SPICE 1 (PART 2) (April 2008) | Interview By: Nima Etminan

       Dubcnn linked up with the legendary Spice 1 for a three part interview, his first in-depth interview since he was shot late last year. This is Part 2 of the interview, and after going in detail on Spice's shooting and the circumstances surrounding it, we concentrate on his music in this part. Spice tells us about his new album "Home Street Home" and what the fans can expect from it.

We get a few words on Spice 1's groups Thug Lordz and the Game Bangaz, as well as his thoughts on the West Coast scene. Stay tuned for Part 3!
 

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

 

Interview was done by phone in March 2008

Questions Asked By : Nima Etminan

Spice 1 Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Click Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: So what are your plans now, musically? What can the fans expect from you?

Well as far as my music, Ima keep pushing that shit, I got some nice songs. But you know I've never been a follower, or a trendy type of muthafucka, I ain't trendy at all. I just like being me and spitting some real shit, doing what I like to do. Everybody's like "Oh you should come with that down south sound, that's what's selling right now, that's what's blowing up!" I don't give a fuck what they sound like, I'ma do what I do, I don't give a fuck if it sells or not. I'ma do me, I'ma put out some gangsta ass music, some hardcore shit, maybe a few songs on there for the bitches, but there finna be some songs on there for the niggas, and I ain't gonna talk about how much jewellry I got, or how many cars, or how big my fuckin' mansion is.

I'ma talk about some real gangsta shit, real shit that niggas go through everyday in life, and don't have no 20-30,000 worth of jewellry on or a 60,000 dollar car and the big houses and all of that shit that these niggas is out here rapping about. I'm a real gangsta, I don't sit up there and rap about no shit that the next muthafucka ain't gonna have! That's just some phony shit to me. And I can't dance, all I do is boogie. So I don't be rapping all that down south shit, or that east coast shit, or west coast, I don't do all that, I do good music. I do shit that the crowd gonna cater to or that's gonna entertain my audience.


Dubcnn: You've been releasing records regularily on an underground level, is the next one going to be like that or are you trying to get back out there more?

I'm trying to get it out there a little more, but all of these records companies, all they wanna hear is somebody sounding like the last muthafucka that came out. They don't wanna break new grounds, they don't want groundbreaking music, so they can hop on the last muthafuckas coat tail. They want another "Superman dat hoe" song, some shit like that. I don't get down like that. I just kick some gangsta shit. Right now I got a picked out afro, I got some of my jewellry on, I got on my raiders jersey, and some raiders house shoes. I'm gangsta! I stay this way, I been this way since day one, I'm not finna change and get all colorful and shit, trying to dance and shit. That's not how we did this shit, that's not why the people love this music like they love it.

People is probably wondering why nobody really tripping off rap music right now, but it's because it's shitty! These muthafuckas ain't making no sense. When you hear my new album, you'll see that I'm not just sitting up here talking shit. When you hear it, you'll know what I'm talking about, cause these niggas ain't rapping about shit. I don't respect none of that shit. And if they are rapping about something, I can't understand none of what they fuckin' saying anyway! These muthafuckas is just ridicolous with that shit! But I'm a 90's gangsta muthafucka, you know what I'm saying? Like WC and Cube say, if they was born in the 80's I was probably fuckin' they momma or some shit. I'm a 90's gangsta, I was selling yayo in the 80's running around with little 25.'s and 38's busting at niggas, writing my name on the wall in the projects and shit like that.


Dubcnn: When I spoke to Pete Rock, he expressed interest in working with you. Would that be a possible collaboration?

Yeah man. I always admired Pete Rock because he's been doing it for a while. I admire cats who are into the art of the music, and not just in it for the money. You can tell when somebody's in the game for the art of the music, and not just to clean up their dope money or some shit, you know? You can always tell! I'm an artist! Straight the fuck up! You could never tell if I ever sold drugs or not in this muthafucka! I'm a true artist to this shit. I stay with the streets and all of that, I rap about mostly shit that I've been through and seen, I spit about all of that shit.

But when it all comes down to it I'm a true artist, and I've been in competitions and all of that shit. Some of these cats don't wanna see no competition, they just wanna sneak out they albums out under the radar trying to sell a million copies of some wack ass shit, and pay the radio stations and everyone else to play their shit! Then people start liking it after it gets played on the radio 200 muthafuckin' times, then people are like "I like that song." *laughs* You ain't gonna have to play my shit 200 times on the radio to get people to like it. You can play it once or twice on the radio, if a muthafucka ain't feeling it, then it's not a hit. If you play that muthafucka two times on the radio and a whole world starts feeling it and remembers the song and keep calling in the radio station, then you got a hit!

