CAZ  (February 2003) | Interview By: Westcoast2K

      

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WestCoast2k - Alright Caz, so what you been up to lately as far as music is concerned?

Caz - Im good man, just promotin the latest album, its called "Goin Head Up". It came out a few months ago, the first single produced by The Neptunes called "N Here". And going on the road, leavin Overseas in two weeks. Im gonna have a few shows with Nas, then do a show with Sean Paul in Stockholm. Then I go over to West Africa, over to Gambia, on the 21st. And then I go on the road with Bone Thugs. I was on the road with Bone Thugs and the Outlawz the last two months. And with Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz, that whole tour, whatever it was called. Then just grindin man, I got the new single thats get ready to drop called "My Bloc" with Kurupt and Ras Kass. And aside from that fact that Scarface took the title, he did a song called "My Block" after he heard mines first. So we had to bang a West Coast Remix. You know he put his hands on something he should have never touched. So we had to come with the Neptunes joint first, which is not really what I wanted do. You know Im a new artist, and to have a Tunes joint? You know what I mean? I dont have a big distributor. I get big names on my album, big producers, but I try to stay real low key with the distribution. So I wanted to walk in the door, well folks expected me to come in with a West Coast joint first. So I get a call, actually Shade Sheist hit me and he was like "Yo they playin this joint "My Block" right now by Scarface, with the same hook as yours". And Im like "Woah, thats kinda gay." So we stepped back for a minute but now we about to bang it real hard with it.



WestCoast2k - Are you planning to release a new solo album in the near future?

Caz - Oh Yea definitely. The new album is hopefully gonna drop by June. Its called "Hood Hitz 2003". The first single has got Eve. Yea, me and Eve. And the same producers, Battlecat, Damizza, alot of Damizza, and a lot of Shade Sheist produced. He actually executive produced my first album a few years ago, "Thundadome". A lot of folks are to familiar with me cause when my first album came out, I was on one of them little forced vacations. Literally, the day after the album came out. So I was gone for 6 months and then right after that I got shot. So I went from album gettin dropped, to going to jail, to coming home and gettin shot. And uhhh...its a big album. Everybody is on there, Bone Thugs, Kurupt, Ras Kass, everybody was on there. So this time we doin it right. Im distributed by Southwest. I try to stay away real far from the Majors. The Majors scare me. They checks dont come when my bills are due. And the new albums gonna be real big. Its called "Hood Hitz 2003". So far in the can already we got a joint with Krayzie Bone, another joint with Layzie Bone, Eve like I said, Bad Azz, Yukmouth, 4-Tay, all my niggaz, just a gang of folks.



WestCoast2k - What can we expect on it content wise. Hows it gonna be different from your different records?

Caz - I think this time whats gonna be pretty nasty is my man Richie Blaze outta this camp outta Texas. He helped me get Slash from Guns-N-Roses. I mean its straight Rock. Its a straight Rock joint. You expect a DMX or Ja Rule to do a thing like that, but you dont expect a Gangbanger from Los Angeles to do a joint like that. And when I mean Rock homie, the whole track. Its all live, it has the drummer from the Lanny Kravitz band, and like I said Slash. Cuz knew me from somewhere, or just heard my voice. Heard the "Thundadome" joint which is a real kinda anthem-type joint. And we did this guitar-riff thats gonna make folks throw up. So its a lil more serious this time cause you know its so much bullshit out there. Sometimes in the past folks didnt understand the opening of "Thundadome" of how I got shot. How I got shot 3 years ago. So then it was like, I came out and got shot again when I came outta jail, I didnt talk about it on this album, I left it alone. But on this album "Hood Hitz" thats comin in June, we talkin about some thangs. We talkin about my gang affiliation, the people that I just really dislike, how I dislike Xzibit. Really just that dude. I just really hate that dude. Im not a bitter rapper, but I really really hate that kid.



WestCoast2k - Why is that?

