Your Mom's House with Christina P. and Tom Segura - Tom Talks Ep. 3 w/ DJ Premier

Episode Date: December 3, 2020

SPONSORS: - Go to https://www.babbel.com/ and get Babbel's special offer of three months free with a purchase of a three month subscription with promo code MOM. - Go to https://www.adameve.com/ and enter offer code YMH at checkout, and get 10 tantalizing FREE gifts! - Get 10% off site-wide when you use promo code MOM at https://truff.com/ - Get Honey for free at https://www.joinhoney.com/MOM Get ready, because this week Tom Segura talks to one of his top hip hop idols, DJ Premier! They go over Preemo's musical inspirations, his methods, and what it was like to work on some of the most iconic songs/albums in hip hop like Nas's Illmatic and Notorious B.I.G.'s Unbelievable. Preemo sheds light on working with Jay-Z, J Dilla, Gang Starr, Limp Bizkit and more!

Hey guys really excited to bring you this latest Tom talk. This is actually a real Dream come true for me, and I'm sure you'll be able to see me trying to contain my happiness and excitement I've always been a huge huge fan of DJ Premier from the legendary gang star and he was kind enough to join me For this one. I mean I took like I had all notes of questions everything I wanted to ask it was a total nerd outfest for me And I loved it, and I thank him for doing. I hope you enjoy my talk with the legendary DJ Premier Primo thank you so much. This is a huge honor. I don't even know Where to begin let's begin I guess with just saying thank you and welcome and where you're right now. Are you in New York right now?

Yeah, I'm in my in my studio my recording studio here in New York. Is the governor gonna shut that down or are you allowed to? Leave if you want. I mean that even when the day that it hit and everything was shut down. We were just Sneaking in our lab and yeah, and just working and you know when you're in the lab cooking music and stuff Yeah, you're pretty much hit almost 24 hours a day. Yeah, I bet Just not moving around and thank goodness. We have a restaurant. That's upstairs nice Italian restaurant And they they were making this food every day. So, you know, it was beautiful So you're still grinding out there all like you just in the in the studio making music all the time All the time and through throughout quarantine because when I we were texting you say you were working on multiple albums and stuff

You're really you're on it man Yeah, 100% I mean It's an addiction, you know that everybody got some people use drugs pills. Yeah, I use music as my addiction I it's like I'm not in the studio making something feels weird to be home. Yeah, that's you that was one of the the worst parts of This whole year as a comedian was that's you know, that's my addiction, right? And there's been this long period where they're like, well, you just can't do it Like the drive-thru thing y'all did was dope the drive. Yeah, thanks. The drive-thru was fun But that's pretty like it's really a thing to put one of those together, you know

We're so used to take we take it for granted But like you could just go to a club get on stage and you're doing it, you know So that shit it was a good alternative though and in the in the circumstance That's the problem with most people they don't know how to find a way and it's like there's always a way to find a way Yes, you're right about that. There's always a way and now I'm doing like I don't know I'm traveling to the places that allow it, you know, so I did I did Huntsville, Alabama last week just to Do six shows I mean just to get on stage man But there's so much I want to ask you and I apologize in advance if you're like man

I've heard that question a million times. I just got to hear it myself. So I apologize Yeah, but it's coming from you. So The fact that my family your comedy and and and your podcast and everything your wife is funny Christina shout to her Your mom is hilarious. Thanks. Y'all speak Spanish. Yeah, like, you know, like I didn't even know you spoke Spanish I didn't know your mother was Latina, you know, yeah, and like like even on On a ball How your mom is festive for Christmas and you're asking about all her pets dying You know, what are you gonna do when they die?

We all died the same Love watching black people on the carnival boat. I love it Thanks, man. Well, those are all those are all truth stories and Yeah, she's a wild one man. My mom is She is something else. I want to ask about for a second because you know for me Whatever circumstance and however it happened, I just I fell in love with hip-hop at a young age, you know, and it was I remember The late 80s early 90s being you know, I was born in 79 So it's kind of a pivotal time when you start identifying with a music, you know, like you're you know

9 10 11 It's like that's when you get some money to go buy a tape or whatever you like and and hip-hop Really was something that you know, I just I just took to and it's been a love ever since and I'm I'm Completely, you know, you go through my phone and if you go through my old CD Binders and stuff. It's all hip-hop, you know But what what's funny to me was like one of the things is I've always at that age at least Associated you and gangsta with New York, right? Like that's right. That's a I think most people that

Listen and maybe don't know yet. They're like, oh, that's it. Those guys are New York guys New York sound But I find it, you know, interesting that your origins are Texas and I just wanted to know Like do you feel like Texas had an influence on You and as an artist Oh In a major way because I Always say that even with hip-hop like how I'm 54 and still bang out the boom-bap style You know, what they call it is shot the carousel one That style I don't never want to abandon because it's reminiscent of how it sounded when I was being raised on it

You know in my era. I'm I'm uh one of my 13 years older than you Because I was born in 66 you just 79, right? That's right. Yeah. Yeah, so With that said, I got to see it developed from the very beginning Even though it was in New York because my grandfather lived in New York and my mother was from Baltimore So every summer we would always stay at my my mom's house to visit her her family We would drive to North Carolina and South Carolina to see my dad's family and Raleigh and some to South Carolina and then we go to New York as this final stop every summer

So for me as a kid, it was like wow, man, they're stealing bikes. They're stealing the tires from the bikes Yeah, I want to steal a bike, you know As a kid, it's like fun shit Sure So to be used to it all the way up into my teens once you get your teenage years You're like, well, I don't really want to go with my parents anymore I just want to hang with my grandfather because we he was a baseball fanatic Love the Yankees and I used to go see the Yankees with him. He's taking I'm into sports

as well, so We always just cop games and you know, again, I'm the only only boy in my family have all sisters Which was extremely tight But and there are also sports buffs know this shit. My mother knows new her shit God bless her a barrier in June, but uh, but but she uh Everybody plays played sports and no sports. So with that As I got around 13, I was like, can I go to New York without y'all? You know, because it's always where I got to be chaperoned by y'all and now I'm at an age where I want to kind of

You know, move around on my own and I've made so many friends from coming every summer and some of my friends there Their relatives lived in the same block as us in Texas coincidentally. So that was even yeah Yeah, shut the Scott wood And the whole wood family that they they would come visit us. So now when I go to New York I'm hanging with him and he lived on the west side of the city and he would show me around could now I can hang with Friends and go get into a little mischief here and there. So by the time the hip-hop Bug got to me. I was like, I only have about a year at 18 credits left in college And I said, you know what? I don't want to

graduate and then see if I can get a record deal and then come back and if I don't get it Now I look for a job, but I let a good year pass by where I graduated with no job or any plan I didn't have a plan going to New York either I just knew that my gut kept saying go now and see if you can get a deal and if you can't you come back and finish school But you came back to that because a lot of people that are from my town, which is called Prairie view It's right outside of Houston, right? It's like 45 minutes But the thing is

you used to hear the rumblings of people that graduated and moved on and moved to a different city or whatever to get that Thing going and they didn't make it make it and they came back and just worked at the college that we that I went to yeah, my father worked and You always hit a rumble like I didn't make it in what they did and that doesn't mean that that's a bad thing But I didn't want that rumbling about me. So I said if I don't make it Let me at least know that if I don't make it. I'm going straight back to school. So I was like, oh, I don't know if he graduated Not but yeah, he's in school. Yeah, so I said, let's go now. My father was like, you have no plan What are you gonna do? I said trust me my gut says it's time to go. I'm gonna be alright

I'm gonna make it and I believe that and that that's amazing in and of itself when you went when you made that decision Like how confident were you in your skill set because you're you're pretty young, right? I mean, you're you're in you're in college and also the art form like you're part of it developing You know, like that's still early on right? That's early 80s 87 was when I went went to shop my demo didn't get all of them got returned 88 is when guru heard my demo and that's how I got in the game star and then okay So he heard he heard your demo and then yeah, and then it was an immediate thing. I Was in a different group. We were originally called MCs in control shot the top ski

Shot the sugar pop and shot the style ET That was the crew and we're still all friends to this day and everything we still check on each other make sure everybody's alright But at the time we all went to school together. I was one of the DJs there I gotta shout out RP Kohler like this soda. Yeah, but his name is Randy Pettis. That was is Randy Pettis excuse me, so Randy was our RP Kohler He could scratch and cut his ass off and I ain't have a mixer with a crossfade I had the knobs which was the early stage of cutting and scratching anyway with with mixes so

uh, I used to ask him would he he was like my competition with another Crew and I got to shout them out to one of them passed away Daryl taps got Tony taps gotten Chris Garrett They were me and Chris went to school at the high school together and Tony and Daryl actually but they were older Chris was in my class, but uh, we were the rivals in my town on every party every gig It's like who's getting the gig me or them and I also got shout out theater archer who was my partner who also passed away uh And uh, so when it came down to that an RP would kind of freelance and just either DJ with me or DJ with Chris