But if a nigga is playing a wack ass song over and over and over again, and they've been payed to play the shit a couple hundred thousand, of course muthafuckas gonna like it sooner or later! But with this album, I'm telling you I got the best dope Nima, I got the chronic, the crack album. Once they get a hit of this shit shit, they're gonna keep calling trying to figure out where it's at. The concepts and the shit that I'm coming with on there is just so sick, some shit that they ain't heard since 'Pac died, they ain't heard this shit since back in the day. So I'm trying to give the Hip-Hop world what rap is missing today, that's what my album is.


Dubcnn: So how is it gonna be different from the last few records you put out?

The last one was banging like a muthafucka too, but this one I took a little bit more time on it, from intro to outro, I got some commercials on there with Katt Williams talking and shit, and just some entertaining shit. Hopefully it will be promoted and marketed better, to where there's a video for it. We're planning on doing it how Cube did "Laugh Now, Cry Later", with a video to each song. So when you slap the CD in your car, and you got TV's in your car, you're banging the CD and you're watching the videos all at the same time.


Dubcnn: Do you have a realistic timeframe when you wanna get it out there?

I know it's gonna be like June or July. We're trying to release it on my birthday, which is July 2nd. The name of the album is "Home Street Home".


Dubcnn: Which producers did you work with on there?

I'm a simple muthafucka when it comes to music like that, I don't wanna find the producer that sells, that wants to charge me 500,000 a track, I figure all of that shit don't matter. It don't matter how many tracks they did before, I just find music that I'm feeling at that point in time.


Dubcnn: Yeah that's not what I meant, I was trying to see who did the music on the new album.

I got this cat Trime, he did like three tracks, I got Rasheed, he did a few tracks on there, they're not known names or producers, they just got heat right now, I respect their music. Rasheed is a young cat coming up out of Hayward where I'm from, and his music is sounding nice. I got this other producer, he's so hot that I can't even tell you who he is right now, I'm trying to do this label deal with him, and I don't wanna expose his name, cause the tracks that he did for me are so fuckin' clean and hot. It's certain songs that we don't show people yet until the album comes out, this guy is real hot, we got him signed to our label Thug World as a producer, and I will say one thing, the cat is from Seattle. His shit is hot, and anybody who hears his tracks on my album, they're gonna think Dr. Dre made these muthafuckin beats, dude is hot.


Dubcnn: Do you plan on hooking back up with E-A Ski?

If he wanna hook up, then fine. Everybody was kind of doing their own thing in the Bay Area. But if he wanna come back and hook up with Spice again, come fuck with me, that's my nigga. I always fucked with E-A Ski, everybody just got a little busy in the Bay Area, doing all the Hyphy shit, so I just went my own Spice 1 way and did my own thing. I really ain't seen none of them cats!


Dubcnn: What about Ant Banks?

I seen Banks, but he's doing real estate and shit now. He got a few beats, but I don't really know if he's still into the music like he was before.


Dubcnn: Who do you have on the album as far as guest appearances?

Right now I'll tell you people that we're working on getting on there, so I ain't gonna say if they're gonna be on there for sure. We've got Twista, The Game, E-40 and Layzie Bone, so far. But you know C-Bo and Yukmouth are gonna have a spot on there somewhere!


Dubcnn: Yeah what's up with the Thug Lordz, can we expect another group album?

Oh yeah, hopefully! C-Bo just got out, he was in there on a violation. Everybody's still cool as far as I know. C-Bo and Yuk still cool, I'm cool, so we probably will do another Thug Lordz album and put the shit out. Ya'll can look forward to that. I also got my group, the Gamebangaz, don't forget about us!


Dubcnn: Oh the Gamebangaz still around?

Yeah! One of the homies went to the pen but he'll be out in a minute. We got all our songs and we're working on more songs.


Dubcnn: Wasn't it Rappin' 4-Tay, 40 Glocc, Michelob, Bad Azz and you?

Yeah, Bad Azz, 40 Glocc, Michelob, Ak-9, 4-Tay and yours truly Feti Chico! As far as that, everybody kinda split up and went their own way, but when I throw the Gamebangaz logo in the air like the Batman logo, then hopefully everybody will meet up at the studio and shit. *laughs*


Dubcnn: What do you think of the West Coast scene right now?

As far as the West Coast, shit... I've been working on my album so I ain't been listening to too many people, cause I don't wanna come out sounding like them or nothing. But I've been banging that WC album, I like WC's album a lot. I ain't really been paying attention to nobody else's albums, I'm working on mine, and trying to run this record label all at the same time, it's been wild.


Be on the look out for Part 3 of this exclusive three-part interview coming to dubcnn soon!
 

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