DJ CRAZY TOONES  (July 2006) | Interview By: Nima

   

As ever you can read this exclusive Dubcnn interview and we urge you to leave feedback on our forums or email them to nima@dubcnn.com.

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Interview was done in June 2006

Questions Asked By: Nima

DJ Crazy Toones Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview Audio Here
 

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Dubcnn: Whatup Toones! Now you've been involved in Hip-Hop for almost 20 years...Alot of people don't know that, so in this interview we're gonna take them back so they can see what your path was. Let's start with Low Profile...

Okay! Low Profile was a group that my brother was in. It consisted of WC, which is my brother, and DJ Aladdin, which is my homeboy. It was another person in Low Profile, his name was MC Zero, he went to school with my brother WC, at a school called Washington High in South Central Los Angeles.
Zero was tight on the lyrics, and Dub was tight on the lyrics, and Zero was like "I got this cat, his name is DJ Aladdin", he from Compton but he's tight! He's tight on the turntables and everything! So eveybody hooked up like that.

At that time, Priority Records had just signed N.W.A., they were taking off. Low Profile wanted to do like a DJ battle record, cause at the time, DJ Aladdin was winning the DMC DJ Battles and all the DJ competitions. And Aladdin was like "I got MC's!" Zero ended up doing his own thang, so it was just WC and DJ Aladdin. Zero was still down with the group, but the two just went a head and put that album together called "We In This Together". Ice Cube was from N.W.A., we're all from the same neighbourhood, South Central L.A., and Cube was like "Cool, ya'll do ya'll thang! We gonna keep doing it smashing it this way!" So that's how that cracked.


Dubcnn: So WC is your real brother?

Yeah that's my real brother. My mom only got two kids, I'm one and he's one. I'm the baby boy!


Dubcnn: You're the first person I heard calling him WC (pronounced Double U C), he's usually just Dub C.

Yeah, Dub C.. I mean WC, that's kinda new, he was callin' himself Dub C back then, but I call him something totally different from that anyway, I just let that be known! Dub C, WC, it's all good!


Dubcnn: What happened to DJ Aladdin?

DJ Aladdin had started messin' with Ice T, and we was young, it was some kinda money problems with the group so everybody parted and went their own ways. We had put down a guy by the name of Coolio at the time, and we was like "Coolio what you gone do? What's the business?" And Coolio chose to roll with WC! That's how they formed WC & The Maad Circle! WC, Coolio, DJ Crazy Toones, and Big G. Big G was just the homie that was always down with us. But I'll go back to Low Profile. With Low Profile, me and DJ Aladdin was at high school. He was from Compton, but you know, he was lil bad, he probably got kicked out some of them Compton school. He ended up going to school at Washington with me, and we used to just sit down and put together how we gone do the record.

Aladdin was cold on the beats, Aladdin was cold on the scratches, but I always had brain to produce. I'd be like "Ok this is how the song comes on", like I'd go home, dig through the records, and be like "this is what you gone cut, this is what you gone scratch". So I was basically the blueprint to Low Profile. I didn't do the cuts and scratches, but I'd tell him the way to scratch and cut. Like that "Aladdin's On A Rampage", that was a record that he did, a boast and brag record about DJ'ing. I put that whole record together but Aladdin did the cuts. I always was the kinda cat like that in the background. I think I'm a doper producer than I am a beat-maker or a nigga that'll scratch.


Dubcnn: Coolio was a member of the Maad Circle, although he barely appeared on the
second album. Are you still in touch with him?

I haven't talked to Coolio in a minute, but that's the homie still! The second album was "Curb Servin'". By the time "Curb Servin" came out, Coolio had gotten a deal with Tommy Boy, and he asked Dub what he should do. Dub told him to go for it, go and handle your business man! He got on one, he did the Fantastic Voyage and he blew up! That was it for him! He did his thang with that! The group just expanded, Aladdin ended up gettin' with Ice T, Coolio ended up doin' the solo thang, and WC and the Maad Circle we ended up having contract problems with Priority Records, we ain't have no big budget, so it was just me and my brother, our backs was against the wall, and I kinda stepped up and did what I had to do for that record.


