YOUNG NOBLE  (March 2008) | Interview By: Chad Kiser

      

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

Interview was done by phone in January 2008

Questions Asked By: Chad Kiser

Young Noble Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
 

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

Dubcnn: How’s it going, man?

I’m good, man.


Dubcnn: Give us a little history on who Young Noble is.

Well this is Young Noble, the last official Outlaw. I was born in Los Angeles, California, but raised in Dirty Jers. I moved back to Cali when I was about 16 or 17, and that was when I got with Pac. I grew up with Khadafi, which is Pac’s half-brother, up in Jersey. We was from the same block and used to hustle together, rob muthafuckaz and all that crazy shit. But as far as me, I’m just a good dude, man. I just try to work hard and feed my family. I think I carried my name well, you know?


Dubcnn: How did initially get in to the rap game?

I got in through Makaveli & Khadafi, Thug In Peace. When I left Jersey, it’s like God just put me in this position. I was tired of everything cuz I wasn’t in school and I was hustling everyday. I was just tired of the regular hood shit. I just had vision that if I don’t get my life together and get the fuck up out of here, I was going to wind up like the rest of the OG’s out this muthafucka, who got pretty much nothing to live for and being in and out of jail, or wind up being a coke head.

So I got up out of Jersey, and moved to Cali with my sister. I was out there for a few months going to school, you know just trying to get my life together. And Pac had got out of jail with Khadafi & Fatal, and as soon as he got out he was on Death Row. They knew I was out in Cali, so they called me and brought me in.


Dubcnn: What was your first encounter with Pac like?

I had first met Pac when niggaz brought me to his crib. He was trippin’ at first cuz he didn’t know me, and he was fresh out of jail. So he was like, “no disrespect to you, Noble”, and he started kind of barking at Khadafi like, “why you gotta bring somebody to my crib that I don’t know?” I respected him for that cuz I don’t want nobody coming to my crib that I don’t know. But they was like, “nah, this our nigga for real!” And then after that, it was on. Pac just embraced me from the jump, cuz he saw I was a raw, young nigga who had my head on right, and had good morals and shit. I think I moved in with them niggaz like 2 weeks after that.


Dubcnn: What’s the status of the Outlawz now?

The Outlawz! We grindin’ right now! Just trying to get it right and keep it right. We fucking with Young Buck’s label, Ca$hville Records. We’re working on the first release on the project for that label. The first release is going be called “Product of the South”. It’s a compilation with Young Buck, us, 615 and C-Bo. And while I’m talking about him, Free C-Bo! He’s locked up right now, but he’ll be out soon. So, we working on the compilation for the Ca$hville shit. We also working on a new Outlawz album, “Gospel”. We’re just about done with the next Outlawz/Dead Prez album, which will be out in early ’08.

The first one was called “Can’t Sell Dope Forever”, and that came out in ’06. This new one is called “Bangin’ On The System”, where we’re really going hard on the government, record labels, and all that kind of shit. It’s a real political album, where we’re just telling people to stand up and to fight for our rights. We also got Outlawz Culture Clothing! So we’re just grinding right now, everyday. It’s so much bigger than just going to the studio everyday writing raps. It’s a business. I just wake up everyday looking for the next muthafuckin’ check, you know what I mean?


Dubcnn: What’s up with Noble, individually?

I started my own little film company called Hobby Little Films, with my partner Omar Sharief. He’s got a documentary that they show on Showtime called “American Rap Star”..SO that’s my partner on this little movie shit. Our first movie is the “Dear Mama” movie, which is the life story of Afeni Shakur. We’re shooting that right now. We’ve got a big interest from Hollywood, but it’s on hold from the Hollywood strike.


Dubcnn: Explain to us how the Outlawz/Ca$hville situation came about.

It came about through C-Bo. It wasn’t like we was reaching out trying to get a record deal or nothing, cuz we’ve been independent basically since Pac passed. And we’ve been eating real good off of that shit. But when C-Bo signed to Buck’s label, he told him that he should sign the Outlawz becuz he knew our work ethic and the kind of music that we make. C-Bo’s been our nigga since day 1. Since the Pac days, he always loved us, respected us and supported us, and vice-versa. C-Bo’s a real nigga, you know what I’m sayin’?


Dubcnn: What can we expect on the “Bangin’ On The System” album?

Just some Outlawz/Dead Prez shit! All that shit that everybody loves us for. It’s real political though. People look at Dead Prez like they’re extra-political, they pretty much do the same shit that we do. They’re good dudes; they’re real brothas and they make good music. So everytime we get together with Dead Prez, we try to take a different stance than what everybody else is doing in the game. I think there’s a lot going on right now, but the music is not reflecting that. Whether it’s the cops, the government, or how muthafuckaz is being treated as a people, we’re having our music reflect that.


Dubcnn: What about a Crooked I/Outlawz collabo?

It’s possible, we got a lot of love for Crooked. He’s bangin’ out those Hip-Hop Weekly’s and shit, so he’s starting to get the credit he deserves. He got away from Death Row, and now he’s putting his best foot forward. That nigga be spittin’ and I’d love to do something with Crooked.


