E-WHITE & MEECH WELLS  (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 July 2006

Questions Asked By: Nima

E-White Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Meech Wells Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview Audio available Here
 

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Dubcnn: So we got E-White and Meech Wells right here on the line, and we're gonna talk about the new mixtape with Dow Jones "Play Your Position Vol. 7". But first off, this is the first time I'm talkin' to you since you got out E, how you feeling?

E-White: Shit I'm good! I'm blessed to be back, I'm hella focused, me and Meech locked up doing our thang. I'm kind of anxious to get this product out!


Dubcnn: You went from being on a major label, to leaving the Snoop situation, to being locked up for a while, where do you stand right now?

E-White: I'm probably in the best space I've been in since I got into the game, since I'm actually free. I'm able to do the music that I'm comfortable with. When you with a major, there's a lot of things you gotta do, you gotta fall in line. So I had my experience on that note, I got to travel, see the world, meet a lot of artists and producers, and I built a lot of relationships. I got that working for me, a nigga can't take that from me.

But niggas basically ain't never got to hear me on a whole song, when I was under a major! They never heard me on three verses and a hook! It was always a 16, and somebody elses idea. I'm actually now able to give people my real essence, my real me, and my real music for the first time in my career, so I feel great about it!


Dubcnn: How was the support from the fans while you were incarcerated?

E-White: It was hella lovely, I wanna tell them all I appreciate it! I was getting mail from overseas, mail from all the different states, all of the different parts of Cali, so those were ways of keeping a nigga's head up. It was a way for me to understand that just cause I was on a little vacation, I wasn't just forgotten about. That helped me to keep my head up in a lot of ways. Like I said I appreciate them doing that for me.


Dubcnn: Do you feel like you've changed personally and artistically since your time on Dogg House?

E-White: Personally I'm the same nigga, you know what I'm saying? I'm always gonna be me. I mean I grow in certain areas, but it's the same E-White. Niggas that know me, the niggas that seen me, the niggas that I come across that I ain't seen in years, months or weeks whatever, it's the same cat, they recognize that. I'm stuck in my character, I don't feel like it's too much changing I gotta do. If I gotta learn and grow in certain areas, then that's what I'ma do, but it's still me.

As for my music, they getting to hear more of it now, they get to hear whole songs and a hook. It's me, and niggas ain't fucking with it!


Dubcnn: So what are you talking about on the mixtape?

E-White: Shit I'm just addressing a lot of issues. I look at it like this, when I was signed with a major label, to the streets, to when I was incarcerated and everywhere in between, I always had to explain. "E-White, what's up with your album? Why your album ain't out?" Just small shit that I was always had to answer. I get sick of hearing it, I get sick of when I'm doing my own thang and niggas just keep hitting me up with questions. I ain't mad at them, they just wanna know, it's like "nigga you dope as fuck, what's up with your album? Why ain't this cracking, why ain't that cracking?" I had to explain that shit to them when I was under that label.

But now it's gone be on other niggas to explain right now, like, "How the fuck ya'll get him get up out of here? What the fuck is going on? What was up with White's album?" Now everybody else gone have to explain shit and I can just shut the fuck up and do my music with my partner Meech.


Dubcnn: Do you still speak to any of the artists you were with on Dogghouse such as RBX, Kokane or Latoya Williams?

E-White: Nah, I ain't really had contact with nobody. I'm in the streets alot, so I see a Lil C-Style, I see a Goldie Loc, I'll be sitting up in jail and see a Tray Deee, but the names you mentioned, they probably stay busy doing their music or what not, but we haven't really crossed paths. Just for the record, I wish them well for what they're doing, I'm never no hater. Just cause the situation didn't turn out the way you expected it don't mean it's always bad. It's just a risk I gotta take, I'm down to take the risk. I don't know if this move is gonna... Who knows what's gonna turn out, but as long as I know in my heart and my soul, that I stood up for mine and I went for what I thought would work for me, I can take the loss that way. I can't take the loss if it's on somebody else’s judgment.

Bottom line, I see everybody that's in these streets all the time, let's get that right! Every nigga that's in the streets, I see them all the time. If you out there like that, I've come across you. It's all good, ain't nobody ran up on me with some dumb shit, ain't nobody disrespected me in no way that I would know about, in my presence, so it's all gravy from that aspect. But I'm doing my thang and I'm representing it, I'm trying to get that top spot, I ain't going for nothing less.


Dubcnn: You mentioned Tray Deee. A lot of people wanted me to ask you whether you saw Tray Deee and what's up with him.

