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BO-ROC of the Dove Shack
A long read but very well worth it, the audio for this will be up this week. eres a quick rundown for those who don't wanna read through or wanna know right away what he spoke on:
-New solo album feat. E40, Yukmouth, Bad Azz, production by Warren G and The Neckbones
- How he was in Las Vegas and NY both nights 2Pac got shot
-Other R&B singers
-The state of hip hop and the fake actors in the rap game
-His meeting with Puffy and Biggie and how Biggie can't free
-Snoop and DPG signing to Def Jam
-The reason Dove Shack didn't blow up
-His beef with 2Pac back in the days
-Collabos with Eminem, Nate Dogg, and unreleased material with Death Row
- A new Dove Shack album
-Plans for Rawway Inc.
BO-ROC of the Dove Shack is back and preparing his first solo album with his new "Ghetto Pop" formula and the classic G-Funk sound. After a few years of beinglocked up, Bo Roc has grown as an artist with a large library of songs ready to bring out to the world.
When can we expect a Bo-Rocc solo album?
Sometime before the year, I'm tryin' to drop it September/October.
What guests do you plan to have on there, which producers?
I mean as far as who I already have, I got Bad Azz on there, I got Lamont Dozier, from Holland-Dozier-Holland. I got 40 which who I actually talked to for a whole hour last night, we was seeing about doin' some more work so like I said I got 40 on there, that about it so far I really ain't reached out to anybody to do no collabo with em. Cause I got so many songs, I got a library of songs, I got over 400 songs I got wrote. The type of music that I'm doing and what not, it's more personal, so a lot of times in a certain situation having guest features or guest artists on there just wouldn't fit in because, I'm writin' about my life experiences and different things of that nature, you know. This is one of them type of albums. I got Nita P. on there, the girl I did Summertime in the LBC with, I definitely got her on there, we got a Summertime in the LBC Part 2, of course, the Dove Shack is gonna be on there, but it's mainly like I said an R & B album, and it's themed around an old school feel like a Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield type, thinkin' type music. But I got some, I got the party and bullshit songs, that’s what I got with 40 and all that.
As far as production, who's doing beats on there?
Yeah, as a matter of fact I'm in the studio with Warren G today, Warren G, Jelly Roll, Meech Wells, The Neckbones, this cat named Jamal who used to produce G Wiz. The Neckbones they did a lot of stuff for like Rome, things of that nature. Them the only really producers I been workin' with right now so far. Battlecat I got somethin' I'm finna work out with Battlecat, do a song with him. But this album I'm keepin' it kinda West Coast orientated, so all the producers I'm really workin' with right now is from the west. Probly my second or third album that’s when I expand with different producers, but right now I'm reppin' this West thing to the fullest, so everyone I'm featuring on my album from the West, producers from the West, my album has a west orientated theme as far as the classic G-Funk sound, you know.
What's gonna be your involvement in the LBC Crew album?
In actuality, I'm just gonna be featured on there and I'm assisting the process of putting it together, because I am one of the CEO's of Rawway Entertainment and the LBC Crew album is gonna come out on Rawway. So that's pretty much my involvement in that. But through Rawway, you know we got the LBC Crew album finna drop, we gonna do another Dove Shack album through there, of course my solo album, South Sentrelle from the LBC Crew and Techniec from the LBC Crew. We have a few artists, we have another singer dude named Scooby. We got a nice little roster. It's gonna be somethin’ different, cause we one of the first labels that's coming out, not as a rap label and not as really and R&B label, but just as a label period. Our first act may be rap, well our first act of course is gonna be my album, second album liable to be a rap album, third act liable to be a R&B album, or vice versa.
Which artists are on the Rawway roster?
Like I said the Dove Shack. The next Dove Shack is gonna come out through Rawway. Then we got some other artists we been dealing with. Right now, my mission, I'm tryin’ to track down a particular person, so that's what my main focus is. C Style which is my business partner, he's the one who’s bringin' the other artists to the table. Right now I'm on a mission to find one particular artist and he's in Ohio somewhere, I don't know the dude or nothing, I just gotta look for him on Apollo and I got to find this dude, you know that's what my mission is. Once I find that dude then I'll get to think about signing other artists, but I'm on a mission to find this dude named Life in Toledo, Ohio. Cause I think the dude is a musical genius.
Have you started to work on the new Dove Shack album?
We had a Dove Shack album that we have done already, so we liable to go switch some things up, change some things up. On the Dove Shack album we got now, we got Nate Dogg on there, Eminem on there, a couple of other people, but at the same time, the formula that we was gonna go with on that Dove Shack album we had recorded, we gonna take a whole different direction. We probly gonna scratch half the album, and come with a whole new second half of the album. But that’s pretty much can be done and completed, plus 2Scoops has a solo album complete, and C-Knight has a solo album complete. I'm the only one who don't have a solo album completed yet.
Is the Dove Shack album on the G-Funk tip too?
