DAZ (September 2006) | Interview By: Nima

       Dubcnn once again caught up with a legend in the game; this time we take some time with an artist who is no stranger to dubcnn. Daz Dillinger. Daz has been patiently waiting to release his So So Def debut album So So Gangsta which was released this week. We discuss the foundation and fruition of that project, his recent work with Kurupt and Snoop Dogg with Cali Iz Active, how he has balanced his internet prescience of his DPG Recordz independent releases with his major label deal with JD, releasing videos and much more in this exclusive interview.

As always we have both 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 September 2006

Questions Asked By : Nima

Daz Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: Wassup Daz, your back with your folks on dubcnn! What's going down?

Wassup cuzz? We doin' it real big right here, Nima worldwide! Dubcnn worth about 4 million dollars now!


Dubcnn: *Laughs* You know, Tha Dogg Pound recently released "Cali Iz Active", and shot a classic video for the title track. What kind of feeling was it, standing on the set with all those cats?

You know Dubcnn was on the set! We was just making music man and making it happen for the people, making it happen for us as a coast. Trying to creat some unity because without unity ain't nobody getting paid. Now, since we did Cali Iz Active, the West Coast is on a comeback, you know what I'm saying? Albums being dropped, people collaborating together and money is being generated right now on the West Coast, from Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound...


Dubcnn: Right, but the record didn't do what ya'll wanted it to do! What went wrong?

It was independent! So people probably didn't take it as that, but sold about 90 something thousand, that's 900,000 G'z in... how long has it been out?


Dubcnn: It came out like two months ago.

Yeah, it's independent. Snoopy wanted to do this album independent first, we didn't really think about no major deal. Let's go and get these chips first. Independent rides slow because you're not given no deals, you're not buying no programs... So independent is cool for this "Cali Iz Active", it got peoples eyes open, now it's about to keep dropping these muthafuckin' albums.


Dubcnn: Some of the best tracks on "Cali Iz Active" were dropped as bonus tracks... Why is that?

Oh you know... clearances! Songs didn't get cleared in time, then they got cleared and they put them out... That's on Koch!


Dubcnn: What's up with the Alchemist track that ya'll recorded, why wasn't that on the record?

The song Alchemist did was dope, but the simple fact is that Alchemist didn't know what the sample was, to get the song cleared. So we wanted to get the song cleared but he didn't know what the sample was and we didn't know what the sample was! We didn't want to just put it out and get sued.


Dubcnn: Do you think we'll see those tracks on future projects?

Oh yeah, that next "Dogg Chit" album I'm working on right now, we're gonna hook up with Alchemist and make it happen, get thangs to business. I'm not dropping no more albums, I'm dropping DVD albums.


Dubcnn: Why is that?

Cause I want people to see the visuals. You can bootleg the mutha fucka real quick, by just a download! I mean, you can download DVD's but it takes a while though! *laughs*


Dubcnn: Now you're finally releasing your long awaited album "So So Gangsta" Sept. 12th. How do you feel about the record?

I feel great about the album, I worked hard for it for like 3 years, I probably did like 6 albums all together but we just picked one out of the 6. But I feel great about it, it's not like I'm very "OH SHIT!!! I GOT AN ALBUM OUT!!" cause I drop albums on the daily! It ain't really hit me yet man, till the public and the radio and all that starts kicking in. I'm just appreciative right now, cause I've been down before, and I know what it is to be humble.


Dubcnn: The single "On Some Real Shit" with Rick Ross has been getting some spins but isn't a hit yet, do you think the follow up "Weekend" is going to help?

Yeah, "Weekend" is gonna help.


Dubcnn: When is the video being shot?

I'm waiting on the man right now, JD!


Dubcnn: Do you think you're going to drop a third single as well?

Yeah I'm gonna drop a third single, I'm pushing for the Ice Cube song. "Strizap". Shoutout to Ice Cube, fuckin' with your boy D-A to the Z, I love you for that.


Dubcnn: Definitely, he brought his A-Game on that!

Yeah, I had made it specially for that situation.


Dubcnn: Was that recorded on the road?

Nah, I recorded that at home and then Crazy Toones hooked it up for me. I got a remix to "On Some Real Shit", I ain't finished it up, but I'ma give it to ya'll first I'ma let you put it out there. Cause you know, Dubcnn is worth about 2 million dollars now! *laughs*


Dubcnn: You produced the entire Kurupt "Same Day, Different Shit" album, but didn't do any on "Cali Iz Active". How about So So Gangsta?

