DJ MUGGS, SICK JACKEN & CYNIC (SEPTEMBER 2007) | Interview By: Eddie Gurrola

       Dubcnn recently linked up with the men behind “The Legend of the Mask and the Assassin,” DJ Muggs, Sick Jacken, and Cynic, for an exclusive interview. In this feature, we cover everything you would ever want to know about the making of their new collaboration album. We also speak about their upcoming solo projects, including Sick Jacken’s upcoming Spanish album, DJ Muggs’s new album with Planet Asia, and the film he is currently scoring.




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: eddie@dubcnn.com

 

Interview was done in September 2007.

Questions Asked By : Eddie Gurrola

DJ Muggs, Sick Jacken & Cynic Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: So first, what made you guys decide to do this album together?

DJ Muggs: We did a unity show, me and Jack, and actually we started being around each other the most since 97. Tone, who manages him now, comes over and works with him at the studio, and he’s a good friend of mine. Me and Jack was like” we need to do a project! It’s been a long fuckin’ time.” So we went in and did one song. That shit came out so dope. The vibe was so good, we was like, “Let’s just do this album man.” We just figured we could bang it out on the side [from other solo projects.] It took about four months, but actually recording it took 30 days.

He’s one of the only cats that has musical sensibility like me. I cannot chase trends or do commercial shit. Jack would pick beats that I would make that I would pick for myself. It just started to flow like that, and I was like “damn!”


Dubcnn: Going into the recording of the album, did you feel pressure to top the “DJ Muggs vs. GZA album?”

Sick Jacken: Right from the beginning, [my goal was to] not only to top the GZA/Muggs record, but also to top [everything else.] Muggs has produced for pretty much everybody that’s known in the hip-hop industry, so just doing a record with Muggs, you feel like it kind of puts you on that level. I didn’t want to be at the bottom of that totem pole, just because I’m not as known as everyone else. I wanted to do my best and shine. I wanted it to be one of the best records Muggs has ever done.


Dubcnn: Going into the album, what was your guys’s objective?

DJ Muggs: I told him, let’s just not do a record with a bunch of songs. Let’s try to figure out a concept and do a concept album. So we put a lot of conspiracy stuff and a lot of true stories [in it.] If you listen to the record man, there’s no slang, there’s no drug tales, there’s no cartels. Jack wrote the shit very intelligently. We just wanted to stay away from everything that people were sick of. This is a record that we want to hear.

Everybody talks about “real hip-hop.” Well, be the change you want to see in this business! You know what I mean? Jack never got exposed to a major label in a bad way to where it fucked him up, so he’s still got that shit. He got to that other level, where a lot of artists…what happens to them is the first two albums are bangin’, [but] then that industry and the money starts to fuck with your head. Jack’s still honing his shit for the last ten years, so he’s iller than ever right now.


Dubcnn: Cynic, what was your role on this album?

Cynic: My role was to pretty much come through with some support and some creativeness on the record, as far as concepts, picking beats, artwork, everything. Everything that had to do with creating the record, I had a part in it. I had a part in it as much as Jack and Muggs. Originally, when I was brought into the record by Jack, I was offered the opportunity to be a part of this album. I hooked up with Muggs and I asked him if I wanted to be a part of the record, and he was like “Yeah, definitely! I think you’ve improved a lot as an MC since I originally heard you, and I think it would be good if you were on this record. So, [when] we got to the studio, my job was to help Jack create. Muggs was coming with all the beats, and we all agreed on a certain sound and a certain topic that we wanted to do the record. So after that, it was just up to me and Jack to do all the concepts.


Dubcnn: The concept of having a legend about the Mask and the Assassin sounds very interesting. How did you come up with that?

DJ Muggs: Jack actually came up with the title. And, you know, it’s a history. I’m the assassin, the Soul Assassins, and [Psycho Realm’s] symbol is the masks. They’re a legendary underground Los Angeles group. Those motherfuckers will go sell out House of Blues two nights in a row. Ain’t nobody doing that in LA. I don’t even know if Snoop will do that two nights in a row. A lot of people don’t know about them, but they remind me of Cypress in so many ways. They just come out, make good, intelligent music, and they’ve got their own fan base. They make the music they want to make. They don’t give a fuck what’s going on in the world. They’ve got the “fuck you” attitude.

In the game I came up in, rap was very corny. That’s what made me make my group the way I did, because [there] was Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, Young MC, Kid-N-Play. I’m like “We’re going against the grain.” You come from the N.W.A. school, which is “Fuck you. You’re not playing my record on the radio, you’re not playing my videos, fuck you. We don’t care, we’re doing our shit.” And [this] is one of those records. It’s a “fuck you” record. I don’t need MTV, [and] I don’t need radio. I’m making more money now than I did when I was selling three million records. It’s just all perception man. It’s about whoever they want to pump that day, and they always want to pump that new dude.

