THE LADY OF RAGE (February 2007) | Interview By: Nima

       Dubcnn finally managed to track down a female MC that the game has been missing for some time now. The Lady Of Rage took time to talk to us in this exclusive, in-depth interview which covers an array of issues that have long gone unanswered. We discuss the path that led her to Death Row, meeting with and working with Dr. Dre, we find out details of tracks that never surfaced and talk about the albums she was and wasn't on. We get the facts on the delay for her debut, what led her to leave the game and then re-emerge as well as discussing her mixtape and upcoming albums. Dubcnn also gets Rage's stories from the Death Row days, including Daz wrestling, and so much more.

As always we have the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: nima@dubcnn.com



Interview was done by phone in February 2007


Questions Asked By : Nima


The Lady Of Rage Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here (Audio)

Full Lady Of Rage Interview : Here

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

Dubcnn: Dubcnn hooked up with the legendary lyricist The Lady Of Rage, to talk about the past, the present and the future. First of all, how are you doing Rage?

I'm cool! Not much going on right now, but other than that, I'm alive, all is well! How about yourself?


Dubcnn: I'm good! Glad to be talking to you, cause we've been looking to hook up with you for a while! The people on our message boards wanted to let you know that even though we haven't seen too much music from you in the last years, you still have a strong base supporting you and keeping you alive.

Well I appreciate that! I do, I do! So I'm about to give them what they want, I'm working on my album as we speak, and hopefully it should be out soon, maybe this summer or fall.


Dubcnn: I want to go way back in time with you for a minute. You're from Virginia, what was your path until hooking up with Death Row?

Before I hooked up with Death Row, I was chasing my dreams; I was living in New York... Well first when I left Virginia, I went to Texas and I went to Arkansas, then I went to New York, because the saying was that "If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere." So that's where I wanted to go, I hooked up with a couple of people, and finally, I hooked up with the L.A. Posse, and they did production on LL Cool J's album, and they were doing an album called I think "They Come In All Colors".

When they came back to California, they let Dre hear it, Dre heard me, liked me, asked them how to get in touch with me, and that was that! I don't know if he called me first or Suge called me. Somebody called me, but eventually it was "I'm Dr. Dre, I'm getting a new record label together, I wanna know if you wanna be down." I was like "How do I know you're Dr. Dre?" He was like "There's only one way to find out!" And he sent me a ticket! *laughs* Yup! And I was working with Chubb Rock, Chubb Rock was finishing his album "The One", and he took an interest in me, he wanted to work with me. So he helped me in my decision on coming out here to see what Dre and Suge was talking about.


Dubcnn: What was your feeling, when you hooked up with the label in the early 90's?

It never really hit me. It was just like, it's all part of a plan. I'm just rolling with the plan, whatever happens happens. That's how I looked at it. It never hit me like "Wow, I'm working with Dr. Dre, wow! I'm about to have a record out!" None of it ever really hit me.


Dubcnn: So when you hooked up with Death Row, your album was supposed to come after The Chronic. I believe you had a solo album ready called "Eargasm", is that correct?

Yes, it was gonna be called "Eargasm".


Dubcnn: What happened there?

Snoop's popularity. They went with Snoop. I don't know if this was how it was supposed to go initially or not, but I know when I came, they told me they were gonna do Dre's album, and my album was gonna be next. After "The Chronic" came out, Snoop blew up, so they was like "Snoop's album is gonna be next, and your album is gonna be after his." It just kept getting pushed back, and I don't know what the reasoning was behind that. But that's how it was. I don't know if it was a female thing, a ego thing, or what, but it just didn't happen when it should have happened.


Dubcnn: Some of the names of songs that were supposed to be on the album had come out I think. There was supposed to be a song called "Rolling On The River"?

Yeah! It was kind of like a sexual song, how I see this guy, and he just fits the bill of everything that I wanted, his physical appearance, and I just imagine me and him in a sexual way. I was gonna call it "Rolling On The River".


Dubcnn: What about "Introduction To The Eargasm"?

I don't know remember that one.


Dubcnn: How about "Ride On The Eargasm"?

I don't have a clue!


Dubcnn: "Late In The Midnight Hour"?

"Late In The Midnight Hour" was about masturbation!


Dubcnn: These are songs that people on the forum asked me to ask you about, so...

"Butter Scotch", did anybody ask you about that?


Dubcnn: Nah..

