1. "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang," Dr. Dre featuring Snoop
"When ''G' Thang' was created, I was living in Agoura Hills, and Snoop and Warren G were living with me. In 1990 me and Snoop each took the beat to different parts of the house to write. Snoop went upstairs, I stayed downstairs, and we met back up in an hour. When he came back downstairs I said, 'Let's take this piece and put it here...This doesn't really work there.' It's really just like a jigsaw [puzzle]. And then I said, 'For the last line [of Dre's verse], let's put my name on there,' because otherwise I wouldn't get to be in the song. That's why Dre says: Like my nigga D.O.C./ No one can do it better."
2. "We Want Eazy," Eazy-E
"That was the first day I ever went to the studio with Dre in Cali, in 1988. Dre pulled up the track and said, 'Doc, you got something?' Eazy, Ren and Yella were there -- Cube wasn't around a lot. [The song] took me 15 minutes to write. When you're 19 and excited, that shit comes out of you like piss. Eazy started learning it -- that took a day or two. He wasn't the most talented motherfucker in the world; it generally took him 12 hours to get through a verse. But when he got it it was good, and pretty soon the song was every-fucking-where. That's a testament to Dre, who taught me 95 percent of what I know.
3. "The Next Episode," Dr. Dre, featuring Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Kurupt
"I'd cultivated that song for such a long time. The very last line of ''G' Thang' is 'Just chill 'till the next episode,' but this song didn't happen for ten more years. We did it three or four times before it finally appeared on 2001. We were just waiting for the right story, and 2001 ended up being a huge record."
4. "Prelude/Still Talkin'," Eazy-E
"That's my Rakim impression: 'Easily I approach...' That was me giving Eazy East coast impressions that other West coast guys weren't up on...[At that point] everyone was saying I was the greatest. I got a big head. When I came in with a good rap, Cube would have to go home and re-write his raps. We would goof around. Once we pretended we were film critics from London. It was funny to see Cube with his gheri curl, doing a British accent.
5. "Alwayz Into Somethin'," NWA
"This was when Cube had just left the group. I'd just lost my voice. Everyone's wondering, 'How's NWA gonna continue, with Cube gone?' As for me, all I had was alcohol and strip clubs. I was going though a tough time. I wrote that song for everyone, and it made me feel that even though I'd lost my voice I was still valuable
Eazy started learning it -- that took a day or two. He wasn't the most talented motherfucker in the world; it generally took him 12 hours to get through a verse.
Eazy started learning it -- that took a day or two. He wasn't the most talented motherfucker in the world; it generally took him 12 hours to get through a verse.
[Writerגs note: The portion of Q&A presented below picks up at the point in D.O.C.גs discussion with DX after he reveals the stem cell surgery he is planning to have performed by an Italian doctor soon to restore his voice. That portion of Q&A will be presented in full in a forthcoming DX news feature]
The D.O.C.: I started talking to this [doctor] a couple of years ago. I was thinking about having this surgery to get my voice back. And maybe do a record, and continue with a [recording] career. But at that time, I was so settled in to helping [Dr.] Dre do his thing that it wasnגt really necessary for me to make records. Because, I can get the messages I wanted to get out through Dre. Detox was coming. In my mind Detox was supposed to be a departure from where we were. We were getting high, so now itגs time to detox. [And] now that weגre 40-plusג¦itגs time to start talking about some more shit [than what we used to talk about]. But we just have a difference of opinion where thatגs concerned. So maybe I should get my voice back, I started to think again. Because I got a lot of shit to say, and it just donגt sound right coming from anybody else but me. Because of the differences in opinion [with Dre], I told you I reached out to [Jay-Z] last week. Jiggaגs so far beyond what Rap is on a regular level. Heגs an international kinda guy. And, I really need somebody powerful to be some wind at my back to pull everything off the way I want to.
Itגs been a lot of negative shit thatגs happened to me trying to give in this Rap shit. A lot of it at Ruthless [Records]; a lot of it at Death Row [Records]ג¦ All my time [during] my 20 strong years in the game was [spent] helping build two classic fuckinג labels. Even thoughג¦by a long-shot I didnגt get what the fuck I was supposed to have. Niggas got wealthy and damn-near just turned their back on me, and itגs kinda hard to accept on a certain level.
Iגm a G-O-D kid. Cash donגt rule everything, God rule everything around me. So when itגs time for me to stand up and speak, I know that that shit is gonna happen. I know that I got this voice for a fuckinג reason, otherwise Iגd a been dead on that freeway גcause ainגt no fuckinג way you get to live through no shit like that unless thereגs a reason.
DX: Letגs just clarify real quick before we go any further, are you saying that youגre not working with Dre at this point?
The D.O.C.: Iגm saying that I did all I could do for Dre on this particular record. And I donגt even know if any of my work will be there, because heגs got his own ideas about the way he wants it to go. And you gotta respect that. Even though I played the second set of ears on every muthafuckinג thing else, now we at the stage where he donגt really trust what Iגm saying. And I gotta respect him. I love him. So I gotta move back and let him do what he doing. And whatever that is, Iגm going to respect it and ride witג it ג whether or not it woulda been something I would of chose.
I believe that the point we are in the game as far as Hip Hop is concerned, we at a stage in the game where the music itself has become so powerful. Being in the information age, being able to get on Twitter and your siteג¦record labels in 10 years will be obsolete. You wonגt need them. So the power is being shuffled around. And those in the most powerful places, they not fin to just let they shit goג¦ Theyגre going to grab a hold to the niggas with all the money, and theyגre going to pull them niggas in a room and rub these niggas on their booties and make גem feel like it wouldnגt be shit without them.
I always tell muthafuckas, anytime you get a classic record, no matter who sings on it, it took at least five muthafuckas that are really good at what they do to make that record. And thatגs real shit.
But back to the subject at hand, what I planned on doing was building an album ג actually, two albums ג and a reality show based around this stem cell operation [Iגm going to have] over in Italy. I was gonna take these four or five artists that I got here in Texas, and this one female from New Orleans [with me] ג all of which are the shit: two 23-year-olds, a 19-year-old white kid, and a little 9-year-old black kid from [my childhood neighborhood of] Oak Cliff, who was on [The Ellen DeGeneres Show] I think a year or so ago. And all these kids are really good. I know this music is about the young folks. Itגs not about a 40-year-old nigga thatגs trying to make a fuckinג comeback. Thatגs not what Iגm here for. My shit has always been much bigger than that. Iגm always into helping the next muthafucka be great, instead of concentrating on myself being great גcause when I came into the game I was already so far ahead of a lot of these other muthafuckas that it made me feel good to help them [and] bring them on up in it.
