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| Friday, 20 November 2009 08:03 |
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JAY ROCK INTERVIEW BY: C-4
We caught Jay Rock in the middle of a studio session for his debut album “Follow Me Home”. After he finished laying down his verse, he stepped out of the booth and sat down with We The West for this Exclusive Interview.
Take us back and give us some history, where did the name Jay Rock come from?
Jay Rock came from all my big homies, when I was a youngster I used to have a big ass head, still do. They used to call me ‘Rock Head,’ my name is Jay, so they just put the Rock after the Jay my nigga.
Give us some more history, what were you into as a youngster, being raised in the projects, what were you doing, was music something you always wanted to do?
Well basically man I was born and raised out the projects my nigga, Watts, Nickerson Gardens, real Piru, real project nigga man, real project kid. I ain’t never really had nothin’, I had to do what I had to do to get where I wanted to go. But at the same time a nigga always had a thing for music too. When I was doing my bullshit, I always would occupy my time with something positive. Best believe if I was doing something negative, I was doing something positive at the same time. At the same time and at the same token it’s a blessing to be alive right now, a nigga been through a lot of shit, but I’m still here, feel me?
Did you see music as an escape out of your bad situation? Like you said something positive for something negative, did you see music as a way out?
Yeah of course, growing up watching all these niggas like Dr. Dre, Snoop, seeing Snoop, and he’s been through the same situations and look where it took him. Just watching that as a young nigga, told me it was a way out. That’s the way I look at it, then why not do it? I never thought in a million years niggas would pay attention to me comin’ up out the projects, listening to my music. That’s a blessing man. That just gives a nigga motivation to keep doing this shit, keep speaking that real shit and goin’ hard.
How did you actually get into music, were you doing your own stuff or were you appearing on other people’s projects?
Basically my nigga in my projects in my hood, a lot of my homies rap too; feel me? But it was just like for fun, you know homies would be over there makin’ shit, makin’ beats, niggas used to come through, rap and do what we do and have fun with it. I never really took it serious like that ‘cause it wasn’t putting no money in my pocket. But at the same time, one of the big homies from my neighborhood, I didn’t even know he was into the music game like that, he came, I thought he was looking for a nigga about some shit I did, I thought he was gonna come chastise me, all the time he wanna get me on some music shit. I ain’t even know he was into the music game like that, you feel me? But he came through, snatched me up and put me in the studio, shout out to Dude Dawg, Top Dawg Entertainment came and snatched a nigga up, put me in the studio like “I’m gonna make this shit happen homie”. He had me locked down in that muthafucka man, look at me now.
How did Dude Dawg hear your music in order to come snatch you up and put you on?
Shout out to Top Dawg, that’s my big homie, you know what I’m sayin’. Like I said I was doing shit with my homeboys, making little mixtapes with my homeboys and shit and float ‘em through the hood, float ‘em through the bricks you feel me? Somehow he heard me on a track and was like “who is that?” “Oh that’s little Jay Rock, and whatever whatever”. So he came looking for a nigga just on word of mouth. He always used to come through and lace it to us young niggas about being in the streets ‘cause he’s been through the same shit we been through.
TWITTER QUESTION: This is a fan question. Who were some of your influences growing up, and who are your influences now?
Well shit, my big homies OFTB from way back in the Death Row days, I don’t know if a lot of people remember them, they’re from my neighborhood, shout out to them, Flipside. 2Pac was one of my biggest influences, DJ Quik, Scarface, Mausberg – Rest In Peace, man the list could go on my nigga.
You also had a big R&B influence as a youngster too right?
Oh yeah man I grew up off the oldies, my Mom always used to play oldies shit man like The Temptations, Al Green, Bobby Womack, Luther Vandross. I grew up off the oldies, that’s all that got played in my Mama house, but as soon as I stepped outside in the projects my Uncles bumpin’ that gangsta shit, you feel me?
So what was the process you went through with Top Dawg Ent., before the major label, you were doing mixtapes right?
Yeah actually shout out to DJ Skee, he was one of the first ones who did a nigga’s first real official mixtape “Watts Finest Vol. 1”, and I had worked on this street song called “Lift Me Up” and shout out to Julio G, he was one of the first niggas to ever run my record on the radio, so shout out to Julio G, an O.G. in the game. I shot him this record called “Lift Me Up”, I wanted to know what was his opinion about it, I didn’t even think he was gonna run it or nothin’, next thing you know the next day he’s runnin’ it over the radio. That was big for a nigga right there. Ever since then everybody was like “who is this Jay Rock nigga?” you know?
What lead up to the major label deal with Warner Bros., how’d that come about?
Well shit basically like I said Top Dawg had a nigga locked down in the studio, I started working on this demo, he had a lot of relationships with a lot of labels, he started shopping my record and Warner Bros. gave us a call and it was wrapped up then.
Did they come and find you, or were you shopping yourself around to the labels?
