Illuminati 2G kicked it with one of the illest lyricists to touch a mic, Kurupt, for a special interview. Roscoe was also scheduled to be in on the interview but was unable to make it so Kurupt held it down solo. We discuss the new Frank & Jess album that he has with his brother Roscoe, BIG announcement and news regarding a new collabo album he is doing with a certain producer and some other projects that are back on, his favorite track we did with Roscoe and we look back at a classic DPG track from back in the day. Sit back and enjoy.
Illuminati 2G Interview With Kurupt (12/20/08)
KURUPT INTERVIEW
Illuminati 2G kicked it with one of the illest lyricists to touch a mic, Kurupt, for a special interview. Roscoe was also scheduled to be in on the interview but was unable to make it so Kurupt held it down solo. We discuss the new Frank & Jess album that he has with his brother Roscoe, BIG announcement and news regarding a new collabo album he is doing with a certain producer and some other projects that are back on, his favorite track we did with Roscoe and we look back at a classic DPG track from back in the day. Sit back and enjoy.
For audio of the interview click on the link below:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5305792398faf9c3/
Illuminati 2G is here with Kurupt how's it going?
What's the word playa, what's the word?
Alright let's get right into the new album, Frank & Jess Story with Roscoe, definitely long time coming and overdue. How did you guys link up with John Silva to put that album together?
Oh man my nigga Daz did a album with him called Gangsta Party, I kind of liked the production on that and the they that they did that. John hollered at me and wanted to do something proper, so I told him he should do something with me and my brother Roscoe because right now he is on fire. He fucked with us from there and he started showing me some beats and I was like yeah we got to do this. So we knocked it out.
Do you guys have a official single or video for any of the songs on the project?
Well you know I kind of went with the way John wanted to do it. He wanted to put everything in the stores right now and now we are going to knock out these videos after we got a certain amount of buzz. I guess it was a business thing, he wanted to see what it was going to bring back. Actually we are scheduled to go to Seattle and film the video for the album, which is me, Kokane and Scodie. We also have another one with me and Too $hort that is pretty super for the album. We just putting it together from there. We knocking the videos out right now, putting it together and having a ball with the project.
Both you and Roscoe are definitely lyricists on the mic. What was the creative process if any you guys went through when you created the album?
Basically me and Scodie we just like to get on the mic and bust. So we just started to get into a conceptual thing just to deal with a couple situations that is happening in our communities now a days. Like the song All I Need, you know I have been away from my homies for so long, that now that we are together we are going so strong. We spoke on that on the song with me, Scodie and Daz that really talks about the closeness of being with your homies and having a ball with your folks and living life good and the importance of having friends in your life. Then we are dealing with some other real subject matters dealing with the environment of life. Then Scoldie came up with the idea for one that deals with feeding our family. Because that is what we are in this for, to get the cheese to feed our families and take care of these kids that we got. We all grown now and got children. The rest of the album is about having fun and being in the strip clubs and throwing ones at these SLUTS!!! (laughs) Nah I am just playing, I ain't disrespecting these strippers man, let the strippers be man, I fucks with yall 100% man, we fucks with them 100% man. Get the G's!
Do you guys have any other plans to work with John Silva on any other future projects for High Powered?
Oh definitely man, we are going to do another Frank & Jess album. That is me and Scodie's whole gig. Because I am Frank James and he is Jesse James. But yeah we working on another one of those as well as me and Kokane got a project together that we are putting to the table. So we are slapping that together right now as well that John Silva is going to oversee so we got alot of future projects that are going to be coming out.
That leads right into my next question. Any other collabos that you are talking about doing? I know you got alot of projects that you are talking about doing that you want to get out in the next year or so.
Well basically me and DJ Quik got a album that we are planning to drop the first of the year. It's going to be a real big, independent record. The got music on there that is going to be real futuristic. It is really off the planet and it touches to our original sound that we love. DJ Quik put his foot in the production with it, so I got that slapping on them. I got a solo album as well, so I got alot of things coming out, we just doing it step by step. I got some movies coming as well, I touch all these games, you dig what I am saying? And do the best in each.