Dubcnn: Tell us one of your most memorable moments from back in the day.

The most memorable moments for me was, no deals, just having fun making music. Didn't have to worry about no mortgages, you just come home, put your boots down, do your homework or whatever, get on the turntables, get cracking. That's how it was, and it wasn't so much politics with the radio and stuff like that. we just had more fun a long time ago. But, now that we older, we learn that "Okay, this is a business. This ain't just about talent." It is 90% show 10% business to this day. But it shouldn't be like that. Alot of cats that's coming in the game, they need to get up on they business man, because you making these companies alot of money, and these radio stations alot of money! You coming out on the short end of the stick!

But that's when it was fun to me, because we was all homies, we was on the grind! We all used to get into Coolio's Dodge Dart, which is a bucket car if you don't know. It's a old car, we used to drive from Los Angeles to San Bernardino to do shows with the crates on top of our laps! Gettin' down for
about 400 dollars or something! I don't remember the prices or whatever, but it was just for the love of the art!

Now, radio has got alot to do with everything. We need alotta websites, like DUBCNN, that's keeping the people intact with everybody that's artists. That's the way to go now!


Dubcnn: When speaking about West Coast producers, your name is often left out. Why do you think you weren't able to reach that status yet?

Because, like I said, I've always been the business man, in the back. I'd do something with Dub C, Ice Cube, or whatever, but I never really put myself out there like that on the beats and stuff. I just kinda kicked back and laid back, I did some ghost producing. I did alot of stuff, as far as ghost producer or whatever. But I can let other people get the fame, I don't want the fame I want the fortune, you know what I'm saying? So that's all I've been on. But I got some young producers right now, Teak Teak Tha Beatsmith & Dee Underdue, they just did "Child Support" for Ice Cube, and they did another record for Cube, but "Child Support" is the most popular one. So yeah, it's all good man, me and Battlecat been talking lately, but right now I'm rolling with DJ Skee and DJ Reflex, I gotta take it back to the underground, we starting from the ground up again. Cause alot of people calling their CD's, mixtapes, but if you call it a MIX, let me hear some MIXES! I don't want you to go to the computer and be an email DJ. That's wack!


Dubcnn: Yeah I was speaking to DJ Rampage from L.A., from the Specialistz, and he told me the exact same thing.

Yeah yeah yeah, I ran across him, I've met him or whatever! But mark this down. DJ Skee, DJ Reflex and DJ Crazy Toones, that's all I'm about right now. That's the whole mission I'm on. I'm cool with everybody, but them is the homies and we gettin' ready to bring it out!


Dubcnn: How is working with WC? He has an unorthodox flow.

Oh I think him and Ice Cube, they listen to me. With WC, I think I know him better than everybody except for my momma. So I can tell when he puts his all into it or he's just kinda like in a different kind of mood. But it's smooth man, everything is real cool!


Dubcnn: This isn't really something I usually touch on in interviews, but alot of people wanted to know about Dub's Crip Affiliation, because in some interview he denied being a Crip, but he's known for the Crip Walk... Do you wanna clear that up?

I'll tell you like this. As far as gangbanging, you ain't got no choice in South Central. You might have a choice, but in elemantary school, we might all be going to the same school all together. But once you get to that Junior High, what they call Middle School now, you gotta be separate. You gotta be with the people you came with from elementary school, because they got people coming from all kinds of different areas man, and if you don't kick it with the area that you come from, then the people that don't know you gone treat you kinda wrong.

So he's a Crip affiliate of course. But as far as being on the frontline, bustin' and doing alot of ignit stuff like that, nah he ain't never been like that, but he's from the hood, most definitely. And he got the Crip Walk from watchin' the big homegirls and the big homeboys do it. It's just a way that everybody got down a long time again, the way people grooved and danced!


Dubcnn: What happened to the Maad Circle after Curb Servin'? On WC's next project, it was only Dub.