"So So Gangsta", I went half and half, me and J.D.. I produced songs on "So So Gangsta" like "Strizap" featuring Ice Cube, "Dangerous", "Dats Dat Nigga", like...


Dubcnn: Who did "Rat A Tat Tat"?

I did that one, me and Soopafly!


Dubcnn: The bassline on that is crazy!

Yeah, I hooked the bassline up!


Dubcnn: You said Scott Storch did something on there?

Yeah Scott Storch did "Mind On My Money", big ups to Scott Storch the 100,000 dollar producer mayne, I broke bread with him like that. I picked the song out. Do that sound like a Scott Storch track?


Dubcnn: Nope, it doesn't! I was surprised when you said that!

Yeah! But that muthafucka sounds like Eric B. & Rakim though! That "Paid In Full", them hi-hats and shit. I gave it up, that muthafucka subbin' though!


Dubcnn: Was recording this album different than your previous projects? Why?

Yeah, because I was going left and J.D. was going right. He's the boss and he's making it happen so I'ma listen to what he got to say. I just listened. When ya'll get the DVD with the album, ya'll really get the understand where I was coming from as far as being a CEO, and jumping into artist mode.


Dubcnn: You're saying he was going left and you were going right... did you meet in the middle?

We met up in the middle, I did all my songs and I submitted them in! He told me what he liked, what he don't like, I went in and cooked up some more dope.


Dubcnn: So there's a lot of leftovers, huh?

Yeah! A lot of leftover. I also have a track with Soopafly that's on there, the D.P.G. Fo Life, and No I.D. produced one on there, "Thang On My Hip". I'm real proud of it, I'm hoping for the best. I've been giving out this music for a long time, being myself. Just hustling! That's what it's about. Just like me and you was talking about the independent part of the game. How an artist can go independent, but how can you get paid as an independent artist, and put your music out there to get paid? So you know, I came up from the independent game from J.T., and put it in my own independent perspective, and this is what I landed on! So So Def! Virgin Records and Jermaine Dupri backing me!


Dubcnn: Yeah, you're on a label with a lot of superstars, do you feel a lot of pressure on you?

No cause I'm in the streets man! We all hang out together, I hang out with Young Capone, Mannish Man, them my peoples over there. They roll with Diggity Daz no matter what! And Kadife, shoutout to Kadife, he's putting up posters in everybody's hood in L.A. right now! Blood hood, Crip Hood, Ese Hood, everywhere, he don't give a fuck! Somebody told him "That's the wrong hood to be putting that up around here!" cause I got the blue rag posters. So, shoutout to Kadife!


Dubcnn: You recently also announced a new Dogg Pound album called "Dogg Chit". Tell us about that.

We came out with the '95 debut "Dogg Food", came out with "Cali Iz Active" along with the D.P.G. albums I've been dropping "Dillinger & Young Gotti", so we felt like Dogg Food should be Dogg Chit! We shittin' it out now! We got back to the essence of this, I got everybody's eyes open with the Cali Iz Active, with Snoop Dogg. Now I'm finna come with the Dogg Chit and we're going super-hard on there.


Dubcnn: Don't you think it can be negative for the quality of the music to drop too many projects instead of taking your time with them?

Nah, not really, cause fans are going to go get it if it's banging. Six months, people wanna hear something new. I'm riding off other peoples promotion at the same time. When you're independent that's what you're supposed to do. If you do a song with a hot artist, they drop the muthafucka, you go coordinate your shit when they drop their shit. "Cali Iz Active" came out, and Koch only has 6 months promotion for the name Tha Dogg Pound. That's what I leased it for. Cause I own the name "Tha Dogg Pound". That's what the deal was, they get the name for 6 months, I leased it to them, paid for it, and after 6 months, they got nothing.

But what I'm gonna really kill them with is the DVD albums. I'm not just dropping Audio CD's, no more. I'ma drop visuals. It's gonna look like a CD, but it's gonna be in fatigue.


Dubcnn: So this "So So Gangsta" got a DVD with it right?

Yeah, "So So Gangsta" got a X-Rated XXX DVD with it, "Daz Thang" featuring Kurupt, with the hoes and the bitches, I got the Rick Ross video on there with the making of it, I got me doing interviews, I've been shooting little videos here and there to the Jagged Edge song, Dats Dat Nigga, to Strizap. Just being Daz, working that camera!


