BALANCE  (March 2005) | Interview By: Westcoast2K

      

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Westcoast2k.Net - So first off, let everybody know what you been up to?

Balance - Basically I been workin on my album called "The Day Kali Died", and I'm trying to drop that in August. I was going between making a album and making a mix CD. It aint even really like a mix CD, its like a street album. Its called "Balance The Bay Area Mixtape King". And its 15 songs, but it aint freestyles either. It aint like a typical mix CD where its just a beat and somebody just rap and it goes to the next beat and somebody rap. It's real songs. When you hear it its just like a real album, so I call it a street album, it aint even really a mixtape. I'm just putting it out in the streets so people can get buzzin and get ready for the album.


Westcoast2k.Net - Yeah more on that later. What are your thoughts on the Bay Area Rap scene right now, as far as makin money?

Balance - Well everybody knows that the Bay Area started the independent Rap scene. New York is the mecca of Rap, New York is where Rap started, but the Bay Area is where the entrepreneur independent Rap started. Everybody in the Bay got their own record labels. Everybody in the Bay be selling their own units, and they been doing it for over 20 years. And the Bay rap scene... we been out the game for hella long! We've had E-40 and Too Short, but E-40 and Too Short they were the pioneers. It ain't really been no new blood from the Bay Area reppin the West Coast in hella long. Right now you got nothing but hungy individuals, so if you come out here the whole attitude and the whole music is hunger. So I think you got some of the best Hip Hop going on, you got some of the best Gangsta Shit, you got some of the best R&B. I mean its tons of different music and styles out here thats being made and everybody's hunger. But there is no major record labels out here, so I think its only a matter of time until they find us.


Westcoast2k.Net - And musically? Do you feel it went through a lot of changes since you got in the game?

Balance - Yeah, I think a lot of the young cats are growing up on a lot of the same music that everybody else is growing up on. You know the Bay was known for the pimp & slang. And I think now there is a whole new breed of lyricists and MCs on the West Coast period. I think what you gonna hear on the Bay this time is a difference as far as hunger in the raps. I think you got some young lyricists that's coming out the Bay, and also you got some commercial dudes that got commercial songs for the radio. So I think its gonna be different than what people are used to, I think people are used to the Bay as just having a local sound. And I think in the past two years the Bay has kinda shed that skin of old kinda sounding beats, and now got new updated sounds.


Westcoast2k.Net - Was it hard to get your first break with the Bay being flooded by so many so called rappers?

Balance - Hell yeah! You know the number one thing for a rapper starting off is 'How do I get known, how do I even get in the fuckin game'. And you just look at the race. And then its like, yeah it was hard as hell. But the one thing that I knew was that you just gotta keep pluggin, and the more & more you plug, the more & more doors open. And doors kept opening. I mean I spent 2 or 3 years just handing out free CDs, so its like the only way to get fans is to have somebody hear you, and the best way to get somebody to hear you is to give them a free CD. Everybody got this misconception like 'Ima get on the block and Ima sell my CDs, I aint giving shit away for free". Well look, aint nobody really gonna buy your shit unless your 50 Cent or Jay-Z. So you might as well get out there and hand your shit out for free. I hand my CDs out for free everywhere, I go to L.A., I got to Houston. I hand CDs out for free cause I want fans.


Westcoast2k.Net - But the mixtape thing doesn't seem to work for Bay artists on a national level?

Balance - Well I think it works, it works everywhere. But I give you a perfect example: I can be the Bay Area mixtape king but I dont have a deal right now. But it can be a mixtape king from Harlem, which is Jae Millz, and he got a deal right now on Universal. So to me that's the difference, the labels are just now starting to find out what's going on in the Bay. So one day it will be like whoever is the mixtape king of Vallejo may be the one to get a deal, or just like the mixtape king of Yonkers is gonna get a deal. I think in the next year or so that shit is gonna change, its got to. Because the record industry is an industry, they trying to make money. So whoever got the hot shit they coming for.


