Da Band Interviews

[Krazy Demon]

Ness of Da Band: Holding It Down
By Jayson Rodriguez

While Dylan and Fred made names for themselves as memorable TV characters with their antics on the finale of Making the Band 2, Ness remained focused on his craft in hopes of becoming just as memorable, but in the music business. Because of his focus, he, along with Babs, was selected by P.Diddy to remain with Bad Boy, albeit on a probationary basis. ?All I wanted was a chance,? Ness told AllHipHop.com of his being retained.

But some band mates believed Ness was the recipient of unwarranted favoritism. ?Diddy love Ness,? Sara remarked during one episode. He contends, however, it was his work ethic, coupled with his talent, which earned him the respect of the Bad Boy CEO. With numerous shots of the Philly-bred rapper in the studio, it appeared he worked harder than Donovan McNabb trying to find an open receiver in the NFC Championship Game. Here, Ness sets the record straight and talks about the show, Bad Boy Records and what?s next.

AllHipHop.com: So what?s been going on with you since the show has ended?

Ness: Just working on my album, trying to get Diddy to put out [my solo] album. It?s nothing official, right now everything?s just been words. In the midst of all that, I just dropped a mixtape called Rhyme or Crime: The Leak Vol. 1 Elliot Ness Presents. I jumped on a remix with Carl Thomas?the ?Make It Alright? remix. They about to drop the single ?My ?Hood.? The album?s called Nessessary. So I got a lot of things cookin?, man. In between that I take care of my daughter. I just got my plate full.

AllHipHop.com: On the last show, Diddy talked about keeping you and Babs, but on a probationary basis. Is that still the case or has it since been lifted?

Ness: Just yesterday he hollered at me and told me that we?re just gonna start putting songs out there. Basically, Diddy gave me a chance; he gave me a shot. Whether you sink or fail is up to you. I think I got the material to sail off into the sunset. I don?t think that I?ve been putting mediocre stuff together.

AllHipHop.com: I saw a DVD that had a bunch of Philly cats rhyming on it and you were on there going hard. Have you had a problem with the show where people see you as a character, rather than as someone who has skills?

Ness: From the jump, people saw it as a TV show, they didn?t actually respect the fact that it was [the] actual recording [of an album] and s**t. Now I?m just trying to get all the votes up in my favor. I?m definitely a real Hip-Hop artist. I love doing it. I would be doing it even it I wasn?t signed to Bad Boy. I just love creating and coming out with hot music. All you can do it keep coming with that music and after a while they ain?t gonna be able to deny it. It?s the same thing Jigga said, ?Come into the game they try to play you/ drop a couple of hits look how they wave to you.? So everybody?s time is coming.

AllHipHop.com: You mentioned how MTV focused on the drama, we?ve already talked with Dylan and Fred and they both complained about the editing of the show?

Ness: Man, I really?MTV is a TV show. [But] most of what you saw is real, so I can?t really be mad or complain about how they edit it. They chop up the situations and the comments about certain situations and try to stick it and paste it with another situation, which made it seem like we were talking about each other when we wasn?t. But in reality, these were the things that we said and these are the things that we did. Whether they showed a lot of the good parts or a lot of the bad parts, we signed a contract and really it was up to MTV.

AllHipHop.com: What?s your take on Fred and his phone call in the last episode?

Ness: I really didn?t feel no way about it. Fred talked like that all the time. That wasn?t the first time I heard Fred say that. Or that wasn?t the first time Fred told them he didn?t want to be in the group?to Bad Boy or to Puffy?s face. Fred, Chopper, they always go around saying they don?t want to be in the group no more, they tired of it, so it wasn?t new to me.

AllHipHop.com: Have you heard Dylan?s song ?Dear Diddy??

Ness: Nah, I?m not really focused on the negativity and all that with Dylan and Fred. Diddy gave us all the opportunity and it was up to us whether or not if we wanted to ride or fall off. Dylan is a grown man and chose to do what he wanted to do. He knew he had trouble with the system and you know you suppose to stay on point. Then again, I heard he left it up to Bad Boy to handle all his business, which is wrong because Bad Boy ain?t on probation he was. You can?t put your life and you future in the hands of another person. It was kinda like both sides tried to point the finger, but it was just a lack of communication. Dylan wasn?t communicating with his people, he left it up to Bad Boy. Bad Boy was telling Dylan everything was good and he was able to leave the city and perform with us. Then when he came back everything was screwed up.

