Author Topic: New DJ Muggs Interview - Touches on label, the GZA album & Mitchy Slick (Read 290 times)

On The Edge of Insanity · « **on:** January 02, 2006, 03:22:26 PM »

Source: http://www.ballerstatus.net/features/read/id/14221167/

DJ Muggs: Making A Change
Wednesday - December 28, 2005

— by Jay Casteel

One of L.A.'s most respected producers, DJ Muggs, is still grinding in Cali's sometimes overlooked hip-hop scene. But, the fact of the matter, there are still artists and labels in the West making a difference -- specifically DJ Muggs and Self-Scientific's label Angeles Records.

In October, the Cypress Hill OG released the first two albums (Muggs Vs. Gza: The Grandmasters and Self Scientific's Change) under his newly formed imprint -- a label Muggs says is focused on releasing "real hardcore underground music" that is not tainted by the cookie-cutter commercial hip-hop reigning today's mainstream.

Not worried about garnering radio and video rotation, Muggs along with Self Scientific, have set their sights on influencing the next batch of young artists to make original music no matter what the trends happen to be at the time. While Muggs continues his independent grind at Angeles, he explains the motivation behind starting Angeles Records, the difference between being an artist and handling label business, and what's in store for the future.

BallerStatus.net: Yourself and Self Scientific launched Angeles Records earlier this year, so talk about how you guys came together for the joint venture and what the plans for the future are?

DJ Muggs: We've been friends for years, first of all, so we hang out. [Self Scientific] come down to my studio everyday and we kick it. We was noticing that the climate of Los Angeles hip-hop and hip-hop itself...we was talking about labels like Def Jam and the way they did their business, as well as labels like Tommy Boy, Loud and Rawkus. These labels put out real hardcore underground music and they were independent. They put out music the majors weren't dropping. We just realized that L.A. doesn't have anything like this, and in New York, Koch is eating up everything on that level. So, there wasn't really any labels like that, so we just started up [Angeles Records] to fill that void.

When you are dealing with majors, everyone is looking for a commercial type of group. We're artists, we like to create music a certain type of way, but we aren't cookie-cutters; we're not following trends. So, we were like "Ok, let's start a label and give people good music." We just wanna let motherf---ers know that they can put out good hardcore music and have success. That way, when kids are coming up and they see us, they will be like, "Oh, I can do that," instead of thinking that they have to fit into the mold of anything and be themselves.

We come from the game and this is like the urban punk rock, we was always like "F--- you, we're against what everybody else is doing." When everyone starting following the commercial trends of R&B cats singing on hip-hop, we were like "F--- that." The spirit of the culture isn't there anymore. The spirit is now biting and following each other. Today, you got everyone biting each other's lyrics and styles and even beats -- nothing is original anymore. We're trying to bring that spirit hip-hop once had back, at least in our music.

BallerStatus.net: Now, you have distribution with Fontana/Universal. How did you land your deal with them?

DJ Muggs: We was thinking about going with a couple different distribution companies. We knew [Fontana] was new and they were a part of the Universal system, which is probably one of the best distribution systems in the world, but Chace had a relationship with them, so we just went and played them some music one day.

BallerStatus.net: You pretty much a vet in the game, why such the long wait in your career to start your own label?

DJ Muggs: Naw, it isn't late, it's right on time man. This is full time job. I got other things...music doesn't make the money you think. I've made a lot of money on music, but we have real estate corporations throughout America. So, basically, the music is fun and its our art. We make some money with the music, but this label ain't gonna make me rich, you know what I mean? But, I can put out good music, have a good time and make some money. We're on a real underground level and we call the shots.

BallerStatus.net: What are some of differences from owning your own label versus being signed to a major?

DJ Muggs: Well, you just don't realize all the work put into it. Being an artist, I got so disconnected from what I was actually doing -- selling this little plastic CD. When you are walking it in as an independent -- just using your relationships 'cause you don't have a lot of money as an independent -- you get real familiar with what you are doing, just selling the CD each time. When you're just an artist, you are running around in cars, on planes, being shuffled from red carpet to red carpet, food dinners, and you kind of forget what you are really doing -- selling CDS. So labels work really hard, they do a lot of sh--. They all f--- up, but when you are there running it, you realize there is gonna be mistakes. There is a ton of things to deal with.