Westcoast2k.Net - So was that the reason why you named your mixtape "The Bay Area Mixtape King", to have people check you out?

Balance - Yeah! I wanted to put it on the map, I wanted to let people know. Even if you dont know who Balance is, and you see the CD you see "The Bay Area Mixtape King". Cats know where the Bay Area is, so they will pick it up and be like 'You know what, let me check this out, let me really see if he is the mixtape king of the Bay'. I mean its real, out of the Bay Area, I'm the only artist ever to be on as many mix CDs from New York to the South, everywhere. I been on like over 300 mix CDs, I can't even count. And its not just in the Bay, I been on DJ Absolut, DJ Vlad, DJ Smallz, I been on all the mixtapes.

But its alotta hustle though! Some people aint built for it. Like I flew all the way to Puerto Rico for the Mixshow Power Summit by myself with nobody else to hand out CDs and meet DJ Absolut. I met DJ Absolut, I met Swizz Beatz, I met Jadakiss & Styles, I met Fat Joe, I met Lil Jon. These are things that people gotta go, you gotta hustle. And you may not get a deal off of it, but you I build relationships. So that when next time I come at Fat Joe I'm like 'Yo I met you in Puerto Rico, here's my CD'. He may remember me, he way not. But just that one thing that you was in Puerto Rico, that may be enough for him to hold on to the CD. It's like all these things play a big part you know what I'm saying?


Westcoast2k.Net - Did the "Top 5 to blow" article in in the XXL magazine help a lot?

Balance - Yeah man, that helped make it official. After that I got a lot more mixtape opportunities, I got a lot more A&Rs coming at me. It's always great to get validation for what you're doing.


Westcoast2k.Net - But again, they didn't really put any Bay artists in their 'West Coast Tribute' issue this month, besides that little E-40 article.

Balance - Yeah, but Ima tell you the truth. When people thing of the West Coast, they think of L.A., and that's just the way it is. I got a song on my mix CD called "Welcome to Kali" and the first line is "niggas act like Cali is only L.A." and its the truest shit. And that's just the way it is, but it aint L.A.'s fault. But all the world see is L.A. really from the nation, so they don't really even pay attention to the Bay Area. But I think that shit is gonna change though, cause L.A. is stuck in a thing where the only people that blow from L.A. is affiliated with Dr. Dre. And when I was in L.A. a lot of L.A. artists was like 'Man, I wish you could have somebody besides Dre, cause dont nobody wanna listen to the shit unless its Dre', and that's a problem. But in the Bay, when we come, its gonna be a lot of different people coming and I think thats gonna be beneficial for us because its not just one person that's controlling everything.

And same thing for mix CDs, I remember when I was first doing mix CDs it was like 'If you ain't on Aftermath, you ain't gettin on no New York mix CDs', so I was like fuck that, Ima come at a different angle. And I started from the smallest New York mix CD and I got to the bigger ones. It's all a process, you gotta go from the bottom up.


Westcoast2k.Net - But do you think the right amount of promotion is whats gonna solve the problem? I mean theres alot of artists that get radio play and videos, but if people dont follow up to that its not gonna help. Theres only so much thing you can do to promote an artist.

Balance - I mean video and radio is kinda cheating cause its the easiest way to get people to like you, or possibly, cause it dont always work. But radio is supposed to equal sales, but it dont always be that way. But if you got a huge single around the nation, there's no need for you to do hella mix CDs or travel all around the nation and stuff. Its true but then again it aint really true, because like Jay-Z always says 'Yo you can have a hot song but that dont make you a hot artist. Just because you got a hit single, that dont mean you got fans, that just means you got a song and people like that song and they gonna buy your album for that song. If you don't have a hit song everytime, then you're not gonna be able to sell units. That's not a fanbase and you want fans, you wanna have a fanbase. And fanbase dont come from just a hit song. They're not your fans, just because they bought your album doesn't mean they a fan of you, like your next album they may no buy your shit.


Westcoast2k.Net - Radio airplay is not equal talent.