And I was like man, I gotta get that guy to show me how to do all the the cutting and everything He was always cutting up Houdini five minutes of funk And and he had the felt pads and I was like man somebody in Texas knows how to cut like that because I've never seen a DJ do all I know how to blend I was real quick with blending and quick mixing. I didn't know how to scratch and cut yet How so how long like because when you see that like when you see people who are skilled do it And you know, you're seeing that guy do it. How how much of a

Like of a learning process is it? I mean, you obviously already like are inclined You know, I mean because you're you're you're you're doing you're blending and you're you're doing everything with records But like when you're learning how to scratch was it immediate? Where did you like once there's variant? Yeah, very immediate. It's out of excitement. Yeah. Wow Because watching him I can you know, I'm very good at just taking it all in Yeah, no, I'm better at a crash course like I could study for a test and not have studied at all Yeah, go through it that night and literally pass the whole thing Right. I haven't I haven't memorized by the way

I want to just point out something that you because you've been you know, you shouted out a bunch of people I noticed something about like your instagram because I've followed your on instagram for a long time before we even like We're messaging back and forth And that is that you really man, like It's definitely it's part of who you are. You always acknowledge people like you're always You're always remembering like shouting out anniversaries of records singles albums, you're always honoring people's birthdays and and acknowledging people who have passed away and like

it's um It's funny that it's it's kind of like it strikes you as you're like, I don't even know anybody who does this You're the only guy. I know right. There's other ones in our for my cloth. Um, and there's certain ones I'll see and go Oh, damn. That's right today. It's a birthday and I'll forget These are all from your memory No, no, no, no. Well, a lot of them I put in my calendar. Oh, okay. I was like Jesus, man Now I put in my calendar on my phone and it'll alert me that that's that day But it's a really like it's a really like nice

Kind-hearted thing. It's how it strikes me like yeah, you're you're always, you know, and I think I mean part of you know, someone's a probably perspective of like a superstar hip-hop producer is not that like He would spend the time to post about all these people and it's like it's kind of refreshing, man Oh, damn. That's dope. Yeah

I'm grateful on a different level because new york accepted me when it was not easy to get in You know, I at willy d and scarface always talk about their They're trekked in new york when they got booed by the I remember that they said they did a show and they and it took Uh, you took the music seminar Yeah, and they said the boo they got booed the hell off and then it took uh, mine mine playing tricks on me to come back I'm playing tricks, yeah Yep to like to everybody to you know, yeah I saw them I saw them open up for ice cube was headlining the Apollo which is not easy to do and but you know

America most wanted was poppin and koojee rapping polo opened up and and uh, ghetto boys opened up first and uh The Apollo does an early short seven and another one at 11 the sevens for the kids and mom and mom and dad All that once they leave The thugs the wow the the scariest Amount of people fill up the Apollo and you could feel the energy you better be on point But they're there for the music and i'm telling you that 11 o'clock show is no joke And the crazy thing is the seven o'clock show was dope and to see everybody singing along with the ghetto boys made me feel So good. They was addressing one of my children

Even though cute ice cube and I and I have been friends for years. They were the ones I chilled with Um backstage because we were homies. Yeah, and actually my mc top ski Used to beat box willy d in battles at this club called the rhinestone wrangler, which was our Our hip hop club back in the 80s. Yeah, so so uh, Shout out to all them recipes to build bushwick bill and and again a lot of these people I say recipes to when people we were running Running contact with and all were from the same 90s era predominantly So all of us saw each other in the same clubs everywhere on every week was it by the way, because you know, there was like obviously there's that point where um

Shit got wild for a minute where it was everything was like east coast west coast and you you know There was real violence happening and people calling each other out like in that era Did did you run into problems like what was that something that you know Walking into a club you'd see people that you know, whatever other coast or was it something that it hit you? like because because we were cool with both sides and uh And honestly that that really truly was a media thing like like really The the violence and everything that went down with the whole east west thing had nothing to do with the music

That had to do with individuals having issues with individuals so but even though they the music is going to be blended into the The you know, the it wasn't clickbait then but it's definitely going to be the headline of the paper Uh before digital age, but that we were That's what it is if you're cool with the east on the west with everybody even they had drama with another artist We were still you know giving full passes and love and respect There was never no well, you're from that side too. So it counts when you come to our town You know, I check you know, they say check in and all that some artists have to check in our check-ins different because

Again, we have a relationship where it's just checking on on guys. You know, I can call dre Hey, man, I'm coming to town. He's you know, he's like come on through man. I'm in the lab and you know, I can call I can call dub see I can call q. You know, I'm saying and even even q security You know, I can say y'all I'm in town and there are that thorough dudes Yeah, and and they're gonna be like, yeah, come on down. I got you. Well. Yeah, you're fucking royalty, man Like who's gonna be like no So we've had our squabs and and our deaths and everything as well Of course

Have you ever had studio sessions like in all your years of doing this that you're like, oh my like because you know there's all there's famous stories and um, I mean I even I remember listening to an interview with dre one time where he was like, man Dude's coming in talking about how many people they shot and shit and like get the fuck out of here Which I'm I can feel how that could fuck with your energy if you're trying to like be creative Someone's like, you know, I shot someone you're like, god damn man Like so honestly, yeah, go ahead. No, no, just I just wonder if like if that aggression is around you or or I don't know things can you know, uh, there was a story, uh, rock kim told about

that he would keep Rottweiler's in the cage In the studio and if somebody got out of pocket, he'd open the cage. I was like, that seems like like an intense working environment Nice. Yeah, I like that. You like that. Yeah, we we we've definitely had had, uh, Studio fights and all you hear is badum badum badum badum badum and uh, and all the rum and what the fuck's going on in there Obviously, we were not 20s then so but you know, we've had we've had the typical fights We used to be on blocks where it's just drug central hero hero on blocks and stuff like that just just really crazy shit and

You are certain artists, uh, would actually be like, I don't want to come to your studio because I'm I'm not comfortable because of where you're located Oh, really? And I'm like, like, but you're in hip hop and you're doing street music. Yeah, afraid of what are you afraid of? But you've had bring your goons bring your goons because goons respect other goons when There's a certain line of of energy that they that that we bring on both sides that it Turns out being we roll dice. We play pool. Yeah, you know and talk and just talk shit barbershop talk Yeah, you know and and talk and guess who's coming home from jail. Guess who's locked up and guess we just got 10 years it becomes normal in our culture because

It just is yeah It doesn't even phase you When people were scared of neighborhoods was this like in the 80s and 90s or even now you're saying This is like 92 93 91 Yeah, a lot of major artists that are what part of town would they be scared of like uptown in in our hell's kitchen Hell's kitchen. Okay. Yeah, so which everybody doesn't want to go to hell. Yeah, even though we do devilish things So

Do you remember when when dwick came out? Um, is that when you felt is that the first time you're like where you're like, oh, we're We are part of You know a big thing happening like is that is that the song that makes you feel like You know, it was one thing to get You know signed or whatever and and we're making music but like when you when you realize that this is playing On everyone's radio and probably coming out of bars and clubs and everything

Is is that the one that makes you go like no, this is like this is now you can tell your dad This is a career like this is I made it. Is that the one or no? Before dwick it I would have to say uh, just to get a rep. Oh just to get it wrong. Okay. Yeah, that did real That was a 90 Wait, the the single video came out 90 because the uh, the 12 inch has 1990 the album came out 91, but uh, just to get a rep did a lot justice to all the sound systems because you know We're from the car stereo areas where you had that woman's system. So we made it for the cars

We didn't even make it for you know, obviously we're running at the level of computers and yeah buds It's car systems. So I still have that same Mindstate when I make my music it has to be for a car. That's big big big radio That's the that's my favorite place to listen to music, especially hip-hop is like to get To get some especially like the kind of music you make to put it in the car blast it and you know, it's head it's head bobbing Driving music, you know, like that's the best. That's that's that's that's the that's always the the uh, the mo and uh dwick

92 right so that was the operation taking personal was the single Dwick was the unreleased b side but being that it took off We wanted to add it to daily operation because that that was the era of cassette singles uh-huh and and and uh, they called them kasingles and uh A lot of people were buying an album and complaining going yo dwick's not on here. I bought your album Yeah, but but the cassette singles sold like the hotcakes and then we was supposed to stripe it onto the album And then at the last minute that the label said we're just going to move forward and not stripe it onto the album But I'm like, yeah, you're going to lose sales because everybody's looking for dwick, right?

