Mr. Capone-E
Interview by Scott Bejda
From Murder Dog vol. 13 #3
I have always thought Latino Rap was slept on. Do you feel that way too?
Hell yeah. Latino and West Coast Rap is slept on. But I don’t blame anyone at all. On the West Coast it’s more street. Artists like me don’t know the guys in the offices in New York. We might make money and be the hottest thing on the street, but there has to be a connection to someone up in the buildings. Usually the people in the middle are scared of the guys in the streets and they don’t want to do business with us, because they know it’s too real. Over the years I figured that out and I’m trying to change that around and go to these big offices and walk in and say, “My name is Mr. Capone-E.” I introduce them to my world. I will pull out sound scans and let them see what’s going on so they can start learning, and from there we can take that and bring it up to the next level. It has been slept on for years because there is a void that no one has ever filled. Back in the day with NWA Eazy-E was a smart guy, he got with Jerry Heller and made it happen. That opened the doors for everybody out here. Now we are at the point where those days are over and someone has to find that bridge to the corporate. Regardless, even if it’s not happening right now, if you really do your math you will see records that are sold with no promotion. If you add up all the artists like that together there is over two-three million sold. There’s a huge market out there!
What is your current project?
My album is “Don’t Get It Twisted”, which is also the name of my single and it features Twista on it the single. The album is real tight and straight from the streets with Layzie Bone, Twista, Lil Flip. I feel it’s one of my best albums out there.
Is your album in stores right now?
The album is in stores right now and this is the first interview for Mr. Capone-E in Murder Dog. The way I know about Murder Dog is from the homies I know in prison who tell me that they be reading this magazine all day long. I have been reading it and this is a good thing that Mr. Capone-E is finally up on that magazine for gangstaz.
Who are some of the artists that you have worked with?
I have done a lot of collaborations with people like Nate Dogg, Lil’ Eazy, Twista, Lil’ Flip. I also have an album coming out with Lil’ Flip called “Lil’ Flip And Mr. Capone-E”. Bizzy Bone, under our label Hi Power, has done a solo project with us. And Layzie Bone just did the “New Revolution” which came out in August of 2006.
Is the collaboration project you are doing with Lil’ Flip coming out under Hi Power?
Yeah. We’re still deciding which distribution route we are going. We have had a couple of label offers on the project too. That’s going to be pretty big because the last record Lil’ Flip put out sold 1.6 million. Flip came down to the West Coast and he knew what was going on in the streets and it is going to be real. Flip is a good dude!
It sounds like you are making some serious moves?
I’m just trying, homie. I have been talking to some major labels and in the next year or two hopefully something big will happen because I have been talking to a lot of big people. I am doing it right now independently and if they can take it to platinum status then bring it on.
What part of Southern Cali are you from?
I’m from right here in LA County and my hood is known as Cyclones. I was raised in the Valley in the East Side of LA area. I am always at the hood!
How would you describe your music?
It’s real music from the streets and I talk about real shit because I have been there and done that and a lot of people can vouch for that. I am a real muthafucka that came up and is trying to do right. The music business is different from the streets so sometimes you have to use your brain a little bit more. My music is street music with a little bit of radio smart business music.
What is the main difference between the street game and the Rap game?
In the street game to get known you have to put in work, smashing out fools and doing gangsta shit. In the music industry you can’t do that because it’s all mind games and who is a smart muthafucka. Making the music and doing the right moves, and there’s a lot of money involved. It’s almost the same, but you have to be a little more political and get your shit to the radio.
When you first got into the game was it hard to adjust to the politics of the industry?
It was because I came out the streets and tried to get my CD in the big stores and there was a lot of slammed doors because they looked at me like a gang banger. I started realizing that a lot of guys who were in the industry was all about the business side and the money and they were not into that gangsta shit. I adjusted and hit the swap meets hard as fuck and next thing you know people were calling me trying to see where my head was at. I played it cool and stayed quiet and heard what they had to say. Bottom line was I needed distribution in the big stores. I kept moving on with the street smarts and the business!
Who does your distribution?
Universal does it. My first record, I was selling it in California, Texas, Chicago. People were hitting me up and I sold 50-100,000 units of that. Then Universal decided to put me through. The next record was “Last Man Standing”. That one right there with no promotion sound scanned 50-60,000 units and on the streets another couple hundred thousand were sold. Now I’m trying to get to that radio level and incorporate the streets into it with the radio.
What is Universal doing for you to help blow you up?
There is Universal Records and there is Universal Distribution; a lot of people don’t understand the difference. Universal Records looks for the hot stuff in the streets and if you have your own money or funding they will distribute your stuff. For me it was a different story because they saw a lot of sales, and at the beginning they co-signed with Thump Records to co-sign with me. We sold a lot of records and they were impressed. Next thing you know they gave me a label distribution deal and everything has been selling real good. Right now we have word of mouth and we are selling records, but the corporate radio don’t know about us. Now we’re trying to knock those doors down and get on that next level shit. I’m doing real good and everyone who knows me from the past, like regular homeboys knew I didn’t have a dollar in my pocket and now I got big houses, cars and all that. But to me it ain’t even all about that. I want to take this to the next level and keep everything going.
Sounds like life is pretty good to you these days!
I have not been getting into any trouble, but I miss my old days. That is what I came up with and grew up in—just fuckin’ around, not giving a fuck about nothing and having no worries. I didn’t have a lot of dough in my pocket, but I had a 40 ounce and bitches and I miss that life. But you have to move on. All my good friends are either dead, locked up, or have moved away. I am telling the little homies what to do and if I had went on with the life I would have been dead. I was a gangsta and I repped my hood, but the music was a blessing for me and saved me from all that. I don’t get to do all that shit all the time no more, but I am still in the streets and the hood. The only difference is I have a new focus and a new life.
Do you have your own label or are you still with Thump?
We have an independent label, which is Hi Power Music. That label has been strong on the streets for about four years and for the whole Chicano Rap thing. It’s probably the biggest label on the streets.
When a lot of cats do a song with Twista they have to bring it up a few knots, did you have that pressure?
Yes it is true I was under that pressure and Twista dropped some fast shit. I have usually never went on a track super fast. Once I heard the beat the lyrics came out and everybody was tripped out. It came out perfect and Power 106 in LA is playing it right now. It’s blowing up right now and the fans are calling in loving the track. It’s all love without any major push behind it.
Where are some of your favorite spots to perform?
Denver was real good, and New Mexico has been always good. Vegas and LA is always the best. There is a lot of Gangsta shit that goes down over here and promoters are scared to put on shows, but when they do it always comes out real good. I go to Arizona, Texas, Washington State, and all over. We have been to at least one third or one fourth of the states and we have done a lot of shows.