"Butter Scotch" was gonna be about oral sex, and uhh... yeah! So before Lil Kim and all that... But mine wasn't as explicit. It was gonna be in good taste.


Dubcnn: Tell us about the song "It's On", which you had with Snoop!

It's On?


Dubcnn: Yeah, from like '92.

I think that was a remix for "Deep Cover".


Dubcnn: Yeah I think it was supposed to be on the "Deep Cover" soundtrack.

Yeah I don't know what happened with that... but it was a cool song! A lot of songs that we did, was just us at the studio, high, the beat is banging, okay, let's do what we do! Dr. Dre was basically the overseer, and if he didn't feel that it had the potential to do big things, then it didn't make it! But you know, it sounded good to me, it sounded good to Snoop! Maybe he just didn't feel it cut it at the time..


Dubcnn: So when is the last time you heard the song?

Shit... when I did it?


Dubcnn: I think I might have it right here, let me see. *plays "It's On"*

Wooooooow! I gotta get that! Wooow! Okay!! It's on!! *raps along* Yeah! That was a while ago...


Dubcnn: There was also a rumor about a track called "Blunt Time" which later was released as a RBX song?

Shoot... I don't have a clue! It's so much stuff that I've done, and have forgotten about. Or the name may have been changed or something like that. But if I hear it, then I'm like "Oh, that! oh, shit! What happened with that?" But "Blunt Time" you said?


Dubcnn: Yeah it was later released as a RBX song on the "Aftermath Compilation" that came out.

I don't recall that one.


Dubcnn: It's all good! How come you didn't appear on the "Murder Was The Case" soundtrack?

I don't know! Maybe I wasn't around when it got finished up, I may have been in Virginia or something like that. But I don't know why I wasn't on it! But it was ok, it didn't really matter to me.


Dubcnn: How come yours and Inspectah Decks verses were taken off "I Got My Mind Made Up", the Pac song? Daz said in a Source magazine that that song had a verse from you and Inspectah Deck, and they had to cut you off cause it was too long.

From what I can recall, it was a Dogg Pound song, and when 2Pac heard it, I guess he wanted to be on it, and they may have taken me off so he can be on it. But I never knew about Inspectah Deck, I thought it was Method Man.


Dubcnn: Method Man and Redman were on there too, but there was another Inspectah Deck verse that got cut off.

I really don't know, you have to have gotten it from the horses mouth. Stuff like that didn't bother me...


Dubcnn: Who influenced you in term of lyrics?

Rakim.


Dubcnn: Were there any female MC's that you looked up to?

Not at all.


Dubcnn: Not at all?

Not at all. Because at that time, I felt that the female rappers that were out besides MC Lyte, and I think I was rhyming before Lyte... Before I even heard of Lyte, it was Salt-N-Pepa and Roxanne Shanté, and I just felt that I was so lyrical, that I'm not even competing with ya'll. You're no threat to me at all, my competition is with the guys! So, I didn't look to girls for inspiration or influence or nothing like that. Rakim was the one that was blowing my mind, and I was like "If I wanna be like somebody, if I wanna mould after a MC, Rakim would be the one."

Cause he just said stuff.. like "Oh my gosh! I can't believe he said that!" Or "Did you see the way he put that? The way he said it? That's how I want it to be!" Me being a female, I just wanted to blow guys minds anyway! You're already gonna underestimate me, you're already gonna think I'm weak when I step into the circle, you already got me summed up, but wait till I open my mouth, I'm finna blow you back! That was my influence, Rakim.


Dubcnn: How much damage did you cause at the Death Row offices when you threw a fit in '98?

*laughs* I don't know! I left! I think I broke a phone, cracked a desk or something like that. I was just mad! I was insulted! Suge was locked up, and the whole program just got changed! I'm coming up to the office, I'm there to pick up a check or something, and he's trying to tell me I gotta call first? I gotta schedule... I gotta what?! I mean I haven't sold as many records as Snoop and Dre and all these other muthafuckas, but you got us fucked up! Why do I need an appointment? Why do I... Oh... well... Fuck ya'll then! That's how I felt! That's how I felt about the people running it then.

Like "I don't believe this shit, if Suge was out, it's no way that I would need an appointment to come to Death Row Records! It's not way that I have to let you know!" So I said, okay, I'ma give them a reason to not let me in here! It was a pipe or something laying around, I just got to wailing on some shit! That was it! It was just like a slap in the face! Me re-living it right now is making me angry! The audacity, the nerve! Fuck ya'll is how I felt! Bitch, ughh.. Let's move on to the next question, cause this shit is making me mad just even thinking about it!!


