MONTREAL – I have this fear. You know the stereotype of the baby boomer who swears by the Beatles and the Stones, and complains that they just don’t make music like they used to?

I fear I’m the hip-hop equivalent.

Don’t get me wrong. Great rap records continue to be made, but not as often as they used to. The first rap album I bought was Run-DMC’s Raising Hell in 1986. From then until – let’s say the day Notorious B.I.G. died, March 9, 1997, was what I consider the heyday of the genre.

So news that DJ Premier and Pete Rock – two of the biggest hip-hop DJ-producers of the ’90s – will be in town Saturday night is heaven-sent. And a chance at a phone chat with the former was just too good to pass up.

As the beat-making half of New York City rap duo Gang Starr, Premier is an icon. The group defined a rugged yet poetic musical vision where art met street. They crafted several classic albums in a career that spanned from 1989’s acid-jazz-predating No More Mr. Nice Guy to 2003’s late-career statement The Ownerz.

“We ran the entire decade,” Premier said, reached last week in Queens, N.Y. “Not a lot of hip-hop groups run a decade. But from 1989 to 2003, we were consistent and relevant non-stop.”

Premier and rapper Guru had gone their separate ways in recent years, but Premier has been checking in daily for updates on his old partner, who remains hospitalized after a heart attack at the end of February.

“He’s still in a coma,” Premier said. “There have been a lot of rumours going around. I deal with his family directly, and get my updates from them. … He’s breathing, he’s alive, and he’s fighting to maintain.

“It hurts,” he continued. “It saddens me that it’s like that. I miss him. I’ll love him forever.”

Times have changed. It has been more than 20 years since Guru heard Premier’s demo tape and asked him to join Gang Starr. Their first single, Words I Manifest, sampled a Miles Davis and Charlie Parker recording of A Night in Tunisia.

It was the beginning of the “jazz-rap” tag that Gang Starr would be identified by, and would later try to move beyond (leading to Guru’s Jazzmatazz series on the side). At the heart of the group’s sound was Premier’s instinctive blend of musicality and hard-edged undertones. Known for his intricate layering of samples, his tracks always told a story, and were based in his knowledge of a wide variety of music.

“I’m 44 years old,” he said. “I didn’t have hip-hop as a kid. We had soul, jazz, blues, zydeco, country. I’m from Texas. Country was normal – George Strait, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline.

I grew up watching Hee Haw and loving it. It was all we had.”

As Gang Starr’s status grew, Premier became increasingly in-demand as a producer. He made tracks for KRS-One, Das EFX, Nas (including three tracks on his classic 1994 debut Illmatic), Jeru the Damaja (producing his acclaimed debut, The Sun Rises In the East), the Notorious B.I.G., Group Home, M.O.P and, later, Jay-Z, Rakim, D’Angelo and many more.

Of all his collaborations, I asked Premier which he is most proud of. He answered not as a producer, but as a fan.

“Definitely Rakim and KRS-One,” he said. “They are artists I looked up to and who I wanted to accept me for being dope. That they wanted to work with me, it felt like I had made it. Big Daddy Kane, Gang Starr even, these were monumental things. Working with Nas, Jay and Biggie was fun, but they were younger than me. They were up-and-coming youngsters making a statement. I didn’t put them on as high a pedestal. … Jay didn’t make me want to do it. I was already doing it.”

Which is not to say that he didn’t throw himself wholeheartedly into tracks he made for the “youngsters,” or that he was any less of a fan. He recalled in detail the recording sessions for Nas’s Illmatic, made with a who’s who of producers including Pete Rock, Large Professor and Q-Tip.

“I was at the session for Life’s a Bitch,” he said. “I met Nas’s father (jazz musician Olu Dara). He went to play the horn at the end and Nas said ‘Get crazy. …’ I remember The World Is Yours session, with Pete laying it live; it was cool to watch the process.

I remember when Q-Tip gave the One Love sample, he had it looped on cassette. He was pause-mixing it, with no drum machine. I said ‘Wow, I can’t wait to hear this song.’

“I witnessed all that. I remember giving Nas a ride home that day … Those memories mean a lot to me.”

But Premier is not one to rest on his laurels. He produced several tracks on Christina Aguilera’s 2006 album Back to Basics, and worked on the follow-up, Bionic, due in June – though his tracks reportedly didn’t make the final cut, as the sound went in a more futuristic direction.

He began our conversation by talking excitedly and at length about current projects, including his label Year Round Records, protégés NYGz, his Friday night show on Sirius satellite radio, and more.

Asked what fans can expect from him and Pete Rock on Saturday night, Premier replied: “Back and forth motion of hot records. He picks a song, I pick a song. We go through different categories and bring nothing but heat.”

Source: The Montreal Gazette

Premo stopped by DJ Semtex’s show last Friday after Tim Westwood. They discuss Guru, his latest signing Nick Javas, wanting to work with Drake, and new artists coming through such as Nicki Minaj and Diggy Simmons.

Oh yeah, and I think I know what’s going on why he wants to work with Drake while a lot of real heads think fuck Drake. He wants to prove to us (or the media) how dope he can make some one with his sound I THINK.

You can find the Tim Westwood interview here that is practically the same. Go to the 2hour mark for DJ Premier:

DJ Premier Interview with DJ Semtex

DJ Premier & Nick Javas were friday evening guest at Tim Westwood‘s radio show, Tim Westwood had some questions ready for DJ Premier. They talk about Guru, Gang Starr, Roc Raida and more. Cool interview! Enjoy:

DJ Premier Interview With Tim Westwood

“The second beat I ever made in my life was ‘Take It Personal’ but I never played it for Guru until 1992” -DJ Premier

If you’ve ever listened to Hip-Hop music then you should know who DJ Premier is. Premier was one-half of the legendary group Gangstarr and arguably the greatest Rap producer of all time. Primo has made classic beats for the likes of Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Rakim, KRS-One, and The Notorious B.I.G.