So a lot of people wondered why it was on hard to earn which came out in 93 94 Because we wanted to be on one of our albums So it's like the next one following we at that time we were doing an album every year. So we put it on there All those songs Those all them still slap man like just to get a rep like you could if I didn't know if it wasn't like from Reference that I you know, I would be like, yeah, that that's a new hot. That shit still hits hard man Shout to Greg. It's Greg nice to smooth be smooth be. What's up, man? Recipes to smooth wife, man. She just passed

He should man great great great woman, man. So love loved her as well Um, I got to ask you this. So I know you've been asked this before but I need to ask you this so When anybody looks at ilmatic And you look at the team That that came together to produce it It's bananas, right? Like you go and and then I heard all this. I always heard stories about people seeing gnaws perform

You know because you're I mean, you know guys like you your producer and dj Obviously, you know, your ears are open to talented mcs. But like do you recall Seeing him for the first time and just being like what the fuck you know, well, I at that time when I was uh, like 90 large professor Was the one that I used to hang with a lot and go over to when they were uh, the two dj's from uh from

The main source their mother ran the label So we used to go to their place all the time and hang and large professor showed me so many techniques on on programming beats and then When they were working on the last few songs He's like, you know, I'm gonna do a posse cut because that was the new thing after marley ball did the symphony All of a sudden everybody's getting two or three guys to do a cut together, you know on their album I feel like marley's really set that off on that scale when he did the symphony, but uh

Um, he said you're gonna put these new guys on from queens and he said I got this guy named a cannelli He said, uh, my man, joe fatal where everybody knows joe fatal, you know in that circle and then he goes and he said This dude called the rapper now Because a lot of times back then queens bridge artists would put the rapper in front of their name Just like no, it is the rapper no, it's nothing from mob deep screw. Okay, and he was the he was the rapper now. So um The day they cut the record He said y'all want you to hear this and see what you think and he played me live from the barbeque

So I heard him before it was even on the album Straight out the lab. Yeah, straight from the lab and when I heard I was like, oh that dude's gonna him even not cannelli I said he's gonna blow as well because I cannelli had a dope style. Mm-hmm. I'm saying the next thing you knew Everybody's talking about Nas everybody everybody and then everybody Not uh, 96 reasonable doubt that like how long did you know jz before that? Do you know him like years before that? Yeah, I knew j probably around 88. Oh that far that far in vent And had you seen the Mars club had you walking the club with the big chain and everything? Yeah Had you heard him because everybody talks about how

You know the the no pen to paper thing how he can just riff off the top of his head Did you see that early on and go like this? This is like a gifted dude Yeah, well, I saw biggie do it first. Oh, right Biggie biggie same thing. They just sit there biggie just sit there I don't want to say waste hours because whatever is the energy is what you both respect for the artists as long as they deliver Good good good shit and he would just sit there drinking bicarbonne limon and moed and and hennessey and and uh

It would just be blunt after blunt after blunt and girls coming in coming in coming in coming in coming in coming in and he and he's always offering you a Little bit of that like you want to get with hers like yeah You know, yeah And her and her yeah, that sounds like an artist. I'd like to meet that's just yeah Yeah, and then from there I'm like big is getting you know the session ends in about another two hours. He's like oh, I'm ready

You're like, huh? He's like I'm ready and just goes in the booth and does it you're like damn All this time we've been sitting around here even though there was things to occupy the time right Man, that's see that's unbelievable. Well like like that song So so that's that's like unbelievable comes together like uh You know the end of a session kind of thing like you're like you're saying like you've been in there for hours And he's like, oh, yeah, I'll just go throw it on. Yeah and the album was already done because uh, it was the updated version of the album because um Puffy had done a promo when we were at one of the seminars

Called the big mac because craig mac and biggie sweet sign So it was like in a big mac little container with the burger and the bun and and the little Green paper to look like lettuce and it was a cassette So that's why it's called the big mac and you know So in the open it looks like a big mac But there was a cassette and instead of the media the cassette was in the bun And it was a snippets of biggie and craig's album But biggie had already given the full versions to all his homies in the hood

But back then in the 90s, we always wanted our team to have a copy so that they could memorize and sing it along with us Whenever we are out in the street to show that Our shit is hot too. That was the thing. Oh really? So you're actually saying like memorize this so that it's like it almost creates Like street marketing in a way, right? You'll know the words. Wow And so Puff was like, yo, you can't be giving out to everybody is now they're gonna it's gonna be a leak That was when the leakage thing started to even yeah thing and uh Bigs like but these are my these are my friends and we were the same way. I wanted if it's 30 of us all 30

I want them to know at least two months in advance. You know what I'm saying? But now you're like, no, I can't give it out until because now even your your own crew be like, yo I got the album already and and people are gonna be like, oh, you got it. You got it. Let me get it Or let me at least hear it. You know, don't tell nobody but Yeah, so it's like a thing hip-hop still has that much of a An anticipation and wants, you know This episode is brought to you by babble and some of you know that I speak pretty good Spanish and I'm always trying to Give another language a try. I've really tried to get good at french because I

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y mh offer code y mh at checkout at adam and eve dot com Did you um, so I because I you know, I'm thinking about like your whole your catalog. It's so insane What like I imagine That 92 93 come along. I mean you're obviously now associated with the biggest acts what How are how are people I just think that you'd be getting hit up left and right people asking you for beats, right every mc

Be like primo. Let me get let me get something like are you just how did you even filter people out? like there's just There's too many people coming at you It varies from so many so many ways because he'll even have artists that go man. You work with that person Isn't that big and and a large artist and you know, I have more stature or whatever. Why would you work with me? It just varies man part of it's just my DJ. I have what you call a dj mentality And and you know, so um

It could be based on your voice because that's what attracted me to guru was his voice I never heard a voice like that. So I'm really in the voices You know, certain people can wrap their ass off and their vocal sound doesn't grab me Yeah, and then and they can be nice and not like like their music to a degree Their voice may not make me want to do a joint for them You know, so do you make do you make beats with artists in mind? Or is it always just you do so you do only only yet And when it's time to do it like I don't be like, oh here I got 20 beats to play

You pick one that you think fits no, I'm making it for you. Why are you waiting and then it's ready to go That's why I think they match better because Especially if I'm a big fan, it's like, oh, I already know what you need So when it was like if we go to it's unbelievable like with big you had that track Lay down. No, no, he called me the album was done and he called and said I need one more for the streets And I'm like, dude, I don't even have time to go in. He's like, come on premium because we were friends Uh, almost a year prior because I lived at brand from our cellist's house the jazz the jazz musician I lived at brand me and guru lived at brand from our cellist's house because he became

The music director for the tonight show when Jay Leno had just taken over for johnny cost So he was the music director. So he was moving to LA his brownstone that he had in in brooklyn He's like, yo, if y'all looking for a place to live y'all can take my place and just pay me the rent I'm gonna sell it eventually but while until I sell it just pay me the rent and y'all can stay there We're like cool because we met through spike lee from doing Uh jazz music for his mobile blues soundtrack and that's how we got cool with brandford brandford I mean, we were on washington avenue between lafayette and green big and them hang on washington avenue and fulton

On that corner or everything and you see in the videos from the old videos on the corner They don't the pull-ups and everything that's that that's the block that they hang on the reg And big is always there every especially on the weekends. So every friday sat and me You know j-rude dab melaka We'd always go down to the end of the block and just drink forties and get drunk with big and junior mafia And and smoke and smoke all the trees that we can smoke And just talk about music and whatnot and he hadn't didn't even have a deal back then You know puff would pull up in the in the lincoln town car puff was always advanced on the new way of

Of fly when it came to you know, we were thinking limousines was still the move. It just he's already Yeah, lincoln town cause he said yeah, this is the new way to get around, you know, it's inconspicuous You know, you just pull up you get out you have a driver I was like, wow And we didn't that that became the new standard then later on it became the suv the black suv is yeah That's still a standard. It's so funny. You said you guys were drinking and then just smoking all the trees and just shooting the Shit and then we would all be like, oh, that's what we should be doing. So then my friend Let's go by forties and roll some blood and listen to these guys talk about doing it

Yeah, but but when big up said he needed a track he goes yo just anything I know you could pull one off. So that's why it's just It's just little stuff we call them stabs when they're just those short notes And that's dj and producer talk. So He's like yo, it could be that simple. I started doing that and he goes That's dope do different versions of that. So like even not on the the hook It's in a different pattern and then when he's rhyming and sometimes it goes Yes

Like that's it. Yeah, he was like that's it and he gave me he gave me the r kelly idea to uh, I got nats in here in the in the winter He um Is the one to say yo scratch uh, unbelievable from Your body's calling because that was one of our favorite r kelly song. Oh, yeah At that time and uh, and I said it might be out of key But let me let me do it tomorrow at another at that time. You couldn't use serato and pull a mp3 Had to go fine. You gotta go get the record. Yeah

Yeah, and I did it and it just sounded so Insincere and I and I mixed the record same day and Maybe like even three days later. I remember we're driving back to brooklyn And hot 97, which is the big station in new york. Um Flex is playing it. But I know biggie always gives his friends the the shit in advance I'm hearing it blasting this other guy's car And we're trying to pull up to him to see who it is because we think maybe it's one of biggie's peoples And then be like, oh, yo, what's up? Is it somebody we don't know and I'm like, yo, how'd you get that?

Because it's only three days later. Yeah, it's not out not out yet. He's like, who the fuck are you, man? He's a yo, this song hot 97 right now. I pull my radio on I go, oh, shouldn't you know, of course, oh, premier What's up gang star whatever but and we got that all the time back then and still do But but that was like, wow, it's already moving and next thing you knew that that I remember puff said We're gonna make that the b side of um Of uh of juicy So we got the streets and we got the radio and then that was the first gold single I ever got in my career Really? That was the first one

On the wall man Yeah, I gotta ask this. I because I heard this and I was like, this is just bonkers to me. How the fuck does cannabis pass On the devil's pie beat Who knows uh, and he hates how I talk about it. It's all good. I mean, he's still my homie, but I mean, it was simple you don't like it and um

I'm one of the few to give the check back You get you can have up front when you do the job turn it in and you get the other half um, I gave it back like The next day or a day after once the office is open and gave it back out of respect for him Because I don't want to take your first half of your budget. You can use it or keep it for your pockets But since it didn't click It just happened to that de angelo called right when cannabis is leaving the lab And right when he's leaving he's like, yo, would you come in de angelo had a friendship already?

