KOKANE  (January 2005) | Interview By: Nima

      Dubcnn.com caught up with Kokane once again, who spilt his heart out to us a few months ago (check that here) He now tells us why he didn't drop his Gospel record is doin' another regular Kokane album now, his spiritual situation. And of course everything concerning his new album "Take It Back To The Clap", him and Snoop Dogg, and much more. Please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com




*** This Interview is the follow-up to our interview with Kokane in June of 2004. To truly understand the beginning of the interview, check out our first interview here. ***

Huge thanks to Kokane for taking time out to answer the questions fans wanted to know! (Interview was done by phone on January 12th 2004)

Questions Asked By : Nima

Kokane Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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dubcnn.com: What's up Kokane, is it Kokane or Jerry Long?

Well, just Kokane for right now.


dubcnn.com: What happened to the Ghetto Gospel you had told us about?

Well, what it is, what I felt inside, you know, the prison system and different things like that, it was a true anointment. And I don't mean to sound like a hypocrite, but at the same time, anything that has to do with getting close to God is a process. And it's nothin' overnight. And what I was doin' was think that I could suddenly just change overnight, without going through that process. You understand what I'm sayin? So my ultimate goal, well everybody's ultimate goal is to be close to the Lord. And you know, it's hard, it's hard out here man. And especially being from the West Coast, it's really nothin' happenin' over here. So alot of fans was like, man please put out the Kokane album. And my thing is, I don't go by what men say. I follow my own instinct. And my instinct was, Lord forgive me, but it's a process, and you know, trying to suddenly stop smoking weed, and different things like that... You have to learn from each experience in life. And as far as Jerry Long is concerned, my name, me, my God given name. I plan to do a Gospel album, I'm trying to do Gospel period. Can't nobody change overnight, and anybody that feel they gone change overnight, ay, you're lyin' to yourself! And that's what the devil got you.

So I decided to put out this Kokane album, and I wanted to use only one producer on it. And his name is Fingazz, and he's the white boy Dr. Dre right now. Man he's the funkiest white boy in the world! He used to play in a band called Slapback, and Slapback is big over in London right now. He does alotta stuff from alotta people out here.


dubcnn.com: Okay, well I've had the honor to hear the Gospel record, and I gotta say that it'll be worth the wait, whenever it drops.

Exactly. See the thing is man, God got somethin' planned for us all man, and it's the right time and spot. You don't understand half the things that God do, and you're not supposed to. It's his reasoning for everything. And I wouldn't wanna just put out this album just to let it go to waste. I don't wanna put out no Gospel album just to make me feel good. I wanna put a Gospel album out to bring people close to the Lord. And me lookin' in the mirror, it's a process that I have to go through. And that album right there, it's gonna move when God wants it to move, not when I want it to move. You feel me? People be concentratin' so much on the I, that they forget the whole subject, forget the whole scenario. It's never odd, it's about God! It's about us. So no man can clean up the sand in my eyes, when they got a gang of mud fingers. It's a process, it's time, it's a flight. And I'm just learnin'!

Sometimes God puts you through a painful situation, sometimes God allows the Devil to do what he do, just so you can get closer to God. Because God doesn't get no glory in healing well people, he gets glory in healing sick people. He makes house calls to heal the sick. So what I'm gonna do is my own individual process. The Gospel album is the best thing that I ever did, as far as lyrically content and spiritually inclined, as far as being clear like a pure drink of water, that is authentically the way it's supposed to sound. I didn't have a joint in my mouth at the time I was writing those songs. I was going through somethin' I was in jail, and that's how you get closer to God, God gotta put you through these painful situations, God gotta let you go out there and somethin. So how do I know that the Kokane album is not my own individual process to keep stepping closer to God? It's Gods plan for everything!


dubcnn.com: So you're coming with Take It Back To Da Clap. What does that title represent?

Well that title it represents, because everything out here, as far as the funk is concerned, is based on the clap. Zapp, Parliament, Funkadelic, it's like that clap represents the West Coast. And now, you got a stigma on the clap, concerning the West Coast. Alotta people are like nowadays you gotta have a whole record sped up so it can sound like Minny Mouse on the record. Nah, I said Take It Back To The Clap because this is where the essence came from. This is where the 6-4's came from, this is where the lowridin' came from, this is for good or for worse, this is where the banging came from, this is where the hardship of the West Coast sound came from. So that's why, in a nutshell, Take It Back To The Clap represents where we need to get to as far as being West Coast-bred rappers, West Coast-bred musicians.