Caz - You know I was born and raised here boss. I was born and raised in Los Angeles County. I been gangbangin since the age of 10. And I'm in my mid-20's now. And it aint nuthin cute about it, theres nothing cute or fashional about gangbangin. And that was a cat that when I was in jail, he was someone who was on the positive tip some years ago, and for a gangbanger or cats in jail, he was someone we looked up to, cause he talked about the system, he talked about the unheard heroes of the streets and the system and bla bla bla. And when I got home I started hearing gangbangin and crip walkin and all that. You know its not a novelty man, theres nothing cute about that. I took 6 shots, I dont know about others takin shots, I know about me takin 6 shots. I know that I got a fake hip, fake knee, and scars that my daughters look at. And to hear guys like him...I cant say nothing about Snoop, cause Snoop doesnt amuse me the same. Xzibit is the one that angers me the most, because one thing that I want quoted, "I'm a fan of cuz". Because he's got the intelligence. And he's not even from here, he's from Detroit, moved from New Mexico. Now why is he rappin about born and raised here? Nah, Kurupt wasnt raised here, but Kurupt claimed about hood, he claimed Rollin' 60 Crip, the homies who put him on. Now what has that to do with Rappin? A whole lot when you say it in your music. And we take this gangbangin thang real serious. So this is what the new album is just really gonna focus on. Im lettin them have it, like look: You can see me, or ignore me, but the fans gonna have to recognize me. And Im not no battle rapper, Im not gonna sit here and battle this kid on the mic. Im just makin it known that guys like him are the ones who wanna follow that lead of this gangbang thang, so we do not need you. Im not a active gangbanger no more, Im a business man that owns a record company. I own Glasshouse Records by myself. No major label got all them names on my albums. And Im not no swap meet rapper. I put albums together that cost some labels a half a million dollars. And if anything I wanna teach you: Anybody that wants to get into the rap game, if you leavin the streets for this music thang, make sure you know what you ready to do. But dont jump on to this gangbangin thang, dont jump on to the hustlin or pimpin, and just act like you know whats goin on, cause you gon get your feeelings hurt. Cause when your records dont sell, and the label dont wanna have nothing to do with you, and the streets are mad at you, its a whole different game. You dont want the streets mad at you from fakeness. Theres nothing we can do about a Eminem, or the guys that are already famous. But gettin in this game, dont do it on a fake modus. Do it cause you really wanna do this, cause you wanna eat and you wanna get out the gutter. So you know, Caz is just gonna touch on Caz thangs.



WestCoast2k - What's the situation with you and BabyRee? Is there some kind of affiliation?

Caz - Ohh its beautiful. Its all family. Im a active member and Damion Young and Shade Sheist, them my lil brothers. And through that cat, people dont know the story, but Damion met me while I was sittin in a wheel chair. Thats when me, Damion and Shade met. I just got out the hospital, I was paralyzed, I was told I'd never gonna be walkin again. And I met Damion from gettin into a physical authication before I got shot with...You know, I wont say no names, but he was an affiliated of Bone Thugs, he's a manager. He said something about the West, and me and Krayzie Bone did a song together. And you know the politics, people felt like they should have got paid even if they didnt have nothing to do with the song, but they felt like they should have got some of it. And they got back to me and I was introduced to this young man. You know I dont wanna this interview to sound like its just old me, the mad guy, cause I hate dirty talk, lets keep it clean. And he spoke my name, and he was affiliated with Damion, and even after all this happened, I invited him to my Welcome Home Party, and Damion by himself, by himself showed up. He didnt know what happened but he showed up by himself. And he said "Man, I heard this stuff, and if you get better, just get down to Power 106." And I did my first interview on the air on Power 106 in the wheel chair. And from there it was family, Damion started producin all my albums. And I mean I'm dedicated to that dude, whether if I'm signed to Baby Ree or not. If that dude told me to stop rappin today and he gave me enough reasons, I'd stop. So its a beautiful situation. And with Shade, we both watchin ourselves grow. I'm teachin Shade "Dont step into this gangbangin thang". People get it twisted, people think that Shade Sheist is some lil good kid. Shade is gutter. Pick up a Caz album and hear Shade bust on a Caz album, and compare how they made it on a Shade Sheist album, but they just have different things for him now. But that kid is an incredible business man.



WestCoast2k - Yea Shade's very intelligent.

