West Coast Connection Forum
DUBCC - Tha Connection => West Coast Classics => Topic started by: Lunatic on March 30, 2011, 07:54:59 PM
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http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2661/54/
Raptalk speaks exclusively to a number of artists on the passing of a west coast pioneer, Nate Dogg. Artists including Hittman, Lil Flip, Latoiya Williams, Ras Kass, Knoc-turn'al, Jayo Felony and more speak on Nate's passing, life and legacy.
Enjoy.
http://raptalk.net/website/content/view/2661/54/
Ras Kass: I just want to send out my condolences from my family to his. All of us are definitely wishing his family the best and we know he’s in a better place. Nate’s always been a great homeboy to me on the music side and on a social side. We have all kinds of stories but those are our stories and I’m not gonna’ share them with the world. I just want to send out much to love to his family; enriched by life. He’s from the Long Beach so we’ve always been connected. I’m glad he’s definitely in a better place and not suffering. Much love to Nate Dogg; you will be missed.
Hittman: I was blessed to be on a tour bus with Nate for 2 ½ months straight. He was a good dude altogether. He was a noble dude and he didn’t take any shit from anyone. What he brought to the game, there wasn’t anyone really doing shit like that as far as hooks go, straight singing them. Every time he laid something, the shit was incredible.
He was definitely an original and is definitely gonna’ be missed. He was funny too. People didn’t think me and him would get along because we were both known for being hard headed or stern, but as soon as we get on the bus, I give it about a weeks time being around one another, it was all good. He was a hilarious guy too.
It’s sad because we’d freestyle on the bus, I think Nate was a closet rapper; Nate had some dope rhymes. He’ll be missed man. I want to thank him for the laughs, the dope hooks and for schooling me on how to carry myself on tour because I was a rookie on the Up in Smoke Tour. Watching him, how he maneuvered and got stuff done, I learned a lot from him.
Like I said, he’ll be missed. I’ve been banging his shit all day; different songs, unreleased songs that were supposed to go on Detox; different stuff like that. I wanna’ give my condolences to Snoop Dogg & Warren G, all of the Long Beach cats because I know that was there brother.
Latoiya Williams: Nate Dogg, I just want to say that I love you and I miss you. Thank you for all of the great advice you’ve given me about the industry and hip-hop business throughout my career. I wish we could have brought out the song that we did together. Hopefully one day I can. I love and miss you so much.
Lil Flip: I was blessed to meet Nate Dogg on a handful of occasions in my life. You know when you always see artists and it’s quick like “what’s up? What’s going on? We should work together.” Nate Dogg is an artist that I grew up listening too. I still humble myself as a fan and a student of the game. Anything that came before me, I look at what they did and I learn from it. I apply that to how I carry myself.
Every time I got to see Nate Dogg, he was always in a pleasant state of mind. Everything was always all good with the brother. He was always down to smoke with me and have a good time. You know he was on my “I Need Mine” album; a song called “Take You There.” We were supposed to shoot a video to that record but you know how label politics go. We ended up not getting a video done due to that. I wish I took my own damn money and did it. At that time, I was using my own money to shoot my own videos anyways.
I had a girl singing the reference hook on “Take You There” and I sent it to Nate Dogg because I was out of town. I ended up doing a record with Butch Cassidy and then I got with Nate Dogg on that record. He re-sung that shit and he put on a bridge on it. When it comes to this singing shit on a hip-hop level, can’t anybody fuck with Nate Dogg for real. The dude’s voice was so loud, clear and distinctive. He was always in a good mood. I’m thankful that I got the chance to work with him. I wish we would have shot a video to it.
I know he’s been dealing with what he’s been dealing with so I send my prayers out to his family. I just got through doing a couple of shows with Snoop Dogg and kicking it with Daz Dillinger. I did a whole album with Daz. Snoop jumped on my “Game Over” west coast remix and he’s always been like a big brother to me. He’s always given me advice and guidance when I needed it. So I feel for them because I know how close they were with Nate Dogg.
It’s just crazy man. The day he died, I had a show with Snoop Dogg. It was surreal to me man. When Warren G got on stage and performed “Regulate”, the whole crowd was singing that shit at the top of there lungs man. It’s crazy that I ended up having a show with Snoop Dogg the day that Nate Dogg died.
We’re gonna’ hold it down for him man. I’m switching up my show CD’s now where I’m gonna’ do tributes to Nate Dogg. I messed with him man; this isn’t for publicity. I’m gonna’ do a song dedicated to him too. I literally just got back from Houston so I’m about to jump in the lab and cook something up. But it’s gonna’ be done right and tastefully; not as a marketing tool. More or less, it’s an appreciation record because I appreciate his music. I’m glad I got a chance to tell him that to his face before he passed. I loved his voice and we’re gonna’ forever jam his music; for real.
My theme song from Nate Dogg was “Never Leave Me Alone” (starts singing melody). I feel like that record is for people with bad spirits man. His music was all about enjoying your life and it was feel good music. It didn’t matter how old you are, you could relate to “Never Leave Me Alone.” Everybody has somebody that fucks with them; either your baby momma, parole officer or whoever. You could use “Never Leave Me Alone” as your anthem. Nate Dogg will forever be a legend and we’re gonna’ keep his name alive.
Jayo Felony: What’s cracking with it cuzz? I just wanna’ shout out my dog, Rest in Peace Nate Dogg. Much love to my nigga. We’ve always been on deck, riding around together. I wish we got to do a record together but I’ll see you in the afterlife because we all make it there one day. God bless you bro, we’re gonna’ keep pushing this G-Funk and repping this west coast like I know you’d want us too. Nobody lives forever so make every day your best day. Put your best foot forward. I’ve been thinking about my nigga all day. Nate was a real hood star. Much love, Rest in Peace bro. God bless you and your family.