Dubcnn: Yeah you're known for always shooting those little low budget videos and putting them on the internet and shit like that.

I mean who else can do it? Hey, I don't see nobody else doing it like that! I'm getting the camera doing the editing everything my muthafuckin' self!


Dubcnn: You've always been like that, on one hand you're on Virgin Records on the other hand you're doing little street videos for the internet!

Yeah giving it to the people! Just like that song I got "Thang On My Hip"! I just put the camera on a white back wall, grabbed a K, made that shit happen, cut it and edit it, everybody's like "It's a low budget video!" but the muthafucka was getting some hits on YouTube. Shoutout to YouTube.com!


Dubcnn: Yeah that site is crazy huh!

Yeah that site is cool, it's for the people, bringing them the visuals. If you ain't seen a certain video, jump on that muthafucka and check it out!


Dubcnn: You're on myspace too right?

Yeah I'm on myspace.com/daz!


Dubcnn: That shit is taking over huh?

Yeah it's taking over! Muthafuckas is making some cheese! I just used the whole game to my advantage.


Dubcnn: You were one of the first dudes that was up on the internet. How do you feel about it now, has it changed since you first got up on it?

When everybody was calling me internet-man and shit! *laughs* I was getting that internet money though! I was working that shit!


Dubcnn: Yeah when you put out that Tupac CD for 500 bucks?!

Yeah *laughs* that brought a lot of attention. It's about working and making it happen, cause I was going through a lot at that time. Physical, mental, all kinds of shit. I'm just thankful to God that I'm here, and making it happen after all the trials and tribulations I went through, look where I'm at right now?


Dubcnn: *Laughs* After all the shit you talked!

Yeah! But I was backing it up though! Muthafuckas didn't step up to me, everytime you see me I'm by myself! So... you know what I'm saying? I will beat a muthafuckas ass anywhere and get his ass shot up! I got a gun license so it ain't shit that I'm doing! Everytime you see me I'm by myself. I talk a lot of shit, but I back it up and I'll beat your ass too! If you forgot, I'm the member of the Dogg Pound, I'm the one doing all the beating and the ass-whooping around here for all these years. Little as I am and big as I am, yeah. I'm still here, right about now! Making it happen! Every hood I go to, they give me respect!

Everybody is saying "Daz talking shit!", yeah. I'm get Guerilla Black too, all that little shit he's talking on the phone! That's why his punk ass got kicked off Virgin, cause he was wack! Him and his wack ass brother!


Dubcnn: Oh yeah I heard that song he did about you and J.D...

Yeah that's some bullshit. The nigga wrote the whole thang, he didn't freestyle. The nigga probably had to catch his breath on some of them lines! I just listen to shit like that, I don't even respond to it cause he's wack! I woulda whooped the shit out of him but he was talking shit in front of the police, and the Carson police don't give a fuck, them the sheriffs! I would've been to jail, I'm from the hood around that way. I thought he was a blood or something, now he trying to say he a Crip! But in his video he's all up in Compton, in the Mob part! Now he wanna say he a Crip, they musta whooped the shit out of him! But hey, I'm peace right now, I'm West Coast. But he ain't gonna say that on no records, that nigga ain't got no record deal, he don't even know what to do to become independent. So to end that note, fuck Guerilla Black and his fat ass with a Chocodile in his ass! *laughs*


Dubcnn: Shit aight man, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us as always! Any last words?

Ah man, So So Gangsta in stores right about now, this is D-A to the Z, I'm like the first muthafucka who was fuckin' with Dubcnn, making shit worldwide happening, along with Dubcnn worldwide. We work together. D.P.G. Recordz & Dubcnn, if ya'll check the history ya'll know what time it is! So So Gangsta in stores right now, DVD, X-Rated XXX pussy booty ass talk. Hey! Ya'll be checking out d-p-g-c.com for that new "Dogg Chit" album! We just keeping it gangsta! Hopefully, we will go on and work with Dr. Dre, if he wanna get with the Dogg Pound, I'll go sign with Dr. Dre! Cause I got a lot of love for the nigga, he put us in the game. Without Dr. Dre it wouldn't be no Dogg Pound, no Snoop Dogg, no West Coast.