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interview SPICE 1  (July 2007) | Interview By: Chad Kiser

  
The East Bay Gangsta and Bay Area legend Spice 1 talks exclusively to Dubcnn for our Dangerous Crew Feature, which spotlights the artists and producers responsible for the group's undeniable role in west coast hip-hop history.

Known for several gold & platinum albums which include his debut Spice 1, the classic 187 He Wrote, and the infamous Amerikkka’s Nightmare, as well as his many guest appearances with the likes of Too $hort, Ant Banks, The Luniz, E-40 and 2Pac, Spice 1 has never been one to change his image or his style. Remaining consistent throughout his years on Jive Records as one of the best to ever do it, while also becoming the epitome of independent hustle & grind during his most recent years.

Many fans will remember Spice-1’s biggest hit, the E-A Ski produced "Trigga Gots No Heart" from the multi-platinum Menace II Society soundtrack, which was also the first single from the gold-selling 187 He Wrote album.

Dubcnn recently got the opportunity to catch up with Spice 1 and get this exclusive interview as part of our continuing Dangerous Crew Feature series. In this Part 1 exclusive, we talk with Spice about the early years of the Dangerous Crew from Too Short, Shorty B and ,DJ Pizo as well as Bad N-Fluenz and his memories of working with Ant Banks and much more.
 




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Interview was done by phone in July, 2007

Questions Asked By: Chad Kiser

Spice 1 Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here
 
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www.mypace.com/spiceone

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Dubcnn: Spice-1! What’s up, homie?

What’s poppin’?


Dubcnn: Well, let’s get into this. Kind of give everybody out there a little overview oh you came up in the rap game…

Shit, I pretty much got into this off of pure talent. I never had nobody putting a gang of cheese behind me from the beginning or nothing. It was in the days when niggaz just walked around spitting freestyles or whatever. I got on stage a few times. I opened for NWA and it just kind of started from there.


Dubcnn: How did you and Too $hort hook up back in the day?

Well, Pizo was DJing for $hort. And the 2 girls from the Dangerous Crew, you know that first album? Well, both of them had went to my school, and Pizo was already Too $hort’s DJ. So after school, we would go to $hort’s studio. He would come pick us up from school and we’d go to the studio to lay down tracks, spit, freestyle or whatever. Just out there kicking it.

When I did the shows and I’d open up for NWA, Rodney O & Joe Cooley and shit, $hort was there. There’s be rappers walking around trying to rap to him, but he didn’t want to hear that shit, so he’d say “Spice, sick’em!” And then I’d just eat’em up! Back then, you had to let it be known that you was the hardest artist out there. You couldn’t just have a little money and get in the rap game cuz you had a little money. Nowadays, they just spend a little money, and now they’re stars. But back then, you had to earn your place! You had to battle as many MC’s, rappers, or whatever you call them as you could to get to where you needed to be as somebody that they would buy your records.


Dubcnn: What went down in those early recording sessions with $hort as far as putting together that first incarnation of the Dangerous Crew?

I was about 16, 17 years old. And 4-Tay was from where I had moved from, so I knew 4-Tay already. He came out to the studio in Richmond and I had met him. Then I met the other cats like JJ Hard. $hort used to drive me around. We’d all be in the studio and vibe and shit. Richie Rich would come through there back in the day. We’d just vibe and kick it, and just write songs or whatever, freestyle. All that left a cool vibe for us, you know, with $hort there. It was just like a whole different atmosphere when he was up in the studio cuz we all respected him cuz he was already out doing his thing.


Dubcnn: When did you hook up with Ant Banks and start doing the stuff with him?

Well, he was with MC Ant (RIP). He used to hang with MC Ant pretty tough. And Ant Banks was doing beats with $hort. Pizo had took me to Shorty B and I had met him. And then Banks took me to Shorty B and we kicked it or whatever, he had played the guitar on a few songs that we did. I really started messing with Banks when I did that first record 187 Proof & In My Neighborhood and all of that. That’s when I first started messing with him real tough and when we started recording whole albums. I had met him when I was on Triad Records.


Dubcnn: Tell us a little bit about your relationship with Banks?

That was my homeboy! That was my dude right there. I used to always kick it with Banks. Even if we wasn’t working we was out doing something. Having some drinks or whatever. Just kicking it. I was living in Hayward, and plus I was still so young that I don’t think I could even by alcohol yet. I was like 19, or maybe 20 turning 21 when that first album dropped. Me and 2Pac used to kick it together and Banks would get us some alcohol and liquor or whatever. He was kind of like an older cat to me. I looked up to him. And through him, I started meeting a lot of people, and it had started cracking out there.


