Ervin EP Pope Interview Part 1 (co executive producer of Scarface Deeply Rooted)

[D-Nice]

http://www.illuminati2g.com/untouchable/2015/09/07/ervin-ep-pope-interview-part-1/

I2G chilled with Ervin EP Pope for an exclusive 2 part interview. For part one we focus mainly on his upcoming projects and work as co executive producer of Deeply Rooted, Scarface's new album that dropped on September 4th. Check it out and stayed tuned for part 2.

I2G is here with the one and only Ervin EP Pope, how's it going?

I'm good brother how you doing?

Good, let's get right into it. What new projects have you been up to on the production tip?

Currently I am preparing to drop this long awaited Scarface album called Deeply Rooted. I am the co executive producer of and I have been working on for the last 4 years. The album dropped September 4th. 

From 4 to 5 years ago to now you can imagine how anxious I am for that to drop. He is a legend and one of my favorite artists of all time, so I am in a good place right now. I have a female artist named Necessary, who just got off tour with E-40 all across the nation.

She is doing alot of great things. I signed a alternative soul artist named Layleia. She is reminiscent of Amy Winehouse/Karrin Bailey Rae. 

Oh wow

I also signed a kid out of Watts named G.I.. Hip Hop/R&B writer, just an all around dope guy. You see I have my hands full with all in house artists as well as I have some live shows coming up with Game and Ray J and Scarface is talking about doing a tour so it is a busy time, but I am ready for it.

Now just to back track a little bit. How did you link up with Scarface and start the process of putting Deeply Rooted together?

Actually I was introduced to Face by a mutual friend. I took him some production and we hit it off immediately. We stayed in touch and at that point he was dabbling with the music and he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue making music.

I kind of talked him into taking it serious and getting back in the lab and giving the world what we need. We don't have alot of real artists left, especially the legends. I was honored to be able to contribute to this great project and to be influential in getting him to come out of retirement and give us what is needed.

Now as far as you guys in the studio, with Face also being a producer, was he very hands on and allow you to put the musical landscape down as far as the production or did you guy collaborate together on the album?

He allowed me to be and do me. He gave me the green light to add anything I needed to add, not even just the production that I brought forth, but other producers as well. He gave me the ability to bring in other producers, singers and background singers, whatever else I felt the tracks needed, he allowed me to lend that to the project.

At the end of the project, with him being a producer as well, he added some elements to some of the songs later on in the project but overall it was a great experience for him to even trust me enough to lend what I did to the album.

Scarface was on the Breakfast Club recently and he was talking about you raving about the project and how dope it was. Do you have a favorite memory or a favorite track from the album?

Yeah definitely the God track on the album featuring John Legend. It is just a whole different perspective, I don't think I have ever heard an artist bring a conversation like this to light as if they were God, what they would do and how they would deal with some of the issues that we are dealing with.

The subject alone was great and we must have made that track 10 times. Face is such a perfectionist that if it ain't right, he don't care what you put into it. If it ain't 100% the way he want to hear it, he will either want to do it again or he won't do that song. For that song to even make it on the album, after being produced by MANY producers.

Couple different attempts on my part and to go in on a collaborative effort with N.O. Joe and create a masterpiece it would have to be my favorite song on the album. It has different climates to the cd, it has a conscious vibe, a street vibe, motivational side. That would be my favorite conscious record on the album.

Be on the lookout for part 2, where we discuss some of our favorite tracks from Ervin over the years, his thoughts on west coast hip hop and much more.

[Blood$]

dope 

[Sccit]

good shit fam

[sofdark]

He was pretty good at emulating Dre-esque beats on Game's album. Wonder why they don't make music anymore.

[k1000]

^^ exactly my thought. No Dre beats on Game's sophomore LP but dope and heavy intro song. and good album as a whole.