By DjChronoBeats
Sun Oct 31, 2004 10:53 am
M: In terms of soul sampling, you hear a lot about Kanye West and Just Blaze, bringing the soul sampling back. But I feel like you've been a big part of that as well. Do you feel like you've gotten credit for that, or does it mean anything to you to get credit for that?
A: It's cool that you bring that up too because people who know me amongst the circle, we all know that shit, you know what I mean? It's just something we don't really blow up too much cause I don't wanna sound like the obvious..But if you really wanna trace it back man, I got that shit from Muggs. Muggs was the original Stacks-sampling, he used to sample from those Memphis records, he was big on that Memphis soul, like down south soul, know what I mean, but it was more funky. They reach into other categories of soul..I mean Muggs did it, RZA did it, obviously Just and Kanye took it to a whole other level, you know, cause they were working with artists like Jay and stuff that was just heard by the masses, you feel me? That's why I feel like the Blueprint album [Jay-Z] was a good turning point, and after that, every label and every A&R will tell you that a million beat CDs from kids with all these vocal samples and shit, like it was just following a trend. But if you really do the math, you could listen to the H.N.I.C. album [Prodigy of Mobb Deep], when I did that shit on that song with Pee and his girl, it was called "Trials of Love," and that was a Lou Bond (?) record that I used, and then at the end of the song, the whole song plays out, with the singing, and its like we been doing that. Me and Pee always laugh about that like, we been doing this shit, its all good. Also, not for nothing, when the Blueprint album was going down.You know my man is an A&R at Roc-A-Fella, Hip Hop. [He's] been over there forever, now hes much bigger than that. In the beginning he was doing A&R and...I was around when they were doing Blueprint 1, I was coming by Baseline [Roc-A-Fella Studios], bringing beat CDs. I knew what they were up to, I heard a couple of the songs, I saw where they were going, I was like "oh perfect." Right up my alley. I had that shit for em, and I was coming through there playing beats, and..you know....now I realize what was happening, you know what I'm saying? Cause there was one particular incident when Kanye was there..Kanye West is my man, I love him and I'm just proud of the shit he's done and how he just went with his game, you know? But I mean, he knows what time it is, you know without me going and breaking it all down cause...None of my beats were making the Blueprint 1 album, and then when the album came out I'm like...there was a lot of shit that sounded like..it wasn't straight up the same sample, it was just the influence, it was the same sound I had. I had that sound at that time, you know what I'm saying? And the fact that I wasn't getting on that album I realized down the line, they were managing Kanye at the time, you know what I'm saying? So they was having me bring beats through and it was like, "Yea we like #2, we like #5, put it on CD," and I would leave, and they was playing em for him [claps for emphasis] and whoever else they were managing, Just [Blaze] like..."This is what you gotta top out. You don't want us to give this to Jay do you?" Like they weren't making money off of Alchemist, so it was like, these dudes they were managing..it was pretty much the same similar sound, they knew he [Kanye] could make beats of that status, you know what I'm saying? So they was kind of like, using me as fuel for his fire, which was smart, know what I'm saying? I didn't realize it at the time, I probably wouldn't even have been leaving beat CDs over there, you know? I got good by listening to Premo..like everybody got good by trying to analyze somebody, so if he was analyzing me to a little bit at that point, that's cool. I know for a fact without getting into details cause me and him spoke before and it was like even one time when I was over there and he was asking me questions and it was like..I didn't see what was going on but homeboy was...smart and had his plans together..he knew on the low. And I just didn't see it. But now I realize alright look, there's just certain things you have to be conscious of when you go around and do beats, and I never thought I could be that size of an artist or even be that much. I never considered myself like that, like someone would take my shit and analyze it, you know what I mean? And that's really what was going on to a degree, you know what I'm saying? That's why now when I look back on it, its all good cause we're all here doing our thing. When my album comes out, people are gonna hear it and its gonna be obvious like..."are you influenced by Kanye"...people who don't know, the masses may not know but people in the game know. That's why I don't trip on it and that's why...you know the fact that I'm rhyming on some of my stuff...now the fact that he blew makes it more like "oh you doing this because of him?" And its gonna be clear when I come and do what I do that its two different artists, with much respect for each other and influence on each other, but its like on two different planes, you know what I'm saying? Plus I've been [rhyming] since I was 15, like I had a video and all that when I was 15 and was like birthed into the game as a rapper. It's just a progression that I've been through, so when I do come out and do what I do, its not gonna be a shock cause I'm gonna give people the history, you know what I'm saying? So they'll be like "I seen where he came from and where he's at now." But as far as the soul sampling thing goes, I don't trip off of it, and people who know [rap] know, and I continue to do the type of shit I do, and when they hear how I do it and the way that I do it, they can tell that its in my own format, know what I'm saying? But it doesn't steer me away from using it, like the fact that they blew it up so much its like "oh I can't make beats like that anymore." I don't feel that way, cause I do my shit in my own way, where I feel like you can tell me or his beat, pretty much in the drums, just to get real technical..but I think it will be clear at the end of the day.
