YUKMOUTH (January 2003) | Interview By:  Rud

      Dubcnn.com got the chance to speak with one half of The Luniz, Yukmouth. In the interview he speaks on his last release, the upcoming "United Ghetto" DVD, future collaborations, his much publicised Master P beef and even clears up some other beefs! We have both the transcript and some audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: rud@dubcnn.com


 

Huge thanks to Yukmouth's Management for arranging the interview time with him and also to Yuk himself for taking some time to answer the questions you, the fans, wanted to know! (Interview was done by phone on the 22nd January 2003)

Questions Asked By : Rud

Yukmouth Gave A Shoutout : Here
 

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dubcnn: Last year you released "Yukmouth Presents : United Ghetto's of America" - were you happy with how it came out and how it did upon release?

Yukmouth : Um, well it wasn't pushed right I think but besides that - it was my first independent project and it still pushed over 30,000 copies by word of mouth, so I feel good ya know - it let me know the fan-base and people were still diggin me without promotion or nothin.


dubcnn: The DVD to accompany that release is due this year, what can we expect?

Yukmouth : The DVD, we just turned it in so it should be coming out in March and its off the muthafuckin hook! It's a double DVD, the first double DVD documentary. It shows me going all around the world...and its not just about me, its about everybody, I got live interviews, live performances from everybody, events like BET Awards all types of shit like that so its of the Richter - gives you an insight into the life of a celebrity behind the scenes, so its real live!


dubcnn: What's the distribution going to be like for the DVD?

Yukmouth : Mainly locally released for the first month then its gonna be widely distributed probably by the summer.


dubcnn: What other projects are you working on right now?

Yukmouth : I'm working on "The Regime" album, that's my clique, my group that I've been down with all these years - been putting on all my albums so im about to finally put that group out and then me and C-Bo is a group together called "The Thuglords" so we definitely working on that. Im just working on those two and im about to work on "United Ghettos Part 2 : The World Is A Ghetto" where I go overseas and show muthafuckas how yall do it overseas, im gonna show how they do it in Australia and Korea on the next DVD.


dubcnn: So the C-Bo and yourself project is underway?

Yukmouth : Yea, its on the fuckin way finally - both the albums people have been waiting on, that and "The Regime" - so im finally gonna give them both to them this year. I just got my distribution deal with Rap-A-Lot so now its time to pump all the actions, all the artists through it.


dubcnn: When can we expect your next solo "Godzilla"?

Yukmouth : Uh, Godzilla, I'd say next year cause I aint ready to do it this year - this year I got 2 group albums and a compilation album, so that's 3 albums im dropping independent so next year is "Godzilla" definitely - cause im gonna be Godzilla! *laughs* for real!


dubcnn: You label "Smokealotrecords" is aptly named...

Yukmouth : Smokealot Records baby!! Like Ruff Ryders got their motorcycles we got our weed! *laughs* You see them with their bikes and shit, your gonna see us with our ounces of weed blowing out the club - that's us! Just follow the weed smell!


dubcnn: Do you have any collaborations we should look out for in the near future?

Yukmouth : Get ready for a Regime & Outlawz album - we about to put that together - we gonna come together and do an album and another Luniz album, shit, me and Numb gonna get in the studio when he's done with his solo album - so we just tryna keep the money coming in - ya feel me?


dubcnn: Yea, so there is more Luniz to look forward too?

Yukmouth : Yea, as soon as Numb's done his solo - hes working on that - I got "The Regime" & "The Thuglords" so soon as we done with them we gonna get back in the studio for the Luniz. I'd say around the same time I do "Godzilla" we'll drop the Luniz too.


dubcnn: Numbskull's solo is well underway then?

Yukmouth : Yes, yes, numb is finally about to bring it to the table so he's doing his shit - its sounding real nice. Im on it, he got features by everybody. He's doing hot shit so everybody get prepared for numb's shit, its gonna be very, very hot!


dubcnn: Is that still untitled?

Yukmouth : Uh, I dunno, I don't...it was called "Ghetto Platinum" at first - I dunno if he renamed it or not but it was called "Ghetto Platinum"


dubcnn: Are you on any upcoming albums as a guest appearance?

