
real soon. So all of y’all look forward to that because that’s gonna set off some stuff that’s ridiculous. I might just use
that and just keep droppin’ and droppin’ songs right after that and just never
stop. So just be lookin’ forward to that, I got The Black and Brown and I got
this.
Dubcnn: The next thing I wanna ask you about
is Nate Dogg. Obviously you and him are really close and stuff.
Butch: Yeah that’s my first
cousin.
Dubcnn: I was actually hangin’ out with Dae One and there were rumors
that he passed away. So tell us that’s he’s okay and give an update what’s
going on and stuff.
Butch: well first of all, whoever
was starting those rumors, whoever it is that just wakes up in the morning and
decides to say that Nate Dogg passed away you need a bullet in your head, ‘cause
that’s some nonsense that no one needs to play with. I don’t know why people
just wake up in the morning just sayin’, “I’m finna start a rumor to get
everybody all stirred up.” But you don’t make rumors about death ‘cause it’ll flip
around and turn on you, and if we find out who it is,
it just might come…whatever. But, I just wanted everybody to stay prayin’ for
Nate Dogg. He fightin’ and he trying to pull through this situation that he has
goin’ on. I know the lord’ll bring him through, It’s
all in the lord’s hands. I mean whatever he want to do
then we just can’t do nothing but ride with it and just trust it. But Nate Dogg
has been really strong, he’s just been fighting for the last year and I feel he
gon’ pull through and come back and just do what he got to do.
Dubcnn: I hope so too. A couple of years ago you took a little break
from the music, ‘cause a bunch of other stuff was goin’ on outside your music
stuff. What caused you to go on that break and what caused you to come back and
say I need to get back in this?
Butch: Well it depends on what
you’re talking about break.
Dubcnn: You never actually stopped you just kinda slowed down.
Butch: Yeah, just slowed down then
came back with the “Cruisin’” thing. I hit ‘em really hard with that. As far as
the radio thing, radio is what makes artists right now on the West Coast take
breaks. Because it’s just so much stuff, what’s going on at the radio stations
that, a lot of the fans don’t know about. It’s not that we not giving you West
Coast stuff, and when you go to radio they’ll say that you guys don’t wanna
hear when I know y’all do, it’s just that they don’t wanna play it. We keep
trying to bring these songs and all that but they don’t wanna play it. I don’t give a damn who gets offended ‘cause
if you’re offended then you know that it’s you. So stop hating and trying to
stop West Coast ‘cause you’re never gonna stop. I mean
you can sit here and say all day that no one wants to hear the gangster music
when actually they do, because this is what’s going on in the streets. It’s a
way of life. I mean we wanna stop it, but everyday we
gotta get up everyday and watch our backs and see what’s going on in the
streets. You can change your life and say, “Oh I don’t gangbang no more and I
don’t do this and all that stuff.” That still don’t mean that somebody might not blow your head off one day when you go to the
liquor store or something. So all this stuff is going on and they don’t care if
you’re a square or not. So if I wanna talk about that stuff in my music and put
it out there, these youngsters understand at the schools and stuff ‘cause they
dealing with the gangbang stuff inside the schools, fighting and all this
racial stuff. That’s why we doin’ the Black and Brown thing, trying to bring
‘em together, this stuff is still going on. Don’t think that because you stop
playing the West Coast music, that it’s gonna make a
change. It’s not gonna make a change. They wanna hear this stuff and wanna hear what we talkin’ about
‘cause they still livin’ that stuff out there. It’s just the personal DJs
inside the business that’s saying they don’t wanna hear it no more, ‘cause half
of those faggots they can’t do it anyway, so they kinda jealous of what’s goin’
on. And I don’t really care no more ‘cause I’m flat
out tired of y’all. So whoever get offended call me and we’ll deal with it.
But, something has to come to an end. Most of the people that’s not playing the
West Coast music at they station, they ratings is probably low, real low. I
mean on the south on the East Coast, they don’t have no restrictions on they music. They can talk about they streets, claim out scream
out Brooklyn Southside, name their blocks and all this
stuff; and it get played all day, even out here. The minute we say something
LBC, “Oh no, no you can’t tell us where you’re from, we don’t wanna know
nothing about that.” But then a Southside record come out and they be like, “Oh
this record so hot, this be the record that I love. Everyone blast it, drop the
sirens on this one.” You know who I’m talking about.