Knoc-turn’al: It’s a tragedy for the west coast because one of our greats has passed. He’s a legend and he deserves a star on Hollywood Blvd. We’re at the studio right now and we’re all talking about one of the greats on the west coast which was Nate Dogg. His passing is a very sad situation for me. He taught me a lot about rhythms and harmonies; just different musical things he gave me pointers on. I wish I could have done more for him. I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him. In the condition that he was in, I don’t know what to say. We grew up together in Long Beach.
But I love the fact that this man gave the world his all to be able to do what he did. No matter what Nate Dogg did, he always gave it his all. And no matter what Nate Dogg did, he always loved people and he cared for people. When it came time for people to care back for him, I just hope they gave him there all.
You have people that say they love you sometimes but they need to love you in the right way. God said love is unconditional so when he was in a bad condition, I hope people loved him and gave him what he needed, and made sure that he was OK. Nate Dogg is and always will be a legend. When I was a snotty nosed kid he’d say “nigga take your ass inside, you know your daddy gonna’ get mad at you if you out here” (laughs).
That helped me a lot; to understand there’s a time to be inside and a time to be outside. I have children of my own and Nate Dogg has children left behind. We all gotta’ figure out what to do to make sure his children are ok. I just hope people didn’t leave him in his time of need because that wouldn’t be right. I’ll never forget what Nate Dogg did for me to help me build my family. These are things that he taught me.
Nate Dogg used to always say and I quote, “Knoc, you just can’t live your life in a bottle; get your shit together.” that’s something that he used to tell me as his young homie. Much love to Nate Dogg.
I feel like Nathaniel died when he had so much more to do. God bless you Nathaniel AKA Nate Dogg.
Sam Sneed: I want to send my condolences out to Nate Dogg’s family and friends. When I was at Death Row, he was one of the good ones. I’m sorry to hear about his loss and everything. May God bless him.
Problem: We really lost somebody who impacted west coast rap music in a way that most rappers wish they could. We really need to respect that and be happy that we were able to have him apart of our culture. The hits just reign; we can talk about all of our favorite Nate Dogg records all day. There’s so many of them. For the next generation of crooners and hook writers, know that if you’re from over here, your style should be based on Nate [Dogg]. Rest in Peace Nate Dogg. I want to send my condolences to all the homies, everybody in Tha Dogg Pound who lost a real brother. I feel honored that I got a chance to meet him and be in his presence. Everybody needs to really realize what has happened. Let’s start respecting our OG’s for real.
Sly Boogy: I would just like to say that Nate Dogg is gonna’ live forever through his work. I think that he’ll always be remembered and he pretty much brought a new sound to the entire hip-hop genre with his style of gospel vocals. I think that he’ll always be remembered for that.
Teak of Hallway Productions: When you think about Nate Dogg’s legacy, you’re looking at such an impactful figure not just on the west coast, but the music industry as a whole. He’s single handedly by far the best hook man that we’ve ever seen in modern music. I want to send my condolences to his family and really the whole music industry because it’s really a huge figure that we’ve lost. He paved the way for people like T-Pain who have made careers off doing dope hooks. Being a musician, that’s the type of person that we’ve lost; a really huge figure in modern music.
Dae One: Nate Dogg was a very creative person. He created his own style and he made his own lane. I don’t think he’ll ever be forgotten for that. He made it cool to do what he did. Ad now, that’s something that’s accepted (hooks, melodies, etc). I remember hanging out with him a few times. We hung out when I was working with Xzibit on his album when they did the “Multiply” record.
We were at Encore Studios, me and Sir Jinx working on Xzibit’s record. Xzibit was trying to come up with the hook for “Multiply” and was having difficulty. He couldn’t come up with the right hook. He was calling Dr. Dre playing different hooks for him and Dre kept saying “change it, I don’t like that.” It was me, Sir Jinx, Taje and Xzibit there in the studio.
They came up with this new hook, wrote it and Xzibit lays it and comes back out to play it for Dr. Dre over the phone. Dre liked it and said “call Nate Dogg; tell him to come to the studio.” This was my first time meeting Nate Dogg so I was like “damn, Nate Dogg about to come through?” I was acting like a fan like yo that’s crazy. Nate Dogg comes to the studio, knocked that hook out in about 5 or 6 takes, no joke. He was very professional. He walked in and handled it. He was actually at another studio session down the street. He stopped his session and came over there in like ten minutes. Dr. Dre was like “Nate’s down the street, just give him a call.”
He came and laid the hook real quick. He was all about the music. He was definitely a hard worker. He jumped in the booth, laid his hook and he was out, went right back to his session down the street. That was the first time I met Nate Dogg. Every time we met, he was always very respectable and cool. He was always well received. We also kicked it a few times at Warren G’s studio. He would come up there and hang out with us. One time he came up there and played like 40 songs for us for a new record he was working on. He had songs with everybody from Eminem to Fabolous to Nas. He had all these records. We played these songs for about two hours straight; just Nate Dogg records. I’ll probably never hear those songs again but the experience itself was great.
Ms. Toi: Nate Dogg called into K-Day [radio] when I was on the radio station with Greg Mack [afternoon host]. That’s how we ended up doing a song together called “Something I Can Go Home With.” That’s because of Nate Dogg, the way he called into the station and let me know how he supported my career. Really, I got love for the brother and I can say a lot about him. That was a wonderful experience I had with him.
This was in 2007 when I put out my independent album “Not Your Average Chick” and I had a song on there called “West Coast Gangsta Shit” and Nate called in to tell me how he liked the record. We ended up getting on the phone again later that night and he invited me to the studio. We were on the “Up in Smoke Tour” together of course in 2001. This was in 2007 and he was looking out for me as far as saying he was watching my career and what I had been doing. He wanted to do that song with me. That was a blessing for me to have one of our greatest hip-hop icons to look out for you.
