New Glasses Interview: "G. Malone: The New West"

[SlickPants]

G. Malone: The New West
Sunday - February 19, 2006

— by Jay Casteel


G. Malone is the new dude on the West. With a recently reported 1.7 million dollar deal with Sony Music, the Watts rapper is poised to strengthen a struggling West Coast hip-hop scene, and hopes he can be the one to put the West right back at the top.

Although some may just be hearing about G. Malone (aka Glasses Malone) over the past year, the rapper has been on his grind since 2003, flooding the streets of L.A. with his unique blend of hardcore rap music. That mixed with his affiliation with Game's Black Wall Street label early on, helped the up-and-comer gain the attention of various major labels including Def Jam, Atlantic and of course his final choice, Sony Music.

BallerStatus.net spoke to the Watts native to discuss how the rapper built his name in the streets, why he chose to sign with Sony, his relationship with Game and Black Wall Street, and the future.

If you haven't already, it's time to take notice of G. Malone.

BallerStatus.net: First off, let's talk about the signing man. I hear you signed with Sony, so talk about how that came about and the specifics of the deal.

G. Malone: Man, sh--, there's not no science to it. It was just hard work, hard work and hard work. There was no artist bigger in the streets than I was at the time, so after my man Bishop [Lamont] got signed, I became next in line.

BallerStatus.net: I hear the deal was for like 1.7 million, correct?

G. Malone: Yea, that's my deal. It's a joint venture between my company Blu Division, Mike Lynn's company Big Ego Entertainment and Sony Urban.

BallerStatus.net: I understand you had a few deals on the table to choose from. Why was Sony the best fit for you?

G. Malone: Well, it really came down to Def Jam, Atlantic and Sony. Atlantic was cool because I liked the A&R's (G. Roberson and Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua) -- they was really feelin' [my music], which was big because them dudes is really serious about East Coast music and they feelin' a West Coast cat. It just became a battle of the A&R at the end of the day. But financially, it just seemed like Sony was just a little bit more quick on the draw.

Honestly though, shoutout to my boy G. Roberson because he really believed in me from the first time he met me, and he made sure he came through with what he said he was gonna do.

BallerStatus.net: Talk about the grind you went through to get to this point in your career? What kind of things really helped to get your buzz to where is it to garner the attention of the majors.

G. Malone: Long story short, from the first time I brought out the Crack mixtape in 2003, we was just throwing our own parties and dropping our own mixtape three years ago. It was just all pounding the streets. We started off just pounding Watts; it was always about Watts with me. It was always about being the man where I was at. I grew up in Compton and Watts. My mom lived in Compton and my dad lived in Watts, so I just started grinding Compton and Watts with my CDs hard, hard, hard. I never tried to stretch out past that.

From there my name started to really buzz in the streets. My man Tone from Village Town introduced me to Fo' Cent. Tone believed in me first, then Fo' and I had a mutual respect for each other because I was in his neighborhood and was rapping. They knew where I was from, but it was just like really cool; them n----s really felt what I was doing. Then Tone introduced me to Fase and Game, and at first Fase kind of kept a half-assed relationship with me over the internet. But, he ended up telling me to come through one time and I came through with my music...he was feelin' it, so from then on, he just wanted me to rep the Black Wall Street thing. I was a crip and all them dudes is bloods, so it brought more of a street type of thing because a lot of crips out here that may have not been seeing eye to eye with the situation -- knowing where I was -- they actually gave it more love...like, "You know what? That's cool, them n----s is putting on crips too." So it gave me a good look, and that's how the White Lightning tape came about.

When the White Lightning tape first came out, that's when Game was first going on tour with him and [Snoop] Dogg. Sh--, I stayed here and didn't go. I stayed on the grind and kept pushing my tape harder and harder on the streets. We stayed doing our parties and was packing them with like 500, 600 people every time. By the time the How The West Was Won tour was back, The Beat and Power 106 (Los Angeles radio stations) was calling me about my records...everybody wanted to spin them. It was just love. When that tour was over, there was a new king in the streets, doing his thing -- it was me. I was just out there working hard, pushing my music. God blessed me. People was listening to my music and was feelin' what I was saying, and embraced it.

Here we are today. The bidding war started -- first Game made me an offer, but financially it just wasn't viable...it just didn't turn out right. It didn't work out, but he was supportive of me going out and getting the best financial situation possible. That's how it all came out.

BallerStatus.net: Yea, it funny 'cause people that aren't in L.A. or Cali, don't know that you been out there grinding in the streets. They don't know it was like a three or four year process you went through to get where you are at.

