SKG (July 2005) | Interview By: Mauzip

      Dubcnn.com had the chance to hookup with Ex-Death Row Inmate SKG. The female MC is currently getting ready to release a mixtape, aswell as her "What's Really Hood" DVD. In this interviews she talks about her time on Death Row, how fake the music industry is, her upcoming projects and more. We have the audio and the transcript available. Feel free to leave feedback: rud@dubcnn.com




Huge thanks to SKG for taking time out to answer the questions fans wanted to know! (Interview was done by phone in July of 2005)

Questions Asked By : Mauzip

SKG Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

SKG Spit An Exclusive Verse For Dubcnn.com: Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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dubcnn.com: There are relatively few female artists in the rap game. What inspired you to make music? What inspired you to become an MC?

SKG: I’ve been rapping since I was younger. There weren’t a lot of females of my age rapping. I used to listen to Salt N Pepa when I was seven years old. My brother was locked up and I used to go visit him when he was in youth authority. When I turned ten he used to have raps for me cause he raps too. He’s the one that really got me started getting me into rapping. He used to have raps written for me and I go home and rehearse them and things like that. When I turned eleven I started writing on my own and from there on I’ve been rapping ever since.


dubcnn.com: You were on Death Row Records for a while. How did you get in touch with Suge Knight back in the day?

SKG: I got in touch with him through my homebody Keita Rock. He was over there with Suge and I was locked up. When I got out I went in holiday Keita Rock and he had a demo for my guy Reggie, he was over there. And then Reggie listened to it and contacted Suge while Suge was in jail. He arranged for me to meet Suge and it just took off from there.


dubcnn.com: Did you ever record an album on Death Row?

SKG: I recorded an album while I was signed to Death Row. It was called 51/50.


dubcnn.com: I read you were close with Big Hutch of Above The Law when you were both on Death Row. Did you ever work with him?

SKG: Remember that song Black Superman? I redid that song and it was called Black Superwoman. Hutch was like my mentor. Hutch would made sure I was okay. He actually started picking me up when I first was dealing with Death Row taking me to the studio. He was just looking out for me like a big brother.


dubcnn.com: When did you leave Death Row?

SKG: My contract was up last year, so I just actually set out my contract, but I basically left in 2002 when I had my daughter.


dubcnn.com: Right now you have a mixtape that’s ready to come out. What can you tell about this mixtape?

SKG: On the mixtape are like 14 songs. There’s a diss on there to this guy named Maino. Me and him got into something, so there’s a diss on there about him. There’s a diss on there about Daz. The title of the mixtape is The Real From The Fake. There’s a lot of fake people in this industry and they hold female rappers down. They don’t encourage it. So basically I’m just speaking on how I feel.


dubcnn.com: Do you have any guest features on there?

SKG: Chico from Chico & Coolwadda I put on there. That’s basically it.


dubcnn.com: What type of beats will you be rapping over?

SKG: Some beats will be original beats. I redid two of Game’s songs and then I redid a Jay-Z song. So it’s just a mixture of original beats and some of Game’s beats and some Jay-Z beats.


dubcnn.com: Who did the production for the original tracks?

SKG: I worked with a producer who I worked with on the Until The End Of Time album, his name is James and he did most of those tracks. He also just did the beat of The Original 50 Cent DVD. He worked with a lot of people. He’s actually on tour right now with Faith Evans.


dubcnn.com: You also got a DVD that’s coming out in December…

SKG: Well, we’re working on January 2006. So that’s a month later…


dubcnn.com: What’s the title of the DVD?

SKG: What’s Really Hood.


dubcnn.com: What is going to be on the DVD?

SKG: Basically it’s a DVD and it talks about how hood in the music is. Like nowadays you have every Wednesday you’re so hood and everybody is trying to be so gangster. This is showing you the real from the fake. This shows people everyday living and people ?? views on rappers in certain situations in the industry. I basically featured it out of New York and Houston, Texas. And then it combines entertainers with real gang members.


dubcnn.com: You’ve also got a six-track-LP accompanying with the DVD as well. What can you tell about that LP?

SKG: On the single it’s me and Napolean from The Outlawz and Chan from Doggy’s Angels. Then I’m huggin’ a hot 16 to see who else we can put on there for up and coming artists. And then it’s just five songs of me. It’s a real hot LP. It’s a real banger for the DVD. The DVD features Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Styles P., Jim Jones, Ice-T, Michael Confession, Minister Tony Mohammed, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, Pharell from The Neptunes, the Ying Yang Twins… there’s a lot of people on the DVD.


dubcnn.com: I also read on your message board that you’re working on a new album. How far into the process are you at this moment?

SKG: Right now I put that on hold for a minute because I wanna finish the DVD and how the LP. So after we certified that, then I’m gonna start back on the album.


dubcnn.com: What does SKG stand for?

SKG: It just stands for Suge Knight Girl.


dubcnn.com: Why did you choose that name?