So we never gonna stop. And the music is just gonna come out, and we gon’ drop gangsta shit. If Dr. Dre,
it’s just like Crack a Bottle. That’s a street record,
it’s gangsta stuff goin’ on on that record. But you know it’s just, I already
know what it is. It’s just coming from a place that has money so you suckas end
up playing it. So let’s just keep it real. Why don’t you just tell us the truth
and just say, “Oh look, check this out. You don’t have the right finances to
come along and give us what we want to play your record.” So I don’t wanna even get too deep into that y’all know what I’m
talking about. But I’mma keep doing gangsta stuff, and you suckas ain’t gonna stop it. What’s next?
Dubcnn: So you are a singer, you’re kind of a street singer, you’re not
just doing straight up hooks and R&B. Do you think you’re part of a dying
breed? Cause I ain’t seen too many singers that have
that West Coast and street vibe that are now. Do you think there’s anyone
that’s still doing that that’s part of the next generation or do you think
you’re the last of that breed?
Butch: As far as the street
singers, well no. When Akon dropped, he came out doing the
street stuff wit the Locked Up song, it was a
penitentiary song. They talking about the
streets. And you know T-Pain doing his thang. And those guys are very talented
and I give them they props, it’s still going on. It’s just something about what
they tryin’ to stop on the West Coast. But you know I’m gon’ leave it to God,
he gon’ deal with it. He know the fake from the real.
So I’mma keep it going on. But see I don’t only do the street
stuff, I love the ladies too. That’s what I’m
talkin’ about on my other side with the different styles of music that I come
with. ‘Cause I don’t only do that so when they hear, I love
the ladies. I’m not gon’ sit up here and talk I don’t love them hoes
because I do. Not tryin’ to call y’all hoes, but I love y’all. If you tell me
one cat I mean when we be doin’ these songs all day, “Fuck a bitch, I don’t
love them hoes,” And the first thing we do when we get through with the homies
is call somebody and tell ‘em, “I love you baby. Why don’t you come by
tonight?” You know what I’m talkin’ about? We just wanna try and act like we ain’t real and half of everybody talkin’ “We don’t love
them hoes” these guys is married. So it’s just nonsense. It’s gon’ be some new
records and new stuff from me. I’m still gonna do some street music, I’mma do
some R&B music, you might hear a little bit of jazz, you might hear
something with a little rock sound to it. It’s just
gon’ be a variety of stuff and I’m gon’ let everybody know what I do all
around.
Dubcnn: Before you started releasing your own stuff you were just
singing hooks and guest spots. Was there ever a difficulty making a transition?
How was that transition?
Butch: It was never like that
because from the first time when I hooked up with Snoop, Snoop contacted me
because I had an R&B song on the radio that my DJ friend was playing Killa
Slow Jammin’ James, which was like a love song. Snoop heard it and liked it. I
was singin’ love music, so he contacted me and told me that he was workin;’ on
a record called the Eastsida Project and I jumped in on it. But you know I just
had to change the style because it was street music. But when I was found I was
doing R&B. It’s just I know how to get in where I fit in. I mean you could
put me in there with a rock group and I’mma figure out what to do. Country western
and I’ll put down something that’s hot. If it’s gon’ make a check, I’ll
deliver. I like all music, I like it
all. I got country songs that I like, rock, heavy
metal, jazz, I like it all. So it’s no problem
to me, I was raised all around music so if I have to make a transition it’s no
problem for me.
Dubcnn: I guess you started singing in the church choir. I guess religion
played a big part in how you got into the game and in your life obviously. Does
that ever conflict with the street life and the hip-hop lifestyle personally?
Butch: No, it’s because I’m
singin’ about what I’m goin’ through now. At the end of the day it’s just like
every artist. We all gon’ end up goin’ back singin’ church songs at the end of
the day. It’s just a part of your life that you in right now and you just
speakin’ on it. That’s all it is, you just makin’ music on what you goin’
through right now. But when the lord come callin’ you back home you gon’ be
right back in the church leading solo and it’s gon‘ be like you never left, and
you goin’ home, no matter what.
Dubcnn: So you’ve been part of a lot of really big songs, songs that
have gone platinum and what not. In your opinion, what’s the formula for a
platinum hook or something that’s gonna be really
successful? How do you know?