G. Malone: Yea, hard!! You came to my first jump-off, and you were the only media person there. We financially paid for that ourselves. From then on, it got better and better. It was a blessing. I'm just glad that I'm still here to do it.

BallerStatus.net: What was the first big purchase you've made since signing with Sony?

G. Malone: Umm, I'm on some grown man sh--. I went and bought me a Duramax Diesel (a turbo Chevrolet truck); it's a Silverado '06. Really, I didn't buy too much. I pretty much have all the stuff I wanted or needed. I already had a '68 Camaro. I got a race car. The only other thing, I just got a house in Lakewood, California, so that's kind of a big purchase.

BallerStatus.net: You mentioned how you have a relationship with Black Wall Street, but right now, it's kind of a weird situation over there between Big Fase and Game. Fase is managing you right now, correct?

G. Malone: Yea, Big Fase, my brother Pooh and G. Ride.

BallerStatus.net: Ok, so is it an awkward situation for you being that Game and Fase have fallen out, and Game broke off to do his own thing without the original BWS people.

G. Malone: To me, I guess you could say that I really just don't give a f---. They are family, so that's their situation, you know? God willing they work it out because they was family before music and they family after music, so how ever they decide to deal with their differences, that's them. Who am I to get in the middle of that? They are Blood, you know what I mean? They been knowing each other all they lives. I figure they will work their situation out, but to me, it's about my own music and about doing what I'm doing.

They believed in my movement from the first time they met me. Even Game thought I was dope at the time. People just understood me. That's what I'm about. All that other stuff, it's not really awkward because it's not really in the street. You still go out in the same places and do your thing. It's not like people over here are bitter or nothing. Everybody's working, trying to prosper and make money. From the outside looking in, it might look weird. But in reality, it's not really that bad.

BallerStatus.net: Ok, I was just wondering if it had any affect on you since you know both of them...

G. Malone: Naw, not at all. If that was the case, Spider Loc is my guy and Game been getting at Spider -- Lil' Eazy had problems with Game, everybody -- I still see these same people that got nothing but love for me. They know me, they know how I get down and they know my grind. It doesn't make since for anyone to hate me -- knowing where I'm from -- no matter what the situation is. They all know where I came from. Every one of them know how hard I worked and know how much harder I am gonna work, so I don't feel any lash backs.

At the end of the day, I just take care of my family. Moms got time in prison, my brother is away right now. There's too many people depending on me to worry about that rap sh--. It's about business and life.

BallerStatus.net: On Game's "120 Barz" track, he had a few bars for you. He says on the track "That Glasses Malone is not signed to Black Wall Street" and that "Using his logo, kinda got him pissed." I know he says it's not a diss on the track, but what is that all about? And are you guys still cool?

G. Malone: Me and [Game] talk like once every week or two weeks on the Sidekick. We never had the closest relationship. I mean, anybody outside looking in, really would thing something is what it's not. I don't know how that came about. If you look at it, I've been over at [BWS] the whole time. [Game] been doing the same thing for a while now -- the Black Wall thing. I repped it to the utmost.

I think it was just a little bit like he felt like my situation would have been better for me if I would have been under his label, instead of wanting to do my own thing. But still, he was encouraging me to do my own thing. I don't really know though. I don't know how to really comment on it.

To me, we don't really got no problems 'cause we still talk to this day. I think that was just some other sh--. That n---- is under a lot of pressure with his own situation. He got to deal with a lot of sh-- all the time with his music and his business, so I don't know. Personally, that's just one of those things that I really don't give a f--- about. I don't give a f--- about what none of these rap n----s say about me on any of these records. These same n----s know me and how I get down. They know where I'm at in the streets; I'm really easy to find. It's not like it's a problem like that though. To me, the way he phrased it, it wasn't really a diss. The n---- said it wasn't a diss for misusing his logo, which I don't know how that came about. It is what it is. I think he's just going through sh-- with his family and I'm catching darts here and there about it. We grown ass men, so if it was anything to that level, none of us is hard to find.

BallerStatus.net: So now, you are working on your debut album, Beach Cruiser...first off, tell me why you went with that name?

G. Malone: What it is, is what it represents -- classic-ness, years and years, decades and decades of being a classic. Motherf---ers have always ridden beach cruisers, not matter how many GT's and Dyno's come out. That's how I want my music to be -- timeless in that same sense, where motherf---ers will ride to it forever.

BallerStatus.net: That makes sense. How far along is the album? And what should people expect when it's released?

G. Malone: It's 40/50% done and it's coming out real phat. It's special. Expect something really old school sounding. Just how the album is concepted out, it's just thorough. Everything on the album means something. There is no senseless songs on there. Everything ties into the overall concept of the album. So many people will relate to it because of the whole concept of the record. It's really gonna be dope.