I put it out there like Take It Back To The Clap because we don't even concentrate on nobody else. We don't need to compete with nobody else. We don't need to do none of that. See that's the problem over here in the West Coast. "Well I need to sound like South, well I need to sound like New York". You think South is sayin' "Well I need to sound like West Coast?" No! South is sayin' "No, this is South!" So it's not being discriminative towards everything else, but this is kinda like giving back, this is kinda like sayin' love where you from. I'm from the West Coast! This is West Coast on mine! West Coast to the fullest, take it back to the clap! And on my album, the majority of the album is clap. It's different types of tones of Claps. I only got two snares on it. So that's what I said that.


dubcnn.com: It's entirely produced by Fingazz, and Fingazz is known for using the talkbox too. Are we gonna hear it on this one?

Man, he's Roger reincarnated. He's a genius man! He's a genius! And I wanted to get outta that same old repetitious mode. "Oh I need to use MC Jimmy Crack Corn and Timbuktu to make this record sell!" No I wanted to use ONE producer. Like Michael Jackson and Quincy. I didn't wanna have too many guest appearances on it. I started lookin' at Outkast! Outkast don't need 50 million people to make good music! See people usin' this "I need different artists to sell records" instead of making one thing: good music. That's what I wanted to get back into. We got the coldest band out, I got a 9 piece band, and we play everything from Led Zeppelin to Funkadelic to stuff that I'm comin' out on my new album. Good music! That's what I wanna grab. That's what the whole Kokane name situation is. It's usin' that name and incorporatin' and twistin' it up. Like "man this is the dopest stuff that you ever heard on the planet!".


dubcnn.com: What label are you releasing it through?

Well right now, we got like 4 offers on the table. So realistically, I'm gonna tell you that it's gonna come out towards the summer. And playin' my cards right man. I got my boy in my corner who I'm very down with, and he been there with me through thick and thin, and that's Down, from Oxnard. And his stuff is out there killin' 'em, but he's killin' them over there in the Latin world. And on this album, we wanted to come together, the Brown & Black! And show that image! And we came together on this, I'm even rappin' in spanish on my album! Imagine that!


dubcnn.com: Is "Sucka Sandwiches" still going to be the single?

Nah! It's a song called Baby Boo. I changed it up. Actually not Baby Boo but Number 1 Baby Boo. That song right there is more radio friendly but not to the point where I'm sellin' out or anything, but that song right there is somethin' about my wife and my kids. It's mainly talkin' about my wife. And of course I gotta tell you this, off the record, I just had my 8th child!


dubcnn.com: I know, she told me last night when I talked to her!

Exactly, so that song man, apart from all the Crystal, Cognac, glamour, I wanted to do somethin' that she can enjoy sometime. And everybody out there that has a girl that's been with him through thick and thin, no matter what these other girls try to infiltrate your relationship, you're my Nr. 1 Baby Boo. On the B-Side of the single it's gonna be the Spanish song Jefe De Jefe, Boss de Boss. Because I wanted to touch on the latino thing, because Latino rap is big right now! 42% of all rappers are latinos if not more out here. So what I wanted to do was touch my Brown brothers, because they generatin' right now! I mean if you look at the Latin awards and all that stuff, you gotta be a student of the game, and I'm a student of the game. Alotta pepople I'm legendary, but nah I'm not no legend! Fly and the family stones a legend. I'm a student of the game. I love what I do, but first I enjoy the music before the paper. And another b-side of the single, is gonna be a Kokane & Above The Law joint! Back to that essence, of Black Mafia Life & Uncle Sams Curse. It's a song called "If It's All The Same". Can I spit some lyrics for you? One this one it goes "Back in '89 Above The Law on the scene/thats when my cousin 187 first named my name/called me Kokane. Niggaz be eatin' off of us over the years/cause we spit like game/throwin' up shit like crochet. That's when I met Snoop & Warren G on the turf/back then when Nate Dogg used to sing for the church. Nah I ain't dissin', them niggaz gave me some love some wealth/but can't nobody do for me that I can't do for myself." Shit's crazy! And the hook it go "*sings* I just do my thang, if it's all the same.. I stay within' my range, if it's all the same... *sings* It's cold!