Butch: Of course it starts off
with the track. The track has to be… Once you hear the music,
if it grabs you like that, soon as the beats come on it’s just like boom
everybody’s like “Oh God”, then right there you already know. And the way I
grab it is, if I think of a melody right away, like in the first twenty seconds
of the song, or should I say thirty, the first thirty seconds of the song, then
I know it’s something there, I’m like, “We gotta do this.” And then after that,
if I’m just gon’ drop a hook, drop a fire hook, then it’s up to the rapper to
deliver a hell of a verse, to bring it all home. And we just sit there, start
with the beat, the hooks, the verses, put it all together, gumbo. (Laughing). I
had to laugh for a minute.
Dubcnn: Tell us about the video off the album you guys did. The video that came out a little while ago. How was that?
Butch: It was real cool. You know
I really like what’s going on right now, ‘cause it’s giving me a chance to
really really start and build from the bottom up. Before I did a demo, I just
had it all lined up. I knew the guy at the radio, he played my R&B song,
Snoop called and from right then it was just the big stage. Once you come in
with Snoop it’s just like you there already. You doin’ the big shows, you doin’
MTV, BET, just quick. And now, you get a chance to just build bottom up by
yourself, you and your homies, everybody new, just building and creatin’ new
stuff. So now when you get to that point that you wanna be at, and you get that
award you gon’ know what it’s really about, you gon’ feel it from the heart.
Cause you gon’ say, “I worked so hard for this shit.” And we been doin’ this
and we been grindin’ and it’s gon’ be more appreciated. Before we didn’t have
to do nothing. We knew who the superstar was, it was Snoop Dogg, we just had to play our part. You sing the hook, you do the
raps, y’all do what y’all suppose to do and we all gon’ eat, simple. The crowd
is already there. He got fans already so we just step onstage and everybody start screaming. Now you gotta build you a crowd, you not walking out there with Snoop no more. So now the
people that come to see you is comin’ to see Butch Cassidy. It ain’t ’bout no more you already got 100,000 in the Staples
Center and just ready to rock already. No, now you build it from the ground up.
So all this work we doin’ it’s makin’ me good ‘cause it’s like we startin’ from
scratch. And when it pop off that’s when you’ll just see me on stage with my
grammy cryin’ and stuff, ‘cause you’ll know what I been through.
Dubcnn: So is there anything else you wanna say before we sign off?
Butch: I just wanna tell everybody just get prepared for al the things that’s about to happen. We
got with the Black and Brown, with my personal project, with the Blues Brothers
project that I’m doing with Pr1me. Stay looking forward for Pr1me’s solo stuff,
the kid is crazy, his flow is phenomenal, I don’t know
what to say.
Pr1me: Bang TV.
Butch: So, Bang TV yeah. When I
heard the dude rap, I met the guy in the studio and I was just like, “Who is
this side busta that’s in my session?” I didn’t know nothin’ about the dude so
we talked and I was like, “Lemme hear what this dude got.” And when he spit on
the song called “Chillin’ on the West Coast” he blew me away. I was like, “this
dude is really talented.” Right then I knew I wanted to work with him and we
started doing song after song. And now we gon’ give everybody
a record that I know they gon’ love. So check for that, check for my
record First and Last of course the Black and Brown, check for the Blues
Brothers record, check for Pr1me’s record (Optimus), check for the song that
I’m doin’ right now with Bishop that single’ll be out, call and request that.
What’s the name of it?
Pr1me: Nothing Can be Better.
Butch: Nothing can Be Better, Bishop
Lamont featuring me, Sugar Free, Chevy, Chevy Jones, Bokie.
Pr1me: Chevy Jones, Bokie, shouts out to Bokie, shouts out to
Chevy, shouts out to Bishop, shouts out to Battlecat for lacing that beautiful
track.
Butch: So that’s what we doin’ we got so much comin’ yall just stick
with us and we gon’ please yall. We out.
Dubcnn: Where can people find you online?
Butch: Butchcassidywestcoast,
that’s my myspace and my twitter is Butchcassidylbc. And just check me out and
that’ll keep you informed with everything that’s goin’ on and keep you up to
date cause we got shows and stuff that we finnin’ ta drop, and as far as my
case goes, I’m innocent, and I’m signing off.