JAY ROCK  (August 2007) | Interview By: Nima

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

..........................................................................................

Interview was done in August 2007

Questions Asked By: Nima

Jay Rock Gave Dubcnn A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Audio Interview Here

..........................................................................................

Dubcnn: We're right here with Watts' Finest Jay Rock on dubcnn.com. What's up with you right now?

Watts up with it?


Dubcnn: I understand you've been on the grind this year, you released "Watts Finest Vol. 3" as well as a video to "Lift Me Up"... How was the feedback?

The feedback's been good man, I've got over 200,000 views on the video, the mixtape is still out there in the streets killing them, and make sure ya'll pick up my boy K-Dot's "Training Day" mixtape that's also killing the streets right now. I'm just on the grind man.


Dubcnn: So you're putting together a new mixtape right now?

Yeah I'm doing a New York mixtape man, I'm flying out there to do the mixtape, finna get out there and work, give respect to all my New York niggas, you know?


Dubcnn: What motivated you to do a mixtape for New York?

Basically, I want to give respect to them, because without them.... We all know Hip-Hop started in the Bronx! If they didn't start it there wouldn't even be no rap music, so basically what I'm doing is going out there and giving my respect, putting together this mixtape for them, you know?


Dubcnn: Can we expect you to collaborate with any New York artists on there?

Yeah man, I was hollering at my boy Jadakiss, my boy Big Gravy out there, I'm gonna get out there, network and make it do what it do!


Dubcnn: Who would you say were your influences as far as rapping goes?

A lot of influences man, N.W.A., Ice T, Scarface, Tupac, Biggie, my big homies OFTB, a little bit of everybody. I grew up listening to a lot of cats.


Dubcnn: From what I heard there was a planned remix to the song with a gang of West Coast artists on it, what happened to that?

Oh yeah that's coming man, it's still in the works, just trying to put that together man! I was hollering at my Bay niggas, like Ya Boy, Mistah FAB, trying to have them get on that too. I'm trying to make it be the biggest anthem that's out, do it real big. Sorry for the hold up, but it's coming don't even trip!


Dubcnn: So who's on it so far?

I got my boy Glasses Malone, Eastwood, Game, I'm trying to holla at Omar Cruz, trying to holla at WC. Another person I gotta hit up is Crooked I, and I got the Western Union on there, Bad Lucc & Damani, my boy K-Dot, Problem, Roccett, I'm trying to make it real big, Bigg Steele, a whole lot.


Dubcnn: Is everybody gonna be spitting 8 bars or 16?

8 bars man. It's gonna be crazy man.


Dubcnn: You also got a new single coming out right?

Yeah, it's called "Tell Yo Momma", it's gonna kill them, I can't wait to drop it, it's something for the ladies, next best thing that's coming. My boy Terrace Martin produced it, he did some stuff with Snoop, shout out to Terrace, he did his thang on it!


Dubcnn: What about your song "California Soul", I heard Julio G spin it but I don't think it ever leaked like that..

Julio G he loved it so much he wanted to run it! My boy Game co-produced the track, and he heard me do the verses to it, loved it so much that he jumped on the hook! Also, my boy Soundwave did a little something on it too. So Julio G he branded it, it was all good!


Dubcnn: I think there was some confusion, cause there was a Sky Balla track called "California Soul" out there, I think it was the same track.

For real? I ain't never heard it. I'm not sure, but I gotta check that out.


Dubcnn: You recently collaborated with Eastwood and The Game on the track "West Really" produced by Meech Wells. How did that song get put together?

Yeah my boy Eastwood came to me with that. He spit the hook for me over the phone, I had ran into him at the Powerhouse, and he was telling me about the track. I told him just send it to me, I got you my dude! It's killing them right now!


Dubcnn: How did you hook up with Meech Wells?

Meech Wells, he had called me and had me come to the studio to do the interview with ya'll [dubcnn]! That's when we hooked up!


Dubcnn: So what's the next project that we can expect from you after the New York project? The album?

Yeah the album is coming, it should be out by the end of October, ya'll make sure to pick it up, it's called "Follow Me Home".


Dubcnn: It was supposed to drop in July right?

Yeah but we were still working on it, trying to get the business right, in the studio still recording cause I'm still coming with tracks!


Dubcnn: Your album is dropping on Warner / Top Dogg Ent is that correct?

That's correct!


Dubcnn: How far into the album are you right now?

Like 95% done, ya'll should be seeing it at the end of October!


Dubcnn: What can we expect from the album, concept and content wise?

It's a real ghetto album, a lot of ghetto stories, real stories, my story. That's what I'm giving to the people.


Dubcnn: Which producers can we expect you to work with on the album?

I got my boy Soundwave on there, DJ Quik, J.R. Rottem, KG from Naughty By Nature, L.E.S., Terrace Martin produced the "Tell Yo Momma" I was telling you about. Oh and Phonex, he's a producer from Inglewood that's got some crazy stuff. I got Neff-U on there too, I can't forget about him! It's gonna be a hot album man, I can't wait till it drops! Fredwreck is on there too!


Dubcnn: Is the DJ Quik track more on the Fixxers tip or more like old school DJ Quik sounding?

