Boyz-N-Da Hood
Interview by Scott Bejda
From Murder Dog Vol 14 #3
What can we expect from the new Boyz-N-Da Hood album?
Jody Breeze: The new album is straight heat and I think we show a whole lot of progress from the first album to the second album. We ain’t trying to switch it up too much, because we are trying to stick to the basics. It’s different just because we matured more on the music side. I wouldn’t say there was a big change. We still spit for the hood and we still give you that struggle.
Duke: It’s an incredible album! We got a lot of in-house production on here. We also got Drumma Boy again, J-Mack, and as far features we got Ice Cube, Rick Ross, and T-Pain.
How was it to do a track with the original Boy-N-The Hood, Ice Cube?
Duke: That was real special to me because Cube is one of the people I grew up listening to and he inspired me to rap anyway. It was that whole NWA camp. It was legendary to do a track with Cube.
Big Gee: Cube is my idol. He is a cool down to earth cat.
Jody Breeze: It was an honor and a blessing. Niggas been up on Cube and the whole NWA. Shit like this should happen. Niggas should fuck with real niggas everywhere because that is what makes the world go round. It was just a blessing to be able to work with the same guy that we looked up to. It’s all love with me!
Did Cube come hard on that track?
Duke: He sounded like he was 21 again like “America’s Most Wanted”.
On your last album you really blew up! How did you cope with all that success being that it was your first record?
Duke: Honestly it did what we thought it was gonna do as far as a street level, but it seemed like if certain things would have been worked more it could’ve did what we really wanted it to do. It did lay the foundation for the group and let the people know we are out there and what we are about. The change wasn’t that dramatic because when you come out you ain’t rich out the gate. Now we got an outlet and we can take it further. Some people don’t see it like that. Everybody don’t look at the long term. For me I get to sleep a little better at night.
How would you compare the new album to the first album?
Duke: It’s pretty much on the same level. It’s still gangsta although we probably show more growth on the album as far as reaching out on subject matter. Everybody ain’t just dying everyday but it is still gangsta.
Jeezy was part of the group on the first album. Are you all still cool with Jeezy?
Duke: That’s our nigga! A lot of people don’t understand the situation. Jeezy signed to the group for a one album deal. He already had his situation going with Def Jam and he already had his stuff out in the streets. He liked the movement that we had and it all worked out real good. We still fuck with dude, man!
You’re the new member, Gorilla Zoe. How did you come to join the group?
Gorilla Zoe: It was a mutual decision between the rest of the group and Block. I came in as a solo artist and I was doing my thing and they wanted to see what I sounded like with the group. Block liked it and they accepted me and it was a match made in heaven.
Duke: He came in and played his part real good. He came in more than just a member, he came in as a contributor. He wrote tracks, did hooks and production. He came in and got right in the starting line-up. He didn’t sit on the bench long at all! Plus he is a real nigga so we already accepted him in that area. The chemistry we built was perfect!
Atlanta is really holding it down in the music industry. I remember back in the day when Rap in Atlanta really got overlooked. How did the “A” become so strong?
Duke: I think it was about being consistent and being true to what you do. Back then at that time booty shake music was out real hard. After awhile you go so long, it’s like Pimp C said “You go so long trying to get in everywhere else and if you ain’t getting accepted you start building your own fan base.” Then you won’t have to reach out to them and let them come to you. I think that is why we are at where we are at now.
Big Gee: We have been doing it for a long time. Atlanta has been keeping it hot for years. Shots out to The Goodie Mob, Sammy Sam, Hard Boys, and Outkast!
Where do you see Atlanta in five years from now?
Big Gee: In the next five years I see Atlanta looking like Times Square because this shit turning into New York every day.
What was it like growing up for ya’ll?
Duke: It is probably like it is everywhere else because you got poverty. You got certain areas that are calm but not on my side of town. I’m from Decatur. Where I grew up at there wasn’t too much gang bangin, but everything was drug infested. Everything was about drugs over there! There’s a saying “Being raised by junkies” and that is a real statement because you probably spend more time around them then you do your parents.
Gorilla Zoe: I’m from the Southwest side and it was rough. I was a little hyper ass muthafucka! The only thing for me to do at a young age was sports. As I got older times weren’t cool and I had to find a way to channel that energy. I did a lot of stupid ass shit. There really wasn’t nothing to do but dumb ass shit. As I got older I started moving out on my own.
Big Gee: For me it was crazy. I was growing up in the time of the child murders and we had a six o’clock curfew and everything when I was coming up. We were watching out for Wayne Williams and people came to the schools giving out whistles we had to wear around our neck. When I got older it was still rough. I got involved with the streets. It makes me feel good that I am here and I thank god for that.
Jody Breeze: I come from a small little city called Griffin, Georgia and it was more country like. The country is different from the city but really it’s the same thing. I grew up trying to make it out the country and it was the same ol’ shit in the hood trying to get money and running from the police.
It sounds like Rap was a positive force in your life?
Gorilla Zoe: Yeah, because I was gonna die! Somebody was gonna kill me or I was gonna go to jail.
Are you doing a lot of shows now?
Duke: We are starting to crank it up again. We have just been feeding the streets with records and mixtapes.
It sounds like the album is gonna be a classic! What are you expecting it to do?
Duke: Really nothing less than platinum will be a successful album to me. We scanned over 500,000 last time, but hopefully this time the label will get behind us a little more and maybe we can get to that platinum status.
I wonder why Bad Boy wouldn’t get behind you. You’re in the perfect position to leap to the top.
Duke: For one, they don’t know the music. When we brought you “Dem Boyz” we brought you a record that was hot already. Ya’ll gotta come see! We got a record that is killing them right now in the streets, but they say it’s a little too hardcore for it to get big.
I like the hardcore shit more because I relate to it! I know millions of people agree with me.
Duke: I appreciate that. Everybody out here ain’t rich because there are still a lot of muthafuckas out here trying to get it, and them are the people the music is for.
Do any of you have solo projects in the works?
Big Gee: My solo is called “Live From The 13th Floor”. We got a couple cuts with Jeezy on there and I got Big Boi on there and Khujo.
Duke: Everybody got a solo project. Zoe got his coming out after Boyz-N-Da Hood, Jody coming out in the fall, Big Gee got one coming out and then you got my album coming out about the top of the year. Also I am doing a movie with Snoop and Daz called “Make It Rain”, and then I got another thing going on where Nickelodeon is doing a cartoon where they are using my face and my voice. I also got a production company I’m trying to get going too. Everybody is working hard and we are gonna focus on one thing at a time.
You are giving music for the people in the streets and you are also giving back to the kids with the cartoon thing! How does that make you feel?
Duke: It’s a blessing, man! They are also trying to do a reality show on me. It’s similar to “Run’s House” but it’s about a rapper coming up. It’s about me doing the rap thing and raising four kids. My son is getting ready to get recruited from schools. There ain’t no wife, it’s just me and them. We are showing them how I can have a Rap career and be a father at the same time.
You are a single parent? Is it hard it to balance your career with the family life?
Duke: Honestly my kids have been with me so long that I really don’t know when they weren’t here. The two older ones have pretty much seen every transition in my life from high school to running around in the streets and then coming into the music. It’s hard now with the time, but I am real involved. I get help from my family too.
One of your kids is getting ready to go to college?
Duke: Yeah, he plays Quarterback and he was in the top 100 in the country this year. He is already getting recruited by everybody.
You must be proud.
Duke: That is what I do this for. Anything I put into place is for getting them situated.
What do they think about you rapping?
Duke: They like it better than anything else. You got people who are jealous at school and stuff. For the most part it be cool though!
