RAMBO of ERRATIC PRODUCTIONS (September 2008) | Interview By: Eddie Gurrola

 Dubcnn recently sat down with Rambo, the CEO of graphic design and production company Erratic Productions.  Erratic has designed many of the mixtape covers you've been seeing recently on Dubcnn, and they also do the graphics for "The West Coast Grind" radio show. 

In this piece, you'll hear about how Rambo linked up with West Coast artists like Hot Dollar & Jay Rock, and how he got his company off the ground in a short amount of time.  This is an informative interview for those of you interested in how hard work and a constant grind can pay off.


As always we have both the transcript and the video for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: eddie@dubcnn.com
 

Interview was done in August 2008.

Questions Asked By : Eddie Gurrola
 

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Erratic Productions Sampler:
Get a taste of what Erratic Productions has to offer with a free 11-track sampler available for download right now, exclusively on Dubcnn.  Production is courtesy of Nalo, The Antidote,
Great Lake, and Dash.

Tracklist:

1. B Real - Last Day Ballin Ft. MiMi , O Brown & Klientel Prod. NALO & The Antidote
2. DUBB- Shine'N Prod. by NALO
3. BRED- Show You Prod. Great Lake
4. DUBB- Nothings Gonna Stop Me prod. by The Antidote
5. BRED- I Wont Tell ft. Shay (Dolla Figga) Prod. by DASH
6. Ab-Soul- Chillin Prod. by The Antidote
7. Jay Rock- Microphone Killaz ft. B Real & O Brown Prod. by NALO
8. Ab-Soul- Fly Away ft. Punch Prod by Dash & Nalo
9. BIAS- Ill Be Fine prod. by Great Lake
10. BRED- Every Word ft. DASH Prod. by DASH
11. Thug Luv 2008 Feat. 2 Pac , Bizzy Bone

DOWNLOAD HERE: Erratic Productions Sampler 2008 [ZIP, 54 MB]

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Dubcnn: What's up guys, we're here with Rambo, the owner of Erratic Productions. How's it going?

Everything is beautiful man, just enjoying this the Cali weather and staying focused.  Staying busy, working; same shit, new dollar!

Dubcnn: Erratic Productions encompasses a lot of different entertainment aspects, from graphics to music production and more. Tell us about how you started this company...

When I first decided to pursue a career in the music business and entertainment about 3 years ago, I really had no one to show me the basics or how to do thing.  I taught myself by trial and error.

 Dubcnn: What do you mean?

For example, on either graphics or production, I would just press buttons and do shit to see what it did.  Then I would just remember the effect or change, and eventually I would just pick up bits and pieces here and there. The idea of using the word Erratic came from that. It just fit how I was learning the production thing and my own personality too, so I ran with it.

Now it means a little more.  Now it’s more along the lines of what we provide. With me working with a few very different producers and different designers, it's kind of saying that what you can expect is ERRATIC...especially in the production side.

Two of the producers I work with are from the East Coast and 2 of them are from the West Coast, so it gives an artist a variety of styles of production to choose from. The deeper I get into the biz, the more I’ve learned. The more I learn, the more I understand, and the more I understand, the more moves I’ll be able to make. Picking up as much knowledge as possible is always a big part part of success.  So I’m taking all the notes.

Dubcnn: Erratic has done a lot of the graphics we've been seeing on mixtapes out West. What got you into graphic design in the first place?

It's funny u ask.  When I was in school I started studying for it, but I was never big into classes and didn't like going through the motions.  So I said "Fuck it! If I ever need it, Ill just teach myself how to do it."  Keep in mind I had no intentions at the time to get into this shit.  I just knew I didn't wanna study it.  Most roads don't lead in the same destination, and I might not have been here now.  I might be in some corporate shit, takin' orders and slaving my ass off, making other people money.  But you know…here I am...working my ass off making MY money. It’s a BIG difference.


Dubcnn: How did you first get into doing graphics for mixtapes and other music ventures? When did that connection happen?