Yukmouth : Na, um im just basically focusing on me and my clique and my crew. I know a lot of rap people in the industry but I notice like, having a feature on your album really dont sell your album - so im all about biging up my crew! If Cash Money can do whole albums with just Cash Money records on it then why cant I do whole albums with "The Regime" on it and my artists...and blow us up. So right now im focusing on us, im connected with alot of people I can get on the album - from N.O.R.E, to Juvi, to anybody you can name - but its not about that its about biging yourself up and bringing new artists to the game. Its time to get my crew famous, ya feel me?


dubcnn: People are saying that right now hip hop is in a slump, but who are you feeling at the moment?

Yukmouth : My favourite artist is always gonna be Pac, regardless of anything - my favourite artist is Tupac Shakur. Right now though im feeling that 50 Cent, im always feeling that Jay-Z, he hot to def and that's about it - and my Regime niggas and my Thuglord shit *laughs* Im really not feeling nothing more man - niggas gotta really come with it - your right - its like a drought, muthafuckas really gotta step up!


dubcnn: Speaking on Pac, what did you think of the latest posthumous release, "Better Dayz"?

Yukmouth : Hot to def! This albums shitting on niggas that's alive today and he made that shit like damn neat 7 years ago so - I mean he was definitely ahead of his time - he's speaking on issues that's going down today. Pac was definitely a fuckin leader and a master of the lyrics so, I love his shit - very inspirational!


dubcnn: How did you feel about the tracks being remixed and also some artists were removed and replaced with others...

Yukmouth : Yea, yea man, I aint gonna even go there man. I mean I was asked by Interscope to be on the album - you feel me? The people that put Pac's albums together they like 'Yuk, I need you on this album,' not this one that's just come out - but you know the poetry one - is was supposed to be on that cause a lot of different artists was on that one and for some reasons I wasn't on it so...I aint gonna point no fingers or say no names or say what I think happened but I mean it'll happen some eventually if God meant...if not, im not trippin, cause im not an Outlaw, ya know - im Yukmouth - I already got a career. I started off with the Luniz I don't need to be on a Pac albums to build my career. But id LOVE to be on a Pac album, ya feel me, it would be the best honour in the world but it really don't make me or break me - I don't lose sleep over it *laughs*


dubcnn: What's your relationship with Suge & Tha Row like?

Yukmouth : Me, I aint never had a relationship with Suge Knight, never. But my dude, my executive producer, J Prince- him and Suge Knight & Irv Gotti's about a label with the east, down south and the west all connected as one.


dubcnn: So that label conglomerate rumour is true?

Yukmouth : Yea, that's the truth, they about to bring it to the table - um - so that's how we dealing with the Suge thing and um, I fuck with Suge's artists, I fuck with Eastwood, I got him on a track on me & C-Bo's new album "The Thuglords," im on some of they shit - I mean Death Row is Death Row. They on fire, I cant wait till they start dropping hits again!


dubcnn: In an interview with BET you said that you will always diss Master P, Scarface & Too Short on..

Yukmouth : Na, Na - it was like, im ALWAYS gonna diss Master P - period. Scarface & Too Short, im just defending myself on them two - that beef is like, they 2 OG's trying to bully a youngster that's how I look at that beef - its lyrical. It aint no streets, nobody aint pulling no guns, nobody getting beat up - that's beef, when niggas is pulling guns, getting beat up at events - that's when its beef - until its like that it aint no beef - its lyrical, its a misunderstanding I think


dubcnn: But Master P...?

Yukmouth : But the Master P thing...this nigga gots to get it. Everybody was like 'let it go, let it go'...Fuck that I aint letting it go till hes done - yea feel me? I mean I don't base whole albums on this nigga, I got whole albums of hot shit and you'll get one verse about Master P, you don't get a whole song. So I mean people out there talking some shit like 'I need to move on' na - he needs to quit biting niggas and he needs to sit the fuck down - period. The more he stay in the business the more he gone bite cause he's not original - hes trying to be everything that's out - he copies the shit. Everything that's in style he copies the shit to like the maximum so if niggas afraid to speak on that, Fuck Yall, im not. Only thing I respect about Master P is his money - but he did snake shit to get that money...he bit...he's like the Weird Al Yankovic of rap, like he used to remix every bodies shit - well that's Master P - but he TAKES peoples shit. Weird Al Yankovic was jokin around...he [Master P] is really dead serious in making money of a niggas image and what he done took...so...im not feelin that.


dubcnn: Are you and Tech9ne still working together?

