Y know, what's up is Eric some of the Green Knighted Bandit half of EPM D you throw the Death Squad check me out on the Bootleg cat podcast.
Yeah, Bootleg Cab Podcast special guests. Didn't hear a legend. Eric Sermon is in the building. Welcome, So what's up? What's going on? Man?
H You know, just I was just telling my boy that it feels strange because it's a long time to be back on the to be back on the scene and doing the promos and doing something that now is podcast like you and different type of things. So this is a little strings though, But I'm cool.
Yeah, man, I mean, look, you've been through it all, you know what I'm saying. It's crazy because you somehow, like not a lot of people can say that they have the longevity to have been through every era of music in terms of like you went from cassettes to CDs to streaming napster.
I did all of it, yeah again, from nineteen eighty eight to twenty twenty four. It's a long time.
That's a long time, man, And there was so many different hats, whether it's being a record executive, whether it's being behind the scenes producing right now it's just it's a lot, man, this is a I flash back on it again.
It's a it's a blessed career to be having and to still be here and then being in front of y'all doing you know, with all the young people and letting them know what time it is, you know a few things, what's going on, and so in the name of music, you know.
Yeah, well, like let me give you my so I as I'm thirty seven. I just turned thirty seven. So when I was a kid, I first got hip to Death Squad, right, yes, So that was how I was introduced to you because I was a Red Man fan, right, and Method Man and Red Man and and and that's how I got hip to like Keith Murray. But I was the kind of kid who I still have all my source magazines on my double ex sales, so I would go back and like do my research on the
five Mic albums and stuff like that. So the first album of EPM D that I bought, I bought a used at the warehouse and it was I think it was your third album. It was the one that had to with Redman and the record with LL.
Yes, that's business as usual. The RAM page, Yeah, with the cops on the front.
Yeah. Yeah, and and so that was my first introduct because I was like new E P, M D, E P and D.
Right, so that was kind of like I have you mentioned that because that would that ended up getting the full mic on that record.
Right, yep. Yeah. But it's funny like just like like like my era of like hip hop was like like late nineties of course, yeah, I know, early two, but I got to you know, I got to kinta go back and like get the Brand Nubian album and get all the Tribe ship and get the EP and D ship and right. So but nah, man, it's been dope to see just kind of like your like evolution. Talk to me about like the new project, because it's you're
doing like collapse with everybody. I know, the new singles got something pep on it.
Like yeah, well I had the idea of doing COVID time, you know what I'm saying, So COVID stop things. But before the Hip Hop fifty, I always had ideas of just my colleagues not being here. I just figured that you know, you never know, all of us are still here just because you got young people, we still have us that's living too. People want to hear music, but they stop making music. So I wanted to facilitate that.
I wanted to be able to say, you know what, let me make records on people that come from the era that people would love to hear if they was able to make music. So that's what the dynamic duels came into play at. So so I wanted to get of course, like it's like twenty five rap groups. Yeah, that'll duels. So but I just picked it for the volume one. What I can get off now.
So for you, it was the inspiration was like, let me do this now because I have this idea now because like you said, during COVID, we were losing people. You never know when people are gonna be here, not going to be here. Who all's on the project?
Yeah, the project is loaded. It's lowly, I got Biggie Smolden Tupac. It's gonna blow everybody's away.
These are are these unheard verses.
It's not I don't to me, they are not unheard, but the way I put it together, okay, it just sounds new. Okay, low waiting game, Mob deep, m O P whether meth.
Do you have mob deep and MP in the same home.
No, this is the dynamic duals. Let me get two people.
Okay, two people and you handing production, right, Okay.
Cyper's Hills, Dog Pound E P M D.
Of course this is impressive so far.
I think I caught anybody.
I think. I mean, that's a lot.
I said, Snoop and Nate though, right, no, you didn't.
Snoop and Ate. Jesus So for you, like I always wonder as a producer, right like, if you know, like let's say the Biggie and the Tupac song, do you already have that beat made or do you get the verses? And do you know.
I have it? As a producer, you got records.
You know what I'm saying.
You make certain stuff if you don't. If you don't have it, then you make it.
I was gonna say, when you hear those two verses from Biggie and POC, does that inspire you to make the beat off of those verses or did you already have it?
I already had something that I wanted. I wanted to make sure that I didn't want to make a regular record. I don't want to make just a hip hop record. I want the rock because both of them is best best on melody and more R and B's type situations. So that's what I based my thing on when I had when I was making it like Okay, I want to make it a song song, something that Biggie will rock on, something that pop will rock on too. It
feel comfortable, and most of them they records are melody. Yeah, you know it's not really the hip hop you know.
You know we've had we have so many different attempts at well known producers that we all love and know that haven't done the best job. I would say with certain Tupac or Biggie records after they passed.
I like, as the fun me, I just felt that it wasn't something that I was trying to do to make the biggest record. Just did what felt good to me the day it was.
When something I feel like it's all about, Like if I could hear them like actually being on that record when they were alive, That's.
When it makes it crazy because I think that they probably would have been friends later on. I think that all that be for the stop eventually because of what they had before that. But but but the way I did it, you would think they were in there together.