Balance - Yeah exactly, there you go. I hear songs all the time on the radio that I like, but that dont mean Ima buy their album.


Westcoast2k.Net - Is it hard to branch out to other regions as a Bay artist?

Balance - Yeah its hard, but you gotta be creative. To me, I think the internet is the best way as far as getting your music to other areas. Like I said, you gotta give music away for free, you gotta start building and workin with other artists. I mean I worked with Stat Quo from Atlanta. By him and me working together, he gets my fans and I get his fans. And to me thats the biggest thing, you gotta work with other artists from other regions and you also gotta put your music in a place where it can be showcased in different areas.


Westcoast2k.Net - Do you think the whole New Bay Movement has reached its full potential as far as gettin support?

Balance - Hell no. I don't think the New Bay is gonna reach full potential until some of the New Bay artists is like gold or platinum and we shoppin' that shit in Belgium or something! (laughs) Then they can't deny that shit. I love what the New Bay represents, and I love that cats embrace it right now, but its only the beginning!


Westcoast2k.Net - How come it wasn't fully accepted or supported by some of the older cats in the game?

Balance - Because they had the misconception that we thought we were better than them. Like we were saying we're new and then saying that their old. And once that misconception wasn't a problem anymore, I got down with Riche Rich, I got down with E-A-Ski, I got down with E-40, and all these people. So it's really not a problem anymore. I think at first it was a problem because we were young dudes, and you know it's hard for people to get on the radio and we were on the radio like every week, just going up there rapping on some guerilla shit. So they was just like 'How did this happen?'. And then we get up there shoutin 'New Bay', so they were like 'Hold on, are they dissing us?', like I could understand what they meant, but once we explained it it wasn't a problem anymore. But whenever you do something it's always gonna be beef and haters, no matter what you do.


Westcoast2k.Net - What would you call the most successful era of Bay rap?

Balance - Probably when everybody had record deals, and that was like 93, 94, 95. Some of them are still around, but at the same time its crazy cause a majority of the people who had deals back then dont even have deals now! I don't think the Bay was prepared at that time cause what the industry does is they go soak it up, so I don't think all the artists were ready to make the transition from a indy label to a major label. Sometimes a major label ain't for you, it ain't for everybody. Sometimes you may just need to sell 40 000 or 50 000 units by yourself, and still be making more money than the other people.


Westcoast2k.Net - Who are some of the new talent that you wanna get down with?

Balance - Crooked I is raw to me, Sly Boogy is hot, my dude San Quinn is tight, Frontline is tight, I met Jae Millz in New York, I like some of his shit, I like Papoose. Man I listen to everybodys shit, I like Game, I like what Game did, he repped hard for the West, we needed that.


Westcoast2k.Net - I like when different people come together and connect on a track.

Balance - Yeah that's why I'm connecting with Sly Boogy, Scipio. The Bay and L.A. definitely gotta link up.


Westcoast2k.Net - Aight so speak on this new mixtape that just dropped!

Balance - It's nothing but raw rhymes and beats. Basically just West Coast Hip Hop as I call it. Raw lyrics over raw beats, that's all you gonna hear. And some tight team ups. I did something with Royce the 5'9, Chamillionaire, Stat Quo, E-A-Ski, my dudes Frontline, Casual, Planet Asia. Its dope man, two times better than my last one, and that's really all you can ask for. Everytime you come, come with something better. But it's more like a street album, like I said earlier. Each songs got hooks, and I didn't take like the new Ciara song or the new popular songs, a lot of the songs people don't even know.


Westcoast2k.Net - What made you decide to release another mixtape before the debut album?

Balance - I'm not through with it! (laughs) But at the same time I gotta keep the name popular.


Westcoast2k.Net - Would you say that you've grown between the first mixtape and the new one?

Balance - Hell yeah. I'm better at doing songs now, like on my first mix CD was just telling everybody 'Yo I got hot shit I can bust'. And now it's more or less that I'm better at making songs, so people gonna listen to it and actually get into the records. I'm more of an artist now, but still hot lyrics though don't get it twisted. I'm not doing no candy rap. But more stories and stuff, you know?