He showed me so much love and he had so much love for this music. People can find that record by me and him on Youtube and it was on my mixtape “Hustle Hard Pt.2.” Nate Dogg featuring Ms. Toi, “Something I Can Go Home With.” Much love and Rest in Peace Nate Dogg.
Pr1me: My fondest memory of chilling with Nate Dogg was in 2004 when me and my homeboys from Long Beach had a show. One of the group members is Snoop’s little brother so we grew up around the whole Dogg Pound unit. We had this show and we only reached out to a few people for some support to see who would come out and rock. Nate Dogg was the only one who came through.
He was the first major figure to show us love on our show. He didn’t charge us nothing either. He came up there with us and even did a little melody. We just asked him to come on stage and let his presence be known. He actually did a melody and the whole crowd went bananas. It was one of the most memorable times of being with Nate Dogg.
Right after that show, we had a little after hour’s house party at Diamond Bar. He stayed all the way til the very end until it was just five or six people in the house. He was playing his unreleased album for us. He had tracks with Dr. Dre on there. There were some songs that sounded like they’d be from the 1960’s. He was really changing his style up. It was an honor to have him play those records for us. We thought that shit was so hard. We couldn’t wait it for it to come out. We have major love for Nate Dogg.
He was one of the only cats that kept it 100 with us after selling millions and millions of records with other artists and himself. He always kept it humble and all the way real with us. And we were the young boys from Long Beach coming up. Later on, Daz, Snoop and them started fucking with us too – But Nate Dogg was the first one. He opened the door for us.
I’m gonna’ miss that nigga like a motherfucker. He taught us so much and he showed us so much. Even from all the stories Butch [Cassidy] tells me, Nate was just an overall good dude. The west coast really took a blow when we lost him. Will never have another Nate Dogg. I’m gonna’ leave the man at peace. I’ll see him when I get there.
Jazzy D of Jazzy Management: I’m just privileged to have had the opportunity to meet Nate Dogg. He was always a real brother every time I saw him. He was the same person from 11 years ago to when I first met him to now. A lot of people knew I did the Gangsta Granny character on a couple of WC’s albums. Every time I would see Nate, he would ask me to do a skit – “Jazzy, say one of the Granny skits man” (laughs). A lot of people liked those a lot.
It was a privilege to talk to Nate man. I truly was a big fan of his. It was crazy to know that he liked that character that I did. I’m gonna’ miss Nate man. A lot of people say he’s in a better place and I totally agree with that. I know he left a legacy and some guidelines behind for anybody who wants to get into the music industry. They can admire his hard work as proof that hard work pays off.
I’m more than happy to say something good about Nate Dogg. That’s what it is man.
Armed Robbery: I was with Nate Dogg. I was his artist. I was with him all the way up until he went into the hospital; the last seven years of his career and life. That was my mentor and I was his understudy. That was my big homie plain and simple.
I have my fondest memory of Nate Dogg that I’d like to share. This was the last time he was on stage – In Las Vegas. We went out there to do a show. Nate had pneumonia and he didn’t know it. Me and Fredwreck were going to get his medicine because he had just seen the doctor for something else. Analyzing his symptoms, me and Fredwreck were like “you might have pneumonia.”
Anyways, we pushed out to the venue. He was sucking it up man. He was a real soldier. It came time to perform and he went out there and gave his fans a hell of a show. Bad Azz & The Outlawz were up there with us, much respect to those guys. He killed the show. It was right around his birthday in 2007.
As soon as he got off stage, I’m still on stage playing around, talking on the mic to all the females in the crowd. I go backstage and I see the EMT’s all huddling around somebody. I’m like what’s going on? My brother like Nate Dogg nearly passed out. I rush over there and they have the oxygen mask on him. They had him in a chair giving him some air. I went up to the room the back way. That’s the first time I ever saw that; the casino’s had that back elevator to the stage.
It’s about the endurance and the will. He loved his music and he loved this rap game. That’s all we ever talked about was music; from sun up to sun down. That would be the best memory that I have of Nate Dogg. That’s what you call going in hard. He had pneumonia and he would just take a Nyquil every five minutes and still get on stage and rock it for the people who came to see him.
It was a blessing for me and I’ll never forget it. I’ll always remember him for many things but the way he pulled that show out, that spoke volumes to me. He taught me things every day and that was another learning lesson right there. This is what you do and I feel like that every day. You get up and go hard for what you love and believe in.
I love him for that.
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DOOOOOOPE!!! 8)
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lil flip is still alive? And lol @ jayo's comments, never has a dedication sounded so ignorant
so there's unreleased nate dogg stuff on detox? Nice!
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
::)
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
::)
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your idol knoc-turn'al is an asshole.
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
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your idol knoc-turn'al is an asshole.
LOL. How does this quote make him an asshole? Just wondering
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
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your idol knoc-turn'al is an asshole.
LOL. How does this quote make him an asshole? Just wondering
cuz he would know if people helped him out if he was around, the way he spoke as if he wasnt around either
anyways, nice read tho overall just to hear the stories is awesome
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^ Knoc hasn't lived in L.A. for quite a bit now, so no, unfortunately he wasn't around. But he did see Nate once.
Anyways, this isn't about Knoc persay.
Thanks for compliment on the good read.
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nice.
so there's unreleased nate dogg stuff on detox? Nice!
note he said supposed
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Ms. Toi ft Nate Dogg - Sumthin I Can Go Home With
http://www.mediafire.com/?he4xv8gcs99zgbo
Sounds like an old Dre beat :laugh:
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Good read and it's always great to hear more personal stories about Nate.
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Great read. Too bad Ras Kass didn't feel like sharing a memory. Thanks Luna.
Dae One, Prime, Hittman are some lucky ones to have had a chance to hear some unreleased Nate songs. Interesting what Prime said about Nate's new style, sounding like 60's records.