Word has it that he’ll be behind the boards for the next release of a certain tantrum throwing MC from Chicago.

I had the honor of meeting DJ Premier at an event sponsored by 944 Magazine during NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas, Texas—the pleasure was all mine.

SS: What has All-Star Weekend been like for you so far?

DJ Premier: It’s been really great. We just got here today. The funny thing is I’m from New York and we just got a little rough snow but I’m used to it. I shovel my own drive-way, I shovel the side walk, take care of all my neighbors, and make sure all the old ladies get their drive-ways shoveled and get taken care of with salt and all of that. I’m from Texas originally but I’ve been living in New York for 22 years. My sister lives out here and to come out to 9 inches of snow is funny. I’m used to 36 degrees but everybody out here is panicking, flights were cancelled and all of that. We made it here safely.

Big shout out to 944 magazine for having us out here, we appreciate it. Shout out to The Boardroom for having us, Russell Simmons, Melanie Fiona, Paul Pierce, Snoop Dogg, DJ Reflex, and Doug E. Fresh. It’s a beautiful thing to be out here. Shout out to Nick Javas who ripped it with me. He’s on my label Year Round Records. Also shout out to all the people that came through, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Chris Tucker, Magic Johnson and also Allen Iverson who couldn’t be here who I’m a big fan of.

SS: I read that you were working with MC Eiht on his new album, how did that come about?

DJ Premier: We’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve known him since the 90’s; we came up in the same era. When the West Coast was strong with Death Row MC Eiht had his own lane—he also became an actor in the film Menace II Society. I did my first gig in L.A. in 1989 with Gangstarr, Compton’s Most Wanted, WC and the Maad Circle, and Ice Cube. This was when Ice Cube first left N.W.A. He got into a big beef backstage. All the action wasn’t out in the crowd it was backstage. It was crazy to witness that and see how many people were mad at Cube for moving and taking that step. It turned out to be one of the best moves that he made.

The first person I met in Long Beach at the show was MC Eiht. He had two beepers on his hip, a big fresh jheri curl, and black khaki’s. He said, “What’s up DJ Premier my name is MC Eiht,” and we’ve been friends ever since. I just love his style. He has a unique voice and a unique flow—he has his own lane. That’s what it’s all about, having your own lane. Everybody always wants to sound like everybody else but when you’re different you always prevail even if it takes a minute to get there. He never switched that up.

When I put out an artist named Blaq Poet on my label Year Round Record in June of 2009 we wanted to do a remix. Eiht and I were on the phone talking about new music he was working on and I let him hear the song and he loved it. He was like, “Yo let me get on it.” I let him get on it and then my man Young Maylay who’s down with Dub C WC and Crazy Toones who is also from the west coast let me hear his stuff and he’s a great MC. He’s going to be on my label too. I asked him to get on it too and he sent it to me in a day—done! I said let’s shoot a video because I was working with Christina Aguilera on her new album out in L.A. Gordon Franklin who runs my label said, “Yo I got some cheap tickets we can get. Let’s bring Poet, fly out to L.A., shoot the video, and go back to New York the next day.” I stayed out there and worked with Christina. I snuck away…she don’t even know I broke away. I’m going to get in trouble now. I broke away from a session that she’s paying me to be out there for to go and shoot the video with Poet, MC Eiht, and Maylay. It came out really good, it’s called “Ain’t Nuttin’ Changed.” Then they came to New York and did the show for our release party. We flew them up, put them in nice hotels, and took care of them—we’re old friends. I said you know what, we should do an album. Eiht gave me like 40 songs and he doesn’t know how to mix. He gave me like 40 songs all sparse and crazy but the beats and lyrics were dope. I said, “Yo man we could do two albums together! I’m gonna put you on my label and do a couple of one-offs.”

That’s what my label represents, pure Hip-Hop from the bottom up! You gotta start from the bottom and work your way up. Everybody now is so caught up on first week sales and soundscan. Forget soundscan and forget first week sales, it’s all about integrity and quality music. We care about our fans and we care about giving them their money’s worth. That pays more than a payola record. Paying for a record means you’re buying your friends. I don’t have to buy my friends to like me. I want you to like me because I’m real and I’m me. So all those other expletives let them pay for their records, we know that they don’t hold water next to what we do. I don’t care if they get 20 million spins they can’t stand next to us when we drop our stuff. Play yours then play mine—ours is better (laughs).

SS: Pete Rock is in town, I think 9th Wonder just left town…

DJ Premier: Family man…all family.

SS: I recently saw clips from the show that 9th did to honor you and Pete in North Carolina….

DJ Premier: Yeah man. That’s one of the dopest things I’ve ever experienced. To be honored…. Man I feel like I got so many more miles to go. I’ll be 44 years-old this year. The love that 9th Wonder gave me and Pete was so incredible. The band that played for us mimicking our records and sounding just like the beats we produced from out heart and soul, it was one of the biggest, dopest events ever in my lifetime. I love 9th Wonder, I love Pete. Big shout out to both of them.

SS: Are you still using the SP 1200?
DJ Premier: No I’m using the S950 which is one of the old, old 1984-85 machines. And I’m still using the MPC60! The first MPC! Roger Linn, big up.

SS: I watched you deejay tonight, what’s your opinion of Serato?

DJ Premier: I used to be against Serato just because vinyl is the essence of how we’ve developed Hip-Hop culture. Shout out to Kool Herc the father and Afrika Bambaataa the godfather. I was against it for a long time and then DJ’s I respect like Jazzy Jeff and DJ Jazzy Jay from the Zulu Nation were like, “Preem this is what you’ve earned. You’ve carried records, amps, and speakers for years; bruising your legs, being tired, sore, paying overweight fees on planes for your record crates on tour. This is a gift to you–utilize it, learn it, and master it and you’ll be incredible.” I finally mastered it and I can do the same thing I wanted to do which is what I was afraid of losing—the integrity of what makes me great when I do vinyl.