Dubcnn: Alright! How do you view the Necessary Roughness, looking back at it years later?

Production wise, it wasn't all the producers that I may have wanted. I got Premier and I got Easy Mo Bee, and there were a couple of other producers I wanted, but I didn't get to work with all the producers that I wanted, like Jermaine Dupri, Puffy, Timbaland. But lyrically, I feel that it was on point. I feel like if it could be redone today, it would still make noise. If I could get the producers to remix all those songs, it would really make a impact, because lyrically I feel that it was a work of art.


Dubcnn: Who did the production on your first record, "Eargasm"?

I never did "Eargasm"!


Dubcnn: Oh it was never done, just a few songs?

Never! It was never done! That was Dre's whole project! He came up with the title and everything, he had the concept and his vision of that. Once he left, all that left with him.


Dubcnn: Based on how long it took to drop your album, do you ever regret heading out to Cali?

No I don't regret it!


Dubcnn: Do you still maintain a relationship with Suge Knight?

I mean I don't maintain any direct contact with him, I might see him at a club, or an event, we speak when we see each other. I don't have any ill feelings towards him!


Dubcnn: What about Dr. Dre? Any chances of seeing you on Detox?

I would hope so! But it would take him to get in touch with me to do that, because I don't have no connections on how to get in touch with him. So, I would love that! Who wouldn't? *laughs*


Dubcnn: You were missed on Chronic 2001!

Well he asked me to be on 2001! I agreed, and he told me to come to the studio and get the track, I came there, he didn't have the track the day I came, and he told me to come back the next day. I came back, he still didn't have the track, so I just didn't come to the studio, I started calling to find out if the track was available. I felt I was getting the run-around, like "Oh the track is not ready, the track is not ready." So I finally told Larry like "Look, I know when I'm getting the run-around, you tell Dre to call me when he's ready for me." I just didn't understand it, because he asked me to be on there! So it wasn't like I was like "Oh Dre please let me be on it!" He asked me to be on it, and I said yeah!

But then I kept getting put off, so I finally stopped calling about it. If I feel some way about something, I'm eventually just gonna leave it alone. Later on, I found out, I don't know how true it is, but I found out that Dre just didn't wanna deal with any problems because I was still signed to Death Row, and he didn't want any problems. I was like "You could have told me that! I could've understood that! I could respect that better than "Oh the track's not done! Call back, call back!" So that was my last dealings with Dre. But like I said, I don't have any ill feelings towards anybody, those guys, Dre and Suge, they put me in the position to be talking to you right now, they put me in the position to do a lot of things, and even though things didn't turn out the way I wanted, it still created something for me. I'm grateful for it, despite the outcome.


Dubcnn: Sorry for going back in time again, but do you remember the track "Puffin' On Blunts and Sippin' On Tanqueray"?

I surely do!


Dubcnn: That was one of the craziest tracks.

Yeah! I surely do! You know, when I heard the beats, I never liked any of the beats. Soon as I walk in the studio, "I don't like that!" I was the grumpy one of the bunch! But when I heard that one, I was like "Oh my gosh, I like it!" The blunts were puffin, the tanqueray was pourin', thus the title! We did our thing! It was dope! I think when The Source had "Hip Hop Quotables", I got that for that rhyme. I got it for something else too, I got it twice.


Dubcnn: You and Kurupt killed that shit, did you and Kurupt ever battle?

No... We never battled. *laughs*


Dubcnn: That would have been crazy.

Yeah it probably would have been. I would have to have been real high! Cause that's when I liked to freestyle, when I was high. But I don't even smoke too much now, so I don't even freestyle too much. I will, but I don't really don't do it as much as I used to.


Dubcnn: How come the only thing we've seen from you in recent years were that mixtape you released and a few features here and there?

Because I basically lost the love for it after 2Pac got killed and Biggie got killed, and people started getting killed in the rap game, it just took the fun and the love that I had for it. I was disgusted, didn't even wanna be a part of it. But then, you know, how when you're in a relationship, and ya'll break up, but you still got love for that person, and you might see him like "Oh he still look good. Mh." You start thinking like "I wonder what it would be like if I got back with him."

So that's how it was with the game, I broke up with it, and then I started hearing shit... like DMX. DMX made me really wanna get back in it, cause the passion that he had on his first and second album, it really kind of ignited a flame in me. And then, Jay-Z did the same thing, so those two guys were kinda influential in my re-emergence.


