MITCHY SLICK  (January 2003) | Interview By: Westcoast2K

      

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Alright, first question, what have you been up to lately as far as money and music?

Money and Music is still a street hustle, everything is pretty much the same. Independent Rap Game is kinda like, aint all with this cracked up to be but at the same time me and my folks still gotta eat. So all the rap money is really goin back to the rap, and everything else is just a whole other program with me. Its just all hustle, strictly.



Alright, whats coming up on your next solo? Whats the name and when its gonna be released?

Well its kinda crazy right now cause we got the Trigeration Station still bubblin in the town right now, so its kinda like settin the tone for whats the next album gonna be like. As far as features wise, I dont know. What direction Ima be headin with the features, because all the rest of the solo songs was just me or Don. "Urban Survival Syndrome" thats what the new album is called. But as far as features its gonna be dependent on what type of deal Im gettin handed to me right now and Ill be basically watin till I finish this little underground video I got, to see what my options gonna be. So distribution is gonna be the thing that gonna dependent on what features Im gonna have. Cause if its gonna be strictly for the street, Imma keep it stricly street. Me and my clique, the Wrong Kind. If its on another level, with video and radio and all that, I got my other team. I got both aspects in the game, I hang with the biggest cats in the game, and at the same time I hang with the grimeyest cats in the game as well. As far as independent wise, like Juice from Frisco, Luni from Sac, my boy Messy Marv from Frisco, a couple of other cats that I get down with. On the next level shit, I be collaboratin with Tha Liks, my boy Xzibit, thats the cats that introduced me to the game. So Im around both worlds. So it just details on what the cheese is lookin like, and whos gonna be supportin the album.



When is it gonna be released?

Well we're lookin at March right now. In March sometimes....



You said something about a video. Is that a new song?

Actually I did a video for Trigeration Station [Watch Here]. Because the album is still bubblin, its alotta cats that didnt get the album because of my distribution situation. I guess they wasnt feelin me as much or didnt know that my coast was feelin me as much as everybody on the streets. But Im still doin the same numbers in my areas after 9 or 10 months when it first dropped. But as far as havin it in stores, in mom&pop stores, my distribution company was SOH, they wasnt really really doin anything heavy out there. But this time Imma make sure that it dont happen and if I deal with somebody else Imma make sure that everything is all connected properly and get it to the streets.



What kinda of reaction did you get in San Diego when your album first dropped?

Man its crazy because in San Diego, even though these cats dont seem to know it, but we aint no major as far as set trends in the country. San Diego niggas think they the shit, they think they hard as anybody. So when my shit hit the streets, it was like my town cant believe that we aint already on the countdown, 106 & Park or whatever. Every car, Crip neighborhood, Blood neighborhood, Mexicans, Asians, everybody supported & bumped it. And I outdid Jigga, me & Jigga dropped the same week. I outdid him by all the main ghetto stores, where the black folks buy the records.



Alright, what do you like to listen to in the rap game?

I'm a fan so I dont limit myself to a genre of music and at the same time I been all over the country, I done lived in St Louis, I done lived in Tecas, I went to A&M College in Texas, so Ive seen the Houston scene, lived in Atlanta, been in the Bay, my folks are all around the country. So I got a wide ear, my ear is taking alot of stuff and I know how to judge it. So basically I put my stuff in that situation, I put myself in that ear when I listen to the music. When I hear something Down South, Im not listening to from a West Coast perspective, I listen to it like a South cat listens to it. So from the West like Yukmouth, E-40, those are the cats trying to get it on another level. Im feelin a few cats like my boy Crooked I, he's a lyricist.



Hell yea, thats right. I had a question about that. Crooked I is one of my favorite aritsts, he hasn't dropped yet but Im really looking forward to that.

Yeah Crooked I is sick, because he puttin it together, the Gangsta Shit with the Hip Hop shit. Anybody who can do that to me, they got a fan. Then on the West I got some other cats, like the cats in the town like Black Mikey. I dont know if you heard of Black Mike. He been rippin it for like years, he's one of the cats who influenced me out here. We can move to the South, and I got my cats like Scarface. Everytime Scarfaces drops its gonna be real, and he's gonna fuse it, the Gangsta with the Hip Hop. If you can do that to me you got me. Then you got like Devin, hes one of my picks. And then like Capone, from Capone-N-Noreaga. Then of course Nas, even Freeway, Im feelin Freeway from Philly. Then my boy Planet Asia from Nothern California, he's a lyricist. I like cats that use it all, cause I judge for all. I judge for flow, vocabulary, voice. But voice aint all important to me, I judge a rapper or MC the same way a English teacher would judge or grade a paper, as an artist or writer.