Yes and no. It's been a growing process, we been in the game for 10 years. The G-Funk sound done advanced to the point where it's kinda been lost. I don't even think these dudes know how to create G-Funk no more. Its so lost and its been so infiltrated, which I don't knock, cause everything has to grow. But it's been so infiltrated by the East Coast sound, or the Down South sound, that the whole initial G-Funk sound has been lost. So we trying to bring it back there but at the same time we tryin’ to take it next millennium.
Is 2Scoop and C Knight's solo projects droppin' on Rawway or which label?
As far as they solo projects, right now I believe they are intending to drop their solo projects independently through their own labels. That's basically what we have been doing, that's one of the reasons that the Dove Shack hasn't dropped no second album yet, along with my little vacation I had to go on. Dudes just been studying the business aspect of the music business, like 3rd base and all them, head to the background that’s basically what the other members of the Dove Shack did too, they got artist too under they labels. C-Knight has his own artists who he got record recorded on, and 2Scoops has his label and his own artists who he has records recorded on.
About that vacation you had, how did it influence your music, and your life?
Very much so, because it was a reflection time, a growth time for me, as a man so of course naturally my music had to grow. Being in that situation without having to worry about the outside influence of everyday life that most people have to go through such as paying bills and feedin' the family and just living everyday life. I didn't have to go through that I had many hours I could really take to perfect my craft. I took a lot of hours and perfected my craft. It will be evident and on top of that I got 410 songs, 4 movie scripts and a book and a half wrote.
So yall are taking it further then just music huh? Dropping movies and books.
Everything. I mean Rawway is not really a record label, Rawway is an entertainment company. What we doing setting our self up as an entertainment entity period. Like I said not just the music aspect, not just the movie aspect, not just television aspect, but entertainment all around from promotions to marketing, different things of that nature you know. We attacking it all.
How many songs you wrote while you locked up?
The 400 since I been out, I've added like about 8 or 9, so that’s what brought me to...the 410 is really a rough estimate, 400, 410. But I've only written 9 new songs. Everything I recorded since I been out, as a matter of fact has been written since I been out. None of the like 400 plus songs I wrote prior to getting out, have I even recorded yet, I haven't even begun to work on them yet. Them songs are more personal, like I said because of the situation they were written in, and where I was at, and the time I took to write those songs being there, they're so broad. I got everything from rock type songs to pop type songs to reggae hip hop orientated R&B, to old school feeling R&B all the way to Jazz. That's what I like, I like all types of music so I took it way more personal there. The stuff I'm doing now, I'm gettin' with producers thats willing to work with me since I been out, and I'm just getting the vibe off the music they presenting me and I'm writing what I'm feeling for them. Stuff I have already wrote, I once I have grown in my craft and I may learn how to work a drum machine myself or play a keyboard or guitar myself, then It will be time for me to laying those songs down because they can really just come from my heart like that.
Do you still keep in contact with everyone from back in the days?
Me myself, I keep in touch with everybody, I ain't got no bad blood with nobody out in the entertainment business since I been in the entertainment business. I've had my run ins with a crew or two, I've even had some legal run ins with some of these executives behind money and what not, but I actually have no bad blood with anybody in the music industry, and everybody that I've known in the music industry, we still cool. I've never been the type of person who go out of my way to stay in contact with nobody. I'm a loner type guy. I been like that all my life. When I see you, we can talk, we can kick it, we hang out. Blaze one for the nation, toss up a drink or two, chop it up for old time’s sake, maybe stay in contact or put in some work together. In fact, just day before yesterday I was on the phone with The Twinz, they want me to get on they new album they workin’ on.
So have you been working with Warren G a lot?
In particular, I'm doing a song with Warren for his album, and he’s gonna produce a track on my album. But as far as any one particular person that I'm workin’ with overall on a general basis, I would say it would probly be The Neckbones. Which like I said they did stuff for Rome, they just did like 4 songs on the Baby Daddy soundtrack, they did like 4 songs in the movie, they did new stuff on like Ideal, Eve, Fabolous. These guys is real hot, they super duper hot comin' out the west, they a dynamic duo of how the Neptunes is, and they got that West coast sound, and they new. They been in the game a while but they name ain't real big and known like that so thats who I been doing a lot of work with. Hopefully, the people who get wind of this, give word to good doctor and maybe I can go into surgery and have good doctor lace me with a track. The thing is, anything I do is gonna be a hit, thats what mode I been in, there’s nobody in particular I been messing with, I ain't waitin' on anybody. Snoop is my homie, I got homies in the music business but I'm not waiting on anybody to complete my project, I'mma go on with my project, I'm not basing my projects vitality on who I my have on there, I'm basing it off what I'm bringing to the table, therefore I'm not really concerned with how everybody is feeling about messing with Bo-Rocc, cause I have been getting a lot of love since I been out. A lot of dudes been callin' me up like man, look here what you got goin on? Come get on this song over here with me and let me get on your album. I'm doin' work with like Yukmouth right now, Yukmouth is my boy. We doin’ two songs, one for his album and one for my album. I would be ecstatic if I could get Snoop on the album, but what he has going on in his life may not coordinate with the way I'm trying to operate and work.
