http://www.illuminati2g.com/keakdasneakinterview.htm
When is the release date of Mobb Boss?
Keak da Sneak: May 18th is the date.
Straight from the horse’s mouth. Why did you title the album “Mobb Boss?”
Keak da Sneak: That’s how I feel – I’m a mob boss. With the bay area music, it started off [as a] mob. Hyphy is another word for mob. In the bay area, we make mob music. We make that trunk rattle. We’re talking about cats who like that bump in their car. 15’s, six 12’s, two 18’s, old school, you feel me? Too $hort, dangerous music – that was all mob music back then. The early E-40 and The Click, the west side. Mac Dre “California Livin”, B. Legit and so on. I can go on and on. It all goes back to mob music. That’s what they label my career, Hyphy music but I’ve just been doing good music and that’s always been mob. It doesn’t take an up-tempo beat to be Hyphy; that’s what people think. At the end of the day, it’s just good music but we label it mob music. I’m back on some mob shit on this album. That’s what I’m saying on this record.
How many producers on the album?
Keak da Sneak: Just one, [Big] Hollis and he produced the whole album.
What made you want to take it back to that old school mentality with one artist and one producer?
Keak da Sneak: I never really stopped with that. My last album, Mozart did the whole album. I like doing that. I get in a zone with one producer and knock it out. It’s all about chemistry. Me and Big Hollis always had some good chemistry anytime we do something together. It’s never just gone one way. It’s a two-man effort. I’m writing, he’s writing – we’re writing. We come up with hits together.
Speaking of you’re chemistry with Big Hollis, the two of you have done a lot of work together. Take us back to when you first met him – was the chemistry instantly there?
Keak da Sneak: Instantly. When I first met Big Hollis, it was around 1997. The first beat he did for me, he did 2-3 tracks on “The Farm Boyz” album.
Do you have any guest features on Mobb Boss?
Keak da Sneak: It’s really just my guys. This is really a Keak album. I don’t really put a lot of features on my albums. I do my albums to let people hear Keak. If I want to do a lot of features, I will do a compilation album or host a mixtape. I really like to hold my own weight.
The first single from the album is “Rims on Everything.” Tell the readers about that record.
Keak da Sneak: I like to put rims on all my cars. That’s like the thing. It breaks something else out the car. It gives the car that other look. Rims can really give the car a new look. Motherfuckers used to put vogues on shit. That’s like your shoes and when you get dressed. You put you’re shirt and pants together and then you match it with your shoes. That’s how we like to do with rims. It’s just like my truck which is black – I put 28’s on there, a chrome kit on it and I color-coded the 28’s black and left the chrome rims so it can color co-ordinate off everything.
Are you shooting a video for that record?
Keak da Sneak: We haven’t shot a video yet but I am shooting one. I haven’t shot it yet. We’re definitely shooting video to it. As of right now, I can’t say when – but soon though. It’ll probably be in the next week or so.
Are you planning a tour for the album?
Keak da Sneak: Yeah I am. Right now, we’re just letting the album come on out first. I’ve done all I can do in the bay and I still hold it down in the bay. Everything I do is for the bay but I want this album to get out to the world. I want the world to hear this shit. We’re gonna’ see where my sound scan is high at, those are the places I‘m gonna’ hit first.
That makes sense. Tell the readers how you hooked up with Yurps World Entertainment/Select-O-Hits?
Keak da Sneak: Yurps is from Elton [Ward] and his little nephew is apart of Time is Money Ent. – his name is Bruce Banner. I met Elton about a year or two ago. He’s a cool dude and is Bruce’s uncle. We both have a ’72 Lemans and that’s how we came close. It was on some, “we got acquainted because we got the same car/year shit”. Those Pontiacs are worth something, a lot of money right now. I know you’re a big deal if you have one of those cars. They don’t make them no more. If you have one, you have one. That’s how we first hooked up; on some old school shit. It was on some Pontiac shit.
I hadn’t seen him [Elton] in a while. Now that he and [Big] Hollis are working, we all got together and came up with a plan.
Hoopla Media [Group] has also been helping with this project, how did that come about?
That came from Elton [Ward] and Yurps [World Entertainment] and it’s been real smooth sailing.
Where do you feel you’re legacy sits in the bay area?
Keak da Sneak: My originality is a big thing; my voice. I’m a people person. I’m really humble and really from the bay. All my game and my swag, everything is from Oakland. I’m really from that era. I come from the Too $hort’s, E-40’s, Mac Dre’s – and then you have Keak da Sneak. That’s what it is. I can’t forget Tha Luniz and Dru Down. I’m Oakland period. I’m really one of those fixtures. I do good music and that’s how I lay it down. That’s how you make your own legacy; by making good music. I’ve been doing that since 3x Krazy.