Ras Kass is pretty good lyricist

Oh yeah Ras Kass, he's with my boy Xzibit right now. He's unfuckwitable, cant nobody on the West Coast or in the country fuck with him. Maybe sit down and go back to back with somebody like Canibus, but as far as battle raps, cant nobody fuck with Ras Kass from the West Coast. But unfortunately his style of music aint as appealing to the West Coast, cause West Coast is gangsta, its 95% gangsta out here. My boy Ras is West Coast for sure, he's 100% West Coast, but he's just on a level that alot of these cats aint on as far as musically. But when it comes to the music, we kinda more like a source of inspiration for what we do, whereas on the East Coast they got bitches, money and all that just because of how they flow. I wish it was like that on the West Coast, but it just really aint like that right now. Its gettin better but cats out here is about other shit, they aint so much into the rhyme and the pen.



Alright, so who do you wanna work with, like big name in the industry.

I dont know man, I dont really got no hell of a desire to work with nobody. Im not sayin that I dont like nobody but my music is so personal to me that if I wanna collabo with cats, it has to be cats that I have to deal with. Like my cat Luni, I know wassup with Luni, with his backround and issues. Or with Xzibit. But from a political standpoint, it would be someone like....Shit Dr. Dre. I wanna get down with Dr Dre. Producers like that, Primo. My writing with another cats writing, I dont kow. My shit is so personal to me. Yea I reach out to cats, I fuck with 40, I fuck with Yuk. Those are cats I feel see the game and live the type of life than I am. But when I'm makin music with other cats, its on some rap shit, but me, I'm more some regular street cat than a rapper.



In another interview you said you dont consider yourself a rapper. Why is that?

I consider myself more of a fan. To me man, a rapper, thats gotta be your occupation. Thats gotta be what you take for, your everything for you. So its like with the rap shit, I gotta be able to provide, I gotta be able to pay my taxes with that title before I go ahead and say Im a rapper or some shit like that. Im runnin around and do the same shit before I dropped my record.



Alright how did you get in the rap game, I know Jinx discovered you, but how was that?

Well actually, the beginning started for me like, well I think everybody got their little path, but for me it was a trip, even in elementary school I had a little book where I wrote the raps or whatever, but it was always a secondary thing, I never considered myself jumpin on stage, or ever put out a record.




How do you feel about Daz, Kurupt, Snoop and DPG and all that stuff. Did you ever work with them?

Actually, I met all them cats, wether they remember me or not. I was in the cut fuckin with Xzibit and my cousin. So I had the opportunity to just be around these West Coast cats and learn this game. Snoop, I got love for Snoop, because from day 1, with a cat being that powerful and the postition he is, givin the opportunity and the ear to a young cat he never heard off thats just coming up. I met Snoop before he really knew who I was and he wanted to know what I was workin with. Daz, I run into Daz on a couple of occasions. It was cool, I dont really know Daz that well. Kurupt is cool, thats my nigga. He's fuckin with my boy Jinx right now. My boy Jinx got a couple of new cuts with Roscoe and Kurupt right now.



Yeah Roscoe is hot.

Oh Roscoe is the shit. Thats a young cat that I wouldnt wanna fuck with. I like the underdogs. I like the cats that nobody heard of. I wouldnt mind doin something with my boy Roscoe. But like the DPG situation, thats cool, thats their thang. But what we got goin on out here with my cats, I wouldn't say way different, but if you hear the music you would know that we aint just listening to they shit trying to copy their shit. We got our own shit.



Alright, talk about the supposed Jayo Felony and Mitchy Slick beef.