In the time I'm trying to have my music out there, I'm not trying to make this a long process, I'm fresh out I got a lot to say, I got a lot on my heart, a lot on my mind. I got a lot of pent up energy and a lot of pent up artistry I'm ready to release on the world. So I'm like trying to do some 2Pac type things, the same way 2Pac got out of prison, how he didn't wait on nobody, he went and lived and breathed in that studio, and just created music, thats what I'm trying to do. Unfortunately, I don't have the financial means, nor the production capability to just put myself in the studio like that and live and breathe, cause I don't have Suge Knight bankroll or anything like that. Anything I'm doing, I'm doing it off the profit or doing it off homie love. But I figure any day now something gonna crack off real big that makes me able to just go in there and reflex my skills in that studio. As a matter of fact, I'mma have a song within the next couple of days that I'mma slap out there, a little snippet that people can get a bar of, and they can just see what I'm coming with. I got it for em. Can you hear that right there? This one right here, is one of them absolute ones, this gonna shut the whole industry down right here. You know? They don't even know I be coming like this. Here's a song I'mma give you a lil bar of.
[plays song]
Know what I'm sayin? I got heat for em, they gonna have to stop and recognize. I feel that a lot of dudes are in a spot that's suppose to be my spot. But at the same time I feel if I was meant to be in that spot, I woulda been there. Obviously what I went through as far as the time I did and everything else was meant to happen the way it happened. For a reason and I'm meant to come out, when I come out. Its all good. Like I said, I'm just trying to work. I'm open to work with anybody if they tight. I'm not messin' with no booboo dudes, no garbage dudes, but I'm not messin' with no dudes cause they got a lot of money or cause they think they hot. But true talent, I'm game to work with anybody, know what I'm sayin'. Even the ones people wanna compare me against, like Nate Dogg, Jaheim, all them cats. I'm fans of them dues. I don't be on no trip like that. I mean everybody has they arrogant moments, like I said, I feel a spot that could be mine some cats is sittin' in. I feel with enough talent I can get into those spots. I don't take nothing from them, the way they coming they artistry is they own thing. I'm game to do work with these dudes, but I will almost guarantee you, I would almost guarantee you, that it's not gonna be the type of situation, where I will allow anyone, to outshine me in this game, as far as on this music tip. I'm not finna allow it. In other words, I'm sayin' that I'm damn sure coming with it every time I come. I'm trying to come with it, which is gonna make the difference in whether people gonna say ok, this dude out here bullshittin' with this, or he's really serious about this. And I'm serious about this.
I don't see why you couldn't be up there with someone like Nate Dogg or Butch Cassidy.
What I'm doin’, I'm creatin' a whole new sound. Thats what I think I'm finna revolutionize. I'm finna revolutionize a whole new sound. I even got a name for it, it's called Ghetto Pop. I got this new sound I got called Ghetto Pop. Basically sayin’, I'm not no pop act, I'm not an R&B act, I'm not a rap act, I'm an artist, I make music. I listen to all type of music, I'm game to make any type of music because I enjoy it, see what I'm sayin’. But in the time of ghetto pop, Pop is just a short term for Popular, popular music. And I feel with this ghetto g funk style that I'm bringin’, it's gonna be way more popular then the style that anybody else is trying to bring in this round. The category of music I drop, it's only a few of us that fall in that category, Chico DeBarge, Jaheim, Nate Dogg, TQ, this dude, Anthony Hamilton, you see what I'm sayin’. We on this ghetto R&B, you know? That ghetto R&B. It ain't the Ginuwine type of R&B, In Those Jeans, I wanna love you, and all that. We got that. I don't knock any of them dudes or what they doin’, even the ones that can sing only in one note. They can sing that one note good then a mothafucka. But they have no versatility or no range in they vocals. They show no broad perspective in the type of music that they create. Because either they held back by boundaries of fear, or boundaries of being not accepted as far as what they tryin’ to put out there. I got a sound thats similar to, remember that song I did with E-40 "Things Will Never Change?" Thats ghetto pop. Summertime in the LBC, that's ghetto pop. See what I'm sayin? Same way you hear them songs on the Beat you hear them songs on 102.7. Same way the local hip hop DJ play it the same way Rick in the morning will play it. That's what I mean by ghetto pop. It used to be called crossover music. Crossover is no longer a bad term, it's never been a bad term for me.
Nowadays you got R&B and Rap soundin' the same and you can't really categorize it into two different sections.