To be honest, I didn't even come out here to LA with any intentions to even do graphics.  I really wanted to learn music production and get into managing artists and producing. I was already working and learning a lot from Dash & Great Lake (Producers from Indianapolis) so I figured I would represent their tracks & hit the ground running. Of course, I had no idea how fast I would have to run.  My first day in L.A. was Friday, August 25th, 2006. I was stayin' with the homie BIAS who I was introduced to through DJ Ill Will, a long time friend of mine.  B had been on his grind out here for years, so he was mad connected in the industry and what not. Somehow by that Sunday we ended up at The Game's crib for a pool party or some shit.  Keep in mind, it was my third day in LA.

I made a lot of connections and met a lot of people I fucks with to this day. The last person I met up there that night was Dude Dawg from Top Dawg Ent. We chopped it up for a second and I guess I must have said something right.  He got me a whole box of Jay Rock's "Watts Finest Vol. 2" Mixtapes, like 50 of them. He also mentioned he needed a cover done, so of course I was like, "I do graphics, I can do that shit!"  *Laughs* 

I hadn't done graphics in years, but you know, get in where you fit in. Top hit me the next day and I had my first cover done within 5 days of being in L.A. I think that pretty much set the tone for my work ethic out here and let them know I was about my business. I wasn't really trippin' on nothing.  U let people know who I was and what I could offer them, period.

I've been able to pick up skills and work with other designers who have taught me a thing or two.  Shouts out to Ill Skillz (Ill Skillz Clothing) and Induce GFX.  They definitely have helped me fine tune my work and gain a little knowledge here and there.

Some of my latest work can be seen on "Rap or Die 4," The Bloc Boyz's "Reality Check," Top Dawg Ent.'s "Do It Nigga Squad," Klasic’s "Talk Of The Town," DJ Far’s Westcoast All-Stars Series & that first ever Schoolboy Q tape too.

I also design Myspace page.  Check out Jay Rock, Hot Dollar, DJ Ill Will, DJ Rampage, & The West Coast Grind!  There's a bunch more.  Trust me, we get it in, just check out that Erratic Productions MySpace Page for most of my work.


Dubcnn: You and DJ Ill Will are close friends and business associates. Tell the people about your relationship as a team...

We’ve been cool since way before this music shit.  But as far as busines, it's real simple. I support anything he does and he supports anything I do. Period. If he doesn’t agree with something or vice versa, we advise and keep it moving. That dude is on his grind, and you already know I stay on one, so it's only right we put it together and take over this shit in our perspective lanes. I also help with the production of his mixtapes…u know…editing, movie samples, backdrops, sound effects…you know, the extra stuff…the stuff that provides the… shall we say aura, or rather the experience, of the mixtape. So when you hear those sirens, explosions, machine guns, dogs barking, females moanin' and of course that gun being cocked…you already know who it is!

Honestly though, I think what makes us so strong is the fact that we were fans before we got in this. I think that has let us have more freedom with the moves we make and how put things together. Remember that Jay Rock & Hot Dollar record, "Ball Hard?"  Who saw that comin'?

 Dubcnn: Yeah, how did that come about?

It was just a phone call away.  I was in the TDE Studio with Jay & Ill Will was with in the studio with Hot.  Ill Will called and asked me to ask Jay about doin' a record with Hot, and he was with it. So a couple hours later, the record was a wrap!

At the end of the day, through hard work and persistence, we just wanna put out good music and hopefully, somewhere along the line, people will follow suit. Focus on making good music. Nothing else matters.  That’s just where my heart is.


Dubcnn: What has been the most exciting thing you've been involved with recently?

Just being out here in Cali is a blessing man. Being able to be in this business and make the moves I’ve made in the short amount of time I’ve been here has been great too. A couple of the more exciting things I’ve been a part of lately.  The first is of course "Rap or Die 6."  As you all know, that’s Ill Will's series he started about a year or two ago and it has developed into a real heavy weight on the West Coast.  I think the goal is always the same…make it better than the last time.
And I think we’ve done that. Ill Will does a great job of choosing the right records and making the right moves to make each and every volume of this series a success.