Caz - Ohh man, he's very intelligent. And he's learning what not to do and what to do. When I spoke back on the Xzibit thing, its not just that dude. When my first single came out on "Thundadome", it was a song called "Pop Pop" with me and Jayo Felony. And I took the last verse and re-set an Xzibit verse. This dude aint worried about me cause he knows I'm nothing that he can ever touch or see or anything. Im just sayin it more for the brother. I mean you got cats out there gettin shot at rap concerts. You got cats gettin killed over beats. And for an intelligent young man like that with the world in his hands, he signed to a major, they cut him checks. And you forget how these streets really really are. You're not puttin desert eagles in peoples faces, you're not suckin nobody, you're not doing anything, cause you're not in those places. Those things arent happenin to you. And what I love about Shade Sheist is he only says what he's really doing. I've known that young man for 3 or 4 years now and I just wish the best for him and I hope that we all stay tight tight family. And with the production from Damion its just amazing. We just did a joint thats goin on my album called "Hard In The Paint" with Knoc-Turn'al and N.U.N.E., which is Shade's artist. And oh my god, Damion just keeps steppin his game up more and more. So, Im happy dogg, Im happy. I got no complaints man, who am I to be on tour with Nas and Sean Paul, so Im obviously doin something right.



WestCoast2k - I would like to hear a joint with you and Crooked I. Do You plan on workin with him anytime soon?

Caz - You know I never met dude, but I wouldnt be against it, I wouldnt be against it at all. I heard that joint he did with Sisqo and I heard that joint with uhh, that broad Ashanti. And I like Cuz' voice. I'd just like to hear more from him. Its funny cause when a artist comes out and he has a bunch of guests on his album, you thinkin that someone dig deep in the pocket to pay for all these guest artists. But I dont pay for nobody, folks get down with me cause I spit just real good ghetto conversation. And when its a real artist, like a Krayzie Bone may ask for 50.000 a verse, Kurupt may ask for 20.000. Cause thats how these guys eat. When they get down with me, what they do is they got love for life and you cant pay for that. But with a cat like Crooked I, I'd love to hear more from him. But the best thing that I ever did was get down with Treach from Naughty By Nature, and thats on the album now. And that was a dream come true. Cause to me Cuz is Gangsta. I thought Treach was from the West Coast when I first saw "OPP". And its me, Shade Sheist, Spice 1, and Treach, the track is called "King Kong Pimpin". And thats a sick collaboration, cause you got somebody from the East Coast, somebody from the Bay, and you got me and Shade, and its bananas. So that was my dream collaboration, to do something with Treach.



WestCoast2k - Is there anyone in the rap game that you do look up to or admire?

Caz - I like Jay-Z, I really got no complaints, I think cuz handles his business. I love anything from The Outlawz. Its funny as you interview me, Im sittin in front of their Barbershop right now. And I'm about to meet with Napoleon. Umm..I'd like to get down with DMX. Just anybody that I think we can fit. But lookin up to the most, I'd have to say Jay-Z. He dont seem to let himself slow down.



WestCoast2k - What effect has hiphop culture had on you personally?

Caz - Uhh, thats a good question. You know people ask me, am I Rap, am I Hip Hop. I probably had to be real ignorant cause I havent been able to figure out whats Rap and whats Hip Hop. I just thought I was a Gangbanger, Ice-T got me in the game. So really, just culture period has given me a different opportunity. You know, I can't sit here say that you gon find Caz hangin out at clubs, I dont drink. People see me and they see that I'm a real muscular brother. Cant get shot up to be sittin all around gettin fat and lazy, you know what Im sayin? So this game period, I owe it all to Ice T, I really owe my career to nobody else but Ice. You know my kids always, but the person who got me in the game, Ice. Ice was the first cat when I got outta jail that snatched me up, took me on the road with him. He had these two cats, EMG and Evil E. You know Evil E is his DJ. Since I was 12 years, Ice T used to hang out around the corner, and the cat always looked out for me man. I can say, this game, I owe it to just that one cat. I dont really follow the Rap culture or the Hip Hop culture. I follow whats gon' pay the bills and what keeps my children happy. And thats about it.



WestCoast2k - Alot of people seemed to have slept on your albums. Why do you think that is?