Dubcnn: You just said that 2Pac and Biggie getting killed kind of turned you off from Hip-Hop. Was it hard to stay away from the "Gangsta" lifestyle that surrounded Death Row Records?

Well with me, I only did what I had to do, I didn't hang around too much, I'm not the type that needs to be around a crowd, or that needs to be in the middle of things. I did what I had to do and I left. So I wasn't around on none of that shit. A lot of shit people would tell me, I'd be like "Really? Did that happen? I didn't know nothing about that!" So, it really wasn't hard for me at all. It's never hard for me to do nothing, because I'm my own person, so I'm not conform to other peoples ways, because I never fell into it.


Dubcnn: You had a banging track called "Unfukwitable" on the Doggystyle Allstars CD, tell us about that song.

Premier did that! I went out to New York, and it originally was for Loud Records, I'm not really sure what it was for, but Snoop heard it and he wanted it. So he figured it out with Loud Records, I don't know if he had to pay them or whatever... But anyway he ended up getting the track and that was that! I know my girl Nikki D came while I was doing it, and it was cool! I did it, I liked it. I like samples a lot, and I like to be a part in the production and so on, and I picked that, and Premier was like "Nah, I don't like that!" But he just kept adding on to it, and I was like "I like it, I like it!" So he just did it, and I think he still doesn't like it to this day! But a lot of people like it, he was like "Damn a lot of muthafuckas really like Unfukwitable!" Just like I didn't like "Afro Puffs"!


Dubcnn: You didn't like it?!

No!


Dubcnn: What?

No, I did not! I felt that that song was gonna ruin my career!


Dubcnn: Why is that?

I just didn't like it! The track, all of that. It was like a West Coast sound, and most of the tracks that I like are East Coast, like I said I like samples, so that's a East Coast thing. West Coast is more original music, and I just felt that this is not the first song that people need to hear me on.


Dubcnn: Don't tell me you didn't like the "G-Funk Intro" on Snoop's album!

Look. It's a lot of things I didn't like, but because of Dre being the producer that he is... That's another thing I like, I like working with producers that know what they're doing, I just follow the direction. I like that. I might put up a fight a bit, but that's what a producer does, he knows! So Dre would just say "Will you just shut up and do it? Just do it! Just do it!" And I'd be like "Alright, alright, I'll do it." So that's what I did! That's what I did with "Afro Puffs", that's what I did with "G-Funk Intro". That wasn't my style of music, but he saw the direction, I didn't see it.


Dubcnn: Those songs were dope as hell though!

Well, yeah! That's another reason I'm talking to you, because of that! *laughs*


Dubcnn: Another favorite was your feature on "Tha Last Meal" on "Set It Off". You really needed to drop an album at that time!

I really needed to drop an album a lot of times! But I don't know... "Set It Off", Timbaland did that! We was in New York once again. The funny thing is, I had just talked to Timbaland, and when I'm doing my vocals, I don't like anybody in the room with me. Everybody usually has to leave the room. So I was telling Timbaland, I was like "Yeah I don't like anybody in the room when I'm in doing my vocals." He was like "Yeah Missy is the same way! If she didn't need the engineer then she wouldn't want the engineer in there!" So I was like "Yeah that's exactly how I am!" So when I do my vocals, I like to hit the joint, go in, and once I hit the joint, it's on! I don't want no interruption!

So I hit the joint, and it's time, I'm going in there doing my vocals. All of a sudden, Missy and Mary J. Blige walk in, and I'm like "Oh my gosh!" My vibe just got ruined! I was like "Oh my gosh!" I started having an anxiety attack! I didn't come out the booth... They was like "Hey Rage, wassup?" I was like "Hi, Hi!" But it just fucked my vibe up so much, not that it was them, but it was just my process of doing shit. I don't like no interruptions. I wanna see Missy, and I wanna see Mary, cause I wanna know if they thought that I was being on some type of shit cause I didn't come out, but I was having an anxiety attack!

That might seem strange, but I was just so amped and ready to do my thing, I had already went through it one time, and I was like "Yeah I'm finna nail this shit." Then they came in, and I got to sweating, I got to hyperventilating.. That might seem weird, but MC's got their process on how they do things... I want to see them to tell them I didn't mean nothing by that, I hope they didn't take it the wrong way or anything like that. I've seen Missy a couple of times since then, but I never just grabbed and brought the incident back up. So, yeah, after they left, I did it, and that's one of my favorite verses on anything I've ever done!


