TAJE (PART 2)  (October 2007) | Interview By: Eddie Gurrola

       We recently caught up with Taje to discuss “Hot Box 2,” one of the hottest street albums of the year! In this feature, we break down the album track-by-track. Taje gives us his insight on every single song from the tape, discussing everything from his thoughts and feelings about each record, to his experiences in the studio recording the tracks and his process of creating concepts. Be sure to check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of a soon-to-be mixtape classic. You’ll be dying to give “Hot Box 2” another spin by the end of the feature! For those of you yet to experience Hot Box 2 - grab the exclusive download courtesy of Dubcnn today.

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 September 2007.

Questions Asked By : Eddie Gurrola

Full Interview In Video For Download : Here (Video: WMV) (Part 2: Part 1)

Full Interview In Video For Download : Here (Video: WMV) (Part 2: Part 2)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch & Read Part One of this Exclusive Feature Here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Watch The Video Interview (via the Dubcnn Brightcove Channel)
Press Play To Start Streaming Footage: Fast Connection Recommended

 

Part 2: Part 1

Part 2: Part 2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dubcnn: We’re here with Taje. We’re going to go track-by-track through his new mixtape/street album “Hot Box 2.” Let’s start with the intro.

If you look at cover, the tape [has] a story going on that involves a certain police officer. The skit kind of goes along those lines, and it's dope. We’re taking it back to the Ice Cube days, you know, when you heard them skits. You heard the people walking outside and it sounded like you were there with them. That's how these skits are, taking it back to that Sir Jinx shit. Trust me, a lot of people don't put as much work into the skits as we did. You hear everything from the atmosphere of the windows going up to the music. It’s dope, check it out! It’s real funny! Shouts out to the police! But really, fuck you - that's my true statement.


Dubcnn: I’ve always been interested to know how you guys record those skits and make everything sound so realistic…

When you hear it, it’s so short. It’s like a minute [long,] so you don’t really get to know how intricate those skits can be. You’ve got to make it sound good. If you’re walking away from something, you’ve got to make it sound like you’re [really] walking away from it. You can hear the footsteps, you can hear the atmosphere around you. [There’s] people playing, somebody getting shot, somebody getting into a fight with their wife - all of that. So it’s a real intricate thing. They’re not easy. It’s crazy how hard the simplest things are to capture. But check out the skits!


Dubcnn: Let’s talk about this track “Still Dumpin’” with Chevy Jones…

The first song on the first “Hot Box” was called “Dump A Clip On Them.” [So] this first song is called “Still Dumpin’.” I’m still shootin’, I’m still at you motherfuckers. That was produced by Diverse – the beat is just so stupid! It’s on some different…it’s not even a rap record. I mean, it is, but the sound is just in outer space. Chevy is always dropping her magic. I’ve been dropping songs with her since the beginning. Shit, me and her did my first song that ever got on the radio. It’s dope man. It’s basically [me] talking shit, making you haters hate me more.


Dubcnn: Let’s talk about “Misunderstood.” We had that one up on the site early, and it got great feedback. Dae One did that track…

Yeah, Dae One did that. The story behind that track – I was just writing what I was feeling at the time. You can listen to the hook, it’s self explanatory. “Misunderstood.”  We always get labelled as negative, but really they’re misunderstanding us. That’s basically what I wanted to get out on there. People don’t understand the things that I do, [and] they’re quick to label shit. Just don’t get it twisted - that’s what that song’s about. Before you think you know something, really research it and know it. [Also] know that most of the time, I have good intentions.

But yeah it’s getting a lot of love man! Shouts out to everybody that’s on that record. It struck a chord, people are really feeling what I’m saying. Everybody’s got to be misunderstood in their life at one point or another. That’s Nina Simone on the sample. You can’t get much more legendary than that!

Dubcnn: The next track is “Get It Gang” with Bad News and Ace.

That’s my clique, that’s my Get It Gang. We’re basically telling you motherfuckers how we do, how we get it. Shouts out to Ace, Bad News, and the whole Get It Gang. That’s just one of them “fuck you” songs that’s gonna make y’all haters keep hating us, and the real niggas are loving it. Get It Gang, you know what it is! Yeah!


Dubcnn: The next track is your single “Butterfly Effect” with Mike Anthony. This track is awesome…

That’s actually my favorite track on the CD. I’m not afraid to show my insecurities in rap. If I’m feeling a certain way about something, I’m gonna write it, and however it comes out is how it comes out.

