The Federation: It Feels So Much Better
Monday - September 25, 2006
— by Jay Casteel
The Bay Area continues to get more and more shine in hip-hop today. They're even beginning to sign deals with major labels. But since E-40's My Ghetto Report dropped, there has yet to be a Bay Area artist/artists to take their contagious hyphy movement to the next level. Super producer Rick Rock and his trio, The Federation, are up for the challenge, as they prep the release of the Warner Bros. debut It's Whateva.
In a relaxed setting in their new label's offices, Federation members Donnie Baby, Goldie and Stresmatic joked about their past label situation with Virgin and how Warner is a better lover, why they feel their new album is Grammy worthy and why the hyphy movement is not actually a movement.
BallerStatus.com: I understand two of you are originally from the South. How was it that you made your way to the Bay? And how did your Southern upbringing influence your style?
Doonie Baby: In the group, there is only one that was originally from the South. The other person was Rick Rock; that's out producer. How did it influence us? I don't know. I'm just being me. Just being me I guess.
I think it really just added some spice to it. It's like if one of us were from New York, it'd have a little New York flavor to it and mixed in. I guess where everybody's from, it just adds to the chemistry.
BallerStatus.com: So Doon, you were originally from the South, so when did you make your way to the Bay?
Doonie Baby: I came out here the first week of '96. 10 years now.
BallerStatus.com: So, you just adjusted to the Bay Area lifestyle when you moved?
Doonie Baby: Yea. The Bay Area, it's not too much different... it's different in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways it's the same compared to the part of the South that I'm from. But style and dress, to a certain extent -- from the gold teeth, dreadlocks and cars -- it's the same. Just a little but different.
BallerStatus.com: Ok, so how was it that the three of you linked up originally? And where did Rick Rock come in?
Doonie Baby: Well, the way I linked up with Rick Rock was in Alabama. We was in two different rival cliques: his was called The Cleverheads and mine was the Misfits. We used to be battling at different shows and stuff. We had a mutual friend that was in my clique that kinda felt like the two cliques had to link up together. So, we started doing stuff together and that's how I met Rick.
BallerStatus.com: So, how did the rest of you get together?
Goldie: Me and [Stresmatic] went to high school together. I was a freshman and he was a junior. We used to shut down lunch, doing rap battles in the quad. But, me and Stres also went to church together. Stres was in the park the same day I got shot. So, I met Rick and Doonie when I was 16, when I was in a wheelchair all shot up and sh--." I used to talk sh--, saying "Can't nobody see me, I'm the tightest..." whatever. One day, a mutual friend who owned a record store -- he just happened to go to high school with Rick back in the day -- told Rick, "I got a youngster I want you to check out." Little did I know, it was my sh-- talking ass he was talking about. To prove my point, I'm here now.
Doonie brought Stres in like around 2000 or '99; we basically came up as a family together. We used to share the same covers, share the same clothes and f--- the same bitches. We more than anything a family, but we're in a group.
BallerStatus.com: What have you guys learned from each other by coming up in the game together?
Stresmatic: I learned that from everybody that it's easy to f--- bitches when you're a rapper. That's what I learned [laughing]...
Goldie: It feels sooo much better!
Doonie Baby: I think all of us learned from each other, as far as style wise, I learned a little a bit from Goldie and learned a little bit from Stres and vice versa.
Goldie: We learned how to make good f---in' quality music.
BallerStatus.com: You guys were one of the first groups from the "New Bay" to sign with a major, when you inked the deal with Virgin a while back. The self-titled album that was released through Virgin was a big success within the Bay, but didn't make a lot of noise outside of that region. Why do you feel the majors are clueless as to how to push artists from the Bay?
Stresmatic: We was ahead of our time when we was [signed to Virgin]. Even though we were ahead of our time, there were others that were ahead of their time and the label got behind them. They didn't really get behind us. Rick really used all his money to push the album, but nobody really knew it was in stores and they didn't play the video. [Virgin] spent like $100 on the video, so it was some bullsh--.
Right now, we're on Warner Bros. [E-40] is on Warner Bros., so he's already having his success. Now, all we gotta do is come do our thing. The door is already open.