BallerStatus.net: Who are some of the people you are working with on the album, as far as producers and possible guests?

G. Malone: Well, you definitely got my crew. I'm gonna leave it like that because as far as other people, it's kind of broad; I'm not really sure yet. As far as my crew, expect Mykestro and Bishop Lamont on there. Expect Chevy Jones on there. So you can expect my immediate crew on there, and I got two producers I'm working with that's bringing that fire -- Jake One and Vitamin D (cats from Seattle). They is killing sh--; them dudes is monsters. I got a jump with Midi Mafia that's pretty nice. But there's not really...to be honest dog, my record is gonna be about G. Malone. There's gonna be features on there that people wll appreciate, but the sh-- is gonna entertainment and you won't really have to worry about who produced sh--.

BallerStatus.net: Do you have a timeframe you are shooting for release?

G. Malone: [Sony] is talking September, but I'm thinking the first quarter of '07. It will happen when it happens. It depends on how a record is set up. I got enough money from my deal where I could last three years before my record comes out, it don't matter. We just wanna give it the right setup.

BallerStatus.net: Ok, so in the meantime, you're gonna continue to drop these tapes right?

G. Malone: Yea, we got this Blu Division mixtape coming soon. We got a lot of sh-- coming that we are working on.

BallerStatus.net: What else is on your plate right now?

G. Malone: Firing Squad Entertainment, that's at Sony. Blu Division Music is at Fontana/Universal, our indie sh--. Right now, it's looking like the Young Hoggs project is gonna be the first to drop on Blue Division. It's on the independent level, eight state, but it's gonna be big. Them n----s is major.

That's what I'm working on right now -- the Blu Division label. I'm doing it to get a lot of these West Coast dudes a lot of eight state notoriety.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Props

BallerStatus.net: Do you have a timeframe you are shooting for release?

G. Malone: [Sony] is talking September, but I'm thinking the first quarter of '07. It will happen when it happens. It depends on how a record is set up. I got enough money from my deal where I could last three years before my record comes out, it don't matter. We just wanna give it the right setup.

I sure as help hope it dosen't come out in 07.

[T-Dub]

Props...I'm really looking forward to the Beach Cruiser.  Nice to see that the Young Hoggs are dropping on his label.  G. Malone seems to always be about his business, I think he has his head on straight, he's not letting a lot of this other negative shit affect him and he just keeps it movin and keeps grinidng.

[CRAFTY]

Props...I'm really looking forward to the Beach Cruiser.  Nice to see that the Young Hoggs are dropping on his label.  G. Malone seems to always be about his business, I think he has his head on straight, he's not letting a lot of this other negative shit affect him and he just keeps it movin and keeps grinidng.

Exactly. It's cool to see that he'll be pushing The Young Hoggs on an indie...at least they'll have some exposure, whereas if they kept trying to be signed to a major, we may not have heard an album from them at all. We'll see though, the way G. Malone says it, it's looking good.
I'm looking forward to hear his album.

Cool to hear that he didn't spend most of his money on jewelry. Most rappers will say "I went straight to Jacob!", but this dude bought a house. Good move. I remember Ludacris saying in an interview that he took his money straight to the bank. There aren't many rappers who do that as far as I know...They like to spend it on 4 cars, jewelry and stuff like that.

[Mygla]

Props

BallerStatus.net: Do you have a timeframe you are shooting for release?

G. Malone: [Sony] is talking September, but I'm thinking the first quarter of '07. It will happen when it happens. It depends on how a record is set up. I got enough money from my deal where I could last three years before my record comes out, it don't matter. We just wanna give it the right setup.

I sure as help hope it dosen't come out in 07.

i don't really mind the wait... Glasses seems to wanna make a classic, and that's not gonna happen if he pushes it out too fast... He knows and most of the fans know it... but maybe Sony doesn't?

with this kinda deal i don't really see the album getting scrapped, so a little wait is worth it imo...

['EclipZe]

I like how smart this dude is, im waiting for this album 

[DPG4Life]

damn, i like this dude... he doesnt buy scott storch beats just to sell... at least he say so now..
i think his album could be a classic since he's doing he's doing it for the love of music - not for the money

[sharjiel]

I like how smart this dude is, im waiting for this album 

[late night]

his albums going 2 b hot.... i bump white lightning sticks daily, classic shit.

[mauzip]

I hope everything works out and he can properly release a quality album

[BadBoyKILLA333]

propz on the interview i've heard a few of his songz wit game and i cant wait till his album comes out