Of all the Wu Tang, Inspectah Deck has always been one of the more conspicuous yet among the most highly rated. His verse on Triumph alone — reportedly written one afternoon while RZA made the beat and the rest of the Wu slept — is among the most iconic moment in the group’s long list of accolades.
Describing himself as the “ninja of the Wu”, he is the first to admit it has been a conscious decision to avoid the same limelight other members have garnered on their individual work, yet Deck’s role in some of the Wu’s best material, both as a collective and on solo projects, is unquestionable.
His contribution as a truly authentic lyricist and producer ranks Deck as prolific a contributor to hip hop as most and DUBCNN got the chance to catch up with The General on the last date of his European Tour in Manchester for Will Not Be Televised to talk 2013, The Rebellion, retirement, supermarket hot dogs and the current era of hip hop.
Check out the interview and footage of the show below.
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Interview was conducted October 2012
Questions Asked by: Mark Jorgensen (@markjorgy)
Video Filmed & Edited by: Bedos Mavanubu
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Dubcnn Exclusive – Inspectah Deck
By: Mark Jorgensen
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Watch The Interview
Prefer to download the interview? Click here to download the MOV (220MB)
Inspectah Deck: What up UK! It’s your big brother Inspectah Deck in the building. You checking out Dubcnn.
Dubcnn: Yo, this is Dubcnn, and we’re here in ‘Night and Day Café’ in Manchester, England. We’re here to do an interview, and catch the show of Wu Tang legend Inspectah Deck; courtesy of ‘Will Not Be Televised’.
Inspectah Deck: And if you didn’t show up, you didn’t diversify your bonds nigga!
Dubcnn: So you’re coming to the end of your European tour, man. How’s it been? Tell us about it…
Inspectah Deck: I mean, I love the UK, man. I love the whole UK. Everywhere I’ve been it’s always been a whole bunch of love. And er y’know, a lot of real people, y’know what I’m saying. And y’know, it’s just always good to come here. I never… I haven’t been to Manchester by myself I don’t think, y’know what I mean, so this was an interesting job to come out here and do this one y’know.
Dubcnn: How was it man? A little, smaller show man? You enjoy it?
Inspectah Deck: Yeah it was a small show, but like I was telling the crowd, y’know, a hundred thousand or a hundred, I’mma still give it to you like I know how to give it to you, y’know what I mean. I’m not going to half-ass because, y’know, it’s not crowded. But for the people that did come, man they had fun, they enjoyed it, y’know what I’m saying; this is something that’s going to be part of their life.
Dubcnn: I remember an interview with you, when someone asked you about the state of hip-hop lyricism now-a-days; and you compared it to a supermarket, microwavable hot dog…
Inspectah Deck: Oh shit! Yeah, yeah, yeah….
Dubcnn: Yeah! Do you want to expand on that?
Inspectah Deck: Yeah I was in the supermarket, yo! And it just goes to show the state of the world right now… the world is fucking lazy, man! Y’know what I’m saying… it’s bad enough that they don’t want you to do shit. Your iPhone can pretty much make your breakfast for you….
Dubcnn: Pre-grated cheese, man!
Inspectah Deck: But nah… they had the hot dog in the bun, with the mustard on it already. But you didn’t have to do nothing but heat it up. And that’s like… that’s what rap is to me right now… at least to me. Hip-hop is in a different state right now, and y’know me being Inspectah, I’m looking five/ten years from now; I don’t ever see it going back to being respectable.
Dubcnn: Yeah, you mentioned like ‘The Stanky Leg’ and ‘The Dougie’ and all that kind of shit man… is that part of the catalyst? Or are you not bothered anymore? Like as to why you wouldn’t continue with that?
Inspectah Deck: That’s not the catalyst. Y’know the ‘The Stanky Leg’ and ‘The Dougie’ and every other dance is just what people do at parties to have fun. You can’t knock that, y’know what I’m saying. I say that because I’m Wu Tang. We’re more stomp your feet, y’know what I mean. And y’know, if you do that, you do that man. But y’know… for me, it’s more of the state of hip-hop, y’know what I’m saying. Like, it doesn’t take a whole lot of creativity anymore… y’know DJ Premier, RZA, Pete Rock… they had to dig in those crates and find those rare, classic records to get those sounds… and chop it up, and rearrange, and bang it up… and that was hip-hop y’know what I’m saying. And y’know, now we have a generic sound; it’s like four sounds a beat now.
Dubcnn: So 2013 Rebellion… that’s your latest shit man, tell us about it….
Inspectah Deck: That’s gonna be my last album, y’know what I mean. A lot of people say ‘nah, don’t retire, don’t be retire’… but I’m about to let it go y’know. I’m into other things, y’know what I mean. My children are grown now, y’know what I’m saying, so y’know my life has expanded outside of rap. Rap is something… hip-hop is something I love to do. Y’know, I’ll probably write rhymes ‘til I’m gone. But as far as releasing solo commercial projects like that, I’m probably y’know going to retire from doing that.
Now if the Wu Tang comes together and puts together a whole collective process, where y’know we’re doing tours or whatever, and it’s everybody involved. Y’know I’ll gladly do that man, because I’m Wu Tang forever y’know what I’m saying. I could never give it up anyway.
Inspectah Deck: What up UK! It’s your big brother Inspectah Deck in the building. You checking out Dubcnn, y’know what I mean! Stay in tune with that, keep watching!
