Big Saccs aka Dazzie Dee

Mit Big Saccs haben wir dieses Mal einen Mann interviewt, der ein alter Weggefährte von Westcoast-Größen wie Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Sir Jinx oder dem Lench Mob ist. Schon in jungen Jahren war er an Klassikern wie ‘Amerikkkas Most Wanted’ beteiligt und produzierte selbst mit ‘Turn It Loose’ eine EP, ehe er sich 1995 endgültig auf Solopfade begab und ‘Where’s My Receipt’ droppte, welches 1996 als ‘Re-Birth’ neu veröffentlicht wurde. Über die Jahre war er stets aktiv und arbeitete mit verschiedensten Künstlern von Suga Free bis George Clinton zusammen. 2004 schickt er sich an sein neues Album ‘California Earthquakes’ zu releasen. Wir haben ihn dazu befragt, genau wie zu seinem musikalischen und persönlichen Werdegang sowie zu diversen anderen Themen.

Sup Big Saccs, how you’re doing today? Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer these questions, it greatly appreciated!

No problem homie thanks for giving me a chance to be heard!

First, could you introduce yourself to all those rap fans, especially here in Germany, who maybe have never heard of you?

I go by Big Saccs a.k.a Dazzie Dee. Alot of people consider me a Westcoast Pioneer, I recorded my first record when I was 16 which was produced by Dre and Sir Jinx and it was released on “ThinLyne Records” that was owned by Kalvin Anderson who owns the famous VIP records in Long Beach… I am one of the original members of “The Lench Mob”. I’m a MC turned Producer.

You grew up in South Central L.A., right? How was it living there back then?

I actually just moved from there a few years ago. It was cool. I played ball, gang banged and hustled, and made music. For people that has seen movies like ‘Boyz In The Hood’ and chyt like that it was going down just like that bacc in the days!

Has the lifestyle changed through the years in South Central and why did you move to Sacramento?

Yea it has slowed down lot but its still off the hook, just have to know where to go and at all times know where u at and u should be cool. I moved to Sac to focus on music more, L.A. was still breeding me in the wrong direction.

Please tell us a bit about your parents, childhood, growing up as a youngster…

I grew up wit both parents so I had a father figure but to people that use that excuse that they didnt have a daddy thats why they was bad is bullchyt cause wit both parents there I was still off the chain… Moms was my biggest fan R.I.P.

Did you participate in the riots in the early 90’s?

Yea Fa Sho me and Pac R.I.P went looting together. It was a magical night. I saw it in Pac eyes that he loved it. Not the fact that we was stealing chyt but because of the revolution.

Do you still remember how you first came in contact with music?

Rappers Delight and Super Rhymes… I stole that record from my cousin “Coochie D” R.I.P. Hahaha, for those that heard my album thats him singing on my answering machine.

You were quite young when you met Cube, Dre, Jinx, K-Dee. How did this happen? Was it already through musical interests?

We all grew up in the same area… It was funny that we all started doing music around the same time so we just joined up.

Tell us a bit about the charakters of some ppl back then.

Alot of rappers didn’t bang and never did. I started banging when I was 12, but stopped around 15, then got active in it again around 18.

What was a young Saccs, Dre, Cube, K-Dee & other Lenchmob members like?

Everybody was cool. Dre feed off of us cause at that time he was wit the “Wreckin Cru” and they were doing that fast club chyt, while we were more into regular hip hop so he would feed off of us alot…

How would you describe yourself nowadays?

More laid bacc, more willing to listen and learn. Not a knuccle head no more I have kids now so I understand responsibility… I went to school for music engineering.

When did you start rapping and producing, was it around the same time?

I started rapping when I was 12, I started doing beats around 15, Sir Jinx use to let me mess around on his SP1200 and I went from there.

And are there certain individuals who have influenced your career?

Yea alot of people thru out the yrs, too many to name but people like Dre, Battlecat, Premo, Pete Rock, Twista, Cube, and The LenchMob, & my boy Pac.

After it started getting more and more professional, what led to the “Turn It Loose”-EP?

Cube, K-Dee and Jinx were making records so Jinx talked me into making one.. The rest is history!

How much involvement came from Sir Jinx and Dr. Dre?

Alot.. I owe everything to them cats. I learned alot from Dre. I don’t think he noticed I was looking and learning though, haha…

What about the Lench Mob, was it just some group of friends at the beginning that started doing music later on? How did it form?

Yea….When Cube left NWA he still felt like he needed a crew around him so he asked us to be down.

Who were the initial members of the Lench Mob and did it change through the years? Have you been a part of it all the time?

Yea I was one fo the original members along wit Jinx, Chilly Chill, Yo-Yo, K-Dee. Del did alot of writing for Cube.

If you look back now, what do you think about the two Lench Mob-LP’s?

They were cool… I felt they could have been alot better, that’s why I didn’t have too much involvement in those projects. I wasn’t feeling it but they did so I guess it’s all good. I wanted to stay more GANGSTA wit it.

I always wondered why the Lenchmob was reduced to three members on the two released albums. How and why did this happen and what was the reaction from the rest of the crew?

Well J-Dee and Shorty came to the camp a little later so when it was time to get things done things got changed around alot and it ended up being just them 3.

I guess this next thing was talked about a thousand times, but please let me know what went down between the Lenchmob & Above The Law? Who was involved in the fight, why did it happen and what happened? Any consequences afterwards?

HAHA yea your right that was a long time ago. We were all young and wild, ATL were Eazy and NWA soldiers and we were Cubes… Nuff said.

What was the reason for leaving Cube and the environment there to do your first solo, “Where’s My Receipt”, in ’95?

