STACY HOGG  (May 2008) | Interview By:

      

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Interview was done by phone in May 2008

Questions Asked By: Chad Kiser

Stacy Hogg Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
 

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www.myspace.com/stacyaudriene
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Dubcnn: What’s up Stacy? How are you?

I’m good! Let’s get it started! What do you want to know?


Dubcnn: Well, can you walk us through how you got started in singing?

Like I had said when we talked earlier, I had started in the church, under the music direction of my mother. My first start in the industry, so to speak, was when I was in the group Emage, but the group had replaced me with another person. So when they went to New York to record the album, I stayed home, of course.


Dubcnn: So how did the transition from Emage to Dangerous Music happen?

Well Banks, along with some of the other people at Dangerous Music, had heard what happened to me and the group, and he called me up saying, “hey, why don’t you come be down with us?” Banks said he had a lot of work to do and stuff he needed singing on. That’s really how I got started with them. So through my project work with Banks, people heard me on certain songs; saw my name, and would ask me to bless their tracks.


Dubcnn: What was your first project working with Dangerous Music?

My first project was Ant Banks’ first album “Sittin’ On Somethin’ Phat”! I was on the title track. And from that album came another album and more albums after that *laughs*. I just became a part of the crew. The rest is history!


Dubcnn: Were you involved on any of the Too $hort albums?

No, but the stuff I was on with $hort was stuff that he had done with Bad N-Fluenz and some stuff he had done on Banks’ albums. So everything I did with $hort, was not necessarily on his albums, rather it was him featured on Banks’ albums. Do you remember the song “F-ckin’ Wit’ Banks”?


Dubcnn: Yeah!

There was a few. Cuz by the time Banks started doing the TWDY compilations, I had worked with quite a few people on those, including $hort. People like Slink Capone & Dr. Dre, where we did a little interlude on the “Big Thangs” album called “Cutaluff”.


Dubcnn: You had done a few things with Bad N-Fluenz, right?

Yeah! Bad N-Fluenz came up under Dangerous Music, and then turned in to Cell Block Records. I was on the song “Smoke Season” with them, and with Mr. ILL I did “3 Hills Of Sugar”.


Dubcnn: For those of us who may not know, what other songs can we find you on?

Oh, man! You’re putting me to the test now! It’s hard to remember cuz I was on so many! Let’s see, what I can remember is on Banks’ albums I was on “Packin’ A Gun”, “Pimp Style Gangstas”, “The Big Badass”, “The Drunken Fool”, “You Ain’ Knowin’”, the “Cutaluff” interlude on “Big Thangs”, and “Stragglas” on the TWDY album. I was featured on Spice-1’s “The Black Bossalini” album on the track “Fetty Chico & The Mack” with Mack 10. And then on the Bad N-Fluenz click’s “Smoke Season” single, and the “3 Hills Of Sugar” with Mr. ILL.


Dubcnn: Take me back to working with Banks and formulating songs with him in the studio. What’s it like working a producer like Ant Banks?

He’s a musical genius! I’ve had the honor to watch a track come from nothing into something. He’s really no-nonsense when he’s in production mode. Sometimes he may hear something you don’t hear and he’ll tell you to “ooooh” it like this or “ahhh” it like that. You may not think it sounds right, but when the project is finished it sounds good! He’d always say “trust me, trust me! Do this and do that!” I wouldn’t think so, but lo and behold at the end of the project it would come out so sweet. He was a musical genius to me because he would record his own self! Like he would hit record, run in the booth and do his stuff, and then come back out and hit stop. It was crazy watching him work! And I still love Banks’ production because he has that whole P-Funk funk in his tracks. And some people might say it’s old school, but old school is the best school, you know?


Dubcnn: I agree that old school ways are being lost in this new technological way of recording.

Right and we’re losing good producers like Ant Banks to the digital era. Like Banks always say, who’s going to be the next digital artist? *laughs* Who’s going to be the number one digital producer! He’s really one of the few that really puts music and real instruments into tracks, and not just some drum-programmed beats.


Dubcnn: Now, you had mentioned to me before that you were presently working with Banks. What’s the word on that?

Well, we’ve been working, but I don’t want to speak on it, simply because I don’t know what he has planned for that work. And I wouldn’t want to speak prematurely on that. But, I’m working on my project right now and I went to his studio to record. While I was there recording myself, along with my brother, he said he had a couple of things that he wanted me to do. So, we just did it, but I didn’t really ask questions about when it’s coming out or anything like that. He’ll always let me know, for sure.


Dubcnn: So Banks is doing some work on your own project?

He IS doing some work on the project that I’m currently working on, but I was just actually recording at his studio. Recording there feels like home to me. It’s a comfortable environment where the kids can play, so it’s a win-win situation.


Dubcnn: Let’s talk a bit about Rappin’ Ron & Ant Diddley Dog, the Bad N-Fluenz click.

*Laughs* That was a fun time in my life, boy! We were too wild!


Dubcnn: Tell me about working on the Bad N-Fluenz project.

That project was done under Cell Block Records, and again, at that time it was a lot of, I’ll say “street” people getting music companies, you know what I’m saying? And handling business like it was the streets, and not like it was a business. I had fun working on those projects, but it was interesting! *laughs*


Dubcnn: What are your thoughts about Rappin’ Ron & Ant Diddley Dog?

