Daz Dillinger - Interview with Audio

Daz Dillinger needs no introduction – from his first major appearance on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, his various recordings with Snoop and his Dogg Pound crew (Kurupt, Warren G, Nate Dogg), to his long list of production credits (2pac, Dogg Pound, etc.) – it’s safe to say he’s an O.G. in this rap game. Now on So So Def, Daz is still hustlin’, releasing a staggering number of independent albums while signed to a major label. His newest project, Samplin’ To The Beat Of The Drum, is an ambitious undertaking – he made it exclusively for producers to sample and use for their beats! Dirty Backpacks finds out the motivation behind the album, what’s new with him in terms of future albums, and the truth about the Dogg Pound reunion.



By Dirty Backpacks, producer of Late Nite Noise, Buffalo, Toronto, and Western New York’s #1 Hip Hop TV show.




Dirty Backpacks: Aight Daz, man – you comin’ back on the scene with a new album…



Daz: Yeah, I done dropped THREE new albums, now what I mean? It’s like, this is my major album – I’m very excited about it, you know what I’m saying – like, getting back into the game. Another round of this championship, man, and you know a lot of ni99as is getting back into the game, so I’m just happy to be in the game.



Dirty Backpacks: Tell about the concept behind the new album Samplin’ To The Beat Of The Drum – what made you do an album like this?



Daz: Well, you know, just…being a producer. Just getting live drum sounds; everybody’s just on these other-type sounds, but just getting the live drum sounds. I used to buy records like that – volume ones, twos, and the green and black covers and all that type of stuff, so I just got with my homie and we was in the studio for an hour. Like, these are some of the things I sample with, and I hated it to give it up, because I ain’t even sampling all the stuff on it! So it’s just about taking your imagination, getting these (drums and) sampling and cutting up and doing your thing with it! You know what I’m sayin’?



DBP: Yeah, yeah…



Daz: It’s like, if it was a CD like, I’m making beats and everybody could rhyme to it – it’s not a CD like that, it’s just strictly for producers.



DBP: So what would you do, then, if a producer took the beats that you got and made a hit off of them?



Daz: That’s how I am, man – that’s what I’m giving to the game! Take these tight-a$$ snares and a little sh*tty in-between that you can snatch, at .2 on your little sampling machine, 0.2 seconds snap that little bitty sound, and put sh*t together! If they do it, hey – it’s all wit it, they bought the CD to make it happen. Or they downloaded it – one of the two!



DBP: Aight, aight…well, you know, it’s kinda out of the blue for you to do something like this. Most producers, especially producers of your caliber, wouldn’t do something like this. Like, what got into you to want to kind of reach out and possibly help people out like that?



Daz: Hustlin’. You know what I’m saying? I’m a hustler. I done did it all, so I’m just getting back to what I want. This is something that I would pay for to get. And when I look at some stores, those beat CDs for peoples sounds be like $100-$200 dollars! This is only $11.99! Like, if you in the studio, and you got somebody – if you out of town, you know, you be hustlin’ ‘n sh*t, and a muthaf***a pull up on you like "I got 20 stacks, man – I need a beat." Then ba-dow! So, what you do is, just go to the store get this Samplin’ To The Beat, sample off this sh*t and whip up somethin’ and go get paid!



DBP: Aight, aight. What about, uh…well you know, everybody – well, I’m not gonna say everybody, but – you done dropped about like 2 million albums on the low. Like, seriously – you’ve got an extensive catalogue of albums. What’s the next project for you in terms of a traditional studio album?



Daz: So So Gangsta.



DBP: So So Gangsta?



Daz: Yeah. That’s the major album I’m doing for Jermaine Dupri.



DBP: Okay.



Daz: My 1st single is called "One Gun", but we had to change it to "All That I Need".



DBP: Any guests on the album?



Daz: I don’t know WHO on the album right now! I did a lot of songs. I don’t know - it might just be all me on the album.



DBP: Now, in recent history, not too long ago, there was sort of a reconciliation between you and Kurupt, so the Dogg Pound Clique is definitely back in effect. How did y’all get to that point, cuz y’all was throwin’ some real nasty messages across each other, and now, it’s like, y’all back together. How’d that come about, man?



Daz: Well, you know, I had put it together. I had put together. It was April 1st, and I had got the word, so I just called Kurupt up on the phone – you know, it was a simple thang.