You’re approaching album number 20. How do you manage to do that and record so much music and stay relevant?
Keak da Sneak: It’s a blessing first of all – it’s a blessing to still be relevant right now. I’ve been in the game so long. At the same time, I’ve put in a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. I’ve sacrificed a lot. I love music. It’s about loving to do it [music] before getting paid for it. I have a real love for doing music and being original. I’m one of those cats; I don’t like anybody and just want to be me. It took a lot of building but look what I’ve built.
Take us back to making to “Tell me when to Go” with E-40. Did you know it was gonna’ be a hit record when you made it?
Keak da Sneak: Yeah, I did. First of all, Lil Jon did the track. The song was a dope song (sings beat melody), you feel me? It was like wow! We were already on some ghost [ghost ride the whip] shit before we even got to the studio. I was already feeling Hyphy. That beat went well with the vibe I was already on. It came together. People sometimes take a period of time to write a song; they might take a couple days to vibe to it. This was one of those songs that came to me really quick. I wrote my verse in less than five minutes.
We did two songs that day. We did “Muscle Cars” first. That was the original song that I was coming to do for E-40; “Muscle Cars.” When I did that so quick and surprised them, he wanted me to do “Tell me when to Go.” He told me to go ahead and do a verse after the hook sounded so right.
What are your thoughts on the current bay area rap scene?
Keak da Sneak: Right now, the bay area is dope. Don’t sleep because we have a lot going on. We have a lot of up and coming artists putting in work right now. Stay tuned with the bay area right now. We got a lot of good things going on. A lot of good music is coming out of the bay, that mob music. There is a lot of mob music coming out this bay area right now. A lot of good artists and good groups, real dudes are coming out. They deserve to be in this game because they’re putting in work from all levels. We have the younger crowd starting their own trend right now. History is about to repeat itself with the bay area.
I really appreciate your time Keak. “Mobb Boss” the album is in stores May 18th and we urge all our readers to cop it. Do you have any last words before I let you go?
Keak da Sneak: To all the real Keak fans, this is definitely the Keak album for you. Make sure y’all go ahead and cop that, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you!
When is the release date of Mobb Boss?
Keak da Sneak: May 18th is the date.
Straight from the horse’s mouth. Why did you title the album “Mobb Boss?”
Keak da Sneak: That’s how I feel – I’m a mob boss. With the bay area music, it started off [as a] mob. Hyphy is another word for mob. In the bay area, we make mob music. We make that trunk rattle. We’re talking about cats who like that bump in their car. 15’s, six 12’s, two 18’s, old school, you feel me? Too $hort, dangerous music – that was all mob music back then. The early E-40 and The Click, the west side. Mac Dre “California Livin”, B. Legit and so on. I can go on and on. It all goes back to mob music. That’s what they label my career, Hyphy music but I’ve just been doing good music and that’s always been mob. It doesn’t take an up-tempo beat to be Hyphy; that’s what people think. At the end of the day, it’s just good music but we label it mob music. I’m back on some mob shit on this album. That’s what I’m saying on this record.
How many producers on the album?
Keak da Sneak: Just one, [Big] Hollis and he produced the whole album.
What made you want to take it back to that old school mentality with one artist and one producer?
Keak da Sneak: I never really stopped with that. My last album, Mozart did the whole album. I like doing that. I get in a zone with one producer and knock it out. It’s all about chemistry. Me and Big Hollis always had some good chemistry anytime we do something together. It’s never just gone one way. It’s a two-man effort. I’m writing, he’s writing – we’re writing. We come up with hits together.
Speaking of you’re chemistry with Big Hollis, the two of you have done a lot of work together. Take us back to when you first met him – was the chemistry instantly there?
Keak da Sneak: Instantly. When I first met Big Hollis, it was around 1997. The first beat he did for me, he did 2-3 tracks on “The Farm Boyz” album.
Do you have any guest features on Mobb Boss?
Keak da Sneak: It’s really just my guys. This is really a Keak album. I don’t really put a lot of features on my albums. I do my albums to let people hear Keak. If I want to do a lot of features, I will do a compilation album or host a mixtape. I really like to hold my own weight.
The first single from the album is “Rims on Everything.” Tell the readers about that record.