R.I.P. Rappin’ Ron! I loved him! He was a sweetheart! I really miss Rappin’ Ron. He was very humble, but he was the truth! Even $hort knows. When you talk to $hort and ask him about Rappin’ Ron, $hort will also tell you that he was the truth. Rappin’ Ron, had he not passed, he and Ant Diddley would have gone places, for sure! Ant Diddley was cool, too! He was always fun to work with, and we would always be working late hours. I think we all collectively put in a lot of hard work. They were fun to work with, and I especially liked working with Mr. ILL, too. He was crazy! (laughs) It was fun to work with all of them because we was on the come up and being real excited. Just happy to be doing what we was doing.


Dubcnn: I got a question for you, that I’ve been asking to everyone I’ve interviewed that was down with Dangerous Music & Cell Block. What happened to that follow-up album that Rappin’ Ron & Ant Diddley Dog was working on before Ron passed?

You know, the executive producer, I’m sure he has those tracks under lock and key. But I didn’t even hear a lot of that stuff because I hadn’t started to work with them on that album yet. But I’m sure that stuff is still around. The label itself pretty much went under after Ron passed. He and Diddley were THE main artists for Cell Block, and then when Ron died, it was like a no-go. That was pretty much a rough time for everybody. We were not expecting that to happen.


Dubcnn: How did his passing affect you?

It was tragic because I saw great things happening for him. At the time, I didn’t accept death like I do now. I’ve lost my mother; both my grandparents, so I’ve had time to experience that. But at that time, I had never lost anybody close, especially not somebody I had worked with. When his mom asked me to sing at his funeral, I was honored, but it was the hardest thing I ever did. To sing at his funeral was hard, man. It impacted my life to the point where I realize that life is short and that we have to live for the day; live for the moment because tomorrow is not promised. To see someone one day, and the next day they’re gone, that’s devastating. Being able to pop in a CD and hear you and that colleague together is extremely difficult. I still get teary-eyed when I listen to Bad N-Fluenz records. Rappin’ Ron was the homie!


Dubcnn: Tell me your fondest memory of working with or being around Rappin' Ron.

I remember his dedication. We we're up one night writing “Smoke Season”, and I remember Ron and Diddley staying up for hours getting there lyrics ready. It’s that kind of dedication I remember.


Dubcnn: If Rappin’ Ron were still with us, how do you think your life would be now, and where would Bad N-Fluenz have fit in with today’s era?

I don’t know how my life would be different, but for sure Ron would have made a great impact on the hip-hop community. Bad N-Fluenz would be on top, and they would have been the truth!


Dubcnn: What was your relationship to Cell Block, were you officially signed to them?

They wanted to sign me, but at that time I didn’t want to sign myself to an independent label that had rap artists featured cuz of the fact that I was R&B, and I wanted to come out R&B. So, Cell Block only had Rappin’ Ron, Ant Diddley Dog and Mr. ILL signed to the label. They had Devon, which was Mr. ILL’s brother, who was a hip-hop singer and was going to sign with them also. I was in line to sign with them, but I respectfully declined. (laughs)


Dubcnn: What happened to Davey D?

I really don’t know. I lost contact with him around ’97.


Dubcnn: Are you still in touch with Diddley?

Oh, for sure! We do still talk, and he is doing well! He does his rap thing, but he’s mostly doing his ministry work, which I applaud. When you’ve been through certain things like we’ve been through you got to tell your story, you know, to show people where God has brought you from. So, I totally understand what he’s doing.


Dubcnn: What’s the scoop on Mr. ILL?

Last I had known, he had went back to Detroit because his brother had started on an album, and then they came out here, but then went back to the east coast. I don’t have a line on Mr. ILL, but I do miss him! I hope he reads this! Mr. ILL where you at? This is Stace! Where are you? Contact me!


Dubcnn: What was your favorite song that you recorded during your time with Dangerous Music and Cell Block?

For Dangerous music I’d have to say “F-ckin’ Wit’ Banks”, which was also featured in the movie “Def Jam’s How To Be A Player”. For Cell Block I’d say “3 Hills Of Sugar” with Mr. ILL.


Dubcnn: Do you have any unreleased gems from that era that you’re holding on to?

I got a few things that I keep close. Some feel good things. I let people hear it and they say, “Oh my God! This is the bomb!”


Dubcnn: Well when I come out to Cali to visit you, I want to hear them joints!

Oh, for sure! For sure! You got that!


Dubcnn: If you could go back in time, is there anything you would change or do differently?

No. I don’t regret anything that I have done because all the misfortunes and mistakes made me the person I am today.


Dubcnn: I understand you have a book you’re working on. What’s the name of your book, and when can we expect it out?

The name of the book is,” My Testimony: From Darkness To Light”. It should be released and in bookstores by mid-June.


Dubcnn: What is the book about? Are there any surprises in store for us?

The book is an autobiography/self-help book. It is basically telling about my life as a child of an entertainer and the life lessons I learned. I also share what it was like to lose my mother to breast cancer and the healing process I went through. The most important part of the book is my testimony on how God brought me out of dark and in to light. Hopefully my testimony will help bring people to Christ.


Dubcnn: What can we expect from you in the near future after your book drops?

Well, I plan to release a documentary with the book. And who knows, maybe you’ll see me on Oprah!!