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Old Newz I just read an interview up at MurderDog Magazine with the editor of Rap Pages. Here are the best quotes from da rap pages editor the thing with all these editors is you gotta have some interest in the artists, the culture and the people. If you don't have an interest in the people, then what are you doin this for? Look at XXL now. I think it's a piece of trash. Blaze is a piece of trash. The Source is more trash. I don't think there are many people in these positions as editor, editor-in-chief, writers and whatnots, that really respect Rap music on any level. They're just takin a pay check and drinkin champagne at parties, thinkin they're celebrities, but they're not. It's mostly around the New York set of writers, and it's evident in the material they produce. The only reason why New York is really poppin right now is because they've adopted the West Coast and the Southern feel. That's the truth. Not only is the music influenced by West Coast Gangsta Rap, but the image and language. Now they're talking about Murder Inc, bitches, being thugs.....when Murder Dog first came out people were shocked by the name-I'm talking about people in the Rap industry. We weren't trying to shock anybody, we were just reflecting what was goin on with the music like a mirror. Exactly. The only pure New York style Rap that's out now is like Wu Tang, DeLaSoul and Gangstarr. Everything else is the New York adaptation of the Bay Area, the Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis-which is all good, but the fact that nobody's ever recognized that is part of the problem. The Source was like the only forum. They could be writing that the West Coast stuff is bullshit, but if you don't listen to it how do you know? I think New York's media does the population an injustice-from The Village Voice to The Source to the radio and video stations-they do the public an injustice by only supporting New York Rap. And LA's just as bad. Another thing about the media: there are so many talented Black rappers out there, but as soon as Eminem, a White rapper, comes out he's on the cover of Rolling Stone, has a ten page article in The Source and every other magazine. I don't care how talented he is, there are hundreds of Black artists-like E-40, Brotha Lynch Hung, UGK, Esham, Spice 1-who deserve that spot more than him. They put this new artist, because he's White, and give him a cover, they wouldn't even give a cover to Master P. That's true. You know what? Rap Pages put him on the cover too. We have 4 covers that month. I can understand if a Rap magazine puts him on the cover, you're recognizing all aspects of Rap music. This is what I'm saying: Rolling Stone, how many covers have they given to Rap artists? Practically none. That's OK, they're not a Rap magazine. But when they finally do put a rapper on the cover, he's White-it's just outrageous. I think people living in New York get so involved in New York they start to think that's the world. That's not the world. If you travel around or check out different towns, you'll see there's interesting Rap coming from every state. And a lot of it is better than what's coming from New York. But business is centered in New York and they think New York is more important than anywhere else. What's interesting is that a lotta the writers think that way and of course the radio people, but most the cats out in the streets hustlin, the real thugs, they're the ones in New York or New Jersey that support UGK and Scarface, The Luniz, that type of stuff cause they can relate to it. That's why the best New York rappers now are into Gangsta Rap. Jay-Z, Noreaga, DMX, Fat Joe, are all Gangsta. You're right. When Murder Dog first came out supporting Gangsta Rap, the industry was dissing it like it was a disease, like it wasn't even music. Now that DMX, Mobb Deep and Fat Joe have got onto it, now they're all cool with it. Yep. That's a New York attitude. They don't feel they have to go outside the city for anything cause everything is in New York. No reason to leave New York, and a lot of people have never left New York except on these press junkets. A lotta people's first trip to New Orleans was when they went to see Cash Money on their press junket. They never just get on a Greyhound and go somewhere, which is what we used to always do. I used to frequent Los Angeles and Seattle a lot just to see people. Like you say, most of that "New York attitude" doesn't even come from the people in New York. When I interview rappers from New York they're very open. A lot of them like West Coast, South, Midwest rap. I wouldn't be surprised if the magazines edit out anything that gives support to Rap from other places. But when somebody says something negative about West Coast Rap or the South, they'll put that as a quote. That's true. Like if you see the Jay-Z article in The Source or Blaze, only in Murder Dog would you hear Jay-Z say he listens to UGK. Murder Dog would ask Jay-Z if he listens to UGK, but no writer that writes for The Source would be interested in asking that. They have their own ideas what they want, and most of them are just collecting a check. They get a call, "why don't you do an interview with so-and-so?" "What do you want?" "You know, he's got a new album out, just interview him." And that's exactly how it reads-it's bland, it's boring. The Source takes totally unknown artists from New York, and before they even come out with a record they got a cover and major support, while artists from other places in the country who have a big fanbase and many records out can't even get a review in The Source. The Source is an entertainment company and in order to protect their interests for their other ventures they gotta keep their relationships open with the record labels and artists that they feel are gonna be the ones that will benefit them. When I was at Source Master P wasn't gettin any love at all-and he was takin out ads. He finally got a Mic Check and an album review, which I think everybody is obligated to get an album review. There's 50 albums comin out, if you got the space you should put 50 albums in there. You never know what's gonna hit, what's gonna be good, you gotta give the people a chance to decide what they like You liked working with David Mays (Source publisher)? You get along OK? Yeah, I don't have a problem with Dave personally. Business-wise there's some things I question. There's certain things that The Source has done that has effected the way this magazine business is done, and now everybody has picked up on these business practices. When I say everybody, I speak in terms of Harris Publications (XXL) and Vibe and Blaze, and it's kinda messed up the process of how you deal with the artists and interviews. What do you mean exactly? I mean like signing somebody to a 30 day contract after they're on a cover. Like if they appear on your cover then they can't appear on somebody else's cover for 30 days or do an interview. It becomes more business than it does explaining stuff to fans. And Dave Mays edits the magazine-I guess there's nothing wrong with the publisher editing the magazine to a certain extent, but that's what you hire your editors for. So if something bad goes in there about someone who's protected business interest, like advertisers, then it's edited out. That's just an ethical problem I have with it, but it's his magazine and he runs it the way he wants to. I didn't realize that he edited the magazine. He looks over the whole magazine. If there's something he disagrees with he'll take it out. Thats the end of da quotes but at least that man is in da know props to rap pages editor and Murderdog Magazine 4 Keeping it Real-------------------------------------- Saturday end of july 99 I see there is gonna be some legal action about dre calling his album chronic 2001, priority aint happy and dre aint happy , it looks like this one is going to court, what suprised me is the fact Dre had the cheek to protect the previous chronic as all his own work, we all know thats bull- read my dr dre or dr gay article. Mr Shortkhops record label aint happy about the amount of work he done on Cubes War Disc,without getting credit-shortkhop was only supposed to appear on 2 trackz but appears on seven and in my opinion, Mr ShortKhop wrote some of cubes shit 4 that album. As usual Rap gets a bad name,in the fact that a car jacking that happened near where e-40 was shooting a video, and all the punk press of da bay area started to report that this was directly related to the 40 but of course it wasnt. I mean what sort of fool would organize a car jacking on their own video set. Im looking forward to Charlie Hustles Summer Release. |
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Itch
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Date Last Modified: 20/10/99