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Damn, great read. I'm glad to hear that there's a lot of unreleased Nate Dogg material still in the vaults. RIP Nate.
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A bit odd that Armed Robbery/Rob Stricklong's fondest memory is of Nate almost passing out from health problems.
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props luna....very gd...im suprised sam didnt hav anythn more to say tho
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Props Luna, good read. A bit off topic but what's Hittman up to these days?
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Latoiya Williams: Nate Dogg, I just want to say that I love you and I miss you. Thank you for all of the great advice you’ve given me about the industry and hip-hop business throughout my career. I wish we could have brought out the song that we did together. Hopefully one day I can. I love and miss you so much.
I assume she's talking about "So Young." You should see if you can get her to put it out there for us Luna!
Thanks for the great read as always.
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Ms. Toi ft Nate Dogg - Sumthin I Can Go Home With
http://www.mediafire.com/?he4xv8gcs99zgbo
Sounds like an old Dre beat :laugh:
Or a cheap imitation of one. Good looks on the hook up though
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Props Luna, good read. A bit off topic but what's Hittman up to these days?
Hittman is working on a few projects. He remains very good friends with Mel-Man actually. They are working together.
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Props Luna, good read. A bit off topic but what's Hittman up to these days?
Hittman is working on a few projects. He remains very good friends with Mel-Man actually. They are working together.
Yeah that interview he did recently, showed his album not coming in in a different light.
Seems Hitt didn't want Dre's left-over beats for his own project and that he was kinda insulted that's all Dre was prepared to do with him..
I'm sure he got heavily cheques comin from 2001 and he's just been doing his own thing since. Probably a lot more writing for other artists we don't know about..
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Props Luna, good read. A bit off topic but what's Hittman up to these days?
Hittman is working on a few projects. He remains very good friends with Mel-Man actually. They are working together.
Yeah that interview he did recently, showed his album not coming in in a different light.
Seems Hitt didn't want Dre's left-over beats for his own project and that he was kinda insulted that's all Dre was prepared to do with him..
I'm sure he got heavily cheques comin from 2001 and he's just been doing his own thing since. Probably a lot more writing for other artists we don't know about..
interview?? where? do you have a link? would be much appreciated!
I hope to hear something new from Hitt AND Mel Man soon. I really miss their stuff.
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http://issuu.com/dbicmag/docs/dbic_magazine-december_2010_issue__3
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Props on that link bro was a good read, ended kinda suddenly though. I would love to hear a Mel man and hit project
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http://issuu.com/dbicmag/docs/dbic_magazine-december_2010_issue__3
thanks
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Props on that link bro was a good read, ended kinda suddenly though. I would love to hear a Mel man and hit project
It's a 2 part interview. Did you find the second part?
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Here's the raw transcript of MY ENTIRE interview with Hittman (since a few of you are discussing it and having difficulty finding the whole thing)
DBIC: We’re right here with Hittman. Now it’s been a while since anyone has heard from you. What you have you been up to?
Hittman: I’ve been on hiatus for the most part but I’m always writing. I have a few things coming out in the near future. I’ve been talking about it for a minute but I’m still working on “the Last Days of Brian Bailey” on my man Ron Hills’ L.A. imprint. It’s all a work in progress so I will keep you posted as we approach completion. The second I project I have brewing is called “K.H.I.T. 187.9” produced by Zaro Dynamic aka Eazy Z. Zaro produced my “Big Hitt Rising” EP and we’re looking to drop this project next summer.
DBIC: The first one you mentioned “The Last Days of Brian Bailey”, a few things need to be worked out. Is it on the business side or the music side?
Hittman: It`s on the music side. We’re still trying different things here & there as well as adding some bells & whistles.
DBIC: Which producers have you been working with?
Hittman: It’s being produced by me, Pomo, Ron Hill, Pretty Tone, Stuntman and more. Basically a bunch of talented guys that no one has heard of yet.
DBIC: You’re producing now as well?
Hittman: Yeah, I’m really new at it but it’s going down! I’ve always been involved in the production process but before it was from a vibing stand point. Now I’m more hands on.
DBIC: You’ve been around some great producers. I imagine you picked up a thing or two (laughs)
Hittman: Oh yeah, a thing or two from that matter! (laughs)
DBIC: Exactly. Let’s reflect a bit on the “Big Hitt Rising” EP. What do you think of it today?
Hittman: It’s still moving. That EP was very experimental for me because the music was totally different than the music that I normally do. Zaro Dynamic has a sound of his own. Even my approach to the EP, he would have a beat and if he called the beat “Hittin’ up the Club” then boom, that’s what I called the song. Normally when a producer gives me a beat, I take the music and title it what it says to me. But on this particular project, I played the role of an actor. He told me what vibe he heard on the beats he gave me and I ran with it his way.
DBIC: Ok. For you personally, which do you think is more effective? When you run with what the producer has in mind, or when you let the music speak to you?
Hittman: I think it just depends. That music was so different; I didn’t really have a direction of where I wanted to go with it. For him to have the titles already, it was cool. It was guidance for me. When I laid the lyrics, I was like ok, that’s what it is.
DBIC: Maybe it would have been too risky to try otherwise on that project.
Hittman: Yeah. Well I’m not signed so I’m gonna’ take risks. When you’re signed to a major label, it’s the same cookie cutter shit. As long as I’m not signed to anybody, I’m gonna’ step out on a limb because it tests you as an artist in general.
DBIC: That’s one thing you’ve always done. Do you still carry your infamous rhyme book from back in the day?
Hittman: Yeah (laughs). It’s a bag of rhymes now, no longer just a book. People call it the tragic bag of hits.
DBIC: I remember you doing photo shoots with it and everything.
Hittman: Yeah no doubt (laughs).
DBIC: How many of those lyrics do you think you’ve actually put to song?
Hittman: Dating from 1991 to now?
DBIC: Let get me this straight. All the raps you wrote in 1991, you still have them documented on paper?