You know, labels! We switched labels, and it was all about WC then, solo artist. Coolio was doing his thang, but who else was in the Maad Circle? Crazy Toones, I'm still here, Big G he just was the homie, we just didn't keep that crackin' and going like that. I just went on with WC from that, we went to the Westside Connection. We did a song called "Westside Slaughterhouse" on Mack 10's record, that was the first WSC record! Ice Cube kinda looked at Dub like "What you think homie? This is some cool formula right here we got cracking! Let's keep it going!" Then we came with "West
Up!", that was on the Curb Servin' record. After "West Up!", we went and put together that Westside Connection, put out that "Bow Down", two million selling! No East Coast radio play, no radio play really, period, from that record, and it was number one and sold two million records!


Dubcnn: Do you want to talk about the Mack 10 situation? Alot of people wonder what's up there.

I ain't talked to Mack 10. I ain't talked to him but right now it's just all about Ice Cube "Laugh Now, Cry Later", and WC "Guilty By Affiliation" coming soon.


Dubcnn: I know but Mack 10 used to be the guy that was always on Cube's side, and we haven't seen him in a while! I know there were problems, and Westside Connection's supposed to have broken up and all that...

I haven't talked to Mack 10, and when I'm around Ice Cube we do music, we doing records... We been doing shows too, but yeah, I haven't talked to Mack 10.


Dubcnn: We really started hearing about you again with Ice Cube's new project dropping, you've been touring the country with him...

Yeah, man. I had gotten into a bad car accident, and that kinda messed up my mental. It tore my leg up, but they ain't have to cut my leg off I'm walking and stuff, that's to Magic Johnson, he had my insurance and stuff right because the medical insurance I had, it was a cool medical insurance, but they wasn't with that! And Magic Johnson was just tired of seeing me on crutches and seeing me walking with a cane, that kinda messed with my mental alot. But they got me back walking right.

But I just had gotten kinda burnt out from hearing all these people that saying they the "Kings Of The Mixtapes", I just got tired of it! Because it's not really representing the West Coast like it's supposed to be represented. And I'm burnt out from these friendly songs for the radio stations. Man, take it back to the underground and do you! Stop doing what everybody else is doing! Don't listen to what these A&R's is doing, because when you see these A&R's they corny! They ain't never been to the hood, or experienced nothing that we experienced! So, just do you, and the game will be alot tighter than what it is. Everybody can't make no "Snap Ya Fingers" record. That's what they do! We do this over here. If everybody do what they do, everything will be right.

I see alot of West Coast DJ's, they don't have no guidance! They wanna do what the East Coast is doing, what Kay Slay is doing, what Flex is doing. Yelling over the record! That's what they do. I enjoy them doing that, but if I know you grew up in L.A., then why you doing that? We don't do that! We kick back people. We ain't like excited like overhyped type people. That's what they do, we don't get down like that. They feel like they gotta do that... I don't feel that man...


Dubcnn: So let's get to the new mixtape, "The CT Experience". What's the purpose of the tape?

Wait wait! Let's get to the ones I did before that! I really used to do cassette tapes and I'll post them on the internet and show you I did tapes.


Dubcnn: That's a question that I was gonna ask later on, people were wondering if there was any way they can re-purchase your old tapes from the late 80's early 90's!

Oooh, I'll give you a couple of them! During the time we had the Eastcoast/Westcoast kinda thing, I did a cold one! It was called "That Nigga Is Crazy Pt. 1" and I kinda went hard on that. I don't wanna scratch no surface that's been healed to make the cuts start bleeding again. So I ain't gone put that one out, but to me that was the best one. I did one called "The Touch Of Madness" on Priority Records and I did one called "Another Crazy Tape" and all that was dope... That was before the mixtapes got popular. And I used to do ones just from up out the neighbourhood. I'll see what I can do but I just don't wanna put out nothing that could revive some stuff that's been squashed.


Dubcnn: Yeah people just trying to get their hands on the old stuff, cause you know it's impossible to find in stores!