Exactly. It's gettin’ to the point where it's really about the artistry now and what you actually bringin’. Not trying to put it in a category but its about what you sayin. That's why I say, if you wanna try to define Bo-Rocc, lets put him in his own category and call it Ghetto Pop. Because what I'm doin’, I'm touchin' bases on what everybody else is doin’. I got a few love songs, I got a few party and lets bullshit songs, but I got a lot of songs that stop and make you think, like on that Marvin Gaye, Donnie Hathaway type, where you be like hmm. I got a lot of songs where I'm actually puttin' game out there, like how 2Pac would give it to you or Scarface would give it to you. Just imagine if 2Pac could sing, imagine if Scarface could sing. Imagine if them cats could sing, at the same time them cats had the heart enough to be able to do a type of song that would be more expanded, where people wouldn't be "Well that ain't ghetto enough, that ain't gangsta enough" That stuff I don't worry about, you know? I’m just doin’ music.
Are you rappin' on any of the tracks your workin’ on?
I plan on it, like I said, actually I got somethin’ I'm finna introduce to the world that ain't heard before. It's a form of rappin-singin, that ain't nobody ever did before. Nelly tried it, he ain't do it right. I ain't heard nobody do it right. Cause all the cats who rap/sing, can't really sing. Like what’s his name even tried it, David Banner. He tried to do a little singin' on his album. He can carry a note, but not too often, really aside from Missy, I don't know any rappers who can actually, really, really, really sing. To where they can get on the stage and grab a microphone and sing and woo the audience as good as they can grab the microphone and get up there and bust a rap and move the audience. That's a rarity. So I got a new style where I mixed up the rappin’ and singin’ together, to where if...you got to hear it, you got to hear it to trip off of it.
What's your thoughts on the current state of Rap/Hip Hop?
Rap, I don't know man. You know what, my opinion on hip hop is contradictory. I'm probly one of the few niggas who can admit my opinion on a lot of shit is contradictory. Because I feel two ways about a lot of things, and the way I think hip hop is doing good, its cool. At the same time I feel hip hop ain't doin’ so swell. The reason I feel its doin’ cool because it's more, people are able to eat off of it. That's what makes it more cool to me, it's a little more families being taken care of. Hip Hop has created a little bit less dope dealers, hip hop has dropped the crime rate in the black community, hip hop has dropped the crime rate in the Hispanic community. So in that sense thats why I got a lot of love for hip hop, hip hop is doin’ swell. Because Hip Hop offers options and hope. Outside of that, I'm kinda disappointed in it, because Hip Hop is becoming...Hip Hop and Hollywood is starting to blend in with the acting. Queen Latifah, the Will Smith's, Snoop Dogg, and what it is. Hip Hop is starting to become a big ol' movie. Nobody is themselves, everybody got to be somebody, or you can't drop a hit. If I'm a rapper I got to be a gangster, If I'm not a gangster I'm a pimp, if I'm not a pimp I'm a player, If I'm not a player I'm a boss, If I'm not a boss, I'm somethin’, I got to be somethin’. But I just can't be me. That's what hip hop has lost.
Hip Hop has lost a mothafucka just bein' themselves. If I ain't comin’ out talkin' about I'm a pimp, I'm pimpin', I'm pimpin', I'm pimpin', I'm pimpin', that won't be my image. If I talk about it that's gonna be my image. If I try to put the image out there that, okay, I'm hard, I'm a gangster, I done time before, I got shot before, I beat this dude up. Then that's what life you walk in, even though that's not you. You have a frame of mind that all eyes on you. A lot of these dudes, I don't knock these cats but, I've always said like this, If you a real gangsta nigga, when you get to a certain age bracket, If you been a real mothafucka all your life, a real street dude, at a certain time point you have completed your worth. In other words, you have done enough in these streets, to where you've earned the respect, and the trust of your fellow counterpart, to where you don't have to live like that no more. Me myself, in my age bracket, what do I look back at now, tryin’ to prove that I'm hard, or tryin’ to prove that I'm a gangsta, or try to prove that I'm down, or try to prove that I'm a pimp, or try to prove that I'm a playa. If anything now, my concern should be my child's college fund. The peace in my household. My spiritual health, my mental health. State of mind. That's a concern of mine. To hell with tryin’ to prove to you that I'm down. Which I feel a lot of these dudes is doin’. Everybody now wanna be a gangster in the entertainment business, since 50 got shot, it seem like they runnin' out tryin’ to catch a bullet now. They runnin out tryin to catch a bullet. Snoop and them brought Bishop Magic Don Juan to the game and everybody wanna talk about bein’ a P,I,M,P. Oh I'm a pimp, I'm a pimp.
You can't be a pimp and a prostitute at the same time. Feel what I'm sayin? If you signed to a record label, if you droppin’ records, if you droppin’ records and you're not a distributor, you are a prostitute. You cannot be a pimp and a prostitute at the same time. It's not possible. [laughs] You just can't. The only true cats in entertainment that can talk about they P,I,M,P, you know the Russell Simmons, he pimpin’. Bob Johnson, he pimpin’. Magic Johnson, he pimpin’. Them dudes is pimpin’. Because them dudes are the bosses, they the real bosses, they answer to no one. So like I said, everybody got to have some type of identity right now, and it makes it hard for the true talent, bottom line. Like look, where all the female rappers at? You know why? You know why it's such a shortage of female rappers homie? Because female rappers don't have an image to return to. Like I said, the male rappers we can either claim we gangsters, we can claim we pimps, we can claim we players, we can claim we ballers. Female rappers what can they claim? What, I'm a claim I'm a hoe?