Hittman: Yeah, I keep them to marvel at my progression as an artist. I like to see where I was at with my rhymes in those times. Which brings me back to "The Last Days of Brian Bailey", the albums concept is based on me in the mid 90’s trying to artistically navigate through the drama of the coast wars, needy girlfriends, negative opinions, unemployment, fronting ass A&R’s, hood politics and so on. It`s the audio biography of a struggling artist trying to reach his ultimate goal of getting signed. Pretty much HITTMAN 2 to 3 years before my Aftermath endeavors.
DBIC: Some rappers can’t find the lyrics they wrote last week and you still have everything form 1991.
Hittman: Absolutely. I still have that all. You’re gonna’ hear a lot of history on “The Last Days of Brian Bailey.” I still have the message tape. When answering machines used to have mini cassettes, I still have a tape of when my boy called me and told me Biggie didn’t make it [Notorious B.I.G. had been gunned down]. My man Todd is married to Faith [Evans]. Bud who used to manage me, him and Todd are God brothers. I got this information right when it happened. You can hear people in the background talking on the phone. It’s eerie to hear.
I’m mad because I can’t find my 2Pac messages when that even happened because I use to have both of them. It’s like mysteriously gone.
DBIC: That’s crazy. So “The Last Days of Brian Bailey” may have more of an old school feel to it.
Hittman: 73-83 is the True School, 83-89 is the Golden Era; 90-94 was the Next School, 95-2000 was the Platinum Era and so on. I’m trying to re-create the vibe & feel of the Platinum Era; specifically 95-97 because that was a time of transition in Hip Hop as well as my personal life. Plus some of my favorite Hip Hop came from those eras’s that I just mentioned. When I’m driving around, I listen to what`s out now for a minute, then I resort back to Hip Hop made from 86-97.
DBIC: It sounds like you’re more of a raw, east coast hip-hop type of fan.
Hittman: I just like raw shit in general. The west coast had raw shit too! CMW’s Straight Checkin’ ‘Em, King Tee “The Triflin` Album”, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, AMG, early Death Row shit like RBX’s “High Powered”, Lady of Rage’s “Afro Puffs” and so on. Tha Dogg Pound “Dogg Food” was in heavy rotation because I loved "New York, New York". First Biggie ripped it for a St. Ides commercial and then Tha Dogg Pound made it a hot song & video kicking down buildings & all that madness. (laughs). Shout out to my man Black Henderson who directed that video by the way. He had us tripping off the drama that went down in New York while they was filming that joint.
DBIC: That was a crazy time in west coast hip-hop
Hittman: Oh my God.
DBIC: Hip-hop in general
Hittman: I used to get angry when I would hear about Suge’s tactics back in those days. I felt like it wasn’t a good look for Hip Hop culture. But then I got in the game myself & all of a sudden Suge’s ways made all the sense in the world. I often get the urge to go on a sucker D.J. strong arm campaign! (laughs)
DBIC: (Laughs) Suge had the right idea back then.
Hittman: He knew what he was doing and he has the success to show it.
DBIC: People can talk all the negativity they want about Suge Knight but Death Row had the success and he built that from the ground up.
Hittman: Damn sure did. He took all of the risk. And his tactics are necessary to this very day. It’s a shame you have to use intimidation to move good product, but you do. I’ve tried to be professional and keep a cool head & it got me nowhere. Now I have to lean on cat’s to remind them of the promises they have yet to make good on. (laughs)
DBIC: Suge understood there were no hand outs and that’s what he operated his business around.
Hittman: There are no hand outs at all! Even when you know people who are in a position to help out, they seem hesitant to make a move on your behalf. Or they just totally flip the script once they obtain a bit of power. I was just watching K-Ci & JoJo’s reality show the other day. In this one scene they go to meet up with a guy at Interscope who used to roll with them. All of a sudden, this cat starts talking down to them as if he was never involved with the antics that took place back when K-Ci & JoJo was doing their thing real big. The craziest thing about that is I’m sure he name checked them to show Interscope that he had experience in this game. Like Slick Rick said "this type of shit happens every day".
DBIC: Power trips
Hittman: Total power trips
DBIC: Did you ever experience something like that when you were with a major label?
Hittman: I constantly had to deal with people and their power trips. It was discouraging, because I only got in this shit to do music. All of that ass kissing shit that comes along with it could miss me. It made me not want to fuck with it at all. It made me stop loving doing music.
DBIC: And I imagine this happened to you by people behind the desks instead of the musicians you were working with.
Hittman: Definitely. There was great comradery between me & the other artist. Everyone from Knoc-turn’al to Snoop, Kurupt to Devin the Dude, Ms. Roq, Six-2,Nate Dogg etc. We had a ball! But those industry cat’s behind the desks, oh my God. that`s a whole different story.
DBIC: I don’t want to talk too much about those days because I’m sure you’re used to being bombarded with questions about that.
Hittman: (Laughs) my story is a mystery and his story is history. What happened with…?
DBIC: (whispers) you and Dre?? What happened with you and Dre? (laughs). You can correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember you being quoted in an interview where you said it came down to the music. There weren’t any real issues with Dre, but you said the sound of your Aftermath album was going in a different direction than you wanted. You and Dre had different ideas of what your album should sound like, correct?
Hittman: That’s totally correct. It clashed.
DBIC: And that’s where it fell apart?
Hittman: Yep. See, I’m what one would call a catalyst. A catalyst speeds up the process of things while staying true to form. I sped up the recording process of “2001” while remaining true to self. Dre was already working on “2001” prior to me arriving at Aftermath. I was signed July 8th 1998 & by July of the next year, the album was pretty much in the bag. Now once it got around to my album I was ready to do me so I needed background music that matched me & my subject matter, not what suited Dre & “2001’s” subject matter. I wanted to step into the unknown. I was pushing for innovation out here in the Wild Wild West.
