just to bring yall up to date, j-zone is underground mc/producer from the east coast..hes an incredible producer..his beats are fuckign knocking and he loves west coast hip hop..
some highlights of the interview..
ThaFormula.com - When you came to L.A. for your show, I remember you sayin' you were interested in working with Suga Free. I never would have expected you to say that you would want to work with someone like that?
J-Zone - Yeah, I remember I was on highway number 10 or one of them and I seen Pomona and I know Suga Free was from Pomona. All day I was like, "Yo I got to get up with Suga Free." I said it on the show and they were like yeah he was up here. He came up to do a drop for the show and they blazed up with him or whatever. So I was like, "Yo if Suga Free is listening man, get at me." I definitely got to do some shit with Suga Free.
ThaFormula.com - Your one of the few so called underground artists who are feelin' the gangsta shit..
J-Zone - I love that shit and I think that's the reason why, uh, a lot of people don't know how to take it. I mean, in my crates of course I got "Step
Into The Arena", "Funky Technician", "Mecca & The Soul Brother", and "It Takes a Nation of Millions." I mean those are classic of course, but I also got "Straight Checkin 'Em", "Music to Driveby", "Tha Triflin Album", and "Hall of Game" by E-40. Honestly, I was more into that then the East Coast shit back in the days and people used to get mad. Compton's Most Wanted and all the Rap-A lot shit from Houston, and even uknown groups from Cali like 415 from The Bay and Pooh-Man, Too Short and Ant Banks from The Bay. If people listen to my beats, uh, I mean I was influenced by Prince Paul, Marley Marl and definitely 45 king and Pete Rock, but my biggest influences are Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx. I mean DJ Pooh is incredible. I mean just cause I make underground records don't mean I listen to underground rap.
ThaFormula.com - I like the way you give the West Coast it's props and recognize the gangsta shit as being real hip-hop too because a lot of these kids nowaday's don't recognize none of the gangsta shit as real hip-hop?
J-Zone - The West Coast was the first to bring stories into hip hop. I mean you had some like Schooly D, but most of the people in New York were like, "I got this and I got that", but Ice-T did "6 in Da Morning" and they were telling stories. I mean they had concepts like "Death Certificate" and "Amerikkas Most Wanted." "Amerikkkas Most Wanted" is my favorite rap album of all time, period.
ThaFormula.com - It's funny how some people don't realize that the production of a lot of these West Coast gangsta rappaz back in the day was straight hip-hop?
J-Zone - Yeah, man. Like to me, Sir Jinx is the master. He just put it down. That first Lench Mob album is unbelievable. That's the shit I came up on. That gritty, mad shit going on. Chaos you know what I'm sayin. I have more of a comical like jokin' type of vibe, but musically just that chaos.
ThaFormula.com - I really wish that a lot of these MC's out there would open up a little and start usin' you're beats 'cause I really think that that is the only thing stoppin' you from blowin' the fuck up...
J-Zone - Yeah and most of the people I wanna work with are from out there. Like there is no that many people in New York I wanna work with except for LL and G Rap because they're my favorites. But I would like to work with guys like E-40, B-Legit, Suga Free, Too Short cause all those cats are entertaining. A lot of these East Coast artists take this shit way to serious. That's why I like someone like Too Short, cause this hip-hop shit is entertainment and he knows it.
ThaFormula.com - What happened Zone? How did this nerd rap make it this far?
J-Zone - It just lost its edge completely. Anything rugged is described as non hip-hop. Everybody is scared to be considered thug or scared to be considered rugged. Everybody is scared to be funny. People just want to talk about the world ending over these spaced invader ass pseudo-techno beats and it's fucking noise to me! All this shit is noise. All this fucking art fag shit is straight noise to me and it just sounds like crap. People are so busy elevating and uplifting that they forget how to entertain. Back in the day X-Clan and Public Enemy would do both, but nowadays people are so busy trying to be prophets and save the world. Everybody is wearing all this corduroy shit and it's just like all his fucking space shit!! FUCK ALL THAT BIG WORDS SHIT!! That's why I listen to what I listen to, because I don't wanna hear all that big nerd shit. I wanna hear, "In My Neighborhood" by Spice. That's my shit.
ThaFormula.com - There seems to be no respect for OG guys like E-40 and them from these underground kids who talk all this independent shit?
J-Zone - Those cats were paying dues in like the late 80's sellin' out the trunk. E-40 invented the independent game. How you gonna be a fan of nerd independent rap. I mean o.k. if you don't like 40 fine it's an acquired taste, but to say E-40 ain't hip-hop? If it wasn't for him none of this shit would be happening because Sick-Wit-It invented that sellin' out the trunk shit.
some highlights of the interview..