Like Trina or Lil Kim like a little player or somethin’.
Exactly. A female can't come out and just categorize, I'mma be a gangster or a pimp or somethin’ like that. Because it's unacceptable as far as sellin' records. In that sense, hip hop like kinda turned my stomach sour with that bullshit. Not tryin to get on no KRS one tip where we fightin' the power, and whatnot. Niggas need to just live they own individual lives but at the same time we need to recognize phony shit has a bigger effect then what we may think it is. Phoniness spreads likes a wildfire. These phony ass dudes perpetratin' like they gangsters, and got they fans believin they gangsters, and they fans out there tryin to act like them, and really they busters? Really they not true, really they not solid, man of they word, you know. Right now the only true rap albums out I got! As far as, of course I gotta support my west coast counterparts, outside of that, I'm a diehard Face fan. I always keep the whole Scarface collection, all the way down I'm a diehard Face fan. As far as new music, I knock Jay-Z. I knock that dude simply because, he's in that mode of just whatever the fuck. I'm doin’ me. He's not a gangster, so he don't try to put out the image that he's a gangsta. He's not a pimp, so he don't try to put out the image that he's a pimp. He may do songs about it but thats not how he really live. Your fans don't pay attention to your music, they like your music, they bump your music, but they pay attention to who you are as a person, and as artists. When these dudes realize that, I think hip hop would be in a better state of mind.
Instead of these rappers puttin’ their image out through rap, rap is giving them the image that they're suppose to be.
Exactly. When you in a car and you got some sounds, you bump that music. When the video come out, you bump that video. But when you open up them publications you don't listen to the music, you read about they life. You wanna get with the music aspect of it, when you actually hear that music. But other then that, why you think cats like Jay-Z had so much influence. Like how he influenced and basically fucked the sales of the X-5 BMW, when he came out wit the song sayin X5 is for bitches. Oh thats a female car, I remember when I was in jail and the X5 came out everybody and they mama was talkin’ about X5's. All type of dudes, dude had em all in they videos the DMX Aaliyah, Mr. Cheeks video, dudes had X5. As soon as Jay-Z mention, thats a car he would buy for his woman, know what I'm sayin? Niggas immediately stopped buyin' X5's. Immediately! Same thing with bubble eye Benzes. Everybody was on the bubble eye Benz when The Firm came out, Face came out, soon as Mack 10 came out with a song talkin’ bout "I bought a bubble eye Benz for my bitch and my baby" niggas immediately stopped buyin’ bubble eye Benzes. Like ok thats a bitch car! See what I'm sayin? Shit like that has influence. And when dudes really start payin' attention that it has influence like that, and the reason I give Jay-Z props, cause only thing Jay-Z promote is gettin’ that money. He promote gettin’ your money, keepin’ your bills paid, keepin’ it real, stayin' true to the streets, and gettin’ your money. And as long as you got more fans pumped up about gettin’ they money, you got more fans out there tryin to get they money.
If you puttin’ out songs "I'm a P,I,M,P, I'm a pimp, I'm a pimp, your fans, niggas gonna be out there tryin to slap up on a bitch like they a pimp. It's so many dudes runnin around now talkin’ bout they pimps in Cali, oh my god! Oh my god! Ain't got hoe to first but they pimpin’. You know? So, I guess, I am backed up away from the mainstream hip hop scene. Right now it ain't lookin' too cool. See with Lyor. You see what Lyor Cohen doin’. He goin from Def Jam over to Warner bros. He goin to hip hop to mainstream. A lot of guys are doin’ that walkin' away from hip hop, thats what I been noticing too, like a lot of people before I got incarcerated that was involved in hip hop, A&Rs, marketing people and stuff of that nature, when I got out there completely walked away from it. Aw man fuck hip hop music, fuck rap industry. I do marketing now for TV commercials, or I do marketing for television and movies and things of that nature, I'm a product designer or stuff like that, I go Ok, well damn you was a VP and A&R, you know, you got good examples there, look at Steve Stoute. Completely walked away from music, and got into the whole marketing scene. It's a whole lot of guys who done did that.
Some of the rappers are doin that too, like Jay-Z lookin into buyin’ basketball teams, and he got a phone out and clothing line.
You know that dude just hit billionaire status. A lot of people don't know that dudes a billionaire. He real big. I see the trend happening. Guess what I see on The Black album that I see happening now. When theses start realizing what influences they have. He said
"I’m not ridin' no rims, I'm a baller for real." You know what I'm sayin. You know a lot of dudes is takin' they rims off they cars and just rollin' stock. Just put some stock chrome rims on there. Thats status or symbolism of being a true baller. Which I said a long time ago cause you never see a rich white man rollin’ on no dubs. You never see no rich Jew bling out the game. Yet they have more money in hip hop combined.