I own all of these records that are actually played on Serato. I have every one in storage with the ar
twork and the credits showing who produced it, engineered it, mixed it, and shout out to my man Ronnie, Ra-Ra, and Rollo! All that means a lot to us so I don’t want that to go away. I like all the rock artists like Katy Perry, Pearl Jam, U2, and Radiohead that put out vinyl. Jay-Z still puts out vinyl, Blueprint 3 is on vinyl. I love that because they don’t neglect what made our culture great which was the DJ. Before there was an MC there was the DJ and we are the reason why you dance and party. I stay true to the essence. I can play these types of party’s where it’s cross-over music but I’m really deep rooted in the 80’s, 90’s era of Hip-Hop. I like the grown and sexy stuff, 70’s funk, Parliament, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole you name it, all of that stuff.

SS: When you deejay at a club do you try to avoid playing Primo records?

DJ Premier: Nah, ‘cause I know that’s what they want. I didn’t do it tonight. The gig’s I usually get that’s all I do is do a big segment of Premier and Gangstarr. Then I go into other stuff like breaks and the original records that we sample from. At the end of the day it’s all about your knowledge and respect for music. As long as your knowledge and respect for music is there you will always prevail because I can do any gig from House, Folk, Country, Rock, and everything. We really, really respect music. We don’t just listen to it and love it, we respect it. You gotta respect it to love it and take it to the next level and that’s what I do.

SS: I interviewed MoSS a few weeks ago and he said that you guys had a surprise coming this year. Can you drop a hint for Examiner.com?

DJ Premier: If it’s a surprise then it’s gotta remain that. Shout out to MoSS, Works of Mart, Toronto, Canada. He’s one of the illest, fiercest, original producers that I really respect. That’s why I signed him to my production company because he brings another piece to the puzzle. And plus I give people their credit. You have a lot of producers that take the credit but other people produced the song—that’s just how they’re structured. With me if MoSS produced it, it will say produced by MoSS for Works of Mart. If Gemcrates produced it, it will say produced by Gemcrates for Works of Mart. If it’s produced by Premier, it’s Premier for Works of Mart. I’m not gonna take it and put my name on it but they did it. Plus my sound is already embedded and I don’t want people to say, “Ah man now you getting other people to do your beats?” I worry about that stuff. We all have our own style; they’re just another added piece to making solid albums. It’s all about albums, I love making solid albums.

SS: This is the 20 year anniversary of Just to Get a Rep. That’s my favorite Premier beat of all time.

DJ Premier: I appreciate it man, thank you.

SS: Go back and talk about Just to Get a Rep and how you made that beat.

DJ Premier: We made that record based on that fact that Guru and I had just got our record deal for Step in the Arena on EMI and Chrysalis Records. We both bought brand new whips, he had a 4Runner and I had a brand new MPV. He was actually robbed for his car and he wrote a song about it. The crazy thing is, the guy who robbed him for his car, we found the guy. We chased him and he ran into an ice cream truck crashed and died. God bless his soul. He crashed into an ice cream truck and died, what can you do? Guru wrote the lyrics based on that incident. That’s a very, very sacred and deep record. I remember the day that we went to the precinct to see the car and it was smashed up like an accordion. There was no way he would have survived that crash. It’s unfortunate that the guy got lost but at the same time it’s unfortunate that he took it upon himself to take Guru’s car. At the end of the day we prevailed. God bless his soul and God bless his family. We don’t wish death on anybody.

SS: You have over 20 year’s of experience beat-making. Do you have a favorite Primo beat?

DJ Premier: Nah. I’m not into riding my own expletive. It’s not my style. You know? Not my style.

SS: So what’s up for DJ Premier in 2010?

DJ Premier: Year Round Records is my label for 5 years strong. We have a NYG’z album coming out. They have an album that came out in 2008 called Welcome to G-Dom, more of a compilation type of an album with me bringing up the body of it and they did their own thing while I was on tour with Big Shug of Gangstarr Foundation. We’re also working on his album called Blue Collar. Also Nick Javas from Jersey, his album is called Destination Unknown—a very good album. I got Khalil from Houston, Texas–Missouri City to be exact. His album is called My MC Name is.… I’m also doing my DJ Premier album, MC Eiht, and Young Maylay. Also KRS-One and DJ Premier, we’re doing Return of the Boom Bip. Not Boom Bap, Boom Bip. Shout out to Q-Tip who is already on it. Grand Puba and Ice-T who are on it, it’s going to be one of the illest album’s of 2010!

Source: Examiner

Here is some old but interesting interview with DJ Premier, props to Da beatseeker:

You’ve mentioned that when you were a kid, you’re mother had a record player that would play several records one after the other. Did that plant the seed for your lifelong relationship with records?

DJ Premier: Oh, without a doubt! Without a doubt because I mean, I was amazed at how a machine could do something like that and I was also fascinated by the way labels looked on the record when it spun around. Back in that day, it was Atlantic and Motown. When you looked at the label, the way it was designed, and then you heard the record, it sounded like the way the label looked. Everything matched. The label looked and felt like the way the music sounded.

What do you mean by that?

DJ Premier: It’s like Eric B. and Rakim. When you hear them, then you look at the cover and see them, it’s like “damn, they really look like what they sound like.” It’s almost like I already knew what they looked like before seeing it. And when they were on Zakia Records, the label they were on before 4th & B’way, that logo was so unique, with the pyramid and the hand. It wasn’t a standard label or anything like that. They were new and they sounded so raw. And then you saw them with the chains on and the Dapper Dan clothes and it was like “damn, everything matches.” Just like Boogie Down Productions, and their label B-Boy Records, the way they looked and the name, everything went together. That’s what amazed me with the earlier records as well. When it said Marvin Gaye “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” it matched the Motown logo. Same with Diana Ross and The Supremes. And Stevie Wonder was on Tamla, which was his label through Motown. It sounded like they were all tied in together.

I’ve heard you say that you can tell the way a record is going to sound like just by looking it.

