E-40 - The Ghetto Reporter
Saturday - May 13, 2006
E-40 E-40 comes from the Bay Area and is the “Undisputed King of Slang”. At this time 40 is very complacent with his accomplishments in the music industry. Since the beginning of his career and also being the legend that he is now, many rappers have absorbed his style and his use of slang by putting their own twist on it. And throughout the last decade, 40 has become an innovator and a great asset to the Urban Community and the Bay Area. On March 14, 2006 is the release of his album “My Ghetto Report Card” and he also has his first single from that album on MTV2 and BET “Tell Me When to Go” on heavy rotation.
After being with Jive for about “10 calendars”, E has decided to make change by signing with BME Records. His new album “My Ghetto Report Card” will be in stores on March 14, 2006, so all you E-40 fans make sure you pick it up and show this true legend of Hip Hop some love.
I think a lot of people may want to know what was it that made you come up with the idea for a slang dictionary and how did that all start ?
Because with me being from the Bay area, that’s just we do, it’s like our hobby it’s like what we major in. Like “Popping our peeve”, we’re just showcasing our ability to spit that good ole slang. You know, my words been a big, big part of hip hop and you know, it’s been over looked and other people have taken credit for it. So it’s like, let me go ahead and let it be known who the “Undisputed King of Slang” is.
From the reviews, this is a dictionary that is pocket sized, meaning that you can take this with you anywhere?
Yeah, that’s how I wanted to make it; I didn’t want it to look like a big old encyclopedia. There are enough pages that you can browse through it and say, “Okay I got this and this is the true meaning behind this”. And educating them on what’s going on with my slang.
You made a comment, “This is something that comes from my heart, I don’t want to seem like I’m robbing the streets; I want to give something back”. Why was this comment made and how is it that you plan to give back to the streets?
I feel like with rap, there is so much negativity and you know, the world doesn’t want to hear too much positive stuff. But I have a way to draw in the audiences that don’t want to hear it by spitting real shit. By spitting it real and when I say real shit, I mean by spitting things that people can really relate to. So my thing is to teach these cats instead of going ahead and spending that 50,000 that you got and going to go buy a Benz or something, you can spend half of that on a “fixer upper” house and then use the other half to buy you something that is reliable to get you from point A to point B and put something on your neck. You know something that you can showcase without looking too shabby but making you look good. Where I’m from, we know how to make it. I mean, we’re hustlers so we know how to make 1,000 look 10,000 you smell me, that’s what I’m into, you know.
Do you have any new projects coming out?
My new album is my “My Ghetto Report Card” coming in stores March 14, 2006.
Is that album under Jive or is this something that you worked on with BME Records?
Yes I worked with BME on the album.
And you’re signed to BME Records right?
Yeah that’s right, Sick Wid It/BME/Warner Brothers Records.
Why did you leave Jive and decide to collaborate with another label?
It was time for a new change; I was with Jive for “10 calendars” which is 10 years. I have been signed since 1994; you dig what I’m saying so it was just time for a change.
Before you became the legend that you are today in hip hop, you used to sell your mix tapes out the back of your trunk in the Bay Area. How does that make you feel as a person? How far you have come now looking back?
It makes me feel good because you know; a lot of people took a page out of my “Independent Hustle Book”. I feel good and that’s what I am about and I’m glad a lot of people have made money by looking up to people like me and watching how I get it. You know me and my organization “The Click” you know what I mean so you know I feel real good about it.
Being that you have been in the industry for such a long time, do you feel that you are a role model for some of the younger artist?
Definitely, I feel the rap game without me is like old folks without Bingo. I think the rap game would be boring. I know a lot of people grow up with me especially with my “start, stop and go smooth top delivery”. You know I am mostly known for my slang but before I was even known for my slang I was known for my game and what I spit. So you know what I mean a lot of people grown up on my style of rap. So I know definitely I am an innovator and influence on a lot of rappers. I feel like everybody got a little E40 in them whether they know it or not.
What are some of your up and coming events?
You know, I’m just taking it step by step, you know, you can check out my video on MTV. It just got put into heavy rotation on MTV2, and you can check out the video on dang near every website there is and also BET, it will be on there any minute now. We’re going to hopefully get out there and let the world know in this rap game that I’m about to make an impact, me and the whole Bay Area.
And if you can, I would like you to give me three words that are in your slang dictionary along with their meanings .
One of the words that I have been using for a minute, but has so much influence and cats is probably now going to start to say it: “Yeah man I’ma be late I’ma be late at the airport I going to have to hurry up and get to the airport with the hurry-up-ness. You can say “Loan me a couple of dollars, I don’t got no Gouda cheese”. And also “It’s all gratifying”. It’s a spin off a word I put out there in the early 90’s like “It’s all good”, “its all gravy”, “and its all gravity” and now “It’s all gratifying”. Yeah and Gouda is a cheese for all the party people who’s late like Fema that don’t know.
What’s Fema?
Well you know a lot cats ain’t woke so I stay laced.
Do you have anything on myspace.com?
Yeah, it’s
www.myspace.com/E40
Well, thank you so much, it has been a pleasure to do this interview .