Goldie: It feels sooo much better!
Monday - September 25, 2006
— by Jay Casteel
The Bay Area continues to get more and more shine in hip-hop today. They're even beginning to sign deals with major labels. But since E-40's My Ghetto Report dropped, there has yet to be a Bay Area artist/artists to take their contagious hyphy movement to the next level. Super producer Rick Rock and his trio, The Federation, are up for the challenge, as they prep the release of the Warner Bros. debut It's Whateva.
In a relaxed setting in their new label's offices, Federation members Donnie Baby, Goldie and Stresmatic joked about their past label situation with Virgin and how Warner is a better lover, why they feel their new album is Grammy worthy and why the hyphy movement is not actually a movement.
BallerStatus.com: I understand two of you are originally from the South. How was it that you made your way to the Bay? And how did your Southern upbringing influence your style?
Doonie Baby: In the group, there is only one that was originally from the South. The other person was Rick Rock; that's out producer. How did it influence us? I don't know. I'm just being me. Just being me I guess.
I think it really just added some spice to it. It's like if one of us were from New York, it'd have a little New York flavor to it and mixed in. I guess where everybody's from, it just adds to the chemistry.
BallerStatus.com: So Doon, you were originally from the South, so when did you make your way to the Bay?
Doonie Baby: I came out here the first week of '96. 10 years now.
BallerStatus.com: So, you just adjusted to the Bay Area lifestyle when you moved?
Doonie Baby: Yea. The Bay Area, it's not too much different... it's different in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways it's the same compared to the part of the South that I'm from. But style and dress, to a certain extent -- from the gold teeth, dreadlocks and cars -- it's the same. Just a little but different.
BallerStatus.com: Ok, so how was it that the three of you linked up originally? And where did Rick Rock come in?
Doonie Baby: Well, the way I linked up with Rick Rock was in Alabama. We was in two different rival cliques: his was called The Cleverheads and mine was the Misfits. We used to be battling at different shows and stuff. We had a mutual friend that was in my clique that kinda felt like the two cliques had to link up together. So, we started doing stuff together and that's how I met Rick.
BallerStatus.com: So, how did the rest of you get together?
Goldie: Me and [Stresmatic] went to high school together. I was a freshman and he was a junior. We used to shut down lunch, doing rap battles in the quad. But, me and Stres also went to church together. Stres was in the park the same day I got shot. So, I met Rick and Doonie when I was 16, when I was in a wheelchair all shot up and sh--." I used to talk sh--, saying "Can't nobody see me, I'm the tightest..." whatever. One day, a mutual friend who owned a record store -- he just happened to go to high school with Rick back in the day -- told Rick, "I got a youngster I want you to check out." Little did I know, it was my sh-- talking ass he was talking about. To prove my point, I'm here now.
Doonie brought Stres in like around 2000 or '99; we basically came up as a family together. We used to share the same covers, share the same clothes and f--- the same bitches. We more than anything a family, but we're in a group.
BallerStatus.com: What have you guys learned from each other by coming up in the game together?
Stresmatic: I learned that from everybody that it's easy to f--- bitches when you're a rapper. That's what I learned [laughing]...
Goldie: It feels sooo much better!
Doonie Baby: I think all of us learned from each other, as far as style wise, I learned a little a bit from Goldie and learned a little bit from Stres and vice versa.
Goldie: We learned how to make good f---in' quality music.
BallerStatus.com: You guys were one of the first groups from the "New Bay" to sign with a major, when you inked the deal with Virgin a while back. The self-titled album that was released through Virgin was a big success within the Bay, but didn't make a lot of noise outside of that region. Why do you feel the majors are clueless as to how to push artists from the Bay?
Stresmatic: We was ahead of our time when we was [signed to Virgin]. Even though we were ahead of our time, there were others that were ahead of their time and the label got behind them. They didn't really get behind us. Rick really used all his money to push the album, but nobody really knew it was in stores and they didn't play the video. [Virgin] spent like $100 on the video, so it was some bullsh--.
Right now, we're on Warner Bros. [E-40] is on Warner Bros., so he's already having his success. Now, all we gotta do is come do our thing. The door is already open.
Goldie: It feels sooo much better!