DJ Premier:Without a doubt. And sometimes I’m wrong. Sometimes I’ll take a record to the studio and listen to it and start hunting around for sounds and it’s nowhere near what I thought it was gonna be. Because I was brought up in an era of album covers where a lot was put in to the artwork. Today, the artwork doesn’t have as much care and passion. I wanna destroy that by being one that cares about artwork and make sure that everything’s gotta match. The way I look and the way I carry myself, my music matches me.

Do you remember the first record you heard as a kid that made you say “this is my favorite song”?

DJ Premier: “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye. Just the way it felt and, you know, all the little adlibs he was doing like “right on” and “whooo.” For the era I grew up in, it was just dope. That’s one of the first, as a kid, that I could remember. And anything James Brown! I didn’t care what it was, I was just…hypnotized. Totally hypnotized. Nothing better than James Brown. What James Brown, George Clinton, and Bootsy did, all that stuff really put me in a whole different perspective.

You’ve talked about visiting New York as a kid and seeing your first ever break dancing performance. Can you describe the scene and your reaction to it?

DJ Premier: Well, I’m the only boy in my family because I have two sisters, so my grandfather used to always be so proud to have me around with him. He was really into showing me New York, the football games, the baseball games, and showing me the whole town, you know. He saw how much excitement I got from it. I saw the breakers in Times Square and they had the huge boombox and they all had matching outfits with the names in the back, and the Pro-Ked sneakers. The whole rhythms of what they were doing just had me amazed. They were performing songs that I had already collected like “It Just Begun” from Jimmy Castor. They played “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” and even had someone cutting it up. To see them do all that stuff and earn some money, everybody was so blown away, especially at that time. We’re talking like 1977, I was in New York during the Blackout. Hip hop was already in full effect but it just wasn’t on wax yet. I was just like “man, this is the greatest shit ever.”

Do you remember the first beat you ever made by yourself? What did it sound like and what did you use?

DJ Premier: The first one I ever made was DJ Premier and Deep Concentration, it was a demo. I’m actually sitting here looking at my demo right now. The same exact tape that I ran my copies on to get me a deal. I’m about to digitalize all that stuff because it’s on cassette. It was called “Let My DJ Get Hype.” I took a sample of “People Make The World Go Round” and did a new beat to it. It came out good. I was just a new jack trying to take something and see if I could cut it. When I look at it now, I kinda laugh. I had a SP 1200 drum machine and a four-track machine that I borrowed from my neighbor who use to do house music, right when I moved to Brooklyn. I use to go to his house and he taught me how to overlap beats. That’s how I made my demo. I did another one called “Up Another Level” and that’s the one that made the label actually wanna sign me. That’s when everything started to kick in.

Will you ever make that stuff available?

DJ Premier: I’m not gonna make it available. I just wanna be able to have it digital so I can have it in my archives.

How did you begin making a name for yourself in the already well-established hip hop scene in New York?

DJ Premier: I was just so excited that I didn’t care about anything else but just having EPMD, Rakim, KRS-One, and Marley Marl who was my idol, to just say “yo man, you’re dope.” And they all did. I knew the money would come eventually but I just wanted them to say that I was dope. They all did and they all approached me that way. To this day, I’m just like “wow, I made it. All the great ones I wanted to like me, liked me.”

What inspired you to start incorporating jazz samples and samples from other music in your production?

DJ Premier: Because everybody had been using James Brown in the era we were in and it just got to the point where I just wanted to find something different to sample. We had already used and re-used everything. I went to Jazz right away. My grandfather was a Jazz player. He was very much an influence for me from an early age.

How did you develop your trademark scratch chorus?

DJ Premier: Just experimenting and trying new things. That’s how all my hooks come about anyway. I experiment until I get what I think is gonna fit. That’s really my approach to everything to this day. A lot of things come into my head because of the DJing and the fact that I remember a lot of rhymes. I’ll be like “so and so said this line, and then so and so said this line” and it goes down the line until I find what I need. I search it, pull it up, and see if I can make it fit. If it fits then I start attaching other things to it or I’ll fix that one line and make it a complete hook.

Do you catalogue all these different rhymes in your head that you chose from at any given time, or do you go back and listen to music to find something to fit your beat?

DJ Premier: Most of them I can remember from just so many rhymes. My memory of rappers is vast enough that I usually remember a line right away. Or I’ll call P
anchi from NYGz, he’s very knowledgeable about rhymes. I’ll ask him and he usually finds it. Then I’ll pull the record or find the mp3 and I just make it happen.

Who would you say has been the most memorable MC you’ve ever worked with?

DJ Premier: Um…definitely Biggie, Rakim, and KRS-One. KRS-One in an amazing way because for him to put his trust in me to do “Return of the Boom Bap”really shocked the hell out of me. That he wanted me to do that project and to work with him was just so much fun. Working with Biggie because I never seen nobody go in the booth and do what he did lyrically and not write it. I was always amazed at that. Working with Jay-Z was cool. Working with Nas was cool. And Christina Aguilera too, that was an amazing experience. I didn’t know what to expect because I had my way and she had her way but I definitely learned things from her that I never did in production before. I’m glad we clicked because it made her album a double platinum success.

Having worked with him on several tracks, what would you say made Biggie such a remarkable MC?

DJ Premier: He was just a witty guy and he was fun to be around when we were in sessions. He would just go in with no paper, no nothing, think it all through, and just do it. He did it with attitude and cadence to it too, it was amazing to watch. Even when he was doingLife After Death, he was in a wheelchair and was still being funny and cracking jokes. In a wheelchair spitting verses. I got to see a more vulnerable side of him then, and also the earlier days because we were neighbors. I use to see Big all the time before he had his record deal. Puff would come pick him up to go to the studio and he was like “yo, if it ain’t getting me money, then I ain’t goin’ nowhere. I need money.”

Can you tell us about the track you did with Eminem?

