NIPSEY HUSSLE(April 2012) | Interview By:
Nima Etminan
DubCNN hit the road overseas with Nipsey Hussle and brings you an
exclusive feature with Neighborhood Nip live from Amsterdam. Check out live
performances from some of his dopest records, including "Hussle In The
House", "Fly Crippin" and "This Plane". We also interviewed Nipsey while
roaming the streets in Amsterdam. Nip tells us about his experience in
Europe and we find out that he's planning a new project for the summer.
We also get some insight on his new partnership with DJ Skee and how it's
going to help advance Nip's career. We speak about his experiences in the
music industry and why he would never sign an artist record deal. We end off
the interview with a few words about the West Coast and the new energy
that's reigning on the coast with up and coming artists such as himself,
Kendrick, YG and Tyga succeeding.
Read on and enjoy. As always feel free to hit upnima@dubcnn.comwith
questions or comments.
Nipsey Hussle: We're out here in Amsterdam, Holland. Just killed the stage,
TMC world tour.
DubCNN Is this your first time out here?
Nipsey Hussle: Yeah, it's my first time in Amsterdam. I've been to Europe
before but this is the first time I came out here specifically. It's been
cool, all the crowds have been A1. Everything's been solid we're having fun
out here!
DubCNN: Have you noticed a difference between crowds back home and
out here?
Nipsey Hussle: I couldn't even judge Europe as one though, because every
country and city out here is different. Paris was crazy, they went retarded!
I had no idea that I had fans that knew all my words. *points* Oh that's the
Apple store right store, that's hard. But yeah I had no idea that I had fans
out in Paris that knew my shit word for word. That was cool.
DubCNN: Yeah France in general has a real big West Coast fan base.
Now musically, the last thing we heard from you was the bonus tracks to TMC,
the Xtra Laps. Are you working on a new project?
Nipsey Hussle: Really, I'm on the road right now. Obviously, I never stop
writing, and I try my best but it's like we spend half the day traveling to
the city, get to the city tired out, gotta lay down, get dressed for the
show, do a soundcheck. And then you've got about 30 minutes to go on stage
so it's hard. But we're working though, I get off tour on the first of May
and I ain't going to miss the summer, ya'll going to get something by the
summertime.
DubCNN: You recently started a new situation with DJ Skee. What can
fans expect from that connection? What is it going to bring to your career
that you didn't have before?
Nipsey Hussle: I think Skee and his whole team, brand and movement are going
to bring an added machine to what we're doing. Skee has a machine going on
over at his company at the Skee Lodge. It compliments artists or companies
that have artists.
DubCNN: It allows you to stay independent too.
Nipsey Hussle: Absolutely. It just helps me take what I'm doing to the next
level without going to deal with a label. I think that was the most
important step, partnering up with somebody like Skee before we even
entertain what's going on with the majors.
DubCNN: Would you still look to sign with a major in the
future?
Nipsey Hussle: I would never sign an artist record deal in my life. But
we're going to put an album on the shelf and I would like it to go through a
machine, but I'm not going to sign as an artist, I've put too much money
into this already. It would have to be a partnership. We're working though,
my main priority is to keep the fans excited and to stay improving at what I
do.
DubCNN: Now I first got to know you and your music about 5 years
ago. When you first came in, you were being promoted as the new major label
artist coming out. Looking back now, would you say your expectations were
met as far as the music industry and your career?
Nipsey Hussle: Honestly, from day one my goal was just to be an artist in
this billion dollar industry that we call the Hip-Hop industry. Wanting to
be signed to a major label was a part of this culture and the reap the
benefit off of it and to contribute something to it. So in my mind, I've
exceeded my expectations. I've made new goals and new plans. If you know
yourself and the type of shit that you gonna do, everything is just a minor
setback for a major comeback. You just stay down and push, re-evaluate,
regroup and fade into the next plan to get to your original goal. I'm
actually happy that the situation with Epic dissolved the way it did,
because it allowed me to resituate my business structure.
DubCNN: It seems like this year, we have a lot of West Coast artists
that are getting some shine, such as Kendrick, Crooked, yourself, YG, Tyga,
Odd Future… Do you feel a different energy as far as what's going on right
now compared the past few years?
Nipsey Hussle: I think it's a good energy with what's going on with West
Coast artists because it's new breath, new excitement. For a while, we were
getting forced into certain situation and we were supposed to be excited
about it. Now, people are genuinely excited about Kendrick Lamar, YG, Tyga,
Crooked and a lot of these other artists such as Joe Moses, K-Boy. It's a
lot of them, from selling out the trunk, just starting their mixture run,
getting ready to sign a major deal and everything in between.
So it's good for everybody out there, there's a spirit and an energy in the
air, like "get on right now, it's cracking!" Your boy you just knew that was
just in the studio down the street from you might have just gotten a deal or
his song just hit the radio. This dude you were in the club with DJing, he
got the hottest record on the billboard chart right now. These young niggas
you used to see on Crenshaw and Slauson is touring overseas. Get on and do
your thang!