So when Eazy-E first started the fuckery, it was shocking. Because, without me, Eazy donגt have a lot of that shit. [So] why would you fuck me? Same thing with Dre. Dre, why would you fuck me? Without me you wouldnגt have a lot of that shit. Why would you do that?!
DX: Can we just clarify once again? גCause I wanna make it 100%, a 150% clear where your stance is with Dre as of this moment.
The D.O.C.: I love Dre like my brother. Thereגs nothing that you could do, or he could do really, to take away that feeling. Money isnגt what make ג We been through too much; we did too much. I did too much witג him to be like, Aw, fuck him. But, itגs not where itגs supposed to be. Itגs not where itגs supposed to be after all of that. Itגs not supposed to be like it is today between me and this guy. Heגs surrounded himself with people that [agree with] what heגs trying to say today. And I donגt agree with that shit, so itגs really no need for me to be around it.
DX: Can you cite a moment [where this separation happened]? Was it the גKushג record, [or] was there something before that where you just knew you had to part ways?
The D.O.C.: Nah. And I havenגt parted ways with this guy. I told you I love this guy like heגs my brother, but creatively itגs just not where it used to be. We donגt see things on the same level from a creative standpoint. I may not have agreed with גKushג as it stood. I may have thought something else [would have worked instead], [but] I donגt have enough power anymore in that camp to really pull strings like I used to. Them niggas used to listen to every fuckinג word I said. Now it seem like they donגt do that no more.
It used to be all about the love of helping these guys come up. But, shit, they up. I always thought that once they got up, Iגd be up ג especially after I lost my voice. But that donגt seem like thatגs what that is. I donגt need to have a hundred millionג¦I donגt need all of that. Itגs not necessary for me to feel like Iגve accomplished something. The art is important to me. It means a lot to me. I didnגt go through all of this shit for nothing.
What I wanted to do was do an album with this voice that I got right now, go over to Italy and have the operation with this doctor, do a subsequent album after I rehab the old voice back, film everything and put that shit on TV Some real reality. And every time that they poke me and prod me and stick me, and every time that shit hurt like a muthafucka, Iגma holla. [Laughs] On some real shit. And at the same time, Americans will get to see some of those beautiful-ass Italian birds walking around. Some good shit. Thatגs the kinda shit that frees your mind.
But [for the time being] Iגm laying in wait. Iגm back in Texas right now. Iגm not in Cali anymore. Iגm laying in wait to see whatגs gonna happen on the Detox record.
DX: What do you mean waiting to see ג just, which songs they decide to put out?
The D.O.C.: Yeah. Iגm waiting to see which songs that he chose, גcause he already know which ones I like.
DX: Sir Jinx told me that the stuff he heard, that Dr. Dre played for him, was similar to the song in the Dr. Pepper commercial. Do you know if thatגs the stuff that theyגre looking at trying to put out?
The D.O.C.: The Dr. Pepper commercial, thatגs one of the tracks, but that one was leaked already. That was the one with T.I. on it I think, [גShit Popped Offג]. And thatגs not a bad one. I like that rhythm; I like the groove. Iגm laying in wait, I wanna see. Iגm a fan just like you.
I worked for four years on that record with that dude. It didnגt used to take us that fuckinג long. Weגd go in, and it was a couple of years maybe [and] weגd have what we needed. But, the game has changed. All the pieces of the puzzle ainגt there no more, גcause the money has fucked up niggasג minds. Everybody gotta be the big dog with the big dick. And thatגs not how you create records. Itגs gotta be love, and happy and fun and digginג it. The 2001 record was one that we had all got a chance to get together [for the first time] since the first Chronic record, and that shit was fun. It wasnגt really even about making music, it was just about, גMan, I canגt wait to get to the studio גcause all my little niggas gonג be there. We gonג smoke weed all day. We gonג drink. Dre gonג play some drums, and then whatever comes out comes out.ג
But itגs a new day and time now. The kids is taking the Rap thing over. Thatגs why I really applaud Jay-Z, because he stayed so far above the clouds where the bullshit is concerned. He allows himself to be as great an entrepreneur as he ever was an artist. He allows himself to be a great human being first, an artist second, an entrepreneur and businessman third. And you gotta respect a man whoגs strong enough mentally to be able to make all these power moves and do it on a low-key level where he donגt need that shit to blow himself up.
DX: And youגre saying you think he can help you with these projects that youגre trying to get out: the albums and the TV showג¦?
The D.O.C.: Well, Iגll put it to you like this, if I can get Jigga ג And I wouldגve never reached out to him, because Iגm not really good at that kind of thing. Iגve always justג¦I leaned on me understanding that once my boys got to a certain level it wouldnגt be about pushing them up anymore, it would be about pulling the rest of us to a level where we can all just kinda relax. But, that never really happened. It seemed likeג¦it just went bad. But, getting back to your question, [back in 2003] Jigga put my name in a record, [גP.S.A.ג], and everybody including my mother ג who I donגt know how the hell sheג¦a 60-something-year-old woman is trippinג on a Jay-Z song [and] started calling me talking about, גJigga put your name in a record.ג And I thought that was really cool. And then [recently] I heard he put out a book, [Decoded], [and] thereגs a picture of my old album cover in his book. Somebody said it talks about how influential the record was. So [that] gave me the nuts enough to reach out to this guy thinking that maybeג¦for the sake of nostalgia heגll understand where I am and reach back. Because if Jigga says, Doc, Iגma fuck witגchu, then that means I have a full catalog of every artist and producer in the Rap game who will be willing at the drop of a hat to do whatever the fuck I need. And if heגll give me that, then Iגm gonna build an album thatגs gonna fuck you up.
