Streaming Audio version here:
http://www.thebaymusic.com/exlusive-interview-with-the-jacka-of-the-mob-figaz-audio/
With all the attention focused on bay area legend The Jacka right now, we had to get a piece of the action and get The Jacka on the phone for an interview. The interview is available in audio and text for those of you that actually still read..
The Jacka: Check it out man, it’s the Jack man, you know what im sayin the J. A from the Mob Figaz and this TheBayMusic.CoM you know!
TheBayMusic.CoM: Alright so I’m sure you’re pressed for time so let’s go ahead and get started, Everybody wants to know about the upcoming album “Tear Gas” what can you tell us about it and is there a slated release date for the album?
The Jacka: Tear gas is comin out in the End of August, but uh, It’s definitely coming out in the end of August we don’t have a set exact date but its definitely comin out in the end of August for sure.
TheBayMusic.CoM: Can you tell us a list of features that we can expect on the album?
The Jacka: Man, I got uh Messy Marv on there, I got Keak on there, I got uh Devin the Dude, I got Freeway, I got The Mob Figaz of course, You know what I mean, man you name em I got em on there if they from the bay, F.A.B you know what I mean, the pack…
TheBayMusic.CoM: Are you going to have Cormega on there too?
The Jacka: Yah I got Cormega, I got mega.
TheBayMusic.CoM: And are you planning on doing more than one video for that album?
The Jacka: So far I already got like 3 videos done for the album. I got “All Over Me”, I got “Shooters”, and I got “Fuck Everybody”, that was on the myspace page, but gotta add a few more finishing touches to it.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So are you gonna have a nationwide distribution deal for Tear Gas, or how are you guys doin that?
The Jacka: Uh you know, hopefully I can do it the same way I been doin it you know what I mean, going through Select-O-Hits you know what I mean, but I been talkin to SMC about the project and everything you know, I might go through them if its worth it to me you know what I mean.
TheBayMusic.CoM: Are you at all worried about too many compilations out there taking away sales from Tear Gas?
The Jacka: Nah, Heck Nah, I mean I don’t really got that much stuff out, I mean it aint like its just me, they gotta get it how they can get it you know what I mean, so I might do a collaboration with somebody or something you know what I mean because I mean I don’t ever really have a problem whenever it comes out its gone be the best shit out, it’s really not gone be like they not gone want it, I mean I could come out with an album everyday and they gone want it, cause they already know what it’s gone be you know.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So we had heard about an album that Cormega was gonna put out for you what can you tell us about that?
The Jacka: Man, you know I’m ready you know what I’m sayin, I live in the studio man you know what I mean, so I got projects ready, whenever he ready im ready ya feel me? We could do it tomorrow and it’d be done know what I mean, I just work, I constantly work namean, around the clock.. Im in Ohio I aint even at home im in the studio right now workin on Devils Reject part 2 with Ampachino.
TheBayMusic.CoM: You kinda touched on a couple other questions I got right there, we heard about one with Lee Majors, Guce, and now your sayin theres gone be a Devils Rejects 2, is there anything else you got out there or what can you tell us about those projects?
The Jacka: Man im just tryina keep it comin know what im sayin, whatever I could do to keep it poppin cause Im not no major artist or nothing like that, so I gotta do what I gotta do to be heard, you know what I mean? I aint trippin off of the, I wanna eventually get a good deal where its hella people involved, and it’s a big thing, big deal namean, as for right now I just gotta keep a bunch of stuff rollin, I got the Shooters Mixtape with Rick Lee, I got that, I got the Devils Rejects 2, Nick Peace is gone put it out under million dollar dream, Then I got uh, the Mob Trials 3, that’s already out, then I got the Tear Gas, that’s the biggest thing, that’s what everybody wanna hear. We wanna see wassup, everybody after a while they wanna hear somethin that’s really gone stick with em, that’s gone grow with em, like the music our parents used to listen to namean, its still around we still listen to it they want that music again names, so that’s what im into, Im into makin real good stuff, especially when it’s a solo album or something like that I can really be myself and do what I wanna do, because even on collaborations, they be coo, I mean people like em, I don’t even get complaints, they like em, but they don’t like em like how they like my solo stuff cause I get a chance to do really what I wanna do really. And um that’s all they want that, so that’s all ive been tryin to give em, im still out here im still hungry, im still tryin to just make dope music, I aint trippin off no Hollywood ass mess, I aint trippin offa bein in Hollywood or nothing like that, we already eatin, we already livin life you know what I mean, It feel good to be able to just make dope music and do what you wanna do you know what I mean, you don’t got no A&R’s on your back you doin your own thing its pretty good you know?