AllHipHop.com: I wanted to ask you about your experience from season to season. I believe it was during the second season that you were caught up fighting and then this past season, as Fred told us, you were the quiet one.

Ness: Anybody who watched Making the Band they could see the growth. I?m talking about everybody. You seen other people get hungrier and you seen other people just lose the hunger. In the beginning, we was all fighting for recognition just to stand out. So I guess I got in a couple conflicts, physical disputes over my character. Diddy feels as though I was the captain or so-called leader, the other members feel jeopardized by that. Sometimes they try to lean on the favoritism thing, but when I signed up - I was there to win. So I can?t really get into the emotional side of the whole thing, because ain?t nobody ever gave me nothing. I went up there, rapped and Diddy liked it.

AllHipHop.com: With all the experiences you had with the show, whether it was good or bad, if MTV approached you with a show to follow your solo career, would you do it again?

Ness: I definitely would do it. If the check was right, I?d do anything at this point. I?m trying to be rich. I went to MTV about doing another show.

AllHipHop.com: Any last words?

Ness: Despite what they saying we all got love for each other. We squad. We always gonna be a part of Da Band. I got love for all my band members. I?m always representin? it. I got music out there. I got my own Web site enessonline.com. I got a chat box, so you can chat with me. I got pictures on there, behind the scenes of Making the Band. So everybody hop on that joint. Post Your Feedback.

 

[Krazy Demon]

Dylan: Airs It Out
By Jigsaw


When Dylan of Bad Boy's Da Band signed on the dotted line, he made history to become the first dancehall artist signed to the monolithic label. Now, he might make history as the first to depart as he is slated to drop a mixtape entitled "Life After Diddy," which is hosted by Brooklyn's DJ Sickamore.

Tonight, is the finale of MTV's "Making The Band II" season and Dylan had opted to add to the furor as millions tune in.

"It's called "Life After Diddy." Dylan told AllHipHop.com. "With all the controversy surrounding Da Band, I felt it was time to really let my lyrics out, make them feel me," Dylan said. "Any question people have about me, it's on that mixtape."

The band came to fruition as Sara, Young City (Choppa), Ness, Babs and Fred were all hand picked to be the next generation of Bad Boy artists. However, all of their exploits - good or bad - were captured on film by MTV's camera. Now, Dylan is about to tell his side of the story, much of which was left on the studio chopping block, he contended.

Dylan said he and CEO Sean Combs simply didn't see eye-to-eye the direction his career would take and refrains from using the word "beef" to describe their current relationship.

"I wouldn't say that we have beef. I would say it's more like creative differences," Da Band's reggae leg stated. "I felt disrespected by some things he said on TV so I responded and I gave him some words too."

Continuing, he said, "I'm like the only person that can make somebody worth $500 million feel pissed off. I got him real aggy right now. Me and him, we have our differences. I'm not f**king with [Diddy]. I'm cool with other people at Bad Boy."

He also said that he wasn't fond of the editing process behind the show.

"There is so much f**kin' editing. There are certain episodes where it seems like I am bugging out, but it never really happened like that. There are a lot of time when I respond to comments [Diddy] made and [the people] never get to see my response, dog," he said. "They made it seem like I was just quiet and taking it. You can't talk to me anyway - this is Brooklyn. I was like 'Where is my part.'"

While the ending of the show has yet to be revealed, he said he knows where he stands with himself.

"I am a dancehall lyricist above anything, yo. People look at me like 'Oh, he's just an act.' But, its more than an act. I would rather people respect me for my lyrics than because I am on MTV. I'm like let's take it to the root, lets take it to the streets," Dylan said.

Dylan not only took it to the streets, he took it to DJ Sickamore, one of the most popluar DJ's nationwide.
"It's all me and him," Sickamore said. "I'm co-signing like a mother fu**ker. It's all his music."

As the pair interview, Sean 'P.Diddy' Combs, Bad Boy CEO and executive producer of "Making The Band II" walks past with his entourage. There is no exchange, but Sickamore expected it to come at some point.

"Any ramifications, people can't tell me anything - I do what the streets tell me. I'm the streets. If the streets want me to do something, I do it. Every time I put out a diss record, the other rapper comes at me like 'Why'd you play that?' he said. "The reason why I am what I am right now, because I don't really care. When I start adjusting, that's when I am dead and I feel that [Dylan] is putting out great quality music. I'm not going to just put my neck on the line."