I got the young kids: the little girl from New Orleans is so fuckinג cold blooded. The young white kid from a city called Granbury, Texas - there was about seven black folks in his whole little country town. It goes down like that. But the guy was so addicted to Rap music that all the country lovers ג itגs a country music town down there, all the high school kids, they line dance and shit. And they used to get on him real tough and [so] now heגs really serious. And heגs got the skill set to do it. Thereגs another kid named Dewaun J. And, I forgot this little nine-year-old guyגs name, but when I heard him rappinג, heגs doing what I would call booty-club music, what the Wacka Flocka [Flame]גs are doing these days. But he does that damn-near better than those guys and this kid is only nine-years-old. He sounds like a fuckinג grown man.
So, this is my crew. And what ties them all together is my knowledge of how to produce great music, great records, with content ג not just גI gotta hit the club, and my wheels is shininג, and my gold is blinginג, and Iגma get me some pussyג and all this olג shit. Which is cool, donגt get me wrong, גcause we all like to bling, we all like to get ahead. God bless it, itגs such a wonderful thing. But, thereגs also other shit going on in this world that muthafuckas need to be aware of, whether you are 21 or 41. The world is changing, and black people in particular that are involved in Hip Hop music need to know how much power you got.
DX: Let me just interject again, גcause you keep saying this, and I know what youגre saying: Why doesnגt Dre, and even Em, why donגt they just go to Jimmy [Iovine] and basically put the gun to his head and say give us everything we want or else?
The D.O.C.: Iגll put it to you like this, when Death Row started there was actually a corporation called Future Shock Records. This is what Dre wanted. I hated the name, [but] I had to ride witג it. During those days I owned that company. I owned 35%, so did Dre. [The founder of SOLAR Records] Dick Griffey owned 15%, so did Suge [Knight]. Thatגs how it started. Now during those days, this was right after my accident ג Now keep in mind, Future Shock was put together because I saw the fuckinג that [Eazy-E] was doing. If Eric is fuckinג me, then he gotta be fuckinג Dre. Dre is my brother, let me go put him up on it. Dre finds out that heגs getting fucked too. Now, me and Suge had already been talking at least a year or so before then about doing something else. But now I got Dre, Suge. How do we need to proceed? Suge was saying we all go to Griffey and start putting this shit in motion. But, The D.O.C. at that time, Iגm still reeling from that accident. I lost my voice. I canגt do it. The pain is fuckinג me up. So now I done got all off into the wrong shit ג way before Dre and them was on, גIגma take an E tab.ג The white girls had already put me up on that shit. Iגm in Huntington Beach with the blonde chicks just losing it. And the further I fell down, everybody just stopped giving a fuck [about me], I guess. So by the time the shit flipped from Future Shock to Death Row, [I didnגt know what was going on]. It happened like in a day. I didnגt know what the fuck happened. I went to Dre [like], גMan, what the fuck?! Whatגs going on?ג Dre says, גI think you might need to get a lawyer.ג [Iגm like], גWait a minute, dude. You my brother. We doing this.ג But by that time niggas had already started bringing around all [their] I-just-got-out-of-prison-ass niggas, and the whole scene started to change. And now that Dre donגt got my back no more Iגm feeling like, Damn, Iגm stuck in a hole [and] I donגt know what the fuck to do. So I never got ג To answer your question, I never got into the Jimmy [Iovine] world. I always disliked Jimmy, because I thought Jimmy knew that these niggas fucked me and nobody would stand up and say what about this guy?
Even during all of that fuckery [during the early days of Death Row], I still had to take [Snoop Dogg] under my arm and [be] like, גSnoop, weגre not just making street raps no more. Weגre building songs now, and this is how you do it.ג Iגll give you a for instance, [גNuthinג But A גGג Thangג] was a street rap [originally written by Snoop], and I said, גSnoop, this is what we gonג do, weגre gonna take this line right here thatגs dope as fuck, weגre gonna erase this part down here, [and] I want you to try this part again. Weגre gonna move this part up to here גcause the flow sounds better. And I want you to write a whole גnother second verse [for Dre]: start the second verse with this line, then go down to here, and then [have Dre] end the whole rap with my name.ג Now, thatגs [technically] called producing. Thatגs actually called writing. But I never asked for credit for that; never got credit for that. Never got a dime for it. Because itגs all for the family. Weגre doing this so that we can all blow up.
To get back to your question, I donגt know why those guys [wonגt stand their ground with Jimmy Iovine] ג well yes I do, theyגre rich! They donגt give a fuck. Theyגre rich, and Jimmy Iovineגs rich. Iovine wears Beats [By Dre headphones] everywhere he go. Heגs not wearing them Beats גcause itגs Dreגs company. Jimmyגs no dummy.
My timing was just bad. I gave a fuck about the music and not the business, thinking that my niggas had my back when they didnגt.
DX: Post 2001, [after] that album, what were you expecting to happen? Like, what did you want either Dr. Dre to do for you or just the situation to [create]?
The D.O.C.: You know what I wanted? I never stopped believing that my nigga was gonna wake up one day and say, You know what? When I didnגt have shit this nigga was doing. He wasnגt doing it for money, גcause I didnגt have shit to give him. When I had money, this guy was doing. He wasnגt crying about money.
I thought Dre was me. The situations could not be reversed and be like it is now. Now this is the crazy part, Dre and I are [still] brothers. And I know that nigga love me like I love him. So when we argue, itגs the kinda shit earthquakes is made out ofג¦ So, we have to give each other space. But, it ainגt the same [this time]. It really ainגt the same, גcause dude got all the power.
But like I said, I really do love and respect him, and I know he feels the same way. Thatגs why Iגm just anxious to see what [Detox] is gonna do. Iגm anxious to see what youגre gonna do, where your mind is, where your head is, which way are you going, [and] how the fuck are you gonna dig yourself out of this spot? Because now the whole world is watching. Theyגre waiting.
Deel 2 *Interview Februari 2011*
HipHopDX: I recently did an interview with Sir Jinx, and he revealed that youגre currently working on a documentary. So what exactly is the film about?
The D.O.C.: The whole Ruthless [Records break-up to Death Row Records creation] story is really just patches. Itגs bits and pieces of the truth. None of these people really know what happened because I havenגt said anything yet. Most of the guys that are in-the-know arenגt saying [what really happened] because it benefits them not to say it. The truth as it is in the world now, it makes them look good. Which is cool, Iגm not really ג that shit never really bothered me. Because, when I lost my voice I didnגt mind playing the background, not necessarily being the guy who got the publicity or the this or the that. But, after 20 years itגs become time to really let the cat out of the bag, because if I donגt, no one will.