Westcoast2k.Net - The last mixtape was doing pretty good. Did you think it was goin to be so popular?

Balance - Hell naw! I was scared actually. Like everytime I drop something I'll be scared, never know if people gonna like it or not. That's why I'ma be workin so hard.


Westcoast2k.Net - I like the mix on the new mixtape. There is a wide variety of different type of tracks and vibes, like you have some raw shit, some straight Hip Hop shit and then some more radio friendly stuff.

Balance - Hell yeah, cause one thing that I noticed when I go to different areas is they will like different things. Like one area like something, and the other area won't like it. Like I went to L.A. and I were sending out my CDs to some women, and some of the women were like 'You aint got nothing for us on here!' and that's a real problem! I'm not gonna make every song for them, but now its like I can hand my CD out to a girl or if I'm in the South I don't have to feel like I don't have nothing for them. I got a song with Stat Quo & Chamillionaire, and southern cats love that shit! Or if I got to Detroit I got Royce the 5'9 on there.

And that's how you capitolize on regions, because my mix CD ain't regional. Not only do I not have regional beats and do I not sound regional, but I got people from other regions like Detroit, Delaware, Houston, Atlanta. But on the real, I wanted to make this mix CD seem more like a album. I didnt want to just be grabbin' beats and just rappin' over nothing but West Coast beats or nothing but break beats, you feel me? I want you say 'OK I like this, I'm ready for a album now'. Thats what I hope people get out of.


Westcoast2k.Net - Wasn't there supposed to be a song with Sly Boogy on there?

Balance - Yeah man! But what actually happened is I didnt finish the song, and I'm actually gonna put it on another mixtape that I'm gonna do. But its hot though, Sly Boogy is one of my favorite dudes. But his verse was so raw, and it came down to the end of me mixing it and I didn't wanna rush it and do some quick shit. So I was like, let me just hold off and do it right, cause when I do it right it will be better than me just writin' something real quick. Cause I wanna make it tight. On that song it's probably gonna be me, Scipio and Sly Boogy.


Westcoast2k.Net - Yeah cause I was actually looking forward to that song!

Balance - Yeah I know man! A lot of people was looking forward to that one. But I had to explain like 'Man its coming!'


Westcoast2k.Net - Cause I was like 'damn man he removed that song! Thats fucked up!'

Balance - Nah homie I didn't (laughs). I didn't, I didn't. I'ma have to actually do a press release for that! The song was so dope, but I didn't get to finish it yet. It's gonna be on my next one though! Thats funny.


Westcoast2k.Net - So the new mixtape is a appetizer for the album?

Balance - Yeah, I break it down in meals, right? Breakfast was "Balance - The Mixtape", Lunch is "Balance - The Bay Area Mixtape King", Dinner & Desert is "Balance - The Day Kali Died", which is coming in August.


Westcoast2k.Net - So speak on the debut album you got coming.

Balance - Crazy! The concept, stories, raw shit. I'ma be rappin about shit that other people ain't rappin about right now. I'm really gonna speak on the West Coast, I'm really gonna speak on how it feels to be a new artist from the West Coast, coming up in a time where the West Coast hayday is kinda over, and we trying to rebuild it. But I'm not just gonna be on there fucking it up or killing hella niggas. It's actually gonna be a conceptual album. It's still gonna have just as many raw beats as everybody else. But each song has a story to it. I'm trying to bring it back to the days of Ice Cube "Kill At Will" or "Amerikkkaz Most Wanted" or N.W.A. "Niggaz4Life", where you get a album and it's really like you're watching a fucking move. Cats act like they dont wanna rap like that no more, like what's their problem? They act like it wouldn't sell anymore, but I think it would sell even better than back then.


Westcoast2k.Net - Take us on a trip on the album, any kind of story you got on there!