All these dudes, they was ridin' around for Kings of the West Coast, but you fans of Kokane before! You was fans of Above the Law before! And we ain't cryin' over spilt Kool-Aid, but let it be known. We finna flood the record pools. This right here, it's alotta hoods waitin' for that particular sound, and Kokane. As far as the name is concerned. I done done so much stuff on everybodys albums, and I ain't really out there like a Nate Dogg, but I got way more stuff than Nate Dogg. So this is a album that's gonna be real big for the West Coast and that everybody across is not gonna get disappointed as far as West Coast rider shit go. Because it's alotta people from the West Coast that came out, I ain't sayin' no names, that disappointed. That put out garbage.


dubcnn.com: So who do you have on there as far as guest appearances?

Uhm, only a couple! I got 40 Glocc, I got Kurupt, I got my boy Down, and that's it!


dubcnn.com: I thought you had Roscoe on there?

Nah, Roscoe my nigga, we did the song but the album was finished. The album is magnificent man, I hope people really enjoy it, I wanna tell people out there, forget all the shit with all the fightin' between the West, East and South. Everybody, get back to one thing: it's listenin' to good music.


dubcnn.com: How is this record, compared to your record you did on Doggystyle Records?

It's me. See alotta people just know Kokane as singing hooks. But I'm a MC. I been a MC, I just know how to do that singing stuff. But I'm a MC in my nature man. My first record was in '86 anyway, and I been a MC for the longest. For the true Kokane fans, they already know what I'm talkin' about. So this album's difference with the Doggystyle one, is that I got to do my own shit, as far as under the name Kokane. I didn't have nobody sayin' "you should do this" and "you should do that". Nah, the name of the songs that's on the album, it's funk, it's goin' back to the funk. We use all the old sounds, live band, live guitar. It's nothin' on the beat machine bro! Except for the clap.


dubcnn.com: Around what time do you think we can expect to pick this up?

End of April. One of the songs is called "Bad Coochie", some old stupid shit, some novelty Parliament type stuff. I got a song talkin' bout I would never turn my back on my little homies, I got one called "When It Rains It Pours", that ones talkin' about deep stuff. This album it's well round man. "When It Rains It Pours" is one of my favorites because it's just like life man. And it's talkin' about some true stories, my homie Newborn and them got killed, and you know when it rains it sprinkles, when it rains it pours, sometimes floods. It's, man, it's so diverse on this album. This is the album where I'm goin' back to '91. When I first came out with albums, Who Am I? and then '94 Funk Upon A Rhyme, Ruthless Records, it's totally back to the essence.


dubcnn.com: What do you have lined up for after this record?

Well, I'ma play it by ear bro! Wherever my creative ear takes me to, I just wanna, you know, do this first. I don't wanna be "Well, I think I'm gonna be at this and that place doin' this and that record". Nah, wherever my creative ear takes me, that's where I'ma go.


dubcnn.com: Have you spoken to Snoop Dogg in the last year at all?

I haven't spoken to Snoop Dogg in at least 3 years.


dubcnn.com: Damn!

I don't have a problem with him though, God bless him. I mean I'm not into his records, I don't buy his records, but I'm not no hater! I'm past that "Fuck Snoop Dogg" shit, I'm a grown man, I'm 35 years old, with 8 kids and I've been in the game way longer than Snoop. And it doesn't matter if the popularity don't match the pocket, I'm like, man, If I see Snoop I'll be like give him a pound, I hope you sell a zillion records. But it don't have anything to do with Kokane.


dubcnn.com: Right, so you don't see yourself working with him ever again?

I mean if it happens it happens! But it's gotta be a real business this time. It's all paperwork. And he expects that too. If he would like to work with me, and I wouldn't mind workin' with him, but it would have to all legit.


dubcnn.com: What about Tray Deee, have you been in touch with Tray Deee?

Nah, but I got messages from him, the brothers really goin' through it man! And I hope, I pray that he stays strong, and just keep God in his thoughts man!


dubcnn.com: Will we see you workin' with the Pomona City Ridaz?

Yeah I talk to Pimpin' Young all the time! They're all for it man. They know my mind state. Right now, Koka, as far as I'm concerned, being an artist, I done concentrated on everybody else, I'm just concentratin' on myself man. I'm just concentratin' on doin' myself and fulfill my objective. And then, once I get there, BAM, it's nothin'!


dubcnn.com: Okay, cool. Well..

Wait, one more thing. It's always love man. You're one of the, since I met you homie, you're a true true true Hip Hop Fan man, and you know without DubCNN, and without you being behind it, and without you having that drive, alot of other shit would be BULLSHIT out here homie. And I appreciate what you doin' for us. And that's from Kokane!