They were talking about doing an N.W.A. movie for a minute, and I knew off top that that shit could never happen. Number one, none of those muthafuckas really get along with each other good enough to do shit. And number two, everybody wants to tell a fraction of the story from their own perspective. And none of that shit coulda been true, because first off I wasnגt even in the movie. And you couldnגt have had N.W.A. like you had N.W.A. had I not left Dallas and came to California and helped those guys build songs. Thatגs just the facts. You wouldnגt of had it like that; you couldnגt of had it like that. [Dr.] Dre wouldnגt of had the career he had.
You actually wouldגve never had Death Row had I not been in California. Because, Suge [Knight] wasnגt my bodyguard but heג¦rolled with me. It wasnגt him and Dre that got together and said, "Hey, letגs do this." It was Dre and I that got together and said, "Hey, letגs do this." Unfortunately, it was right after that [car wreck I was in] and I was going through a really hard time, really trying to come to grips with what had been taken away. So, I was just being a fuck-up. But, I wasnגt being such a fuck-up that I couldnגt pull Dre over here and say, גLook, nigga, this is what you need to do. This is what we need to do. Look at what [Eazy-Eגs] doing to me. If heגs doing it to me, he could be doing it to you.ג ג¦ So he and I got together with Suge and this other cat, [Dick Griffey of SOLAR Records], and we all started making plans. Unfortunately, I started falling deeper into the wrong shit, down the wrong hole. And even though I was putting in a majority of the money and a gang of the work to make that shit happen, when it all came down to bare fruit I just wasnגt able to grab my apples off the tree. גCause my mind was somewhere way somewhere else.
That plus the fact that Dr. Dre was always somebody that I trusted, that I thought that even if I canגt watch my own back, Dreגs gonna watch my back. And thatגs not to say that Dreגs not a great guyג¦heגs just not me. Like, if the situations were reversed, I couldnגt be him and heגd be me. גCause itגs not in my character. My nature is sort of that of a giving cat. So, thereגs no way that he and I can be in the same situation reversed.
When it comes to making music, those guys [in N.W.A.] didnגt know how to build songs back then. For lack of a better [description], they was just kinda street guys. And even though it was street music, music is like writing a book, it has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.
The documentary is a journey over these past 20 years. Iגm going to let you guys see all the drama, all the bullshit, from the inside. Iגma give you an interesting story, that nobody knows about. When I first got to California, back in fuckinג ג88, maybe ג87, I was sitting in the studio and playing at this little piano that was in this studio called Audio Achievements ג where we did all the early N.W.A., Eazy-E shit. I was playing at this little piano and Eazy asked me if I wanted to go to this meeting. And to make a long story short, Eazy was [implying] that he was into this devil worshipping shit. ג¦ Now, Iגm a young kid from Texas. I donגt know shit about gang banging, גcause the shit hadnגt happened in Dallas at that time. I donגt know shit about the streets really. And I damn sure donגt know shit about no muthafuckinג devil worshipping. So, you can just imagine, I sat there at that piano kinda frozen. I acted like I didnגt even hear the shit that he was saying. He was talking about he wanted me to go to some meeting, and man, I played like I didnגt hear nothing that muthafucka said and kept doing what the fuck I was doing. ג¦ But, just that in itself can show you the kind of mind fuckery that was going on throughout those years, when I was just there trying to be creative. I found out later that it was just game [from Eazy-E]. It was game gone too far. Because I was so far ahead of these niggas, that the only way that they could keep me under thumb was to run super game on me. So now I donגt know, do I need to ask somebody about my money or is the devil gonג come get me? I donגt know. Iגm 18, I donגt know what the fuck to do. I just know I wanted to be the best muthafuckinג rapper, and I seemed to be heading in that direction.
Hereגs the plan [going forward for] what I wanna do: thereגs a doctor in Florence, Italy. His name is Paolo Macchiarini ג world-renowned transplant specialist. This is D.N.A. medicine weגre talking about. In other words, he uses stem cells. Heגs already done two operations similar to the one that would be necessary to do to get me my voice back. One on a womanגs windpipe, and one in the area of the voice box called the larynx. Thereגs actually a woman in northern California I believe who just had that surgery, but it wasnגt D.N.A. because thatגs not available [in the United States]. ג¦ I know it worked for her [though], because she had cancer [that] totally destroyed her voice box and they transplanted her a new one and now she can talk. Whatגs going on with Macchiarini in Italy [is D.N.A. medicine] and what they did for [a woman] was, they took master stem cells from her body, from three different points in her body, in a laboratory and they re-grew the windpipe from her stem cells. ג¦ Itגs some real Star Trek shit. Itגs so far beyond what they do in the United States that itגs really hard to believe that they could do shit like that.
[Writerגs Note: The portion of Q&A presented below picks up at the point in D.O.C.גs discussion with DX following the portion of Q&A presented in his previous news feature.]
The D.O.C.: But if [Dr. Dre] donגt [drop Detox] this year, then you gonג have to quit lying. Cut that shit out.
DX: Yeah, itגs turned into what Axl Rose did with Chinese Democracy. You wait too long and thenג¦
The D.O.C.: Then itגs fucked up. So now, the only thing thatגs left is the story. And the only reason that yגall ainגt got the story yet is גcause I havenגt told it. Those guys canגt tell the story because they didnגt write it. I did.
Eazy-E didnגt even have a name really until right before I got to California. When גBoyz-N-The Hoodג was made, the guy didnגt really even have a name. When I first got to California, [after Dr. Dre] called me in Texas and told me to come to California ג [Dre said], גNigga, we could be rich, if you just lived out here.ג Well, shit, a broke-ass nigga from West Dallas, Texas, thatגs all you had to say, Iגll be there in a minute. Borrowed whatever I could, and got my ass [out] there - slept on muthafuckaגs couches. At first, [Dre] was planning on being my deejay. Because, Hip Hop was still so New York back then. It hadnגt made it to the west yet. But after we did Eazyגs [album, Eazy-Duz-It], Dre was like, גEh, I donגt know about that deejay shit.ג They hadnגt even done the N.W.A. album yet. But Eazy-Eגs [single, גBoyz-N-The Hoodג] took off so fast, he saw the future of the N.W.A. movement. And I canגt blame him. גNigga, go get ya money.ג גCause Iגm thinking, when I put this record out Iגma show yגall muthafuckas how to really rap around this bitch.
