Raine N’ Lane

Nach einigen wenig beachteten Releases scheinen Raine N’ Lane jetzt endgültig im Rapgeschäft angekommen zu sein: vor einigen Tagen erschien das schlicht mit “Raine n Lane n Kokane” betitelte Kollaboalbum mit Westgröße Kokane. Wir unterhielten uns mit einem äußerst auskunftfreudigen Raine über das Projekt.

I can imagine that you had to tell this story again and again within the last days, but anyway, how did you convince Kokane of recording this album with you?

*laughs* It’s all good. When I was heavy in the streets pimpin’, I used to go to Pomona every night to get money. For about a year I was out there until it got hot. I came across a dude by the name of Pomona Pimpin Young. Come to find out, he raps and he’s Nate Dogg’s cousin. He showed me his CD one day and it had Snoop, Tha Eastsidaz and a couple of others on. And Kokane was on like 10 songs! I was like “Damn. you fuck with Kokane a lot, huh?” He was like “Yeah, we both from from the same hood (357)”. So. a couple of weeks later I had got the idea to wanna fuck with him. I called up Young and he hooked it up for me. The next night, Koka came down to my house. He was just starting to record the Hood Mob album at that time, so he was already making trips down south. So he came through that night about 9 pm. We sat in that studio doing music and talking until like 7 in the morning! We just clicked like that. He was tellin me old stories about him and Eazy, and him and Snoop… So after that we just basically kept in contact with one another. It’s funny ’cause the same way we stayed up that one night is the same way we did this whole album. All night until the sun comes up. We didn’t record nothin in the sun except “Leave It All Behind”. We did that one right as the sun was rising. Makes sense when you hear the song.

How would you describe your style in one sentence?

I do so many different kinds of songs, the only words to describe it are versatile and uninhibited.

It would be great if you could give us some short comments on the single tracks…

I would love to.

The Intro (The World Is Coming To An End)
This is just really a wake up call. The world is becoming a pretty fucked up place to live. I could go on and on about that but we all know. Turn on the news and look at that shit. And the media don’t even tell you the real fucked up shit! I think most people would have used a song like that as the Outro. I wanted to use it as the Intro so the rest of the album is kinda like we saving the world wit that real shit we talk about.

Ooh Aah
Is just some funky shit and kind of an introduction to the world of who Raine n Lane n Kokane is. Fastlane killed that bassline.

I Luv
Just some fun ass westcoast party shit with me and a couple of the homies from Oceanside.

Hafta Go
Some of that smooth player shit! Had to do it!! It’s a lot of people’s favorite song on there. It’s funny, too, because when me and Koka first recorded it we didn’t even like it. We actually stopped right in the middle of recording it and said fuck it, let’s do something else. Then like a week later I listened to it and was like, “Wait a minute!! This shit is TIGHT!!” We finished the song and it came out dope.

Leave it All Behind
This is the deepest song on the whole project. While recording this album, Kokane and I were both going through some very difficult situations in our lives. Totally separate sets of problems, but all the same. This song basically came off the end of a conversation we were having. Everything said on there is so true and from the heart, homie. The song changed both of our lives. After doing this song Kokane quit using.. cocaine! *laughs* And I quit pimpin’ and decided to really start pushing with the music. Life has been much better for us both. Auditory from San Diego made the beat for us. He just got a platinum plaque for a beat he did on the last Bushido album.

Runnin Away
Each verse is a different true story about me pimpin’ on a girl. How I met her and how she left. This song is crazy because it’s so true and in detail that everytime I listen to is I can picture everything I’m saying like it’s a video.

Misery
Misery loves company. The first verse is in regards to the men and how they try to bring you down. The second verse is for the women. It’s a nice song when you listen to it.

Thizzle
*laughs* One night, Koka was staying over at my house. Keak the Sneak and Crooked I were at a club right around the corner so we went to go check them out… and we took some thizzles!! *laughs* For those of you that may not know, I mean ecstasy pills. So we finished kickin’ it and came back to my house and started going thru beats. That beat came on and I just started vibin’ to it like “Thizzle got me stuck, Thizzle got me stuck” I didn’t have the middle parts though. Then Koke jumps in with, “Girl, dont press yo luck! Thizzle got me stuck!”. It was a wrap. We wrote our verses right then and there. I love that beat. Fastlane is a monster on that Roland Phantom.

Lo Pro
Some G shit to let these niggaz know about how we get down. Fuck all that flossin’ and shit. Get money and lay low is the best way. And keep your circle small.

I Gotcha
Can’t fuck with two funky muthafuckaz like Kokane and Fastlane and not have a straight FUNK track! *laughs*

R.I.P.
Dedicated to my homie Tyrone who died of an overdose. He was the first one to put me on to some street money. We were like brothers. And my homie Lil 7. Died in a shootout. Rest in Peace y’all.

B-Boyz
We wanted to do a song with just rapping and know hook to let ‘em know we some rappers for real. They always trying to call Kokane a singer but he’s really one of the illest lyricist period. If you listen to songs like “Do you know Jesus” or any of his shit you’ll see. He was bustin like a muthafucka all over our album too. Then I just wanted to really rep that westcoast style lyricist on my part. On the last verse I had my brother G-Rilla call in from the pen and spit something over the phone. *laughs* It took us like an hour to get it to sound right. Which was very expensive for me. But it came out tight so it was worth it.

