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Huge thanks to staff member Mack for coordinating
this and to Young Dre for taking time out to answer the
questions fans wanted to know!
(Interview was done by phone in November 2004)
Questions Put Together By Mack And Asked By : Nima
Young Dre Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That
Here
Full Interview In Audio :
Here
Also check out his street banger "Hood National"
exclusively:
Here (MP3)
dubcnn.com: We are taking this back, You
dropped an album on Kc3 Monumental, Called "Hated By Many", Why Did
You name It That?
Actually, Monumental didn't exist, it was just Kc3 Records.
Monumental is now. Kc3 Records is really 3 members of my
neighbourhood, from South Central L.A. on the Eastside, and it's 3
of us. I was the CEO and two of my older homies, my G-Homies, was
president and vice president. It was a hood movement, behind me, and
we all came together and formed Kc3! Muthafuckas built it from a
baby, had a vision and set it off!
dubcnn.com: After That Album, We Didn't Hear You Commercially
Till, We Heard You On Thug On Da Line, Krayzie Bones Solo Release,
How Did U Like Workin With Krayzie and His Crew?
Uhm, I mean when we got crackin' off the gate, it was off the hook!
I knew Bone before, and what they did, they was comin' up off of the
West, they from Cleveland, but they comin' up off of the West. But
back to Bone, it was cool, I had a vision for it, we did our thing,
we hit the road, we recorded out there like 60 songs with them, and
you know it was cool! And they're still doin' their thing. But I
never stopped doin KC3 and Monumental. I had already started
Monumental prior to fuckin' wit Bone, so it was straight. We would
all be in the same studio, and Krayzie would have the back room
rented out and I would have the front room rented out. And we would
go back and forth, I would go do 2-3 verses with him, and he would
come up to the front and be like "what you doin' out there?" and I
be like "Im droppin' tracks!" and that kinda let me know that the
level I was on and that I saw myself on wasn't the same as everybody
elses, ya dig? Cause I had never stopped CEO'in' and doin' what I
was doin' wit my old projects. While I was part of Thugline.
dubcnn.com: Who was you favorite artist to work with on that
label?
Thugline? I mean, everybody on there was cool, but I would say
Krayzie has to be the premiere muthafucka, cause he was not the most
talented, but the most talented as far as work ethic and doin' his
thang and what not. It was his shit. But shit I did joints with Al
Doo Doo that was off the rictor, with Bam, me and LaReece. Me and
Lareece had been workin' even before she hooked up with Thugline. Me
and Lareece got damn hear half a record together! Before we even
knew Krayzie Bone, ya feel me? I always enjoyed workin' wit her. But
everybody homie, you know what I mean? Aslong as the energy is right
man, I enjoy doin' songs with everybody that was there.
dubcnn.com: You Were Also In The Source Unsigned Hype.. They
Talked About The Song "Real Talk", Will We Ever Hear That?
Oh "Real Talk" is gonna be on my album man. "Real Talk" man,
understand that Real Talk is crazy man. They misquoted it in that
article but "Real Talk" is definitely the song. Real Talk is a
street anthem man, it's an anthem. And it was before suckas was out
here puttin' it in they raps, before niggaz like Fabolous was callin'
they records Real Talk, before it even got to New York. I was sayin
"Real Talk" like 3-4 years ago man. I had a freestyle in the joint
homie, I had a freestyle i was like "Anybody sayin' "Real Talk" bit
from the Bay, stole from L.A., or heard it from Young Dre, you
suckas is gay!" but you know, just speakin' on the term really, it
was a couple terms that became really popular throughout the nation,
and "Real Talk" is definitely on the muthafuckin' album, it's a
street anthem homie, you gone love that one! It's hot.
dubcnn.com: About a Year after you left Thugline, Did a Few
Songs, Dissing DipSet, and Some Other Artists, What Was Your Thought
About That?