Dylan admitted that he is still contractually bound to Bad Boy and would have to contend with the industry politics later on. "I'm not out of the contract," he said. Despite his conflicts with Diddy, Dylan said he still had love for his cohorts in Da Band.

"Da Band is my family, dog. No matter what the label head [says], we are the ones that walked to get the cheesecake. We still f**k with each other. We might do something together tomorrow, but I also got to establish myself as a solo artist. People gotta know what I am dealing with and [I have to] make myself shine."

A huge part of getting that shine was starting his own company, Nu G.U.N., the dancehall artist said.

"That stands for Nu (new) Gorilla United Nations. I incorporated that. I have to make sure my family eats too," Dylan stated.

Although Dylan is doing his own thing, he refused to confirm or deny whether or not he truly wanted off Bad Boy, no matter how powerful the mixtape title suggested.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time. I'm not actively trying to [get out of the deal]," he emphasized.

Since Wyclef appeared on "The Band," there has been speculation that he would become the musical statesman's protégé, but Dylan only recognizes them as good friends.

"You never know what can happen. Wyclef is a big supporter of everything that I do. He Co-signed the first song 'Dear Diddy,'" he said. "Me and 'Clef chill every other day if I am in New York City."

More than signing to 'Clef or staying with Diddy, Dylan said he wants the masses to feel what he is doing right now.

"This album is something," he said. "I need the people on the streets to hear what I am doing. This is the end of the show, but it's the beginning of Dylan."

 

[Krazy Demon]

Fred of Da Band: Lord Willin
By By Damainion Ewell


On the final episode of MTV?s ?Making The Band 2.? the world saw Fred just quit, refusing to return from his Florida home to venture back to New York. In a profanity-laced blaze of glory, the Miami-native cursed out P.Diddy?s handlers (and Da Band?s manager) in a way that truly oozed exasperation and frustration. Things are often different they they seem, especially in reality TV, he maintains. Through the power of editing, he feels as if his (and the entire band?s) image has been distorted unfairly.

Nevertheless, the appeal of the show cannot be denied and its popularity translated into Da Band?s ?Too Hot For TV? moving roughly 800,000 units strong. Much of that success grew into emptiness to Fred, who was known for his gritty rhymes and animated stage presence. In an exclusive with Allhiphop.com, Fred speaks on his former band mates, why he feels the show was ended, and the possibility of life after Bad Boy.

AllHipHop.com: Tell the world your side of the story with Puff breaking up Da Band.

Fred: Basically, it was nothing. It is what it is. It?s a show and they did what they had to do. The reason for me leaving is I got my own issues, you know what I?m saying? Everybody in Da Band had somebody that took care of them. I ain?t never came up like that, dog. I?m came up a different kind of way, man. All the issues them motherf**kers have, you know what I?m saying? It?s like, it?s all love and you grow fond of a motherf**ker like they are your brother or sister, but in reality, it?s not. Therefore, why am I suffering for these problems? That?s how I felt. I?m through with that s**t, man. On top of that, the money wasn?t right. Ni**as should be halfway millionaires, but everybody?s getting f**ked. Everybody in the f**king band had problems. The only problem I had was being away from my family.

AllHipHop.com: Rumor has it, the first contract you signed was for something like $8,000?

Fred: Man, that s**t was crazy. We signed contracts before we met Puff. So either way it goes, we was f**ked. We wound up having to get [Diddy?s manager] Phil Robinson [as Da Band?s manager], which was kind of a bad idea and kind of a good idea. In the long run, it hurt us, but at the time we needed him. That kept a lot of money from coming our way. Shows were getting canceled and all types of s**t. I?m the type of ni**a that feels like if I got to get it like that, I?d rather get it on the street. I don?t need to be hustlin? for another motherf**ker who?s getting way more money than I am off a project. But it?s all love. A ni**a ain?t got no hate. What more can he do for me but take from me?

I?m focused on my own project. I got a clothing line called ?Eddie Kane.? The name of my group is ?Hardheadz.? My diapers and pacifier game is about to hit the streets in a minute. I?m fittin? to do it different. A ni**a can?t hold me down. I?m rich. I didn?t make more than $65,000 with Bad Boy, but I?m rich. Not with money, just my face. My face can generate money at any time. I got a couple of deals on the table now, but I?m looking for the major label deal. I got this album fittin? to come out called Life?s What You Make It. The streets need to know about that.

