MISTA CANE (March 2007) | Interview By: Adon

       Dubcnn once again took time to talk to Mista Cane for an exclusive interview. Having taken the mixtape scene by storm by dropping 4 mixtapes with his Alliance Crew in 2003-2004 he has since been creating a solid fanbase and touring with Andre Nickatina (aka Dre Dog) throughout several states including California, Washington & Arizona. We talk about his recent success of his solo mixtape "Contract Year" with Bronx based DJ Iroc of Amerikkkas Most Wanted DJ's as well as his debut solo album "In My Life" which features artists such as The Game (on 3 tracks), Mike Marshall, Cali Agents, and more. Read the full exclusively interview below.

As always we have the transcript for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: adon@dubcnn.com

 

Interview was done by phone in March 2007

Questions Asked By : Adon

Mista Cane Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
 

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Dubcnn: Last time we spoke to you, you and Arsen were about to release "High Risk, High Reward". What's been going on since then?

Working, trying to put together the best possible mixtape and album that I could deliver to the fans. I believe I did both, "Contract Year" has gotten a lot of great reviews and it earned me the opportunity to now drop my solo March 13th through Koch so that's really big for me, this is my first project with distribution so I'm looking to push as much as possible. We recorded over 30 songs for the album, put almost 30 cuts on the mixtape so I've been hard at work, plus I have some more stuff coming, but right now it's all about "IN MY LIFE" March 13th in stores and online everywhere!


Dubcnn: What's the present status of the Alliance Crew?

The Alliance is still doin it, basically the alliance is just a name for us rappers that all network and get down together. There are several labels under it, too many to even name but we have a lot of projects coming soon you have my album droppin 3-13, my mixtape just dropped, then KD of Nocturnal Hustlers is dropping a mixtape with Equipto on 4-20, Savage-C just dropped his solo The Couch Potato, KD has a solo comin, YB has a solo comin, Mann Mann has a solo coming, M-Dash has a solo coming, we have a VOLUME 5 Mixtape coming which has alot of big surprises for the fans so I mean we stay at it. And oh yeah, a little bird told me Savage C and I might be doing an album on some straight hip hop shit to kill some of these weak rappers, so watch for that. Arsen might even be dropping something. Everyone is in different locations but we make it happen. And Davey D on the production side of things has been definitely making his own thing happen recently.


Dubcnn: Tell us a bit about the new album, how did it change from "Cali State of Mind" to "In My Life"?

Just basically the vibe of the album, I mean when you listen to the album it's me detailing all aspects of my life and my ups and downs so that doesn't really fit so much with Cali State Of Mind. We felt the fans would be disappointed in hearing the old title you would thing I'm dropping a real west coast smoothed out record and though I have a couple cuts like that the majority of the album is more personal type of music.


Dubcnn: How did you hook up with The Game?

I had heard several albums JT was putting out with The Game on it and I thought he was dope from the gate, I had no connections to get a hold of him or anything so it was just another rapper I thought was tight and would love to work with until 1 day while talking to Sean-T about getting some production from him for my upcoming projects he said he could get Game and come through, I was like set it up we'll work it out however and do it. When they came through they told us the news how he had signed to Aftermath and he had the NWA chain and it was just crazy, regardless of all that I thought he was dope but obviously that made it that much more of a good move for us. Anyway man that day Game got down on like 2 cuts with me, a couple with the other artists on Pervelous P and it all came out dope.

Over the next year or so I would try to get Game on whatever I could whenever he came through to mess with Sean he would let me know and it was that way up until shortly before his album came out and then...the rest is history. I'm real pleased with these cuts though because I got him on some other type of vibes that most people don't get from him, he doesn't even do many features period so it's definitely a plus having worked with him, shout out to Sean-T though..I owe it to him.


Dubcnn: What's the production like on this album?

The production is top notch I feel. Davey D. Cohn, Sean-T, One Drop Scott I mean these guys are all very respected and have all worked with big artists from in and outside the bay (The Game, Devin The Dude, Ya Boy, San Quinn, Mac Dre, 3xkrazy, Scarface, Allen Anthony, Messy Marv, Blu Chip, Jin, too many.) The production is real soulful, real deep, the album is all about the hardships i've had in my life and basically the things we all go through, so people can definitely relate to it. At the same time I've got some chill cuts, some west coast type vibe cuts and alot of sample cuts too. I tried to pick well rounded beats but those who know me know I always get down on those deep ones.