So when he said, what are you up to us and now I'm just leaving me and cannabis worked on something but uh, he didn't use the beat and he said What are you doing with it? I was like, uh, I don't know. I mean, we just did it He goes, can I hear it? I'm like, well, it's not really for a singer to sing on He goes come bring it. I'm an electric lady. Yeah, jimmy hendrick studio Wait, so at this point he hasn't even heard it like over the phone. He's just like just bring it Yeah, just bring it Brody because I had just cooked it. You know what I'm saying? So because because because we call him this

This said I need a driving mean baseline record. I'm gonna do this song called nigonometry But I mean, that's what that beat is yeah it's called nigonometry and uh, and uh, he said I'm gonna do that and uh That's what what I cooked up and uh, we just didn't see out on on that being the right track So when I got to de angelo's and played it for him, he just started going Oh, I'm gonna fucking kill this and I'm like you sure and he's like, yeah and next thing and uh

I don't know if people have seen the picture of me de angelo alchemist and jay dilla together because jay dilla was there Recording some drums and quest love was there recording some stuff Actually for the hottest to feel record game. I remember de angelo's trainer was there He had just walked in said yo, you ready to work out and he was like, yeah Give me a couple hours because yeah, then de angelo's go. Joe my first video. I'm gonna be naked in it and it's gonna be You know, and I'm just gonna be standing there naked. I was like word He's like, yeah, and then when that video dropped, man I mean, yeah, I remember that. I mean that was that was a while like that was such a

Crazy choice, you know, I mean like to make it was a statement thing where people were like, let's do is naked But naked singing. Yeah, yeah And he and even men that were like, oh man, I want to watch that. They're watching it. They're like, they're watching it They're like, you know, you watch you're watching this. Look this guy's dude hired a trainer for short Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's funny because His reaction is how I like I reacted to hearing that like that's that's uh Because I actually, you know, really like beats even more like I'll listen I'll just listen to instrumentals because I just enjoy them

I mean, I like listening to the finish record too But I look but that thing it just it hits so hard that when I first when I heard that This passed on and I was like that doesn't even add up in my head. It's it's such a grimy Just punch you in the face. You know, I mean like head bob. It's just it's a wild thing And and and honestly, that's how a lot of us are, you know, we have a big circle of producers that all respect the The game a different way, uh, you know, I could always talk to showbiz and alchemists and just you know, from knots to um, you know, just blaze to mr. Walden evil d to uh

man, there's so many to marley maw and and uh We like the beat first because the beat is ill the beat is ill. You gotta spit some shit Yeah, so it's about the beat and you know for us, you know, especially dj I mean, I imagine I mean, yeah, I mean I and I'll listen to just instrumentals all the time because I love I love the beat You know, that's I think that's what hooked me to To this music or the beats I appreciate the fact that you've uh been been into what we've been doing. It lets me know that We're certified in so many different, you know areas of the world. Oh my god, man. I mean, it's it's just what I

By the way, because you mentioned dilla. I remembered that I watched the interview one time It was it was after he passed And his mom was doing the interview And then shot to my dukes shot out to her. She she said I just it was so funny the way she said it that that uh, people would come up hit up dilla and be like Hey, man, let me get um, let me get let me get that beat like they'd hear it and he would be like that's not for you That's way too advanced for But she would say it

She said that she was like no, no, no, you're not appropriate for this right here. Right, right, right Which I just love I love like that Then nowadays we feel like that with so many artists, you know, it's like I'm glad our era still Exists and the age thing is it's actually Not even a factor anymore because you know, everybody's like, oh, I'm 40 and retiring

Most of the 40 and over are doing the best shit In in comedy too, by the way And 100% not even close. I mean, I would say the best comedians are basically 50 or older. It's it's uh, you know, that's That's when they're the best artists. I don't know man. I mean it makes yeah Do you ever feel so do you I mean like I know this sounds ridiculous asking you this but Did you ever have or do you ever have moments feeling like I need to you know there's

Whatever the sound of today is I need to More for change what I'm doing like what does that ever enter your mind? Or do you just go like a stick? I stick to what I what I want to make Yeah Never never I I can do that. I think it's actually easy and it's not a diss It's just very simple for me to do It's very reminiscent of the earlier drum machines that that we were raised on shout to uh A manny fresh. I remember when he said a lot of his style and sound

Comes from like a man tronics and an artist like that That that drum machine style and I love the fact that he paid homage to an artist like man tronics Who's one of my favorite producers ever in hip hop and uh, and I'm a huge fan And so for him to recognize that and still be heralded is one of the best producers because manny fresh is one of the best ever as well many precious um Yeah, man. Just what he did for the whole cash money for you and and to have such a variety of beats for wane and turk and and uh, Juvie and and anybody else that came through that stay with the big thomas with baby everything, you know, so um

That's that's what it reminds me of and again if you're revisiting that style that that's cool I choose and and the young generation should have their lane to enjoy what they like Just like how our parents like ought to at rapping ain't ain't music You need to listen to Marvin Gaye, but it's like we are listening to Marvin Gaye because we love that too Yeah, but this rap this rap shit is dope too, you know for sure now I know you have probably a million stories about like guru, but do you ever remember? For instance, like I was thinking about like the first time I heard mass appeal and then I always wanted to know What those moments were like you must have had a thrill to have beats

And then play them for him and see his face, right? Like that had to be like do you remember playing that because that still is an in such an insane iconic Beat, you know mass appeal. I thank you. I imagine that You know after that came out everybody was like what the fuck man. Give me a beat. Oh, yeah like and I've told the story about how we we made that uh To make fun of radio Really those are the whole the whole little tinky little we scum tinkerbell beats and uh Just it's not like elevator music, you know

Now you sitting there just waiting for to get to your floor and looking at the number thing count up and down and uh That's what that's what it remind me of as far as the concept because with gangsta We write the whole album out and stick it on the wall So he writes every title Sticks it on the wall and then I just randomly go. I'm gonna work on that one today Uh, I'm gonna work on this from the day. It's not in any order. It's just the entire album written out It'll say mass appeal on the wall. Yeah, and then it'll say our first single So I saw the singles I do last because I want the single to be fresh when returning the album in right

See here's our first single just made it last night. This is what we're going with and the label never gave us a problem with Us saying these are our three singles because the ideals were usually three singles, you know, three videos three singles You know and then move and then concert Tour support for for tour and then you start another album that was kind of like the road the rotation for the first three Actually the the the second third and fourth because no moments tonight's guy We call that our resume because I was still just learning how to perfect beats So we actually were doing it together me Our engineer slo-mo and uh gurus. So the three of us were all meshing the drum machine

Stepping the arenas when I was like, let me take over and really learn how to master making beats DJ and I got down. Let me master beats and I think I got better by Daily operation, but that was our routine of how we uh Would you know circulate the money every album and you know, so Uh With that said Uh with mass appeal that was when the music was starting to get a little more watered down with hip hop

And we felt like man, it can't go it can't lose the integrity of the sound Yeah, so he would like I said, he always writes the album out and has a little description You know, uh, what you want this time about a annoying chick So that lets me know make the track match That that concept that's how you always done every album Do you have like great memories though of his reaction to something that you're playing for him the first? Tell me one. Do you remember one that like you check this out? You just press play on this You know must ease

Because that was our first single for the moment of truth and and your first single is everything Um, we always like to make sure the core audience that grew up with us and supported us from day one Get their record even if we do a royalty with casey and jojo Yeah, we do love sick or we do x girl the next girl we make sure The first record is for the streets and that one Was just so unique And purposely done and next thing, you know Um that record is so good for us man

And I just I knew he would flip out with the with the reaction and not only that He's a fan of all the other people from a nozz to a jay to a big to a kim or kane or or or or um You know anybody I would produce outside krs and uh Even when I do beats for them I'm still gonna make sure we get hot beats too because for one i'm gonna be on the cover with you I'm doing interviews with you magazines everything with you. So we gotta have heat as well So I never would like give them give him less flavor stuff Then I gave up the artist. It's always 100 love with every artist including the you know gags

Yeah, you know my sees also iconic incredible um Do you ever wait is there was there ever a phone call? For guru to you like you gave that to him Never never never never people spread rumors about it like oh, yeah, and you were giving hot stuff to other artists and but it That's not that's not even how I get down There was a there's a thing about like your Production style where I mean, I think the best way like I feel like there's a I can listen to

I got to the point where I feel like I could identify That you had made a beat but It doesn't sound like another one of your beats if that makes sense like I could go like primo made this But it doesn't it's not like it sounds like this other song Absolutely, which I don't like it's such a unique You know thing as an artist to be like I I feel that that's who who made this But it's not reminiscent of another song