I would get upset sometimes. I would hear other artist getting that next shit and meanwhile, the beats that were given to me were basic. And for the work I put in on the
“2001” project, I felt like basic beats from Dr. Dre was an insult.
I also felt like in order for the west coast to stay competitive we needed to be progressive. This whole new west movement that’s going on right now is beautiful and is based off of lyricism showcased on “2001”. So being stagnate or going backwards was something I was not willing to do.
As far as west coast Hip Hop goes I feel like the pimps, gangster’s, killers, hustlers & weed heads all have representation. But everybody in the in between never had anyone to speak for them from a platform that someone of Dr. Dre’s status could provide. I wanted to be that dude. Similar to 2Pac’s Lost Tribe political party, I wanted to rep for all those who didn’t feel represented by what was already labeled west coast, hence the term new west.
So the more progressive I tried to be, the more me & the good Dr. clashed. Years later after analyzing the Game’s debut album “The Documentary”, I realized that was the direction Dre wanted me to go in, which was great for Game because “The Documentary” is a good album. But it just wasn’t Hittman.
DBIC: It wasn’t Hittman
Hittman: Exactly. I just wanted to do me.
DBIC: I think that’s where the confusion lies. A lot of people don’t know what happened between you and Dre. They would think “well what could Hittman possibly want that Dre wasn’t giving him? He didn’t want those ill beats from 2001?” Well, no he didn’t.
Hittman: I understand why the masses would ask those kinds of questions. But I also know that they have not heard what I heard during my years at the Math. I just wanted to be the artist that Dre showcased his newest sounds with. Similar to what Aaliyah was for Timberland. On the “One In A Million” album, he laced her with the doubled up beat patterns. Then on her single “Are U That Somebody”? He used beat boxing, crickets & babies cooing for percussion & sound effects. Then on the “Try Again” single, he used sounds that you would normally hear in Techno music & he put it to R&B.
It got to the point where people would always be excited to hear a new tune by Aaliyah because they knew they would hear what Timberland was on at that moment. And I thought that would have been a clever way to market the HITTMAN product.
DBIC: I think that’s really cool, the fact that you thought about that back then. Who knows, maybe if he could go back, he would have been more co-operative because a new sound needed to come eventually. That was evident because after “2001”, too many people tried to re-create what Dre did, and it got stale after a while.
Hittman: It burnt out because Dre doesn’t put out albums every year so his new sounds don’t get introduced right away. In Dre’s absence, the clones do what they do, they bite. And in that event, Dre’s sound loses integrity. My albums executed the way I saw fit could have combated all of that. When it didn’t seem to be going that way, I lost interest.
As far as working on “2001”, we had a fucking ball. That was some of the best times ever.
DBIC: I’ve heard some great stories about that. Dre would be working on a beat and all the artists in the studio, whether it was you, Snoop Dogg, Knoc-turn’al, King Tee or whoever, would just start picking up pens and start writing instantly.
Hittman: Yep, that’s how it would be. When the vibe was right & the beat was banging, there was no room for hating. Plus there was so much riding on "2001" from a career standpoint for Dre as an artist as well as everyone involved with him at that time. The critics were starting to say that Dre was losing his touch due to his first two releases on Aftermath. We were feeling that pressure so we responded by making sure that he had the most potent product possible because if it wasn’t, none of our shit was gonna’ come out anyway. I think that’s where the comradery was created. Everybody was pushing towards the same goal. Win or go home.
Eminem drops and boom. That was the C4 that blew the door open. The process of “2001” began and we’re all trying to make sure that shit was official because if not, none of our shit is gonna’ come out. I think that’s why that comradery was created. Everybody was pushing towards the same goal.
DBIC: I think we’re on the same page here. I remember speaking to Timebomb about two years ago and he mentioned that it was a friendly competitiveness and it promoted positive energy.
Hittman: Right, exactly. Xzibit would drop something and we would be like “oh shit, I have to change my verse now because it’s not fucking with that.” It made you raise your level at all times. And it still wasn’t hate. Motherfuckers would come out of the booth and we would give them a pound like “you just ripped that shit, I gotta’ go re-write my shit.” It was that type of thing.
DBIC: And that’s probably why it turned out so great.
Hittman: It came out beautiful because of that.
DBIC: Whether it’s Dre or anyone, I think it’s rare to be able to bring in so many talented artists like he did and create that sort of comradery. A common goal was set and everyone pushed for it.
Hittman: Totally. It’s very difficult. I don’t know how he did it to be honest.
DBIC: I think what surprises people are that it was such a positive comradery and such a beautiful result, and many of the artists who were instrumental to the project hadn’t made it yet; You, Six-2, Knoc-turn’al, Timebomb and so on – they hadn’t hit it big yet. Outside of Xzibit and Eminem who were just starting to catch onto the mainstream, there wasn’t much of a resume with success there already.
Hittman: Well we were pretty much like the team assembled for “The Chronic” in that right. I think what made our team special is that we were able to make a cohesive record even though the majority of the personnel that were not signed to Aftermath. We knew that “2001" would be our launching pad, we just could not foresee the drama that came with the success that sometimes destroys friendships.
DBIC: Do you keep in touch with any of those guys?
Hittman: I haven’t, but I do have Knoc & Timebomb’s former label mate Slip Capone on a song called “New West Affiliates” that will be on my “187.9 K.H.I.T.” album. I`m trying to get Crooked I on there to close it out but he is a very busy man. And now even busier due to Slaughter House signing with Shady which is a great look for them.
I’m rooting for Crooked because I always wanna’ see the true west coast lyricist win. Straight up! I get angry at times because if he was from any other region he would already be a household name off of his Hip Hop weekly series alone. People don’t seem to embrace the west coast lyricist like they do emcee’s form other places. And I have never been able to figure out why.