Sick Jacken: Every record we do is pretty much concept-based. When I sat down with Muggs, we’re pretty much on the same page as far as what kind of direction we wanted to take the record. We didn’t want to do anything that he had done before or anything that I had done before. We came up with the two characters, the Mask and the Assassin. It’s pretty much these two characters, placed in this surreal kind of environment, which is pretty much equal to reality, just a little bit off the hinges.

Cynic: We were basically trying to think of something that happened on earth, like some catastrophic, crazy shit. We went on from there. Like, “Let’s write like we were in that period.” We were trying to write songs about what was going on, and what led up to the way the world is going right now. We open up the record with this song called “Initiation,” and Jack takes it from a multi-sonic, secret society ritual, [and] being initiated into that. Me, I took it on the more Native American, our ancestors and the way we were. [More like] going through rites of passage in this time. There are still rites of passage in the streets. Kids are gangbanging, and that’s a rite of passage for them. “Join the gang, and now you’re a man.” That’s the wrong way to do it though.

Then we’ve got songs on there like “Stairs To The Beast,” which is pretty much an outline of government and the way everything has been working to get us where we’re at now. You know what I’m saying, [topics like] world religion, putting chips in your ID and passport to have more control. So, the concept is pretty much along those lines right there.


Dubcnn: How would you guys describe the chemistry in the studio?

Sick Jacken: Man, it was great! It was magic. Muggs supplied the tracks, [and] me and Cynic were on the vocal side, the concept side, and everything just flowed. It was real smooth.


Dubcnn: Tell us about a typical recording session for you guys in the studio…

DJ Muggs: I’m not a beatmaker. I don’t make beats and try to sell them – I collaborate. I have artists come in, play them an idea, and if they like the idea, then I finish it. I take it to where it needs to go, I’ll get it to about a half-way point, and then he’ll rhyme on it, and then I’ll finish the beat. I’m a collaborator – I make albums. I come from a time where all the best groups were self-contained. Public Enemy made their own music, EPMD did their own shit, Gangstarr did their own shit, Dre did his own shit.

So, I’ll sit down with Jacken, I’ll play him an idea, and he’ll go “I like that!.” So then he’ll start writing to the idea, and I’ll finish it up a little bit, get it about halfway done. Then he’ll rhyme on it, and he’ll leave and I’ll finish the beat up after I tailor made the beat to what he wrote. So we’re not just throwing a beat together, we’re vibing. Everything flowed really fucking good man. His aesthetic for picking music, and picking music that actually makes the album sound like an album is great. A lot of motherfuckers don’t know how to pick music, so you should listen to the cohesiveness of an album, and it ain’t together. Like I said, we came from the time and that era where everybody made their own records – one producer. So it gives it that vibe.


Dubcnn: That’s a true collaboration. A lot of people nowadays are collaborating by e-mailing each other Pro Tools files. What is your opinion on that?

DJ Muggs: If you want to get it done like that, that’s cool. Whatever it takes to get it done. I don’t know if one way is better than the other. I like to bounce ideas off somebody. I like the real deal – I like to sit down with the person. It just seems like you get so much more done than you do [collaborating] over the phone or through e-mail.


Dubcnn: This album seems very innovative. Do you feel that coming up with something outside of the box could be a possible solution to the music industry’s current slump?

Sick Jacken: As you know bro, the music industry is pretty much a trend. That’s why we never really consider ourselves part of the music industry. Me personally, I don’t give a fuck what anybody else is doing in the music industry. I do music that I want to listen to, I do music that I want to hear, and I do music that I know the fans are going to appreciate. I don’t underestimate their appreciation for music, I don’t underestimate their want for a good hip-hop record. I’m not gonna jump on the bandwagon and do a commercial record just because commercial records are what’s selling. Those records aren’t even selling [anymore.] I’ve been around since ’98 and my records have sold steady, so I don’t ever really take that into consideration.


Dubcnn: What do you hope that the fans will get out of this album?

Sick Jacken: Satisfaction. Another good record brought to you by the Psycho Realm crew and the Cypress Hill family.

Cynic: For those that have never heard us, I mean most people are familiar with DJ Muggs, but for those that are not familiar with Sick Jacken, Psycho Realm, Cynic, I really hope that they are able to appreciate that we’re good rappers, just as good as anybody else, and we make good music. There ain’t too many rappers that make songs these days, or make albums! Everybody makes a ringtone and that’s the goal now. That’s not our goal. We believe in creating. Our fans will definitely enjoy this record. It will be reminiscent of that old Muggs sound, that grimy, mystical, boom-bap fuckin’ rap shit, that early ‘90’s-mid 90s sound, and the same dark topics that we always speak about. So all our fans will definitely love this album. [I think it] will be their favorite album from DJ Muggs and from myself.