Oh that's fire. I was gonna say, you had like a really early opportunity to work with Biggie right before before we really knew who he was. Is that yeah?
I mean yeah.
I mean.
My story is ill on artists.
Because you do have you do have because.
You know, because but my sus documented as far as people talk, Rick Ross on my basement, fifty cent in my basement, fucking Luke crist on my door, the game Wu Tang Clan, Ray Kwon says, I almost signed with Eric, like you know, I mean this this thing of Mine's what I was able to see. And Biggie Small's on my first video set to Well my man brought him to the barbershop. Okay, let me to see. And then when I shot Hit and Switches, my first single, he was around the whole time. Why I do every scene?
You know? Then he told Tracy Waple was like, yo, I want to go on that Everic Sermon album. But already had artists already, and then I had, you know, I had my own groups, so I wasn't trying to do something new. But at that time I could have you know, probably would have had.
That, did you because I know Biggie had like a buzz going around New York. But at that time, did you kind of see what eventually ended up coming to be? You know, like I didn't.
Again, my concentration wasn't on that because I had my You had your own, Yeah, you know, I have my own. Because his squad was the biggest thing running, right you know, Like so that's the effects of Redman and Eric So I mean e pm D. Yeah, the biggest ship running. So it was like so at the time, it wasn't me looking at anything else.
You know, talk to me about Redman Man because I think somehow he's turned out to be one of the more slept on rappers ever, because he's one of the greatest of all time. And I think, like, you know, I just saw the the reaction online from some of the young people when Killer Mike won his Grammy, which he deserved and he deserved to win it because he
had the best rap album. But I feel like these days, like a guy like Red Man, like you know, when I'm growing up, like Redman's like the Goat, you know what I mean, Like Muddy Waters, there's a dark side and blackout and go on and on and on. Death squad. What was it like kind of like being around Red Man early, Like, what did you see in him that you know kind of had you bring him into the fold.
Is this the metaphors, the way that he rhymed, you know, the the wordplay. Everything about me was as far as the rappers that I was able to get like that's affecting them as everybody was Keith Murray, everybody has something different. Keith Murray had these big words. Reggie had you know, I got a's bitch, you know, the eminem like you know, as far as crazy they that effects changed the game because you had all these groups that either immolated them
or made records doing the igoity. And when you get a call from Ice Cube saying you want you know what dotics, this is Cube calling you know what I'm saying to put them on the record. You know that these guys are making an impact. So but again, but Reggie, it was this that I think that I saw him at a club and knew it called Sensations and he was with do it All from Lords of the Underground. Do It All rhymed and Reggie was his DJ. But then again he became Lords and but he was like
my man rapped and Reggie had one line. He said, I float like a butterflies, thing like the rock group. I thought it was going to be like, you know, like a thing like a bee, but he the metaphor went float like a butterflies thing like a rock group. So order to make him like, yo, nobody does this at this time nineteen ninety one or two.
Crazy.
He was already ahead, you know, so I'll talk to him, and it was fast. I'm like yo. He Reggie was so ill that I gave him my number, but not I didn't write it down, he remembered. He remembered it.
That's how it used to be back at the day though. You might meet a girl in the mall and like she'll tell you her number, but she will write it down, and it's.
Like and he said it a couple of days for him to realize what the number was, and a few days later he called the phone but he had to remember the number.
That's crazy. What was that conversation like like I'm trying to.
No, It's just like it wasn't no coping me. I'm just I'm a nonch a lot person. So at the end of the day, like, yo, you want to do this, and plus he's he's a fan. He don't believe this is happening. Like, oh shit, I'm on the phone with Eric. He's viting me over So that was it.
That's crazy, man. How do you feel about like, because I feel like hip hop these days is like I always tell people, if you want to find good shit, you got to like it's there, you just have to. It's just not being pushed, like like we just talked
about the Killer Marke thing. But in terms of like, you know, you've been wrapped up in certain like hip hop beef situations, and nowadays it's I feel like it's it almost might be more amplified these days than it was back then because back then you had to go spend money to pick up the Source and or the Vibe magazine and read the interview in which a rapper was calling out another rapper, or go buy a DVD or whatever. These days, you just open your phone and
there's thirty blogs talking about whatever contexts going on. Like, like, how do you feel about like the current state of like hip hop in terms of the media, Well, I mean.
Listen to me. It made it accessible to everybody, which is a cool thing. But I just think that the oversaturation of music took the excitement away from it.
Definitely, you know, if it's something coming out and something.
Like waiting for Tuesdays for two Yeah, waiting for that though too. But to make a long story short, I feel like, to me, music is making a comeback and if people aren't seeing that, then they're going to be in trouble because I'm here with you at this time in my career, yeah, making music, and I'm gonna make sure that the music is what we know music to be. Like, I'm not trying to play the game of what everybody else is doing. Everybody already doing that and people are
getting tired and it's being proven. The sampling that hit maker is doing meanwhile, like taking old records, it's changing the tempo back. Who caresus Foxy Brown? The Temple's back? Who cares if it's branded, it makes the temples back. So that's what's changing the game. Even if they are sampling, it's still changing.
People don't realize that tempo. Like, yeah, it's like like the eighty five to like one hundred bpm records are like faring few between these days.