TheBayMusic.CoM: So you had mentioned the Mob Trial 3, what are your thoughts on the Mob Trial series, and which one did you enjoy working on the most.
The Jacka: Umm, we really did em all at the same time so. You know they all had the same feel, they all had the same emotion or whatever it is that you get when your makin an album, we was all down there at Nick Peace studio SMOKIN, goin crazy, you know we pretty much just finished those in a few weeks, not even that like two and a half weeks, all three of those albums was done, You know what I mean, we pro’s at it, we just get in the lab and really just do stuff, because you know that’s what we do.
TheBayMusic.CoM: Out of all the projects that you have out, what are you the most proud of so far?
The Jacka: Prolly all my solo projects, because those are the ones that I really just put out on my own and uh, had to do whatever I had to do to get it together and get it out there, you know what I mean I didn’t have no help besides the people that work with me you know, Golden Mean, Portia and them. Those are the ones that im the most proud of. So far right now the Tear Gas is definitely the new one, the one I’m most proud of because it’s the best one, it’s the best music, you know what I mean, it’s the titest one because times is different you gotta make stuff better, you don’t wanna have your last project better than the project still you just putting out, namean, this is definitely better than all the other stuff I did, not taking away from all the other stuff I did, but this is just what it is you know.
TheBayMusic.CoM: That’s a good look. So what artists have you not worked with that you want to work with some day.
The Jacka: Mmm, I always wanted to work with Sizzla, he a Jamaican artists, I always wanted to do a track with slick rick too you know what I mean, but uh you know, other than that I feel like I can get a chance to get to some people. I would definitely wanna do a song with like Face, Jay-Z all them dudes is raw. But you know I just like to check it out, check the game out and see whos gone be around, cause alotta these guys they do a song or two and then they don’t be around, not because they wasn’t tite, but just because the business aint right and they didn’t have the avenues to get they shit out there, but you know it’s a few people that I would like to work with you know.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So what do you feel about the current state of the bay area rap scene?
The Jacka: Uhh, from a guy who lives in the bays point of view’ or from the industry point of view?
TheBayMusic.CoM: Whichever you wanna touch on.
The Jacka: I’d rather touch on the one from a guy whos really out there. Its still. I mean its poppin its big, namean, the #4 market in music sales is the bay namean, so anyone of these cats goin platinum or gold or whatever they doin 25% of they sales come from the bay, that’s how come a underground artist such as myself could be such a big dude out there because they love music, you know what im sayin, the scene out there is ridiculous, our rappers out there where we from is famous out there, know what im sayin they big out there, I mean its lookin good for us, of course on the industry point of view they don’t want nuttin to pop but what they ideas is, because its like all they want is a lot of money and shit, but they don’t know whats poppin, we know whats poppin its big out there, its always been big, the bay always had a big music scene, its always been huge, basically if you a big artist from out there who known on the street, man, BIG.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So how do you feel about all the attention your getting right now, I mean its obviously real big right now with the upcoming album, all the radio play?
The Jacka: Yah its big man you know what I mean, doin a lot of shows, doin alotta everything, everything I been doin by times 10 you know. It’s cool though cause im still independent, and uh, to get that type of attention is good, cause I can continue to do it, you know we know how to do it, we been doin it for a while, I guess it kinda paid off right now, its payin off, we just gone continue how we doin it hopefully, I don’t have to sign no big record deal or nothing like that and we could be the next big record label out here on the west coast.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So what music did you listen to when you were growin up, and what influenced you, and what made you the style that we hear today?