ThaFormula.com - When you came to L.A. for your show, I remember you sayin' you were interested in working with Suga Free. I never would have expected you to say that you would want to work with someone like that?
J-Zone - Yeah, I remember I was on highway number 10 or one of them and I seen Pomona and I know Suga Free was from Pomona. All day I was like, "Yo I got to get up with Suga Free." I said it on the show and they were like yeah he was up here. He came up to do a drop for the show and they blazed up with him or whatever. So I was like, "Yo if Suga Free is listening man, get at me." I definitely got to do some shit with Suga Free.
ThaFormula.com - Your one of the few so called underground artists who are feelin' the gangsta shit..
J-Zone - I love that shit and I think that's the reason why, uh, a lot of people don't know how to take it. I mean, in my crates of course I got "Step
Into The Arena", "Funky Technician", "Mecca & The Soul Brother", and "It Takes a Nation of Millions." I mean those are classic of course, but I also got "Straight Checkin 'Em", "Music to Driveby", "Tha Triflin Album", and "Hall of Game" by E-40. Honestly, I was more into that then the East Coast shit back in the days and people used to get mad. Compton's Most Wanted and all the Rap-A lot shit from Houston, and even uknown groups from Cali like 415 from The Bay and Pooh-Man, Too Short and Ant Banks from The Bay. If people listen to my beats, uh, I mean I was influenced by Prince Paul, Marley Marl and definitely 45 king and Pete Rock, but my biggest influences are Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx. I mean DJ Pooh is incredible. I mean just cause I make underground records don't mean I listen to underground rap.
ThaFormula.com - I like the way you give the West Coast it's props and recognize the gangsta shit as being real hip-hop too because a lot of these kids nowaday's don't recognize none of the gangsta shit as real hip-hop?
J-Zone - The West Coast was the first to bring stories into hip hop. I mean you had some like Schooly D, but most of the people in New York were like, "I got this and I got that", but Ice-T did "6 in Da Morning" and they were telling stories. I mean they had concepts like "Death Certificate" and "Amerikkas Most Wanted." "Amerikkkas Most Wanted" is my favorite rap album of all time, period.
ThaFormula.com - It's funny how some people don't realize that the production of a lot of these West Coast gangsta rappaz back in the day was straight hip-hop?
J-Zone - Yeah, man. Like to me, Sir Jinx is the master. He just put it down. That first Lench Mob album is unbelievable. That's the shit I came up on. That gritty, mad shit going on. Chaos you know what I'm sayin. I have more of a comical like jokin' type of vibe, but musically just that chaos.
ThaFormula.com - I really wish that a lot of these MC's out there would open up a little and start usin' you're beats 'cause I really think that that is the only thing stoppin' you from blowin' the fuck up...
J-Zone - Yeah and most of the people I wanna work with are from out there. Like there is no that many people in New York I wanna work with except for LL and G Rap because they're my favorites. But I would like to work with guys like E-40, B-Legit, Suga Free, Too Short cause all those cats are entertaining. A lot of these East Coast artists take this shit way to serious. That's why I like someone like Too Short, cause this hip-hop shit is entertainment and he knows it.
ThaFormula.com - What happened Zone? How did this nerd rap make it this far?
J-Zone - It just lost its edge completely. Anything rugged is described as non hip-hop. Everybody is scared to be considered thug or scared to be considered rugged. Everybody is scared to be funny. People just want to talk about the world ending over these spaced invader ass pseudo-techno beats and it's fucking noise to me! All this shit is noise. All this fucking art fag shit is straight noise to me and it just sounds like crap. People are so busy elevating and uplifting that they forget how to entertain. Back in the day X-Clan and Public Enemy would do both, but nowadays people are so busy trying to be prophets and save the world. Everybody is wearing all this corduroy shit and it's just like all his fucking space shit!! FUCK ALL THAT BIG WORDS SHIT!! That's why I listen to what I listen to, because I don't wanna hear all that big nerd shit. I wanna hear, "In My Neighborhood" by Spice. That's my shit.
ThaFormula.com - There seems to be no respect for OG guys like E-40 and them from these underground kids who talk all this independent shit?
J-Zone - Those cats were paying dues in like the late 80's sellin' out the trunk. E-40 invented the independent game. How you gonna be a fan of nerd independent rap. I mean o.k. if you don't like 40 fine it's an acquired taste, but to say E-40 ain't hip-hop? If it wasn't for him none of this shit would be happening because Sick-Wit-It invented that sellin' out the trunk shit.