I was really arrogant back then. I used to tell them muthafuckas all the time, גIf it wasnגt for me, yגall niggas wouldnגt have shit!ג Which may be why niggas is trying to shit on me now, because payback is a muthafucka.
Once they got through with [recording Straight Outta Compton], it was pretty easy to see that that shit was outer space. But Eazy was fuckinג niggas early in the game. [Ice] Cube saw that shit very early, and boned the fuck out. ג¦ If I wasnגt up there [at Ruthless] what the fuck would they have done? You wouldnגt have a muthafuckinג Niggaz4Life record, who was gonna write it? And Eazy still fucked me on that record! But Iגm a 19-year-old, 20-year-old kid, I donגt know no fuckinג better. Iגm up there with Dre. And Dre knew better. And he coulda did better. גSay man, is Eazy fucking you or something? You got to do something, dog. Donגt just let me be out in the wind like that. Iגm giving you life, nigga.ג Maybe it was a Texas [vs.] L.A. [divide], and them niggas really didnגt give a fuck about nothing except the skills that I had at that time.
But I refused to believe [those rumors about Dreגs sexual orientation], גcause me and Dre, we spent every day together. All his dirty laundry, I know all of that shit. Everything! [Laughs] And you ainגt heard me talking shit about the dude, גcause I donגt want him to look bad to nobody. I got love for him. I donגt ever want him ג Matter fact, I used to get mad at him גcause I always wanted more for him than he did.
The actual name גDeath Rowג came from me. I actually wanted to call the label גDef Row,ג גcause in my mind Dre was what Russell Simmons was to the east ג¦. Thatגs how important he was. And then one of the other artists, a female named Jewell, she was like, גWow, thatגs cool, Death Row.ג I was like, גNah, Def Row.ג And Dre was like, גNah, nigga, Death Row ג¦.ג And then with all these thug-minded-ass muthafuckas aroundג¦it didnגt take long before thatגs just what that was.
It was a dirty time. And if you really had a movie about that shit, it would fuck you up ג from the beginning of Ruthless all the way through to the end of Death Row, and it showed the kind of niggas that could manipulate [Tupac's] death. I know.
DX: You knowג¦what happened?
The D.O.C.: I know if he is. I know if Suge is the kind of nigga that could manipulate that. I know. I know everything.
[Even through everything], I still have no contempt for Eazy. Or Dre. Or Suge. Or none of these niggas. גCause, itגs really none of their faults that I went through the shit I had to go through. Itגs a G-O-D thang, itגs not a D.O.C. thang.
DX: So how much do you plan to present in this documentary? ג¦ How much of this do you really wanna rehash 20-plus years later?
The D.O.C.: Well, for me, itגs not really about the negative aspects of the story. What happened to me, you know, boo hoo, that was for Doc [to go through]. I just think the story is really neat. I think it makes a really cool story. [But] if youגre gonna tell it, tell that bitch right. Iגm not afraid to shine a light on my fuck-ups. So by that same token, I shouldnגt be afraid to shine a light on your fuck-ups either ג especially if itגs a part of the same story. If you fucked up, goddamnגt then you should have to deal with it the same way I did. And if nothinג else, prove to another generation of young muthafuckas how to do it better than we did it.
I donגt think גPac or [the Notorious B.I.G.] ended up the way that they shoulda ended up. I donגt think it shoulda went like that. [All] because greed, money and power went too far with niggas that donגt really have any money. Having a million dollars ainגt no fuckinג money. These is muthafuckas [in power] running around here with multiple billions of dollars, that can buy and sell youג¦at a heartbeat, as if you were a slave. They can do that.
Muthafuckas was trying to get me to look at this video where Puff Daddy in drag ג they supposed to be faggots. And everybody worship the devil, and all this olג shit. Now I was around Dr. Dre for fuckinג 20 years, if that muthafucka is suckinג dick, then something ainגt right. גCause I ainגt seen no parts or pieces of none of that shit. And I was there the whole time. Ainגt no way you can be gay and get that shit past me. So, when they started selling that [story] so heavy, then I know that itגs just media gone crazy, sensationalizing bullshit.
So if anything, I want to tell the shit and make it pure, make it a beautiful story: the operation overseasג¦and getting that voice back. if not just to travel the country, going to different colleges and talking to these kids about whatגs really good, about whatגs really positive and really beautiful about this music and this culture. To me, [that] is a hell of a happy ending.
DX: You know what you gotta do in this documentary; you have to put a high quality version of the גI Hate To Go To Workג video in there. [Laughs]
The D.O.C.: [Laughs] Thatגs funny. That is funny. That was my Fresh Prince days. If [Will Smith] ever reads this, itגll fuck him up: I can remember when I was in that group, the Fila Fresh Crew, and I was opening up [a show for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]. And he had these dancers. It was two guys, and this one bow-legged girl. And they were wearingג¦spandex. This is when those things were in style. And Fresh Prince was on stage. He was rippinג. I had just opened it up. And the crowd was goinג nuts. But they didnגt go nuts when I was up there. And in my opinion, I was better than everybody. So I was off feeling bad. And the little bow-legged girl was like, גBaby, donגt worry, you gonג get your chance.ג I thought that shit was so sweet that I never forgot that.
DX: We been talking here for about an hour. I got like a gang of questions: old school stuff ג¦. How much further do you wanna go though?
The D.O.C.: Dog, you can ask whatever you want while you got me.
DX: In the video for גItגs Funky Enoughג thereגs a baby-faced Ice Cube not looking exactly thrilled to be there. [Laughs] Was Cube a little salty that The D.O.C. was getting his solo shot before he could?
