Dubcnn: What's going on dubcnn.com, I'm here with Skeme of Inglewood.
Skeme: Just out here working enjoying myself, enjoying the blessings I've received. Out here at Paid Dues rocking. Something legendary for the cause so I'm happy to be here.
Dubcnn: So tell us about your set today, and how everything's going so far and your latest project.
Skeme: We put out Pistols in October of last year and today was reaping what we sow. We put in a lot of work with the project, a lot of groundwork as far as going out of town, performing out of town, performing here at home. Making sure we got out to every block possible and you know to walk on stage and see all the people with their hands up and actually repeating the words before I got on out there. That was definitely one of the biggest things I've ever seen in my career. There was a lot of love out there and I appreciate that, especially going into this new project.
Dubcnn: So tell us about the new project.
Skeme: Statement, we on the way. Definitely more intimate of a project than we gave you with Pistols, even though Pistols was all the way me too. I think this one is a broader project to say the least as far as production goes and content and things that we cover in this one. I hope my fans build off the last one fall in love with this one the same way they did Pistols.
Dubcnn: Talk about the progression of your career. I know you talked about rocking something as big as Paid Dues. What are some of the other milestones that stick out in your head?
Skeme: This is definitely huge for me. I told somebody earlier that last year I remember getting a flier for the event and seeing some of my partners on the flier and thinking, damn, I wish I could be on the bill. So this year for me to be able to rock was an honor. And even just the people I was on the stage with, whether it be my peers, Black Hippie, Dom Kennedy, Casey. Those are dudes I see on the regular, I'm with those dudes every other day. To be able to all move at one time for lack of a better word this west coast renaissance of artists, it's dope.
Dubcnn: So tell us about your partners, some of the guys you're fucking with like Dom and all those guys. What kind of a group are you guys like, as far as the guys you're around everyday.
Skeme: These are my partners, whether it be, these are a group of dudes I'd be rocking with even if I wasn't rapping. I like people around me like that. I gotta lot of love for Dom, Dom put me on a different pedestal when he brought me on that From Westside with Love Project. I been knowin' Casey since he's, he's 17 now, I've known him since he was 14. Actually he lives up the block from me. Kendrick, real humble, in my opinion one of the best spitters the city has, and I got love for him all day long. I gotta lot of love for my peers and the dudes I work with. You'll see 'em on my project, saw them on my last project, so they'll definitely be on the new one.
Dubcnn: Specifics wise, who are you gonna be messin' with on the beats and features?
Skeme: We're actually finished. As far as production, I think one of the bigger names, Bink, was on the Legend, Boy Wonder, producer by the name of Sleepwalker - he gave me two dope ones, the Futuristics who are dope as hell and of course my brother Roosevelt. He gave y'all Four, Keep it G, first 48, Bad, Swish on the last project. This time around we got a few new tricks out of sleeve. There's a lot of love for West Coast in general and Inglewood.
Dubcnn: So I'm gonna ask you about your movement again. What do you think is the underlying force between your movement, there's a lot of people trying to break out of the west coast and it's difficult because of the past and the stigmas and stuff so tell us about that.
Skeme: I think the world is just getting ready to a point where they're about to accept something new. It doesn't have to be rags and Dickies and houseshoes everywhere. We do have a different kind of face and there are people that have to speak that didn't do that and had a different kind of lifestyle. I think we're given a big shot to really do that in general. And just being you, I think the internet did that for a lot of artists, making it cool to do you. I don't have a standard that I have to live up to as an artist, just do you. And that's what I'm stressing to everyone that I come over, just be you. They can't help but to love that, and if they don't that's not a true fan.
Dubcnn: Words of advice, like you said you built this up from the ground up. What would you advise to someone trying to do the same thing and how'd you do it, just building up the movement?
Skeme: Me and Dom had a big conversation about this in Texas. As far as building this up from the ground, we made sure we always, for lack of a better phrase, "Everything with the homies". We really did everything with our friends and people that we really rocked with. We kept it in house, we didn't fish out big names to come help us or piggybacking. We really made our own lane. To any other artist trying to do the same thing, make your own lane, blaze your own path and do your own thing. Ride it. Cause when I found out what I wanted to be as an artist I rolled with it and it got me here.
