KOKANE (PART 2) (May
2010) | Interview By: Nima Etminan
Dubcnn reached out to West Coast pioneer Kokane, who is getting ready to release
his anticipated solo album "Gimme All Mine" on June 1st, for in-depth
2-part interview.
This is Part 2 and Kokane tells us about his mixtape
"On The Back Streets" with DJ Crazy Toones, his project with Kurupt
"The 2K's", hooking back up with Snoop Dogg, the New West/Old West controversy,
his take on Autotune and him getting involved in social networks such as Facebook
and Twitter.
As ever, you can read this exclusive interview below
and we urge you to leave feedback on our forums or email them to nima@dubcnn.com.
Download The Full
Interview Audio:
Here Download The Kokane Interview Drop Audio: Here
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Dubcnn:
Do you remember when we first started talking, that was when you were supposed
to do a project with Kurupt called the 2K's.
That's
still in the makings too. But you know, things happen along the way to where you
gotta put aside certain things. Kurupt put aside certain things and life turns,
twists, throws curveballs, but we plan to still do that. Much love to my nigga
Kurupt, his album "Streetlights" is coming out 4/20, and that's what
it's about. It's about campaigning for each other. Just like he'd be somewhere
saying "That's my ngiga Kokane." How can I not do that? It's enough
money in this for us all to eat. That's where I'm at with it.
Dubcnn:
You put out a mixtape called "In The Backstreets" with DJ Crazy Toones.
How did that idea come about? (Editor's Note: Download
Here)
If you
look at it, you get away with your most dirt on the back streets. You don't go
on the boulevards where they can catch you, you go on the back streets. You be
like "Oh, one time coming! I'm on the back streets!" When J. Wells said
"Let's use Toones", I was like "Snap! That's perfect!" Crazy
Toones is not just a dude that be screaming on a bunch of records *screams* "Go
get my stuff!!" Nah.. he executes it, he does it like the old Rodeo tapes
how DJ Pooh and all them used to do it. So I was like "Hands down, you got
this here. You got this sold up." That's Crazy Toones, the legendary Crazy
Toones. Then he got WC talking on it and Cube talking shit on it, hands down,
this is the West.
Dubcnn:
So you're flipping other people's beats on the mixture?
Yeah
I'm doing a couple, cause this is my first mixtape. I was never really concerned
with mixtape, but it sparked my interest and I said I wanna flip some of this
stuff like Drake, but the way I flipped it, people are gonna get a bar of it and
I think they're gonna ride to it. It's definitely different. We got the original
stuff incorporated in there with some new twists and then Crazy Toones is like
"My homie Kokane! You talking about cocaine?? Nah, I'm talking about the
homie Kokane!" It has some of the greatest hooks I've done in there, real
quick, nice and efficient and boy wait till you hear this man.
Dubcnn:
I already know Crazy Toones cooked up something crazy.
My
God, every bit of the word man. Crazy Toones is crazy, cause he goes off on this
one.
Dubcnn:
He don't do mixtapes wit just anybody too, he really gotta be into your shit to
do your mixture.
Yeah!
Me and that brother shared some ideas, the feeling was mutual, just like with
Cube and WC, they're my folks. It's been a long time man. We've been allowed to
pioneer some stuff and we're just scratching the surface, so for us to all come
back, Dr. Dre, Snoop and Cube to be in the studio again working on that there.
Basically everybody, old and new in my opinion. It's a beautiful thang, Crazy
Toones, big ups!!
Dubcnn:
While you mention Ice Cube, you're probably aware of all the controversy going
on in the last couple of weeks about old West Coast, new West Coast… Where does
Kokane stand on the issue?
Diplomatic
immunity! *laughs* I don't get caught up in all that bullshit. As far as Jay Rock,
as far as Glasses Malone, as far as Nipsey Hussle, them my niggas! As far Ice
Cube, as far as Dre, as far as Snoop, as far as the old to the new, them all my
niggas. We'll get to the point to where everybody can put aside their differences.
I really don't get caught up in that bullshit.
Dubcnn:
Have you had the chance to work with some of the new guys, like let's say Nipsey
Hussle?
Man, Nipsey
Hussle is my guy! That's the hoodsta woodsta rider!! I'm happy to see these young
cats create their lane. We'll get to the podium to where we can all put aside
our differences, because we're stronger smashing together. But see if everybody
needs to get something off their chest, get it off your chest and then let's come
together and West Coast ride!
Dubcnn:
On Twitter, you posted that you finished a song with Snoop Dogg produced by Battlecat.
Is that gonna be on the new album?
