ERVIN "EP" POPE  (March 2007) | Interview By: Justin

   

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

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Ervin "EP" Pope: Video Interview

Ervin "EP" Pope: Beat Video
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Dubcnn: This is Justin and we're reporting for DUBCNN today, we're here with Ervin "EP" Pope. For all those who don't know, why don't you give yourself a brief introduction, and talk about how you started as a producer.

Brief introduction is I'm Ervin "EP" Pope out of the west coast. I was raised in Watts, California. I've been doing music since age eleven. I've been playing keyboards, and currently play for my church still, so I got a lot of church groups and chops. I took it a step further, and always admired the industry and wanted to break in the industry. I got my first break on a cat named Dorasel out of Rap-a-Lot. That was my very first placement. After that my very next placement I got was with Snoop Dogg on "Dogghouse All Stars". "The Strong Will Eat the Weak", it's that gun joint with RBX.


Dubcnn: You talked about how you grew up in church with all the gospel influences, what other sort of musical influences did you have?

I got jazz, I listen to everything. I was fortunate enough to just not be raised in that environment. I went to high school and junior high school in the valley, so I was exposed to many facets of music from rock to pop to heavy metal to jazz to gospel. I take a little bit from each one of those genres and I blend it in, its that gumbo, and I just make good music.


Dubcnn: Why don't you talk about some of the albums that you've worked on. We see a lot of plaques if you can just point out each of the tracks you did for each album, that would be great.

We can start right here, this is Jay-Z. This is my very first work with Kanye West, this is the Blueprint 2. This was done maybe three or four years ago. My first introduction to Kanye was through Angelo at Aftermath. They needed a keyboard player, they hit me up. I went in, Kanye had a track on, "Can you play something to this?" I ended up playing something to that. He said, "Do you have a bass line?" I threw him a bass line. "Can you add strings?" I added strings. "Dreams" was born, the first track on "The Blueprint". Thats what that plaque is for.

Right here we got Brandy, this is "Aphrodisiac". The work I did for that, it was the single "Talk About Our Love", Kanye West as well. For those who don't know, I play keyboards with Kanye. I've been doing that for about four years now, so I mean thats where a lot of this work stems from. But also you know how the game is, it was also co-producing, but you know what I mean, it's dues, so "Talk About Our Love" with that one.

Right here is Twista, you all know "Slow Jams". I played the keys on "Slow Jams". I also did keys on "Badonkadonk". That's that project, follow me in this room right here and we can keep it poppin.

This is "Late Registration" by Kanye West. I did three joints on there; the song about his grandmother, "Roses", I did "Celebration", and I did another joint on there.

This work right here is G-Unit. I got on this project with my man Hi-Tek. Did keys for "Eye for an Eye" on this joint "Beg for Mercy". As you can see it is triple platinum and probably more overseas.

This is Kanye West, "College Dropout". I did a whole lot of work on this album. I did every single skit on the album. I did co-producting on some of the joints on the album. I played on actually five joints for that album. [Never Let Me Down, The New Workout Plan, Slow Jamz, Last Call]

Right here in the corner let's not forget Ben Harper, That was actually my first keyboard gig. I did Hammond-B3 for Ben Harper in 1995 ("By My Side", Album - Fight For Your Mind). That was my first industry keyboard gig.

We can come in here, and we got "Miss Damita Jo", Janet Jackson. It's not just hip hop, I can do whatever type of music, jazz, I got my own jazz band. I mean it's crazy, I love music. For Janet we did her single, "I Want You." and "My Baby" . I did those two joints on this with Kanye, co produce and keyboards.

Right here, this plaque, this my man Game. For this album, I did keyboards and co-producing on "Dreams". Violins, strings, keyboards, and a lot of other stuff. We got more plaques to come. We got Common, we got Ne-Yo, and several more, and hopefully we can keep on getting them until we run out of walls. I probably have to put them in the cabinets or something.


Dubcnn: Speaking of Game, you mentioned that you were working on a mixtape with DJ Skee.

Skee is my dude, he's looking out. It's just incredible how the chemistry between me and Game has grown. From his first project, I happened to play keys for him, he just gave me a shot. So on the second album, I kept that relationship rolling. I submitted some joints to him, and out of two joints he picked two, but actually one stuck on the album which is "Lookin at You", and I'm getting a lot of good looks on that record right there. We're currently working on mixtape joints and doing stuff for DUB Magazine, just a lot of joints all over. It's a working relationship, and there's no telling where we're going to end up. We're just grindin man.


Dubcnn: So after working with all these artists, how were you able to establish a connection with them and build upon these relationships?