E-White: Yeah, I seen Tray Deee! We was actually celled up together, me, him and C-Bo. Tray Deee had some pull over there, he knew we were in there around the same area, he got us pulled in over there, set us all up, we was together for about two weeks, even though I was with Tray Deee throughout the County, but they always bouncin' a nigga around up in there. But he had his head up, as much as a nigga can, looking at 12 years with 85%. My nigga ain't coming home till November 2013. But I'ma do what I can do keep his name alive, and station him out, let niggas know about him. He's a real nigga and I miss the nigga, it's not enough niggas like him out here, specially representing the West Coast. That's a real nigga, thorough muthafucka.


Dubcnn: How did you link up with Dow Jones to be part of his "Play Your Position" series?

E-White: Well actually my nigga Meech had already done a project with Dow Jones while I was incarcerated, and when I was back home, we started going hard in the studio, and he laced me with the whole mixtape game. I was kind of green to how the game went, I was doing my own little bootleg shit, selling my shit hand to hand, actually selling my muthafucking tapes out the weed spot, that's what I was doing. He laced me on how the shit really went, and we got with Down Jones, and I believe it was a success!

Now it's just a matter of getting it out there, but we do a lot of work ourselves, really everything. We getting it out there, putting in work in the streets, getting with the real players, the mom n pop stores, then the muthafuckas out of town and out of state that we got drop off spots at, so we working and pushing man!


Dubcnn: Okay now Meech, alot of people don't really know your background, musically. You're the son of Motown legend Mary Wells, and you used to be in a funk band called Trey Lewd with George Clintons son. Tell us about your beginning in the music game.

Meech Wells: Well actually, I was in several bands, that was a band I was writing with, I was producing for him and his son. I was in a group with my cousin called Spoiled Brat, back in the days, we were playing around and stuff. I come from a musician background, just doing it like that, playing, sampling, drums, shit like that.


Dubcnn: How did the connection to Snoop happen?

Meech Wells: I met my nigga Shawn Dogg on the streets, he was connected with Snoop real good, me and him was chilling, just hanging out. I seen Snoop when were hanging out a couple times, and then eventually I just did what I could do for him, I just came to him.


Dubcnn: You were one of the main producers on Dogg House projects in the late 90's and the beginning of the millennium. Do you still work with Dogg?

Meech Wells: Not right now, we had to iron some issues out, but we cool and everything. I'm just doing my own thing right now, trying to other people heard that I think should be heard on the West. It's like, I'm a producer, so I can't stay in one spot for too long anyway.


Dubcnn: Do you still talk to Def Jef?

Meech Wells: Yeah! That's my nigga! He still doing a lot of stuff, dope stuff. I think he did a couple of records with Mobb Deep, I'm still in touch with him.


Dubcnn: What equipment do you use and what's your working process when making a beat?

Meech Wells: I'm using the MPC 4000, I started with the MPC back in the day, when I had first came out, so I just stayed with that line. MPC 4000, all computer stuff now like plug-ins. I sold all my keyboards, it's a whole new sound right now. It's all coming from the computers, it's hard to explain...


Dubcnn: When you work with an artist, do you fit the beat to the artist or vice versa?

Meech Wells: Yeah a lot of them I had the beat first cause by doing the mixtape stuff now we conditioned to what's going on. So it's like I'll have beats already, but it's already in tune with what's happening in the marketplace, so I'll tailor make it for them, but most of the shit I'm doing now, is what's going on right now, so it can fit anybody. If you rapping, it can fit you.


Dubcnn: How different is Meech Wells in 2006 compared to Meech Wells on Tha Last Meal or tha Eastsidaz album?

Meech Wells: Just upgraded, it's like grading anybody up. When you get more money, you get more equipment. The equipment you get fits your skills, so once I got my new equipment, it's a wrap, cause my skills were already there, I just needed my paper right! Which I did, I got that right, and now I got my equipment! It ain't nothing to it.

But the sound is gonna be different because like I said I'm doing mixtape stuff now, I'm not into one sound. The West Coast never reaches out and tries to be universal. My shit was universal before I came over here at this camp, cause I was out in the streets and I was always listening to what's hot. I'm not saying I didn't knew that then, but being around one camp trying to make a sound that they like, it takes away from what's really you. So I just had to find myself again, and be me. That's what people gone get right now, Meech Wells again, they'll love it when they get it like that!


Dubcnn: How did you hook up with Dow Jones?

Meech Wells: On the streets, we was like "Man what's up?", he had the Cali Untouchable rep when he was with them, now he's doing his own thing. But I seen he was a hustler, we did a project, we did it again now, and people expecting us to drop another one!