A guy like, from Microsoft, Bill Gates. Wearing regular ass clothes lookin like a dork and he's like the richest dude out there.
Yeah look at the other dude. Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com, dude sittin’ on 9 bill, he worth 9 billion, he drive a regular ass Volvo, 9 billion dollars he drive a regular ass Volvo. Guess what his desk is made out of. A wooden door and 4 2x4's nailed into it. But he's sittin’ on 9 Billion dollars. He wears one piece of jewelry. His wedding ring, and a plain just regular gold wedding band. and maybe a watch. Thats it. But he sittin’ on 9 billion dollars. You know? That's that true baller. See when you a real baller, you recognize this stuff though, you can see that he ain't got a piece of jewelry on but you know, when you see that shirt, Ok, thats a button down, Ralph Lauren purple label shirt right there. Oh them some purple label slacks right there. You know it when you see em. Oh they some mescaline shoes right there. You see the watch, the dude ain’t gotta have 50 diamonds he ain't gotta have no diamonds in it, a true baller. Ok thats a petit felit. I know off the bat it ain’t gotta have one diamond in it, it cost more then half these niggas Presidential Rolexes. It's a cold, cold game but watch what Bo-Roc finna do.
What is your favorite Dove Shack track that yall recorded?
Off the Dove shack album I think my favorite track would be probly "They'll Come a Day." Which is on the Dove Shack album.
What about something that you haven’t released yet?
Yep. It's called "Heaven." it's about my daughter. It's one of them crossover type joints. It's sort of like "Things Will Never Change" with E-40. It's gonna be a real big song. Just straight singing. Put it like this, If I dropped the record right now and didn't mention my name, nobody would know it was me. I know that voice! I know that voice! But they'd be like, well that voice don't sing that type of music though.
Why do you think Dove Shack didn't blow up as much as they could?
Why we didn't? A culmination of things, it wasn't one thing in particular. I mean, it was the combination of Def Jam, not pushin' the project and gettin’ behind it the project. And the reason Def Jam not gettin’ behind the project, because the Dove Shack not bein’ experienced and not knowing what type of music to make to get Def Jam to get behind the project. So it was a culmination of things, we didn't make no blow up music. The bottom line is, that this music business is a business, and in the music business you have to conduct business a certain way. We didn't know any better, we didn't have any experience, we was new to the game, and our manager was new. We was the first act that our manager was managing. We was the first act that our music lawyer was a lawyer of. Everybody we came in the game with was new just like us. So we had nobody to teach us or tell us how to do certain things. For one, we ran up a big budget. We spend damn near half a million making that Dove Shack record. For nothin, we didn't really have no guest features except Montel Jordan. Wasted studio time, taking 2, 3 days to do one damn song because we wanna just sit there and just smoke and drink, know what I'm sayin? So that didn't allow us to go in there and create what we know radio gon' get behind and the type of music that a record companies get behind. "Summertime in the LBC" was the only songs that a cat really took the time to make a song that could really be a big song. Every other song on the album was made for the hood. And the people in Wisconsin didn't wanna hear about Bo-Rocc experiences in Long beach in detail the way Bo-Rocc was givin' it. The only one that could identify what Bo-Rocc was talkin’ about was dudes from Bo-Rocc neighborhood. So we didn't really create no mainstream type album like that, that could be marketed in that way, and Def Jam didn't really take the time to school us on that. Nor did they put the effort into making sure that happened they was just like ok fuck it, this is just another west coast act, they coming out with Warren G, we kind having problems with Warren G right now, we having arguments in the streets with Warren. We havin' problems with the Domino record, and Greedy Green done had a deal over there with the group Wyatt, B, Domino and some BG Knoccout, Dresta. At that time Def Jam wasn't really good with west coast artists also. If you think they had just started Def Jam West, right after they released our project they immediately shut the doors to Def Jam West because Def Jam West really generated no money because no one knew what to do on the west coast with a west coast artist.
They never really did know how to handle west coast artists, like a guy like Richie Rich...
Nah, if you look at it look at they track record. The only thing that they ever did good out the west coast with was Montel Jordan. Thats it. The list goes on, we can go Domino, Richie Rich, The Dove Shack, Jayo Felony, The Twinz, Da 5 Footaz, BG Knoccout and Dresta, WC, the list goes on. On west coast artists that they really don't put the same type of west coast artist as they do east coast artists. Back then they really wasn't same way they didn't have no label deals through them, or anything of that nature and really, at that particular time, the west was poppin', but nobody really knew what to do with the west. Everybody was just tryin to jump on the bandwagon to what Suge had done with Snoop and the Death Row thing. Like we got signed to Def Jam without a demo, we didn't even have a fuckin' demo. Just based on the fact we was outta Long beach and we associated with Warren G, and I could sing and rap, and we had a whole different sound, had Lyor Cohen fly out here from New York and take us offer us a record deal. Personally himself. Cause they had seen so much of what Suge had did, how much money he made and little do people know Russell Simmons actually had Snoop and them first. Snoop and the whole Dogg Pound tried to get signed to Def Jam, Russell and them turned em down, like we don't do that type of music over here. And then that's when they ended up with Suge. Then after they seen what Suge was doin they turned around and everybody else tried to do it. They didn't know what to do with the west coast, or a west coast artist. So that kinda hurt us, it hurt us bad. By the time we did learn the business and the smoke did clear, I was in the mothafucka jus really tryin to learn the music business, so I was networking. I'm doing with things with E40, like I said just really layin' in the background and learning the music business.
