MC Eiht
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog volume 7 #6
Is this new MC Eiht album different from your last one?
I think on this one we're real in tuned because of what's happening on the West Coast. Everybody's really focused on the West Coast right now. I think it'll get a little more attention than some of the West Coast records have been gettin in the past. I think people will really like it and it'll be contending with the rest of the shit.
There's been a lot of energy circulating around this Up In Smoke Tour. Me and the Comrads, we're on this promo tour right now, ridin off this Up In Smoke Tour. Let the shit rub on our shoulders.
This tour is really turning things around for the West Coast.
For sure. We're back to sellin 6 and 7 million records. We got a big West Tour jumpin off which we haven't had since the NWA days. Got all the originators back in the game. It's lookin real good for the West Coast. This is just what we needed. We needed something to kick it off for us. A boost, take it to the next level. It's all up to us now. We just gotta keep pushin out the quality music.
Did you work with the same producers on this album?
We pretty much kept it in-house. We have Slip on there. I helped on a coupla tracks. My man Nick Steal who works for Half House, that's our production company, he did a coupla tracks. Then we got Fort Knocks Productions doin a coupla tracks. It's a lot of the shit that everybody's liking on the West. Then we got tracks that people will like from other places. The album dropped on June 20th, it's called N' My Neighborhood . We got some classic MC Eiht shit on there. We're tryin to keep the format, step it up a little. Got Mack 10 on there, Technique--the new prospect of Hoo Bangin'. With this album we took it back to the streets, but we're tryin to take it to another level. We got some tight production. We got some classic CMW shit on there. It's a smooth album.
Compton's Most Wanted is back together?
Yeah, we put Compton's Most Wanted back together and got them on the album. We've got 2-3 cuts on the new album.
Are you planning to put out another Compton's Most Wanted album?
Yeah, I got a new label called Half House Records. I'm puttin out the Compton's Most Wanted record on September 12.
You're doing the whole thing independent? I never thought you would take that step.
I've just been waiting to get the crew back together. Everybody's on the right page, everybody's got the same focus. So I put it together and now we're about to break out the gate. September 12.
I look at you as an artist that's done a lot of shit, but you're underrated.
Definitely. That comes with the territory. Some artists come up big time, some artists stay in the game for a long haul. There's not too many artists like myself who got nine records--I don't go platinum on every record, but I'm still in the game. That's from the loyalty from the fans, and me comin with the quality music and being committed to this art form. That gives me the opportunity to stay in the game and put out 9-10 albums. And now it enables me to open the door for my own label. It was the time for me to wait and now it's time for me to get all this goin.
All these years you've been putting out steady albums and keeping your fanbase.
Right. I can do whatever I want when I want, what kinda music. Right now we're concentrating on Compton's Most Wanted. The record is done. It's that classic CMW, just like Music To Drive By. It's all good. It's what people been waitin for.
Do you ever go back and listen to your old albums?
I always listen to my old stuff. I like to stay in tune with what I was doin yesterday for what I'm doin now. You wanna step up your game a little bit. I always listen to the old albums, certain cuts that I like. See what really got me off and got me goin on that shit. Now it's 7-8 years later and I gotta put that shit into a form that's futurized.
You never changed with the trends. You kept it steady Gangsta street. You kept it MC Eiht.
It's niggaz out there everywhere like us. They're gonna feel the music, they're gonna relate to it. Other niggaz can switch their game up. You got the playa niggaz and you got all that. But fuck it, we're gonna stay strictly West Coast and Gangsta over here, cause that's all we know. We can do a little radio song now and then or hook or hook up with somebody to show that our skills are that versatile and get into that market. Other than that, fuck that, we're in the street game right now. Fuck it. We're still in the street and we're gonna keep doin this shit. There's little niggaz in the hoods right now, 12-13, still bangin, listenin to our shit. We got homies locked in the penitentiaries listening to this shit. We can't be broadcasting about the hood is all about glamour and clubs and platinum and shit, cause it ain't about that. It's about struggles and niggaz tryna make it and come up. So that's how we gotta keep it.