The second project is one I did with MAD Visionz and Future Life Entertainment. The project is called "Behind The MIC," and it's basically exclusive video footage of live performances & behind the scenes footage of videos.  The next volume is going to have footage from studios, interviews and much more. But the project came out crazy! We got footage from Busta Rhymes, The Game, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Plies, Fat Joe, Nu Jerzey Devil, and many others. We also got Dubb & Jay Rock’s "Lift Me Up" on the bonus footage. We’re working on the business end to try to get mass distribution nationwide, so hopefully we’ll close that deal soon so you guys can go cop that ASAP! We’re looking to develop it as a DVD series. Look out for that and check out the Myspace Page.


Dubcnn: As someone who's pretty close with a lot of West Coast artists, what's your opinion on what's happening on the West Coast scene right now?

Well, let me start off by saying that there's too many people doing this rap shit as a job rather than a gift. I think that's an issue. And that's not just on the West Coast, that's in the rap game as a whole. I think there is some real talent out here. In the past two years, there's been a lot of West Coast artists reaching outside of Cali and making moves with cats that have names outside of the Coast. If you look at Roccett with Jeezy's CTE, Glasses & Tyga with Cash Money/Young Money, Hot Dollar with JD’s Island Def Jam and so on.  I think that's key because, in the past, the West Coast has been so West Coast that it made it less accessible. I mean, living out East, unless you were actively into hip-hop, you didn’t know nothing outside of Dre, Snoop, Pac & the Death Row stuff.

I think it's important to expand. And that's with me having observed the West Coast from the outside looking in. I’ve lived in every region of the country and I'm telling you, when you expand, you not only expand your music, you expand your money, your network, your fan base and I most importantly, you are able to leave your home turf and see what people are listening to in other regions.

Dubcnn: Where do you see Erratic Productions moving toward in the near future?

I don't believe in doing a damn thing unless you're gonna go hard. I spent the past two years really developing my graphics and learning from other designers.  I'm establishing myself and my design work through our direct market here on the West Coast. I feel real good about the progress we've made up to now and I think the graphics division will keep growing and expanding throughout and outside the West Coast.  It's inevitable.

My biggest project this year though is my production division. Like I mentioned before, I got 4 main producers -  Dash & Great Lake in the Midwest and Nalo & The Antidote out here in Los Angeles. The role I play is of an A&R.  I just try to either get 'em paid or get the tracks to a solid artist that can deliver the best final product possible. At that point, we can use the tracks to promote our own production .

We got a couple records with B-Real, Jay Rock, K Dot and the whole Top Dawg Ent., Dubb and we got a couple records with Hot Dollar & Guerilla Black. It's a slow grind but you know...I'm in it to win it.  Everything worthwhile takes time, so you have to be patient. You just got to make every step count.


Dubcnn: If people are interested in utilizing Erratic Productions, how can they get at you?

Well you already know that Myspace is in motion.  I try my best to reply to everybody. You can contact me directly on my page at (http://www.myspace.com/rambo) or hit me on my company page, (http://www.myspace.com/erraticproductions)  For graphics, production and/or studio time Just hit me at: erratic@tmail.com  Make sure you write whichever of those you're interested in on the subject line.

If you're ready to talk some business, and that means have your money right and are ready to invest in your career, hit me and I'll shoot you my direct contacts and we can get to work.


Dubcnn: Is there anything else you want to say to the fans on Dubcnn (also give some shout outs here)

Of course.  Stay supporting your local artists man, 'cause ain't nobody going nowhere unless they got support in their own backyard.

I gotta make sure I send shout outs to all the people that have helped me throughout my short time in this business, because they definitely have opened a lot of doors to cater to my success. DJ Ill Will of course, BIAS, Mr. Mic King,  Dash, Lake, Antidote, Nalo, Top Dawg, Dolla Figga, Ill Skillz, Induce GFX, DJ Vida V, MAD, Life, and pretty much anybody who I do business with, you gotta know I appreciate it.  And oh yeah!  Of course, DUBCNN & Eddie, my main man. I appreciate the opportunity to come speak with you and let you know what's going on with me and my company. Until next time, I’ll see ya on The West Coast Grind! Let's get it!