DJ Premier: It never came out. I had a big mouth and jumped the gun on doing a song with him. Some songs were brought to me that he would favor me remixing or doing some scratches on, and the first one I heard was a song called “Keys to the City.” When I heard the song I thought it was dope. He made the beat and I liked it as it is, I didn’t need to mess with it. I said if I redo it, I want it completely stripped down and I want Eminem to rhyme to my beat. The problem was that I spoke to people on his staff who were bonafied, but I’m not gonna expose them. I did an interview around that time and the guy was like “word on the street you might be working with Eminem.” I didn’t know it was a secret so when I spoke on it, it got back to Eminem and I guess he got upset. I never heard back from him. I apologize to him because I was excited to work with him and there was no way I would’ve given him weak shit, I would’ve given him something really hot. On top of that, the song had a certain rhythm, it was like the next step up. “Crack A Bottle” sounds like regular Eminem but this song sounds like a new Eminem and it had more ill rhymes and more creative beats to put out to the public. I thought he was on the right track with that one.

What are some of your dream collabos that you haven’t done yet?

DJ Premier: Eminem. Busta. DMX. I’d love to work with U2. I would love to work with AC/DC. Angus Young playing with me and having Brian Jonhson sing over some hard drum break. I’m a big AC/DC fan, I went to their concert a few months ago. I flew to Texas just to go with my brother-in-law and two of my homeboys I grew up with and we had the best time. Angus is in his late fifties and Brian Jonhson is sixty-one years old but they were tearing it down. Angus really kept it hard rock and true to his audience that wants to see that. He inspires me to keep doing what I do and all of that trickles down to my take on hip hop and staying true and raw.

Are there any newer guys you’d like to work with?

DJ Premier: Not really. I’d mess with Lil Wayne, he stepped his rhyme game up a lot. He says clever stuff. I’m not with all the other stuff, though. I ain’t mad at T-Pain, he can do it, he brought it back out, and now everybody wants that because it’s successful for them. I wasn’t even mad at Kanye for doing it. I mean, it was boring but Kanye takes risks and that’s what makes him so great. That’s what I do too, I take risks. I’m not into the whole Auto-Tune thing but I thought “Heartless” was dope and I like what he did with “Love Lockdown.” I remember meeting Kanye on the Electric Circus Tour, when Gang Starr went on tour with Common. Talib brought him on tour and we were like “yo, why you bringing him?” and he said “because that guy gave me a beat for free and it’s my first big hit” and I thought that was dope. Nobody knew who Kanye was then but it was ill because he said “I’m gonna do an album called College Dropout and it’s gonna be double platinum.” I thought “damn, that’s a really cocky thing to say. Double platinum. You’re just a producer.” But he did, he went double platinum on his first album. But I really love the old Jay-Z albums with the straight hard, gutter beats and I hope he brings it back to the old days. Hopefully, I can get on this new album he’s doing Blueprint 3.

What is the dynamic between you and the artists you work with when you do a song? Are you very hands-on with the vocals?

DJ Premier: Yes, very hands-on. If you didn’t like the way the vocals sounded, blame me. If it’s recorded with me, it’s gonna be done the right way.

Who are some of you favorite up and coming producers?

DJ Premier: Moss from Toronto. He’s definitely original and unique. I really like his style and he’s so clever with the music that he samples. Another guy named Gem Crates who’s actually my assistant, he makes really original beats and I’m signing him as well. Oh No, Krysis, Marco Polo. That’s what comes to mind.

Since we recently celebrated Dilla, I’d like to ask you what are your favorite songs of his?

DJ Premier: “Love” where he uses The Impressions “We Should be in Love,” I love that. Definitely “Players.” And I love “Stakes Is High,” he really tore into that one. And that joint he did for Ghostface too, that one’s crazy.

What was the relationship between you and Pete Rock in the 90s, when you guys were the two giants of New York hip hop?

DJ Premier: It was competition, man. We were all trying to outdo each other. RZA once came to me and was like “yo, I got this joint called ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ that’s gonna be on my album.” I was like “I got a joint for Jeru called ‘D. Original’ wait till you hear that.” We’d catch each other and be like “yo, you got me on that one.” It was very healthy competition. Same with Q-Tip, Large Professor or Pete. If they came with a banger, I went right to the studio to make another one too. I was like “I’ll be damned if they’re gonna be the next one to come up with a better beat than me.” It was always friendly competition and we always hung out together so it was, and still is, a mutual friendship.

Have you ever heard a track that you wish you made? Or a sample that you had but never touched and then heard it in another song?

DJ Premier: Pete Rock and Public Enemy “Shut em Down” remix. I wish I made “We Gon Make it” that Alchemist did for Jadakiss. I wish I made “Worst Comes to Worst” that Alchemist did for Dilated Peoples . That one was amazing. I wish I made “Nobody Beats the Biz.” To take “Fly Like An Eagle” like that and to do what Marley did, it
was so sick. In terms of samples, not really. Pete Rock did a hell of a job for his remix of Adore “Let it all Hang out” and I used the same sample. Well, actually he used a different artist. To use “California Soul” for Adore, I thought his version was really good. It was a different artist than for “Check The Technique” but it’s the same tune.

What is your displeasure with people putting together sample archives on the net?

DJ Premier: I think they’re wack because there’s still a lot of sample police out there and they are definitely out to get people like me. They see it as a payday and a way to collect for the artist and get some money. I totally respect clearing samples now because I understand it in a different way. But the ones that tell on us, I have no love for. Because snitching is snitching no matter how you put it and I can’t respect that. When Ultimate Breaks and Beats came out, it didn’t say “used by Salt N Pepa, used by Marley Marl,” it just said the song the artist and that was it. They were just making it available because these are the key components of breaking and DJing and parties that Kool Herc and them used to play all the time. Those were the choice cuts that were put on Ultimate Breaks and Beats. Now, everybody is trying to expose everybody and it’s getting out of control. You’re making it harder for us to do what you love to hear from us. You can make them available but don’t say that we used them. It’s better to find out on your own or to communicate with someone that knows and then go get that record and own it like we own these records. People download them and say “hey, I got the original to so and so” but me, I actually have the record.