It's like, but it's changing. So that means that music is going to be put back in the forefront of what music feels like to feel good inside, just soul, to make you who if they're still dancing because I went to a party whatever, they are sitting there with their phones and bottle and we're standing at the intersections anymore girls and talking to guys. God, ain't talking to girls, Like what type of is this? This is what we're living in. But I just feel that at this time, music is
making a change. That's why everybody's coming. We ain't gonna name no artists though, but a lot of artists came out and fucked up and they had to go back in the studio and make rap records.
A lot of people, well, I want to shout out. Twenty one Savage just put out an album that was heavy on substance, heavy on raps, and a lot of people wouldn't have exp I mean, I I've kind of paid attention to his evolution over the years, but his new album is crazy.
keV. What we're talking about is not foreign. The game is done shifted, I agree. And if people don't wake up, they're going to be in trouble.
They're gonna get left at the bus stop, man, exactly.
And then I'm not sitting here to be be hating in the hole. And this and this and that. This is just the way it's at and we and there's there's moves being made that people don't know about yet that that that some of the people that we know, the powers that be, aren't gonna be in there. Yeah, and they're about to move this thing forward. So now talent gon with no no algorithms, no how many likes you got, none of that stuff. It's all about are
you ill and are you dope? That's where we're headed to.
That's how it used to be. You know, when I was growing up, it was like yo, of course it was it was about the bars. It was about who had the crazy you know, Neil Armstrong freestyle. You know, like but all the big.
Writers like my man got a group coming out to this Sun with Usher's the girl what's the Girl's name? But not You're the Simions. But they didn't go to the new people. They went to the Brian Michael Cox's, the Dreams, the you know, these people who write music like the Money Love song. This is where this is where we're going. Even Victoria money. But what she did, she wrote an incredible crazy for sure. So this is where we at somebody who took her fifteen years he said.
So again, the talent is going to outweigh the popularity. This is where we're at, and people can this is where we're going. So and so me being out to I give my assessment on what I feel for young people to know, because this is important. I don't come because I'm I'm a person who's who's the so called old head, right, you know, I've never been broke in my life, never gonna be. So I don't come from a point where somebody who's mad because I'm not in the game.
No, you ain't never went nowhere.
I'm in it. To also let you know that for thirty five years, when you get called, you can go, you can go perform, you come and watch you. Yeah, this new era, nobody coming to see them. So if they didn't save or have somebody do something for them, that person who turns our age is not going to be trying to go see fuck pussy as shit whatever. It won't match.
Now I say this and like I don't you know, fifties obviously generation after you, but I just went to the fifty concert right the tour, and I was just like, God, I miss this, like people not wrapping over their fucking tracks, like you know.
What I mean, that's the that's the crazy too. And some of our veterans are doing that. I'm like, where you learning at that? How are you riving over to bea.
Yes like people did that.
It's crazy, so so so so this Shulman Ship, Yeah, all this comes into play again with all the toys that's going the new people is struggling, all the vetermans sold.
Out now sold out, fifty roll out, every beyond everybody that's the veteran had no problem touring. Yeah, I know you and DJ Quick have worked together. I always kind of equate you, and first of all, Quick is one of the greatest of all time, as are you. But I always kind of equate both of you guys as being like somehow underrated producers because I don't think people understand like Quick as like one of the greatest producers of all time, and you're not too shabby yourself. What
are some of your like bigger production place. But for people who.
Don't know, I love David, but nobody did what I did. When it comes down to records produced R and B and hip hop music, I'm my track records too big.
I just mean, like explain, like tell us because I feel like a lot of people who are.
Watching this don't know you're Yeah, because again I've been starting off R and B and since Jodis sis Mary, since Chico the Bar, since de Angelo says, s w V sus in Vogue, since Black Street. These records were done by me. These are all R and B records,
from the Keith Sweats all the way down. This is me at R and B level, right with the biggest of the biggest at the time, and so so so now you're talking about when you're talking about rap music, I did everybody and and so whatever you want to name, you want to name, name.
Like what do you think is like like, because there's people who are watching this who might not know who you are. So give me like your if you had to say top five biggest songs, people would just know, it's off the top of your head, off the top of your hand. You got so many. Yeah, just that you made that that we don't know because you're not rapping on him or not, you know what I mean?
Like people, nobody's looking at the credits anymore. Back in the day, used to get the booklet, used to go through.
Yeah yeah, but but but the kids, the kids won't know that because again how how how because the way I'm again myself was mostly was mostly nineties, right, you know what I'm saying. So again, if I said if I did four three two to one, you know by l with llokuj with with dm X, and then at one time if I did both, how high is on reather meth? People don't know that. Oh reather MEPhI is
your Yeah, that's my those are my boys. Yeah, I did all of them, the Blackouts, Blackout one too, so all them too, and then again me with fifty cent in the beginning. My way He Wait was one of the first singles before he got shot. You know what I'm saying, Reservoir Dogs on Jay z on On on the album Crazactly.
You know, Hey, what's it for you like being the guy who made the beat? Because I always hear Ron Browse talk about being the guy who made the Ether beat? What was it like being the guy who made the four three two one beat? Like with everything that kind of came with that.
