J STEEZ  (June 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

J Steez Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview Audio available Here
 

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Dubcnn: What's up J Steez, we introduced you to the dubcnn viewers almost two years ago. Since then, you've released your album "Up 4 Tha Crown", and have come a long way. Tell us where you come from, and where you're trying to end up.

Well man, I came from L.A., from the streets in the 80's man. South Gate is my home town, I grew up right there. Back in the day man, my pops put me on old school stuff, the funk, you know? I would always roll around with my brother in his '63 down Pacific Blvd, down Slauson, just bumping! He put me up game, he bought me my first beat machine, VR 202, and ever since then I've just been banging out tracks. He's my inspiration, he put me on game when Quik came out, N.W.A., and ever since then that's been what I've been doing! Dropping these beats, putting these projects out, working with the best artists, and the shit gets tighter everyday man! It's poppin' man, I couldn't ask for anything more right now, it's going down real cool. Putting out the "Up 4 Tha Crown", with Suga Free, Bad Azz, 40 [Glocc], it was a blessing man, we put alot of shit in the streets.


Dubcnn: Being a producer yourself, who were your influences, and who's sound did you
look up to?

Man, the first cat was Quik. Quik brought the funk. Dre was tight, you know, but Quik he had the funk, the proper samples, everything man. I ain't trying to get his sound, but you work off pretty much anything he shoots at you. Sometimes you might find a certain sound that he's throwing out, and think like "why did you put that in there?" or "Where did he get that from?", and it's just the creativity homeboy has. He put some game on me man, I'd have to say Quik.


Dubcnn: Have you had the chance to work with him?

Nah, nah. I haven't met him yet, but if he's reading this man, I'd like to say good looking out dogg, hopefully one day we'll get to knock something out!


Dubcnn: How did you get your hookups in the industry, cause you've been working with
alot of different artists..

Ima just keep it real man. Homeboy who got my present career right now is Suga Free. When I met up with him man, I had been hitting him up for months, homie, and he wouldn't return my calls! And I was trying to shoot him a beat CD. I went out to the hair spot, he heard it, flipped his wig, and we
started getting down since then man! He shot my beat CD's to everybody! I was getting calls from everybody! Suga Free was flying me to Vegas to get business done, he was flying me around places. "Steez this, Steez that, he got beats", and my phone has not stopped ringing since! So Suga Free man, he's really looked out for me, the whole Laneway Camp. Black Tone, Chub, Ted, they're some cool players man!


Dubcnn: Yeah we're gonna get back to Suga Free a little later again. You produced the "All In The Same Gang 2" song with alot of New West artists, tell us about that.

That was another cool plug man. TJ Santana went down to the crib, and he was checking out some beats, and he asked me if I could put some stuff together and I was like "Yeah dogg." So I found the O.G. sample, I put a little here and there, did what I did, and we went down to the studio man, everybody was up in there! G. Malone, Guerilla Black, Bishop, the Young Hoggs, Crooked, it was a real cool atmosphere man. Something real positive for the streets, it was alot of black & brown beef going down, and I felt a respect there. Shit like that just has to come down dogg, it's alot of things going down in different parts of the streets, alot of politics and stuff like that. But we just have to stop that, and that track did some kind of damage, but expect alot more from the New West. Because that's what it is, it's all in the streets.


Dubcnn: What kind of feeling was it, having all those people in the spot recording over your beat?

Oh yeah man, oh yeah. It was a blessing man, a great opportunity for me. I had a real cool time with that!


Dubcnn: I believe ya'll had a whole album planned... What ever happened to that?

Oh that's still in the process. It's just alot of legal activity that needs to get done first, but yeah that's still happening.


Dubcnn: You really think it's gonna happen?

Yeah I think so dogg, I think so, because things like that, they have to! It might take some time, and I know the world is anticipating it, but the wait is gonna be worth it man.


Dubcnn: As you mentioned, you've been working alot wit Suga Free. Tell us about the
work process with him.

Well Suga Free is fast, Suga Free is the fastest individual you could imagine. It's hard to catch up with him to even meet his energy. It all depends on the beat, if you have a slammer, and it's coming on, and it would just get him, he would grab a pen and a piece of paper and he'll get down. Fastest writer, talent dogg, he's just been blowing through MC's that are there, putting it down! Quick! He's a professional dogg. I can't complain about his work ethic because it's ridiculous. He's a workaholic, and best believe, yeah he's pimping, but homeboy is a real real artist.