Dubcnn: Most of your tracks have a battle style, did you ever try to branch out into other styles?

Oh yeah, that's on my new shit! By the way, the name of my new album is "Verbal Abuse", so I have the softer side of Rage.


Dubcnn: We're about to get to the new album too!

*laughs*


Dubcnn: How do you feel about being one of the only female MC's not to yourself out in raps? What do you think on how woman can make a mark in vocal arts without being hoes?

I guess just sticking to their gun. Just don't feel the pressure. I'm pretty sure it may be a hard thing not to feel the pressure, because I had noticed that Shawnna, when she first came out, she was saying how the record company wanted her to dress a certain way, and she didn't wanna do that, she was a tomboy, and she felt like she could be sexy the way she was already. I was like "Yeah, good for her!" Now this year, I saw her in a couple of ads, she was dressed a little more provocative, and I was like "Damn! They got her!" Not saying that there's something wrong with it, but I felt that maybe they pressured her to the point that maybe she did something that she didn't wanna do.

Now I don't know if that's the case or not, but just from the article that I read when her first album dropped and she was like they want her to dress a certain way and be a certain way, and she didn't wanna do that, as opposed to how I saw her this year, she was dressed a little differently. I feel like it shouldn't have to be that way. "Just because you're a female MC, the only way that we think you're gonna sell is if you're selling sex." Why can't it be that we're just good artists? You don't see guys walking around with their pants off in their boxers and shit.. Why does it have to be that way for females?

If I don't have a fat ass, or 40 double D's, I can't get a deal? If I'm not 150 pounds, or if I'm not looking like Beyonce or whoever they think the hot chick is, I can't get a deal? Can't you just base your shit on me because of my talent? You can't judge me for my talent? I gotta be selling something? So I just feel that it's a twist for female MC's, specially the talented ones. It's some that I wonder how did they get a deal. I just wonder.


Dubcnn: I was going to ask you who you're feeling right now as far as female MC's.

Shawnna of course, Missy, Lil Kim, Da Brat, even though some of these haven't been out in a while, these are some of the artists that I like. Remy Martin... That's basically it! Ms. Jade! It's probably a few I just can't think of them right now.


Dubcnn: Snoop told me you're signed to Boss Lady Entertainment? Tell us about that.

Yeah, Boss Lady Ent, Shante Broadus is the CEO, and she manages me. Right now, we're just shopping my album in hopes of getting a deal real soon. We're just planning on doing big things this year! That's basically it! She has a clothing line Coco Ree that's coming out, and I think that's about it.


Dubcnn: Which producers have you been working with?

I've been working with some unknown producers, and..


Dubcnn: Shoot the names, give them some promo!

Let me see.. some of them I don't remember cause some of them are people that send Snoop stuff, and then he lets me get some of them beats, and then he can't remember who it is! So if he can't remember, I know I don't! All I know is Fredwreck, Megahertz, Premier of course, Pete Rock is supposed to be sending me some stuff, and that's it. Oh, oh! Mel-Man! Mel-Man! And EP The Pope.


Dubcnn: What's Mel-Man been up to? He kind of disappeared after 2001.

Well, I don't know where he disappeared to, but I know he's brewing, and I know he got some shit that's right up my alley. He makes the type of tracks that I like. And the one that I'm telling you about, "Worldwide", he did that.


Dubcnn: So how is the music sounding so far?

It sounds good to me, and everybody that hears it, it sounds good to them! And I don't think they're the type of people that would just say "It sounds good" just because... Now some of the production, I don't like, once again, but I'm only working with I have. These are the producers that I wanna work with: Just Blaze, Timbaland of course, Clark Kent, Rick Rock. Oh and uhm, what's the guy.. from Virginia.. shoot! He did Snoop's "That's That"!


Dubcnn: Oh you mean Nottz!

Yeah, Nottz! I was getting ready to say Darryl, but that's his manager. Yeah Nottz! And Alchemist. So yeah I got some people. But I'm just so picky, some of the stuff they send me, I don't like, so they have to send me other stuff.


Dubcnn: So make that happen, get all the music together!

Well I'm pretty sure you may be impressed with what you hear when you do hear it.


Dubcnn: Hopefully! I mean you said we're going to see a softer side of Rage, but are we going to say the rage side of Rage too?