Yeah, I call those my left field beats You know, I just did one for conway the machine shot them your benny hold your head and uh get get well Uh and shot the west side gun Um, the whole gazelle the bsf and they're they're so dope The whole buffalo scene is now a sound another a new additional sound to new york and uh um The one on conway's new album from king to a god the song the last song on the album Uh, which another I doing all these shout outs for the

The shout outs for the right reason but just a sad reason. Oh dj shea who's there big guy That that kept the buffalo scene pop and he just passed right before uh conway's album drop And uh the song is called nothing less And the emotion of it is just so dope for me as a fan of Of him and and and he even said, you know, it ain't got to be the hardcore hoodie stuff this time Could we've done that before he's like, yo the left field should you do is dope too and and and it's real mellow

But it's just funky. I love this the vibe of the beat and he sprayed it especially after shade pass because he I hit him like after the funeral was like, you know, if you don't want to do it, you know Go and turn your album and he's like, hell no Now since he passed I I'm even going deeper on it. He said I'm gonna be sent to you in the next couple of days Damn and then he sent it. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I was thinking that the first time that I Heard something where I was I think I was a sophomore in high school Where I heard mcs act like they don't know and like and my head turned and I was like Like in my head I go like this sounds like uh like premiere, you know, like I

And I didn't I just didn't know at the time, you know, I just someone has to like Tell you because I wasn't like searching online or something I just I heard that and I was like sounds like his kind of beat and I didn't even I didn't have the concept that like a producer Works with all these different artists and then it started to like make sense to me And I was like, oh shit because that that song's also, you know, that's an iconic record for sure. Thank you. Thank you Yeah The fact of me and chris had already worked together on the return of the boom back heavily Me him showbiz and kid capri and carousel did some of the beats as well. He makes dope beats. He did mad ism for

for fucking Channel, that's one of the favorite records and uh So He was just like, let's get back and do some more and he said I need I need that first jump off record now I was like that man. I mean, that's you know, whatever now what 25 years later. That's still yeah, man That's amazing. Actually, you know, my steve is 23 years Old as of uh, yesterday. Yeah, you post that's crazy man. That's crazy um

Do you ever have a I mean because you you know, you make so many beats and work or something. Do you ever have a record where you're like, you know It's cool. We did it. We're done and it surprises you that it became a huge hit like you're you weren't expecting it to take off Yeah, uh, dwig. We knew was gonna take off but it exploded Right take off and then explosions a different thing because the explosion is just kaboom and and everything disintegrates but That was one disintegration that that we were So, I mean it did so much for us, you know, I'm saying and yeah to collab to collab a nicest move who

Not for one of great performers They they you know, greg nice does predominantly all the beats on but on all their albums and and he has a dope style that that Matt is the group same thing with mop. Yeah, and the little fame does a lot of the beats for mop And because he you know, he knows how to make it make it work for them, you know besides dr period who's Who originated the mop sound? Well, nice too. Also is such a unique guy on the mic. I mean, that's his own style completely. Yeah, it's incredible Um, what about the opposite of that? Did you ever have a record where you're like this is gonna blow up man? And you were surprised that it didn't commercially succeed

I'm never really thinking that fast like it is gonna be hot. I mean this is gonna be big We just let it ride and if it if it blows a blow and and goes there cool If it doesn't it doesn't but because we knew we had enough fan base to where our and our tours have always done good for us So the fact that our tours made so much Did did not did money and success and even everybody we took with us We we understood that um, we have so much involved with with uh, staying consistent EPMD was one of the artists that that made us that the first one to ever take us on tour. First of all

Is that my phone clicking like that? Um Get out the way Yeah, EPMD were the first artists to take us on tour uh With red man and dosa facts. Yeah Father MC and did you dig like sermons beats where you and he was like super funky too? Yeah EPMD man, they're

They're an original the name and the music matched them I always like the music to match the way you look when you're eric being rock him and you see what they look like With the music they match. Yeah, you know, I think being guru match our songs, you know, my deep That's their songs, you know, so that's important, you know van helen look like the way their songs sound exactly David Lee rather than samye I want to ask you something about beat making because I've actually, you know, I've never seen it done Do you have like I was thinking about uh, like Manifest right you got that loop. There's the miles davis charlie parker, right the night in tunisia

the song starts And that's that's that loop that's that's used in manifest In your head like I'm just trying to get into like how you actually come up with this shit I'll have the fuck is going on in this guy's head Is that something that you remember a song? uh from way back And you you know, you you either have that isolated or you wrote it down or Is it that you're just listening to records and you hear it and you just stop in that moment?

You're like, what about this or is it both? It's both. Yeah, sometimes I hear oh, I know what I could do I know something that that's equivalent to what I'm looking for sound wise and then The other one is like what we call digging, you know, it's just great digging for records. Yeah And yeah, and just searching and searching they can take 20 records just to find that sound to go with What's in your head, but it's in my head first. It is in your head first And in in that case in that case specifically like with manifest is that Like a song you you did hear is it like was it in your memory bank as like a kid? Or was it no no the only thing that was in my head was to take heed to the words that I manifest from

Big daddy came from the word to the mother because we were already playing that record in our parties So I'm very good. I'm a very good roller decks of remembering lines from records because djs Especially battle djs. They look for lines to Be able to scratch in a battle, you know I'll do the such and such and such and such and do this and such and such and such and such And guru writes a lot of battle lyrics, you know, like, you know, I'm a dope emcee, you know Can't rap like me and those lines work in a battle. So I have that same ear. I'm just not a battle dj I'm better at just scratching and cutting, you know

with a certain precision that that um That molly molly influenced me to you know, want to be as sharp with the way and and what was chosen to cut you know, so That's incredible. Um I got to ask you this because I remember this story coming out and I don't even feel like it's fully appreciated I don't think people fully appreciate What you did with one of the best yet with the you know, the most recent

gang star album meaning like like The way that I understood this is that You know, you wanted to do an album obviously guru has passed and you hear About the fact that there are all these vocals That you haven't heard yet, right? That are my man. My manager in

I told in because I just know the guy that had him um I I just knew Based off of how everything ended and I used to want I used to want to be a detective Well before I'd be gotten the music. So I still have that mentality where I'm always going. I bet you Yeah, so, you know, like that's still how I am on it. Just everything even just What's going on in the world today and everything I'm always like I bet if such such such such that will happen to this You know, so I'm still that way same thing with this guy. I was like, yo man

Uh, I know he's sitting on something. I know he is and that was almost nine years later Uh, and then did you get word that he was sitting on something or did somebody go ask? My manager is on point shot to Ian. Uh He you know, he reached out to the right people and said, you know what if Certain things could be handled, you know business wise to get our hands on what you might possibly have You know, and they're like, well much for the might possibly, you know, I'm saying and it just went back and forth and plus I have I'm like, I'm I'm willing to go this far not this far if it can't it goes beyond what I my numbers

Forget it. Yeah, our histories our histories made. I'm good, you know, but but I knew it'd be great for the fans Of course groups family to get at least one more record out of him or A few more, you know saying sure what what he what he was sitting on So then you go you actually have to go verify that these aren't just like shit That's things you've heard before and and you're like, oh, I got this So then you go to like a listening session of sorts to verify that Oh, these are all lyrics that I've never heard that are recorded Yeah, as long as he's not there, right as long as he's there and then then

Dude's not there, but then You agree you acquire these right like you buy buy them back essentially and then now you're left with You have the these lyrics and you're creating Songs Like you're creating records for for each one. You have to make a beat, right? Like yeah based on the lyrics there Do that remix it's like a remix but but because I got a list of the beats that were on there and there were records I never heard from from a a couple people came out the woodworks like that was my record and we have the original version and You know if they proved us it properly all the way across the board legally people like all right

But we'll we'll deal with that that business when we deal with it Which is foul because that means they weren't Something that they did together They were things that were that were taken When obviously when he wasn't he had already passed, you know saying we're Well, when I started checking dates on the you know, thank goodness we're pro tools If you don't alter the dates from when it's created there's a date created and then there's a date modified The day created were years before that guy existed

So I'm like, wait a minute one two Five six This is like after the album dropped, right? You know, so you're like I'm like your detective line is Coming alive again figuring it out. It's like it's like I bought stolen goods You know, Sam, but fuck it. I got there. They're mine now paperwork was airtight that they belong to me and I said, let me just make it work and uh, You know, it's emotional man. I had his ashes in the room and uh, thanks to his family to give me a little piece You know, then they've obviously more people have it

But they gave me a little piece that I'm all gonna give to also the big sugar because they started gangsta before me Um, so I'm gonna give him give him some and uh other than that I just messed around and messed around until I could get it going and uh The first one I did was uh bad and it was actually the last song on the album. Uh, what's the last song in the album? Uh, oh, I have it right here. Let me let me tell you Yeah, the uh, bless the mic. Bless the mic. Okay Bless the mic. That's the first one I did. I was like, wow man It feels good to see him ramen to my music again