Caz - You know, when I got in the game...I come from being a drug dealer, ex, ex-drug dealer. I'm obviously not livin this life anymore. When Ice-T finally stopped my little street stuff, he set me down, and he tought me this independent game. Remember he went through that contraversy with Time Warner. And he said "Whatever you do, stay away from these majors. Cause they just dont give West Coast artists any love. Stay away from em." And he tought me the independent game. When you go that road, understand, independence means just that: You are not signin a record deal, you are signin a distribution deal. And distributors will act like they record labels, but they're not. And you sign with companys that...you know as fast as you walk in the door, as fast you walk out the door. And to put together an album like I did with "Thundadome" with all those guest artists and all the producers, you can fool yourself. Because their intention is to sell enough money to make their money back with a profit, and of course your intention is to get rich. Not rich, but your intention is to get financially stable. So I dont think so much that fans slept on my album, I think they just never got a chance. You know what I'm sayin? It's funny cause my new album was gonna be called "Slept On Hood Hitz", but I changed it cause I dont feel I've ever been slept on. Because when folks see someone like you who gets me love and gets me an interview and finds out, "damn I didnt know about Cuz, I didnt know he had these many people on his album, I didnt know he can go best to best with anybody". Cause I'm not no little cake ass rapper. Word for word, I'm in there, I'm hard in the paint. But its my job to not let the distributor sleep on me. So I gotta understand both positions, Im not gonna sign a major deal, and I gotta learn independence a little better. You know I'm still independent, I'm distributed my Southwest, which is no different than Warlock, who my first album was with. But look at somebody like Trick Daddy who was on Warlock. And look at him now. He made sure that Warlock got him in the door. Actually Warlock got him to the door, then he kicked in the door. Right now Im still kinda standin at the door knockin. Im just waitin for folks to let me in.



WestCoast2k - But what do you think can be done to change the situation?

Caz - Well, we know that we still aint gon get no love on the East Coast. We aint gonna get no radio airplay there, thats just not gonna happen. We know that one minute Funkmaster Flex can call Nelly gay when his first single came out. On TV, on MTV sayin his song sounds kinda fruity. Then all of a sudden Flex is in the video. You know what the power of money can do. West Coast artists need to understand that you're not always gonna sell right in your backyards, you gotta go where people are hungry. If I'm tryin to sell to my next door neighbor, my next door neighbor knows me already. There is over what? 8 million people in Los Angeles County and we cant sell no records. But, what about the folks in Portland, what about the folks in Seattle, what about the folks in Nebraska that love and are crazy for rap. Whites, Blacks, Latins, Asians, everywhere. How about the fact that an ex-gangbanger is now wanted in Sweden, you know what Im sayin? The only way this is gonna change is when we gonna look for change. And we're not gon find it right the next door. Its like tryin to find a job down the street from your house, it aint gonna work. So we just gotta get out there and understand. So I must be doing something right when an important company like you is interviewing me. So thats a step, you gotta just keep goin and I gotta get something for the people who wanna listen. I gotta give away free songs. We pressed up 2.000 copies of my album just to give away. My whole album. Because the first thing that always says "Fuck Caz" is the album. You cannot sit here and be big headed and think folks just wanna listen to you because its you. You gotta give them a reason to listen to you.



WestCoast2k - You been holdin down the independent game for a while now. How has everything changed for you since your albums dropped?

Caz - Uh I think its definitely that I've gotten my name out there alot more. I've always been confused of what was underground and what was mainstream, because to a ghetto kid, when you see it on the streetz and hear it on the radio, then you think you're mainstream. And I am a radio artist, I do get played on the radio, but then the paycheck gotta match that also. So by droppin this album "Goin Head Up" folks have now started go "Ohh yeah, that dude...". They puttin the voice familiar with the songs, they puttin the songs familiar with the face. And I never shot a video, we dont do alot of publication, I just stay in the streets. I dont go and hire street teams, I put my own street team together. If a cat came up to me and said 'Hey man put me on'. I handed him 50 bucks and say 'Dont come back till all these post cards are passed out'. And if I find out the post cards arent passed out then Imma come visit you. Because you gotta prove to me that this is something you want. Actually, what we did was get people to my website, this had my label hate me, I made a deal with Southwest, the moment I recouped, for 30 days they had to make my album available for free on the internet. That way people aint gotta go bootleg it. But you know, they not really bootleggin for me, cause I'm still new. They bootleggin for a Knoc-Turn'al, or a Treach or a Layzie Bone to add to their collection. And what we did about 3 weeks ago, I recouped. So I put it on the site for free, you only had to pay for shipping, those 5 bucks, but I didnt get that money. So the album was for free for 30 days. And for me, thats what gettin me out of the underground game, thats what takin me to the next level. And the deal been phenomenal since we posted it on the site. I mean you got cats from Germany up in Hannover, I think I shipped a few to Hannover and I dont even know where the hell Hannover is, you know what Im sayin? I aint never passed Miami. So thats whats gettin me out the underground game, fighting my distributor. So I recouped and I was like man, thats in the contract. We had to give them all the numbers and they put they hands down. But you just gotta fight them.



