Daz Dillinger: Indie Hustle (INTERVIEW)/New LP dropping Nov. 1

[GATMAN]

Daz Dillinger: Indie Hustle


Peep the resume: assisted Dr Dre in creating the seminal sounds heard on the classic album, The Chronic, produced tracks for Snoop and Tupac, while dropping   

 
verses on Doggystyle and playing a integral role overall in the Death Row takeover of the mid-90's. You would think he'd have a household name, but for Daz, aka Dat Ni--a Daz, aka Daz Dillinger, life after Death Row seemed to send his career down south, literally and figuratively.

Now living in Atlanta, Daz has parlayed his well respected contributions to gangsta rap into a record deal with So So Def, while grinding his way through ATL's flourishing independent circuit via countless albums and production credits. With the release of his latest album -- a tutorial in beat making called Sampling From The Beat Of A Drum -- we caught up with the hardest working man in hip-hop to find out about his relationship with Kurupt, his beef with former boss, Suge Knight, and what it's like to be 10 years deep in the game.

Ballerstatus.net: Everyone knows your from Cali, but you now live in Atlanta. How long have you been in the dirty South?

Daz: Going on three years.

Ballerstatus.net: Did you move to Atlanta because of your signing to So So Def?

Daz: I just moved to where the business is. There's a lot of money to be made in the South.

Ballerstatus.net: How did you meet J.D. (Jermaine Dupri)?

Daz: We been good friends ever since Kris Kross, and he like what I'm doing and I like what he doing, so we just came together to make some money.

Ballerstatus.net: Which Southern artists have you worked with?

Daz: I produced a track off T.I.'s Urban Legend album called "My Life" and I did a joint for Young Bloodz off their new album coming out called "Diamond Rings and Diamond Chains." I do a lot of networking out here. I meet rappers in the clubs and it's like "I do whatever you want man; I got that rap sh--."

Ballerstatus.net: What's your album's (So So Gangsta) first single?

Daz: The first single is called "All I Need," we'll probably shoot the video in Long Beach very soon.

Ballerstatus.net: You usually do most of the production on your records, will this be the case on your new album?

Daz: Yeah it just going to be me, JD and No ID.

Ballerstatus: Are you working on any other projects?

Daz: I've got some independent sh-- coming out, and I've been working with Bad Azz, helping him put his album together. I've got Sampling From The Beat Of A Drum out now. I've got the Young Gotti album coming out, then we got Snoop and the DPG album coming out. So, you know, I just try to keep money coming in from features.

Ballerstatus.net: You mentioned that you're also working on a DPG album; I guess this means that you and Kurupt have put your problems behind you?

Daz: Yeah, we cool. I talked to him today.

Ballerstatus.net: Do you have a projected release date on the DPG album?

Daz: November 1st.

Ballerstatus.net: Who's going to be on the album?

Daz: You know, Snoop, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Warren G -- everybody.

Ballerstatus.net: Did you release the Sampling From The Beat Of A Drum album to rekindle your buzz as a producer?

Daz: I always got the fire in me everywhere I go; it's all about your imagination. There's a lot of work out here to tune into though.

Ballerstatus.net: You've worked with the Roc-A-Fella camp in the past on the "Change the Game (Remix)" and recently on the Young Gun's Brother From Another album. How is it working with the Roc?

Daz: Yeah you know me and Jay, we cool. I dig the whole Roc-A-Fella thing. It's all about good quality music. There's ni--as that slang dope and all that sh--, I sell this rap sh--. It's in me, so they want to sample it.

Ballerstatus.net: You recently attended the West Coast Hip-Hop Conference, which focused on bringing West Coast rappers together and squashing a lot of the beefs. Steve Harvey spoke on Suge Knight's behalf, has that conference resulted in an end to your ongoing beef with Suge?

Daz: Well, you know he's doing his thing, we going to do our thing. He get his money and I'm a get my money.

Ballerstatus.net: So there's no bad blood between you?

Daz: Well he said f--k me, so f--k him. I ain't trying to be friends. You do your thing, stay out my way and I'ma stay out your way.

Ballerstatus.net: What spawned the beef between you and Suge?

Daz: Man, money and all kinda sh--. He owe a muthaf—ka all kinda sh--.

Ballerstatus.net: How would you say your approach to the rap game has changed since your days with Death Row?

Daz: Now I do what I want to do. Well, I always did what I wanted to do, but just more of what I want to do now and the direction I want to go in. If I don't feel like rapping today, I don't feel like rapping. I got my own distribution deal, so I'm in control.

Ballerstatus.net: You're signed to a major label, but you still put out independent albums. Is this strictly used as a promotional tool?

Daz: Independent is like mixtapes to me. I just do my albums like that. It's to promote me, but I ain't going to let nobody else make the money off me. That's why I really don't do mixtapes 'cause somebody making the money off it. I ain't making no money off it. They say it's for promotion, but DJs is making money from it. I want some too; give me $2 a tape.

Ballerstatus.net: Most people will agree that since your days with Death Row, there hasn't been a steady flow of chart topping rappers from the West. What do you think is the cause of West Coast drought?

Daz: There just aren't a lot of companies that are investing in rappers from the West. The people who was in the West, they moved on. Maybe it's their attitudes with the business. It's just hard to get people to believe in you. I had to go all the way down South to get someone to believe in me. The business is messed up in California. The motherf--kas that's running the sh-- is some pu--y a-- mutha--kas.





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[Mygla]

good interview... he seems to have cooled down his feelings on Suge... every other interview is FUCK SUGE, but now he's "i'll make mine, he'll make his"... that's good...

[dray]

good interview.

[Paul]

good interview but i posted it bout 2 weeks ago