Still on the collabo subject, one producer I love to hear you on their production is DJ Muggs. Muggs is working with alot of different artists like Planet Asia and Sick Jacken from Psycho Realm. Have you ever thought about doing a whole album with Muggs overseeing the production?
Speak of the devil, I just got finished talking with Muggs and he is actually going to do a entire album on me, a solo album. I am putting that in effect as we speak. That is weird that you brought that up because I just spoke with Muggs. My peoples is over there with Cypress, told them about Muggs doing a whole album on me. Muggs is 100% with it so we are going to start flying off with that at the top of the year. Muggs will be doing all the production on the album so that is weird that you brought that up. We are definitely going to push that line, me and Muggs we make classics together.
Yeah I know that you were on Cypress Hill's Stoned Raiders album and you were on 2 tracks on the Soul Assassins Volume 2 so I always think his production always fit your lyrical style so I always wanted to hear more collaborations from you guys.
I got a couple records that I did with Muggs that I got for my own project that I just kept in the vaults and that is what I have been listening to lately and that is why I was actually hitting up Muggs any saying you know what, lets just get together and do a whole gig. I want you to produce my whole solo album. We putting that together right now.
Damn that is crazy. I also hear a rumor going on out there that possibly Rakim is going to be involved with this Blaqkout project with you and Quik?
Yeah why not. Quik and Terrace Martin went out there and knocked out some bomb records with the R. Basically we are talking to him and Raekwon about getting on this album with me and Quik. So we will see how it works out. Both of them are very busy, hopefully it will all play out in the end.
How is the new Dogg Pound album coming along, 100 Wayz. You guys have a release date or anything? I seen the video for Yall Know What I'm Doing with Turf Talk, you guys dropped the video a few weeks ago.
Yeah we blasted that out there. Me and Daz are just cleaning it all up right now and mastering the album. We are finished mixing and we are mastering now. Actually we put a stoppage on it because Snoopy heard some things and he was like you know what, you guys need to pause for a second and let me finish taking a look at this album that yall got. Now Snoopy is putting his foot in it. Right now we are just pausing and waiting to see what Snoopy wants to do man, because he got a great plan for the Dogg Pound man and that is a big thing. That is where we are at right now, we are just waiting on Snoop to finish doing what he wants to do with the gig and in the meantime we are mastering as we speak.
Do you have any plans or are there any albums set to come out on Pentagon Records either later this year or in 2009?
Definitely. My solo album is going to be coming the first of the summer. Summer of next year is when we drop our first Pentagon album, Street Life produced by Terrace Martin. That is what we are going to do, first single is produced by Pete Rock, he put his foot in it, Yessir.
We coming with that first and after that we got Roscoe scheduled to be dropping his album. After that actually we have another Roscoe project called West Coast Customs which we plan on dropping. We got a couple of these gigs that is going to be moving. Young Tone we planning on releasing, Slo Stallone, YA album, we got a album on Gail Gotti that Gail is putting together, the Gail Gotti album is going to be dropping. We also have The RedBones, which is Gail's group, her and her sister Virginia Slimm. We still pushing the lines, still all Pentagon, and we plan on doing everything we said we was going to do when we first got started and everybody is ready, everybody is on fire, so we are just going to make it happen.
And is everything still in plans for you and Gail to do a duo album also?
Definitely. Also the Rifleman album and the Horseman album I plan on releasing through my gig with Fontana/Universal. I got alot of projects right now. I am just right now sorting them all out. Me and Gail our album we are just putting that together but I think I am going to let Gail breathe a little bit and do her own thing first and let her stuff fly first and then we will actually buckle down and do this. I run the whole company with Gail and she is my backbone through this whole gig. We are so busy trying to get these other projects together, we are going to keep it business and take care of these other projects before we have a ball, because when we drop our album, it's going to be like swimming. We going to be dolphins in the water, it's natural to us and I am a shark, Great White, so you know that is going to be fun for us. Before we can have fun, we gonna knock out this biz.
You and your brother Roscoe have done quite a few songs together. Do you have a personal favorite out of all of them? Jealousy, I Call Shots. What is a personal favorite of yours?