It's kind of a little bit of both, I don't really wanna give it up. It's hot
though, DJ Quik & AMG you already know, that's my dudes.


Dubcnn: You're a young artist that sounds like a veteran, you don't blindly preach ignorance, you have more depth to your music, I feel like that's something that's really missing from the mainstream right now.

Basically that's what I'm bringing back man, that real live straight to the point ghetto stuff. Hood mentality, trying to make it do what it do, just bringing that real good music back, that's all.


Dubcnn: I don't know if you've heard the recent Pimp C interview, where he said that artists need to start putting something to think about in their raps instead of bragging about dope dealing and their chains, how do you feel about that?

Like I said, I got songs man. Especially on the album. I got real touching songs on there, songs that everybody can relate to. Not just doing something all flashy and all that, I got songs that people can relate it. I'm telling you, every song on the album, somebody gone be able to relate to.


Dubcnn: I recently interviewed Mykestro, and he was speaking on how nobody is policing Hip-Hop right now, anybody can get on, and as far as the New West talk, it's not really regulated as far as who's New West, who isn't and all that, what's your take on that?

Well you know, he kind of got a point. It's just about making good music though, that's what it is. Right now it ain't about making a hot single or nothing, you gotta have the whole package, you gotta have something special. Record sales is down, anybody can have a single, but when your album comes out, the sales ain't what it is. You gotta make good music, that's what it's all about man.


Dubcnn: Are you worried about the low CD sales right now? Or do you feel like with the digital technology's CD sales aren't really representative anymore?

It's looking ugly right now, real ugly. I've just been checking soundscan a litte bit, but your boy T.I., he did good! I'm glad to see that. Specially, in this type of rap. He kind of like set it back up to me, we've got a chance right there, if you make good music, something can happen.


Dubcnn: The city of Watts has a lot of talent right now, with yourself, G. Malone, Bad Lucc and others coming out. Who are you feeling right now?

I'm feeling all those cats man, them my dudes, I know them personally, so I feel all of them. Much success to them both, specially G, shouts out to my G. Malone, he got his situation. I'm loving the talent coming right now from my city, cause we was overlooked for a long time. Also your boy Bangloose is doing his thang with Dem Jointz, Dro is doing his thang, much love and respect!


Dubcnn: You're down with The Game and Spider Loc at the same time, has that ever caused you any problems as far as who you associate with?

That don't never cause no problems with me! Spi is my peoples, Game is my nigga, as far as that, that's how that goes, that don't cause me any problems.


Dubcnn: How did you hook up with Game at the beginning?

I've been knowing him for a minute, like right before he started doing his thing, when he was up and coming. I saw him at a mall, and I just started rapping, and we were rapping back to each other, not a battle or none of that, but just rapping. As time went on, he was doing his thang, blew up, he sees me out here doing my thing, one day he just came to my studio session, bumped up in there like "What's up my nigga?" Shouts out to him and the whole Blackwallstreet, that's my niggas!


Dubcnn: Tell us about Top Dawg Ent, who's on that label?

My boy K-Dot, that's like my brother from another mother. We're trying to win it man, '07 takeover! Top Dogg Ent!


Dubcnn: What's up with K-Dot, what does he have going on right now?

He's in the studio like 24/7, like me, working on mixtapes or whatever. He's a workaholic, crazy, one of the best lyricists out here on the West Coast, ya'll make sure to look out for him, cause he's gonna be a problem when he drops, I'm telling you!


Dubcnn: What was up with that "No Skateboard Nigga" track that you did with him?

Oh yeah! *laughs* We did that, we was just fuckin' around in the studio, and one day he was walking, and somebody thought he was a skateboarder, like he rides skateboards! And he just did that song like "I ain't no skateboard nigga!" He just took it from there, we didn't think it was gonna come out like that so we just did it, you know? Spur of the moment type shit! *laughs*


Dubcnn: Who can we expect to see you working with in the near future?

I couldn't really tell you that right now, I'm just waiting till the album drops. I really don't know, I'm just working, going hard in the studio, doing what I do. I'm looking forward to working with anybody that makes good music, that's about it!


Dubcnn: Do you feel like Southern Cali and the Bay should connect more musically and push the West together?

Yeah, I think so. That's how we can win. That's what I've been preaching about for a long time, if everybody comes together we can win. Put all the hating shit aside and let's get this money.


Dubcnn: Who are your personal favorite up and coming artists from the West?

I like your boy G. Malone, the Western Union, Problem, Roccett, everybody! I feel everybody that's pushing and making good music, I ain't no hater on nothing.


Dubcnn: So which projects coming out this year are you anticipating the most, not only West but in general?

Let me see man... I wanna check out G. Malone's album, I'm anticipating Lil Wayne's album, he's been killing them... I really don't know right now!


Dubcnn: You got 50 and Kanye dropping on the same day, Chamillionaire coming out...

Oh yeah! That's who I really wanna hear! I really wanna hear 50 Cent's album, I wanna hear how that's going to sound. Looking forward to that.


Dubcnn: Is there anything else that you'd like to let everybody know?

Make sure ya'll check me out on myspace.com/jayrock, make sure ya'll hit me up! That's basically it!