Yeah. Again it was track messages the original record, okay, and then it was like it didn't fit. So I told Kevin Lee.
There was the remix, and you didn't get it. The remix.
Yeah, but my my song was the remix but ended up being the main the main record exactly because nobody never heard that. Ye yeah, but again I just wanted to make my own what I thought it should sound like. And then I wanted to put the rappers in the order that I wanted to put the rappers, and because I wanted to put by the meth, but the Meth wasn't together on the stuff the one I heard, so of course I'm putt them two together back to back.
And then I had the piece Lookhoj's vocals together because it wasn't it wasn't it wasn't flowing right on the beat, so to chop it. Oh ship, yeah, and that's why you hear me add living on top of him, so I could fill the holes in the l in the holes.
That's crazy. What about uh being there? Like like do you do you remember like when the idea came to be to put like methan reds, like their chemistry was so crazy. But to make him a group, you know what I mean the.
Label they was doing that, you know, the documentary.
First, the show show. Yeah, I had it on VHS.
They wanted a single, let the Meth so that record I did, the original one, that one to the hardcore version.
Great movie by the way, it needs to get on Netflix because there's you'll see whutang arguing and ship. I think it's like you got it.
So how high it was with something that was made and it was like again it was I remember being a real smoky session, you know, as far as like you know, well you can't see contact. People probably think I'm just like just saying that, but it was really and I'm not a smoker, so you know that was whatever, and I don't I think that's probably where that came from, you know.
So once.
That was gonna happen, I was like, like, we're gonna shoot the video. I'm like, wait a minute, you know what I'm saying, Like the first those two together, We're gonna shoot this this record, nah, because again there wasn't no, it wasn't. It was a hardcore record, just rhyming everywhere. I don't forget. I had to piece that together to make the song work when I did the the radio version, so long story saw it. Once they get to the video shoot, don't forget they never heard the song.
Oh so they haven't heard that and heard your final product yet.
So they had the video shoot and Fly Robin Fly comes on and they cursing everybody out me Diale Motel, Leo Russell, what the fuck is this? Because these are hall core people. I got this shit fucking commercial as a motherfucker singing fucking melody Old nine and they ended up shooting it and the rest is history.
And then the rest of it and we got movies and TV show out of the record exactly right, no doubt because because there is even say you're Eric, great job, you know again, because everybody was kind of not knowing where it was going.
But Leo and them liked it, so they was like, but you can imagine not showing up. I know they didn't hit the record, so you're going to be mad too. Show put the video on you here and you hear some ship that you never even heard before, exactly, and your vocals are cut. So where's the intro to this verse? So where's the my other eight bars to this one? So all that's going.
To talk to me about your production process these days because technology has uh obviously evolved so much from when you first started producing. So what is your production set up these days? Because what was your OG setup?
A rolling w threety, a workstation like people that used the ASR ten Yeah whatever, I had it, but I didn't like the way it was what was moving for me. So it worked for Timulin, for Kanye West and people like that, but to me it didn't. But this station only have fifteen seconds for yeah, fifteen seconds compared to a whole bunch of temple time. So it was treated like an SP twelve hundred the way I had it going. But I was able to play with it. So because me being able to play, I wanted to not have
just a drum machine. I wanted this too, So the workstation is what I what I like, what I worked on better, even though I got every machine possible and just stayed with that, you know, it was better.
Fast forward to twenty twenty four.
Did I move to a motif because the motif had mad samping time and it had eighty eight keys too, that was heavy like a real piano. Because again and I got I want to play. I don't want to minty nothing, you know, I want to do this right. So and I could also program too. So I'm used to a workstation like when I was doing Kanye West for the last since May, as soon as I came into the session with me and him workstation asr TI no matter what, all those years in nineties, one machine.
So if it's not broken, you know what I'm saying. So again, and I watched I watched Jamaine Depri on his thing when he's sitting down to MP and Rodney Jokers. Everybody's back on that one machine.
Yeah, because it's like nowadays, like I'll see these younger producers and they don't even it's just the computer.
Technology can't give you that. It can't give you that analog you're looking for or that field or whatever like that. That old machine is so weird that everybody went back. And now the NPCs has came up with the STEM thing. So now they got the STEM. So that's what the best part of technology right now is that STEM thing. So now the ship that we dreamed about, like did they talking of you know, no, but you can just take beat out based on whatever.
You can sample anything now.
But even if you do have the technology, do you know what to do with it? They're still gonna be whack. You can be whacked with with this machine.
You're a whack DJ. It don't matter if it got easier to be a DJ.
People that that know how to get busy. Oh, it's a fucking it was a miracle worker.
So you've been named with Kanye in the last few months, six months in.
May doing the first album. Then after I went to Italy, ty dollad Sound was there. So they have put something called Voltures together. Yeah, even though I still made that project.
I've heard a lot of it.
Yeah, even though I still made the project, that wasn't what I was working on with him.
So you were working on a YA album three Yes, okay, and then you ended up making the Vultures project though.
No, I ended up going to Italy in the e fact that when I got there, Tie already had sung on one of my songs already. Then I ended up doing another record too when when I when I got to Italy so too. So I was in between. So hopefully when this is done, we can get back.