Yukmouth : Yea, yea, he in "The Regime," he all on the Regime album ya know - we family man! I mean Tech9ne does his solo thing and got his own crew but he's still family so yea Tech9ne...we got Gonzoe back, Gonzoe's back in "The Regime" I mean - we back in effect!


dubcnn: Whose your favourite producer right now?

Yukmouth : Uh...oh man - it gotta be...shit...The Neptunes right now. They do they thing, they versatile. They can make anything from the grimy thug shit to the clubby club shit. You can tell that from how they put N.O.R.E's music together so im definitely feeling the Neptunes. So yea, they hot id like to work with um.


dubcnn: Are you and Lynch working together at the moment?

Yukmouth : Yea, me and Lynch, we together, we doing verses and shit together on each others projects we just really linked and locked it down. We been knowing each other for years but we aint never recorded with each other so last year was the first time we got down with each other so the vibe was just incredible so we keeping it linked and keep that Sacramento and Oakland thing goin!


dubcnn: Some Have called you a possible front runner for the best on the west - how does that make you feel?

Yukmouth : Man, I take it as a great honour that people think that im part of the movement, so to have my name in the Westcoast movement I just love it - that's what I do it for, for the fans, for the Westcoast, to put it back on the map. So if they giving me the honour to be a Westcoast forefront man then lets do it!


dubcnn: Is there any truth to the rumours of hostility between you and Shade Sheist?

Yukmouth : Na, na - it aint no - man, forgive me for saying Shade Sheist as an example, I aint got no beef with Shade Sheist. I said in an interview that I sell more albums than niggas that get airplay all day and they videos get played. I used Shade Sheist as an example - Shade Sheist he gets played all day in L.A, yet I sold more units than him, I don't get played on BET but I sold more units than him - ya feel me - I was just giving examples...Ras Kass, he gets played but I sold more units than him ya know, its shit like that. I just gave examples, I didn't diss nobody, I aint got beef with nobody. I was just sayin I give a fuck about radio or video, my fans still got my back. Period. Let them know I aint got no beef with anybody...but Master P *laughs*


dubcnn: The hit, "Im A Raider," was huge on the radios but the NFL showed you no love...

Yukmouth : Na man! The NFL callin us right now, they gonna play "Im A Raider" at the superbowl - so get it right before you ask the question my friend *laughs* They wanted us to perform at the Superbowl but we didn't have the version ready - we had the old Raiders version that had the old coach - and we both traveling and shit right now so we couldn't do the new recording, but they definitely gonna have it playing through the halftime or when they come out and at every Raider game in the Bay they play that song and on the radio and shit. The only thing that I hate is that, not the Raiders didn't play it, the muthafuckin radio stations out here, KMEL, our Oakland radio station did not jump on it. Sacramento they been jumped on it, it was the #1 hit over Ashanti and all that shit and then our home radio station just dissing but now the Raiders are winning they wanna play that shit. I mean that's crazy to me but fuck it, any publicity is good publicity, even if its just for the game its still getting played. I mean the coaches wanted us to perform and all types a shit they love us, they love that Raiders song - all the games, in the streets all you hear is "Im A Raider." We definitely came with an anthem, but Rap-A-Lot slept on it, if we woulda come out with the video like we planned, they'd be playing it on BET and MTV right now just cause of the Superbowl shit, but they didn't take advantage, they slept and now they want us to do shit now last minute, do a clean version...its too late, the Superbowl is in a coupla days. We shoulda done the shit when we planned. Next time they'll be aware, cause that was a hit!


dubcnn: Anything you'd like to add for the fans?

Yukmouth : Yea, I just signed a tennis shoe deal with Jonny Blaze, they bout to come with the Yuk/Regime dragon show. So they gonna have a boot and shoe with the dragon on it, so if you see my logo on some Jonny Blaze shoes or boots snatch them up and support your nigga Yukmouth & The Regime baby, its all good! Jonny Blaze baby, one love, they giving out deals to hip hop and to music. They helping the culture so big up to Jonny Blaze. Go get the sweat suits too, you need them to match the shoes *laughs* And yea, im working on my movie, my life story and just keepin it movin - Yukmouth fo sho!