The D.O.C.: Nah. Hell nah. We was all together then. Now, this is some foul shit, but in the early N.W.A., way before I got my chance, whenever these guys did interviews, whenever they took pictures, whenever they did videos, they went out of they way not to let me in גem. If you go back youגll never see me in none of גem. They wouldnגt let me in גem. They didnגt want me there, I think because they didnגt want muthafuckas to know that they wasnגt writing they own shit. If you go back to they old interviews, [when] the interviewers would ask them muthafuckas questions they would look fuckinג dumbfounded. Because, the questions that they were asking the muthafuckas was about lyrics that I wrote for גem. Only Cube really understood I think what the aim was. Dre did sonically. But Cube understood what we was trying to aim for. Thatגs why his subsequent albums were in that same vein.
DX: Let me take it back to גItגs Funky Enoughג ג¦. Is this story true that you were just fuckinג around when you spit that now classic Jamaican patois delivery, and that was just one take?
The D.O.C.: That was one take. They used to call me גOne Take Willie.ג We started that. Kurupt is the only other muthafucka to do that. ג¦ I had begged Dre to make that beat [using Foster Sylvers גMisdemeanorג]. It took me about three fuckinג months of begging him to make that beat before he finally made it. And those lyrics were actually meant for another song, but I didnגt have no words for that beat yet. So when I went in, I was just gonna lay something so he could finish adding the instrumental shit into the track. And when the beat came on, it just sounded Jamaican. So thatגs the character that came out. And I just spit that shit. Muthafuckas kept motioning me to keep going, so I did. At the end of that I was like, גWell I can do it better.ג Dre was like, גFuck that! Iגm not changing none of that shit.ג
DX: I gotta ask though, do you think גThe D.O.C. & The Doctorג was your best vocal performance on the album? I think itגs still crazy to hear you go toe-to-toe with that electric guitar from Funkadelicגs גGood Old Music.ג
The D.O.C.: I think that was my best Run [from Run-DMC] impression. Run was my hero. And the גdiggy, diggyג thing came from him. So, itגs apropos that his son is named Diggy [Simmons]. And, I listened to young Diggyגs record and heגs got me all in it: from my raps to my cuts. So itגs all in the family. גD.O.C. & The Doctorג was my best attempt to try to be Run. As an artist all I wanted to be was Run. When they did the movie Krush Groove and he got mad at his brother, and went on stage and he said גItגs my muthafuckinג house,ג that was me. I was that nigga. ג¦ Well yeah, I do believe that גThe D.O.C. & The Doctorג was my strongest vocal performance, you right. I put everything into that record.
DX: Itגs just your range, man, your range was - Itגs like, Rakim had his lane, [Big Daddy] Kane could do a little bit more, but damnגt The D.O.C. could do anything.
The D.O.C.: Now how fuckinג freaky would it be if I can go over here to Europe and come back with that power? Cגmon man, thatגs some Hip Hop shit that nobody else but me could do. Youגd have to walk in these shoes to pull off some shit like that. And just one record with that old voice would make all of the shit that I had to go through, it would make that shit worthwhile.
DX: I donגt wanna rehash the more treacherous parts of the history, but [Ice Cubeגs] גNo Vaseline,ג was that Cube just taking advantage of the situation, that there wasnגt a 100% D.O.C. to snipe back at him and give him some גEtherג to his גTakeoverג?
The D.O.C.: Nah, man, because that wasnגt ג he didnגt say anything about me. He wasnגt talking about me; he was talking about [N.W.A.]. And it wasnגt my place to say nothing. If I was smart, Iגda followed his lead. saw that it was fuckery going on [at Ruthless], but I was being led by Dre. I was there with Dre. I didnגt know Eazy like that. I didnגt know the business. All I know is I wanted to be around Dreגs production, because I knew it was better than everybody elseגs.
DX: So was it before or after the accident that you realized גthe super-dope managerג [Jerry Heller] wasnגt so super-dope? [Laughs]
The D.O.C.: It was after that. I had to go into the hospital for a month or so. And, when I got charged back for all of that time ג [Ruthless] had charged me double ג¦. Itגs called cross-collateralization. The monies they used to pay me with, they had already made [publishing] deals and gotten that money. My publishing was never my publishing, because it was always their publishing. So the monies that they were paying meג¦was money that they had already gotten from something else. Itגs like if I take a dollar, and I give you a dime of that dollar. Somebody gives me a dollar and says itגs for an article you wrote, and I give you a dime of that dollar, and I tell you itגs for that article you wrote. But Iגm gonna take back a nickel of that dime for all the time that was spent writing that rap. Thatגs what they were doing.
DX: Thatגs not what Jerry Heller wrote in his book, [Ruthless: A Memoir]. I was just on Google Books ג you can skim through his book to see all the mentions of D.O.C. ג and boy oh boy, he was apparently Santa Claus to you. He bought you your first house, and he got you your first doctor, that woulda rehabbed your voice but you didnגt wanna go to the rehab. He was just so generous, man. He did a lot for you ג in his book. [Laughs]
The D.O.C.: Well I tell you what, nobody asks Jerry [Heller] where he got the money from to do all that wonderful shit he did. Where did he get all that money from? It had to come from somewhere. And to this day, I donגt own the publishing to any of those records. Not even from my own record. Thatגs sad but true. So if thereגs anything I can do for todayגs kids ג especially the next muthafucka thatגs as talented as I was ג donגt live my life, nigga. Itגs fucked up. Be better than me.
Watch this story, see how cold this muthafucka was. He was a little arrogant, may have been a bit of an asshole. ג¦ I like to tell people I was Tupac before Tupac was Tupac. גCause before Tupac was running up in clubs and spittinג on muthafuckas and slappinג bitches on the ass, I was stuck in the girls bathroom all night at clubs. And wouldnגt nobody come fuckinג pull me out. [Laughs] גCause Suge was standing outside the door. And I wanted to be where the hoes was, fuck the club. I know sooner or later they gotta come in here. So I would go post up. And some of גem liked it, some of גem didnגt, but nobody fucked with me. Suge would stand outside that door all night. Oh I was something terrible.
DX: How did you actually meet Suge?