Dubcnn: What’s up with some of the other Outlawz, like Fatal?

Fatal chillin’ in Jersey, man. He’s just trying to get it right and keep it right. We dropped a Young Noble/Fatal project called “Thug In, Thug Out” a couple months ago, that we did for a little label out in Seattle called High Powered Entertainment. It’s the same label that dropped Daz’s “Gangsta Party” album. He caked us up and gave us a nice little piece of bread to do that, and it’s doing real good for us.


Dubcnn: What’s the response been like with that album?

The response on the street is that muthafuckaz is lovin’ that album! They love hearing Fatal with us or with me, or however they can get it. I grew up with Fatal, and that’s my nigga!


Dubcnn: Will he be on the album that’s coming out on Ca$hville?

Oh yeah, fa sho!


Dubcnn: What’s up with Big Syke?

I ain’t talked to Big Syke in about a month or so, but he’s chillin’. Last time I talked to him he told me he was good.


Dubcnn: You still keeping in contact with Napoleon?

Yeah, I just seen Napoleon about a week and a half ago out here in Atlanta. That’s my brother right there. He don’t rap no more being that he Muslim, so he’s focused on his religion. He’s Outlaw for life!


Dubcnn: Anything on Storm?

I ain't talked to Storm in years, man. I don’t know how Storm is doing to be honest with you. I tried to reach out to her once or twice a few years ago, you know, to try to get her back up on her shit, but she had some kind of attitude with us. Something like we had left Death Row, but she was still on there or something. But it was an attitude I couldn’t comprehend, cuz we didn’t do shit to her, you know? We left Death Row, and she was still signed to them, so what were we supposed to do? But at the end of the day, we got love for Storm and we always gonna have love for Storm. I hope she doing alright.


Dubcnn: You got a DVD coming out with the new album?

I don’t know if we gonna come out with a DVD or not. We was actually filming a DVD for the Raw Report that was crazy. It showed us all overseas in Germany, Amsterdam and all that. But we might get a new Outlaw DVD going. We just focused on this music, this “Dear Mama” movie, this clothing line, and all this other shit we got going on.


Dubcnn: How do you feel about some of this 2Pac material that’s being released?

You’ve got to think, if that shit didn’t come out when Pac was a live, then he probably wasn’t going to release a lot of that shit. A lot of it wasn’t even meant to be released. At the end of the day though, it’s all God’s will. But it could have been way, way better than it was. I can’t wait until the last Pac album come out, so muthafuckaz would just have to go buy whatever they done put out. Just let the homie rest.


Dubcnn: What’s the best Pac album that’s come out since his passing?

The best Pac album that’s come out that he didn’t put together has been “Still I Rise”, 2Pac & The Outlawz, baby! I’ll tell you that much! I don’t give a fuck what nobody says. We made sure that bitch was gonna be bangin’! That was the best one that came out after Makaveli, man!


Dubcnn: How do you think the rap game would be like today, if Pac were still with us?

I couldn’t even imagine it, man! As far as the Outawz are concerned we’d be super-duper mega-stars! He, and we, would have probably 10 movies under our belts. We’d be on Mars right now with Pac cuz he was so far ahead of muthafuckaz in this game, you know? He was ahead of the game when he was alive, so it’s hard to imagine where it’d all be today. Twelve years later, he probably wouldn’t haveeven been rapping no more. He’d probably just drop albums every 4 or 5 years or whenever he felt like it. Makaveli Records would be the number one record label in the world. Eveyrbody and their momma’s would’ve been trying to sign with the nigga. He’d still be number one!


Dubcnn: What’s a favorite song that you were a part of with Pac?

I would have to say “Hail Mary”. That was the first song that I was on that got played on the muthafuckin’ radio. When that shit came out, and they was playing it everywhere, I was getting calls from all across the country. I’ll never forget that! It’s a classic record. At our concerts, that’s the first song that we perform, and no matter where we go everybody knows all the words. Even people who aren’t familiar with the Outlawz, would know who we was after that muthafucka!


Dubcnn: Do you have a favorite memory of 2Pac?

I wasn’t around Pac my whole life. I was only around Pac from when he got out of jail, until he passed. So, just being around him period is unforgettable. His while energy; his whole spirit and how funny he was. He was a comedian, man! Pac would light up a room. If there was 50 females in the room, and they was all 20-pieces, he’d be talking to all of them. Just having a conversation with them about anything. It was just his whole presence and everything. I miss that!


Dubcnn: Any last words you want to say to the readers?

I just want to say, anyone want to get in contact with me or do some business with me or the Outlawz, then just hit me up on the e-mail. You can hit my MySpace cuz I check my shit every other day. You can also hit up our website and just be on the lookout for this Ca$hville compilation, “Young Buck Presents: The Product of the South”. We’re also on Hi-Tek’s new album, “Hi-Teknology 3”. Lookout for the Outlawz/Dead Prez album, “Bangin’ On The System”, and go check out the “Dear Mama” movie, that will be in theatres. Just keep supporting real music and real hip-hop.


Dubcnn: Alright, Noble, I appreciate the time and I look forward to all those upcoming projects you mentioned.

That’s straight!