Dubcnn: It's not strictly a E-White mixtape right? There's alot of artists featured on there.

Meech Wells: Yeah, there's Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, we got Keak Da Sneak on there, Rick Ross, Slim Thug, Slim Thug & E-White on a song, Bishop Lamont & E-White, Spider Loc & Ras Kass, Bad Azz, couple of more, Mitchy Slick, Trae from Rap-A-Lot... But it's more of us on there than everybody. It's mostly original beats, it's some beats from other people, but mostly original beats.


Dubcnn: Everybody is dropping mixtapes these days, do you think the mixtape game is over-saturated?

Meech Wells: Yeah cause they using beats that's been done before, recycling beats and that's the problem! Producers need to come in an step they game up! Do a mixtape like we did, and we got a record too! You gotta be able to do both, you gotta get the people more stuff these days! More shit, cause it's like everybody's doing it now. Too Short just did three mixtapes, Ice Cube... Those dudes, if the veterans is doing it, then we gotta do it. Niggas gotta step they game up in the studio, instead of being in the streets holla'ing at girls and other stuff. The producer wants to turn in the record, and you got six songs done for the record and got a million dollar budget! It's people with no budget like us and we got 50-60 songs done!


Dubcnn: Let's get back to E-White! Where can people purchase the mixtape?

E-White: Shit they can go purchase the mixtape, number 1 out in V.I.P. out in Long Beach, they can hit the Delamo Swap Meet it's between Carson and Compton. The marketplace in Lynwood, the Compton Swap Meet in Compton, go check around into Slauson. We about to hook this shit up with Dubcnn for download.


Dubcnn: It's already up!

E-White: Oh, well shit, this is where it's at!!! Check in here first, check in with DUBCNN! You can find it right here! Go ahead and hit dubcnn first, if not you can check in with the V.I.P. in Long Beach, the Delamo Swap Meet, the muthafuckin' Compton Swap Meet, the marketplace in Lynwood and we got some at Fat Beats off of Melrose, we working on other spots right now. We trying to saturate it, we got niggas in the hood just getting rid of them, we about to hit up Diego, all that shit man. We got some people in Vegas doing some shit. But yeah them spots I mentioned that's where they're available at. Please go get it, I guarantee it's what you've been expecting, everybody that's sick of the bullshit going on right now, hop on this real shit. It ain't too much more I can say about it, just go ahead and cop that shit, it's what you've been waiting on, even if you didn't know you was waiting on it! This is what the fuck you've been waiting on.

This new real West Coast shit, Play Your Position, Volume 7. That new West shit man, we representing it right. Produced by Meech Wells, hosted by Dow Jones, and I'm doing my thang, it's E-White representing for real so get up on this New West movement ya'll. Much love and respect to every other West Coast artist, trying to come up and get it, mashing in the right way. Number 1, most importantly, that's putting out muthafucking good music. Fuck all this bullshit that ain't got no place in the game. Everybody trying to do it in a real way, trying to come up with some classical shit, I support it. To the fullest.


Dubcnn: You mentioned it before yourself, and everybody wants to know: what's up with an album?!

E-White: Basically man, we got an album wrapped up, but I don't want to say that that's gonna be the album, cause we work so much! A nigga might go on a rampage and come slide in six songs in five days. And we'd be like hold up we gotta throw this on there too! So I don't know man, we got a couple of albums worth of material aside from this mixtape. Niggas gotta understand too, we ain't crazy. Most of this shit is original material, so we holding on on a lot of hits too, just cause it's a mixtape. We slid in some beats that was other niggas beats that we didn't have control over. Being that we got so many other songs done, we knew we was gone hold on to this top notch heat for our own album. So we got a couple of them done, it's just a matter of choosing which ones we gone throw out. We just gonna ride the wave of this mixtape and see where it takes us to, and that will help us dictate our next move, to see what we put out and what type of album people gonna wanna hear.


Dubcnn: But you gonna keep working with Meech Wells on your solo too, right?

E-White: Oh yeah, me and Meech like on some Premier Guru type shit! On some Eric B. and Rakim type shit! That type of shit, Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek when they was doing they thing. So get ready to see a whole lot of us.


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

E-White: Man I just wanna give a shoutout to my city. Eastside of Long Beach and everybody out there supporting me, cause I got that on lock. That's my city. Niggas is riding with me right beside a nigga, good looking to my nigga Meech Wells for making this happen and staying solid with a nigga. We gonna keep it pushing. Wanna give a shoutout to my nigga Mosis, from the East of Long Beach, it's been his time to get some shine, and we gonna be fucking with him, you're gonna be hearing alot about him!