To Yes what because I know, like Yay has this thing where he likes to go like certain cities and like you know, my beautiful dark twist of fantasy was Hawaii. The click stuff was like I think it was like in Paris. I mean he moves around, but what was like the Italy sessions? Like what was that?
Like? It's crazy, yeah, because we was in things place sing yeah fire so his his villains was fantastic. Yeah. And and the vibe in the room, it's crazy, how yay like PA speakers.
Yeah, not like not like what you would think, right, it's literally like you.
Don't care about the bleeding, don't care about how loud is He's one of the loud. Yeah, it doesn't matter. The two pas and and and and in the two subs on both of them, and that's it.
I was in this.
I was in every room at the hotel we had it, at the warehouse we had it, and where was at South Centee.
I was in Vegas, Tie inviting me out to Vegas when the album was supposed to come out, and we ended up in Yeay's suite and same thing. It's just two speakers and he's Tiger was in there, YG was in there. Uh, Little Dirk was in there all recording while just the room is still rooming like it was never like everybody shut up, it.
Was we was in the addition hotel crazy. That's crazy on the eighth floor. Just that's wild, and no guests. Nobody says ship, did you entie? Were you guys able to bond a bit? I mean obviously guys. Yeah, yeah, because because his brother when I got when I first saw a tie, he stopped playing, or Eric Swimmon, shit, he's because he was saying that my ninety five album is what his brother put them on. Or I told you he played six records and knew them all. Shut the shit out of me.
You guys got to do the Green Eyes things, the Green Eyes duo. But he's one of the greatest guys in all the world. He's a great songwriter and he's a great guy though, like a great human.
Yeah, I he was mad, Nonchalot stayed smoking, you know what I'm saying. But again I'm the old head inside the place because again I'm nine years old than Yay though too so even though it's me and him and and the writers, you know whatever, such and such, you know, give by too much. But Yay is a person that whatever people say is not what I experienced. He music is music, and that passion that you have as a
producer when you hear something dope, it's like, y'all same ship. Yeah, And that's all it was about about yo being whatever. The You can't take nothing from his ear, the vibe, the rhyme, the contexts, all of it. That's all I saw. I don't know none other shit. I just know what we was doing and how he felt about me.
Right.
You know, He's like, he said, everybody in here, that person who's doing my wardrobe, the person who's building my building, the one who's doing my president campaign. He said, these people over here, everybody here geniuses. That's why you here.
Hey, man, you know that's some real shit. Hey, take me back to you guys taking on Rappers Delight, because another terrible uh. I have to admit that I'm I only knew the Death Squad rappers Delight. So even when I even to this day, like I know the og Rappers Alight, but even to this day, like when I see like when the O g Rappers a light comes on, I see the Death Squad version. But what was that like, did you guys initially get any sort of like blowback for like remaking Harold Records.
Listen, it wasn't something to do, it was it was a project that went on TV. Yeah, and they had all the groups picked old records.
Oh so you guys picked that, Like it was kind.
Of like so Master P did six in the Morning whatever that it's called. In the beginning, Oh, I remember that there was like the Knuckles with the yeah the album right in the beginning, everybody did something on there. So when they came and got us, this is what we chose because it was three of us three not knowing that it was going to see the video m TV the number one video.
Like yeah, we had the record back, like.
We beat Maxwell by ten thousand records to be number one album in the country. Crazy the Squad went number you know, you know because of what that was. But we didn't do it on purpose, but we did it blowback from the original people because I don't forget they're still torn with it. So now the Death Squad then came and now it took away from them. It took a long time for them to be like yo, because now we're not see like yo, what's everything is love?
But I was sure the Hell Gang went vicoated at first.
Right, because you're going to stop them from from from moving around. You know, we don't know that.
I feel like the other way to look at it is like thanks for putting some more life into this song.
And but that's what eventually happened.
Yeah, because like there, did you see the Grammys Tracy Chapman performed with this country singer who she has a song called fast Card from like nineteen eighty jac Yeah, and uh, this country singer covered it, wow, and like it was a huge country song. But they did it at the Grammys. And so now Tracy Chapman's song it's number one, number one. Now it's number one, so it's craziest.
But believe me, I was telling my man the other day, like, and this is this is not no no bos or nothing.
Yeah, but.
Me onwed my own publishing. Anybody calls me. So if it was for all the fifty cent shows, you know whatever, my placements, they got to call me direct. I was telling my man that music, I mean, the Weekend is one of the most streaming artists in the world. Right, so him and metro Booming did I don't want to
know op? Yeah, which is your customer right, only four percent of that four percent of that of that record, right, four percent of the original of no of that record of metro booming of your customer on that song.
So you owned four percent of creeping of the publishing.
Right. Listen every four months get so much it brings.
In two hundred dollars.
That's crazy, yo yea yo yo, but that's two forty. But that's crazy. How he was on the money. Yeah, four percent?
Talk about tracks and track Wait, hold on, so let me get this straight. So when you because you have to hear the song first before you clear it.
Yes, even when they did the mad singer and the mad somebody on the madd singer sung did the record, Yeah, mass singer called me. Everybody has to call because again, anybody's not fortunate. Because luckily Leo calling his brother made me, made me and made me me so I didn't have to sell the publishing because people sell publishing when they need to get the money. So luckily I was able to survive without doing.