Wow, personal favorite of me and Scodie. Has to be a new one, because we had the most fun on it. It is called Lapdance, off of the Frank & Jess Story. We had a ball on that fucking record. That is our favorite man. You can even ask Scoldie what is his favorite and he will say Lapdance is the one. Give me a lapdance, that motherfucker is so banging. We just had fun doing it, we did not give a fuck about anything, and it was just a fun time making that particular record.
I got one throwback question for you. The first Dogg Pound track I ever heard was and just to show people how much of a fan I am, is off the Poetic Justice soundtrack, the Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck song....
(Kurupt hums the piano loop)
YES!!!, EXACTLY (laughs)
Could you tell me some good memories of making that song that you remember?
Definitely man that was the first record that really put me and Daz really on the map, as the Dogg Pound. That was the first Dogg Pound record. Everything before that was Kurupt and Daz it was Daz and then Kurupt. On the Chronic I was a solo artist, Daz was a DJ, producer and a solo aritst. That is Daz scratching on Rat-A-Tat-Tat on the Chronic. Then we made Tha Dogg Pound. When we made the Dogg Pound the first official record was Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck and you know who wrote that record?
Who wrote that?
Snoop. Snoop wrote it.
Hmmm
Yessir, for the Poetic Justice soundtrack. Snoop wrote the first verse and the second verse and me and Daz got the opportunity to write our own third verses which was like 8 bars a piece, which was real big for us. It was real big because you know what, this is the first one where we are highlighted as Tha Dogg Pound featuring Snoop, that was huge for us. We was like what, we rolling, we just made the group up, Dr. Dre was like yeah that is a tight name and Snoop was like yeah we pushing this and Suge was like fuck it lets go full scale I love it. Me and Daz we in the game now. Bam, Snoop wrote that record and said let the Dogg Pound do it. Then that is how we got our chance man, that was the first official Dogg Pound record, Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck.
Yeah that was a classic joint.
Oh I am glad you appreciate it like we do man.
Definitely. Well that is all the questions I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?
Just tell everybody to get that Frank & Jess Story man. We are going to knock out these videos coming up and make it real big and shoot it to every place possible. We love the support and just keep it pushing and keep it DPG'd up!
Appreciate the interview.
Illuminati 2G Interview With Kurupt (12/20/08)
KURUPT INTERVIEW
Illuminati 2G kicked it with one of the illest lyricists to touch a mic, Kurupt, for a special interview. Roscoe was also scheduled to be in on the interview but was unable to make it so Kurupt held it down solo. We discuss the new Frank & Jess album that he has with his brother Roscoe, BIG announcement and news regarding a new collabo album he is doing with a certain producer and some other projects that are back on, his favorite track we did with Roscoe and we look back at a classic DPG track from back in the day. Sit back and enjoy.
For audio of the interview click on the link below:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/5305792398faf9c3/
Illuminati 2G is here with Kurupt how's it going?
What's the word playa, what's the word?
Alright let's get right into the new album, Frank & Jess Story with Roscoe, definitely long time coming and overdue. How did you guys link up with John Silva to put that album together?
Oh man my nigga Daz did a album with him called Gangsta Party, I kind of liked the production on that and the they that they did that. John hollered at me and wanted to do something proper, so I told him he should do something with me and my brother Roscoe because right now he is on fire. He fucked with us from there and he started showing me some beats and I was like yeah we got to do this. So we knocked it out.
Do you guys have a official single or video for any of the songs on the project?
Well you know I kind of went with the way John wanted to do it. He wanted to put everything in the stores right now and now we are going to knock out these videos after we got a certain amount of buzz. I guess it was a business thing, he wanted to see what it was going to bring back. Actually we are scheduled to go to Seattle and film the video for the album, which is me, Kokane and Scodie. We also have another one with me and Too $hort that is pretty super for the album. We just putting it together from there. We knocking the videos out right now, putting it together and having a ball with the project.
Both you and Roscoe are definitely lyricists on the mic. What was the creative process if any you guys went through when you created the album?
