Author Topic: Focus Speaks on Dr. Dre & More (New Interview, My work this time) (Read 186 times)

Lunatic · « **on:** May 13, 2010, 10:10:24 PM »

http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2386/54/

Former Dr. Dre protégé and current CEO of A.Fam Entertainment, super producer Focus is with Raptalk.Net for an exclusive interview. We heavily discuss his as of May 4th digitally available release, “The Avant Garde.”

A very rich and unique listening experience, “The Avant Garde” project showcases Focus’ many musical talents and sounds. Filled with depth and music showcased from all genres throughout, you can tell when reading this interview that “The Avant Garde” has been an idea in Focus’ mind for many years.

So why now? Focus talks to us about when he became comfortable doing a project like this. Earlier we mentioned that Focus is CEO of A.Fam Entertainment, a entity which he is using to groom two future stars – Kida and Al Gator – more on that below.

And of course, we get the word on Focus’ split from Dr. Dre and Aftermath – all details below.

Enjoy.

Read Full Interview:
http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2386/54/

Lunatic · « **Reply #1 on:** May 13, 2010, 10:11:05 PM »

Interview: We’re right here with super producer Focus. We’re not even going to go through the production credits because they already know. I know you have this “The Avant Garde” project coming up and you just put out the single, “Medusa.” Tell our readers about that record.

Focus: The “Medusa” single is off the album I’ll be putting out May 4th as you said, “The Avant Garde” project. It’s showing another side of me. I was tired of doing the same thing and tired of being known as just a hip hop producer. I want people to understand that I could do a lot more. We just put that record out and so far it’s getting great responses.

Interview: When did you start feeling like this? You don’t want to be seen as just a hip hop producer.

Focus: To be honest I’ve felt like that for years. There were times when I was working on Detox when I was with Aftermath and there were days where I felt like we were doing hip hop record after hip hop record. I would turn around, take a day for myself and throw on some live instruments and make some rock tracks and just do some crazy things. It’s been something in me for a while.

Interview: We’re definitely going to talk about that but we do want to make sure the bulk of this interview is focused on you. I can imagine you’re tired of the Dr. Dre, Aftermath & Detox questions. We are going to ask that too but we want Focus first.

Focus: (Laughs) thank you man and I appreciate that.

Interview: Absolutely. “The Avant Garde” project is dropping May 4th and it’s an album your doing. Tell our readers more about it.

Focus: “The Avant Garde” project has 11 tracks on it. There are very few features and all the songs are pretty much written by me. I played all the instruments and all the production was done by me. I rap and sing on there. I have features from Phonte of Little Brother. I have this feature from my cousin who is an incredible singer by the name of Soul. We just did a remix to “Medusa” with Marsha Ambrosius. The more that you guys buy the single, I’ll put out the remix (laughs).

The album represents different sides of me. I have a hip hop track, two rock tracks, and a jazz track that is a straight instrumental track. It’s a kind of corky approach to what’s going on in music.

Interview: That’s dope. The writing, the rapping, the singing, the production – everything, the majority was done by you. You did mention Phone from Little Brother on the album. Tell us about that because he’s dope.

Focus: That’s my people’s right there. That’s my brother. He’s one of my favorite MC’s in the game. When I found out he could sing, I love the stuff that they [Little Brother] do but the Foreign Exchange thing is dope. As soon as I did that track, I sent it to him and he turned it right back around. Honestly, he’s a genius and it’s easy to work with him.

Interview: What does the title stand for?

Focus: “The Avant Garde” project stands for being ahead of the times and being different. The only reason I called it “Avant Garde” is because I want it to be different. I don’t want to have a regular urban sounding title. I want it to stand out and I want people to understand this is not gonna’ be the same stuff you get from Focus in the past…I hate talking about myself in third person (laughs).

I just want it to show a whole different side of me. I hope the people listen to it and love the music and stop looking for the Aftermath or the rap sound. I just want them to appreciate the music.

Interview: How can the fans get their hands on the project?

Focus: It’s going to be everywhere – ITunes, Napster, Rhapsody and everywhere else. I’m putting it out independently but it will be available to everybody. I’ll definitely be putting those links out.

Interview: I can tell it’s a very unique project. Go in-depth musically on how it stands out.

Focus: Musically it’s going to stand out because I wasn’t afraid to go wherever I felt. I didn’t want to sound like anybody else. I didn’t want to sound like Lil Wayne when I was doing a rap. And when I turned around and did rock records I didn’t want them to sound like any of the rock bands or songs that influenced me that I love. I wanted to do all of that with my twist on it. A lot of the stuff I would think about, I wanted to do it and attack it but I was thinking about how I could put my twist on that genre of music.

Interview: Dope. As you said, it’s a very diverse project – rap, rock, jazz and so on. You’ve wanted to do something like this for a while. What was the final push that made you say Ok, I’m ready to come out of the box that those who know Focus have me in and I’m ready to show them this side of me?

Focus: I think the final push came late last year or early this year. I don’t know how to put it correctly but it got to a point where I was tired of sitting in that box or I was tired of trying to get in the box if you understand what I’m saying.

When we did “Conglomerate”, me and Busta Rhymes, it was a time where everybody was going a little more pop and southern with their tracks and raps. We came out with a really hard track and the thing about that, I didn’t personally think it was going to work but Busta [Rhymes] was like “I’m going to paint a movie with this and you have to trust me.”

I’ve always been trying to fit in. I’ve been trying to get in the box but my sound doesn’t fit in.

Interview: It’s not your personality.