WestCoast2k - Speakin of the underground and all this, what do you think of all the fragmentation within the Hip Hop industry? Like the separation of mainstream and underground?

Caz - Uh well, for me its to pay my bills. I got 3 beautiful daughters. You got groups like The Roots, or rappers like Common, they still consider themselves underground but they're actually pushin for mainstream. They got videos, and they got white folks liking them now. They got white listeners now, they got Asians listeners, they have Latins listeners. I wish that someone would sit me down and explain whats Underground, whats Rap, whats Hip Hop. Until then I just ignore it, and at the end of the day I got bills to pay, child support, and I got family to take care of. So I literally just ignore it. I just did a joint called "I Am". And the joint is so big right now, they blowing it up over in Sweden right now. And the song describes who I am and it talks about I'm everything. [Caz Spits A Line From "I Am"]. So for me, if I site here and say all this, I am the West, I am that Thug on the corner, Im the wall street journal, I'm Ice-T from "Cop Killer", then a underground kid gonna be like "Oh my god". So its up to the listener to decide what he likes. You got 2Pac that the mainstream loved him, and the underground loved him. I think you gotta give folks a bit of everythang, but you gotta give them realness.



WestCoast2k - What do you think is the biggest change in Rap from back in the day to now?

Caz - The money. Just the money. Here is the difference: I speak for West Coast, cause I can't speak for New Yorkers, or Mid-West or South. If you're a gangbanger, I can play you a song that I did 3 years ago, and it will sound just good to any. So if you hear WC now, compared to a WC 3 years ago, you still gonna love him, because if you love Gangsta Rap you gonna love him 3 years ago or now. What changed is hearing people like I said Xzibit, who was doing Paparazzi and then talkin about drug dealing and guns, so thats what I dont like. So thats what changed. I just want people to stay true to their artform. And if you had to walk in the door this way and it didnt work for you, Im sorry it didnt work for you. Im sorry the lyrical thing didnt work for you. You know some guys stay true to it, like a Common, or The Roots. They can switch up their style and do some gangbanger stuff if they wanna do, but they know thats not them. So when you change up your style, understand: Call us ignorant, call us angry, but we're gang members, and when we hear a guy sing gang stuff, whats gonna make you think so many is not gonna question it? And thats what I dont like where rap is gone now. You know it amazes me how many guys jumped on this gangbanger thing. A good homie of mine, CJ Mac did a documentary called "C-Walkin" and it talks about this Crip Walk epidemic, cause its like a epidemic now. Cause you can go to little dance schools and they teachin it now, its called Clown Dancin. When I got dead homies from that dance, and they were not clowns. You have little white kids doing it. I'm half Latin and half German. My father was a dark Latin man and my mother was German, so when I say those comments its not a racial thing. Its me saying that you can go to little white dance schools now, or turn on TV and see a Foot Locker commercial, and they crip walkin in the brand new K-Swiss. I got a real good friend of mine, who just lost her 14 year old son who was just standin on the corner doin it on Halloween, and he's dead now, cause the kids just rolled up to him and shot him. And what has that to do with Rap? Because its what the kids see on TV now. I got people like "Oh are you a rapper, can you do that crip walk?". Come on man. Please print this: People have really died and continue to die from that dance. So its not fasional. I dont strictly wanna see it in the video, even if you are a gangbanger. When we talked into a party and we did it, we did it to start trouble. We did it for no other reason, we threw up our set for no other reason but to let the enemy know we here. The game just changed into a very weird thing, it kinda saddens me, because you got guys like Ice T and thats my dogg, but do you remember even he had to change up his style a few times? One minute it was pimp, then it was hustlin, then it was gangster. You know? Original Gangster, original pimp, original hustler, he was an original everything. It dont really work that way. Ice is my dogg but you can only really just be one. You can have some hustle in you, you can have some pimp in you, but if you're a gangster, you're a gangster, you're a hoodster. And its sad now when it mixes with Rap, and I dont think it should. And if a person dont wanna buy my record cause of my ex-gang affiliation, big dogg dont buy it. But what folks dont know, if I'm an ex-crip, who did I take on tour with my last year? I took Boo Yaa Tribe which are very well known Bloods. I never got caught up in the color thing, never. Mines is a strictly neighbourhood thing, I love my neighbourhood, I love the city. And you got cats talkin about Crenshaw Blvd who dont know nothing about it. I went to Crenshaw High School, I worked on Crenshaw. Think about it, thats the most famous street in Los Angeles and you got cats talkin about it that dont know nothing about it. You can print it in the interview and have folks like "Man whats up with Crenshaw?", and they dont know nothing about it.