Oh Puh-leaze!! Are you crazy? Please! Yes, yes! Yes you will. I have a song called "Singin' My Song" that I did with Latoya Williams, that song is so beautiful. This guy named Frank Duke and Domingo, from New York, they did that. Then I got "Take Me As I Am", that's kind of like a song about self love, I feel it's a good time for that, with everybody trippin' off how skinny or big you are, what you look like, and it's like "Here I am, take me, just shut the fuck up and miss me with all that shit. Take it or leave it." A lot of people like that song also. It's pretty cool, I have a song called "No Fury", which is like a murder love triangle type of thing, you're going to like it. I was hoping to get Kelis for that, but I have no connection for her. But it's a real dope song. The rest is braggadocios, lyrical murderer type stuff, I think you will like it!


Dubcnn: What features can we expect on your album?

Maybe none! Right now, Gail Gotti and Kurupt, Butch Cassidy... Maybe just the in-house people, you know, Kurupt, Daz, Snoop, Nate, stuff like that. If not, it will probably be all me. Maybe no collabos. It's no telling. I've been meaning to do something with Da Brat for the longest. I would like to do something with Missy, Shawnna, Remy, Fox, Kim, all of them. I got two homegirls out here, Killa Chloe, and Diamond, so maybe those girls, and any other female artist.


Dubcnn: What about Diamonique?

WHAT?!?! YES!! I FORGOT!! I did something with Diamonique! Listen to how I got excited! *laughs* Yeah! Diamonique is dope, we did something together on my mixtape. Diamonique is NICE! And, not knowing if this is relevant or not, but I was shocked when I saw her in person, and she was Hispanic! I was like "That's you?" Looking like Chino XL to me! That's what I told her! I think she had a wife beater with two long pony tales! So yeah, she's nice, real nice!


Dubcnn: What do you think of the Hip-Hop is Dead idea that's circling around?

I think when they say "Hip-Hop Is Dead", maybe they're talking about it's really no lyrics right now... It's all about throwing some d's on it, or snapping your fingers and all of that. But that's all Hip-Hop too! Hip-Hop gave birth to all of that, so it can't be dead! It's just another form! It's all entertainment. Somebody likes that shit. I don't think Hip-Hop is dead, maybe lyrics are on the low right now, because it's other stuff that's selling. It's all gonna come full circle and everybody is gonna have their time. Right now everybody's snapping their fingers and throwing d's and pimping.

That's gonna be out the window in a minute, then it's gonna be back to lyrics and then that's gonna be out the window and it's gonna be something else, it always is! It's gonna keep going around in a circle. I think a lot of people are... I don't know if they're mad or what that the south is doing their thing, and they're running it! They're dominating right now! I think it might be a hard pill for some MC's to swallow, like "Those guys? You think those guys are better than me?" It's not whether they better than you or not, but they selling more than you right now! That's how it is! Business, it's not personal! Don't take it personal! It's all about the money! So it's not dead, this is just another child of Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop just had a little baby, here it is, it's gonna grow into something else, and Hip-Hop will have more babies, and they're all gonna branch off into different avenues. That's how I look at it!


Dubcnn: So what are you listening to right now?

Obie Trice, The Game, Snoop Dogg, Take 6, Aretha Franklin and that's basically what I've been listening to the last weeks. And my stuff!


Dubcnn: What's some of your favorite Dogg Pound posse cuts that ya'll did over the years?

"Do What I Feel"... "Blunts & Tanqueray"... "Lyrical Gangbang" and "Stranded On Deathrow".


Dubcnn: Do you have any special memories of studio sessions you'd like to tell us?

Well my most memorable thing right now is me and Snoop walking to the studio from L.A. to Hollywood, and just how bad we wanted it! We walking all the way from here to there, just to get what we want, that's how dedicated we were. And me and Daz wrestling, and them putting up with my attitude, me being grumpy about everything... It was like a brother sister thing, literally. It was a good thing, and I have song called "The Way We Were" also, just about Death Row in the beginning and the end, if we could just go back to the way we were, and just somehow mend everything, it would just be a good thing... The whole Death Row thing it was a learning experience, it had its high times and it had its low times. I just wish that things didn't happen the way they did, and people didn't loose their life, and it just could've been a powerful dynasty. But all dynasties end up gone, so... But I've got memories! I've got memories that I will share, won't share...


Dubcnn: Wait, you said you and Daz used to wrestle?