Keak da Sneak: I like to put rims on all my cars. That’s like the thing. It breaks something else out the car. It gives the car that other look. Rims can really give the car a new look. Motherfuckers used to put vogues on shit. That’s like your shoes and when you get dressed. You put you’re shirt and pants together and then you match it with your shoes. That’s how we like to do with rims. It’s just like my truck which is black – I put 28’s on there, a chrome kit on it and I color-coded the 28’s black and left the chrome rims so it can color co-ordinate off everything.
Are you shooting a video for that record?
Keak da Sneak: We haven’t shot a video yet but I am shooting one. I haven’t shot it yet. We’re definitely shooting video to it. As of right now, I can’t say when – but soon though. It’ll probably be in the next week or so.
Are you planning a tour for the album?
Keak da Sneak: Yeah I am. Right now, we’re just letting the album come on out first. I’ve done all I can do in the bay and I still hold it down in the bay. Everything I do is for the bay but I want this album to get out to the world. I want the world to hear this shit. We’re gonna’ see where my sound scan is high at, those are the places I‘m gonna’ hit first.
That makes sense. Tell the readers how you hooked up with Yurps World Entertainment/Select-O-Hits?
Keak da Sneak: Yurps is from Elton [Ward] and his little nephew is apart of Time is Money Ent. – his name is Bruce Banner. I met Elton about a year or two ago. He’s a cool dude and is Bruce’s uncle. We both have a ’72 Lemans and that’s how we came close. It was on some, “we got acquainted because we got the same car/year shit”. Those Pontiacs are worth something, a lot of money right now. I know you’re a big deal if you have one of those cars. They don’t make them no more. If you have one, you have one. That’s how we first hooked up; on some old school shit. It was on some Pontiac shit.
I hadn’t seen him [Elton] in a while. Now that he and [Big] Hollis are working, we all got together and came up with a plan.
Hoopla Media [Group] has also been helping with this project, how did that come about?
That came from Elton [Ward] and Yurps [World Entertainment] and it’s been real smooth sailing.
Where do you feel you’re legacy sits in the bay area?
Keak da Sneak: My originality is a big thing; my voice. I’m a people person. I’m really humble and really from the bay. All my game and my swag, everything is from Oakland. I’m really from that era. I come from the Too $hort’s, E-40’s, Mac Dre’s – and then you have Keak da Sneak. That’s what it is. I can’t forget Tha Luniz and Dru Down. I’m Oakland period. I’m really one of those fixtures. I do good music and that’s how I lay it down. That’s how you make your own legacy; by making good music. I’ve been doing that since 3x Krazy.
You’re approaching album number 20. How do you manage to do that and record so much music and stay relevant?
Keak da Sneak: It’s a blessing first of all – it’s a blessing to still be relevant right now. I’ve been in the game so long. At the same time, I’ve put in a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. I’ve sacrificed a lot. I love music. It’s about loving to do it [music] before getting paid for it. I have a real love for doing music and being original. I’m one of those cats; I don’t like anybody and just want to be me. It took a lot of building but look what I’ve built.
Take us back to making to “Tell me when to Go” with E-40. Did you know it was gonna’ be a hit record when you made it?
Keak da Sneak: Yeah, I did. First of all, Lil Jon did the track. The song was a dope song (sings beat melody), you feel me? It was like wow! We were already on some ghost [ghost ride the whip] shit before we even got to the studio. I was already feeling Hyphy. That beat went well with the vibe I was already on. It came together. People sometimes take a period of time to write a song; they might take a couple days to vibe to it. This was one of those songs that came to me really quick. I wrote my verse in less than five minutes.
We did two songs that day. We did “Muscle Cars” first. That was the original song that I was coming to do for E-40; “Muscle Cars.” When I did that so quick and surprised them, he wanted me to do “Tell me when to Go.” He told me to go ahead and do a verse after the hook sounded so right.
What are your thoughts on the current bay area rap scene?
Keak da Sneak: Right now, the bay area is dope. Don’t sleep because we have a lot going on. We have a lot of up and coming artists putting in work right now. Stay tuned with the bay area right now. We got a lot of good things going on. A lot of good music is coming out of the bay, that mob music. There is a lot of mob music coming out this bay area right now. A lot of good artists and good groups, real dudes are coming out. They deserve to be in this game because they’re putting in work from all levels. We have the younger crowd starting their own trend right now. History is about to repeat itself with the bay area.
I really appreciate your time Keak. “Mobb Boss” the album is in stores May 18th and we urge all our readers to cop it. Do you have any last words before I let you go?
Keak da Sneak: To all the real Keak fans, this is definitely the Keak album for you. Make sure y’all go ahead and cop that, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you!