Somehow the demo got to one of them; they heard it and gave my nigga Top Dawg a call. We went into a meeting and it was a wrap since then my nigga.
Let’s talk about your street side a little bit. You make your gangbanging well known in your music and in your persona, do you do that because that’s just who you really are or is it partly because some people think it can be a selling point in Hip-Hop?
Na man this is really me my nigga, I done went to jail for this shit, this is me, I was born and raised out the projects my nigga. Nickerson Gardens Bounty Hunters, that’s me. That’s what I represent, ain’t nothing gone change that. But at the same time I got partners that’s Crips, that’s my niggas. Before the gangbanging, a nigga is a man before anything, feel me? It’s just me, I can’t help that, a nigga ain’t out here sayin’ it just to be sayin’ it, it was born in me my nigga.
That was something that was always around you as a youngster?
Exactly, that’s all I’ve seen, that’s all a nigga knows, I’ve lost a lot of homeboys to this shit and I’ve got a lot of homeboys doing life for this shit, so it’s deeper than that.
Being that you’re a reputable dude in the streets, I wanted to get your opinion on some of these people gangbanging in the Hip-Hop industry, specifically ones that some real reputable street people feel are disrespecting something they don’t understand. You’ve worked with Lil Wayne, and he’s been one who has been talked about a lot with this, what’s your thoughts on him and others?
Actually first and foremost let me give a big shout out to Lil Wayne and Birdman my nigga, them are real niggas you feel me? I done worked with them, I’ve worked with Lil Wayne, I got him on a song and he wasn’t Hollywood with a nigga or nothin’. It’s hard enough to get people to jump on your record in your own city, but you reach out to them and they get down on your shit. Them niggas are some real niggas, they ain’t just saying it just to be saying it. They really… it is what it is, they’re pushing their line and niggas know what it do.
I wanted to ask you about Game, I know you work with him and I’ve also heard a lot of comparisons between the two of you, as far as the line you push, and your voices and musical styles……
Ay Ay look! Before you get started on that, Game is Game, Jay Rock is Jay Rock! I know niggas be like “oh the voices” and all that, if you put me and him on a track you gone start comparing niggas to me, real talk my nigga. Man shout out to Game though, he did his thing, he sold a lot of records but when you hear Jay Rock come out you gone start to compare niggas to me, straight up. Like I said, Game is Game, Rock is Rock, I’m from Watts from the projects, Game is from Compton, that’s the difference right there, we from two different cities but at the same time we doin’ our thing.
What do you want to be known for in music, do you want to be known as a lyricist, or someone who just keeps it real, or someone who is just a well-rounded artist? What do you want your lasting impression to be?
I just wanna be that nigga man, I just wanna leave behind that good music dog. I wanna have a big impact on people like how Michael Jackson was, that’s the type of impact I wanna leave with my music.
Let’s talk about the West Coast, you’re one of the artists in this new generation of California talent, what would you say is different now compared to the OG’s of the 80’s and 90’s?
I mean the thing is there’s a lot of new styles, there’s a lot of new voices, there’s a lot of new flows, there’s a lot of new talented young niggas out here. Shout out to my nigga Kendrick Lamar, my nigga Ab-Soul, SchoolboyQ, G. Malone, the list could go on. It’s a different generation. Niggas talked about what they talked about back in ’92, this is ’09 going on ’10 so it’s totally different, feel me?
What’s your opinion on when some of the newer generation artists might feel like some of the older artists need to either get out of the way and let them get in the door and take over or help put them on and stop holding them back?
It’s like this, to me that shit is crazy, me personally the only thing I could say is niggas do your thing, just do your thing. I made it this far without an OG cosigning my shit. So if I could do it anybody else could do it, straight up.
You’ve worked with artists all over the West Coast, which would probably be most evident on the All Star Remix to your single “All My Life”.
Yeah man I got damn near the whole New West on that. Shout out to everybody that jumped on that shit, real talk, because everybody that’s from the ghetto, everybody goes through struggle, everybody’s gotta start from the bottom to get to the top, that’s what I represent.
The reason I brought that up is because I want to talk about unity on the West Coast, you’re part of this new generation that really seems to work together a lot, how important is unity amongst the entire coast?
It’s real important man, ‘cause if you look at down South, you see how unified they is, they on, if we had the same type of relationships out here, things would go a lot better. Especially I been fuckin’ with my nigga Mistah F.A.B., me, F.A.B., G. Malone, a lot of us been really pushing this One West movement. Just letting people know we’re coming together from top to bottom, making music, or whatever. If we’re out somewhere at a function, we’re together, we’re unifying. When people see that they’re gonna be like “OK”. We ain’t making no bullshit ass records. We stand together as one. Come on man, Red and Blue make green.
Stand together, and not even just L.A., but all over, the Bay as well. I know you rock with a lot of cats up in the Bay.
Aww man shout out to all my Bay niggas, J Stalin man, The Jacka, Beeda Weeda, Messy Marv, Balance, them my partners right there man, straight up. Shout out to the big homie E-40 too. O.G.