SKG: I didn’t choose that name, Suge named me that.


dubcnn.com: Why did he give you that name?

SKG: He basically said I remind him of a female Suge. He and Reggie thought of the name SKG.


dubcnn.com: What is it that makes SKG different from any other female artists?

SKG: Basically, I don’t take nothing from female artists since I really respect the female artists that’s been out in the game. Especially the ones that are out in the game longer than me. Nowadays they try to be too hard, too hardcore… They do too much. They put 10’s on 2’s. They wanna pack pistols. They hold they niggas down, they too hood. Me, I’m just myself. I’m not gonna put extras on nothing. You’re either gonna accept me or you’re not gonna accept me at all. I speak on how I feel. I don’t act like I’m invincible over nothing, whether fightin’ or getting served by another female on the mic or whatever… I just be myself. Nowadays a lot of females in this industry is fake. Not even just the females, but the guys as well. So basically what separates us is I just try to be me. I don’t try to be too much more, too much less. I just do what SKG do.


dubcnn.com: How do you feel about beefs that are going on in rap nowadays?

SKG: One beef that I wasn’t too happy about was the beef of Game and 50. I thought that was real messed up cause they’re both real talented. I really don’t know the situation, but I just speak my opinion. I don’t like how 50 went to New York and blasted Game like that cause that’s 50’s hometown. He shouldn’t have put him on blast like that and disrespected him where he stay or where he grew up at and then a week later they had a beef treaty, they squashed everything. If you’re gonna blast somebody on national TV or on the radio I would everybody to hear what’s making up with them. That was just fake. As far as other beefs… Snoop had a West Coast Peace Conference or something like that… it’s not gonna stop because you have different opinions. You have different people personalities. You have different people feeling like they have to prove something and it’s not going to stop. I just think that was a waste of time because, believe it, next year somebody else will be beefing. It’s just as simple as that. And Yukmouth and Spider… Yukmouth was actually the first person that took me to a studio when I was like 12. I know Spider cause we were both label mates on Tha Row. Spider is real cool. I wish they squashed their beef cause they’re both real cool. This is gonna stop neither because now you got real niggas in the industry. Spider is a real nigga. You don’t need fake gang banging niggas that act like they’re hood, they’re this, they’re that. Spider is a real nigga and he’s not gonna let nobody step on his toes. I don’t know… I’ma pray for em…


dubcnn.com: You just said something about that Yukmouth took you to the studio when you were still a teenager. How did that go?

SKG: It was cool! I was real excited. Him and my cousin were friends and they were all starting a group and Yukmouth came from my grandmother house and took me to the studio and had me out till like 2 in the morning. My grandfather had a fit, but it was cool. I was real excited. After that I lost contact with him. I kinda didn’t keep in touch with him until recently when I started working on my DVD.


dubcnn.com: What type of music do you have in your CD changer?

SKG: 2Pac, Game and then mostly oldies.


dubcnn.com: How do you feel about the whole West Coast Summit? Do you see a role in this for yourself?

SKG: I wouldn’t take part of the West Coast Summit because everybody has a hidden agenda. Just because Snoop called a West Coast Summit… Snoop’s still in the news. I understand why he’s doing that. It’s a positive thing, but you never know the next person with a hidden agenda. Just because you call a summit do not mean everybody’s gonna get along. You still have beef out there. I don’t like Daz and I don’t like Sylk E. Fine and a West Coast Summit isn’t gonna make me think otherwise. It’s gonna be fake to me. If we didn’t get along before, we’re supposed to come to peace now? No, it’s not gonna happen like that. I’m not with the summit. Period. People are still gonna beef with each other and people still bring their street shit into the music industry. How 50 and Ja Rule had beef on the streets, they are still in the music industry. Next year somebody else will be beefing with somebody else. I’m not with all that. Three of my uncles got killed by their best friends, so my trust in people is very limited.


dubcnn.com: I had a question about Kurupt. Do you know if he’s still on Death Row and what his situation is right now?

SKG: I really don’t know, but I did read in an interview that he said Suge gave him his blessings to go back to Snoop and Daz to do the DPG thing again. That’s basically all I know.


dubcnn.com: Do you have any other projects coming up or is there anything else we should know?

SKG: Basically I’m just on the LP, the DVD and mixtape and I have a calendar coming in January 2006. Then I start working back on my album.


dubcnn.com: Do you have any last words?

SKG: People in this industry are real fake. 95% of this industry is fake and it’s really a damn shame. I respect Caz and Spider for keeping it gangster because these niggas is fake. They don’t embrace female rappers, they don’t embrace other rappers. These niggas need a real wake up call. They really don’t understand it until somebody in the game gets killed and nobody wanna come together. It seems like they don’t do nothing beforehand. They have summits and things like that, but it don’t matter because they go back to their old ways. If they was real they would embrace other female rappers and trying to be the best in the game instead of being fake and trying to hold some down.