Like I said before I wasn’t feeling the direction the group was going in so I just did my own thing. It was no love lost though cause they knew how I felt.

How was it, doing the first solo?

It was cool… I was able to do things on my own terms and that meant alot. Still does!!!

What’s your stance on Ice Cube today? Could you imagine working with him again? Any plans?

We are all men now not just kids making records so if we ever sat down face to face I’m sure we could iron some things out and take it from there. He needs some Big Saccs traccs in his life right now anyway HAHA!

And what about the old Lench Mob-members? You’re still cool with them?

Yes I talk to them all the time. A L.M. album is going down!!!

What’s the current situation on J-Dee?

He’s cool. He’s keeping his head up and staying down for the cause. Thats my folks…I have his bacc to the fullest!!!

How deep is the collabo album between you and K-Dee? Will it really happen?

We talked about it a few days ago. I think he needs to drop another solo first and then we can have fun and finish “Next Door Neighbors”!!!

Why did he never released a follow-up to his first classic album?

Things happen. It was kinda hard for him to bounce bacc in the game after he stopped dealing wit Cube. It was hard for all of us, people had a stupid ass notion that we couldn’t do it wit out Cube and thats far from the truth. It was “Ice Cube & The LenchMob” not Ice Cube in the LenchMob. Thats one of the reaons I changed my name so I could regroup and show cats that I had skills to hold my own.

So, after your first album, you worked with a lot of different people, like Mausberg. What do you think of him? I am sure that he would’ve had a great career, it’s a shame he ain’t around anymore.

I tell people all the time he was one of our young guns for the west. I loved his style and work ethic!!! He was a genius and he didn’t even know it… All I had to do was bring it out of him. Mausberg R.I.P.

Do you have some words about Dr. Dre? I often hear controversial discussions about his importance for the development especially of West Coast Rap. Do you consider him to be a pioneer?

Yea he’s definitely a pioneer. He’s a producer that changes the whole course of music, meaning when he dropped a album the WHOLE rap industry followed. It’s not too many hip hop producers that can say that and to me that means alot.

Ok, let’s talk about the present. Although you were around doing music all the time from the highly underrated Konnected Project to the recent Suga Free-Album, when did you feel that you had to work on a new solo album?

When I realized that people respect and missed my work.

What can you say about the album so far? How’s the progress? Who’s gonna be featured?

The name of the album is “California Earthquakes” it’s banging… It’s real different from the first. More hip hop beats. My DJ Mister Ed is nuts so he will have a big part of it! As far as features there will be XL Middleton and Wallet two young riders from the west.

Are there any other projects you are working on at the moment? Did you already started on the new Lenchmob album?

I signed a R&B artist from Compton name “Marlon” I’m producing the entire album so its a different twist for me but so far its banging. I have a few up and coming producers Bumpus and J-Traxx working with me. I think alot off people will be suprized cause its a legit R&B album, It’s called “Bedroom Certified”. We only have one song of the Lenchmob album wrote so far and its bangin!

Is there anybody, no matter which genre, you would like to work with?

Jay-Z, MC Ren and Crooked I, I have worked on a soundtracc with Smokey Robinson and George Clinton so I am pretty much satisfied with that part of my career. I like working with new cats cause they are willing to listen.

To another topic: how do you feel about people announcing stuff like “the west is dead”? Do you see a decline in terms of quality when listening to recent releases? Or is it just plain hating?

It’s not dead but as anything in life things and people get old so it has to be re-vamped and I really think its time for the west to do that. All new MC’s, Producers and Sound!!!

How would you describe the development of West Coast Rap from the days when you started to 2004? Do you see a new defining sound, like the G-Funk who got popular back in the 90’s?

No. The only thing I see different is the MC’s have gotten better.

There’s another thing I would like to ask you, as you are in the music biz for a long time now: how far should rappers be responsible for their music, their lyrics? There’s always some conservative media complaining, talking about the poisoning of the youth through the ‘explicit’ music. Is it right to point the finger at a musician who’s making the best out of his creative freedom? Do you think it’s fair?

Like everything in life needs balance so its a place for reality rap like westcoast cause it is going on, I just feel like its a time and place for everything, U can be a die hard gang banger but when u makin love to yo woman I hope u not thinking about your homies cause if u are u have real issues, haha. I’m saying gang bangers have more things in life to do then gang bang 24/7 and its nothing wrong wit rapping about that especially if u have kids. It’s impossible to gang bang 24 hrs a day. Life goes on.

A lot of rappers try to create a certain ‘gangsta’-image, while it seems that they just try too hard to add gimmick after gimmick. Is it ok to do whatever just to get as much money as possible out of a career, even when the appearance becomes more and more ridiculous?

The streets can seperate the live from the jive, It’s not like the early 90’s when a person could fake it, People can see it clearer now and now-a-days it only hurts the artist.

What are your favourite records at the moment?

I’m listening to alot of oldies and mixtapes and mix cd’s cause it seem like the art of making a bomb album all the way thru is gone… atleast for now.

Ok, we are nearing the end, but just one thing remains that I’d like to know: this interview will be published on a websited based in Germany, so do you have any relation to or knowledge of rap on the other side of the atlantic ocean? There’s a lot of fans here who are following your music, as well as the west in general.

I’ve heard a few songs and artist from that side of the globe and I liked it. Music is universal even though I may not understand the lyrics I still can feel it if its hot and to me thats all that matters.

You got any last words to the people out there, in the US, Germany, Asia, Africa, North Pole etc?

Thanks for your support and I promise I will keep chyt grimmey and street cause thats all I know… If u want to contact me hit me up at my website www.bigsaccs.com.

So, once again, I’d like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to make this interview happen! West Up!

Once again thanks for the avenue to be heard… Much Love.