Oh initially man, I reached out to Jim Jones and they squad and what
not, and we sat down. Cause I got a liquor comin' out and they got a
liquor out called Sizzurp, which they tryin' to get crackin', and I
ain't mad at them on that! So they was startin' a new business, and
I got a liquor called The Truth, and initially when I started, I
don't got much respect for cats who ain't got nothin' to do with the
California Gangbangin', and they out there in New York. Firs time I
was in New York in 97-98, I was dissapointed, cause I felt like New
York got an identity crisis right now, and they followin'
California! Not matter what you say, New York is supposed to be New
York, L.A. is L.A., we all go through different things, but the
influence is so hard man, we just took over the demographics! I been
to Canada and seen them bangin', but I just didn't respect it! They
look like bustas! They look like hoes to me when I see them up there
wit red bandanas and shit, and I KNOW they ain't been through the
same life that we been through! I know they ain't been to 30-40
funerals. I know they ain't got niggaz tattood on they body who got
killed from the goddamn gangbangin' shit! They ain't been through
the struggle, same shit we been through. It's more of a lifestyle or
a way of life out here, and it's more of a fad to them!
Like niggaz wearin' pink! And I didn't even respect the pink shit.
To me that's like a gay fad! If you a man you a man, you stand up
for what the fuck you believe in. We grew up in a certain minstate,
where boys wear blue or whatever, girls wear pink and what not. And
when you stop because you call yourself fly, or you gettin' jiggy
wit it and you wearin' pink, then you create a power. Alotta rappers
on the television, muthafuckas is ready to look up to you like upon
God. So you know when they see a muthafucka wearin' pink, alot of
people out there who are easy to be lead, are ready to do what the
fuck somebody else is doin'! Like when somebody like Cam'ron wearin'
pink, or somebody else, they followin' a gay fad! They followin' you
don't know what that shit from! I was just with my son when they was
on TV, and he like "Why is that guy wearin' pink, Andre? Is he gay?"
And I have to correct him and be like "I don't know if he gay or
not, but he's followin' a gay fad". So alot of these niggaz wearin'
pink, and then throwin' up red bandanas, I don't have respect for
them. We got a different movement that we got goin' on out here in
the streets.
So when me and Jim Jones spoke, I checked him on that! Like "Nigga,
we don't respect ya'll, ya'll look like wannabe ass, busta ass
niggaz! And we don't respect that ho ass shit you doin'! Whatever
the fuck that shit ya'll niggaz is doin'". Now I once I spoke to
them, I got a different insight to see how a nigga was influenced
and see how he was doin' it, but see when I spoke to Jim, he told me
he was on some Black Power Movement shit, so you know, he made me
calm down and stop dissin' him. I did diss him on like 7-8 songs
though, I was on his boys! But you know once you sit down with a
brotha and act like he doin' somethin' positive, and he ain't
trippin' on none of that bullshit, as long as he sticks with that,
he alright with me. But don't be false advertisin', doin' that
bandana shit, actin' like you all gangbangin' and you NOT! But you
been influenced by this movement, this powerful ass gangbangin',
then I understand that. You wanna be like us, ain't nothin' wrong
wit that, okay, but bring somethin' positive to the movement! Don't
make it seem like you been gangbangin' when you really not! It's
followin the state of California, which is gangbangin', you feel me?
I had to check them niggaz man, to speak for the real, straight up!
On the real!
dubcnn.com: You Jumped from Rap to Movies, How Was That
Transition?
Man you know, with any artists, and any muthafuckas doin' rap these
days, it's not really much of a transition. It's more of a natural
thing, we animated muthafuckas man. If you wit us on the daily man,
we been through so much struggle and so much drama... I been to 3
funerals in the last 5 months, you know what I mean? And out here,
if you from the gangbang lifestyle, I'm from a Crip hood homie, and
what you claim is just where you grow up at and who you become, and
what you got love for. And we don't really deal with death like
other people, you know? We don't really mourn over everybody, we
don't have time to mourn! So we deal with it in our own way. We real
animated muthafuckas, so, in naturally, you gotta put that energy
somewhere, and when a muthafucka comes at you wit a script man, we
so animated, we naturally active. Like we gotta deal wit the police,
and when you a young black male in the streets, ridin' a 745, or
whatever car you drivin', you gotta naturally be an actor. If you in
a bucket, and the police pull you over to the side, and they see I'm
on the phone talkin' to a homie, when they pull up to me I'm not
gonna be like "Wassup cuzz, fuck the police!", nah, I'ma try to act
my way out of that, and that's a natural form of acting. It's
natural. It's like fuck it, I got a vision, and I'm ready to get on
here right now and speak the words out and do what I need to do!
