Author Topic: Interview with former Aftermath artist GAGE (Read 263 times)

The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES · « **on:** September 08, 2008, 08:11:56 PM »

JULES: What’s up Gage, thanks for your time. You are from Phillidelphia. Tell me, what was it like growing up there?

GAGE: It was cool, fun! You gotta love the city life, it’s embeded in me for life. That’s why even though I live in ATL now, i live down town because i gotta be near the city! Shit, Magic City is at my corner, haha. Philips area, where the Hawks play, is across the street from my crib!

JULES: How did you get into rapping?

GAGE: My sister Azerene was rapping when I was younger, and I looked up to her, I knew all her verses. ’Slam’ came out by Onyx.. I remember I was in 5th grade at the lunch table, and my homie at the time said “Check this new group onyx out!”. When I heard ‘Slam’, I knew this is exactly what i wanted to do!

JULES: Who influenced your musical style?

GAGE: Tupac, Eazy E, Biggie, Big L, Jay Z, DMX, Slim Shady, EPMD, NWA, Cam’ron (before the Rocafella signing), Mase, Onyx, Eve, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, LL Cool J (before all the lip lickin’ shit), and many others!

JULES: You had a short tenure with Aftermath Music. How did that come about?

GAGE: My manager and I just worked for about three years straight, until we had over 1,000 songs. Dre got a hold of 6 songs. He called me the next day, booked my first class flight! I had my presidential suite in the beverly hills hotel ‘Mondrian’, same hotel Pimp C died in. I met Dre the next day. I didn’t have to record or rap for him, he was already sold. He said “What could you bring to this label?”. I dropped a duffle bag at his feet filled with 32 rap books, a poetry book, and a movie script i was working on. I said “That’s what I can bring to Aftermath!”. After that, Dre said “You are the shit, Gage!”, and then he said “Welcome to the family!”.

JULES: What led to your departure?

GAGE: They aren’t worried about any artists over there.. They are worried about one thing, “DETOX”. I could tell things were going sour.. I’m not going to sit around waiting, would you? That’s like having a bad bitch, but she isn’t letting you fuck.. Everybody dissing you like “Yo, why would you leave that bad bitch? she is bad!”. I can easily go find another bitch that will let me fuck! If that makes any sense to y’all! Haha. I got fans out there all over the world, and they wanna hear Gage! There were so many rules over there, I couldn’t be heard! You see, I’m gone.. Eve, Busta Rhymes, Joell Ortiz, Tiffany Villareal, Dion, Stat Quo.. They are all gone, need I say more?!

JULES: You released a song called ‘It’s So Easy’, where you parodied
many Hip-Hop artists. Do you think all of the rappers you impersonated in that song don’t have enough talent to be where they are?

GAGE: Haha, naw! I definitely don’t think they are wack, or they don’t have enough talent. I’m just tired of people coming up to me saying how these rappers I impersonated, are the greatest, and they can’t be copied. The point of that song was to point out people that have simple flows, to re-create.. It’s not a diss song. Alot of people I impersonated I respect, but I admit I did take a few cheap shots at a few of them. When you listen to it ask yourself, “Is Gage really lying about what he’s saying?”, I thought not!

JULES: You did a song called ‘Man I’ve Become’, produced by The Runners. A well-placed ‘Styx’ sample and some relative life-bars made a pretty good song! It wasn’t released in full though, it faded out in the beginning of the third verse.. Is that an unfinished song, or are you saving it for something else?

GAGE: I mean, I like to tease people.. That is a full song, but i like leaving people with that “To be continued” face. That’s why I faded that out. I am my own engineer. I can’t mix that good, but I always record myself!

JULES: You have a single called ‘Uh Oh’ coming out soon with DMX. What project is this song going to be featured on?

GAGE: Well before DMX was arrested in Miami a few weeks ago, he was here in ATL staying with us. One night X went across the street to the new bar across from my crib called ‘255′.. They gave him a free bottle of Remi and I had some haze, so we got drunk and high. I had the pitbulls running around, the mood was set! The beats came on, so we went in and recorded a banger! We just got it mixed so we about to hit radio hard with that. It’s not for any particular CD, it’s mainly just a buzz record to get my name back in rotation!

JULES: When can we expect your debut album?

GAGE: You can expect my album on the day that real music comes back to life. Until then, I will never get the respect from these maggot labels that i deserve! Fuck a record deal, I don’t mind a grind. I’ll do this shit myself, bitches! Haha!

JULES: Great! Any last words for the readers?

GAGE: I got a few projects coming real soon!
(1) ‘Big Money, Big Mouth’ the mixtape, feat. Good Charlotte, Jamie Foxx, 50 Cent, and others.
(2) ‘I Am Greatness’, the street album. Whole CD produced by this new kid coming out of boston named C-Lance. Look him up, he’s the shit!
(3) ‘Last Men Standing’ the mixtape, which is a duo mixtape between I and another artist/producer.
(4) ‘New Jack Hustler’ The duo mixtape/album from Gage (G-Money), and fellow Hard Hood Management artist Gambino (Bino Brown). Whole CD produced by C-Lance.
(5) I am now recording ‘Crack, Murder, and Missed Meals 2′, the highly anticipated follow up to the Whoo Kid classic. Knowing me, it will probally be produced by C-Lance!

All of the following CD’s will drop at the same time, coming soon! Thanks to all of my fans that support me, with or without tha Aftermath! Without you, there is no me! One Love.

Check GAGE @ MySpace

Listen to GAGE - Man I’ve Become

Listen to GAGE - It’s So Easy

That wraps it up! Next time: Roscoe & Dipset member Tom Gist!

-Jules

http://swagspot.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/issue-2-former-aftermath-artist-gage/

Lunatic · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2008, 08:37:50 PM »

Stat Quo ain't gone?

The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2008, 09:08:05 PM »

Check "Dear Summer Pt.1 & 2". Even tho he says he still repping, aint NO WAY a dude can make these songs if he aint off tha math... Releasing them isn't a good look for Stat if he tryna stay on the label anyways!

Booz · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2008, 11:26:35 PM »

Quote from: The-Leak on September 08, 2008, 09:08:05 PM

Check "Dear Summer Pt.1 & 2". Even tho he says he still repping, aint NO WAY a dude can make these songs if he aint off tha math... Releasing them isn't a good look for Stat if he tryna stay on the label anyways!

Yeah. Sounds like he is inviting Em & Jimmy to boot him, if he haven't been already.

Bones01 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2008, 11:53:10 PM »

thanks for the interview, i think this guys talented no doubt. I don't get it tho, if he dosen't have a plan to release an album anytime sonn why leave Aftermath. Might aswell wait

The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES · « **Reply #5 on:** September 09, 2008, 12:26:09 AM »

I guess he is making more money doing all those indie projects than he was while at Aftermath. I don't think alot of these young artists can wait around like that and afford to not make money in the meantime..