DJ Muggs: LA has a certain scene. Everybody thinks that LA is gangster [and] underground with all the artists we have out here. We have another scene with Murs and Jurassic 5, but that’s more of a Native Tongues thing. But there’s a certain scene and a certain movement in hip-hop that I feel is missing. [We had] the Public Enemy fans and the Cypress Hills fans. It was hardcore music, but it wasn’t “gangsta rap.” It was hardcore shit where punk rock white kids that don’t like rap would like it. With the record me and Jack are doing, it’s a whole new scene in LA, a whole movement that’s been missing for a minute I think that we’re bringing back right now.


Dubcnn: What are you working on after this project?

Sick Jacken: I’ve got to do a Spanish record after this. I’m doing a 100 percent Spanish album. I’ve got two Spanish cuts on this record just to kind of set up my Spanish album. But I’ve got a full Spanish album coming. The fans have been asking for it. Both of these albums are coming out through my label. I’ve got a label through Universal called RMG, Rebel Music Group.

DJ FM just put out “The Street Mixes.” He’s probably gonna be working on an album where he produces and features a lot of different artists. Duke is working on a lot of beats, and he’s running our online operation, the psychorealmonline.com. He’s working on tracks, and he’s producing and helping out a lot of up and coming artists. We’re just staying busy bro. We’ve got kids to feed. We’ve got music to put out before we die, and we’re trying to leave a legacy that’s gonna last for a few decades!

Cynic: I’m working on a street record right now. All original, mostly produced by myself, but I’m trying to get a beat from Muggs, a beat from Jack, [and] a beat from DJ Khalil. I’m a producer myself, so I want to be able to show that side of it. I want to be the MC and the producer of all my shit. I’m also in this group called Street Platoon, [and] I’m working on that as we speak. I just did this track with Ill Bill for his new record coming out in a few months. I just keep working. I’m trying to branch out to different shit, movies and all that shit.


Dubcnn: What’s going on with Angeles Records?

DJ Muggs: I don’t know what I’m doing with that at this point. I put that on pause for right now. It’s too much work for me to market, promote, direct and do all that shit. I’m doing an album with Planet Asia right now. Me and Planet Asia got about 8 or 9 songs done. “DJ Muggs vs. King Medallions.” So I might put that on Angeles, [or] I might find another home for it. Its nothing like you ever heard Asia sound before. I’m giving him more direction that he’s had [before.] I think he’s an incredible lyricist, I just think sometimes he gets all his energy going in three or four directions when he needs to get it all in one. I think that it’s just having one producer sit down with him and work on the record [that works.] I can guide him, I’ve got my own way to do it.

Right now I’m scoring this new movie, this movie called “Nightwatchmen.” It stars Keanu Reeves and Forrest Whitaker and it’s from the creators of “Training Day.” That should be out in February.


Dubcnn: Tell us more about scoring a film…

DJ Muggs: David Ayer wrote and directed “Harsh Times.” I did about five or six scenes for that. He liked the way it went, so he called me up to do this with an actual composer to work together in the same room. Dave’s cool, he just says “Go ahead, do what you want.” There’s a lot of tempo changes. If there’s a scene happening, and the car speeds up and shit happens, you don’t realize the tempos will change 20 times in 35 seconds. I’m humbling myself – I’m coming into the game brand new. I’m just keeping my ears open and my mouth shut. I just absorb it and it’s fun to me.


Dubcnn: Can we expect a new Cypress Hill album in the future?

DJ Muggs: I’m not touring with Cypress no more. I’m only doing 2-4 songs on their new album, so I know they’re working on the album now, and I’m gonna get with them when they finish a bit of it and do a few songs. So I don’t know when that record will be done.


Dubcnn: Is there anything else you want to say to all the fans on Dubcnn?

Sick Jacken: Yeah, I just want to thank everybody for the support. I tell my fans all the time, I’ve got the best fans in the world. I’m not just saying that they give us love and support. We appreciate it, they help us keep doing this shit. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to keep going. If they want to hit us up directly, they can hit us up at psychorealmonline.com, rebelmusicgroup.la for anything coming out on my label, and you can always send me a personal message on Myspace to find out anything going on with me and the crew. Anybody you want to get at, we respond to everybody. We’re in real close contact with our fans, so hit us up.

DJ Muggs: Yeah man, I’m a big fan of Dubcnn. All you motherfuckers out there supporting, keep supporting them man! It’s one of the hottest fuckin’ websites representing the West Coast. I’m glad y’all are doing it man, giving unbiased opinions, giving the West Coast some real fuckin’ light, because if you ain’t coming our of Dre’s camp, a lot of motherfuckers don’t know what’s really going on in LA. We need motherfuckers to give us light out here because it’s hard.

One disadvantage West Coast artists have is we don’t have media. In New York, you have Vibe, XXL, The Source, Scratch, you’ve got MTV, you’ve got BET. They’re all based in New York. So anytime you go out, you’re gonna run into somebody. So it’s a little bit harder for us to get media coverage. But y’all representing that for us out here man, and that’s great. Thank y’all!