Big Scoob
Interview by Black Dog Bone
When you make an album how do you approach it? Do you have a certain feeling or theme that you go for?
What I’ve learned is that if you try to make certain kinds of music, like if
you say “I’ma make this one for the club” or “I’m a make this one for the streets”, that’s usually not how it comes out. So for me being taught how to make music from Tech, and studying E-40 as I’m growing up and 8ball & MJG, what I do is I make mood music. If I’m in this mood then that’s what I’ma write about. If I’m drinkin, havin a good time and I see shit that stick in my brain, then that be a tight ass song. Really it’s from life experience, that’s what I write.
You don’t plan it out. You just go into the studio and do what you feel, right?
Exactly. I can’t do what Rick Ross does. I ain’t sold millions of records, so I can’t talk about Maybach and all that shit. No disrespect to his music, I dig his music. It’s like I don’t dance so I can’t make dance songs on purpose. If I happen to make a song that the kids wanna dance to that’s a wonderful thing. But I can’t go in on purpose and create a dance track. All I do is wake up every day and try to gain a dollar. If I’m cuttin grass, if I’m bringin in more than a spent today then I had a good day. If I’m just sittin here drinking whiskey and lookin at bitches then that’s what I’m a write about. I just do me 100%.
It’s good that you talk about all the different experiences in life, even cutting grass or painting houses, whatever we all do. The music has been one sided for too long. It’s all about balling, it’s about whores or it’s about selling drugs. I know so many rappers who have cut grass to get some money or painted houses. Nobody talks about that side.
Right, that’s my message. My message is: young kids got it wrong. When they hear the word hustle they got the wrong definition. They think hustle means sellin drugs. Hustle means whatever you do to make your life situation better. Whatever it is that you do, do it to the fullest. When a muthafuckas says, “I’m out there grindin” that don’t gotta mean you out there sellin dope. If that’s what you do, get your money, pimp. But if you gotta wake up and work this 9 to 5 and you gotta work 3 hours overtime and be back there in the morning, then you’re grindin! That’s the thing that people is missing. I blame it on MTV and these videos they’re pushin. They’re pushin the bullshit instead of the true story.
I’m glad you’re bringing that out, because I was cutting grass, I was working as a janitor before I did Murder Dog. I was on welfare. Let’s hear about that. I know so many of us do that. Kids need to understand that selling drugs and pimping are not the only way to go. You can cut grass and be a baller too.
Right, whatever you do. I know guys with lawn services who came up from my soil and started lawn services, they got over 500 thousand dollar contracts ever summer. However you choose to get this paper, go get it. Don’t live another nigga’s dream. Don’t follow in the footsteps of Biggie, don’t follow in the footsteps of Ross. And actually it’s not their footsteps but just some music that they made. This ain’t a blueprint on how to live your life.
Would you say that this new album is very different from the first one?
See, the last album I told people I was on grown man music. I left music for like 8 years, and I grew up. I was still in the streets man, but I pulled back a lot to come home and raise my baby girls. A lotta guys at that time, the Feds picked ‘em up and a lotta time was handed out. Really that album to me was about: I been through it, I done it, and this is the consequences. It ain’t all gravy like you think it is. It’s fucked up out here. But Tech informed me that a lotta the people I’m talkin to young 17-18 year old White kids and they really didn’t get my message. I kinda went over their heads. With this album every time I meet people, like out on the road and when I talk to people, I talk to Black Dog Bone or I talk to E-40 and he’s like, “Man this boy’s a fool!” I talk to Fat Joe and he’s like, “This nigga a fool!” Tech’s like, “That’s the Scoob I want people to know. I want the people to know more of your personality.” That’s why I named the album “Damn Fool”. I got real life topics on this album, I’ve got street life topics on this album, and I’ve got some crazy funny shit on this album, make you say, “Did he really say that?!”
You’re showing a different side of Scoob on this album.
Right. I’m opening up. I’m startin to get comfortable. When I first came back I was hit with heavy anxiety. It’s like I’d been gone for 8 years, before that I had my niggaz around me, I had my group. Now I’m rollin solo and the only muthafucka I really know is Tech. And Tech’s movin so fast he ain’t right here with me all the time. We’re on the same label, but he’s out there doin shit, doin shit. I was thrown to the wolves. I was overwhelmed. I don’t like to fail, I like to succeed. So I did my thang, I put my Gangsta face on. It was a lot to take in all at once.
That must have been a lot of pressure for you, trying to prove yourself after such a long gap.
Right, I had to prove that I fit in with this camp. Like Tech’s words and the topic’s he’s on is the same shit I’m on. Basically half his words is about me and my neighborhood. But the way he delivers it and the way he sounds and his whole look is totally opposite from mine. I didn’t know exactly what to do, but you see I stuck with it and just did me. Now the “Damn Fool” movement is growin and I’m getting hella love. I’m enjoying this shit!
When you were doing the last album were you doubting yourself?
It really wasn’t doubt. It was like the whole Strange Music movement was already moving, with or without me. If I agree to go in and jump into this Strange Music movement, am I sure that this is what I wanna do? That’s what my whole hang up was.
It seems like you found your place within the Strange Music movement now.
