Bishop Lamont Interview (August 2K7)

[Ammofr]

I don't know if y'all have checked it... So here it is :

http://tastemaker.biz/cgi/members/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=mainfeature&app_id=34&session=fHwxMTg5MjY3Nzkw

Bishop is definetly, one of the dopest artist we need to be checking for...

1

[Meho]

Another great fucking interview from Bishop, hes saying all the right things:

Can you introduce yourself?
I�m a lover of the music, a member of the movement who is trying to take a leadership role and trying to reconstruct the feeling of the music. I�m a b boy man, I miss hip-hop. I just want this sh*t to be fun again.

How did you get introduced to hip-hop?
The first record I heard was a Run-DMC record but I�m not sure. It was either the Run-DMC record with Aerosmith or �Peter Piper.� The first time I saw them with the hats, the black jackets; it was something about it that made me want to be cool like them. I was still a baby at that point and you see them with the chains, the girls and you are like, �This is the sh*t!�

Can you sum up your career from the grinding times to the Dre time?
It�s virtually the same. I can�t really differentiate the two except then now, my grind is public knowledge. People are aware that I�m here but I work even harder than before. That�s the difference; I work even harder than I did before. That�s the transition from being an underground dude to signing with Dr. Dre.

Are you a perfectionist like you was in the past?
I�m a worst perfectionist than ever. When you work around Dre and you see how this man works and the time he takes to make a record from mixing snares to EQing things, it makes you want to go even harder at mastering your own craft.

What do you say to every dude who�s asking how does it feel to work with Dre?
(Laughs)You are a funny motherf*cker. There are two sets of dudes when it comes to that question. For the f*cking losers who are asking dumb a** questions and don�t respect me I tell him, �How does it feel to be gay?� But for the real people who are coming to me in the streets, showing love and who really want to know what this experience is like, I appreciate it and I tell them how it is to work with Dre. This is the chance of a lifetime. For all those who think it makes things easier to work with him, you are wrong because you got to be on your A game.

Did you wish those doors were opened back then?
No, I�m glad they weren�t opened because I wasn�t ready yet. I was too young and I didn�t understand the politics of the business. I was a young cat and I didn�t have respect for anything except for myself. Now I�m at a level where I can handle all of them.

You even wanted to kill an A&R back then!
{Laughs) Yeah and I still want to kill them! The blessings of going through those struggles helped me to make that dope mixtape (How To Kill An A&R?). And I want to thank those dumb a**, fake a** A&Rs who didn�t want to sign me because if they have wanted to sign me then I wouldn�t have the opportunity to be seated where I�m at now with Dr Dre, Busta Rhymes, Focus, Tiffany and 50 Cent. We got to give them a shout out, f*ck y�all bum a** A&Rs who are still fronting on real n*ggas in the streets with dope music while you are seated in your office and getting paid to do nothing.

You recently dropped the mixtape N*gger Noize. What can you tell us about it?
I appreciate how people have been so receptive to the N*gger Noize mixtape. Everybody in London, Amsterdam, Paris and Germany love it. People are feeling the same way that I feel about racism, war, politics and social issues. I didn�t expect the people to embrace it like that but I appreciate it.

Are there some tracks you wish you didn�t put on it?
No, I wish I could have put more on it (laughs). Every joint that�s on the mixtape was supposed to be on it for people to experience and enjoy. I want everybody to know where I�m coming from and to relate to it. We are all human beings and I want to be able to say the things that some might be scared to say. I love to be a spokesperson for the truth in my opinion.

How does it feel to be backed up by the dopest producers?
It feels like you are cooking coke every time (laughs). It�s a blessing that I�ve got Dr Dre, Marc Baston, Focus, Jake One, Dj Khalil, Hi-Tek, Chad from the Neptunes, Battlecat, Nottz, and I�ve got beats from everybody all over the world. It�s a paradise. It�s a pleasure to have all this candy to make a great album.

What�s on your plate right now?
I�m finishing up The Reformation album which is basically done now; I need to finish a few joints though. I�m also finishing up the Caltroit album with Black Milk and a lot of fly cats from Detroit and the West Coast are on it. That will be the next offering before The Reformation album comes. It is just a celebration of hip-hop, Ras Kass is on it, Tash is on it, Kardinal Offishal, Busta Rhymes, Royce The 5�9�, everybody is on it and everybody got down just for the fun of it.