The D.O.C.: Thereגs a [keyboardist] named L.A. Dre [who worked at Ruthless]. I stayed with L.A. Dreגs brother in Compton for the first month [after] I moved to Californiaג¦right behind the high school called Centennial, [where the Piru Bloods formed in 1972]. Itגs an all Blood neighborhood out there. And I got my first gang bang story. Itגs kinda funny. Iגm not gonna share it with yגall; Iגma make yגall wait for the book גcause it was some crazy shit. But my first gang banginג experience was there. And Suge was L.A. Dreגs brother. Not his real brother, but thatגs how they talked about [each other]. Like me and [Dr.] Dre; like Dre is my brother. Well, that was his brother, so I started hanginג around with this dude. And because I was so much better than everybody else [at Ruthless], I was 19 years-old and these guys would take me into the clubs, and they would get me pussy, I mean, it was just crazy. They was blowinג my mind, so I thought I was really fuckinג Godגs gift around this bitch. It was a lot to take, and I really started actinג up.
But it was Eazy that would act up when Suge was with me, because nobody wanted to fuck with that dude. And if they did wanna fuck with him, then it would be on. I think Suge and I got kicked out of every [club] ג no, not kicked out, we got banned from every fuckinג club in Hollywood. Weגd go in, Iגd see some female, and then Iגd go right up and slap her on her ass. And if she turned around and said something slick, Iגd put her on her ass. Or, if she had a guy and she said something slick, Iגd put him on his ass. And then me and Suge would be in the club fighting four or five niggas. And [so] after awhile [club bouncers] would see us coming and theyגd be like, גNooo. Hell nah! Yגall muthafuckas ainגt coming in here tonight!ג It was fuckinג wild then.
DX: But did you believe that this roughneck guy was gonna be able to really run a business? Did you see him in that way, or is that just how he saw himself?
The D.O.C.: Well, when the Future Shock thing first kicked off ג Like I said, it was 35% to me, 35% to [Dr.] Dre, [15% to Suge and] 15% to a cat named Dick Griffey ג who had ran a company called SOLAR, [Sound of Los Angeles Records], for quite some time. And had hit records with a lot of groupsג¦before Rap got big in L.A. So, we were gonna use his knowledge. The guy passed away maybe six months ago. He died of a heart attack. And we were gonna use his knowledge. But, I came to find out later on that Dick Griffey was just Suge of his day. I mean, so those guys already had they plan set up [to X me out of the labelגs formation].
Dre and I went and got a million dollar publishing deal, and we used that money to make The Chronic. I ended up owing a shitload of taxes for that money, even though I never got no money from Death Row. I mean, nothing.
DX: So how were youג¦surviving?
The D.O.C.: Dog, all Iגve ever done in my whole life was survive. I came from not having shit, so not having shit never really [scared me]. I stayed with [Dr.] Dre from the time [after I stopped staying with L.A. Dreגs brother up until I left Death Row in 1994]. I always knew that I could never be totally left out ג as long as Dre had a fuckinג mansion with five or six rooms in it, I had a room. I was gonna be able to eat good. I was gonna always be able to have what I wanted, what I needed, גcause it was always gonna be around. And like I said, by that time the drugs was coming around so business was the furthest thing from my mind.
All I wanted to do was be drunk, and be high. And talk shit to everybody, which I did, all the time. [Laughs] I would show up to meetings totally fuckinג inebriated, and blow the meetings up, with Dre and Suge and - So at some point I donגt blame those dudes for being like, "Wow, this dude is losing it." Heגs not gonna be able to take care of [his issues].
DX: Is that when you left Death Row after Doggystyle? I mean, did they want you to leave, or did you leave voluntarily?
The D.O.C.: I wrote a song. Dre started working on an album. He wanted to work on an album with [Ice] Cube, and it was supposed to be called Helter Skelter. And he gave me all of these books to read ג apocalyptic books. He wanted me to get started for him. So I did. And I wrote this one song which I really likedג¦and when I played it for him, he immediately wanted to take it. And, those kind of things just hurt. I [got] tired of putting all of the work in but not being able to benefit, not being able to even get the love from it from the fans. These guys never told muthafuckas how hard I was working. You never knew that I put so much work into [גNuthinג But A גGג Thangג]. You just saw me in the video and assumed I guess, Well, Doc, he mustגve been doing something. But I was sweating on that muthafucka just as much as Snoop [Dogg] and Dre.
DX: Would you ever reveal which verses for Snoop you penned on The Chronic and Doggystyle, or is that gonna stay private?
The D.O.C.: You know, number one, you canגt ג well nah, let me take that lie back גcause I did write some of the shit, but very little. What I did was, like I told you before, Snoop would write a rap ג this is in the early days; this is when he moved in [and was] staying with me in my house. The house that Jerry Heller was so nice enough to buy. And [so Snoop], heגd write a rap and heגd come upstairs, and Iגd say that, גThis part is good. This part ainגt good. Take these lines out. Try to replace them with this stuff over here.ג Thatגs the way I helped Snoop. I helped him find out how to write a song. But by the time he got to Doggystyle, he was on cruise control. If you look at the video for the song גDeep Cover,ג youגll understand what I mean by Snoop had to be seasoned and groomed into the [star] that yגall see today. גCause when you look at the גDeep Coverג video, you see a kid whoגs ג and even the גG Thangג video ג you see a kid thatגs unsure. He doesnגt have the confidence to even look in the camera and give it to you yet. Because heגs not quite sure yet, even though all I [did] is pump into him everyday, גIf I canגt be the shit, nigga, youגre gonna be the shit. If I canגt be that one, youגre gonna be that one.ג
And thatגs why Doggy Dogg love me, and his wife loves me to this day. גCause I put a lot of love into that guy. And if I called Snoop, chances are Snoop would pick up the phone and give me what I ask for. But pride is a muthafucka. And Iגve always waited for Dre to be my nigga. Because it makes the story so much better - everybody expects [us to work together forever] ג¦. And the more muthafuckas that really know [the story] they like, גWow, that makes me lose love for Dre.ג And I donגt want that. Thatגs what I donגt want.
DX: What actually led to you going back to Dallas [recently]?
The D.O.C.: The same thing that made me leave Death Row in the first place. When Doggystyle came out and they wanted to move to, גNow weגre gonna start working on the album with Ice Cube,ג and Iגm thinking, Iגm putting [in] all this energy, this effort, but I canגt see how Iגm going to win. How is this going to feed a future family of mine? And Dre wasnגt giving me ideasג¦[like], Maybe you should do this. Or, at 500 million bucks, nigga, you could give me a job bringing the weed to the studio everyday and pay me a $100,000 a year and write that shit off.