The Jacka: I listened to all kinda stuff growin up man, I mainly listened to rap though you know what im sayin I got a lot of family members, lotta cousins older than me and stuff you know so, they laced me on everything I had a lot of records namean, pretty much the whole hiphop era whatever it was I kinda pretty much know something about it accept like where it very first starts you know what I mean im still learning a little bit, as far as myself I listened to a lot of reggae when I was a kid, my mom and them was into reggae, so that’s what we used to listen to in the house, and you know music from the early 80s that wasn’t hiphop I guess it was Funk or whatever it was, late 70s or something you know what I mean, you know shit like that, i guess that’s what it is probably the reggae cause that’s all I really like, its got a lotta substance to what they talkin about and shit in the music, kinda tough to understand but you know I been listening to that all my life, and I really understand it like I understand rap, you know what I mean, but for a person that don’t listen to reggae its little bit different for them, cause its not easy on they ears you gotta really listen to understand the accents, and hear through the accents, they really be sayin some raw shit, doper than alotta these rappers though, its like seriously man, if it was English they was sayin man and they could say the shit like that, they be monsters, it is English but with an American accent be unbelievable, its like listening to some metal, some soft metal or something you know the kinda shit that they say you know its crazy.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So you had mentioned you’d like to do a big project and have something that’s kinda mainstream, by doing that you mean you wanna keep your same style but just touch a big fan base, or what did you mean?
The Jacka: Yah you know what I mean, I don’t necessarily have to be all on television, I mean pretty sure gotta be on television but, I wanna do something different man, you know what I mean, I wanna do what i wanna do, and mostly just putting out alotta videos, and distributing videos like on dvd’s and stuff like that, just constantly, constant visuals, but its stuff I want the world to see, not some other shit because if I let the major labels decide, you know I be played out in a couple years or so, but If I keep doin me and and making my own decisions on the music we wanna do, and the type of shit we wanna do, we always be good you know we go out how we wanna go out, you know what I mean, we wont have a label playin or something and forcing us out, because you know they just milk the artists, they milk em for what they milk em for, namean, and use they image, use em all the way up man until the artist is all the way Hollywood and he play hisself out or you know he fuck up and they just don’t fuck with him no more or something, I don’t really know, im happy with the current situation actually.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So if you could do an album with any rapper right now who would it be?
The Jacka: Any Rapper? An Album?
TheBayMusic.CoM: Yup
The Jacka: Hmm, I don’t know we was talkin bout doin one, me and Mess was talkin bout doin one, I think that’d be a dope album right now, you know we was already talkin bout doin it so, that’ll probably be a shocker for the people we’ll come with that shit
TheBayMusic.CoM: We put out some feelers out there to see what people wanna know, seems like everyone wanna know bout Husalah, you have any idea when hes getting out, and any plans for an immediate project when he does?
The Jacka: Yah he uh, he got an album comin out right now that he did before he left, him and b-luv its called the tonka boys, he’ll be home in 2010 though you know what im sayin so he’ll be ready to do his thing so man…
TheBayMusic.CoM: That’s not too far off
The Jacka: Nah that’s not too far off, So yah, I just gotta just keep it lit, do what I gotta do to keep getting heard, cause like I said we aint major artists, we underground artists, but we could keep putting out shit, we could keep doin shit cause people don’t hear it, you know what I mean it aint like its ever gone get oversaturated cause it aint like everybody heard it, I could see if it was comin out and the whole world was getting it, you know what I mean, only certain few niggas know what this shit is, this is aint like, this is the type of shit you gotta put niggas up on, your boy put you up on this shit, namean, you don’t just automatically know who jacka is like that, namean, your partna put you up on it, or you heard it somebody playin it, and you asked em who it was, or some shit like that, so the more shit I get out the better for me, so that’s why I put a lot of shit out, the more I be able to get heard you know what I mean?
TheBayMusic.CoM: So are you happy you didn’t jump on the whole hyphy bandwagon since that’s really fadin.