DBIC: It has worked for him in some ways though. He’s gained a lot of exposure from it, especially the first time he did it. Now he’s doing Hip-Hop weekly again. But I know what you mean.
Hittman: He`s on that progressive shit I was talking about earlier. Him, Bishop Lamont, G. Malone, Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Blu, Fashawn, Mykestro and so on.
DBIC: So you’re feeling the whole “new west” vibe?
Hittman: Of course, it’s something that was spearheaded on "2001". Unorthodox rhyming scheme`s, vivid storytelling, land marking and so on. It’s the norm now but it wasn’t prior to the release of "2001". I remember Chris Rock was hanging out with us backstage one night and he said "when I first heard the record it was kind of strange to me". Dre gave me that look like you know he`s talking about you right? And I gave him a confident grin like "yep" (laughs).
I also remember Dre telling me that he played Nas a few songs off of "2001" while we were still working on it. And he said Nas asked him "where were the songs like Bitches Ain`t Shit & Nothin’ but a G Thang”? I took it like he was saying that the only thing the west coast is good for is gangbanging war stories or backyard boogie type subject matter. It`s like every rapper that comes out of Southern California needs to have some type of gang backing or street cred to be accepted as real. And that just trips me out. Street cred or gang affiliation has nothing to do with what comes out when a niggas in a cipher or in that booth!
DBIC: I was interviewing E-A Ski earlier and he mentioned that he feels like the west is flying under the radar. He feels as if the west coast is facing a backlash from the industry and maybe it has to do with the violent stereotype reputation it has.
Hittman: Well for one, the last time I checked violence happens everywhere. It`s not limited to the west coast. And secondly, I don’t see that violence keeping the out of towners from recording out here, filming their video’s out here, buying property out here, stunting in the clubs & malls out here. You know what I`m saying? That just sounds crazy to me.
DBIC: I can agree with you on that. Was “Bloww” featuring Dr. Dre and Knoc-turn’al supposed to be the first single for your Aftermath album?
Hittman: No actually. “Bloww” was supposed to be one of the “2001” songs. But when it didn’t make “2001”, I was like fuck it, put that on my album. That probably would have been the street single. There was this other song called “Front Page” that I did with Battlecat that was starting to sound like the first single off my album.
DBIC: What do you have up next? What do you want our readers to look out for?
Hittman: I plan to start leaking freestyles here & there for this holiday season. I’m calling the campaign "Shooting the Gift". I will be dropping a song called “R.N.A.D.W.” very soon off the BIG HITT: The Last Days of Brian Bailey" album. I`m also working on a mixtape with my original crew the Smoke Skwod called “Skwods Honor.” Aside from that, I will have a few songs on the instrumental album that my man Mel is workinh on
DBIC: And that would be Mel-Man?
Hittman: Yeah!
DBIC: It’s cool you’ve kept in touch with him.
Hittman: Yeah man, Mel-Man is like a brother to me. He’s a good dude and very talented. We clicked almost instantly. When I first came around I kind of felt out of place. Here you have this guy that’s pretty much an underground emcee trying to get where I could fit in a house built by a man who pioneered Gangsta Rap’s signature sound, and with it he obtained a major amount of mainstream success. Mel would pull me to the side and put me up on key things and give me advice on how to approach certain situations. After that it was on.
Me and Mel-Man bonded. I told him when I first got there, shit, I don’t know if my rhymes are gonna’ fit; I’m more of a Kool G. Rap and Rakim type of rapper. Special Ed; that was the type of shit I liked. From the day I said that, me and Mel-Man linked together. We went record shopping together; all that shit.
DBIC: And that’s right before you became the catalyst so to speak.
Hittman: Yes, because up until that point I had not written anything for Dre yet. The personnel at Aftermath were shifting too. Eve, The Last Emperor, Fish, Punch & Diesel, one of Mel’s boys from Pittsburgh were on their way out of there. So before I could really feel out the other artists they were gone.
Mel-Man remained as a producer & Eminem had been there for a minute. He was already knee deep in the “Slim Shady LP.” You should have seen the shocked look on my face when Dre revealed to me that Eminem was a white dude. I thought he was either a black guy from the suburbs or a black skater dude that ran with white boys. And since Em’s vocal tone & spitfire delivery reminded me of Opio from the Souls of Mischief back then, there was really nothing about hearing his material for the first time that said white guy.
Seriously, Em & Scott Storch totally fucked my head up. When I first met Storch I thought he was a runner or something. Then Dre said "no dog, that’s the dude that’s been playing the grand piano for the last 10 minutes. I was like "get the fuck out of here"! (laughs). Later I learned that Scott was the original keyboard player for The Roots and that he was mentored by some serious musicians from Philly. I was impressed to say the least. So many stories man, I might have to write a book someday (laughs).
DBIC: Speaking of Eminem, you were telling me quite an interesting story earlier about Proof of D12 and J. Dilla. Tell our readers about that.
Hittman: Yeah man, Proof was a big ball of energy. Wherever he was at in a room that’s where the most fun was going on. Much like me & Mel-Man, me & Proof clicked instantly. He reminded me of my Skwod brother Spektacular Show that’s been locked down since 95. Like my man Spek, Proof was a spark plug. God bless him. Few people knew about this but me, Proof, Mel-Man, & the late great J. Dilla were planning on forming a group call Real Niggaz Revenge. Proof had been telling me & Mel that we should all do something together, an EP or something.
Mel said if we do we gotta’ include Dilla because me & Mel had great admiration for Jay Dee’s talent on the drum & mic. Proof would tell Mel that Dilla had mutual respect for his choice in samples and that he was digging what I brought to the "2001" project. So he told Proof that he was down to do it. Once we found out Dilla moved to L.A. we were geeked up. It was just a matter of tracking him down and finding time to start the vibing process.