There’s an interesting story behind that song. I wrote that song at like 7 in the morning. Me and Bishop were going through tracks, Bishop’s gonna be on the remix of that track, but we were going through tracks and he was like, “Yo man, we need to do something with this!” We had Mike there, [and] we came up with the concept. “Butterfly Effect” is basically - what would you do if you could go back in time and change something in your life, or would you change anything? Would you realize that maybe if you change something, you wouldn’t be the person that you are now? It’s basically along those lines, and I just go through a lot of issues down to my kids, or any of the other things that I’ve always thought, “What would happen if things were different?”

That’s a really deep song. That’s from the heart, you know what I mean? Mike Anthony came, blessed it, and made it sound heavenly. That’s just a real song man. You can’t frown on somebody’s heart. I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like them or whatever, but you can’t frown when somebody speaks from their heart. I do that on every song, but that song in particular, that’s one of the ones where I dug deep.


Dubcnn: The next song is “Shots Fired.” You’ve got Khalil doing the beat on there, and it’s crazy!

“Shots fired!” I mean, shit, what else can I say about it? Shouts out to Khalil. I felt blessed. The whole night I was doing that song, I just felt excited to be on a Khalil beat. It’s a monster, the beat is a monster, so I just came monstrous. I went back to [the] ’94 days when motherfuckers was just bussin’. I was just coming with it, [and] letting off some steam. I wasn’t thinking about the radio.

A lot of these people don’t know that I gets down. I don’t battle rap any more, I outgrew that shit, I’m in to writing songs and stories now, but I does get down on that mic. I can flip it with the best of them. I’m not even concerned with being the best rapper. As long as my shit is in the CD player, or as long as you’re feeling like, “Ill buy that! I like that song,” [I’m happy.] I’ll let somebody else be your favorite rapper, but just know that I does that. I can get on a track with anybody and I can flip it on some lyrical shit. That’s where I started.


Dubcnn: So this is one of those tracks that you were talking about earlier, where you wanted to show all your growth and diversity as an artist…

Yep. Like I said, just getting some shit off my chest and showing these people that just label me as a “rapper” that I’ve got some “MC” in me too!


Dubcnn: Next is “Jump Back.” You’ve got a whole bunch of people on this one, K Boy, Lil Bam, Bangloose, and Marleik…

That’s just a West West song. That’s just some Westside shit, and I’ve got all kinds of motherfuckers from the Westside [on it.] I’ve got my niggas from the Eastside - my nigga K Boy. I’ve got my nigga from Watts, Bangloose. [I’ve] got my nigga from Long Beach, Lil Bam. So that’s just a real west song man. That’s all that needs to be said about that!


Dubcnn: Next is “Houseshoes.” Check it out, he’s got the houseshoes on right now!

Yeah, see this is an every day thing! I didn’t just dress up for this interview. My shoe game is stupid though, don’t get it twisted. When I break out my shoes, it’s the business. I just like being comfortable. I’ve been doing this since ’89, this is how I like it, it’s how I gets down. The DJs kind of took off with that song, the DJs was giving it love, [and] it got on the radio. I wasn’t expecting it to be like a Grammy hit or anything like that. I just did it [because] this is how people know me - khakis and houseshoes! I do be in the club like this, I’ve been in the club like this. That’s how I get down, and the DJs liked it. Shouts out to DJ Skee, DJ Felli Fel, The Goodfellas - they played it. It’s just me man, that’s how I get down, khakis and house shoes. Shit, its self explanatory. Dae One did a monster on that beat, [and] I had to come with it. Niggas know that’s how I get down, khakis and houseshoes, [so] why not do a song about it? You like to hear it, [so] here it go!


Dubcnn: Speaking of Dae One, he did the next track “Chips” as well. Tell us about that one.

Well, it’s about chips. It’s about having money. It ain’t no secret, I’ve been in the lowest of low places. I’ve been poor, I’ve been homeless, I’ve been sleeping in the street - I’ve been through all of that. I was on my own at 16, and I’ve made certain decisions in my life that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to other people at that age but I did what I had to do at that time. You know, I came up out of that. That’s some real shit. Before rap music, I been having the nice cars, I’ve had a couple of nice cars. I’ve always kept myself up and able to do shit. That’s just because my grind in the street was so stupid, and it had nothing to do with music.

I feel like I’ve got the right to make a song about having chips because [there’s] been times when I have a big stack in my pocket [and] I’m feeling good because I hustled up all this money. I’m bearing the fruits of my labor, so I made a song about it. It ain’t on no floss shit. I ain’t even that type of rapper really. [I’m not] on every song talking about what I got. But the things that I do have, I’m proud of. I worked hard for that shit and I risked a lot of penitentiary time and a lot of bullshit. You know, it’s part of my reality. Everyone needs chips. You’ve got to stay with them, you’ve got to get them.