I’m starting to enjoy myself now. And even though I’m getting a lot of love on this new album and MTV just picked it up, I know this EP I’m workin on is way darker. I’ve been suffering from Gout for the last couple of months. If you don’t know what Gout is, everybody’s body has uric acid in it, but some people can’t get rid of it fast enough. It comes from drinking alcohol and eating certain foods and shit. Gout is widespread in the Black community. While I was down with Gout I find out that the medicine I was on was fucking me up. So while I’m waiting on “Damn Fool” to be released I’m working on this EP and I’m on some crazy shit. I don’t know what people will think of that one when it comes out.
I think Tech N9ne has managed to reach the street Rap fans, while keeping his other fans happy. That’s a hard balance.
I sure hope so. I know there’s a lotta Strange Music fans that still don’t fuck with me. They heard my music and know I’m on that street shit so they don’t fuck with me. But the Strange fans that do fuck with me, I appreciate. It’s overwhelming, the amount of love I get. But I still want my people to pick up on this movement. When I look out a the crowd I want to see people that look like me also.
I understand what you’re saying. In the end we’ve got to recognize that what Tech N9ne is doing is really important. When you reach your own people, they already know, but Tech is taking it to people who don’t know. It’s like taking the words of Malcolm X to a White suburban neighborhood.
Right, and that was the challenge that Travis threw in front of me. Trav told me, “Anybody can do it in front of people that already want it. Can you do it in front of people that’s not sure if they want it?”
With this album were you working with new producers or the same ones you worked with last time?
On this album I worked with a couple of new guys. A couple of guys outa here named M-80 and Nardo. Tech had already been workin with them, but I had never worked with ‘em. So I worked with those guys. I worked with Wishmaster again. I worked with Seven, my guy Boogieman. The track that I’m really feeling—I switch up every damn week, but the one I’m on right now is called “I Move With the Night”. It’s featuring T-Nutty, from up in Sacramento. It’s me and T-Nutty and Tech N9ne; Tech does the hook.
When you play the album for different people, which tracks get the biggest response?
The one I’ve got the video to, “All I Know Is Hood”, the one I got with Glasses Malone, “They Don’t Want It,” everybody’s feelin that track. Then I’ve got a track featuring Irv Da Phenom called “Amazing”. It’s saying, my journey’s been amazing. Fuck what the critics have to say about me. Fuck if you think my life is worth tellin a story. I know my journey has been amazing, so I’ma tell it. That muthafucka is heartfelt. That one moves me every time I hear it.
When you first started rapping you probably had a certain dream of what it was, but when you went into it the business and politics burned you out. Is that what you were saying earlier?
Yeah. What it is is, its not what you think in this music. I actually never tried my hand at rapping. I was always the guy that loved music, I had everybody’s whole catalogs and you couldn’t fuck with my CD’s. I knew every word E-40 said, everything. My niggaz would always tell me, “If you wanted to you could rap cause you’re into this music so tough.”
What’s happening with Strange Music at this time?
They’re up in Canada now. We’re doing the “All Sixes and Sevens” tour. In between those dates we have my album “Damn Fool” dropping May 3. We got Krizz Kaliko’s EP droppin May 17. Tech N9ne’s album drops June 7th. Things are pretty hectic around here. Trying to keep everything in order.
Are you going to Canada too?
No, I’m not going up to Canada. I’m still workin on my EP. I’m recording an EP right now.
What’s going on with the other members of Rogue Dog Villains, your previous group?
My guy Texas Will who’s been with me forever, he’s on a couple of songs on this new album. My guy Bakarii didn’t make this album, but my first album, “Monsterifik”, he was on a couple of joints. A couple of the other guys are in the joint so they ain’t here with us. But it’s all love. I’m still the same nigga you knew. I’m just doing shit with Strange now, but I ain’t changed.
You probably never expected to be working with Tech N9ne and Strange Music like this?
To be honest with you, Black Dog, I never thought I would do music again. When I first started this whole music thing I was just starting rapping. I was just applying my street hustle and applying it to the music and it was working. When I ran into the attitudes and the egos and the lying, all the bullshit that comes with this music I was fed up. I was like fuck this! But the fact that Tech kept pushin, when I went away he was still pushin and building something, then he called me back to this. And with the first album it was under the radar, people didn’t know, people didn’t check it out. This album right here, I’m getting so much love. As we speak right now, MTV just accepted my new video.
That must make you happy.
I’m happy as hell. With this music, everything came from my hustle. It came from me and my business partners spending money and getting money. Now with Strange, I’m still out here pushing my thing, but I’m in Tech’s vehicle. I’m on for the ride. I still gotta get out there and work my shit and get outside of the Strange box and let the people know who I am. I gotta let the Messy Marv fans and the E-40 fans and the Glasses Malone fans know I’m on that same typa shit, my nigga, check me out.
When Tech N9ne first started getting popular a lot of those fans couldn’t connect with what Tech was doing. They thought he was too weird. But now the streets have crossed over to understanding Tech N9ne. You’ve probably noticed that.
Oh yeah, I noticed it a lot. And that’s what Tech was saying too. When I first went on the road with him I seen all these White kids and it was a whole different scene. I wasn’t really understanding it. I’m asking Tech, “How does it make sense for me to come back and do my music with this, bro?” He’s like, “Just trust me, my nigga, I’m tellin you. If you let these people know the Scoob that I know they’re gonna love you. And in turn you’ll get me back to the streets.” And everything he told me is comin true right now. It’s all unfolding. I’m getting so much love on this new music and this new video. I’ve got two singles up on iTunes and my video’s out. In 6 days I got over 10,000 hits for my video on youtube. That’s huge for me.