It sounds like gangsta the traditional sound that we have together And then next thing you know I did um Bad name and I was like that's the like a steeze. Yes, you know mass appeal jump off And then my manager was like, you know, you should get jaco to get on a record and I and uh Family and loyalty beat I made and he was like you should get him on that And you know, and I was like, I don't know of course on a hop on it or not and I reached out to him and he Immediately was like, bro

This shit got me fucking bugging. I'm on it. I got you He sent back some of the dopest lyrics ever uh On a gangsta record. I mean the the album was a gift to your to your fans, man. It was a it was definitely You know, it was it was a gift man 100% This episode is also brought to you by trough. What is better than food? Food with sauce. I mean all of it. I love eggs with sauce. I love a sandwich with sauce. I love

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2020 Get honey for free at join honey.com slash mom. That's join honey.com slash mom What about tell me about making hit man? I love that one. Yeah, that's my oh, that's the shit man I've walked out on stage because you know when you go to venues They go, what do you want to walk out to and I've come out and hit man because it just puts me in like I mean it puts me in a mood, you know, I love seeing you wearing my merch, man. I yeah, I love it, man I mean coming out

Coming out to like your your musical choice even that walk from backstage to the mic and you're about to be comedy it just Even if it's like 20 seconds, it puts you in a headspace. Yeah. Yeah I feel good Yeah immediately after I heard the vocals over my beat I was like that's gotta be q-tip doing The the heat playing the hit man And and being the one that's gonna do the job because guru described it well

And q-tip had just got through having throat surgery. So he was like man, my voice is really Scratchy right now. His hook is dope on that man. Yeah, he said I could do it But it might not sound right. You tell me and if not, don't use it and I was like just Send it to me. You went right in and did it. He sent me a video Of him of him doing it in his studio And then at the end of he goes, how was that? And that's how the The video ends. Oh, yeah, I deleted it and I called him right back and I said, motherfucker That's it. I was so happy man. I was like that's gotta be

Those third song the second song after the intro like I know how to sequence album. That's my thing That should hit hit so hard man. I mean love sequencing. Yeah I think by the way, you just did like the I think the intro for joe budden's thing Uh, his didn't you yeah for the podcast shop. We have the same man. We have the same management. So I was like god damn. That's a yeah, that's a way to open a podcast man. That's dope Joey like I said, I've known joey for a long time, but since we have the same management We're we're always together a lot and see each other. So When he asked me to do it, I was honored like yeah, I might I might ask you the same thing

Let's talk about all right, let's talk about man. I mean, I got a number and if it goes above my number, I'm just I'm cool so And you and I got to say man I heard when you mentioned the album Who were you doing the interview with and you said you're a gangsta's album and the fact that you Discuss discussed how what I had to go through to do and I think I texted you that day like yo, man I heard what you said about You know what I you could imagine what I had to go through to get this album to sound like that, man

Prilo, that's like it's a it's a remarkable feat like if even you know as gifted as you are and you have all the accolades and everybody like The fact that you that that's the story of that that album I think it's one of the most amazing stories. I've ever heard of Putting together an album. I mean you took your you know your your partner's Lyrics who he's passed away and you had to acquire. I mean the whole process. It's like It's a real story, man. It's a real it's an amazing. There should be a documentary about that album We're we're working on uh, just a documentary anyway of our career because thank goodness We have that many tapes of of our old footage and

We've been digitized. I'm shot to Kibla. He's been digitizing them in the next room and uh, and and everything's getting you know to where we can pull and our interview lineup is amazing from You know, so many people have done the interview already and this it's gonna be be dope once we finish it all up I cannot wait. Are you do you I don't know if this is cheesy, but do you have a favorite gang star? The biggest question ever. I know. I mean, you know, I just and I know that like People ask me in a different way. Obviously, they'll ask you about like jokes and like you know, like, I don't know, man you know, but I feel like with music it it's

There's different like for the people that make it you might have like, you know different feelings about You like it's not just a final product, you know, sometimes it's like you remember what it was to make a song or something Yeah, do you have one or no? um You know, like if I had to pick a couple definitely like, you know, my steeze Uh above the clouds. I love Robin Hood theory. Yeah, um Uh, I like next time because I just lost my accountant, but she was like a mom to me. So recipes to marry uh, I even got a tattoo on my arm with her. So yeah, I must have been

Definitely missing her and then uh uh, so next time was done The day she died and I'm I'm just in a sad mood and gurus like yo, just do one more song I'm like, man, I'm so stressed out that she passed He goes then do it in memory of her and just whatever comes to mind do it. And so next time the the sample has almost a funeral Yeah sounding horn and then Guru body the lyrics. Yeah. So so for you like you hear that and that memory comes to you every time you hear that every time

Yeah, mm-hmm. Damn Just to get a rep to that was One of my favorites Yeah, man, you know what's funny. I remember because CDs used to be big and they would come out on Tuesdays Right and full clip came out in 99. Is that right? Yep And uh, I was a junior in college and I went Tuesday morning to the CD store And I picked up full clip and then I put it on and I shit my pants and then

So I had my two friends Casey and Justin we were roommates and we loved hip-hop and we loved gangstar and I remember Hit like case getting in the car and I was like I was like fucking put your seatbelt on You're gonna you're gonna bash your head against the window when you hear this. I just you know, you just have those memories We're all no doubt. You know, it's like it's one of the If you're extraordinary things about being a lot There's so many great things about being alive and one of them is if you have the good fortune To have the ability to hear you get to experience music and you hope that you can have music That really moves you in some way that you connect with and you know and for for different people

It's different things, you know, like my wife like, you know, for her it's like punk stuff that she grew up with or like She loves joy division and uh bow house. Yeah, yeah Bella the ghost is dead and um You know level tears apart all that shit. Yeah, that's my error too because that's how I graduated high school in 84 so That's really part of our sound of not gangstar, but just I'm bringing early you to like october. Yeah But for me one of those classes the smith the smith she's a big smith fan too for me though

That experience is like most enhanced by like what you've done So your music to me has been like just an absolute, you know It's like one of the joys of my life is listening to Thank you so much That's why I can ask you one more thing Anything. Yeah, I um doing another hour if you want to do it. I'm so happy to hear that. Um So one thing I also remember because you you know, there'd be surprises if you're not like Sometimes you just hear hear something and you're like, oh my god. What is this right?

So picking up uh, tony touch the peacemaker right How does like how does an album that like so tony as a dj, you know Huge came up huge making like mix tapes and everything in new york, right and then When he goes i'm gonna make an album Does he like how do those albums come together does he call you and go i'm i have an album coming out I want you guys to just Do a record on it

Yeah, because we all In new york everybody knows everybody. I mean, it's really like that I can say even with jay-z and all the before they got to where they are now We all saw each other on a regular, you know, it wasn't like oh, that goes j. Oh, that goes biggie. It was just like Yeah, it's just like what up. What up my fuck. Yeah, you know, like that was standard. That was regular We were all in the same spots like that much because There were so many different things in new york hip hop wise. That was damn near every day of the week Yeah, you know, the you know, like the tunnel and all that's on the weekends on sundays or whatever, but

There's always something else going on. I mean, that's why I like on uh, so ghetto Where jay-z says, you know, this day i'm at uh, um cheetah club this day of life You know, this day i'm at this place dumb day because that's really how it is You know, yeah, and and you know two park all of us were Running around together, you know, we'd be with like like the two park stories you hear and certain of them We're like, uh, and that didn't happen because we were really really with him You know, we we know he's we know mo prane. We know the outlaws and everybody, you know Way before all the drama and all that stuff. We we all

Hung with each other. He really did So that was you know, my guru of him They got like three pictures together. Yeah So when but when when when tony calls you though It really is like that casual. Hey, man, will you guys do a record for me? Oh, yeah Yeah, yeah, because we're tony just the regular guy that we see at everything and he's in a lot of the gigs, you know, so um, there's just so many, you know, even hole in the wall spots where The the the same fans and the same people the same music that you love from

Us to try out called questing on and on to latifah latifah. She's in all the spots back then You know what i'm saying because she was still on the come up. She wasn't uh, right? Uh, I lost my mind. I lost my mind hearing uh The uh, the peacemaker like when I heard that I was like, what the fuck is this man? That was easy. That was easy. Jesus. Just just leave tony's like I was near theme song It's uh with you and gurus. So since we knew each other, it was really that's why it's Stabs again Well, it's official. I love stabs

New shirt Most simple music does outsell more the more complex stuff. Yeah simple. Yeah It resonates a lot a lot more really In most cases. Yeah, at least for me I know you've been asked this a million times too, but I'm gonna ask you the million one Um, is there any artist that you haven't worked with that you want to work with? Yeah DMX I've always wanted to work with DMX. I've been pushing to get that to happen now. You know what I'm saying?