Outro
Kind of just speakin on the state of rap and speaking on what I’m planning on accomplishing in this game. Felt like it was a cool beat so we broke it down and faded it out. The hook is a sample from Kokane’s hook on the first song we ever did together back in like 04 or 05. It was called “Go”. We never used the song so Fastlane sampled that piece and made the outro track. Came out cool.

What do we need to know about your previous releases?

Me and Fast been together since my first song. And I’ve never paid him for a beat. We clicked up and that was it. We dropped a CD called “Campaignin” in 03. Printed up like 5000 promo copies and gave em all out. It’s funny ’cause people always seem to pop up with that CD and be like “Hey! Isn’t this you!!??” *laughs* It was only seven songs. We ended up not wanting to finish the album so we just left it at that and moved on.
Then we dropped “Raine n Lane presents.. The Throwawayz”. It had so many features from niggaz in Oceanside that it’s almost like a compilation. It’s got 2 hidden tracks at the end after the last song. They’re the first two songs I ever did. Kokane’s on there too. This cd dropped in like 06 I think. It was mostly the G shit that wasn’t gonna make the actual album. The song O-sides is an anthem in my city. They go crazy when we do it at the shows. I did a mixtape and just called it “Raine The Mixtape”. 23 tracks and I was rappin my ASS off!! *laughd* I only printed like 200. Sold em all in a week and left it at that. I figured it would be cool for those people to have it when my name is more well known. Now it’s this album with Koka. Raine n Lane n Kokane THE ALBUM!

Are there any plans to finish this “”Campaignin” album?

No! Just another piece of Raine n Lane history. But you know what? That reminds me of a piece of advice I always give to artists. You’ve got to put shit out if you wanna make a name for yourself. Fuck it if it’s old to you. It’s new to the fans. So what if you kinda think you can do better shit. You’ve got to start a discography and the fans will accumulate over time and yall can grow together. You can’t always wait until you have the ideal album to put something out. It’s like, ok.. Now you got this good album.. but nobody knows you! *laughs*

And what about any further collabos with some of the artists featured on the “Throwawayz” album?

Yeah, I’m sure. I mean, a lot of them niggaz are locked up tho. But I’ll always do music with most of them dudes..

You hail from Oceanside/California – could you tell me something about the past and present rapscene over there?

As far as the rap scene, there’s actually a grip of talent and history in my city. Lil Slim was almost signed to Eazy E before he died. Then he was almost signed by WC more recently but he ended up going to prison. He’s in there prayin for me to make it right now so I can try to get him home. Fastlane has made songs with basically everyone on the Westcoast. He’s also on Suga Free’s album “The New Testament.” So is Cash from the song “Hafta Go” on the RLK album. The biggest thing killing our rap scene out here right now is the police. They started locking up niggaz left and right. Gang sweeps, drug busts. It’s crazy. So now, most people either don’t wanna come outside, have moved away, or they’re sittin in a jail cell somewhere in the desert. That’s why unless I go to a club at night or go to San Diego or LA, my best bet is to promote online. ‘Cause there ain’t nothin but fuckin old people outside. And mexicans that don’t speak english and don’t like rap music. Real shit… I pray everyday that my talent and message doesn’t get wasted because of where I’m from. I can’t let that happen.

Do you consider yourself something like the town’s new figurehead?

In a way, fa sho. And I wish it wasn’t like that. It was supposed to be me, Lil Slim, and G-Rilla. Slim is locked up for a big time drug case. G-Rilla is locked up for a drive-by shooting. There’s lots of niggaz in my town with heat, but none of them are as close as us three to actually making something happen. And that’s not to say that I’m gonna be all over the television tomorrow, but these niggaz just be sittin at home making songs and never putting shit out. That’s 99 percent of rappers period. In any city I mean.. They’re either all music and no hustle, or all hustle and no music. Or music and hustle but no soul.

You also show alot of online presence to promote your album over here in Europe – are you content with the feedback so far?

I’m always content because I’m thankful for everything God gives me. Of course I haven’t gone platinum over there or even close. But it’s a process and that process has begun. So I’m happy about that. I mean damn, I’m from this little ass city 45 minutes north of San Diego and and hour south of LA. So when I open up my paypal account and see orders in Germany, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, France… I really appreciate that. At the same time I know I’ve earned that. Most underground rappers don’t even think to reach out to yall like this.

What’s coming up next from Raine N Lane?

Raine solo. It’s gonna blow the toe nails off your feet. The best music I’ve ever done in my life. Fastlane is in the other room beatin’ the shit out of the keyboard right now and smokin a blunt. My plan was not for commercial success with the RLK album. Kokane told me this. He said, “We got good chemistry homie. Let’s do a whole project together. You, me, and Fastlane. I want you to use my name to get in the game”. So that’s what we did. And that’s what I’m kinda doing. I’m using his name to get people that maybe wouldn’t give me a chance to listen to me. So RLK is basically to kick the door down and the solo album is gonna walk on in. I’ll get at yall with a preview real soon. It’s already almost done.