Basically me and Scodie we just like to get on the mic and bust. So we just started to get into a conceptual thing just to deal with a couple situations that is happening in our communities now a days. Like the song All I Need, you know I have been away from my homies for so long, that now that we are together we are going so strong. We spoke on that on the song with me, Scodie and Daz that really talks about the closeness of being with your homies and having a ball with your folks and living life good and the importance of having friends in your life. Then we are dealing with some other real subject matters dealing with the environment of life. Then Scoldie came up with the idea for one that deals with feeding our family. Because that is what we are in this for, to get the cheese to feed our families and take care of these kids that we got. We all grown now and got children. The rest of the album is about having fun and being in the strip clubs and throwing ones at these SLUTS!!! (laughs) Nah I am just playing, I ain't disrespecting these strippers man, let the strippers be man, I fucks with yall 100% man, we fucks with them 100% man. Get the G's!
Do you guys have any other plans to work with John Silva on any other future projects for High Powered?
Oh definitely man, we are going to do another Frank & Jess album. That is me and Scodie's whole gig. Because I am Frank James and he is Jesse James. But yeah we working on another one of those as well as me and Kokane got a project together that we are putting to the table. So we are slapping that together right now as well that John Silva is going to oversee so we got alot of future projects that are going to be coming out.
That leads right into my next question. Any other collabos that you are talking about doing? I know you got alot of projects that you are talking about doing that you want to get out in the next year or so.
Well basically me and DJ Quik got a album that we are planning to drop the first of the year. It's going to be a real big, independent record. The got music on there that is going to be real futuristic. It is really off the planet and it touches to our original sound that we love. DJ Quik put his foot in the production with it, so I got that slapping on them. I got a solo album as well, so I got alot of things coming out, we just doing it step by step. I got some movies coming as well, I touch all these games, you dig what I am saying? And do the best in each.
Still on the collabo subject, one producer I love to hear you on their production is DJ Muggs. Muggs is working with alot of different artists like Planet Asia and Sick Jacken from Psycho Realm. Have you ever thought about doing a whole album with Muggs overseeing the production?
Speak of the devil, I just got finished talking with Muggs and he is actually going to do a entire album on me, a solo album. I am putting that in effect as we speak. That is weird that you brought that up because I just spoke with Muggs. My peoples is over there with Cypress, told them about Muggs doing a whole album on me. Muggs is 100% with it so we are going to start flying off with that at the top of the year. Muggs will be doing all the production on the album so that is weird that you brought that up. We are definitely going to push that line, me and Muggs we make classics together.
Yeah I know that you were on Cypress Hill's Stoned Raiders album and you were on 2 tracks on the Soul Assassins Volume 2 so I always think his production always fit your lyrical style so I always wanted to hear more collaborations from you guys.
I got a couple records that I did with Muggs that I got for my own project that I just kept in the vaults and that is what I have been listening to lately and that is why I was actually hitting up Muggs any saying you know what, lets just get together and do a whole gig. I want you to produce my whole solo album. We putting that together right now.
Damn that is crazy. I also hear a rumor going on out there that possibly Rakim is going to be involved with this Blaqkout project with you and Quik?
Yeah why not. Quik and Terrace Martin went out there and knocked out some bomb records with the R. Basically we are talking to him and Raekwon about getting on this album with me and Quik. So we will see how it works out. Both of them are very busy, hopefully it will all play out in the end.
How is the new Dogg Pound album coming along, 100 Wayz. You guys have a release date or anything? I seen the video for Yall Know What I'm Doing with Turf Talk, you guys dropped the video a few weeks ago.
Yeah we blasted that out there. Me and Daz are just cleaning it all up right now and mastering the album. We are finished mixing and we are mastering now. Actually we put a stoppage on it because Snoopy heard some things and he was like you know what, you guys need to pause for a second and let me finish taking a look at this album that yall got. Now Snoopy is putting his foot in it. Right now we are just pausing and waiting to see what Snoopy wants to do man, because he got a great plan for the Dogg Pound man and that is a big thing. That is where we are at right now, we are just waiting on Snoop to finish doing what he wants to do with the gig and in the meantime we are mastering as we speak.
Do you have any plans or are there any albums set to come out on Pentagon Records either later this year or in 2009?