Some people are Broadway actors and this and that, but we naturally
actors. So it isn't much of a jump man, I'm directin' videos now!
I'm tryin' to direct films in future, I just need better equipment!
It's a natural thing homie, if you talented, you just got it. It's
not really like I'm rappin now and then I'm actin', it's just that
if you have an opportunity to hop into that division, and jump on
that big screen, shit, then that's what the fuck you gonna do! But
you gonna see alot of that from me. It's a natural thing.
dubcnn.com: How was it workin with Such a Cast on movies
"Malibu's Most Wanted & My Baby's Daddy"?
Oh it was a ball homie! Like Jamie Kennedy (Malibu's Most Wanted)
that's my whiteboy partner man, that's my dude. I had fun, alot of
the footage you didn't even get to see! I wish you could have seen
all the shit, you would have laughed your ass off man. Jamie is a
true fuckin' fan of the true Rap HipHop muthafuckas, so he got love,
he was tellin' us man, when was there. Me man, I'm a west coast
lyricist, regardless, and I was speakin' really lyrical on it, and
they wanted somethin' real simple. So alot of the footage I had
wasn't on there, cause it was alot of other cats who audiotioned for
that movie too. But I had fun homie, it was the bomb, "My Baby's
Daddy?" Eddie Griffin is like a cousin to me man, so look forward to
seein' me doin' alotta projects with him man. That's my big cousin
right there man. It was just fun, and it was good to be able to get
to know everybody. And if I wasn't as heavily as I am into music, I
would be doin' actin', full time. I would be givin' these dudes a
run for they money. Alot of these dudes wouldn't be gettin' no
roles! *laughs* But you know, it was fun man, Eddie Griffin is my
partner man, I love workin' wit him!
dubcnn.com: Any Upcoming Movies You are Workin on?
We workin' on a movie called In N Out which is goin' to production
in the middle of next year, uh, this movie I got called "If Money
Could Really Talk", TV Shows, I got some other stuff comin' out. We
workin' on that In N Out first and then I got a movie called The
Photo Album, where it's like 7 short stories, and it's hot man. I'm
actually doin' alot of behidn the scenes work, I'm co-directing
them, and they got a budget and just let me run wit it man! They
believe in me and just let me run wit it. So you gone see alot of
that shit comin' from your boy! I'm tryin' to get alot of these cats
from the hood, who's fuckin' characters homie, I got homies in my
hood who grew up gangbangin', who spent 15 years in the penetentiary,
who are the best caracters you'll ever see in your life, and they
need to be on the big screen! So you gone see alot of that comin'
man! I love it!
dubcnn.com: Let's get back to the music! What Do You Take
from The Yukmouth N Game Beef?
*laughs* Man! You know, like, I'ma speak the truth. I think it's
funny! I think it's funny! I mean I know both them dudes, and I
think it's funny. I don't really know the legistics of it, but I
just know you can get killed in Compton, you can get killed in
Oakland, you can get killed in fuckin' Kansas City, you can get
killed in Germany, it's riders everywhere! I mean you got more
killings in Los Angeles, you know, for a reason, but I know hoggs in
Oakland! And I know hoggs in Compton! And I don't know how those 2
dudes is bein' hoggs in neither of their demographics. So, I mean it
was just funny to me, I just see these two cats who ain't really no
rider cats, beefin' wit each other! Yuk ain't really that type of
dude, and Game, he not that kind of dude to me, they just... Lookin'
for somethin' to argue about or beef about or somethin'. It's like
to me, two muthafuckas who need more attention! I don't know who
started it, who kicked it off, so I might be prematurely speakin',
but I know them both, and it's funny to me! I don't really take it
serious. Not till somebody get popped, then I'll take it serious.