Dubcnn: Next is “It’s You,” produced by Dae One. We had that one up on the site early too, and people were loving it!

Again, it’s just a song I wrote from my heart. Basically the point of that song is - don’t be afraid to be yourself. It’s not about being better than this person, being better than that person, it’s just be you. If you’re the best you, then you are gonna be the best, because there’s not gonna be another person like you. That’s how I feel about myself. Again, I don’t worry about being the best, I just worry about being my best.


Dubcnn: That’s a great motto! The next track is called “Why You Trippin,” featuring TK…

Yeah, shouts out to TK. “Why You Trippin” is kind of like [a] female vs. males, males vs. females [thing.] It’s the game man, everybody has it…those relationships where you link up with somebody, [and] you be on some cool shit. You lay everything on the table, both of y’all are cool with it at the time, [then] you do the grown-up, do the damn thing, whatever, and somebody starts catchin’ feelings. What else can I say? You need [to be] clarifying the situation, rhetorically of course. It ain’t got nothing to do with me, its just a song!


Dubcnn: The next track is “Win Or Lose” with Mopreme Shakur. You’ve got Black Milk producing this one…

Shouts out to Black Milk man. He’s the man, came up under J Dilla! He’s the shit. He blessed me with a dope ass beat. This is where the tape kind of takes a turn. If you listen to the tape, starting on that song…now I’ve got people’s ears. You rap about whatever the people want to hear…then you start dropping them with that knowledge. [This is] one of the first songs on there that goes into that realm. It’s on some political shit - it’s basically talking about how the government can’t stop us.

If we put our shit together, however long it takes, the government can’t stop us. The police can’t stop us, even death can’t stop us. They said, “You might kill the revolutionary, but you won’t kill the revolution.” That’s basically what that song is. Thug Life – that’s my family. I’m one of the youngest members of Thug Life. Mopreme is the Godfather of my son, [he’s] like my brother for real. That’s what we about, that’s what Thug Life is still about. It ain’t going anywhere, we still at you punk ass police because they still fuckin’ with us. So, the fight continues. Shouts out to Mopreme, Macadoshis, Syke, Rated R, Tha Outlawz, and everybody else that’s associated.


Dubcnn: The next track is “The Truth” with Bishop Lamont, Treck Life, and DJ Rhettmatic…

If you know hip-hop, you’ll know that’s an ill combination right there. Just DJ Rhettmatic himself on the DJ, you know what I mean? That’s big right there. Trek Life - he’s a legend in the underground circuit and he does his thing. Bishop Lamont, I ain’t even got to say no more, and me. When we got together we had no choice but to spit “The Truth.” When we get those kinds of minds together, we don’t have normal conversations. We’re not talking about our chains, we’re not talking about our cars outside. We’re in here talking about some worldly issues. You would think you was on C-SPAN hearing our conversations. So, that’s what that song is. It’s the truth. Everything down from hip-hop music to, like I said, the powers that be - the government. That’s what we talk about because we’re on some changing shit for real, [and] not just this rap music. This rap music is the first step in a lot of serious things that we’re trying to do. That’s what that song is – it’s the truth. That was produced by Diverse and Dae One. It’s a monster!


Dubcnn: The next track is “Momma Taught Me That.” It’s produced by The System, which produced another song a lot of our readers are familiar with, “Keep On” with Sly Boogy, Crooked I, and Kam.

Oh yeah, they’re doing their thing man! I’ve known The System – Soulnana, King - I’ve known them dudes for a long time. They stayed in my neighborhood. We’ve been doing music and collaborating for a long time. It’s just [that] now everybody’s starting to get their buzz going. What the people don’t know is we really know each other. We really know all these people from before we was any of this. Everybody’s growing at the same time. We’ve been on corners together and things like that, you know what I’m saying? So it’s just a blessing that we’re both doing our thing.

That song is a special song. Basically, I’m telling you the things my momma taught me, and it’s also relative to what’s going on around me. This is what my momma’s telling me, but this is what the world is saying. Sometimes it’s hard to stick to what your momma told you. You get a lot of obstacles thrown in your way, so that’s what that song is about. Sometimes life makes you do things that your momma ain’t tell you to do! My momma raised me, she was there for me when my pops bounced. I’ve got much respect for the real women who take care of their kids, and that’s what my momma did. She made mistakes, but at the end of the day she was there for me.


