WAXXIE (January 2012) | Interview By: Chad Kiser

   Anthony Dunbar, better known as Waxxie to his peers, is an up and coming hip-hop artist from the West Coast. As the son of one of hip-hop's most respected and legendary forefathers, N.W.A's MC Ren, Waxxie was born and raised in southern California where he attended & graduated high school in Lake Elsinore, then relocated to Long Beach, where he went to Long Beach Community College.

Soon after, he realized his passion for music, and decided to turn his hobby into a career. His unique and laid-back style of music sets him apart from many other aspiring artists. Inspired by artists like Bob Marley, Nate Dogg, Pimp C, and Rick James, Waxxie hopes to become as legendary as they all have become.

Dubcnn recently sat down with Waxxie to talk about his budding career, what it was like growing up as the son of a legendary artist, his upcoming “Sky Times” mixtape, and much more.

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Interview was done January 2012

Questions Asked By: Chad Kiser

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Waxxie Interview
A Dubcnn Exclusive
By: Chad Kiser
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Dubcnn: So, Waxxie, what made you want to follow in your dad’s footsteps and pursue this music industry?

For a while, it wasn’t too much about me wanting to try and follow in his footsteps, just because I was raised with him so the rapping thing was always there. It was just something I messed around with, just freestyling and playing around. A couple people were hearing me, and were telling me to holla at MC Ren and try to really do something. Once I figured out that I wanted to do it, it became kind of cool to me to know that Ren did it, with his whole impact with NWA, it made me more motivated to want to pursue it. It’s not so much that I want to be better, but I just want to take it my own level, to where people aren’t looking at me like I’m just MC Ren’s son.


Dubcnn: Where did the name “Waxxie” come from?

A long time ago the homies were calling me A-Wax because they said I looked liked A-Wax from “Menace II Society”, but it ended up kind of sticking with me and people just started calling me Wax, and from there Waxxie just came about to where everybody knows me as Waxxie.


Dubcnn: Who are some of your influences that you grew up on that kind of shaped you artistically or musically?

Off the top, obviously Ren and the whole NWA thing, but as far as others who’ve inspired me definitely Nate Dogg, RIP to that nigga! That G-Funk singing, man, I fucked with his shit every day. Rick James was tight as fuck, Pimp C, Bob Marley, and even today’s people like Big Sean and Drake, so a lot of different shit inspired me.


Dubcnn: What’s been one of your biggest hurdles you’ve had to overcome so far?

Being MC Ren’s son is definitely one of them because I know there’s going to be critics and people looking at me just based off the fact that I’m his son. That in itself is a big hurdle, especially since I’m just starting off, so just getting through that will be an obstacle in itself.


Dubcnn: When Ren heard your music and what you were doing, did he express any reservations about you getting into the music industry?

I think at first he thought I was just joking around, until he really heard me rap. He’s been pretty much 100% with it.


Dubcnn: When can people expect an official mixtape or project from you?

I haven’t settled on a specific date because I’ve just been going in and trying to choose from so many songs, and figuring out what to put out there. I want to say in early 2012, but I mean I can put it out today, but I just want o make sure I go through and put together something dope. It’s called “Sky Times” and it’ll be out soon in 2012.


Dubcnn: Will this mixtape have any features or surprises on there?

I have a track that I might do with Tha Chill, but right now I don’t have too many features. I have a couple of homies that I rap with who I put on there, but at this point it’s nobody in particular. I’ve chopped it up with Eazy’s son, E3, and we may do something together. I’ve chopped it up with Cube’s son as well, but as far as this mixtape goes I haven’t done anything as far as too many features.


Dubcnn: You mentioned talking with Eazy’s son and Cube’s son, are there any plans for the sons of NWA to do a group project like their fathers?

A lot of people ask that because we’ve all been trying to do our thing a little bit, but I don’t know. As of right now, I mean I’ve chopped it up with them dudes a couple of times, but right now there’s no talks about us doing anything. I would be for some shit like that, as far as working together, but right now we’re all just trying to make sure our careers are straight.


Dubcnn: If you guys did do something, do you think you would build it as something close to NWA or would you build your own thing, completely separate of that?

I think that because of what NWA did, as far as the impact they had being so major, that we would come with some way different shit; especially since we all have different styles. Eazy’s son has more of that thuggish sound like his dad had, Cube’s son has that Big Sean/Drake flow, I got laid-back, chill, smoking weed type of flow, so I think it would be some far out type of shit. I think it would be dope, and something people definitely wouldn’t expect.


Dubcnn: You said your music is more laid-back and chill, but MC Ren’s style was a hard as they come. Was the contrasting styles something you set out to do, or is that just your nature to be mellow?

It’s crazy because I know Ren and them was so raw with the whole “fuck this, fuck that” and everything was just straight g-shit, and that gansgta shit that they started, and that shit was dope. But to me, what I saw in the bigger picture is that they were just being themselves, being from Compton in the 80’s and 90’s when shit was super rough, so that was their nature. Me, my whole nature is I’m so chill and laid-back, so my music is just a reflection of me.

Even when Ren heard it, he wasn’t thinking about how I didn’t sound super-gangsta or whatever, he just thought it was tight because it was me being me, talking about shit I be doing like smoking weed, hanging with the homies, and fucking with bitches. That’s the shit I really be on, so it wasn’t anything I set out to say that I wanted to be different from them, I just wanted to do me.


Dubcnn: How was it growing up with your dad being MC Ren of NWA?

It’s kind of weird to answer because he’s my dad, you know? That’s like being asked how was it growing up with your dad, how would you answer that? As a youngster it was cool, but as I got older I started seeing more of his impact in music. I started to understand the impact he had and what it was he and NWA did, and then other people started to find out my dad was MC Ren and would be like, “wow, your dad is MC Ren!” [laughs]
 




 

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