I'm just lookin' at it like they want the most attention! Straight
up!
dubcnn.com: Do you think Game is gonna succeed in his mission
to bring back the West Coast?
Say that again???
dubcnn.com: You know, everybody talkin' bout Game is gone be
the first big new West Coast artist in a long time to hit the
mainstream?
Who's everybody Nima, who everybody??
dubcnn.com: The media...
The media? Oh ok, ok, cause everybody is not sayin' that! Shit... I
think the Game has the real promo from Aftermath, and the machine,
and he got people lookin' at the West. Muthafuckas on the West is
gonna drop regardless, so if I drop, this nigga drop, then this
nigga drop, whoever is gonna drop. I'm not mad, I just think that
Game's not the truth! Game got some shit that I can bump out here
and be like "Okay cool." But he not the truth to me! So I don't
think he gone put it back on the map! I think that he can contribute
somethin'! You can give a effort, a positive effort to take the West
to the next level, then I'm for you. I'm for you, wether it's Game
or anybody else. But Game's not the truth to me. So I don't think
he's puttin' the West back up. He might put it back up for him, but
for the real niggaz, and the real riders?? Nah! Nah! Nah! You need
to speak to niggaz who really gangbangin', who really been livin'
this lifestyle for 15-20 muthafuckin' years, who really been through
this real shit, and really know how to speak for theyselves on the
street. Before they was rappin' and all that! Now THAT'S gonna be
somebody who can bring the West back. So nah I don't think that
Game's puttin the West back, I think that Game got alot of
muthafuckas around the world lookin' at the West. You got
commercials, and you got this, and you got any hype of Aftermath or
Dr. Dre, then you claimin' you got the West. But if you look at
Game, and didn't know where he from, then he come off as a East
Coast nigga! He don't sound like a compton nigga when he fuckin'
flow. That ain't puttin' the West back down, not for us! Nigga ain't
nobody out here from Compton talkin' bout they got a Yonkers flow!
Like "Yo Im Young Dre from South Central and I got a Manhattan
flow!" How is that possible? Nah! I don't think Game's puttin the
West back down officially for us. Nah. I see him as bringin' a look
to the West, definitely, if he can bring somethin' positive and
contribute, then I'm wit it. But nah, I don't see him ressurectin'
the West, I don't.
dubcnn.com: When I spoke to Bishop Lamont, he mentioned the
New West Order. Can you tell us abit more about that?
Well Bishop Lamont is my nigga, so everything Bishop got crackin',
if he said it, I'm all wit it. Bishop is my dude, anything that he
spoke on, that's positive for us, cause Bishop is a positive nigga,
that's my nigga. If he spoke on it, I'm a part of it. Ya dig? I'm
wit it. I don't really know Mykestro, and Spitfyia and a couple
other cats that Bishop is gettin' down with, but I know that if they
cool with Bishop, then they gotta be cool. Feel me?
dubcnn.com: What do you belive the State of the Rap Game Is
Right Now?
Aw man, we fuckin' assed out! I mean I don't really listen to much
cats, but I'm feelin' Jadakiss "Why", I'm feelin' alotta underground
West Coast niggaz, my nigga Tru Life on the East is finna drop, my
nigga Saigon, he finna drop, my nigga Cavie. I think that the game
is waitin' for the next bandwagon. The game is just waitin' for the
new blood invasion, for the new niggaz to put it back in forefront,
to get the game back right. And I think the game is fucked up right
now! I'm not mad at the south, if they spit the real shit then I'm
wit em, I got love for the South, I got love for East, West, North
and South, whoever real, and they speakin' that truth, then I got
love for them homie. But I feel like we in a state of bullshit, we
got niggaz misrepresentin' the West, niggaz misrepresntin' the
south, niggaz misrepresentin' the East! It's kinda corny right now,
it's kinda bullshit! To be honest with you! It's popcorn! You got
niggaz talkin' bout they gang members, and they really ain't never
gangbanged in they life! And they got lil white kids, lil asians,
lil brothers and sisters all over the world, and little communits in
the suburban areas thinkin' that they official and they really not!