Speaking of E-40, since you brought him up, I remember seeing a video of you and him up at the Warner Bros. offices, what kind of advice did 40 Water give you when you first met him?
Oh yeah yeah yeah, that was like around the time when I was first up in that muthafucka, that was a minute ago. That dude got some cold words. That’s a real nigga right there, shout out to E-40. He’s one of the realest niggas alive; he ain’t never changed for shit, that’s what I love about him. He just said man “nigga shit, keep it true to your soil, put your balls over your shoulders, they’ll catch you later”. That nigga’s a fool man. That’s my nigga. He said “yeah nigga I know you cleaner than Clorox with your spittery man”. Forreal man, that’s a real nigga, real talk.
Let’s take it back closer to home, do you feel like Watts has ever gotten it’s respect in the music industry like some of the other near cities like Compton or Long Beach?
We’ve always been overlooked for so many years man. That’s where the gangsta shit started at, right in the heart of Watts. From the Watts riots and all that shit, it started on the Eastside. Gangbangin’ started on the Eastside in the heart of Watts, a lot of people don’t really know that. But it is what it is, Watts on the rise, me, G. Malone, Bangloose, niggas from Watts holdin’ it down.
You recently did the ’30 Day Takeover’, 30 songs in 30 days, what were you trying to accomplish with that?
A song a day for all my fans, why not give it to ‘em, shout out to Crooked I, he did the Hip-Hop Weekly and I just wanted to do something different, a song a day for 30 days, and my fans could tell me what they think about it. That’s all, just beat the streets my nigga.
You also got some attention recently when you flipped 50 Cent’s diss classic “How To Rob”, tell me about putting that one together. How was the feedback on it, did anybody take it serious?
Basically all I did was just try to give respect to 50 for that ‘cause I thought that shit was real clever and creative, so I just wanted to do a ’09 one straight up. Everybody loved it, nobody took it disrespectful, nobody took it the wrong way, shit I was even talking about my own niggas on there. It ain’t nothin’ it’s just music my nigga, I was just having fun with that shit.
Talk about the big Cool and Dre produced single and video you had with Lil Wayne and Will.I.Am called “All My Life”.
Oh basically that shit was a classic right there. Shout out to Wayne, that nigga did three videos, I respected him for that. That shit was real live man, no green screen, right in the heart of the projects. We did what we did, real niggas, real people, that’s how we get down.
TWITTER QUESTION: Another fan question. How did you hook up with Lil Wayne in the first place?
He did a show out here at Universal Studios, I caught him back stage, introduced myself to him, told him who I was, was like “I wanna work with you,” we exchanged numbers. I had the song, he wanted me to send it to him, but I told him na, I flew, bought me and my niggas a plane ticket to where he was at, got in the studio and it was a wrap. We was in there live and direct, I even put the footage up so the fans could see it, so anybody who asks the question if we got it in together, tell them they can check that out on Youtube.
Ok let’s talk about your anticipated major label debut solo album that you’ve been working on, what’s it called?
It’s called “Follow Me Home”, it’ll be here next year. We’re getting ready to drop the next single with me and Ne-Yo, it’s real crazy for the ladies. Make sure y’all be on the lookout for that, it’s coming. Getting ready to drop this 5 song EP in a couple of weeks called “Almost Home” so lookout for that. You could download that from iTunes, so make sure y’all lookout for that.
What can we expect from the album, what’s the sound of it?
Man the sound is just me my nigga, just real life situations, walking you through, taking you through Watts, letting you know who I am and where a nigga’s trying to go with it.
Who are you working with on the album?
Shit man I worked with Cool and Dre, JR Rotem, my nigga Phonix, he did a lot of stuff for “Detox”, my nigga Soundwave, DJ Quik did some production on it, just recently got it in with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Nigga’s just workin’ man, straight up.
What about collabos, who can we expect on the album?
You can expect my nigga Kendrick Lamar, shout out to my boy Ne-Yo like I said, he’s on the album, I don’t even really wanna give it up, y’all just be on the lookout, real talk. I don’t wanna give up too much; I don’t wanna spoil the moment.
What’s the name of the single with Ne-Yo?
It’s called “Put This Thang On You”, it’s real crazy, the ladies gone love it, so make sure y’all be on the lookout for it. It’s real slow, for the ladies, one of Ne-Yo’s producers did the track.
As we let Jay Rock get back to work in the studio, he wanted to let the fans know he is hard on his grind recording all the time, and to make sure to be on the lookout for his album “Follow Me Home” coming in 2010. In the meantime, stay up to date with all the latest on Jay Rock by logging on to his official website www.jayrockmusic.com, following him on twitter @JayRock and add him on myspace if you haven’t already www.myspace.com/jayrock. |
Direct from one of the most notorious housing projects in the United States, 23 old Jay Rock is a native of Nickerson Gardens in Watts, California, the largest public housing development west of the Mississippi river.