Yeah!


Dubcnn: *laughs*

Yeah! Cause I'm so physical! I just like to wrestle, I grab people.. I'd grab Kurupt from behind, like "Get out of it! Get out of it!" Just so he could tussle with me, wanna slapbox and do stuff like that, cause I was such a tomboy. I remember one time we was wrestling, and I just got him, rolled him up, and he could not get out! He was mad about that for a while, cause I guess you know, I'm a girl... But I'm a strong girl! He's strong too, I guess I just got him in the element of surprise and he couldn't get out of it.. *laughs* We had some good times! I remember Daz used to come to my house almost every morning with a problem and a bottle of Hennessey. At 9am! Like "Why are you drinking this Hennessey?! Is it that bad?!" He was just uptight, I was protective of him, Daz.. and Snoop.. and Dre!

I remember when Dre introduced me to his wife, she wasn't his wife at the time, but they were going through some problems, and they had broke up and he was like saying stuff about her, and I was like "Yeah, forget her! Forget her, you don't need her no way!" I thought he was going to get back with Michel'le! That's who I wanted him to be with! *laughs* And he was like "Yeah Rage, I want you to meet my girl." I never even looked back at her, I was like "I don't wanna meet her!" And he was like "Oh you trippin'!" "Nah, you trippin!" Because just a couple of weeks ago you was telling me all this stuff about what she did and now... If you have a brother or a sister and you feel that somebody did something to him, you don't like them! And I didn't wanna meet her, I didn't wanna say nothing to her! I might have been wrong for that, he's happy now, and that's how it is! That's a good thing. I got love for all of them.


Dubcnn: Before we end this off, I wanna get a few words on your movies. How is that going?

Well right now I'm just going on auditions... I just got back to it, I just signed with a talent agency, like two weeks ago. I feel like everything happens in time, and I can't give up, I can't stop right now, if I really want it. The movies, the music, all of that, will come in place if that's how it's supposed to be.


Dubcnn: How did you get the role as Coretta on Steve Harvey?

The agency that casted me for "Ride", they called in and said that they were looking for this girl for the Steve Harvey show, go down to he place and audition. Me, when I go to auditions, most of the time, you just have to read in front of the people and nobody interacts with you. I asked the lady if she would stand up and read with me, so she was reading Romeo's part, she read it, and this wasn't in the script, but he was supposed to pick me up at a certain time, so I said "Yeah, I'll see you at 7 o'clock." He was like "Alright then." And I slapped her on the behind and I was like "Yeah, that's how I like it!" or something like that, and they liked that!

It seem like every time I go on a audition, I always add a little something, and that's what I think usually gets it for me. They liked the fact that I slapped her on her butt. But I was slapping her with Romeo in mind, not slapping her because I wanted to get with her or anything! The same thing with "Ride" I just did stuff that unscripted! Matter of fact, "Ride" was the first role that I ever got, and I saw Yo-Yo, I saw Miguel Nunez, I saw Tatiana Ali, I saw all these established actors and actresses, and I was like "It's no way I'm finna get this!"

So I'm sitting out there, they call me in, they was like "You ready?" I was like "Yeah I'm ready." So I came in, I turned around to the door, as if I was coming in, I slammed the door, and I was like "Peaches in the muthafuckin' house! The role is mine, and ya'll ain't got to look no fuckin' further!" I was just all in they face like I was trying to punk them or something. "Now what?!" And they just backed up and clapped their hands! I was like "Woow!" They was like "Yeah, that was amazing!" Sometimes I feel like I just gotta do something different! Then they called me and told me I got it!


Dubcnn: Do you ever grow tired of playing the "tough girl" character?

Yes, yes, yes, yes! That's not what I wanna do! But if that's what I'm getting right now, I'll take some, I'll turn some down. But yeah I don't want to get typecast into that, because that's really not acting for me. I wanna do drama, crying and stuff like that. I really wanna show my range, because that's I wanted to do before rapping! I wanted to be an actress, before I was even rapping, third grade I wanted to be an actress! So, that's what I really wanna do. The tough girl thing, I don't want to get stuck in that.


Dubcnn: Okay Rage, I think we've pretty much covered everything, is there anything else you'd like to let everybody know?

Well, just lookout for verbal abuse coming this year, lookout for the Coco Ree clothing line, Boss Lady Ent. That's it, that's all! Anybody wanna get at Rage, get at me!




 

..........................................................................................