Oh yeah, it's coming! I'm just now getting up on this internet thang. It's going to the computers, I can't fight technology, I can't get mad at it! I remember walking to the airport with about 50 cassettes and Ice Cube seen me and was lookin at me like "Man, CD's is where it's at homie, you gotta update! You can't fight technology!" I listened to the big homie, and I ain't fightin' technology no more.


Dubcnn: But yeah you've been doing the mixtape thing for a long time, and is this new one a old school kind of tape?

Yeah, you gotta check it out man! I got everybody from the West Coast. Nah I ain't gone say everybody, but I got alotta people! I got Game, I got Daz, I got Snoop, I got King Tee, I got Young Maylay, WC of course, Ice Cube of course, and the list don't stop! I'm just burnt out from what I'm hearing man! I don't like DJ's finding somebody else's CD like "Ok this song is hot, this song was leaked". I mean, I just feel it wasn't representing. Let's do what we do! It's a cat named Mixmaster Spade, Rest In Peace, and N.W.A.! They used to do it a whole different kind of way! It's a guy named Steve, that used to sell the tapes! It just was a different kind of way, everybody wasn't trying to be like... N.W.A. wasn't trying to be like the New York cats.

I just want the West Coast DJ's to stand up and stop trying to be like everybody else. You got your own identity, be yourself man! So I had gotten into the car accident, and I was like "Man, what I'm hearing I ain't liking, so I gotta get up off the bench, it's time for me to come on in man, like Kobe or something. Get cracking again!" Cause I'm back, they can't get me out the game now! I'm back!


Dubcnn: Is the mixtape all original production?

Nah nah nah, not at all, cause if it was all original production, it wouldn't be a mixed tape, it would be an unfinished album! That's what all these cats gotta start naming they CD's! Unfinished album! Can't get in the building to get a record deal so there is an unfinished demo right here for the streets to hear. I mean I'm with a couple of new tracks on there, but if it's a mixed tape man, make it a mixed tape! Go get a instrumental!

But it takes more than LimeWire and BearShare to make a mixtape. Don't forget that! Know what I'm saying? *laughs* I mean ain't nothing wrong with LimeWire and BearShare cause you might get something that you can't find, or didn't get sent to you through these record companies, and you'll find it on LimeWire and BearShare, but don't just think that you can go on LimeWire and BearShare and "Okay I'ma get 20 songs from here and that's it, that's my mixtape" Not even a "ahhh", you know the scratch that everybody used to scratch, you know the one I'm talking about? Not even that on there! Now I'm just hearing that electric one *makes sound* like what is that man? That ain't no mixtape! It's an unfinished demo!


Dubcnn: Don't forget the gunshots!

Oh yeah! The gunshots, huh! *laughs* The gunshots! But I just take it back man, I really want you to hear it. It was one cat on the dubcc forums, I was reading some of the comments.. I ain't had time to holla at them yet, I'm on NBC right now gettin' ready to do this Carson Daily show, but it was a cat that Young Maylay was telling me, he was like "I doubt that's all exclusive stuff". Tell them it's exclusive stuff, it's real, everybody came, showed me love, and I got exclusive stuff! I even heard that the song I did with Game called "Will I Die", I heard that it's on some other peoples mixtapes! Even when I was on the tour, for 7 weeks, certain markets I hit, I heard that on the radio! So, that's all original stuff from me. I guess that's the new thing now... Biting is in now! It's 2006 and biting is allowed! *laughs* I went to a school where biting wasn't allowed! You couldn't bite! You bite, you get clowned! But these young cats, I guess they biting now... It's cool but, I'm back, I'm off the bench and I'm ready to buy the franchise man!


Dubcnn: So when is it dropping and where can we purchase it?

It's out now, you can get it at XLMixtapes.com. You can get it!


Dubcnn: We gone get it in the dubcnn store aswell.

Yeah, DUBCNN store, you can get it at the dubcnn store, it's West Coast music at its finest. We came up listening to the East Coast so we love East Coast beats, but we just put our twist on top!


Dubcnn: What other projects will we find Crazy Toones production on in future?