I think the game is in desperate need of the truth, and in desperate
need of some official music, of some movement music, of some shit
that's inspiring to muthafuckas, not the average ass "I'll shoot you
this many times, and I got a goldchain" type shit! You feel me? What
the fuck man!
dubcnn.com: Well who would you say right now IS hot in the
game?
Uhhm... I told you I liked that Jadakiss song, I ain't heard his
whole album, but I like "Why", man... I don't know.. who's out?
dubcnn.com: Who do you think should get the fuck out then?
Who do you think is wack?
Shit, everybody wack! I mean shit, the question is who's dope? I
don't know! But shit... Ludacris is a dope ass lyricist, and
entertainer, he always doin' his thang, I ain't mad at him, but he
ain't givin' me no movement shit! But Ludacirs always spittin' out
the hot joints, I like Shawnna, she cool, but I don't get the truth
from niggaz. It's some niggaz out there thats tight, but I don't
know... Whoever got somethin' hot on the radio, I'm feelin' it, but
the average shit, I'm not feelin' it! I'm not feelin' that average
ass shit!
dubcnn.com: What do you think of Eminem's whole Racist tape
issue?
Eminem?? Eminem and his racist comments? Eminem needs his ass kicked
for his comments! Real talk! Punk ass white boy needs his ass
kicked! Eminem is a lyricist, and he can rap and all that, but he
studied us, he studied the game. I see he doin' Pac's shit, and...
To me we fucked up when we let him diss Ja Rule. Regardless if Ja
Rule was comin' official or not, ain't no whiteboy comin' in the
game dissin' no niggaz! That's not the game, that's not real Hip Hop
to me! He usin' 50 and them to get some street credibility and what
not, and I think he needs to get his face wrapped off for that! He
needs his face wrapped off for any racist comments. My momma's a
black woman! And I would beat that white boys ass! You don't be
talkin' that nigga shit and be callin' sisters "black bitches" and
all that kinda shit! That's not the business! He needs to be
checked! Lyrically, verbally, alotta rappers don't wanna speak up on
Eminem, because they afraid he'd break them down lyrically, but I
ain't afraid of him! White boy needs to be checked! I do not forget,
he would not be dope if we didn't validate him. If you dope you
dope, but niggaz gotta say you dope! You know what I mean? We gotta
validate you! But about the racial comments? Anybodyo who makes
racist comments needs their ass kicked. He needs to be checked. He
needs his muthafuckin' ass kicked for that one! He needs to go to a
pit full a niggaz, we bring 10 whiteboys and we bring 10 niggaz, and
then you make your comments! And you go by yourself, to each ghetto
community that supported you, and say I Appologize. You ain't that
young! White boy prolly got some complex, maybe his dick small!
Maybe he mad on the low that he ain't a nigga, that he ain't black!
He accepted in this, but this is our shit! He needs to be checked! I
talked to alot of sisters, and I heard them on the radio, on Hot 97,
out here it's like fuck him for that! Everybody wanna suck his dick
and forgive him, FUCK HIM for that! If you say anything racist, he
needs his face wrapped off. That's the truth!
dubcnn.com: What about the Michael Jackson thing?
I mean... the Michael Jackson thing, Eminem is seriously, he's
funny! I ain't really seen the whole video, but it's funny! But does
he got the right to really be dissin'? I mean, technically no, but
hey if it's funny it's funny, but I'm ridin' wit my people! We want
our pass back! Someone was on the radio the other day sayin' you
goin' too far white boy! You talkin' bout too many niggaz now! It's
ok if you sayin' some funny shit, because we do make humour out of
everything in the ghetto. If somethings wrong, we make humour in it.
We make humour in bein' broke! And I don't know, that one's weird!
But, you know, we make humour in everything we know, muthafuckas
laugh about somebody gettin' murdered! Alotta people make OJ Simpson
jokes wit Nicole Simpson, is that funny? White folks ain't gone
think that's funny if we make them kind of jokes! But you still
laugh at certain things, so shit's funny, but I'm wit my people. You
ain't got the right, white boy, to be talkin' bout nobody. You talk
about who you need to talk about. Ya dig?
dubcnn.com: Do u have any music projects you are workin on,
for Example Albums or Mixtapes?