BallerStatus.net: Earlier this year, Angeles dropped it's first two releases. The Muggs/Gza album received a lot of praise from various media outlets. Tell me about the project and how the idea for it came about?

DJ Muggs: Me and Gza have been kicking it since around '97. We are homies. We did a song together the Soul Assassins record and we did a few more. We wasn't really talking about working together too much, but we had friends telling us we should do a project together. Basically, I had a bunch of beats that I had did and when I was in New York -- Gza always calls me when he is out here -- I gave Gza a call and he came through to my hotel. I played him a bunch of music and he was like, "Yea, that's right where I am at." So I ended up giving him the beats and he went back and wrote. When came out to L.A. a few months later, we went in the studio and banged them out.

BallerStatus.net: I understand you used a lot of beats from back in the day...

DJ Muggs: I used a couple, but it didn't even happen like that. I just the music and I knew what he would sound good on. And I just started remembering beats -- just samples and sh-- -- and things I thought he would sound good on. Those beats just sit there. If you do a gang of beats, you got beats that you have never used, but they are like the best beats you've ever done.

What we wanted to do was just make a real raw, raw record, a raw record to bring back that spirit with a certain vibe and certain mood. It's like a real Pink Floyd record if you listen to how it's put together. It's seamless. Everything is different, it's telling great stories and when I approached it, I'm thinking real Pink Floyd as opposed to anything else -- dark side of the moon type sh--. It's dark, it's night time...it's medicine. We tried to create a vibe and atmosphere, not try to create hit songs and hit singles because that wasn't the purpose. We knew we wasn't gonna get video or radio play. We just wanted to create a good piece of art that would withstand the test of time, and that's this record. This record is timeless. It doesn't sound old, it sounds good. Otherwise people would have said it sounded dated, but they like it. So, it's just a timeless piece of work. Gza doesn't use slang, he ain't wearing the latest fashions, so when you listen to his sh--, he's using the English language and the English language doesn't get old. That's what we did out thing on.

BallerStatus.net: What kind of feedback have you been getting from the fans?

DJ Muggs: Everything's been great. I haven't heard nothing negative ever, no where. I haven't read nothing, seen nothing or heard nothing.

BallerStatus.net: What's the deal with Cypress Hill right now?

DJ Muggs: Everything is good. We got a Greatest Hits album that dropped December 13th. There's two new songs on there -- one produced by Fred Wreck and one produced by DJ Khalil. There's an old reggaeton remix on there that was done during the last album, we never used. The rest are the classics from '91 all the way to the time, you know?

BallerStatus.net: What else do you have going on?

DJ Muggs: Right now, we're working on our new artist, Mitchy Slick. Me and DJ Khalil are working on the album, so that's the priority right now.

BallerStatus.net: Ok, you guys just signed Mitchy. Tell me about why you guys decided to sign him?

DJ Muggs: Mitch has been putting in work for a while. He's a smart, articulate brother. He's an honorable cat and I just like his sh--. I was hearing about him and I heard his sh--. So, I met the brother, he came through, we kicked it, professional and we banged the sh-- out. He's super on-point and always on time, and I respected his business 'cause you know how rappers are. Rappers are late all the time, they drinking, smoking, whatever. Mitch ain't drinking in the studio, he's grinding. He's banging out two songs a day and getting his work done. So we formed a partnership and we're gonna put out his record.

As far as his project, he came with a lot of songs from the gate. He came with like 30 songs. So we're gonna go over everything, get in there and round it and shape it into a full album. People are gonna love this from the East to the West.

BallerStatus.net: Anything else you guys are working on?

DJ Muggs: Well, we're working on a new Soul Assassins album coming 8-29-06, it's called Assassination Day. That's our focus right now.

jeromechickenbone · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2006, 07:42:21 PM »

Thanks for posting that up. Muggs sounds like he knows what he's doing, and from a musical stand point sounds like he's gonna deliver. GZA/Muggs was a great album. I'm glad that he's not following trends, just focusing on quality music.