DX: I thought he was doing that this whole time?
The D.O.C.: Broג, when I tell you I ainגt seen nothing - from this person that Iגve been patiently waiting [on] - Iגm not lying to you. ג¦ I love being a part of great shit. And whenever I was fuckinג with Dre, thatגs what we were making. Now, when we fucked around with 2001, he actually called me [in 1998] and asked me to come back: גI need you to come help me with this record.ג And my love for Dre is strong, [so] nigga thatגs all it took. Iגm on the next bird, letגs go.
But, now we at a stage in the game whereג¦itגs just ugly. If it ainגt right, the shit is wrong. We canגt continue to go down that path if itגs not going to be beneficial to both of us. And I donגt want to be a detriment to your program, because you got a lot of young soldiers that are dope as fuck. Thereגs a young nigga over there named Slim da Mobster, who is every bit of a cold-ass emcee. One of the better ones on the west coast if you ask me. And, I canגt give to him the way I gave to Snoop, because Iגm not in a place where I feel I can give. In my mind Iגm at a place where I feel like I should be getting. Now itגs time to get.
DX: Did you sit down with Dre and say, Look -
The D.O.C.: Never did that. Thatגs one thing I never did.
DX: Why not?
The D.O.C.: Because I thought that, "Nigga, you my brother. You supposed to see my pain. Iגm around you every day." I gotta be perfectly honest witגchu, me and the good doctor, we sat down one night at dinner and we were talking, and our conversations were so far apart at that particular time that it was easy to see that we had to take some time apart. We werenגt seeing things eye-to-eye. The love was there, but not in a way it was supposed to be from my perspective. Maybe it was from his [perspective]. But like you said, I never sat down and saidג¦I never told him what Iגm telling you today. I just expected him to know it. And maybe I was wrong for that.
But, like I said, thatגs my nigga and I love him to death. And I felt like if I called him and said blah, blah, blah heגd be there, but pride is a muthafucka.
DX: So are you expecting anything to change? I mean, if he reads thisג¦
The D.O.C.: You know what? Iגm really over here just interested at this point in Dre finishing what he gotta finish. His legacy is a lot more important than our argument. And it would be very selfish of me to not ride witג him after all of this time just because it didnגt work out a 100% in my favor. I want this dudeגs record to come out, and I want him to win, and I want him to be everything I worked my ass off for him to be.
DX: But right now, with you not there, and just the way things are looking right now, he may very well fail.
The D.O.C.: Well, I wouldnגt put that in the air, גcause thatגs my boy. And one thing that heגs always said is, גI ainגt been wrong yet.ג Thatגs his favorite saying. גI ainגt been wrong yet, so ride witג me.ג So, I gotta ride witג him.
His production skills are still unlike anybody else. His ears is still unlike anybody elseגs. Itגs just about finding that right message. The times have changed; the kids are on some different shit. You donגt have to be the hardest nigga on the street to be the hardest nigga on a record. And [you can] actually say some shit that means some shit and it touch more muthafuckas these days on the street level - especially coming from Dre. Heגs the history of west coast Rap music. You take away Dre from west coast Rap and there is no west coast Rap.
DX: But that guy from Dallas, he had a lot to do with it.
The D.O.C.: You take away that cat from Dallas from Dre and you might not have no Dre. [Laughs] Nah, youגd have a Dre. He was way too good. Thatגs why I followed him so easy. I like to tell him that before the world knew he was great I knew it, and believed it. And he knew the same thing [about me]. He likes to joke and say when I drove that car off the freeway that I fucked off his money. Which used to really piss me off, to be honest witגchu. Donגt say no shit like that, muthafucka. But, Dreגs got a really warped sense of humor and he meant it with love. What he was saying was, Nigga, we was supposed to make all kinds of money making music together. And itגs the truth. גCause I understand that dudes production probably better than anybody else thatגs ever been on one of his beats. ג¦ I understand what Dre means to do when heגs making those drums, the picture that heגs trying to paint. So I just write the words to fit the picture. The song ainגt really about me; the song has its own life. Iגm just the muthafucka that wrote it.
And I gotta give kudos to Jay-Z, גcause heגs the only person that Iגve ever heardג¦say that the Rap artist is like an instrument. That our job is to find our place inside the beat where you donגt disturb the groove, and say whatever you gotta say. You know, play your horn. Donגt make muthafuckas not be able to bob their head to the drums [because theyגre distracted by] what you got to say. Thatגs what makes Eminem so great. Eminem, he doesnגt miss a fuckinג tick in the [beat]. Heגs on every fuckinג hit of the hi-hat.
DX: That mustגve been a little surreal when you met him ג¦. Like, This dude? This guy? Really? [Laughs]
The D.O.C.: I was over Dreגs house. ג¦ And Dre says, גI got somebody I want you to hear.ג And he played the record גI Just Donגt Give A Fuck.ג And I was like, גWow, this muthafucka is off the chain, Doc. You got you one.ג Then he showed me the picture of him and I was like, גWhat?! Are you fuckinג serious?! This muthafucka is great!ג
DX: [Laughs] Whatגs Em think of [you]; was he paying homage when yגall met?
The D.O.C.: Last time I saw Eminem he had sent a CD of the No One Can Do It Better album to the studio for me to autograph and send it back to him.
Great interview, I don't understand the part where he implies Dre did NOTHING for him, but then something like, 'I can't hate if I didn't get a 100%' or something to that affect. He sounds like someone very angry who doesn't want to offend a person who he likes but has fucked him over completely.
What happened to the thaformula site? I was searching for an old interview but the site's gone.
Kool Keith: I wore a straw hat with a feather to the last Source Awards. When I got to Madison Square Garden everybody was looking at me. When I got back home I seen everybody and their mother in their video wearing a fuckinג straw hat with a feather in it.
Tim Dog: גWhat Kool Keith gonna wear? Iגm gonna do that shit in my video. Iגm gonna wear that shit really quick. Whatגs Tim Dog gonna wear?ג
shadowmaster wrote:. He sounds like someone very angry who doesn't want to offend a person who he likes but has fucked him over completely.
I think you often have to take interviews with dudes like this with a pinch of salt. There's alot of rappers out there who are probably a bit pissed they didnt blow up as much the rappers they rolled with, especially if they were less talented.