Dubcnn: The last time we really saw you two work together was on your Black Bossilini album and his TWDY Derty Werk album. Why has been so long since we’ve seen you two work together?

I think that after a while, we had got separated because he had moved to Atlanta, and I was still out here on the west in the Bay area. So I didn’t see him as much as I would usually.


Dubcnn: Has there been any talk about linking back up and doing something in the future?

Yeah, we was at Pizo’s studio and he came through there one day and we was talking about doing some songs. I got his phone number when I gave him mine, so I’m pretty sure we’ll end up doing a few songs. We work hella good together and always drop heat.


Dubcnn: What was your status with the 2nd incarnation of the Dangerous Crew as far as a group member?

We all always kicked it and hung out and everything. Everybody was a pimp in the game, you know, kickin’ pimp music, with those pimp styles. But me, I was kickin’ gangsta shit, so they required me for a few songs like when we had to ride and shit. So while they were doing that pimp shit on those songs, I didn’t get down on those songs cuz I didn’t want to talk about something I didn’t know about.

I was still young in the game and there’s shit I didn’t know. All I knew was walk up to a muthufucka and jack him for his shit. At that point in time, it was just G with me. They was still all my folks, and we kicked it all the time. There was no animosity bewtween nobody. Sometimes I wasn’t around a lot becuz I was going on tour and trying to create a wave of fans out there.


Dubcnn: What kind of relationship did you have with Bad N-Fluenz?

I knew them cats! They was hella cool. We used to be at $hort’s studio out in west Oakland and we’d hang out and kick it, and do some freestylin’. That’s around when I had that “Trigga Gots No Heart” on the Menace II Society soundtrack. That’s when I used to hang out with them cats real tough. I had knew them when they was youngstas, but I had never seen them get down like that until I heard they’re album and all of that.


Dubcnn: Did you ever get the chance to record with them?

I think I did, cuz in the midst of everything it’s all kind of like a blur because back then it was kind of wild. I was just doing songs everywhere. I’d do songs with Rap-A-Lot. I’d do songs with the Dangerous Crew. And I’d be doing songs with everybody, but my loyalty had remained to the Dangerous Crew because that’s where I came from. I always give my props to $hort because he used to always come through my high school and pick me up in a Benz. What kind of nigga is 17 years old, getting picked up by Too $hort from high school, in a Benz everyday?

So I was feeling a vibe back then, like I gotta make things happen cuz this nigga ain’t just coming to get me for nothing! He sees something in me that rest of these muthafuckaz don’t have. So the Dangerous Crew, we go back far. I’m 37 years old right now. I was in the Dangerous Crew at 16 years old.


Dubcnn: What was it like working with Shorty B, Pee-Wee, Sean G and doing the live instrumentation? And would you ever consider working with them cats again?

Definitely! I ain’t seen Shorty B, but I talk to him. It ain’t like we outta touch. We got a big circle of homies and we all over the United States. I need to get out to Atlanta and do some verses with Shorty B cuz I know he got some heat for me. The last time I talked to him was like maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago. So we do stay in touch and that’s the cool part about this shit. Pee-Wee too! That’s the homie too! I’ll holla at him too!


Dubcnn: Pizo kind of touched on this in his interview, but what was the animosity between you and Pooh-man, and has that been squashed between you two?

I really didn’t have none at first. I wasn’t really trippin’ becuz first of all I didn’t grow up in East Oakland. I grew up in the Haystacks, in Hayward. They always looked at us like their little cousin or brother, or whatever. They basically thought cats from Hayward wasn’t hard and that we was little punks. Like we was suckas or something. So I already had like a complex about that. Me and Pizo always say to each other, “not bad for two Hayward niggaz!”

I had confronted him about all of this shit when he first did his song about me. He said he wasn’t trippin’. He was just mad and whatnot. I said whatever. So after that, he had went to jail. He got out and got in contact with me and apologized. So we squashed what we had. Cuz we OG’s now, and we don’t really have time for all that shit. We got kids to take care of, and make our money. But at the same time, don’t back us into a corner. Like Pac said, “I ain’t a killer, but don’t push me.” In the 2000’s it’s a whole different ball game. You gotta know this industry.


 

Stay tuned to Dubcnn for an exclusive Part 2






 


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Spice 1 Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here


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