A: It's cool that you bring that up too because people who know me amongst the circle, we all know that shit, you know what I mean? It's just something we don't really blow up too much cause I don't wanna sound like the obvious..But if you really wanna trace it back man, I got that shit from Muggs. Muggs was the original Stacks-sampling, he used to sample from those Memphis records, he was big on that Memphis soul, like down south soul, know what I mean, but it was more funky. They reach into other categories of soul..I mean Muggs did it, RZA did it, obviously Just and Kanye took it to a whole other level, you know, cause they were working with artists like Jay and stuff that was just heard by the masses, you feel me? That's why I feel like the Blueprint album [Jay-Z] was a good turning point, and after that, every label and every A&R will tell you that a million beat CDs from kids with all these vocal samples and shit, like it was just following a trend. But if you really do the math, you could listen to the H.N.I.C. album [Prodigy of Mobb Deep], when I did that shit on that song with Pee and his girl, it was called "Trials of Love," and that was a Lou Bond (?) record that I used, and then at the end of the song, the whole song plays out, with the singing, and its like we been doing that. Me and Pee always laugh about that like, we been doing this shit, its all good. Also, not for nothing, when the Blueprint album was going down.You know my man is an A&R at Roc-A-Fella, Hip Hop. [He's] been over there forever, now hes much bigger than that. In the beginning he was doing A&R and...I was around when they were doing Blueprint 1, I was coming by Baseline [Roc-A-Fella Studios], bringing beat CDs. I knew what they were up to, I heard a couple of the songs, I saw where they were going, I was like "oh perfect." Right up my alley. I had that shit for em, and I was coming through there playing beats, and..you know....now I realize what was happening, you know what I'm saying? Cause there was one particular incident when Kanye was there..Kanye West is my man, I love him and I'm just proud of the shit he's done and how he just went with his game, you know? But I mean, he knows what time it is, you know without me going and breaking it all down cause...None of my beats were making the Blueprint 1 album, and then when the album came out I'm like...there was a lot of shit that sounded like..it wasn't straight up the same sample, it was just the influence, it was the same sound I had. I had that sound at that time, you know what I'm saying? And the fact that I wasn't getting on that album I realized down the line, they were managing Kanye at the time, you know what I'm saying? So they was having me bring beats through and it was like, "Yea we like #2, we like #5, put it on CD," and I would leave, and they was playing em for him [claps for emphasis] and whoever else they were managing, Just [Blaze] like..."This is what you gotta top out. You don't want us to give this to Jay do you?" Like they weren't making money off of Alchemist, so it was like, these dudes they were managing..it was pretty much the same similar sound, they knew he [Kanye] could make beats of that status, you know what I'm saying? So they was kind of like, using me as fuel for his fire, which was smart, know what I'm saying? I didn't realize it at the time, I probably wouldn't even have been leaving beat CDs over there, you know? I got good by listening to Premo..like everybody got good by trying to analyze somebody, so if he was analyzing me to a little bit at that point, that's cool. I know for a fact without getting into details cause me and him spoke before and it was like even one time when I was over there and he was asking me questions and it was like..I didn't see what was going on but homeboy was...smart and had his plans together..he knew on the low. And I just didn't see it. But now I realize alright look, there's just certain things you have to be conscious of when you go around and do beats, and I never thought I could be that size of an artist or even be that much. I never considered myself like that, like someone would take my shit and analyze it, you know what I mean? And that's really what was going on to a degree, you know what I'm saying? That's why now when I look back on it, its all good cause we're all here doing our thing. When my album comes out, people are gonna hear it and its gonna be obvious like..."are you influenced by Kanye"...people who don't know, the masses may not know but people in the game know. That's why I don't trip on it and that's why...you know the fact that I'm rhyming on some of my stuff...now the fact that he blew makes it more like "oh you doing this because of him?" And its gonna be clear when I come and do what I do that its two different artists, with much respect for each other and influence on each other, but its like on two different planes, you know what I'm saying? Plus I've been [rhyming] since I was 15, like I had a video and all that when I was 15 and was like birthed into the game as a rapper. It's just a progression that I've been through, so when I do come out and do what I do, its not gonna be a shock cause I'm gonna give people the history, you know what I'm saying? So they'll be like "I seen where he came from and where he's at now." But as far as the soul sampling thing goes, I don't trip off of it, and people who know [rap] know, and I continue to do the type of shit I do, and when they hear how I do it and the way that I do it, they can tell that its in my own format, know what I'm saying? But it doesn't steer me away from using it, like the fact that they blew it up so much its like "oh I can't make beats like that anymore." I don't feel that way, cause I do my shit in my own way, where I feel like you can tell me or his beat, pretty much in the drums, just to get real technical..but I think it will be clear at the end of the day.