Dubcnn: He's not your regular rapper. Do you match the beats to his flow or how does that work?

I always have beats. Every time we mash out, sometimes I'll just go to his crib and I'll just have beats! Maybe like 15-20 beats, and he's still bumping some old beats that I have! He probably got about 100 beats of mine that he just plays and just listens to. Then sometimes he just gets into a
little groove and he gets down on it! But that's usually the process, I'll just have the beat, and he'll get down on them. It's crazy dogg, all the time!


Dubcnn: We were expecting to see more J Steez on "Just Add Water", what happened?

I think alot of the tracks are being saved for another project, but I was expecting the same as well. I mean, it's politics. Those tracks that made it, I have to say I like the album man, it's a solid album, Freeze got down, Saccs, I heard Classics shit, everybody got down, it was a nice album. It's just one of those things dogg, there's alot of tracks on deck, and just to let you know, that's not Suga Free's last project.


Dubcnn: Now you're currently wrapping up your "Return Of The West" album. That's a heavy title!

Yeah. I'm putting that out there man. The reason why is just that's how I feel. When I meet up with every MC now, every artist, I just feel like that camaraderie. It wasn't really there when the "We All In The Same Gang" was popping, it was just kind of like "Ain't nobody trying to get down, ain't nobody repping anything anymore." So I just put down the "Return Of The West". Me being a producer, it's gonna be entirely produced by me, I got Young Brown on it, I got G. Malone, 40 Glocc, W.S. Bugg, Ms. Tiana, Bad Azz, Suga Free, Ras Kass, Coolwadda, Damizza, Young Hoggs, DJ Warrior, Quiz, Dow Jones, Mr. Shadow, K-Active, Bangloose, Young Hootie, El Dorado Red, Macnificent, Beta Bossalini, man... And it ain't even done yet I'm still putting down maybe like 10 more tracks. And it's gonna be a heater homie, it's gonna be probably one of the best albums that I've heard to date. Ain't nobody heard any of this, it's got like 8 new Suga Free exclusives, like 4 new 40 Glocc bangers and like 5 new Bad Azz joints, and it's heat homie, It's heat dogg, I'ma tell you that.


Dubcnn: What should the listener expect when he/she pops in "Return Of The West?

Well if they haven't heard the "Up 4 Tha Crown", if you haven't heard the songs "On Point", or "Feeling You", or some of the Bad Azz joints, you need to get that album and check it out. It's probably all over the internet anyway. "Return Of The West" is just a step up from that. It's West Coast, you're gonna get some stuff that a West Coast producer flips, I even did some Mobb Deep-style stuff, some real hardcore hard street anthems. And it's West! It's West, it's here, it's J Steez shit, and you need to cop this album and listen to what all these cats are saying. Oh and it's in the streets. It's gonna be in the streets, I got no deal. You might catch it in the stores, but it's gonna be in the streets.


Dubcnn: Out of all the sessions you had for the album, which one was the most memorable?

Well I think every single one dogg. Every single one is tight. You just get every single artist, grab a pen and paper, putting it down, and it's just really tight man. With [Suga] Free, it's always funny. Suga Free's a clown dogg. You wake up the next day, sore, your stomach, cause you laughed so hard man. All of them man, it's a blessing to work with all these cats, it's talent, and we're gonna make this pop dogg!


Dubcnn: Ideally, what would you the first thing to be that pops up in peoples mind when they hear J Steez?

The tightest producer they've ever heard. Straight up. Like that.


Dubcnn: That's about it for the questions, is there anything I left out you'd like to let us know?

Man, I'd like to give a shoutout to everybody up on Dubcnn, on the streets who copped my album, who supported me to this point, I really appreciate it dogg. There's alot of stuff coming out, check it out! Suga Free's "Secret Congregation" gonna be coming out like August 21st, you got the Suga Free & J Steez "Pimpin' and Producin'" project that's gonna be coming out, Young Brown's "Out Tha Gate" coming out in July, it's gonna be some heaters man! I'm coming out with my producer kit, my own Water in a minute. Be on the lookout for the shows coming this summer! All them Yacht parties, I was doing them Yacht parties. J Steez presents... coming at you again! So keep it strong, keep it positive and keep it banging!