Definitely. My solo album is going to be coming the first of the summer. Summer of next year is when we drop our first Pentagon album, Street Life produced by Terrace Martin. That is what we are going to do, first single is produced by Pete Rock, he put his foot in it, Yessir.
We coming with that first and after that we got Roscoe scheduled to be dropping his album. After that actually we have another Roscoe project called West Coast Customs which we plan on dropping. We got a couple of these gigs that is going to be moving. Young Tone we planning on releasing, Slo Stallone, YA album, we got a album on Gail Gotti that Gail is putting together, the Gail Gotti album is going to be dropping. We also have The RedBones, which is Gail's group, her and her sister Virginia Slimm. We still pushing the lines, still all Pentagon, and we plan on doing everything we said we was going to do when we first got started and everybody is ready, everybody is on fire, so we are just going to make it happen.
And is everything still in plans for you and Gail to do a duo album also?
Definitely. Also the Rifleman album and the Horseman album I plan on releasing through my gig with Fontana/Universal. I got alot of projects right now. I am just right now sorting them all out. Me and Gail our album we are just putting that together but I think I am going to let Gail breathe a little bit and do her own thing first and let her stuff fly first and then we will actually buckle down and do this. I run the whole company with Gail and she is my backbone through this whole gig. We are so busy trying to get these other projects together, we are going to keep it business and take care of these other projects before we have a ball, because when we drop our album, it's going to be like swimming. We going to be dolphins in the water, it's natural to us and I am a shark, Great White, so you know that is going to be fun for us. Before we can have fun, we gonna knock out this biz.
You and your brother Roscoe have done quite a few songs together. Do you have a personal favorite out of all of them? Jealousy, I Call Shots. What is a personal favorite of yours?
Wow, personal favorite of me and Scodie. Has to be a new one, because we had the most fun on it. It is called Lapdance, off of the Frank & Jess Story. We had a ball on that fucking record. That is our favorite man. You can even ask Scoldie what is his favorite and he will say Lapdance is the one. Give me a lapdance, that motherfucker is so banging. We just had fun doing it, we did not give a fuck about anything, and it was just a fun time making that particular record.
I got one throwback question for you. The first Dogg Pound track I ever heard was and just to show people how much of a fan I am, is off the Poetic Justice soundtrack, the Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck song....
(Kurupt hums the piano loop)
YES!!!, EXACTLY (laughs)
Could you tell me some good memories of making that song that you remember?
Definitely man that was the first record that really put me and Daz really on the map, as the Dogg Pound. That was the first Dogg Pound record. Everything before that was Kurupt and Daz it was Daz and then Kurupt. On the Chronic I was a solo artist, Daz was a DJ, producer and a solo aritst. That is Daz scratching on Rat-A-Tat-Tat on the Chronic. Then we made Tha Dogg Pound. When we made the Dogg Pound the first official record was Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck and you know who wrote that record?
Who wrote that?
Snoop. Snoop wrote it.
Hmmm
Yessir, for the Poetic Justice soundtrack. Snoop wrote the first verse and the second verse and me and Daz got the opportunity to write our own third verses which was like 8 bars a piece, which was real big for us. It was real big because you know what, this is the first one where we are highlighted as Tha Dogg Pound featuring Snoop, that was huge for us. We was like what, we rolling, we just made the group up, Dr. Dre was like yeah that is a tight name and Snoop was like yeah we pushing this and Suge was like fuck it lets go full scale I love it. Me and Daz we in the game now. Bam, Snoop wrote that record and said let the Dogg Pound do it. Then that is how we got our chance man, that was the first official Dogg Pound record, Niggaz Don't Give A Fuck.
Yeah that was a classic joint.
Oh I am glad you appreciate it like we do man.
Definitely. Well that is all the questions I have for you, appreciate you getting down for the interview. Is there any last words or shoutouts you want to get out there to the people?
Just tell everybody to get that Frank & Jess Story man. We are going to knock out these videos coming up and make it real big and shoot it to every place possible. We love the support and just keep it pushing and keep it DPG'd up!
Appreciate the interview.
