REDMAN (December
2007) | Interview By: Nima Dubcnn connected with the legendary Funk Doc himself, Redman, for
an exclusive video interview while on his European tour. We talk about his latest
album "Red Gone Wild" and its reception by the public, the new Wu-Tang
album, today's Hip-Hop industry, the responsibility of the fans when it comes
to supporting good music, why Redman considers himself a "East Coast West
Coast nigga", Snoop & Tha Dogg Pound, as well as future projects.
Dubcnn: Dubcnn right here with Redman himself.
Where we at right now Red?
Shit we in Germany, Hamburg!
Dubcnn: How does it feel to be back overseas?
I love it man,
everybody knows I'm a overseas nigga as well, so it ain't no question what I do
over here!
Dubcnn: You dropped your latest album "Red Gone
Wild" this year after a long wait, how do you feel about that record looking
back at it a few months later? Anything you would change to it?
I
love it! I love Red Gone Wild. A lot of people say it reminded them of Muddy Waters
a little bit. If you look in the Source Magazine, it's still in Heavy Rotation
to this day, and it came out way back in March! I like its impact, it's still
underground music, I never changed so I'm still consistent with it. I'm very happy
with the promotion that Def Jam put on it, very very happy, it didn't go nowhere.
I'd like to thank Def Jam. Nah I ain't gonna put it like that, it was just some
miscommunication, we could have probably done better than that, but hey that's
what it is! Redman is still working, working on my new album, Muddy Waters part
2, so...
Dubcnn: What's the situation with Gilla House right
now, what can we expect coming from that camp in near future?
Gilla
House is about to be signed to Koch, we're gonna do an album over there. We got
a little situation over there, an album deal, it's gonna be a beginning to a new
crew that's doing good music. I don't want to present them as the new gang in
the industry or whatever, we just want to be those cats you can look to, Gilla
House is consistent with good music. That's Melanie, Saukrates, E-3, Mally G,
Runt Dog, Ready Roc, and me, moi, Brick City, Def Squad.
Dubcnn:
The new Wu-Tang album is dropping, have you heard it yet?
I heard
a couple of joints on there, that shit is fire! The songs were fire! As a matter
of fact I was on tour for Rock The Bells, and they played one of the songs at
the end of each show, and that shit was hard, it was crazy. They're my brothers
man, and the shit I heard was fire!
Dubcnn: Do you feel like
today's fast paced rhythm in Hip-Hop makes it harder for veterans, who are used
to following the "quality over quantity concept"?
Uhm...
absolutely! That's a good fucking question! Absolutely. Everybody says they don't
like the way the game is, or they don't like the way Hip-Hop sounds and shit.
You can't blame all the artists, you can't blame all the new artists that's coming
in! Cause you gotta understand man, all the new cats that came in like Jeezy and
Weezy and all these cats, when we were doing our thing, these were young kids!
And now that the game has changed, these cats are coming in, and yeah it's about
business and money making now, but these cats feel they doing Hip-Hop! You can't
take that away from them!
Any new cat that's in the game, as far as down
south music, anything! Everybody talking about down south is this and that, but
look you gotta think, everything evolves! If you look at it, down south music
when it came in, all that shit was from the keyboards. What did Hip-Hop start
from? Keyboards. It's just the new generation from it, it's revolving back around!
That's what I look at it as, you can't tell these cats that they ain't doing Hip-Hop
man, big ups to all the new cats that's coming in the game, that's keeping this
money generating for Hip-Hop, for us to feed our kids. I have no problem with
that.
For the fans who don't like the way Hip-Hop is sounding, you gotta
change it! You can either buy them, or go support muthafuckas that you feel is
still doing Hip-Hop! And stop fucking downloading, show some support, and then
maybe shit will change! You can't blame the new cats that's in the game now for
the way that Hip-Hop sounds. They feel as though this is what it is! They feel
they doing quality music, and the shit is getting played on the radio like a muthafucka,
so they must be doing something right! So to me, new cats you do your thing. *points
to Nima* What you're saying is, for instance, that the Hip-Hop formula that cats
used to do in the 90's they don't do anymore, as far as having subjects on the
album, concepts, album songs, instead of singles. I know exactly what you mean!
You got some cats that's still doing it, and some don't.
You fans got
the choice, either go get these people's album, or go get that one. It's the fans
too that got this music like that! Fuckin' radio stations half of the fans letting
that shit come in that you don't like, so hey, it is what it is. Big ups to everybody.
I ain't gonna sit around and complain, ya'll ain't never gonna hear me complaining
about nobody. I like to ask people how they feel about Hip-Hop to get their quotes,
and if they say it's shitty, then I tell them to get off their ass and do something
about it! Me, I ain't never complained.
Dubcnn: Which artists
are you currently feeling, both old and new?
I'm feeling everybody!
First of all, I'm a 90's cat, so I'ma still aggressively bump my EPMD, NWA Efil4zaggin,
Slick Rick, KRS One. All the new cats I bump too, I bump Weezy, I bump Jeezy,
T.I., Santana, Dipset, I get driven off them. But mostly, I be bumping a lot of
Dogg Pound man. *laughs* A lot of Dogg Pound, a lot of West Coast. If you noticed
my album was East Coast and West Coast, I'm a West Coast East Coast nigga. I love
the West Coast, the funk.
Dubcnn: I was about to ask you, you've
had a long relationship with Snoop and the Dogg Pound, how did you actually hook
up with them at first?
Well, first of all, I met Snoop after my first
album dropped and his first album dropped, that was like back in '93, '94 or some
shit. We was sitting down kicking it, and that was when he was still in the streets,
like me and him was grinding, he was getting fresh, and he told me straight up
"Everybody bumps you out here, you're like the Snoop Dogg of the East Coast
man!" That's what he told me, and ever since then we clicked, like when I
go to L.A. I go to Snoop's house, Snoop is like family. We smoke a lot or whatever,
and I appear constantly on his albums, we just trade off. I've been down with
the West, Dre, DJ Yella, all that. I love that.
Dubcnn: What
about DJ Quik?
Oh DJ Quik! DJ Quik is that nigga too! See I'm deep
into that West Coast man, CPO... and you know, don't nobody remember Threat!
Dubcnn: Of course, DJ Pooh's dude!
Yes! Yes! See I'm
back in them days! *laughs* I'm back in them days with Threat and muthafuckin'
MC Eith, WC of course. I'm back in the MC Threat days nigga!
Dubcnn:
So what's the next step for you, musically? What are you working on?
Like I said Gilla House. We're also working on a new Red & Meth album, Blackout
Part 2, we're also gonna shoot How High Part 2. My next album Muddy Waters Part
2 coming next year!
......................................................................................... Full Interview In Video For Download : Here
(Video: WMV)
Redman gave Dubcnn a Shoutout :
Here (Video: WMV) .........................................................................................