To be honest, I'm so hungry in this game, that I'm not afraid to talk to nobody. I know I'm a blessed dude, and I remain humble, and people can read that vibe. I got conversation. I'm not afraid to ask questions about something I don't know. I'm never too big, I'm never too little to learn. From that, I get this content. From that, they feel my vibe, and introduce me to this person. I meet that person, I hook them up with something. It's a big network. Out here on the west coast, we got to come back to that. We got to not be afraid to let somebody else eat because it comes back around full circle.


Dubcnn: Speaking on that, what else do you think is holding the west back right now?

I think the lack of lyrical content, and I think the lack of good music. I think we need to get back to playing. We need to get back to creating that music. There is a difference between Anita Baker and for instance Babyface. Music doesn't get old. The piano, you'll never get tired of hearing that sound, but some of the synthesizers or older instruments, they fade in time. If we get back to that real music and just the love of it, and not get so caught up in the money and the quick placements, we'll make it on the west coast. I'm glad that we're turning back to real music. We're looking forward to that "Detox", which I'm pitching for that as well. When that comes out, we'll get a whole new look over here, and I'm just trying to be ready for when that light shines back over here.


Dubcnn: As a producer now, what's your equipment of choice?

My equipment of choice.. as you can see the Motif, the Roland Phantom, I got the Triton, Trinities, I got the S90 . I got everything because different projects calls for different tools. When it's time to kill a bear, I'll pull the double barrel shotgun out. It depends on the project. I score, I do hip hop, I do R&B, I do jazz, I do live gigs, so whatever a project calls for, I like to be equipped.


Dubcnn: You were mentioning earlier about your Furnace Music Group, can you speak a little about that?

The Furnace Music Group is a company that I started, and that I'm nurturing into a bigger situation. You will hear more about it as time progresses. It's a production company right now, that is soon to be a label. I'm trying to get me into the game, and brand my name, and get me out there, so that I won't fall. A lot of companies and a lot of people put the carriage before the horse. I'm just trying to get into this business and do good business. When opportunities allows itself then I will be able to launch my label, and never have to look back. The Furnace is a production company soon to be label, and we're just trying to make good records.


Dubcnn: You had found a sixteen year old artist, you were just trying to work with some artist development with him.

Yeah definitely, I'm working with Official. Peace to Official. He's crazy, sixteen year old, he writes, he has a look, he has a swagger. I'm just trying to develop him into an artist that I see missing out here. I'm trying to give him lyrical content to where he'll make it. There's too many cats out here talking about the same thing, the same thing, the same thing. I'm just trying to put in his mind, instill in him what I learned from the game, so he can teach somebody else and they can eat, and so he can teach somebody, and they can eat. Like I said, I'm trying to get it off the ground.


Dubcnn: What sort of future projects can we see you working on?

Well you can see me working on.. I have a joint coming out on Angie Stone. I got joints coming out with Game like I said before. I'm working on "Detox" stuff right now, hopefully that sticks for me. From that to Glasses Malone to whatever. I'm just working, if the door is open, I'm in there. I'm cooking up some stuff, and a lot of the stuff is not being denied. It can be anything. It can be from Maroon 5 to whoever.


Dubcnn: You've been working a lot with these new west cats like J. Wells and Glasses. What's your opinion about this new movement they got going on?

I think the new movement, it's something good. I think we're finally getting it, we're getting looks. Glasses is crazy. My homeboy Young Topic is crazy. A lot of good stuff is coming out the west. J. Wells is my nigga. We've been getting down for the last four years as well. J. Wells he gets the picture, it's good music all around. It's time for us to come together so we can get it out. I'm proud of J. Wells, he got his own situation going. It's time for that, we can have our own situations.


Dubcnn: You've had the opportunity to work with a lot of heavyweight artists like Janet, Kanye, Diddy, The Game, what were some of your fondest memories working with them?

The fondest memories...you didn't mention Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz is a cool dude. What I like about Swizz, he lets you get in there and create, and he don't throw his opinion on you. He just lets you get down. Same with Kanye. I guess I'm fortunate in a sense because I've worked with heavyweight producers like Kanye, with Diddy, I've worked with Swizz Beatz, I've worked with Hi-Tek, J. Wells, Neff-U, Big Tank. With all these ingredients, I'm able to take something from this dude, take something from this dude, learn something from here, and put it in my pot. That creates a well roundedness, and just a good sound.


Dubcnn: Any last words for the dubcnn fans.

I got a couple last words. Just look out in '07. Let's make good music. Let's bring this gold back to the west coast.