How you hooked up with Black Milk?
I can�t even remember. I know we met on a set of a Slum Village video and it has been a blessing ever since. We have been family ever since and been moving it. With him it�s like looking in a mirror: we are both idiots and it is just flavors. It is just fun. Black Milk is amazing and he is a humble dude. It is just great chemistry.

I�ve heard y�all expected to drop it as a mixtape but now y�all considering deals for it. What�s the exact status right now?
It is so crazy with this Caltroit situation because it is no longer a mixtape, it is an album now. I want to give it to the streets because when people support me, I want to give them something back. People deserve to have something for free because they are spending money on albums for years and the sh*t was trash! That�s why I want to give them quality music for free and all they will have to pay is to pay attention.

How important is the internet for you?
We just had a round table here in the studio, me, Stat, Busta and Focus about the impact of the internet and we have to understand how this monster works. I love it and that�s why N*gger Noize is so successful because we use it in a good way and that was the key to get music to everybody anywhere. I�m all for the internet in the right aspect of it. I love chaos because from chaos comes new order.

What are some of the subjects that you are going to deal with on the album?
Political issues, social issues as far as racism, what goes on in the streets, world views, the drugs and talk about reality. Just normal life, the good days, the bad days and everything that you can experience in life.

Who are some of the guests on it?
I want to keep it as a surprise for the most part but of course I will have my Aftermath team on there: Dre, Busta Rhymes, Focus, Warren G. I�ma stop right there (laughs). I don�t want the album to be all about the features but I want it to be all about the impact of the music. The Reformation is going to drop first quarter of next year so be on the lookout.

Do you feel like you have improved your style since you started working on Detox?
Of course! By working on Detox and on my own album, I�ve been improving my craft. I�m a never satisfied type of dude, just like Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods always wants to have a better swing or a better stroke. I always want to be more precise so all I do is work. I keep myself from being too complex and too simple.

What can you tell the fans about Detox?
He�s actually working on it. It�s gonna take time for Dre to make his last album. We are all going to be a part of it. Next year is going to be a great year between my album, Detox and also Focus� album.

Now I would like you to comment on the recent list of the hottest emcees on MTV. What�s your take?
You need to have dudes like Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Black Milk, Elzhi and Saigon on it. My list will differ from that one.

What does it take to be a dope emcee now-a-days for you?
For me, it is about being a true innovator, a true representative of the hip-hop culture, a real motherf*cking emcee - from writing rhymes, writing hooks to having top notch freestyles, not memorizing stuff that is written. You also need to really be a spokesperson; a leader in this hip-hop thing and that is what makes a dope emcee. The industry doesn�t f*cking count, don�t even look their way and give a f*ck about what they say. They will tell you everybody is a dope emcee as long as they have the music that sells.

How do you feel about the state of hip-hop?
It is much better now because people are tired of the bullsh*t and they want fresh music. Its been too much fast food rap and people want something better now. People want a cooked up meal!

How do you feel about the West Coast?
I love the West Coast man. It could be a lot more unity and we are fighting for that but it is a dream of mine and a lot of artists are starting to link up, doing things together and unifying the movement. People need to stop being so selfish. Nobody wants somebody else to shine before them but they have to realize that everybody have to get paid, dollars got to circulate. You have to build an identity again. It takes a whole village to raise a child. Stop hating on the next who got a record deal. If you support that man, you might find out how he got his record deal and it might help you to get one. We need more leaders on the West Coast.

How would you describe yourself as an emcee?
I feel like I�m the new breed of an emcee because I kind of understand styles and creativity from all angles. It is a great marriage of beats and lyrics and I�ve got it. I love to make records for the radio but I also love to make records for the underground. I�m just trying to connect the underground with the above ground but the difference is that I don�t want to sacrifice what the underground is to what the above ground is.

Do you have any last words?
I appreciate all the love. I can even call you my man because you are extended family. Keep supporting Bishop Lamont, Aftermath, underground hip-hop and love to the whole Europe.