Man I got a mixtape hittin' the street, it's almost like an album,
it's called "By Any Means Necessary". I got my group The Rider
Clique, we just did a new video, we finna be hookin' that up. Young
Maylay from the group did the voice for Grand Theft Auto. I got some
people on there, I got my homegirl Sunday up out of Kansas city, I'm
workin' with alotta new artists, shit is hot. It's a few people,
it's alotta people I'm workin with man, I'm send you alot of stuff
in the comin' weeks.
dubcnn.com: When Will We Be Seeing Your New Album?
Man we pressin' it up! I'm wit my manufacturers right now, we gettin'
ready to press it up for the streets right now. So you might get a
copy before it hits mainstream. We tryin' to get over the paper
right quick, I got a few things and what not, tryin' to get some
paper, and I'ma let some of these hit the streets man. You'll get a
copy before I let other people get it and take control, and take it
to the next level. Cause right now, I'm payin' for everything
myself. I'll do a video and everything else, and I'm ready to spend
that big money. But as far as the streets and the ghettos out here,
the muthafuckin' block, that might be in the next 10 days!
dubcnn.com: In 2 minutes explain your Current Album and What
Fans Can Expect?
My album is called "Revolution In Progress" homie! The muthafuckin'
movement, Young Dre The Truth. I'm on some revolutionary shit, I got
tracks on there, not really club songs, but I can do anything, I got
a few club-type joints, I got my nigga Kokane on there. It's
revolutionary man, some shit that's for common men, who rich, who
broke, who in the pen, its just some movement shit for the
community. Get some unity, ya feel me? Every urban innercity, every
suburb, everybody who's goin' through a struggle, anything. It's so
many different moves and visions, and fucking angles I'm comin' from
on this record it's just.. the biggest thing I can say is "Growth of
the game!". It's takin' it to the next level! It's a real
contribution to the HipHop Movement! The Revolution! 100%!
dubcnn.com: Who produced on your record?
Production I got some boys who work for Santana, Carlos Santana,
some french cats, these muthafuckas is geniuses. I done work with
Dre and Quik and everybody else, and I got joints from these cats
that I feel more than theirs. And it's just some hot shit, them,
Rick Rock, my nigga Cavie from Compton. Anytime you see somebody on
the West Coast who ain't talkin' about Young Dre & Cavie, they hatin'!
If they ain't talkin' about us, it's a problem! And they know, it's
a problem! He like a young Dr. Dre out this muthafucka! I got a
couple other cats producing, whoever got heat. I'm not lookin' for
big names, I'm lookin for heat! My french muthafuckas got like 8
joints on there, Cavie got like 3.
dubcnn.com: What about guest appearances?
Oh man, I didn't want many on there, I got the Rider Clique, I got
2Pac, I got Kokane, Cavie, two of my homies and that's really it.
dubcnn.com: You said you got 2Pac on there... Is that the
song from that DJ Whoo Kid mixtape?
Exactly! Now my cats I was tellin' you about who's geniuses, that
track is basically an original track that my producers produced, and
they actually produced the track and it was done with Spice 1. And
my producers knew that me and Pac ran together in 94-95, and it was
just a great opportunity for me to come take position on that man.
We took position on it, and the rest is history!
dubcnn.com: You Have Been Callin Yourself's the Truth? What
is Your Belief Behind That?
Shit that's because I'm speakin' the truth man, that's what they
call me everywhere! I'm speakin' the official fuckin' truth! Ain't
nobody out there, I AM the muthafuckin' truth, anything about my
life, anythin' about me, it's the fuckin' truth homie. I'm speakin'
it, ain't nobody out here speakin' the truth like me. Ain't nobody
really for real about their shit. I'm fittin' to get this
muthafuckin' game back right, and if I don't do it, how the fuck you
gone do it, I'm the truth. That's where I stand at, and people
started callin' me that, you know what I mean? Niggaz in the hood,
niggaz in the streets, the truth. Ya mean? 100%, Young Dre, The
Truth!
dubcnn.com: Do You have a Single Picked Out for Your new
Album? If So What Is It?
