DJ Muggs Interview Part 2

[D-Nice]

http://www.illuminati2g.com/untouchable/2013/04/04/dj-muggs-interview-part-2/

Part 2 of our interview with DJ Muggs continue as we pick up where Muggs is asked about working again with Ice Cube, Detox, Call O Da Wild and much more. For part one of the interview, click on the link below

http://www.illuminati2g.com/untouchable/2013/04/01/dj-muggs-interview-part-1/

That actually led into another question. I know you have done alot of work in the past with Ice Cube. Is there any possibility that you guys will do anymore music together? I would love to see a VS album from you guys if possible.

Yeah I would love to work with Ice Cube. That is something that I would drop everything else that I was doing and make him the dirtiest, grimiest record that I could make. Nothing for the radio and nothing pop, I would probably shut down the whole company for 3 months to do a record on Ice Cube.

Because he still comes with the fucking lyrics, to me he is still one of the greatest. People say Biggie, Jay-Z, 2pac and I don’t take anything from anyone. If you listen to those first 2 or 3 Cube records and what he was saying.

YES

Word for word, I would put that up against anyone.

What was it like working with Cube on The Predator album? That album is now over 20 years old, what were some good memories?

Well you know up to that point, every time I went into the studio, it was me coming up with all the ideas. Cube coming into the studio, was the first time I had a rapper who had a direction to what he wanted. He had news clips and was telling me use this for the album and he had ideas to go along with what I did, and I was like yo this is dope.

It made me want to step up and give him the best shit I had.

Another person I always wondered if you would work with on maybe co production is Dr. Dre. Have you ever worked with him and has he ever approached you about working on Detox?

Well of course I did the track Puppet Master, which was done for Dre to jump outside of working with his camp and do a record. For Dre to jump on another producer’s beat back then was pretty much unheard of. Now I don’t know, I mean I probably wouldn’t because I am about ownership.

I have never been about getting a beat on everyone’s album. Because your next job is waiting for someone to call you and tell you that they want the beat on their record. My approach has always been ownership, from the merchandise, the publishing, the record, making the record, finishing the record, following it through to put it together and that is what I like.

I have seen alot of people get down with Dre, and they get comfortable, and then I don’t see them build careers out of it or own anything.

Right.

Would I love to get in a work with him? Hell yeah. Would I want it to come out? Hell yeah. Would I want to work with Dre and nothing come out? I would not do that to myself, no. If I am going to work on music, it has to come out and I have seen too many people work with Dre and kind of vanish.

I would be really apprehensive that I was doing all this work and it would not come out. I don’t do that kind of shit. But at the same time Dre ain’t wrong for doing what he does either, I just have a different approach that works for me.

You have done a ton of dope remixes over the years and one that stood out was the Freelove remix you did for Depeche Mode. How did that remix come together?

One of the guys that signed my group 783, was Jeff Femster and Neil Vucavich at Geffen Records. They pretty much put me in the game man, and everything I learned was from them and that project. Neil Vucavich was the A&R guy on the Depeche Mode project and I met up with him at Coachella and he told me that he was working with them and we should do a remix.

I told him I thought it would be dope to bring in all my musicians and we knocked it out.

So what is next for Soul Assassins as a brand? Outside of music, what do you guys have in the works right now?

Right now we have a spring collection dropping next week. We are going heavy on the clothing, a brand new website coming soon, more interactive and more for the fans. More music and I am going to be dropping music in different ways, music coming out with shirts.

I got the 420 project coming out, new single Breathe Slow with Rahzel, and that is dropping April 20th and I think we are going to start combining more of our music and putting speciality projects out throughout the year, it doesn’t have to be an album a year, but maybe 3 EPs a year.

Maybe for example you get a pair of sunglasses, a shirt and 3 songs. Or on vinyl because it isn’t just about MP3s.

Actually just to back track a little bit, I was listening to the first Soul Assassins album and I was listening to the song New York Undercover that you did with Call O Da Wild, which was part of the crew. What ever happened to the group and Barron Ricks? I thought that maybe we would get an album from them.

Barron was one of my best friends. I took him around the world and he used to live with me. I basically fucking bought him food and everything for 2 years. Call O Da Wild ended up breaking up as a group after I got them signed to Columbia Records. Columbia wanted a commercial single and they did not want to make one, so I got them dropped off Columbia because that was what they wanted.

They got into a beef with each other and I took Barron in and put him on the Cypress records, put him on singles, and he just flipped the fuck out and thought he was Biggie Smalls. I told him hey holmes I can’t do this shit for you. Niggas calling and ain’t banging on the motherfucking door looking for you, I don’t know what to tell you dog.

Then all of a sudden, here is your best friend that gets a manager. So now your best friend’s manager is calling you one day. I told him here, you can have all these records and I took you around the world and you have all this experience, go do your thing dog. That was it.

Oh wow

Yeah I felt bad man, and that point it had left a bitter taste in my mouth. I am over here trying to help people and that was Cypress as a whole. We always tried to help our friends get out of the hood, took them on the road and on tour with us, and alot of them started to think that they were entitled.

They think that it looks so easy and that is what happened man, it’s sad, not only did a lose a good artist that could have had a great career, could have made or sold 50-60 grand a year, travel, make some money, living life his way, but I also lost a good friend. Fucked up. There is a darkside to this shit too, I always compare it to Lord Of The Rings and how Garland feels about that ring.

I have seen that same thing with music and fame and unfortunately I have seen it happen to alot of people. I never got into this for the fame and fortune, I got into it for the love of the music and I just wanted my peers to love my shit. I just wanted us to sell records like KRS-One did and A Tribe Called Quest did and have respect. I did not think in the beginning it would be much more than that.

But a little bit more happened and we were blessed and we worked hard and we still do.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tour dates?

I was just on tour for 2 weeks and I just finished and I go back out on the 9th of April until around May 2nd. The dates are all up on the Facebook page. I am also going to be doing shows with this Dubstep group from London called Mostep and when I finish with them then I am back out on my own, LA, Detroit, Chicago, Calgary, couple other parts of Canada, San Francisco, Denver.

Well that is all the questions I have for you.

I apologize because I know we were trying to do this a couple of times and thanks for being patient and us doing this.

It’s all good man, you are my favorite producer of all time so it was well worth the wait.

Word, thanks again brother. Anytime you need anything, just reach out and we will be right here for you.

[doggfather]

anotha good work!

[CHUCK KNOXXX]

great interview, props once again....one of the best things i've read on this site in months. fucked up about barron ricks, dude was mediocre at best in my opinion and ended up going nowhere without muggs

[Okka]

Great interview. Thanks for postin this, D-Nice. Muggs still one of the underrated of all times. Motherfuckers don't give him the props he deserves.