Dubcnn: The next track is called “Way,” and it features G Money. It is produced by Dae One.

That’s another one of my favorite songs! G Money is also a Thug Life [member.] He had actually done a song with Tupac called “Young Niggaz” from the “Me Against The World” album. That’s my family, I linked up with him, and basically that song is about finding a better way, wherever you think that is. [It’s about] finding a better way to get through shit. In that song, I go through a lot of issues. I never myself have been on crack, but I’ve seen what it does to people. I’ve been on the other side of some of those issues, so I’ve seen what crack does to people. I wrote that song from their standpoint with that verse. In another verse, I talk about a man who is trying to find a job and he can’t even afford to get on the bus. He can’t afford to get those suits that you need to get jobs and the things he feels he needs to do. He starts robbing and stealing – he has kids of his own, yet he’s putting whole families on the floor, trying to get paid and feed his kids. It’s a deep son man. It’s real. Peep the lyrics. The beat is fresh though, the beat is so fresh, that’s Dae One! But listen to them lyrics man.


Dubcnn: The next track is “Bendin’ Cornaz.” Again, it’s produced by Dae One!

Yeah, I’ve known Dae One since I was like 14 man! I’ve seen him since the jump [when] we first was learning how to do beats. He’s my business partner, we have LNS Entertainment, and you’ve seen that on almost every big mixtape that’s come from the West. But “Bendin Cornaz”? That’s a song about basically when I was sitting on the bus and didn’t have shit. You see a female, [and] she didn’t want to fuck with you. She’s sitting on the bus, she’s broke too, she’s riding the same bus you’re about to ride. She’s just got on some tight pants and she’s got some nice titties. She don’t want to fuck with you. But she sees you in a Benz six months later, she sees you in whatever you’ve got, and she’s like “Wow!” She didn’t even remember that was you, and now she’s on you. That’s that type of song. Basically, now I’m bending corners. I’m not all fucked up, so keep hating! Hate me more, because now I’m bending corners. Look at the wheels!


Dubcnn: That sounds like it should be a fun track…

Yeah, it’s a beautiful track. It’s some nice shit for all my Texas ridaz and all them down there. Sip some sizurp, sip on something when you listen to that song.


Dubcnn: The next song is “Last Dragon,” and you’ve got Indef and Mykestro on there…

It’s the “Last Dragon.” A lot of people are like, “Why did you name it the last dragon?” I mean, we are the last of the greats, you know what I’m sayin’? I called it “The Last Dragon” because the characters that I have on there doing the hooks are from [the movie] “The Last Dragon.” I don’t know if you remember “The Last Dragon.” Bruce Leroy, sho nuff! “Kiss my converse.” Bruce Lee catches bullets with his teeth. That’s for them OGs. If you remember the 80s, you’ll remember that movie. But I used some characters from that movie, so I just called it “The Last Dragon.” I was like, “Fuck it, I don’t know what the name of the song is!” *Laughs*

That beat was done by King Karnav actually, and it was a monster. It’s featuring my family members. Mykestro, he’s a beast. I don’t even got to say nothing about Mykestro, they already know. He comes in just spittin’, he’s one to turn heads. Shouts out to ‘Stro. I got my nigga Indef on there, who’s also a beast. You’ll be hearing Indef on “CalTroit,” you’ll be hearing Indef a lot! He’s part of the family too, so you’ll be hearing him on a lot of the stuff that we’re doing.

*Holds up the “Hot Box 2” CD* Shameless promotion! “Hot Box,” that’s what we’re talking about. If you can get a close-up of this dude right here, (a cop on the CD cover,) fuck him! Let me show you something. I’m getting pulled over, you see. I’m still blowing my shit, [and] the devil’s trying to fuck with me. Now, this is a trunk, and you’ll see that gentleman that was trying to mess with my happiness, how he ended up. It’s nothing too major, he has some rope around his hands, some tape around his mouth, he’s pretty comfortable. But that’s the cover of the tape, you feel me? Wait ‘til I’ve got the retail ones. You’ll see the whole story on how that unfolds.


Dubcnn: You’ve got a whole booklet of photos?

Yeah, you’ll see how that unfolds!


Dubcnn: I saw another picture of you handcuffing him on Myspace…

Yeah that’s one of the stories. It’s very interesting. Fuck the police, can’t say that enough. My bad, I don’t want the feds all on Dubcnn. But you’ve got to understand, by putting me on Dubcnn, the feds are watching. Fuck all you motherfuckers by the way, and the hip-hop police too. But I love the kids.