I think either Hood National, or Tell 'Em I Did It. We not fully
sure about it yet, I think it's Tell 'Em I Did It.
dubcnn.com: Lets Play Word Association, What Comes To Your
Mind When You Hear These Words.
Rap Game Aint Gangsta As Me?
My muthafuckin' song, cause the Rap Game Ain't Gangsta As Me! These
fuckas is bustas out here, rappin' about gangsta shit and really
they rich, and they just sit they ass down, and talk about real life
and the perils of being a black man and a succesful artist in life.
But I got a song called "Rap Game Ain't Gangsta As Me" so that's the
first thing that pops in my head!
dubcnn.com: Tell us about that song!
Oh the song is the truth man, speaking on alot of cats, I speak on
alot of cats and my opinion on their situation! I speak about like
my lil brother's on the beginning on the intro, 8 year old boy,
watchin' videos on TV, and he asks me "Is Snoop Dogg a gang member,
and why are his fingernails long?" and I tell'em like "I don't think
Snoop's a gang member, he grew up around the gang, and maybe his
fingernails is long to represent some kind of sniffing cocaine, or
some shit!" But it's hard to tell a child that when you wanna be
real with them, and they askin' you is 50 Cent a killer, is whoo
whoo whoop and this and that, and you tell them these dudes is
acting on TV. And these dudes is proclaimin' somethin' that they
actually not doin'! It's actually entertainment! So when you tell a
child that, they don't know when people steady talk about gangsta
gangsta, and the child wants to know if they gangsta, and I don't
really wanna be lyin' to the youth, so bein' a person with a voice,
I like to tell the truth. And in that song, I speak on a few cats,
from Puffy, to 50, to Dre, to the South the Birdman, to Fabolous, to
Jay-Z, to Nas, I just speak on the truth! You feel me?
dubcnn.com: When are we gonna hear that song?
I'ma send you that song in a minute! Like tomorrow or somethin',
I'll send it to you. It's just a very truthful song, alot of people
are ignorant minded and will say this is a song hating on people,
but when you listen to the lyrical content, it's very concious, and
it just talks about the rap game not being gangsta and it's not
stabbing anybody, just speaking the truth from Young Dre's
perspective.
dubcnn.com: West Coast Rap?
West Coast Rap? West Coast Rap is in a state of depression.
Actually, we're not, but in the public eye we're in a state of
depression. But on the streets, oh man, we're very strong, we ain't
never been asleep, we just haven't had that certain outlet. West
Coast Rap is phenomenal, West Coast Rap has influenced cats all over
the world. There was a time when New York cats was sayin oh Gangsta
Rap is wack, and now everybody wearin khaki's, gangbangin', B.E.T.
has really influenced the market so much, that it's become
ridicolous. And West Coast Rap is responsible for that. You got cats
like Biggie who was influenced by alot of West Coast stuff, and
Biggie kinda changed the face of what East Coast rap was sounding
like! He made it cool to talk about Bitches and Guns and Straps and
all that. So West Coast Rap is very influencial and very necessary,
and gettin' ready to explode again, ya feel me!
dubcnn.com: East Coast Rap?
I can't really tell these days what's East Coast rap, because they
rappin' over all West Coast beats! They usin' my producers and
everything else, but, I think that's some hot cats, like I said I
like that Jadakiss song, I respect Jay-Z's moves and what not, but
East Coast Rap is really influenced by West Coast cats right now.
You got some cats where you can't really tell, even with Rock & Rap,
like whos's doin' rock, who's doin' rap, what's East Coast and
what's West Coast now. Is a East Coast beat Kanye style? With a
singer and a sample in the back? Cause we was all samplin' back in
the NWA days. So I don't know, I'm just with good music in general,
that's where I stand on it.
dubcnn.com: You Have Chosen To Not Accept Records From Many
Majors, Why?