Actually I wouldnt say its no beef. Cause out here where Im from you get shot and killed when you got beef. So me and him dont got no beef. I would never gon beef on some bullshit, rap shit. Rappin about people on some record. To me, I come from a situation where you dont say nothing to nobody unless you really wanna get into some shit. Cause where Im from the littlest things can escalate. And the thing came from where Jay took shots at me on an underground rap tape on some rap shit. I dont look at myself as no rapper type of shit. I dont play with that, I dont play with words. I dont make statements to people and shit like that. So basically it was more of a situation where he shot some shit at me on some rap shit or whatever, and I just aint with that. A few things been discussed between his folks and my folks or whatever, but me and him dont have no beef. Me and nobody aint never gon' beef if I dont know you. I dont know him like that, I dont cat. I dont know dude like that, me and him never had beef. Everytime I've seen him Ive looked at him as a rapper, I like his raps. Before I was rappin he had a record out. Before I even considered rappin he had a record out. So he was just some cat from my town who know how to rap good. When I had a underground radio show called "Power Move" in San Diego, we used take over some shit and I used to play his records, you know what Im sayin? I dont know why they got my name bubblin in the underground, thats Jayo's thing, he likes to take shots at cats or whatever. I'm in this rap shit to let the whole country know about my shit, how me and my folks get down and make paper off of it. And thats it and thats all. If there was no money involved I would not be rappin. So whoever dont like that, Hip Hop mothafuckaz dont like that they can suck my dick. So me and his beef is not no real beef like everbody is makin it out to be, like a real beef. He only lives over there. Dont get it wrong, his turf and my turf is like next to eachother. If me and him havin problems, we personally havin problems, not on some rap bullshit.



Alright, what do you think about all the industry fragmentation as far as mainstream and underground?

Man, Im the kinda cat man like...I be callin them cats who be knockin everybody and talkin about this or that cat, I be callin them rap police. Mothafuckaz who be makin them rap police raps. You dont rap like this and shit like that. If you rap then rap however you wanna rap. If Ja Rule can make a song with a bitch singing on it and its gonna sell millions, then more power to him and Im with it. The only thing I dont like is when the fuckin media or the mainstream people get the rest of the country into a mode. And I dont blame them neither, cause its all about the paper. But I just dont like when they try to feed this happy shit and then they just make it seem that what I am talkin about shouldnt be heard or shouldnt be on the radio. But they make it seem that you gotta have a R&B singer in a beat in order to have a good song to be on the radio. I dont knock nobody because I know if I was any of these people, these executives, these CEO's, these program directors, I'd do whatever it takes to make the cheese, no doubt, cause thats how you survive. Get the paper, all Im tryin to do is get my paper. Im not no hater, Im not gonna knock what other cats do, you know what Im sayin?



Which album do you like the most so far. "Trigeration Station" or "Urban Survival Syndrome"?

To me its just a continuation. Basically it is like a part two of Trigeration Station. What you gotta know about my record homie is that everything on my shit is real. Its all non-fiction, everything. Everything is a story, damn near everything that you hear is one of my a experience. I havent even got to everything that I wanna show the world yet. So I got so many stories to tell, and I aint even goin into details about all this shit. So "Urban Survival Syndrome" is just another story, another long ass story, broke up into about 15 pieces, about what goes on in my neighborhood. And the title came from a desist that was used by a young black cat in Texas, in a court situation with my man and his lawyer was usin that as a desist. Because of the situation he grew up he felt that in order to survive he had to kill. Like a kill-kill situation. No doubt they didnt go for this shit and they locked my nigga up and gave him life or whatever the fuck. So thats my position, thats the situation Im in and Im livin this way. Ima cool cat for all the shit that I been through and that I do. Basically what I do to survive, and thats what describes me, and thats what describes this album. Im just breakin it down, lettin mothafuckaz know whats happenin, what goes down in Daygo. And it aint just a Daygo story. Me, I'm an individual, Im a special mothafucka. Im special just for being alive right now. And I want folks to know that. And I got a documentary Im about to be droppin, called "Trigeration Station - The Documentary". Its a DVD and it shows whats goin on where Im at. Im sure alotta cats gonna trip but we gonna try to keep it as cool as we can.



Alright, whats more important to you, the lyrics or production?