That for you. Like, I think most people don't understand that how important the pub game is because we always are pushed like, well, the streaming only pays this if you get a million streams, it's like thirty eight hundred bucks. But like the real money is really in the pub right, Like if you can like own your publishing.
It's back this up. Yeah, even though streaming might be less than one cent, there's still more money being made than you signed to a label.
It's still more money being made if you don't sign to a label.
You was signed to a label, Okay, and you and and you are independent streaming, you it's a chance that you can make more money than being on a major exactly. Yeah, for sure, even with the less than one penny. Yeah, it's rough because you I mean, but but but but people don't know. If you're not in the game, you wouldn't know that. But I have a streaming company, so I'm witness to what.
It makes right on the pub side though, because I feel like the publishing side of music is not talked about enough. And I also feel like.
Oh, no, people know nobody just what you've seen all the arguments with the locks and puff and anybody would publishing that's always been a big deal.
No, I mean I'm talking about this new these new kids.
Man, Oh, they don't have a clue, They have no idea because the three sixty as.
They're just coming to be like how much is my advance?
That's it?
And then they're be like, oh shit, I don't know my master's and my publishing or they'll rush into a pub deal. They'll they'll get one placement and then everybody.
Here with Kevin is talking about because Kevi don't got to do this, but he is doing this. He's just trying to not to to to downplay y'all, but to let y'all know what y'all have to do, because this thing is not gonna it's not a lasting thing at this time. We live in in moments times of popularity where things are fast food, every new every hour. Something is coming.
Yeah, And if you catch one placement as a producer, someone's going to offer you a co pub deal, not an ADMIN deal. And that co pub deal it could be I mean that means your full partners with a publishing company, and it could be ten years, it could be in perpetuity, it could be a lot of differents.
Whatever people somebody a full one K or your timement plan. This is what publishing is, is your life. If you're able to have some of it, please have as much as you can.
Because you're gonna get that mailbox money every all the time.
It never stops. And then all of a sudden you might catch a placement like I just told.
You, yeah, which is crazy how many years.
Later I know, but it happens. But I'm just giving you one. Yeah, this happens all the time. I'm just giving me one thing about having publishing and what it can do for.
You for sure, man for you on this on this new album? How cool was it to give the fans? I mean, I know we're gonna when's the.
Album drop April? I think first week in April.
First week of April, But how cool is it going to be to give the fans some new apm D.
Yeah, I mean it's so crazy how the label be like, Yo, I like the e p m D record And I'm like, are you saying because of me? You know what I'm saying. But I think that I just think that the fans are going to be happy if I was on there Burpen right, because it's it's just a because it's a new EPMD song or new Ciprus Hills red right, you know, the new mob D so people, oh yeah, the mob
deep shit is crazy because because of Prodigy. So but again when people hear it, they like, oh okay, And then hopefully I did my job for it to feel like it's supposed to feel like, because don't forget our colleagues don't go because they either scared or like you said, the records don't come out correctly, you know, So hopefully I was able to correct it to too, like when
I was when I was here with Dre. I you see on my Instagram, when I was me and Dre stuyo everybody with viral, Me and Dre made five records, you know, and he made three in one night, crazy, you know, off of my production though, and then I did we did another one with Snoop that post on the new Snoop record, and I also did one with him that me and him rhyme doing, which is crazy wow, you know. But again, Kevin, it's just a blessing because
I don't want to. I never talked, so I hate to be bigger, bigg enough myself because I'm not used to doing that. I would always been introverted, always been quiet. But again, at the end of the day, a lot of dopes that has happened in the last couple of years for this to be what this is because it's only volume one, So.
Is is it going to be a duo's thing after?
Of course that is my my brand, I mean of course, so so now it's a brand of me maker. So I'm over there and like saying, you know, you know what with saying about the Larry Junes and the and the Source Walkers and all these people that I'm looking at to do music with. You know, the Core days that Freddie Gibson all these other you work with Freddy. Yeah, I worked with Freddy back in twenty fourteen.
He was on Interscope or no no twenty fourteen, No, no, no, that was that was That was around the time he put out Bandana or Pinata.
Yeah, but that was I was there before that time.
I've been. He's been one of my best friends in about twenty.
Of the DJ that was what's the DJ name? The one that that he was signed to first in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine did the Ski. Yeah, I'm back then working the Ski from that time. So I told listen, keV, no rappers that rapped didn't come to me nothing.
He was rapping if he was a rapping ass motherfucker. You know what I mean?
Because the only a few of us did production. You only can go for a few people.
Right, that's crazy? Tell me about Uh there was the Martin Lawrence Danny DeVito soundtrack. I forget the name of the movie.
What's the worst it could happen?
What's the worst it could happen? But it sparks your biggest solo hit because I remember it being a kid, and like, I could not turn on the fucking radio without hearing music. It was every believe it.
I couldn't to me again. Music was not supposed to leave my downstairs. The guy's my friend, but no, he stole my CD. I played it for him and he stole out my CD play. Then he went to California and went to a clear channel the Direcord convention. And then I'm sitting on the steps of the w A lady comes down and says, Yo, your song with Marvin Gaye is great. So now you can imagine me Kevin. I'm losing my mind, Like what is she talking about? And who told her about this?