The Jacka: You know, I don’t really, I wasn’t like on the bandwagon, but we was already hyphy, I didn’t understand the label, like who labeled it, who labeled the whole thing hyphy? Like who said that was a style of music we make, everybody just jumped on that shit, and im kinda happy, I’m definitely happy I didn’t do it because I just never really, everything sound the same, when one person do it, its done to me already you know, I don’t wanna make a song like fab or keak you know, or you know what im sayin, let them niggas be them, and let them do them, if they woulda let them do them you know what im sayin it woulda been big, its like right now me and Matt Blaque got a single out on the radio in the bay, everybody want a Matt Blaque hook, you know what im sayin? Everybody want Matt Blaque on they chorus they think its that’s whats gone save em but whats gone save you is creativity, and being creativity and comin with your own style and your own sound, and that’s gone save you, whats gone make no one wanna hear you is when they hear your song, or your album and you sound like the rest of the niggas shit, you know you not settin yoself apart even though you might be hyphy out here just let your own sound with it you know what I mean?
TheBayMusic.CoM: So what can you tell us about the group album that you just did with 12 guage shottie?
The Jacka: Yah that’s just pure hard madness right there, that’s just like a street album for the hood, you know what I mean, for the projects, for street people, you know what I mean, just another underground album that some niggas with respect put it out, did it on they own, they came up with all the dough, all the shit, and they got serious about it, you know what I mean, and I respected em for that, and they some real cats you know what im sayin, they aint fuckin around they bangin and all this shit, they come swoop me from the airport in the new what s63 or what was it, that young shit, im like ya, ya’ll niggas out here livin life, they doin what they talkin about in they songs, you know, alotta niggas did some of the shit they talked about in they songs, they just live a little better too, but when I see people that’s really doin they thing and they tryin to make their way with this music shit I respect em man, you know so, we was fuckin with it, we made some real hard as shit, motherfuckas gone like it, they got some fire beats, they got some dope ass tracks you know.
TheBayMusic.CoM: So one of the other questions I have you kinda already touched on, but uh, what advice can you give to the up and coming rappers right now?
The Jacka: You know only thing I can say is just keep doin it, you know, if you up and coming and you serious and you know you tight, invest in yourself, you know invest every penny into yourself, you know what im sayin, or if you believe in what you wanna do go get that big single, or get that big feature and do a song with a big dude, and put it out if you really believe you can really do it you know what I mean, and really stop lookin for too much help, cause I realize alotta niggas be like finally help me do this for us, do that for us, the whole thing is man, if you got a studio and you makin songs, you doin everything for yourself, what more do you, all you gotta do is keep putting it in people ear, and don’t make nobody not like you man, so you know don’t really follow no bandwagons, if somebody eatin off something they doin, LET EM EAT, you just come up with the next new thing, you know what im sayin, lets keep that rockin, its enough of the copy shit, the copy cattin shit, lets put that to a halt man, cause that’s how muthafuckas get played out, you know what I mean, too much shit sound the same after a while, don’t do that focus on being yourself, and you know what I mean it’ll definitely happen for you, namean, you stick with it.
TheBayMusic.CoM: Good advice, the Last question here, what goals do you have left in your rap career?
The Jacka: Really man, I just wanna get my label poppin. Poppin Poppin, know what I mean, I wanna get it just goin fat, like how def jam started, cause I see we takin all the steps as niggas like master p, niggas like puff, niggas like russ, know what im sayin we doin all the shit, the shit we doin now is the same shit they did when they got started, know what I mean, all we doin is just keepin it rollin mayne, and its lookin good so, that’s the big thing for us right now is just getting our companies goin, and rollin man and keep putting out good talent and good music man.
TheBayMusic.CoM: Any shot-outs you wanna put out there?
The Jacka: Yah man you know, shot out to the Mob, you know the whole mob figaz and all that man, all my boys out here in akron ohio, know what im sayin, the whole bay, the whole California, the west coast, everybody, all my folks, everybody who keepin it lit, all my boys doin time, free the huss you know what im sayin, my boy young cozzy we see you man, know what im sayin hope you come home on that pill, you know, everybody, jim, shots out to Portia, my boy PK, that’s it.
Check it out man, it’s the Jack man, you know what im sayin the J. A from the Mob Figaz and this TheBayMusic.CoM you know!
For more information on The Jacka, check him on myspace at www.myspace.com/thejackamobfigaz
Hope you all enjoy the interview, and look forward to more exclusives from thebaymusic.com soon. Shots out to PK, Portia, and Steph for making this happen.
-- Cory of WwW.TheBayMusic.CoM