Here we have DJ Premier talking about his 5 favorite songs:

Gang Starr feat. Inspectah Deck – Above the Clouds:

DJ Premier: I remember Guru telling me “everybody always wants to work with Raekwon and Ghostface and nobody gives Inspectah Deck the collabo on a record.” He already had the title for this. He always gives me the titles first and I make the beats to match the titles. He’ll give me a description like “You Know My Steez” should be the first single and for “Above The Clouds,” it said “do it with Inspecta Deck.” We got him on the phone and he asked Guru “yo, what’s the song about?” Guru said “your mental…”

It was funny because the way my studio is constructed, Guru and Deck were at opposite ends of the control board as if they were on a seesaw. They just had their pads out and they started writing. I let the beat run and pieced together the intro on my headphones so I wouldn’t disturb them. I did the intro last. I just didn’t want it to start with that beat. I felt that it needed to build so it could be even more unique. After I heard what they spit to it, I took the sample and kept playing that little stab at the beginning. I felt like it needed some talking to match that astronaut type sound. That’s what I heard in my head. I found the stuff like “Flight to the Moon” and the voice of John F. Kennedy and all that. All I needed to do was fit all these pieces together in order. All that “up in the sky” and the guy talking about the galaxies was from the same record. Those lines just happened to work. Back in those days, we didn’t have Pro Tools where you can grab stuff, push it back, and replace it. You needed a blank space on the reel and you had to guestimate at what time the beat should come in. But it came out good and that was definitely one of my favorite records I’ve ever done in my life.

Notorious B.I.G. – 10 Crack Commandments:

That was actually a promo that me and Jeru did for Angie Martinez on Hot 97. Back then she did a show called the “Hot 5 at 9″ where she would play the top 5 records at 9 o’clock. If you listen to the scratches, before I added “ten” later on when Biggie got it, I just keep going to five right after the beat drops because it was for the top 5 at 9. Puffy was guest hosting the show and when he heard the promo he was like “what the hell, who did this?” and Angie told him I did it. So he goes live on the radio like “yo Premier, if you’re out there, call me.” One of my homeboys paged me and told me that Puffy was on the radio telling me to call him. I turn on Hot 97 and right before I was about to turn the dial off, I hear “Premier, Premier, please call me if you hear me on the radio.” He told me he wanted to buy the promo. I told Jeru and he was like “yo, it’s hip hop. No big deal.” So I sold it to him and Biggie already had a concept, he wanted to call it “Ten Crack Commandments.” I took the “Ten” from a spaceship count down when they go “ten, nine, eight, seven…” And Biggie just rapped over it right there.

Jay-Z – So Ghetto:

That was the first time me and Jay got back in the studio together after a long time. We ran in to each other at his concert. We hashed out our differences and stuff we had in the past, so he was like “yo, let’s go to the studio and work on something.” I did the “So Ghetto” beat off the head, like everything I do with Jay, and he loved it. He said “I’ll be back in an hour” and he came back an hour later ready to do his vocals. The Steve Cropper intro, I don’t mind saying it because I cleared it, that opening riff, I wanted to hit it twice before I let it roll. And Jay was just like “Preemo/ how we do/ history in the making/ let’s go…” naturally. Him and Biggie use to always say “yea, do the Premier thing” because they always trusted me. They would just say “do the Premier thing” and they would leave. And they never had a complaint.

Devin the Dude – Doobie Ashtray:

Doobie Ashtray was already done, it was really a remix, but they ended up putting it on the album. I think it was an Alicia Meyers or One Way sample that they couldn’t clear and they needed something identical to that, and they thought I could do it. I’ve known Devin the Dude for a long time because I’m from Houston. They reached out and asked me if I could remix it. I basically followed the original and played it on a keyboard with no sample at all. I stayed in the same key so he would harmonize and I remixed it while staying in the confines of the original. That was around the time I started playing keys a little more. I quit piano lessons as a kid but I learned the basics and I still know how to find what I need.

Jeru the Damaja – Jungle Music:

Jeru already had the concept, he wanted to call the song “Jungle Music.” I had the jungle sounds blended in from some sound effects records to really make it sound like they were out in a safari. When I found the sample, it just hypnotized me. I knew it worked but I didn’t know if Jeru would like it. When I played it for him he was like “that’s it, man” and he wrote it right on the spot. Showbiz, to this day, always tells me “jungle music, man, jungle music” when I see him in the studio. He’ll just say that out of the blue every now and then.

Source: kevinnottingham.com

I found this interesting interview of J Rock, for those who don’t know him, he was in one of my first articles here. You can click on the picture for better quality:

And to correct my previous article, J Rock never went to prison and Jeff Murphy is a free man now working in a community activist group in Newburgh. It’s also a false myth that Jeff’s mom has a lot of copies left of “Streetwize”. To make everything up, I have my hands on that demo tape that J Rock won with Source magazine. I’ll post that up tomorrow!!

Here I typed out a brand new interview from the latest issue of Juice Magazine from Germany. Sorry for the language, but DJ Premier Blog got a pretty large fanbase in Germany. Feel free to translate lol.

Diesen man braucht man nicht vorzustellen. Um sich vor Augen zu führen, wie viele Klassiker das in Texas geborene Aushängeschild der New Yorker Beatkunst auf dem Kerbholz hat, muss man im Prinzip nur einem seiner DJ-Sets lauschen. Wer kann schon von sich behaupten, ein zweistündiges Set mit fast nur selbst produzierten Klassikern zu bestreiten? Dem Soundentwurf, mit dem Premier mindestens eine nachkommende Generation von Produzenten maßgeblich geprägt hat, ist er mit minimalen Abweichungen treu geblieben. Auch mit mittlerweile 43 Jahren aud dem Buckel denkt er noch längst nich daran, MPC und Turntables in den Schrank zu stellen. Sein Terminkalender ist auch 2009 prall gefüllt, zahlreiche Releases stehen auf der Pendenzliste, und selbst eine Gang Starr-Reunion scheitert zumindest nicht an ihm.