Dubcnn: Since your last solo album, you did a Group album with The Pervelous P camp, and then the one with Arsen. How is it different working solo as opposed to a group?

It's completely different, with a group album you always have to compromise on the topics more so than if it was a solo CD, but at the same time it's alot more fun when your in the studio vibing with other people rather then just being in there as the only rapper on a song. Also, when you get on tracks with other people it's always a competitive thing, you never want to get outshined on any cut by anyone whether they are your folks or not so you put so much effort into really bringing it.

It's easy to write 1 hot verse for a group album on any given song, it's much more difficult to write 3 hot verses and a hook for your own album. Multiply that by 18 songs you feel me? So a group album to me has many perks about it that I like but at the same time I'm a solo artist and I love the challenge of coming up with something creative and also expressing topics that I want to without worrying about talking it over with anyone else.


Dubcnn: You released your "Contract Year" mixtape a while ago. With the recent RIAA crackdown, where do you see mixtapes going in the future?

Where I would love to see mixtapes go is more in the direction of mini albums / street albums. Many times you hear about your favorite artist recording 40 songs for their album and only 15 make the cut, well those other 25 cuts just get thrown in the vaults or trashed I think it would be great to have people put out mixtapes of like 10 original cuts, real songs, to display their skills. Especially for the major label artists who have to "conform" to what their label says I think it would be a way to say things they normally wouldn't be able to.


Dubcnn: Being that you've released 5 mixtapes on your own, how do you feel it has helped you? What do you think set your mixtapes apart from the others?

I think it has helped my career tremendously, we were basically unknown when we started our 4 volumes of mixtapes and we had almost no big features at all it was just The Alliance in there night after night trying to be creative and show some unity amongst several rappers with the common goal of making good music and getting it out. Most people try to do everything on their own because they don't want others to shine and in turn don't shine themselves. I've always tried to push us as a unit forward because were stronger together then we are apart. This recent mixtape I did mainly all myself because that's what time it is right now, right now it's Mista Cane's time, the album is droppin 3-13 and the people need to know that I can stand on my own.

What has always set our mixtapes apart is we pick mainly lesser known beats, hard to find instrumentals and we make almost mix albums. I hate mixtapes that use the same beats that are on the radio and then they rock 1 verse that isn't even as tight as somebody else who jacked that beat. I find beats most people won't know and then treat it like mine by making a song to it to show people when you buy my album I'm not a mixtape rapper I can hold down a song.


Dubcnn: With all the attention The Bay is getting with the Hyphy movement, how does that affect someone like yourself that doesn't do that type of music? Do you think you're expected to do some hyphy cuts?

The bay is only getting looked at because of this gimmick, the whole hyphy train is a gimmick because once again we weren't original, Mac Dre was/is hyphy music / Keak Da Sneak is hyphy music most of these other rappers copying that just because it's the bay and in the bay culture it's just a fad and nobody wants to hear it outside the bay, if you don't believe me look at our record sales. It only affects me because now it's even harder than it was, being from the bay already you get classified as a gangsta rapper or what have you and now it's so saturated with the hyphy music people can't even find the few good records that get put out from this area.

I think some fans would think that if I did a hyphy cut it would be good because they might feel i'm better lyrically than another rapper so I could make it better but I have no interest in doing in music such as that, if that's what takes off and starts selling then I guess I won't sell. To me everybody has their lane in the game, just do you...whatever YOU is....your time will come. But I can't respect anybody who just piggy backs and is a follower, i'm not with it.


Dubcnn: Finally, I have to mention the cover for the album, they say not to judge a book by it's cover, but your album cover is real clean, who came up with the idea and who did the graphics?

The idea was mainly Davey D's, we wanted something to portray the deep / life vibe of the album and the background and setting where we took the shots definitely provided that. As far as the graphics, as always Photo Doctor Graphics does the best work out period, the colors and overall presentation of the cover really look crisp and professional and it helps you feel the album that much more. I've used them on every project I've put out, and you see why. Lastly, one love to Dubcnn who's been down with me and my movement since day 1, I shouted y'all out in the album so y'all make sure you grab a copy. Shout to the whole Alliance we coming.