It's all good to talk about Rolexes and ice, but how many of us have that?
It's a lotta niggaz workin honest jobs who are makin some money, but they can't spend 100,000 on a Rolex. That's their life savings and shit. We gotta keep this real. We're the entertainers here, we the niggaz rappin, we gotta make music for the niggaz in the streets. We gotta keep it like that, or niggaz will say, That's not how you started, you didn't start with platinum and millions and shit like that.
A lot of people feel that just to be a man you have to have a Rolex and a nice ride. It puts pressure on them.
Then they go out tryin to do shit so they can buy that shit. The format is all fucked up cause that's all they hear. Nobody's tellin you how you gonna get that shit. Either you gonna work or you gonna hustle. You gotta put the time in first before the shit just drop. You know you gonna do something fucked up to get that shit. Somebody's gotta tell the little niggaz about that shit.
Where do you get most of your sales?
I sell more records in like Texas, Chicago, Cleveland than in California. I figure that people at the house, they know what we go through. They seen us since we was kids, we grown up, they seen us since the beginning. You go to other spots, they're tryin to understand what it's like to be in our positions, that's why they'd be more inclined to buy this shit. They watch our videos and see how we do it. We might be ridin 6-4's and lowriders, they ridin Deltas and shit. That's another thing though, we gotta get that hometown support. You go to a lotta other places and they get support from their hometown. You go Down South and they love their local artists. I heard you're going to Europe. Is that a tour?
I'm goin to Stockholm and Copenhagen and shit for a concert tour in Europe. I went over there a coupla years ago, it was pretty cool. We gotta expand our market. We need to get over to Europe more too. They feelin our shit over there. They're fiendin for Compton's Most Wanted and MC Eiht over there. This Hip Hop thing is worldwide. Right now there's no denying it, it's worldwide.
Interview by Black Dog Bone
From Murder Dog volume 7 #6
Is this new MC Eiht album different from your last one?
I think on this one we're real in tuned because of what's happening on the West Coast. Everybody's really focused on the West Coast right now. I think it'll get a little more attention than some of the West Coast records have been gettin in the past. I think people will really like it and it'll be contending with the rest of the shit.
There's been a lot of energy circulating around this Up In Smoke Tour. Me and the Comrads, we're on this promo tour right now, ridin off this Up In Smoke Tour. Let the shit rub on our shoulders.
This tour is really turning things around for the West Coast.
For sure. We're back to sellin 6 and 7 million records. We got a big West Tour jumpin off which we haven't had since the NWA days. Got all the originators back in the game. It's lookin real good for the West Coast. This is just what we needed. We needed something to kick it off for us. A boost, take it to the next level. It's all up to us now. We just gotta keep pushin out the quality music.
Did you work with the same producers on this album?
We pretty much kept it in-house. We have Slip on there. I helped on a coupla tracks. My man Nick Steal who works for Half House, that's our production company, he did a coupla tracks. Then we got Fort Knocks Productions doin a coupla tracks. It's a lot of the shit that everybody's liking on the West. Then we got tracks that people will like from other places. The album dropped on June 20th, it's called N' My Neighborhood . We got some classic MC Eiht shit on there. We're tryin to keep the format, step it up a little. Got Mack 10 on there, Technique--the new prospect of Hoo Bangin'. With this album we took it back to the streets, but we're tryin to take it to another level. We got some tight production. We got some classic CMW shit on there. It's a smooth album.
Compton's Most Wanted is back together?
Yeah, we put Compton's Most Wanted back together and got them on the album. We've got 2-3 cuts on the new album.
Are you planning to put out another Compton's Most Wanted album?
Yeah, I got a new label called Half House Records. I'm puttin out the Compton's Most Wanted record on September 12.
You're doing the whole thing independent? I never thought you would take that step.