Crazy?
The whole convention had heard the record. Next thing you know, I go to Miami. I'm number one and next you know, just whatever. Because the head of Clear Channel I've got his name was at the time, he loved it and I was it. And then Jimmy Iveen, of course I worked with him before ninety five. He was like for the soundtrack. Yeah, so the soundtrack was moving. But Clive Davis and Tommy Mottola was like, listen, what do what do you want? So I went to Tommy Mottola and said, yo,
two million dollars you know whatever like that. But now went to Clive class said I give him four million dollars and I give him half as far as fifty to fifty.
Me and him.
He make money. I make money.
Wow.
That's how huge the song was.
Was that because it was there already a buzz for it before it like officially was like.
The buzz yeah, because it happened in La.
Okay, so everybody had already heard the record and knew it.
It was already that was at everybody that was at the convention.
It's Clear Channel. So it was so then you have to worry about it, like okay, as long as y'all go get this cleared, because then you got to clear it.
But that's what happened. Yeah, we got stuck up because it was one hundred fifty thousand dollars to the state and then faded down to the lawyer. So it cost two hundred to clear the record yep, for the whole process. Such a great record though, man, But it was worth it two hundred because it gave me. It gave me, It gave me a career, it gave me another half of my life.
Yeah, because then after that you have React and.
All of it. Yeah, nobody, nobody knew that I was going to come back with something like that afterwards, because again, when something that big happens, they're like, oh no, that's it for him. And I came right back mm hmm with with that.
Yeah, for sure. Man, talk to me, keV Kevin.
You know you're part of one of the greatest duos of all time.
Who's Who's the Mount Rushmore of rap duos? For you? Give me the top four rap duos of all time?
Outcasts?
Yeah, you can't say yourself.
But then you can't let me see wow duos, I'm stuck right now.
Give me the top four man mount Rushmore so far. You're two for two though.
Yeah, but but but why am I going blank?
There's so many. There's there's there's Mob Deep, the.
Bye okay, you got okay, Well I'm gonna go.
And then that's the other thing that considered the producer.
The Mob Deep start definitely, and then you have see I don't look at the dun never do it because because they put both names. But that's my favorite apping. Well, but again you have M O P, which is an underrating group, and like that's when it comes to underrated lyrically. I mean this fantastic.
Fucking m He was one of my favorite rock groups of all time. I saw them perform live and they used to roll with that chick Fox, the girl who's on four alarm blaze and uh, the sound guy kept he was fucking with their sound at the show. And I'm like in the front row and Fox beats the funk out of the sound guy. Sound sound turns off. There's no more. The concerts over it. I haven't even done any up yet. These fuckers got into the crowd and did anie up a cappella with the crowd.
It was sick is snoop and no.
I think they gotta be. I mean they are, but I think they got to be.
Like it'd be like.
Saying Ray Kuana Ghost. It's like, well, like they were, I know nothing outcast, I think E P and D. When I think Duo's I think, I think Gang Star. I think, uh, but but not but again.
You you you like you said when you think about the Pepper Pepa, you think about again.
But run DMC, of course.
Eric in Paris.
What I'm saying is run DMC at Duo. There's three of them, right.
But run DMC is run DMC even though they say damn ja message.
But I'm saying, but that's why I said, do we qualify Gang Star because Primo is just the producer?
Right?
Do we qualify Eric B and Rock here because Eric B was making beats? That's what I'm saying. So it's like it is if we're if we're saying just the two are like you have to also rap, then it's you guys, it's outcast. It's probably mob deep.
But you gotta think about the impact of a ball and.
K. I would put GK is my fourth spot because you think of you GK and like how they influenced.
Every I like UGK on the record, Wow you got pimpcy worse? Oh Man, Kevin, I think you'll know me man like that. Man, I don't, I know.
I know. We always like like there's you know, the most influential list, and I think you know it's Jay, It's Pocket's you Go Rock Camp. But Pimpsy's in that discussion. It's crazy how much Pimpsy.
Even though it was only one album though, but I'm looking at that Clips still.
Too, Clips no, no.
They have three albums, three yeah, but I'm saying with the impact of.
Their first two albums obviously Lord Willing. Now you know what if you're talking about my personal favorite, that's a different list because to me, the Clips, as you dangerous, they're highly dangerous in my life. Dangerous, yeah for sure.
Man.
So first week in April, the Dynamic Duos is coming.
Yeah, and again at the end of the day, like it's a it's a a situation. Oh too, I got to help the sculor too.
Hey man, rest in peace to Sean Price.
Again. I don't know if if I'm dropping everything at once because there's so many and I want to be able to to to keep the excitement. But I can go on and tell you that nobody said no to me. People love the idea, love the concept and everybody was like, yo, I got you, I got you, I got you, I got you.
Is it like working with because you've already and Jason? I mean, but I was gonna say the fact they never did that album together, just the two. You know, they need to do just that. They need to do their version of Iron Man or you know, only Built for Cuban.
Links right, Well, well they did two two purple tapes.
No I'm talking about Ghost Fate or I'm talking about Jada and Styles.