Yes, it's I'm always leaning on swiss. I'm always leaning on Whoever he deals with in in his camp that that's that's in charge of of his in his point person Now leave swiss again. Yo swiss listen the world needs busy DMX, please listen to us. Oh my god, man Call primo back and send some fucking lyrics Come on X. Come on man. Dog man X I mean, why don't you just start sending him a sample of just different dogs barking and see if that gets him going That's a good idea, man. Should I make sure you get could get writer's credit. Appreciate that, man

Yeah, yeah, I always make sure everybody that deserves a credit gets and their share of the other money, you know If they deserve it, absolutely And then you know what you could do is you send him like a like a shitsu And then you like you didn't like that shit and then you send them like a german shepherd You just keep send them different dog barks, you know, he's gonna know what to That's a little shit Are you Are you a fan? Are you a fan like a genuine fan of any, you know

Newer artist today like a anybody coming up that you're like that that's I like roddy rich um, you know, that's the newer sound of stuff. I love roddy rich, um Who else do I like? um I love travis scott's work, which I've told this Several times that his father taught me how to play drums and his uncle travis taught me how to play bass. So Yeah, and his and his grandmother was my english teacher. So I always all travis scott's family

Yeah, except this is his aunt sonora. Who's the younger? Uh, uh sibling of the of the miss wepster and uh, mr. Wepster had three children's uh travis jack and sonora We call sonora vb. What up v Every time I do this somebody says Because they call me chris christ was talking about you on this christ was talking about you on that So shout to vb, but uh, she's the only one that really didn't mess with the music like that But her her brother travis And uh and travis scott's real name is jack wepster like his dad. So he's junior. He's junior

And uh, you know, I'm happy for his success. I've been trying to get at him too about on some some side some things and uh Still hasn't made it happen yet. So i'm gonna just I'll catch him uh catching around christmas. Well, we need that to happen too, man. We need that to happen Yeah, but uh, yeah, I like roddy rich. I like what he does. Um, I love uh the baby Yeah Yeah, I love what he's doing um You know, uh

I like cardy You know, I'm sorry. No, of course. Yeah, I like cardy man Let me um, when did you like I know you realize that you're there's there's first realizing like you made the right choice Right like when you're making music. Hey, we made it, you know, we made it like as in it's playing on the radio Did you feel like everything? is completely other level with nauseous like because that is

one of the albums or the records that I I hear and i'm like this I just remember how big that that was You know that it would just be like an even bigger ascent Within the world of hip-hop like you made this this is insane Yeah, I mean It's when Nas is always fun because you know what you're gonna get Once you give him the beat

You know I'm saying and and saying you know being that I've been there from the beginning of his career from Being with with main source all the way into doing his ilmatic I sequenced and uh mastered the ilmatic album for him. Um, you know, I actually was on I met a z The last day of all recording coming to pick up the masters and he was like, you know, I got one more song I'm adding to that. I want to come pick it up and I want you to hear this. It's called life's a bitch This guy could rap his name is az and and uh, and and his father was there too Olu was there and he said my dad's gonna play horn on the song and I'm both for them and then uh, I waited for him to finish running the master took that with me and he said

Just make sure you know, he created the intro the Genesis. He did that uh, Nas did that himself I said he said make sure that's first everything else put in whatever order you want And then do you remember getting a call like when he heard it or do you do you play? He came to mastery. He came to mastery. Yeah. Yeah, so he was at the master in the session but he trusted me to put in the sequence and uh Shout to tony dawg see one of the dope the best mastering engineers and ever I've never seen I had other mastering engineers, but he was the first one I would see dance while he's turning knobs. He's going. Oh, this sound like a single

Yeah, this oh man, is it they dropping this first like he's doing all that shit white while he's Blasting the music turning knobs, you know I'm saying he's like that now I realized that like just even tell you like what I want all producers to do now is just have cameras Mounted everywhere so that I can see everybody's face when they first hear the beats I could get lost in a youtube wormhole of seeing people Hear shit for the first time because I just remember every one of these I'm just going through like I love that uh That I've committed murder remix you did the macy. Oh, wow with macy and most death most death like that shit is so amazing I remember the first time

I heard that because I had picked up that's on like lyricist lounge volume two. I think it is Yeah, you know your shit and I remember that I picked it up just going like well I'm just picking it up. I didn't I didn't you know that that's when you would just go like You look at names and you're like this got to be at least something's good on here I'm just hearing that and being like what the fuck this is That's an amazing remix man. Oh, thank you man. Yeah, the lyricist lounge is a real popping thing in new york I mean a lot of artists got broken through through that that channel and uh, you know that was a

Another good platform back in those days and then they put a lot of mcs on Yeah, and I I also remember I picked up when you did the bumpy knuckles the studio time one It was like only a few tracks, right? Yeah, what was it? uh collection was Was the uh studio time is the e p it is the e p. Okay. Okay. We had and all that was just uh that in collection it was just beats that we um uh That were turned turned down by who are the artists and he was like, yo give them to me

We'll make a collection of songs and I'll write Rhymes to those beats and uh, we're actually about to re-release it because it was part of another, uh Distributor at the time and now we own it. Oh, I'm going to re re upload that. Oh, and we have five New songs that we're going to add to it that you've never heard to you know to give it a nice extra Plus for the people that that supported it nice and the ones that didn't even know yet. Oh good bumpy nuts shout out bumpy knuckle and um, yeah, and also I was not into like as a as a band I never listened to

Limp Bizkit until you made a beat for them until like that in together now Me neither You know, yeah I just remember that like they're just like I can vaguely remember. It's like, hey, you know Limp Bizkit's got a song with method man. I'm like, what? And then hearing that and I was like, this is unbelievable. It's like, yeah, well, they didn't make it. That's why it's unbelievable so that that's that's what enticed me to do it was uh, My former manager at the time was uh, it was like, yo, man

You do this record, you know, they they were even offering me, uh, a nice sum of money and I'm still saying no I'm not feeling it and he goes method man's on and I go. Oh really? So so once he told me method man was on I said, well, let me hear it because it was already done. So that that that Yeah, yeah That was already there. That was a lethal. Okay. Shout to my dude lethal. That's my guy Who's dj for house of pain and then he was in limp biscuit. So me and lethal go way back Lethal sent that version with the lyrics and everything to that But it was different drum program and it didn't have the bass line and all that in there

So I said the only thing I could see myself doing is I would need to re-record fred's vocal to get it better Locked into my style of how I do things And all in these are dope bass line and my drum bounce and let me put my drums on it. So I just took his sample and and We worked it to bounce to my drums and sent it right back to him and they were like, this is it And and fred came to to dnd studios to uh to actually recut the vocal with me And so in in when he comes in do you you then direct him like you need I want you to do it like this Mm-hmm. And how did he take took took took direction? Well

Oh, absolutely. He was super cool. And then even after it blew up actually the plaque is sitting right there six million sold Um, looking at looking at it right now six million sold Yeah, yeah, I got six million platinum months six six years six times platinum album right what what year was that? I'm trying to do remember when it came out. It had to be around 98 as well. It was yeah, it had to be it had to be um, yeah What was that out? That was that was uh It has to be and then uh what it was is We shot the video and then that took off and then right after we uh, um

Right after we uh did the record and the video took off He had me do the 25th anniversary of MTV and we performed with him on that and then the best part Fred hired me to DJ the playboy mansion pajama party. Oh, shit. You're like and that's when I saved his number It was already saved but 1999 uh significant other dropped june 22nd 1999. So round full clip time Round full clip time. But yeah, man, uh That was an experience being in the playboy mansion all the bunny rabbits running around and all the Play you know the playboy bunnies and you're DJing that party He did me and DJ am god bless him

am was my god too and uh, I met him when he was 14 him and alchemist Were a group were uh on tour with cypress hill and uh house of pain and we all smoked a blunt together next thing You know, we became the best friends. So this is what I want to do I want to have a post covet party when they finally go It's over and you DJ it and we just throw with it now. I got a number And I can't go above it But I want to do it We're very negotiable. That's what I'm talking about

Um, what's the other one? Oh, well one video. I love that you did just because It you know, it gives you the feeling that you're you're watching someone make the beat is on classic You know the better than I've ever been That's such a dope concept to see because you feel like you're in the moment in that video Okay, that's another remix That's not the original no Yeah, and then you did the remix the one in the video is the remix. Yeah, did you care rest call Come up with the idea to do that in the video though

No care rest called, uh, oh you talking about the in the video to do the drum machine Yeah, yeah, so you got like you feel like you're like, I don't like I don't like showing how showing how I make beats Like if you're with me like if you came to my lab, I don't mind make cooking in front of you Yeah, but I don't like everybody seeing my methods and everything. So, uh When they were coming to film the video, I was like, man The best thing I can do is since the beat is already done I'll just tap the pads real quick and just do a little thing like I am working on right You don't want to give out the recipe

I'm with you on that I'm with you on that Yep, you hear that guys But in person you're good in person Yeah, you can anytime That's what I want to see that that that's a dream of mine to see that in person, man Um I want to give a shout out too because you you inspired me to do this shout out to spin bad

Rest in peace with this way recently. I have a very vivid memory. So I've been friends with russell peters for a long time. I used to open for him He brought me to london to london england to do A bunch of shows in 2010 so 10 years ago It was october of 2010 so it just passed the 10 year anniversary and I went there with a scratch starting from scratch Starting from scratch. Oh who is a fucking encyclopedia of music. I mean that guy knows everything and spin and rus and his whole crew I still remember vividly, um