Oh I don't know, there's talks of me doing a compilation. I don't even like to call it a compilation I'll just call it "Me & The Homies" or whatever, put some things together, coming soon. But I ain't letting off the gas pedal on these underground tapes man, they gotta change they titles! So make sure you tell them to call theirs "UNFINISHED DEMOS THAT CAN'T MAKE IT INTO THE RECORD LABELS BUILDINGS!" Man! That's not a mixed tape! A real mixtape is "The CT Experience", it's a couple of more cats that gets down. DJ Skee, and DJ Reflex! They doing their thang! It's all love!


Dubcnn: Any word when the "Guilty By Affiliation" album will drop?

The "Guilty By Affiliation" is coming at the top of the year. Before the year is up you will hear something from it.


Dubcnn: What direction is Dub going in for the new album?

Man, just banging man! Just dropping a gang of hits, letting stuff off his chest.


Dubcnn: I mean he tried to kind of blow up off of that Ghetto Heisman, the single was dope, but the album didn't catch on the way it should've! How is he gonna come back this time?

I mean he's gonna come back right! We ain't really spoke on that, but we've
been doing songs. He's serious, that's all I can say, he's hot.


Dubcnn: Ok so we're gonna have to catch up with WC to let him talk about it himself!

Oh yeah yeah, we can do that most definitely! It's just gangsta rap at it's finest man! He's with the lyrics man!


Dubcnn: He ain't never disappointed so I'm positive about it...

Oh yeah yeah yeah, Def Jam dropped the ball! They dropped him on the same day that Missy came, that all these heavy hitters came out. They dropped the ball, they even pressed up alot of the CD's, scratched!


Dubcnn: Yeah, the first batch had that big skip in it!

Yeah! I ain't never in my life experienced nothing like that, or even heard nothing like that! But you know, it's all good, I got love for Def Jam and all the major record labels, we got love for all of them, but we ain't gotta follow that kinda program with this independent thing "Lynch Mob Records". We doing it the way that we know how to do it.


Dubcnn: Yeah, Cube just did great numbers...

Oh yeah, it's all good! We've been doing it for so long, we already know the game! Cause all they care about is radio play, and shaking hands with this person, and making the record that they think is popular! I've been seeing alot of program directors that, man, I know they ain't never been to the
hood or nothing like that! It takes more than just a degree to know about this music! That's all we on!


Dubcnn: That's about it for the questions, is there anythign else you'd like to let everybody know?

I ain't letting up off the gas pedal, it's "The CT Experience", DJ Crazy Toones, along with my homeboys DJ Skee, ya'll know him from Game's mixtapes, and DJ Reflex he a radio DJ for Power 106, and he's got an artist by the name of Damani. I ain't letting up on the gas pedal man, I gotta let everybody know what a real mixtape is! So that's what I'm on. Ice Cube "Laugh Now, Cry Later", you gotta get it if you ain't got it! It's dope, it's gangsta rap at its finest! He's the real ghetto spokesman, and he let us know what's cracking!

Gumbo tastes good cause all the ingredients is in it! Hip-Hop is good cause of all the ingredients! If everybody starts doing one style of music man, Hip-Hop is gone fade out! Everybody gotta do their own thang! West Coast, we don't do mixtapes like that! That's all I'm on man, we don't do mixtapes
like that! We don't yell and scream on the damn mixtapes! We don't do that! These new cats do... I forgive them though, cause I've been letting these niggas have a substitue teacher for so long, but now I'm back! I gotta show ya'll how it's done, that's all I'm on. I'm getting ready to show them how
it's done. They gone have to change the format man, period! I'ma start saying some names if they don't change the format! How can you even be the King of this and that if you can't even walk in a radio station! I can walk into any radio station in L.A. and get on the air! But it ain't about no Kings or none of that stuff!

It's like man, let's just make good music man! Period. That's all I'm on. I want the youngsters to know this ain't no game, this is serious, this is how everybody is eating now. You can make alot of money in this business, Hip-Hop is everywhere man! Just use your brain, don't just wanna get put on,
use your brain, go get your contract, get you a good lawyer, and handle your business man! Get you some money up off this, and have some fun at the sametime!