Balance - Well I give you a few. I got this one song called "Ohh Yeah", and it's basically me and Frontline, and its a hard ass dark beat with these pianos and shit and the hook goes like "Ohh Yeaaaaahhh". And its just crazy raw ass lyrics. And then, I got this one song, its the big song called "The Day Kali Died". It's like a 8 minute song explaining why Cali died, my opinions on West Coast Rap from start to finish, to me to now, where I fit, everything. It's like Ras Kass, just some real shit. So look out for that.

And then I got another song called "When You Leave What You Got", and its basically talking about how you live your life, and fuck all the big money, all the cars, all the women and shit. But when you die what do you have left? What did you leave behind? Who did you help? What I have left? So it's gonna be some different shit, but the beats is gonna be ghetto and bangin'. I mean aren't you tired of hearing the same shit over and over? How many times you gotta hear somebody killin' somebody or fuckin' some girl or something?


Westcoast2k.Net - What was the recording process of the album?

Balance - I been recording for 3 years and only got 4 songs, how about that? But nah, actually I'm being hella cripple. I wanna be like Dr. Dre where it's like when I come with a album once every 3 years its gonna be the shit, I'm making sure every song is fuckin' fire. I don't want no album fillers, I don't want you to have to skip a song. I wanna make a masterpiece. Like if I gotta go and I never get to make another album, my place in West Coast Rap is solidified.


Westcoast2k.Net - Who you got on the album as far as producing?

Balance - E-A-Ski, Sean T, Blackjack, my boy Left, Jakeone who did some beats for G-Unit, Fusion who did some beats for G-Unit and them, he did some beats for Skillz from Virginia. Just anybody who got hot shit, I'm lookin for beats right now, I'm not even into names and shit. Rick Rock, too. Just the best that I could find and the best that wanna work with me, you know? I'm not gonna have too many guest appearances. I'ma have Frontline, E-A-Ski, and I'm probably gonna have one with some West Coast dude, like Crooked I. I'm gonna have a song called "The West Coast New Breed" where you got like me, Scipio, Crooked I, San Quinn, Locksmith, Bishop Lamont. Nothing but the rawest from the West, just going dumb for 16 bars. Like the song "16 Bars" [from "The Bay Area Mixtape King"].


Westcoast2k.Net - You gonna look for majors to get that out?

Balance - Yup, I'm gonna see what they talkin about, and if they don't, it will be released independtly.


Westcoast2k.Net - What kind of label deal you got right now?

Balance - It's my own label, AYINDE Music, but I'm lookin for artists too.


Westcoast2k.Net - Where do you stand with E-A-Ski?

Balance - We still workin together, he got his own deal, he got Frontline on there and his own artist. We like family, it's just that I got my own label situation, we still workin together though.


Westcoast2k.Net - You got any upcoming shows?

Balance - Yeah, we goin to L.A. at the end of the month, so probably like at the beginning of April we gonna be doing some shows in L.A.. I got shows out here all the time. They can hit up my website BalanceSkillz.com and stay updated on any upcoming shows.


Westcoast2k.Net - Do you battle at your shows?

Balance - Yeah, if somebody wanted (laughs). But let me bust something over the phone..



[ Listen to exclusive Balance freestyles ]



Balance - But the real shit that I really been focusing on is these songs man. It's certain rappers that I love, and I dont wanna name them, but they can rap hella good but when you get their album you listen to it maybe once or twice and then you put it down. And the reason for that is because you want a album, you don't just want a mothafucka to kick hot rhymes. I mean that shit is cool, I don't have a problem bustin' hot shit, like I have a song or two where I'm just spittin hot shit. But the purpose of an album is that you want that person to wake up to that shit, you want him to take a shit to that shit, you want him to ride to that shit, you want him to have it in the speakers. You wanna be able to have all these different emotions. And I think the problem with some of the rappers that I always loved that was hella tight lyricly, they couldn't make it happen on albums! And what I don't wanna be is that dude that can rap hella tight, but... I mean fuck the sales, I'm not talkin about album sales, I don't give a fuck about that. I'm not gonna say the dude who sells a lot of copy like Nelly, I mean fuck all that, I ain't talkin about all that. I'm talkin at the end of the day, is this a classic album or not. And all the classic albums that I love are complete albums. You know, "Illmatic", "Kill At Will", "Niggaz4Life", 2Pac "Makaveli", LL Cool J "Bad", "Fall Of A Leader".