Uh One of rus's security guys had a son Who was like a teenage son? Seven like 17 Who pick I think it was pick son. I think it was pick son. Okay south of pick. Yeah Yeah south of eddie And I remember us all being in one of the vans and pick son had a gang star shirt on and then

I want to say I want to say it was spin was like, what you know about gang star and And then goes he goes they're dope and he goes okay name three songs And like they everybody just bullied his son right Because I mean the poor kid was like I said probably like 17 or something Yeah, and then and then like we uh, we just we just mocked him because he was scared to he didn't know off the top of his head

And um, I don't know. I just it's just one of those memories that I that just you know Didn't leave my mind because I just started listing songs and then we all just started to To mock him. It was just a fun memory. Um Russell's one of the greatest comedians ever He is and he's one of the greatest guys ever two men. Yeah. Yeah, but it was stated all the houses except for the new one Oh, yeah, yeah, there's a lot of houses. Um, oh, yeah But uh, it was also such a cool thing because Russ is such a hip hop junkie That you know big time when he his assent, you know

grew and he brought djs on stage and so for me Being like the opening act for him. I was it was such a cool peek into like What things can be, you know, I was like what? You can you can do this and he's like, yeah, man He goes by and they're like they would have fun and like Battle and do little scratch offs as people are being seated And then I don't get to pick songs. They go. What do you want to hear tonight? And I would you know

Walk out to whatever I want to hear that night and you know, it was like It was such a yeah such a dope experience and and uh, and spin was such a good guy, man So great guy, man. Just had had a troubled lane that he couldn't get out of near the end and You know, I've reached out to him many times like yo, let's get it together because we know we go that far back Yeah 90s. Yeah, you know, I'm saying, you know, shout to av and js one and You know that rock the cast bar uh mix tape is a Ultra classic if you can ever find it. I'm sure you can find it on YouTube's of the world and everything else. But uh, yeah, man

Yeah, he gave me man. He would give me these those little, uh, you know, little jump drives like with mixes As soon as they saw that I really liked that the hymn and scratch would just get like send me shit It was such a great creative mac read and they and and they were just such well, they are, you know, great guys but never forget that experience and um Yeah, just rest and press in peace, uh Spin back chris solovan Dope dude, man. Yeah, man. Um, well look, man, I'm gonna let you go. I uh, I

Absolutely cannot tell you how much I appreciate you doing this. It really is extra and um, yeah Hopefully, uh, we can meet up at some point, you know next time when the disease leaves the air and we're allowed to actually move around I'll definitely be in new york and we'll get over it man. The strong survive and I'm sure you're part of that strong So yeah, that's all my so we'll be all right. Our kids are good and that's it, man Everything, you know, we're still uh, this man that this older man that used to do security Uh for the way I parked my car. He always goes any day above ground is another good day And I'm like goddamn right damn right dude. Oh, by the way, let me ask you this

I know your texas guy who lives in new york now many years. Are you a big sports guy? Yeah, I love sports. What's like your what what are your teams? Since I'm from texas and houston is where where we well, I was born in houston anyway, but uh, but uh for me It's it's sad because houston all is was my childhood Sure When they moved to tennessee

They were the tennessee all is briefly for a few months and then I remember bud adams who lived near our town where I grew up at uh, you know Okay, them to change the the the mascot name and I remember they made the announcement. It's gonna be a new name We're gonna announce next sunday or whatever, you know, and then like we are now be the tennessee titans and we're like What about the authors, you know, like how do you strip that away and I know when they do the throwback jersey, uh Games that they usually do they can do it this season, but they wear the oilers jerseys But I've been houston everything from the rockets to the oilers to baseball. I played baseball in little league, you know, I played football for a little while and and uh,

And uh, you know, you grew up of all of that when you started running the streets and doing stuff But I've had my experience in sports and then I'm being in such still a big fan. I got all the apps from nfl Oh, you do. Okay. The spn apps and all that stuff and then on top of that I just had to jail and rose, you know, there's a great Analyst on everything with sports, you know, no matter what it is. Yeah So my son plays baseball. He's in a travel league. He's nine nine years old. So the travel league, you know, it's really It's serious business. Yeah, it's not like a little league where they it's cute and they play for the summer there If their coaches is on them, like you you see bunt

We all pose or yell it and and it's so crazy when the kids button they go Bunt and you know, like Like together and run towards home plate Yeah Position themselves to make sure they can stop the run and get them out before he gets to get gets to first It's just a trip to see all of that, you know, after You know, my childhood and things I did and we were coming up to in texas since we were a small town We had a thing called nysp the national youth sports program and everybody in our neighborhood

That was our summer doing sports sports sports sports sports every summer. So you grow with it, you know But everything Houston for me when I moved to new york, I started to support the nicks and the Yankees and uh, but but uh, nothing that's but the Yankees, but But i'm die hard Houston everything, you know, so you might be having one of your your houston guys Come up to your area because all the rumors are swirling that harden might leave The rockets and he wants to go to the nets. Yeah, I saw that today, you know, brooklyn brooklyn's pulling them in I mean, we're kd still there and and and getting a year off to not Play to get his uh, his injury really on point because that's a that's a very sensitive injury

Yeah, you could re-engine so he was smart to sit the whole season now Yeah, I think so too It's got to be crazy because those like harden they were like, we'll give you 50 million dollars a year and he's like I'm thinking about other hard harden It's crazy because harden is houston to us. Yeah, you know, he comes from okc He is houston to us, you know, you know, you have the it's like carmelo after playing with the nuggets and and and even okc and Portland he's still

Uh, a nick to us, you know, right like certain players will get that stamp. Yeah forever and uh, but um The texans is my team now But but I you know, I didn't grow up on an expansion team. So it's a little weird. It is weird. I get that now. Yeah They're having a rough season, man Yeah, my brother-in-law's brother played for the packers back in farve played and uh, oh really?

They want to ring. Yeah, so uh salute to my my my brother-in-law's brother So what is the brother-in-law's brother? He's a brother-in-law's brother. Oh, yeah My brother-in-law's brother. Yes, what he is He's with uh, he's with the 49ers now. He's a linebacker coach. So but he played linebacker Johnny Holland he played for the packers back when they won super bowl with uh farve So you got a ring. Oh nice got a ring. You can't ask for more than that, man That's yeah, and actually when I was kubi hack there when he was there but uh, he was with the texans and uh

He was with the lion the lions And uh, he just moved around and around but now he's with the 49ers even went to super bowl last year And he was there and my sister went Uh, obviously my sister's married to his brother and they all got to go and and they go to super bowl last year Even though they lost but uh, still that's just to get there. It's a huge thing. It's a huge thing to get there Who's your team? I mean, I have some sadness too Uh, because I was born in Cincinnati

And when I left Cincinnati, we left when I was in 88 and they went to the super bowl. That's that famous uh super bowl where, uh Montana hit taylor in the end zone on that Drive So and then the Cincinnati Bengals were like, we're gonna be dog shit for 20 years So It was just one of those things where like, you know, I get excited when they have uh a decent season every now and then But just as a franchise, they're fucking terrible and then we we moved a lot and my dad's a big college football fan

So as a kid, I was so your quarterback then would you're having your quarterback from lsu there? I mean Uh, oh borough. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, he's dope. He's he's the real talent. He's the real deal He is but we we moved around and we watched I mean college was like the big thing in my house So when we ended up moving to florida, I was already kind of an fsu fan But it just made it even I was he became more of a fan and and that was like During the 90s. So every year was like Christmas, you know, they they just kicked out of everybody and then Now they are fucking Terrible, um, which is it's wild to see. I mean sports, especially like big time college ball at cyclical, you know

They'll have like their up years and down years, but right now they're in a real real drought, man Yeah, especially when uh, uh, man, what's the name there who just got thrown from team to team and they started playing baseball Uh Are you talking about tibo? Yeah, that's him. Oh, yeah, he was at florida though. He was at florida. I'm talking. Oh, you said oh, you said fsu Yeah, I'm thinking about the gators thinking about the gators my fault. Yeah. I'm I'm seeing gators, but yeah Yeah, fsu my bad. Yeah, so I was a big seminal guy. Yeah. Yeah. No, but tibo. It's funny I read I met tibo in a restaurant out here and uh, one of my friends was like

Oh, he's a comedian and he's like, oh, what kind of comedy do you do? I go shit. You wouldn't like and he was like Yeah, because he's on some christian shit. Yeah, he's on some christian shit. And that's what I said to christian too I mean, yeah, I want to care. I want to Catholic church, but I still talk filth. Yeah, dude the same I I'm I was raised very catholic and I am absolutely disgusting what comes out of him And that's what I told him and he just laughed and he was like no, no, no, I'd like it and I was like, no, you wouldn't know You wouldn't um, yeah, but But he was a super nice guy. So I gotta say that he was a shot that fsu, man Yeah, hopefully they'll get better. Hopefully they get better man prayers up to fsu

Yeah, man, this was a real pleasure, dude I uh, I can't thank you and uh, hope we can do it again sometime in any time and you got my number All right, take care brother. Much love to you Tom All right salute Your walls I need to know about I need to know about Slapping balls up against your body I can do it

I don't really care So I need to know about You