So what are your plans with Rawway?
Well, Rawway I wanna turn into a major. Even our logo is mainstream. My whole thing right now, my big word right now is mainstream. Thats my favorite word. You know why? Mainstream means money. Mainstream means money. If I just wanted to sing for the artistry of it, period, I would just sing in the shower, or I would just sing in church, see what I'm saying? My intent on signing a record deal is to get checks. I love to do music and I'm a fan of music and music is my life. But I need a check. And the biggest check come from mainstream music. So anything I'm focused on right now has to be mainstream. Even our logo on Rawway is mainstream. That's why we not trying to come out labeled as no hip hop label, we're not just gonna be doing hip hop, we gonna be doin, R&B, if I find me a cool rock group that I wanna sign, they will be signed to Rawway. If I find me a nice pop act that I wanna put out, they will be signed to Rawway. If I find a Latin act, that don't do nothin but Latin music and don't speak a lick of English but I feel they will sell records, they will be signed to Rawway. You know. It's a business and when it comes to the Rawway aspect of it, thats what I'm gonna deal with it like, a business. I'm not gonna open up a liquor store and tell them, I'm gonna serve skateboard riders. Only skateboard riders can buy liquor here. You know anybody can buy out my liquor store. So anyone I want to be buying from Rawway.
What was up with the cough in the freestyle track on the Dove Shack album?
Oh when I was coughing? I just wanted to show people that bottom line its like this. This is just my personal opinion. and I've gone up against the best of em. When it comes to freestyling, I don't think I can be fucked with. And me coughing is something that came into my brain to show I can actually really freestyle. Whatever comes to my brain right then is what I can do and keep it on point in the song and its gonna make sense. That's all the coughing was. That I can bust a rap, at the same time I'm bustin' this rap I'm making it up as I go along and I can add some simplistic shit like a damn cough, and still stay on beat and keep on bustin’. Now lets see you do it. That was the purpose of me doing that.
Do you think people should freestyle more or records?
I have really no opinion on what people should do more on they records.
I mean do you think it's like a lost art? People be "freestlying" but its some prewritten shit.
See, but there’s two definitions of freestyle. The definition that most people have of freestyling is not freestyling. Freestyling is not takin’ a song that you wrote and just sayin it to any beat thats bein’ played. See what I'm sayin? Who I give major props to is my boy Big Tigger, from Rap City The Bassment, man as a freestyle artist that dude gets nothin but respect from me. Respect. because as a freestyle artist I know that what he says, he says right then. He makes it up as he goes along. That's freestyle.
Tigger be outshining some of his guest too.
Yeah, he be outshinin' them. So I think in order to even get to a certain status in rap. You know how they go award shows? I think there should be a mainstream hip hop battle competition, I'm talkin’ about pay-per-view, live, in different cities, like they would have on this year at the staples center. Where the rappers can come in from anywhere and you got categories in there. Categories that you must fulfill to go through there. Like in the first part of the competition you have to be able to write a song or subject matter that the judges give you. Next you got to be able to, do a song and add certain words up in here and things of that nature. And then like in order to complete this competition and to be come champion you got to ultimately win the freestyle battle and freestyle battle means freestyle! Off the top of your dome. I really think is a true freestyler is a mothafucka who really loves the art form of rap music and hip hop. I mean thats just my personal opinion you cant call yourself a true, true lover of hip hop and not try everyday to at least be a freestyler. Even if you can't freestyle, a true hip hop head gonna try to freestyle. Whenever he hear a tight beat he gonna try to spit somethin’ off the top of the dome.
Freestyling is like the ultimate showcase of what skills you got.