I mean these are mothafuckin albums! And it aint just a mothafucka rappin over beats. So that's the real thing. And it's hard to learn how to do that shit! All you gotta do is ask any of them rappers that's spittin them hot ass verses. I bet the number one thing they will say is 'Yo man I'm workin on trying to make hot songs now', cause the shit is hard, it ain't easy. You can't just learn that shit overnight. How do I tell a story? When I play my song, how do I envoke anger? Like I got a song on my album called "Welcome to Kali". And I bet you can tell I was angry, right? I mean the first thing people say, its hella funny cause I get positives and negatives about that song, but the positive is like 'Yo I been feeling that way for hella long. I'm glad you said that!', and the next will be like 'Yo why are you so angry?' (laughs). But it's real man! Mothafuckas is mad about how they just try to act like Cali ain't been nothin'! On the real, I wanna be able to make shit envoke different emotions, besides just 'Yo that's a hot verse', you feel me?

And at the end of the day, if we was in this shit for money, we wouldn't be doing it right now, cause I ain't makin no money. But the bottom line is that you wanna create good work, you wanna create great work, you wanna create music that 10 years from now you can go back and listen to it. Like I could go grab Dj Quik "Quik Is The Name" right now and put it on, and it would still be as tight as it was before, and still be tighter than all the shit thats out now. I can go grab CMW "One Time Gaffled Em Up" album, and it's still better than the shit niggas is doing now. I can grab N.W.A. album, Ice Cube album. Even 2Pac who's more of a modern rapper, but even 2Pac died 10 years ago! I can go grab "Makaveli" and it's still better than what niggas is doing now. It's a problem! It's a real problem cause we had a lost of good fucking albums! Mothafuckas got great club songs, like 'Hey that's a good club song!', but mothafuckas ain't making no good albums! How long we gotta keep going for this shit?! All I hear all the time is 'Man I hate buying an album and there is 3 good songs on it'.

In order to become a tight battle rapper, you have to have a good imagination and then you have to get into hella battles. It's like becoming a good baseball player, if you wanna hit the ball, you have to practice everyday. So one of the problems is, you have to practice making songs, over and over and over. And you gonna be weak at making songs at first, don't never let nobody hear those, and then pretty soon you start getting the hang of it, you get better at it. And one reason why I do mix CDs is because I don't ever wanna fall off. You get in the mode where you're just making songs, but then you lose the hunger and intensity of the battles. That's why I do mix CDs, because on mix CDs they dont wanna hear no songs, they don't wanna hear that shit. And I dont mean like my own mix CDs, I mean when I get on DJ Warrior or DJ Absolut mixtapes. They wanna hear your hot fuckin' verse. And if you ain't coming with a hot fuckin verse, then you not gonna be on that tape cause they don't give a fuck about stories or anything else!

But that's why I do the mixtapes at the same time, cause I'm working on all levels off my game, I'm trying to stay sharp. I remember when the Wu Tang was giving an interview, they was like 'Man we constantly battle eachother. Why do we do it? To keep our swords sharp'. So I'm always in the hood spittin my lyrics to young niggas from the hood, to just let me know that I'm still on point! If it comes down to it, I can still kick some shit that have niggas like 'OK this nigga is nice!'. So you gotta practice all levels of the game. But it's the same thing with journalism and everything else, if you in it to do this shit, you gotta do it 24/7, even when you don't wanna do it, even when you're tired. You just gotta do that shit, cause at the end of the day it's for the love. I love the art, that's what it's about. I ain't making no money, but don't get it twisted, it's a lot of artists that ain't making no money, even those who got videos. I make enough money to keep me in the studio and keep doing my music. Hopefully one day it will have a big payoff. But if it don't fuck it, I love making music.