Dubcnn: Let’s talk about the next track, “Walk On The Moon.” Tell us about that one.

That’s what I’m doing right now, I’m walking on the moon. I just blew a bag of that yes-yes-yes-sir. Basically, it’s like a journey into my state of mind. Let’s get faded. When you listen to the song, you’ll see what that is. That’s Dae One on the beat, again a monster. It’s featuring an artist by the name of Noni Spitz, who is a close friend of mine. Everybody on my CD got them spit-ems, and he’s one of them. He spits that fire. [That’s] also Chevy Jones in the background on the hook as well. It’s just a monstrous beat. The beat sounds like it’s fading. That shit is stupid man. Classic, classic.


Dubcnn: Next is “Care In The World,” produced by Diverse.

Basically, that’s a song about when you were young and still innocent, [and] you didn’t have a care in the world. [It’s for] any time when you were a kid, or anytime in your life when you were happy and didn’t have a care in the world. You weren’t thinking about the things that came into play later. It was just you, happy. Most people have those times when they’re young. You’re just oblivious to the stress around you. That’s Diverse on the monstrous beat.


Dubcnn: We’ve made it to the last track. This one is called “All Me.” You’ve got Dae One and Mike Anthony on it, and it’s produced by King Karnav.

That’s just me stating the facts. Basically that song is saying [that] wherever you put me, wherever you put my music, whenever you hear my music - it’s all me, all real, all the time. Like I said, I’m just speaking that real man! I’m talking about all kinds of stuff on that song, everything from the state of music to the murders at Virginia Tech. I just really break it down on that. It’s getting a lot of good responses too. I’m just happy that people are feeling songs that I write that they can learn from.

I always feel that I stay learning. I can learn from anybody. I can learn from a kid, [and] I can learn from a bum on the street. I just try to share that information with people, and hopefully they get something good out of it. By the looks of it, that song has gotten a lot of good feedback. When I go to the forums and I read the responses, I’ve had people say, “Hey, that song made my day!” That’s what you want to hear as an artist. When somebody says, “My day was fucked up, and I put in your song and it made my day,” there’s no higher of a compliment [for me]. The money’s good - getting the money, getting the riches on that - but really if you’re a true artist, you value somebody saying that the most!


Dubcnn: Is there anything else you want to say about this album. It is an album, we’re not gonna call it a mixtape!

Yeah it is; it’s an album like a motherfucker. It’s crazy because a lot of people that have heard that tape are now asking me about part one. Part one is basically what started all that off. “Hot Box 1,” they labeled that a classic. I named it that after people named it that. It really was a mixtape classic because at that time there wasn’t a lot of people coming with the original stuff on the mixtapes. I feel that me and my partners that did that, we’re responsible for that. We’re real important to this New West. That tape said a lot of things, it had a DVD with it [and it was made with] all my own money. This [was] all my own shit that I put into this. I didn’t have a budget from a label, I edited my own DVD. So it was a classic, more than the music. DJ Sketch did that [mixtape,] and it came out phenomenal. The music matched everything else. A lot of you motherfuckers that don’t want to say that, give me my respect or I’m gonna take it.

I just want to say thanks to all the people that’s feeling it! Good lookin’ out, it means a lot to me! I’m just trying to play my part in the game, and do what it do. I’m smoking all you bitch ass haters. You’re not gonna be able to breathe this year. Next year man, you might as well just close your eyes and just call it a wrap. Lay down! Next year, there’s gonna be so much smoke, you’re not even gonna be able to see out this motherfucker. Shouts out to DJ Warrior, Cali Untouchables. Shouts out to my Aftermath people, my whole family - everyone at Aftermath from Dre all the way down.

Shouts out to everybody at Baby Ree, shouts out to my company LNS Entertainment. You’re still gonna see that logo everywhere, ain’t nothing stopped. Shouts out to my nigga Bishop Lamont. Shouts out to Thug Life, everybody from Thug Life, my nigga Mopreme, Macadoshis, the whole fam bam. [Shouts out] to everybody man, every New West nigga that I fuck with. If I don’t fuck with you, then fuck off. That’s what’s Westin with it! Hot Box! Don’t forget, that’s what it do. Ask Busta Rhymes about it, ask Warren G about it, ask Bishop about it, ask anybody about it. They’ll tell you what it do. “Butterfly Effect” is about to hit radio stations. Call and request it wherever you can. West West man, spark one with your boy! Get It Gang nigga, don’t forget that. That’s what I’m gonna leave you with. Get it gang! Go get that shit, because I’m gonna get it. I’m definitely gonna get it, so I suggest you do the same!