AllHipHop.com: What did the whole Bad Boy experience teach you about the game and the music industry?

Fred: I learned a lot from Puff. He didn?t teach us nothing, but we watched from the outside. You?ve got some CEOs who?ll teach you about the game and want to see you do good. Then you got some ni**as that?s only about business. We didn?t even have a budget; you know what I?m saying? We don?t know what was spent. We didn?t do too much spending because MTV paid for everything. They was paying Puff rent for us staying in the house and they was making money off the show. Money was generating everywhere for them. I feel them, though, because when you look at something like that, it?s an opportunity. [Puff] looked at it like there was more money to be made.

He didn?t know us from a hole in the wall. In the beginning when he took a crack at it, I could see he was pimpin? us the first season. He got off hard. The second season, I could still see he was doing it, but he was looking out for ni**as. His whole intention was to show the world that he brought these ni**as from the hood, did something for them, and he didn?t have to. That?s the whole thing they are trying to get the world to believe. If your heart was really like that, around the second season, you would have made sure ni**as was straight. Due to the success we brought them, I would have made sure Da Band was halfway millionaires. You would think he would have the audacity to at least look out for a motherf**ker, but it?s all good. He brought me where I?m at. And he can?t take that from me. That?s something God took me through. I had to go through that to get here.

AllHipHop.com: Talk about some of the portrayals of the band members and if all of what we saw on TV was actually true.

Fred: How could you tell the world you are going to kick out somebody like me? They convinced the world that Dylan is a rebel, Babs starts s**t, Chopper is immature, and they tried to convince the world that Ness was quiet, but due to the second season, we all know that he has another side. But I respect that; I respect all of them. There were little things on the show that was meant to sabotage me. Like when they played our songs in his office and they played my beat. On every beat that came with my voice and he said he didn?t like the hook. It wasn?t a beat I actually rapped over. It was a beat that MTV played and made it sound offbeat.

Allhiphop.com: They edited the show to make it sound that way?

Fred: Yeah, it was some editing s**t. When Ness?s s**t came off, he was the only one that got his real beat from the studio. When they tried to make it seem like Ness was the only one in the studio, I didn?t like that. That?s something I took real personal. They know in their heart who they had the most work from. They can?t stop me, man. That little move didn?t stop me. The devil?s going to throw sticks and stones, but you got to get where you are going, though.

AllHipHop.com: We spoke to Dylan recently about some of the other editing that was supposedly going on. According to him, the show was edited to make it seem like Puff blatantly threw him out in the street. Is that how things went down?

Fred: On some real s**t, it just happened like a week ago. Da Band?s show has been over for a month. They wanted to come back last week to film, and we were in North Carolina. I got tired of those motherf**kers just popping up. They don?t know what we may be doing. They just want us to jump on a plane and go get a $1,000 check, when another motherf**ker might get a $100,000 check. Puff?s going to get his check and it?s going to be real big. On the last episode, they want a ni**a to just jump up and come back, not knowing I?m already grinding. I ain?t heard nothing from Bad Boy, ain?t seen no Bad Boy, and they canceled our shows in December, so ni**as is getting their paper on their own. Now that I?m making my paper, they just asked me to jump and come back to New York to do a show. I got another show to do that?s going to pay me $4,000 just to appear. I?m renting this car and I?m renting it by the week, so I?m spending money to make money. Bad Boy ain?t generating no money in my cycle.

AllHipHop.com: How did that make you feel?

I got tired of that s**t. That was like the 18th time that s**t had happened. Fred can?t take too much more of the bulls**t! I?m about business, but the bulls**t can stay away from me. I don?t know how to deal with fakeness and bulls**t. I ain?t scared of nobody, and I always trained myself to have no reason to lie. The worse thing a motherf**ker can do is tell me no, but they can?t do nothing to me. As you can see, I?m the only one that didn?t have an episode. That?s because I didn?t have issues like that. During the 3rd season, I was just here for a check. I know that they was taking my life and making millions and millions of dollars, and I was getting $600 a week! That was for a three month period.

Once the three month period ran out, I didn?t get any royalties from the show if my music didn?t get played on the show. I did everything I had to do as an artist. I noticed that I was a character and my artistic skills weren?t being shown. But right now, I?m just chillin?, man. I?m low-key right now; I?m off from the world. On focusing on June 1st, when my beats come out. That?s when I?m going to let the grind out.

 

[Young Bo$$]

Dylan recently interviewed at www.mrrigglashow.com