WestCoast2k - Besides the projects you mentioned, is there anything else that you're currently working on?

Caz - I'm workin on the "Damizza Presents...Vol. 2", which is actually that "Hard In The Paint", thats gonna be the first single, which is goin on my album also. I'm trying to put together a compilation which I wont speak alot on, only because I wanna make sure I can carefully go without the distributor who I'm with right now, nothing against them but I wanna focus in a different direction. I'm gonna be workin on the new Shade Sheist album, the new N.U.N.E. album, just keepin it all in the camp. I run into Busta Rhymes a few weeks ago, so hopefully me and him gonna be doin something, he was really impressed with me, Damion introduced me to him. And just gettin my name out there more. I work with alot of youngsters in the criminal programs. I'm probably the most guilty about my careers, cause I dont focus enough about music. Cause I dont know how. Im not confortable enough to go hang out at the clubs, or to go hang out at some Rap concert. Because Im not that confortable. I dont walk around with bodyguards, and I probably still have enemies out there. And its sad that I gotta say that. Im still recognizable, Im more recognizable as a gangbanger than I am as a rapper. And I've gotta blame myself for that. And I cant change it, but I can just try to alter it a little bit and know where I can go and where I can't go. And for me, I'm just payin more attention to raising my daughters. And just being a grown man, I'm still young but I'm a grown man. And gettin love from folks like you is whats gonna keep me out there. The moment I checked the website, I loved it, beautiful. So I hollered at Shade like "Yo please have him reach back". And boom, like no problem you hit me. So if anybody wanna get down with me, I always got a hot verse. I always got a good spot for you, cause Caz gets along with anybody. I dont want anybody who reads this to think Im just a negative person, cause I'm far from it. I just really want the negative part in Rap to stop. I dont want anybody to feel like they can approach me like "Oh he's just an ex-gangbanger that has stuff to say now".
So back to my album, its about 75% done, Damion's gotta come in and knock out a few more joints, and a couple more guest artists I wanna get. Then me and Layzie Bone got a group called "Headknockers" which is me, him, Ganxsta Ridd from the Boo Yaa Tribe, and this kid outta Mo Thugs. And thats another album we're gonna be workin on. People pick up my first album, we did a "Headknockers" joint on that album, its just sick. We aint talkin about no guns and stuff like that. We're just talkin about havin good times and partyin. No sad times on the "Headknockers" album. But it was me and Layzie Bone's brainshot. Thats like my twin brother, Layzie came through alot for me, he's been around everywhere. And I just got off tour with them a couple weeks ago. I was on the road with them for 3 months. And then Napoleon from the Outlawz, we're tryin to do some thangs. Like I said I'm about to meet with him in a minute. He's a real positive young man. Outlawz is good brothers.



WestCoast2k - Do you have any last words or message for the fans?

Caz - Man just keep it alive, I dont know about all that keepin it real. Just keep it alive, and know that I'm here. Not trying to push any deep messages. I just want yall to keep bangin your website, and we gon stay real. So look for that new album "Hood Hitz" on Glasshouse Records. We independent with major appeal. And the album "Goin Head Up" is in stores right now.