I've just been waiting to get the crew back together. Everybody's on the right page, everybody's got the same focus. So I put it together and now we're about to break out the gate. September 12.
I look at you as an artist that's done a lot of shit, but you're underrated.
Definitely. That comes with the territory. Some artists come up big time, some artists stay in the game for a long haul. There's not too many artists like myself who got nine records--I don't go platinum on every record, but I'm still in the game. That's from the loyalty from the fans, and me comin with the quality music and being committed to this art form. That gives me the opportunity to stay in the game and put out 9-10 albums. And now it enables me to open the door for my own label. It was the time for me to wait and now it's time for me to get all this goin.
All these years you've been putting out steady albums and keeping your fanbase.
Right. I can do whatever I want when I want, what kinda music. Right now we're concentrating on Compton's Most Wanted. The record is done. It's that classic CMW, just like Music To Drive By. It's all good. It's what people been waitin for.
Do you ever go back and listen to your old albums?
I always listen to my old stuff. I like to stay in tune with what I was doin yesterday for what I'm doin now. You wanna step up your game a little bit. I always listen to the old albums, certain cuts that I like. See what really got me off and got me goin on that shit. Now it's 7-8 years later and I gotta put that shit into a form that's futurized.
You never changed with the trends. You kept it steady Gangsta street. You kept it MC Eiht.
It's niggaz out there everywhere like us. They're gonna feel the music, they're gonna relate to it. Other niggaz can switch their game up. You got the playa niggaz and you got all that. But fuck it, we're gonna stay strictly West Coast and Gangsta over here, cause that's all we know. We can do a little radio song now and then or hook or hook up with somebody to show that our skills are that versatile and get into that market. Other than that, fuck that, we're in the street game right now. Fuck it. We're still in the street and we're gonna keep doin this shit. There's little niggaz in the hoods right now, 12-13, still bangin, listenin to our shit. We got homies locked in the penitentiaries listening to this shit. We can't be broadcasting about the hood is all about glamour and clubs and platinum and shit, cause it ain't about that. It's about struggles and niggaz tryna make it and come up. So that's how we gotta keep it.
It's all good to talk about Rolexes and ice, but how many of us have that?
It's a lotta niggaz workin honest jobs who are makin some money, but they can't spend 100,000 on a Rolex. That's their life savings and shit. We gotta keep this real. We're the entertainers here, we the niggaz rappin, we gotta make music for the niggaz in the streets. We gotta keep it like that, or niggaz will say, That's not how you started, you didn't start with platinum and millions and shit like that.
A lot of people feel that just to be a man you have to have a Rolex and a nice ride. It puts pressure on them.
Then they go out tryin to do shit so they can buy that shit. The format is all fucked up cause that's all they hear. Nobody's tellin you how you gonna get that shit. Either you gonna work or you gonna hustle. You gotta put the time in first before the shit just drop. You know you gonna do something fucked up to get that shit. Somebody's gotta tell the little niggaz about that shit.
Where do you get most of your sales?
I sell more records in like Texas, Chicago, Cleveland than in California. I figure that people at the house, they know what we go through. They seen us since we was kids, we grown up, they seen us since the beginning. You go to other spots, they're tryin to understand what it's like to be in our positions, that's why they'd be more inclined to buy this shit. They watch our videos and see how we do it. We might be ridin 6-4's and lowriders, they ridin Deltas and shit. That's another thing though, we gotta get that hometown support. You go to a lotta other places and they get support from their hometown. You go Down South and they love their local artists. I heard you're going to Europe. Is that a tour?
I'm goin to Stockholm and Copenhagen and shit for a concert tour in Europe. I went over there a coupla years ago, it was pretty cool. We gotta expand our market. We need to get over to Europe more too. They feelin our shit over there. They're fiendin for Compton's Most Wanted and MC Eiht over there. This Hip Hop thing is worldwide. Right now there's no denying it, it's worldwide.