Nah,
that's one of them ones that Snoop is putting out. But I'm happy, I'm glad that
we got a chance to mix it up again. Everybody's gotta go on their own personal
road and everybody's gotta bring something to the table. You can create your own
lane, you don't have to depend on no OG or no new nigga to create your line. But
the thing everybody gets caught up in is the ego. Whether good or bad, I'm not
passing judgement on no nigga, cause I got homies on both sides, I play the diplomatic
immunity role. But at the same time, it was good hooking up with Snoop again,
because we looked in each others eyes and it was like "hey man, it's time
to create that magic again." So he sent me this record him and Battlecat
did and man, on that one man, that nigga's right back to '92, back to that shit!
I don't wanna let the cat out the bag, but it was good to send that and be a part
of that situation again. So, big ups to all the West Coast, whether you're old,
whether you're new, this is just the West.
Dubcnn:
Something I wanted to ask you about anyway was your take on Autotune. Now I just
heard the Drake remix that you did and I heard that you used Autotune on it. Now
I really gotta ask you, what's Kokane's opinion on the Autotune craze?
Music
is music. I think people oversaturated Autotune, and now all the A&R's talking
about "We gotta have Autotune!" But it is what it is. I didn't really
wanna take away from that type of vibe they already had on the song, so I just
played my part and flipped they shit.
Dubcnn:
But we're not gonna hear Kokane autotuning on his album.
Hell
naw!! Man, the vocals is gangsta, jack! Oohwooow. We ain't doing that! That's
for them cats that is on that type of vibe. I ain't really gonna bash nobody,
but that's what they do. Mines is hot water corn bread, I ain't putting it in
the microwave, you dig.
Dubcnn:
The album is coming out June 1st. I heard you got some videos dropping before
then?
Yeah, we
already got the "Killing Fields" video out there and of course the single
"Twilight Zone", which dropped 4/20 on iTunes. I got some more goodies
in store, at least 5 videos to slap up there. We'll be making our runs to Atlanta,
to New York, all through the South, we really going out and we got a tight street
campaign. Out in L.A., big ups to Jag out there for doing they thing and making
an impression on the game. With this album coming out June 1st, it's gonna be
that vintage Kokane with a modern day twist to it. We ain't gonna leave the South
out so much, because we wanna play ball with them, but at the same time, 85% of
this album is West Coast. So it's gonna be something for everybody.
Dubcnn:
I remember when I first started talking to you, I had to explain to you how to
open a webpage and type in "dubcnn" to read what I wrote. Now I see
you all over the social networking sites, Twittering and Facebooking.
*laughs*
One thing that I understand is that you gotta be part of innovation. If you don't
go right, you're gonna get left. When you started doing all that, I was picking
up on all that, so I said "I'm finna get my internet game up." It really
took me a year and a half to two years to get my internet game up. Of course I
got some help from my wife, and once we assembled that, J. Wells and my partner
in the label, which is Bud-E-Boy and Rob Racks, they really helped me catapult
my internet game up. But you can't sleep on the streets! Don't get it twisted.
Even though you might be hot on the internet, don't sleep on the streets. Get
out there, go beat up the concrete, that's something that we did. It's all good,
from the internet to the viral presence, to beating up the streets. Everybody
else gotta follow.
Dubcnn:
You gotta start from the ground up. If you only rely on your internet presence,
it's not gonna get you nowhere, because if people don't talk about you in real
life, they ain't gonna buy your shit.
Hell
nah. Ay Nima, we treat this whole thang like Krush Groove, all over back when
Russel was out there, him and Rick Rubin just smashing out. That's what you're
gonna have to do. You can't just say in one vicinity, you gotta go out there and
shake enough hands, just like Obama do in the presidency. You have to go out there
and meet people, get in touch with what you got going on. I mean yeah, you did
that all in the past, but people have to hear what's going on right now. It's
a whole new generation out there. All we're doing is taking all this information,
if you look at my blog www.thelegendarykokane.com, all we're doing is reintroducing
and then going out to meet people. That's what we are entertainers for. That's
why they buy our records. We're never too good for the fans, except if it's interrupting
with the family. That's all I'm doing, allowing myself to be accessible to the
fans, letting them know that good funky music is back, we got a twist with it,
we're still new, come support this. This is why I call myself Kokane, this is
why we're part of G-Funk. It's a humble situation man, to be in a position to
go ahead and talk to these little youngsters that's 15-16 and up, and their pops
been listening to our music but now they're listening to it too. It's full circle.
Dubcnn:
I think we pretty much covered everything, is there anything else you'd like to
let everybody know?
Go
get that "Twilight Zone" single on iTunes, holler at your boy on thelegendarykokane.com,
you can reach me on my blog, or you can hit me up on twitter @KokaneOfficial.
But if you're coming with that false shit and that negative shit, you can tweet
deeez nuuuuuts.