Cause I'm just a self made cat, and I jus wanna be in the drivers
seat of my own project. I don't wanna sit and be anybody's artist
and be waitin' to put your destiny into somebody elses hands. I'd
just rather get out there and grind for the payment, 100%, go in a
direction where I think I need to go and control my moves. I'd
rather not have to ask anyone for anything, like a lot people say
when they get a deal "Well can we have this" or "can we ask for
this" and I think you're relinquishing your power when you become an
artist. That's what happens to alot of artists, you get pimped for
your first 3 years. I'm not afraid of much in this life, but I was
afraid of sitting up under someones deal and being trapped under
their paperwork and feelin' like a slave and not bein' able to make
my own moves, like if I wanted to do a interview, or I wanted to
come to Germany to come fuck wit you, or do something with you, I
don't wanna ask to do it, I wanna make my own moves to do it when I
need to do it. You know? I think I'm gettin' ready to go to Cuba on
the 20th to go perform for 30,000 troops, and I think we goin' to do
a DVD off of that too. And I don't want to have to ask anybodyo "Can
I go to Cuba". I wanna be able to go, I got my passport, and I can
move when I wanna move, and I wanna drop a video when I wanna drop,
and I wanna do this and do that when I want to. So it's elementary
for me to control my own shit.
dubcnn.com: Alright Dre, thanks for answering our questions
deeply and thoroughly, do you have any last words, any shoutouts
you'd like to add?
Man, just lookout for The Truth man, lookout for "Revolution In
Progress: The Movement" my record, it is a revolution. When you hear
the songs for yourself and you hear the record alltogether, you'll
understand it. It's a critical time for rap music, and it's
important for someone to speak more conciously on what's going on,
for the streets. Instead of just speaking for what they think people
wanna hear. I'm speaking from my heart about what I'm seein' and
what I'm feelin' and what I feel the game should follow. As a
person, as a nation, as a world, music is powerful. And we're not
really givin' people what the fuck we're supposed to be givin' them.
We supposed to be givin' them somethin' that they can build off of.
Cause you know, you can get your average party track and all that,
go kick and drink and have fun and all that, but it's about makin' a
song for someone who's broke and ain't got a Bentley and ain't got a
Maybach. People actin' like Mayback is what makes you! I saw Lil
Flip on TV talkin' bout "I'm in the back of my Maybach", well you
STILL look corny! You feel me? In the back of your $300,000 car. You
look corny still. I'm rollin' in a 745, and if I didn't have that,
I'd feel confortable rollin' around in a bucket! It's just who you
are as a person man! You know what I mean? And just get your music
out there, and really stand for something, make people feel
stronger, to wanna get up and ride for something. It's really a
revolution man. I'm ready to unite a bunch of muthafuckas, and
create a bunch of opportunities for us. They're pimpin' us and
exploitin' us for what we got, and I wanna exploit the game and give
back to the fuckin' community! Hood National, you feel me? I'm just
the fuckin truth homie, I'm pressin' the issue, I'm the truth homie.
100%. It's not about being number one, it's about collectively being
one. You feel me? And that's what I'm trying to get crackin' man!
Anybodyo that's down with the movement, I don't give a fuck what
city, what hood, what nationality you are, what gang you from, what
race you from, all that man! If you with the movement, if you with
the struggle, I'm with you! And I represent you.
dubcnn.com: That's real!
That's where I'm at with it man, that's where the fuck I'm at wit
it. And I appreciate your time man!
dubcnn.com: Oh it's all good! Thank you! Any other shoutouts?
I'm just shootin' it out there man! All my real muthafuckas up at
Interscope, Caviar, the real artists that's out here in the streets
really pushin', all the real gangbangers and the real riders that's
trying to get to the next level of the game, my nigga Tru Life out
there in New York, my fam, my cousins, all the homies in the fuckin'
pen, in Y.A., keep ya'll heads up homies, ya boy out here still doin'
it, and we gone get the game back right homie! 100%!
dubcnn.com: Aight man, go get some rest!
Fo sho my man, you had me talkin! *laughs*
Dubcnn.com Shoutout :
Here
|
Young Dre