Dabei ist der ‘Man Of Few Words’ nicht unbedingt dafür bekannt, dass Interviews zu seinen bevorzugten Freizeitbeschäftigungen gehören. Doch als er kurz vor seinem Gig im Backstage-Bereich der Roten Fabrik in Zürich auftaucht, nimmt er sich bereitwillig die Zeit, um dem Schweizer Juice-Korrespondenten Fabian Merlo einmal mehr seine Definition von echtem HipHop ins Aufnahmegerät zu diktieren. Und selbst wenn seine Antworten nicht immer unbedingt direkt auf den Kern der Frage zeilen, hat Premo immer noch genügend Anekdoten aus seiner unvergleichlichen Laufbahn auf Lager, Kurz nach dem Gespräch übernimmt Premier dann die Turntables, um in seiner nie endenden Mission der Party-Crowd zu demonstrieren, wie echter HipHop Klingt. Denn wer sollte das wissen, wenn nicht er?

Juice: Für viele bist du so etwas wie eine Institution für echten, traditionellen HipHop. Wenn du jemanden unterstützt, wissen die Leute, was sie erwartet. Siehst du dich selber als Bewahrer des echten HipHop?
Premier: Bis zu einem bestimmten Grad, ja. Ich bin aber nicht der Einzige. Jeder, den ich anerkenne, ist ebenfalls ein Bewahrer. Es gibt viele von uns, und jeder trifft andere Maßnahmen, um HipHop am Leben zu erhalten. Ich mache es mit meinem Label Year Round Records, meiner Radioshow, den DJ-Gigs, oder auch mit so etwas wie dem Videoclip, dan ich für die Roc Raida-Tributeshow gemacht habe. Es gibt einfach diese Events, da weiß ich intuitiv, dass ich dabei sein muss. Ich respektiere die Kultur und weiß, was dazu gehört und was nicht.

Juice: Bald wird auf deinem Label Year Round das neue NYGz-Album erscheinen. Dies ist, abgesehen von den Gang Starr-Platten, das erste Album seit Jerus “Wrath Of The Math” von 1996, das du komplett produziert hast. Wieso gerade mit den NYGz?
Premier: Wir waren bereits Freunde, bevor wir Geschäfte miteinander gemacht haben. Eigentlich waren sie Künstler von Guru bei desse Ill Kid-Label und nannten sie sich schon immer NYGz, aber wegen der ähnlichkeit des Namens zu den New York Giants waren sie als Operation Ratification unterwegs. Eines Tages sagte ich ihnen, dass sie den Namen doch einfach anders als das Football-Team schreiben sollen, Panchi lernte ich kennen, als ich an die 183th Street in der Bronx zog, wo ich mit Guru zusammenlebte, Gurus damalige Freundin ging für einige Zeit nach Kalifornien und wir konnten für diese Zeit ihre Wohnung haben. Die erste Person, die ich kennen lernte, war Panchi und wir waren sofort cool miteinander. In seiner Gegend war er eine respektierte Person auf der Straße – jeder kannte ihn. Es ist eine großes Ding in der Hood, wenn alle Leute dich respektieren. Außerdem liebte er die Lyrics im HipHop und rappte immer alle Texte mit. Ich sagte ihm irgendwann, dass er doch seine eigenen Lyrics schreiben solle und dass es mit der richtigen Hilfe im Studio dope klingen würde. Daraufhin meinte er, dass ich sein Lehrer sein soll, Ich zeigte ihm also die verschiedenen Schritte des Aufnehmens. Shabeeno hingegen wollte schon von Beginn an rappen, Panchi hatte damals jedoch keine Ahnung davon. Mit der Zeit wurde er immer besser und besser. Eines Tages kam er zu mir und meinte, dass er eine Sache im Leben unbedingt machen wolle: ein komplett von mir produziertes Album. So kam es dazu, dass ich nun die ganze Scheibe produziere.

Juice: Bevorzugst du es sonst, nur einen oder zwei Beats auf einem Album zu platzieren?
Premier: Es kommt darauf an, Es hängt von meiner verfügbaren Zeit ab, auch davon, wer sonst noch an einem Album mitwirkt und von diversen anderen Punkten, Wenn ein Album aber bei Year Round erscheint, produziere ich zumindest die Mehrheit der Songs.

Natürlich ist es erheulich, dass sich DJ Premier nach langer Zeit wieder eines kompletten Albums annimmt. Base Zungen würden die NYGz wehl aber shei als seine Weed Carrier bezeichnen, als von einer Traumkolabo zu schwamen. In einschlägigen Kreisen hofft man weiterhin auf ein Kornplett von Premier in Szene gesetzten Nas-Album. Dies schien eigentlich bereits beschlossene Sache, als die beiden 2005 das Cover des “Scratch Magazine” zierten und eine Zusammenarbeit ankündigten. Seither hat Nas aber bereits “HipHop Is Dead” und “Untitled” ohne Premos Hilfe veröffentlicht, und momentan hängt er lieber mit Damian Marley ab als im HeadQcourterz-Studio Beats zu picken. Und so dürfte diese Konstellation weitherhin ein Feuchttraum zahlreicher TrueSchool-Heads bleiben. Selbst Premo scheint nicht mehr wirklich daran zu glauben, schlug er doch Nas kürzlich in einem Interview vor, dass er ein Album mit dem Producer-Lineup von “Illmatic” – also neben Premier auch Pete Rock, Large Professor, Q-Tip un L.E.S. – aufnehmen solle. Schlussendlich muss Nas entscheiden, ob er nochmals zu seinen Ursprüngen zurürckkehren will. Dafür plant Premo eine Kollaboration, bei der besonders ältere Heads aufhorchen werden.