Uhh Production. The only reason I said that is because this is how I feel, cause Im into this shit. With me, like right now we're standin at the block and somebody got the Escalade with the Rimz on it ridiculous and everything, and they bumpin a Acapella, that wouldnt do shit. But you can bump an Instrumental and you can have a party. You feel me? Thats the reason why I say production is more important, because its the music. The Africans party and have just drums and beats, cause thats what makes you dance and move, thats what makes the speakers bump. So I'm a production cat first, not more important but first. If I hear the beat its gotta be knockin to me right of the bat or else Im not gonna rap on it. Unless someone is paying me and I still might not even rap on it. Even when I feature, I pick the beats. Like the shit with Luni, I wanted to get on that shit, the shit we did "Wrong or Right".



I like what you were saying on the 2nd song in the intro of "End of Da' World".

Ohh hell yea.....This whole world gonna be over in a minute man. We got Bloods and Crips too, and the next time you see somebody roll up....



Alright, what producer brings the best out of you?

Oh Cricet fo sho. Other cats tryna use my nigga and it dont come out the same. But the thing with me and Cricet is like, he get a certain vibe, a certain mood. I just dont go pick beats, he makes em for me. I bust a rap right there on the spot where he did the beat, so thats my cat. Its a Daygo thang you know? Dont sound like Battlecat, dont sound like Dre, dont sound like Quik. Its Hip Hop but its Gangsta though. Its all the elements of Gangsta. We Hip Hop cats, we aint just givin some bass and claps, we on some Hip Hop Shit.



What are your plans after your next album? Are you gonna tour or somthing?

I wanna go on a nation wide tour with the Liks so basically when I drop this new album I got a few cats with me, cause 40 let me roll wherever, pretty much everywhere he popped up and I needed to be there he had no problem with it. So when I get my album out and get ready to put it down I prolly even like try to get with him cause I like 40's croud. And then like Tha Liks, thats my Hip Hop bottle, I just did some shit with my boy Krondon upon LA. Or my boy Phil Da Agony from the Likwit Crew. So right now Im mixtapin it right now, Im vocaly tourin right now. Im just droppin pieces wherever I can. Imma go down to the Mid-West anf fuck with my Denver cats.



Alright, with your name around how do you feel abour your current status in Hip Hop?

Man, I feel like I got a looong way to go man. If I could just get any city on the West Coast, or at least 5 major cities, like I got with San Diego. Sell like 20.000 pieces this time now, majority came from just this town. If I could get about 3 or 4 more downs to feel San Diego feel about me, then I could get that deal I want. Because to me, Im used to be on top or whatever, no matter what it is. We can take it to the street shit, to the Gangsta shit, to the flossin, money shit, to bitches. I know that I aint really shit unless Im on the countdown, really sell hella units or really get features with major cats. Im tryin to be major man, Im tryin to be on TV. So my status is like, Im cool because everybody that heard from me.. when you go to LA and you're from San Diego and cats dont know who you are then you aint really shit. I dont think Im shit, Im still tryin to get in. But as far as the streets go, I dont have the backing from a company to make sure that everyknow knows who I am. Everybody that I can touch, they feelin me, they lovin Mitch. All the rappers in the game, I know all the rappers on the West Coast. Even some East Coast cats. But it gotta be some work done. It gotta be some fuckin label, Universal, Priority, Sony, somebody gotta recognize whats goin on. Im not just no average mothafucka man. Mothafucka got hella skillz, mothafucka that make movies, fuckin directed my own videos and shit. I got hella shit to offer. And I got alotta cats thats hella down with me to make these moves. I just need somebody to give us that opportunity.



Alright you got any shout outs you wanna give before this interview is over?

Fo sho, I wanna give a shout out to everybody from San Diego thats tryin put it down. I wanna give a shout out to everybody that bought my record, and everybody thats supportin this independent shit, independent rap and aint trippin off a mothafucka being no blood or crip. Just like keep good music cause thats whats gonna keep this crackin, thats whats gonna keep a cat like me being able to eat. Im sendin a shout to all them. Just my local block hustlaz, my boy Jank. And fo sho to everybody thats independent and aint mainstream. That go from the websites, to the magazines, Murder Dog magazine, all the cats that show cats like me love who aint on TV. All yall cats included, Westcoast2k included, all that.



Alright you wanna drop a verse or anything for the site?

Oh yea Id love that. Ok lemme kick one for you, off this new cut I got, straight uncut.