One of the things looming over us is what will we call ourselves. In late 2005 I was driving around the city listening to music. N.W.A.’s Niggaz4Life & Jay Dee’s Ruff Draft were two of the CD’s in my 6 disc changer. Then bam, it hit me - Real Niggaz Revenge!
And since all four of us were unsung heroes in the industry, that name made all the sense in the world. I called Mel right away & told him the name. Mel loved it. He called Proof while I was on the line to see how he felt about it. Proof didn`t answer so we left it on his voice mail. Sometime later Proof called me & left me a message free styling saying that he was with Pauly Shore (yes that Pauly Shore) and that we should hang out & make a toast to Real Niggaz Revenge. I don’t know where the hell I was but we didn’t get to hang that night.
Next thing you know, February of 2006 had rolled around. Grammy time in L.A. and that’s when I got the sad news that Dilla had passed away. We were fucking devastated. I had a day job at the time. The next day I called in sick, bought a dozen donuts, put one in the air, drove to Zuma beach, popped in my “Donuts” CD by Dilla and rolled south bound down PCH. I was free styling all teary eyed at times wondering` why him and what could we could have accomplished as a group.
And if that wasn’t enough heartache, months later of course, Proof was killed. I was at a loss for words. I met up with Mel and we hit the bars hard drinking and reminiscing about all the fun we had with that dude. To this day, I turn off the documentary BEEF IV when it gets to the segment about Proof. He and Dilla left here entirely too soon. R.I.P. to them man.
Oh, I almost forgot. The other idea we were playing around with was adding Devin the Dude to the group so the south could be represented as well. And with him added there would have had a three way concept going on. Both producers can rhyme and two of the emcees can hold notes (me and Devin) and the Funky Cowboys (Proof and Dilla) would’ve been reunited as a special treat for all the Detroit Hip Hop heads. But due to the turn of events we never got around to contacting Devin about it. And therefore the Real Niggaz never got their Revenge.
DBIC: Wow, what a story. That’s crazy. I appreciate your time Hittman. Do you have any last words before I let you go?
Hittman: First of all, I’d like to thank you for lending me an ear. Also, “Hittmanic Verses” & “Big HITT Rising” are available at www.CDBaby.com. Go get them if you haven’t yet.
And to all my fans thank you, thank you, and thank you again for your support. Yall are the greatest! And I wanna’ give a special shout out to the Hittmaniacs in Australia, Germany, The U.K., All the heads in Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Seattle, Washington, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. I’m planning to hit your areas up real soon. Stay tuned. And remember, look both ways before crossing the street because you might get HITT.
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props Luna for those testimonials.
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props Luna for those testimonials.
Thank u
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
Thank u sir!
+1
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thanks for that!
Hitt needs better promo ... I didn't even know that he put out that EP! went to cdbaby and ordered it right after reading the interview!
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
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just read the Hitt interview. he's a rapper i like. who's that Pauly Shore btw ?
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
lunatic has interviewed a lot of artists that we listen to 8)
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
lunatic has interviewed a lot of artists that we listen to 8)
Appreciate it. Always trying to do my part.
Hitt will have better promo from now on with anything he drops. He's become a good friend of mine. I'll look out for him to make sure you all know what he's up too music wise.
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Knocturnal grew up with nate dogg in long beach?-nate is like 13 years older and was in the marines from 16 to 19
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Knoc-turn’al: I feel like a lot people around him could have done more for him.
::)
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your idol knoc-turn'al is an asshole.
weren't you the one complaining in another thread about people not doing enough for Nate?
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Knocturnal grew up with nate dogg in long beach?-nate is like 13 years older and was in the marines from 16 to 19
U sure Nate is 13 years old than Knoc? LOL Try 5 years older
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
We would have liked more articles like the one you did on Nate Dogg.
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
We would have liked more articles like the one you did on Nate Dogg.
yh, soz i dont understnd luna....i wasnt dissin u
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Thanks for that Hittman interview Lunatic, it was a good read.
lunatic has interviewed a lot of artists that we listen to 8)
Appreciate it. Always trying to do my part.
Hitt will have better promo from now on with anything he drops. He's become a good friend of mine. I'll look out for him to make sure you all know what he's up too music wise.
Any Knoc and Hit collabs in the near future? They should jump on a Mel man track :-D
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
We would have liked more articles like the one you did on Nate Dogg.
yh, soz i dont understnd luna....i wasnt dissin u
It's all good, I know U wasn't dissing. But between my article and the Dubcnn series, I don't see what else you'd want? Nearly every west coast artist has spoken.
Dub: Knoc & Hitt remain friends so a collab is very realistic
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
We would have liked more articles like the one you did on Nate Dogg.
yh, soz i dont understnd luna....i wasnt dissin u
It's all good, I know U wasn't dissing. But between my article and the Dubcnn series, I don't see what else you'd want? Nearly every west coast artist has spoken.
Dub: Knoc & Hitt remain friends so a collab is very realistic
not really to be honest but if u can do sutn....we'd be grateful
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lunatic is it possibl u can do another interview thing on nate dogg?
lol I don't get what else you'd want?
We would have liked more articles like the one you did on Nate Dogg.
yh, soz i dont understnd luna....i wasnt dissin u
It's all good, I know U wasn't dissing. But between my article and the Dubcnn series, I don't see what else you'd want? Nearly every west coast artist has spoken.
Dub: Knoc & Hitt remain friends so a collab is very realistic
not really to be honest but if u can do sutn....we'd be grateful
A lot of people spoke about Nate but I'd still like to hear people like Bo Roc, Damizza, Fingazz, Mack 10, Ice Cube, Tha D.O.C, Jermaine Dupri, Kam, Mista Grimm, Bad Azz etc.. Tray Deee would be huge. And people behind the scenes who collaborated with Nate. But you do sure have done your work Luna, by asking the people you can get in touch with and putting down your article.
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Cube hasn't spoken on this. I'm mad.