Exactly, so I think before you get to a certain status in rap music before you can be on the status of Jay-Z or call yourself a Jay-Z you gotta be able to freestyle. Cause like a lot of people didn't know, like prime example, Biggie. Biggie couldn't freestyle. Biggie couldn't freestyle and the way I know this is because I heard it out of Biggie's mouth. not third party, not nothin. The night that Total did that song "can't you see, what you do to me" a lot of people don't know that night they recorded that song is the same night 2Pac got shot in New York. The way I know is because me, Snoop, Warren G, and the Twinz and all of us we was at the studio with Total, when Puffy first snatched them up from Syracuse when they was in the studio with they big ole sweaters on, complaining that we was smokin' too much weed up in there and that we was hurtin' they damn throat. Cause Biggie came up in there with what looked like half a pound and came up in there with a whole box of White Owls, a big box. And told Faith and some other females to get to rollin’. And there was just blunts bein’ fired up and Total got to complaining and right when we got ready to leave, and right when we got to the hotel thats when we turned on the TV and they was sayin that 2Pac had just got shot. See what I'm sayin. But, we was freestlyin to that Can't You See beat. Me, Kurupt, the niggas from the Dove Shack, we was standin' in the hallway of the studio freestyling. And Biggie was standin there out servin'. And Kurupt asked Biggie did he wanna get in. Biggie said out his mouth "I don't freestyle yo." I don't even freestyle, yo." But he came in and he kicked a verse of some shit that he wrote that was just tight, but he it was not freestyle. It was not straight off the top of the dome.
Damn, I didn't even know about all that, being there the same night Pac got shot.
The night Pac had got shot in New York we was in the studio with Biggie and them. In fact the Dove Shack, we was out there to work with Jam Master Jay. Meeting with Russell Simmons and Lyor and them. Workin’ on our project. Snoop and them had just returned from overseas, I think Amsterdam. No, Warren G had just returned from Amsterdam, Snoop was in town to do the show Apollo Comedy Hour. That night Snoop and Rage and them was suppose to be shootin' they episode. Apollo Comedy Hour, in one night they shot like 5 different episodes. So on this particular night they was shootin’ Brandy's episode when she was on there. They was shootin Snoop's episode, and they was shootin Mary J. Blige's episode. So we ran into Puffy and Puffy told us come by the Hit Factory Studio. And that's where we went after we left there. We was over there just chillin' with them in the Hit Factory studio. Like I said, Jah Skillz and Da 5 Footaz had left, and in the process of us leavin' the studio, one of the Twinz phone kept blown up by one of Da 5 Footaz, Jah Skillz. She was like man turn on the news, they was like Pac just got shot at a studio right out here somewhere. And we was like, that is crazy.
Did yall know Pac at that time?
I did. Me and Pac actually, when me and Pac just met me and Pac wasn't cool. A lot of people don't know that, me and Pac had an incident behind something that happened at the House of Blues. Somethin’ had happened one night. I really don't wanna go into too much detail about it. But it involved a certain female he was messing with, very popular that everybody know. Somethin’ happened when an accusation was thrown at me of me slappin' her across her ass. In the club. I actually didn't, the homie did it next to me. Slapped her ass. Bein’ the type of cat that I am, when she stepped in front of me shakin' her ass though, with a fishnet dress on, with her thong panties on, you could see straight through the fishnet dress, with no bra on, nipples stickin' through the dress, this is at the premier of Poetic Justice matter of fact. The Poetic Justice release party that was at the House of Blues. That night me and Pac had had a confrontation. But later on we became cool, he came by Trek studio while Warren G was workin’ on his album. We squashed the thing once me and Richie Rich worked together. Me and him really just got the chance to chop it up and kick it. Then it was a different story then. Another thing that was just crazy too is that, the same way he got shot in New York the first time, I was also in Vegas when he got shot the second time. Neither time was I with this dude, neither time was we even out there affiliated with each other. We wasn't even out there affiliated with each other but I was in town both times he got shot. I was in New York the night he got shot and I was in Vegas all the way at E-40's party at the Luxor the night he got killed.
Are there collabos with Pac or anyone else from the Death Row days that never came out?
Aww man, come on. Man I got so much stuff. See here’s the type of dude I am, like I said I was in the mode, well I am in the mode of I'm trying to get paid and whatnot, I gotta pay my bills, I was just getting into the music industry, the artistry of it, so I did a lot of stuff with people for free and just did it. Ok I do a verse for you, you do a verse for me. Like that. So I got stuff with like Snoop that ain't been released. I'm talkin’ bout killer stuff. Tighter then the stuff he put out now. I got stuff with 2Pac that hasn't been released. I got a song or two with him that's absolute heated. I got a few little things but they mainly with my peoples, like I said Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, Warren G, they mainly with my people like that, as far as unreleased. As far as Dove Shack, we do have an Eminem verse with a collabo we did with him that ain’t came out. We got a collabo we did with Nate Dogg that ain't came out either
When was that collabo with Eminem recorded?
Actually they did that when I was in jail. A couple years ago. It was about 2000, 2001.
Is there anything else you'd like to speak on?
Yes. To pay real close attention to the music I'm bringin’ because it's something else to gain from it then just a good sound or somethin’ to ride to. Like I said its real game, I'm not preachin' to nobody I'm spittin' game. So, if anybody ever wanna take the time, and say they want they boots laced, here's the opportunity to have they boots laced on somebody who done walked down a different path then some of the other ones but at the same time walked down a path for real. My track record verifies anything that I do speak. So it is necessary that they pay close attention, cause I do have something to say.
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