There's version of that, but I don't know, but they don't want to leave exactly.
With that being said, though, is it is it like because you you have a lot of people on that, on this project or on these projects that aren't with us anymore. Yes, uh Prodigy Sean Price. But I was gonna ask you, like, is it is? How is it like? How much is it like when you hear Sean Price's vocals for the first time, Like I feel like I would get goosebumps and just be like damn, Like is the pressure higher knowing you got to have to kind of like deliver because.
Because again it doesn't you know, it's like you dope, but what you do. I ain't whack, So when that beat come on, it's going to be like, oh why not back? You know, because I don't have it. It sounds deaf pose that come from his brother Leo Cohen. You know, like if sounds deaf posse means somebody said, yo, ho, do you like that? Or that's dope. I don't have the people that's agreeing. You know, they don't don't agree with me. You don't fuck with it, don't fuck with it.
Just tell me the truth, you know what I'm saying. So that's what I like about people who I'm around, you know, and I know if it's not good because I sit there and sit there myself and be like, oh nah, just I could add some better dums.
You know what I'm saying? What uh? What did you like? Because coming up like eighties deaf jam is kind of like hip hop fucking a loure. Like when we think about what def jam meant it was, we think about the eighties, right, I think your guy's logo, you know what I mean?
The nineties.
Yeah, So for me it's like, uh, I want to know, what is something that you were able to learn from being around Leo and Russ. Yeah, that's and also the fact that you were able to kind of like just thrive under them in like a way that I don't think a lot of people would expect.
Like yeah, because I was, I was one of the producers and along with the group, you know what I'm saying. Like Leo tells story sometimes when when when when death Jam was was in trouble, Redman came the bail out.
Yeah, that was like that that weird era where it was like jail felony, the R.
The R E L things with that that was moving in transition between polygramm and whatever.
I would say, warrant g's regulate help saved the label.
I mean, Leo the whole no punches about what he speaks about how things were, the money, the whole thing up too. But again e PMD was the fifth group
sounded Death Jam. So at the early time when we were at when Russell came and got us from seeing Baker Records because they had to audit and we came, that was the first time that we saw that that we was in that it things could be better because we had number one albums in the country back to back and we didn't have any money because at first you don't look at the money in the beginning, but then when you when time goes by and and were
on fire like that, it didn't match. Yeah, and Russell was like, we got to get them off of there and then and they got us off for there and we signed for one point six million dollars at death Sham.
At that time, what was your first nationwide tour like run.
DMC was eighty eight. It was e pm D, Public Uennemy, Jay Jeffin, First Prince Jesus, you know, and the Running House Tour was the tour, and Russell was run told Russell, go get them boards from Long Island, you know, because don't forget we're the up and comings. This is run DMC. So they so at this time the projectory of trying to make the tour run, make sure we got the highest people on it because j Jeffin first person is
on fire fire, so public enemy is on fire. And then all of a sudden, these two guys from Long Ol epm D is on fire. To the point where when we was on the on tour and Fresh Prince had stopped it show and said, hold, look, when to congratulate EPMD for number one alum in the country. Me and Powers know what that means on Billboard? What do you mean? But EPMD was that phenomen We was number one in the country back to back on both albums.
What was it like backstage though, like at the hotels during those days, because it was crazy.
Because it was Arenas so so again to be and Arenas and have like the colzone cases full of clothes or Adidas or like basketball rims in the back. Like the stuff that you hear about is what it was. But I'm a kid, so all the stuff is still brand spanking new. And don't forget me and Powis Rode or run them seas bus. We didn't have the money for a bus and run invite us to ride with them.
Now automatically, you guys got your own bunk on their bus.
I'm on the bottom though, but I'm watching the Adidas walk by every morning to get off the bus, you know. But it was something special because they didn't have to do that, but they did.
That's so crazy to think that that tour happened. Public Enemy, run DMC p m D and Fresh Princes and Jazzy Jeff. Wow, that's crazy.
Runts House and I don't know where the footage is. I always ask Charlie Mack says, oh, no, I haven't. I'm like, this is the only thing on on YouTube that we can't see.
Yeah, there's footage for everything else. It feels like this, but.
One of the biggest tours, like after you know, Fresh Frest and all that stuff, somebody's.
Got on VHS or something somewhere in a.
Closet haven't came out yet.
Yeah, that's gotta be Yeah, that's crazy, man. Well, look, I appreciate you pulling up too.
A great interview. I appreciate that.
Thank you man. The new albums coming first week in April. Yeah, fully produced.
By It's gonna be crazy because you're gonna be like, you know, Eric was here talking about this ship. Now I heard this ship. You can't wait to hear hopefully Monty lets you.
How many how many volumes do you think you're gonna be doing?
Well? I'm gonna do another dynamic duo with with with the young people, with all young rappers though they're the ones that know right so, and then I'm gonna do with soloists okay, still under the names I never do. They did them do a R and B thing where all the R and B acts that people are not talking about. I'm putting them together too.
M hmm. That's gonna be hard there.
It is, no, because it's an easy process. This is like doing your sleep. As much as it might be like a lot, it's nothing.
Well, I appreciate you pulling up. I look forward to hearing Eric hermy boom keV.
There you go.
Fire