Focus: Exactly. It just gets to the point where I don’t want to try and contend with the cats that are doing it. More power to them and I give them their props but I’m trying to be something bigger and I’m trying to build my own legacy. I just got to the point where I was tired of trying to get into that box.

Interview: You handle everything on the project – rapping, writing, producing and singing. Which of those four elements do you find the most challenging?

Focus: Writing. I get to write with a lot of people now but I don’t know how people do that without going to a special, deeper part of yourself. I feel drained after that. When you start to write songs from your heart, your life and your memories and you get it out with the perfect words, it feels like you just had a baby (laughs).

Interview: (laughs) which of the four elements do you enjoy the most? You may hold them all close to you.

Focus: When it comes to the music making, I love producing. I love making music. I love creating it from the ground up. I love making it sound the way it’s supposed to sound. I l enjoy the production part of it. I enjoy creating it and getting the music done.

Interview: Do you have a favorite song on the album?

Focus: They all mean a lot to me. The one that I really love the most outta’ the whole project is a song called “The Vow.” It’s because I literally went through everything I’m saying on the song. It was one of those joints that came and everything about it was perfect. Everything came together and it really worked out.

Interview: Tell us about Kida – you’ve been working with him a lot.

Focus: Kida is one of my two rappers. Kida is my rapper from the west coast, Inglewood, California to be specific. He’s amazing. He’s been out there grinding and he even performs with a live band during his performances. He’s not afraid to hit the stage. His work ethic is amazing. We’ve been putting out as much music as possible. We’re trying to keep his buzz up and try to get people to follow him and get some of his music on the radio. Kida is just amazing man. As soon as I get a beat to send to him, I get the song back later that night.

Interview: Wow, that’s crazy. Are you working on a new project with him?

Focus: We put out the “Endemic” just recently with DJ Skee and the mixing is amazing. We also put out “The Epidemic.” We’re working on the “Pandemic” and this is the final part of the trilogy. We’re working on the final part of the trilogy.

Interview: Go ahead and tell our readers about the decision to leave Aftermath and Dr. Dre’s side.

Focus: It wasn’t such a big thing. I’ve been with Dr. Dre on paper for about seven years. Dre has been an incredible mentor to me. I’ve learned all I could learn and I’ve done all I could do for him. It just got to a point where I couldn’t make the green. I saw a lot of projects coming out from Aftermath and I wasn’t on them. There was a lot of music that I had that was just sitting in the archives and it wasn’t doing anything. I started to get frustrated. Instead of me biting the hand that was feeding me I just told him that it was time for me to fly and show him what I can do with everything he taught me. I was ready to work.

I definitely still want to get on Detox. It was easier for me to turn around and show him that I’m a man instead of just living in his shadow or use his name to get where I was going. I really wanted him to see that I wasn’t around because he was Dr. Dre; I was around because I really do admire him and I thought I could add to Aftermath.

Interview: I like that answer. You still want to appear on Detox. Do you truly believe the record will ever see the light of day?

Focus: Dre’s been working on it since I’ve been signed. I know him as a perfectionist and I know him as meticulous. When it comes down to it, he’s thought about this project and he’s over thought this project on more than one occasion. He’s changed the sound of it, he’s changed his mind, he’s changed the direction, and he’s changed this and that. Now, I hear that he’s really been in there grinding. That’s all I could really say. I haven’t been there so I don’t know.

Interview: Are you definitely still in contact with him? Do you think you’ll still appear on the record?

Focus: I’m praying that I’m on it (laughs). I hit him up recently and I told him that I really wanted him to come out to Atlanta and really just get in the studio together and knock it out. I wanted to knock out a couple of tracks with him and see what happens in a change of scenery. I’ve been in Los Angeles and I’ve done that stuff.

I told him to come out here and will get it in. He’s talking like he might do it so will see.

Interview: I have heard some words about you doing an entire project with Chino XL – speak to us about that.

Focus: (Laughs) Chino is definitely one of my brothers. We’ve worked on an album for many years called “The Secret” but it didn’t get to see the full light of day. A lot of the tracks we put out there to leak. I think we’re really going to sit down and just really hash it out and try to get this album out. It’s a great project.

Interview: I don’t know much about what I’m going to ask you next but I do have two words and I’m going to let you run with it – The Few.

Focus: (Laughs) The Few! The Few is going to be one of those projects that will always be in the wings. It’s me, Kida and Gator. It gives us a platform to do whatever we want, any kind of style of hip hop – we can go underground with it, straight commercial or whatever. We can tap into the fact that Kida is from the west coast so we can do a west coast track, Gator is from the south so we can do a south track and I’m from the east so we can do an east track. We all blend very well on it. The Few is something that I hold very dear to my heart. When I put that project out, it’s called “Sinification” and it’s great.

Interview: What’s next for Focus? Are you producing for other artists?

Focus: I‘m still working with Busta Rhymes on his new album. I’m also working with Marsha Ambrosius for her new album. I just finished something with Christina Aguilera with her on “Bionic” [her new album]. I’m trying to get a lot of placements right now. I’m submitting to Xzibit, Ice Cube and more for all of their projects. We’re trying to be everywhere so I’m submitting to a bunch of people. I’m even trying to get on underground artists projects to be honest. I believe I’m supposed to be on a new endeavor by Bun B so I’m very excited about that.

Interview: That’s dope! We’re right here with Focus and you have a whole lot going on so we’re definitely going to keep the readers in the loop but for now, do you have any last words before I let you go?

Focus: Just look out for a.Fam Entertainment. We’re going to have the music coming at you with 'Big Business' with me and Omar Gooding who goes by Big O. The Few “FEWnification” album will be coming soon. I’m just gonna’ keep putting out music until they tell me to stop (laughs).