DBP: It was that simple after all the things that was said and all that went on between you to just call him and say "Ay man – whassup?"



Daz: Yeah, you know – I got a baby by his sister. So, it’s been a lot of communication when I go to see my daughter. Sh*t like that. She (his sister) was like he reachin’ out cuz he need some help. So, right now, we helped him out of his situation – he’s a free artist.



DBP: Okay…



Daz: And you know – we put this Dogg Pound thing together, now let’s go get some money! I’mma get paid 5 times, now what I’m saying?



DBP: Now, with the whole Dogg Pound thing, that’s like you, ya man Kurupt, Snoop obviously plays an instrumental role in all of that…



Daz: It’s me, Snoop, Warren G, Nate Dogg – you know, everything. But then me and Kurupt got a one on one album called Dillinger & Young Gotti 2: The Saga Continues. This is just an album we put together – soon as we got back together I put an album together. The album I’m doing for Snoop, I’m not producing nothing on that album. But I produced the Dillinger & Young Gotti 2: The Saga Continues.



DBP: Well, ain’t that a little strange? As high caliber of a producer as you are, that you’re NOT producing? Why are you NOT producing for Snoop’s album?

Daz: We just getting’ paid to be on it.



DBP: Oh, okay. Okay.



Daz: I’mma let him – it’s his album. I’mma let him put it together.



DBP: When are we gonna see a more traditional Dogg Pound album with you behind the boards?



Daz: That’s Dillinger & Young Gotti 2: The Saga Continues. That’s why I say there’s two albums. That’s The Dogg Pound and we Dillinger & Young Gotti as another group, me and Kurupt.



DBP: When does the 1st album, the Young Gotti album drop?



Daz: Which one?



DBP: The one with just you and Kurupt.



Daz: You talking about the last Dillinger & Young Gotti?



DBP: Naw – the new one that you got – when you gonna drop that?



Daz: October 18th.



DBP: Okay…now you said you helped ya lil’ homie Kurupt out of a situation, man. What’s the situation with you and Suge – is everything cool, or is there no love there?



Daz: He do his thing, I’mma do my thing. F**k him, he say "f**k me", f**k everybody!



DBP: (Chuckles)



Daz: He do his thing, just keep out my way, man.



DBP: So, at the time of this, Kurupt is no longer signed to Death Row?



Daz: He was never signed to Death Row; he was signed to Antra, and Antra did a deal with Death Row. And how we got him off Antra, he filed bankruptcy. You know, he got his own law, the Ricardo E. Brown law, in Philadelphia to help artists in his position. From the last album when he was in contract with Death Row, Antra got him out. Now, we like, I had to get my lawyer over and be like…you know, he a smart muthaf**ka. My lawyer’s named Brett Lewis. So, he was like "You got your own law!" And Kurupt didn’t even know he had his own f**kin’ law! So we went right back into the same court, and used the law and that’s how he got out and he filed bankruptcy. Now he on his own label and I’m showing him how to do it independently were you don’t need nobody to help you do sh*t! Put your own records out and you can count all your money! I been putting independent records out for 10 years! Killing ‘em!!!



DBP: Yeah, you got the Gangsta Crunk joint that came out…



Daz: And I’m still signed – I’m signed to a major label! And I’m still dropping records! Who else could do that?!?



DBP: Hey – can’t nobody knock you for your hustle, man – you definitely making it.



Daz: If I’m trying to teach everybody else that’s in the game like that, that they can do the same thing – putting their money into their own. You know what I’m saying? Investing into themselves. I’ll build a record from the bottom to the scratch, on putting it in the store and everything. Each album that I see a person got I feel real great because I put that record together and it came right from my living room and they got it in their house.



DBP: That’s what’s up. When can we see the major label album – when is that gonna drop, the So So Def joint?



Daz: I’m working on that right now – I got the 1st single called "All That I Need" I ain’t got a copy of it; I ain’t even got the dirty version cuz JD making it that exclusive. It’s blowing up, and it ain’t even on vinyl yet!



DBP: Aight, cool. Any last words you want to let the people know?





Daz: Check out my Mom’s gospel album – Dr. Allean Varnardo. I’m putting that out. So you know, I’m just trying to keep busy, working on movies and everything else. Stay with Diggity-Daz; there will continue to be Dogg Pound albums – we appreciate the love from the whole family.