Juice: Ich sah ein Interview, in dem du gesagt hast, dass du ein komplettes Album mit KRS-One aufnehmen willst?
Premier: Wir sind ständig in Kontakt. Wenn ich wieder zurück in dem Staaten bin, wird er in meinem Studio an einem anderen Projekt arbeiten, und dann werde ich ihm sicherlich einige Beats vorspielen. Wir wollen das definitiv machen. Absolut!

Juice: Du unterstützt aufstrebende Künstler wie Termanology, arbeitest mit verdienten MC’s wie Blaq Poet oder Royce da 5’9″, aber auch mit Christina Aguilera. Hast du bestimmte Kriterien, nach denen du dir die Künstler, mit denen du arbeitest, aussuchst?
Premier: Bei Christina Aguilera war es so, dass sie mich angefragt hat. Ich wollte unbedingt etwas im Pop-Bereich machen, um zu zeigen, dass ich auch das beherrsche. Es sollte gleichzeitig nach dem klingen, was ich im HipHop mache und auch Christina und ihr Label zufrieden stellen.

Juice: Und was sind die Kriterien bei MC’s?
Premier: Sie müssen einfach über genügend Skills verfügen, so dass ich sie mit den MC’s aus meiner äravergleichen kann. Sie müssen nicht klingen wie die MC’s von damals, aber ein technisches Level haben, bei dem ich sage: Du hast es verdients, dass Leute dich wahrnehmen. So wie bei Termanology – ich habe sein Demo gehört und war sofort bereit, mit ihm zu arbeiten. “Watch How It Go Down” war eigentlich ein Beat, den ich für das Album von Blaq Poet zur Seite gelegt hatte. Es hätte ein Song mit Alchemist werden sollen. Beide hatten ihre Rhymes bereits aufgenommen, aber sie haben den Song nie fertiggestellt und der Track wurde langsam alt. Als Statik Selektah bei mir im Studio war und des Beat hörte, fragte er mich, ob er ihn für Termanology haben könne. Term schrieb seine Raps, ich machte die Cuts und so kam dieser Song zustande.

Juice: Du hast mal gesagt, dass der echte HipHop niemals verschwu
nden, sondern nur zurück in den Untergrund gegangen ist. Nun ist zum Beispiel das Raekwon-Album in die Top 5 der US-Charts eingestiegen. Ist dies ein Zeichen, dass echter Rap wieder im Mainstream ankommt?
Premier: Es ist eine sehr gute Sache, dass Raekwon so erfolgreich ist. Der Mainstream musste irgendwann auseinanderfallen, um den ganzen Müll loszuwerden. Es wurde zu groß und irgendwann geht es bergab. Wir hingegen sind immer da, weil wir uns treu bleiben und es raw halten. Uns geht es gut. Die großen Künstler jammern, dass sie nicht mehr so viele Platten verkaufen und nicht mehr auf Tour gehen können. Wir sind immer noch unterwegs und nehmen Alben auf. Ich bin sogar froh, dass die Industrie bröchelt, denn nun muss man wieder mehr Zeit investieren und richtig gut sein, um eine Chance zu bekommen. Eine Zeit lang wurde jeder gesignt, das konnte nicht gut gehen.

Juice: Meistens weiß man nach wenigen Sekunden, dass es sich bei einem Beat um eine Premier-Produktion handelt. Wie wichtig ist dir dieser Trademark-Sound?
Premier: Sehr. Teilweise ändere ich meinem Stil auch ein wenig, wie z.B. für “Shake This” vom neuen Royce da 5’9″-Album oder bei dem Track auf dem neuen M.O.P.-Album, der eher nach einem Dilla-Beat klingt. Ich wollte mal ausprobieren, einem Beat im Stil von Dilla zu produzieren, und als Lil Fame ihn hörte, wollte er ihn für “Foundation” haben. Eigentlich war es nicht meine Absicht, dass sie einem solchen Beat von mir picken – ich hatte vor, einem typischen Hardcore-Song mit ihnen aufzunehmen. Sie meinten aber, dass wir noch nie etwas in diese Richtung gemacht hätten, also willigte ich doch ein. Es gibt zwei Versionen von dem Song, einem mit gesunger Hook und die richtige Version mit Scratches. Die Scratch-Version ist dope, aber leider nicht auf dem Album gelandet.

Juice: Guru sagte in Interviews unter anderem, dass du nun ein Pop-Produzent wärst. Du betonst aber immer, dass du jederzeit ein weiteres Gang Starr-Album machen würdest. Seine Aussagen machen dich nicht wütend?
Premier: Es gibt keinen Grund dafür. Wir haben zu viele Jahre miteinander verbracht, um wütend zu werden. Wir waren eine Gruppe von 1988 bis 2004, wir lebten fünf Jahre zusammen, waren immer gemeinsam auf Tour. Es gibt zu viele Erinnerungen. Wenn ich daran zurückdenke, auch an unsere Streits, muss icht einfach darüber lachen. Wenn er in der Stimmung ist, lasse ich alles andere liegen und mache ein neues Album mit ihm. Wenn nicht, wird er meinem Arbeitsfluss nicht bremsen. Ich liebe es einfach, Musik zu machen.

Juice: Hast du dir die Alben von Guru angehört?
Premier: Natürlich, ich halte die Ohren immer offen. Ich bin mir ganz sicher, dass Guru, egal wo er gerade steckt, ebenfalls immer abcheckt, was ich mache.

Juice: Was hältst von Solars Beats, über deren Qualität ja viel diskutiert wird?
Premier: Sie sind okay. Seine Sachen sind cool, aber natürlich höre ich mir lieber an, was wir als Gang Starr erschaffen haben. Die Alben, die er mit Solar macht, sind natürlich keine Gang Starr-Alben, denn das geht nur, wenn Guru and Premier zusammenkomen. Aber letztlich hat er ja schon immer eigene Projekte verfolgt wie “Jazzmatazz” oder das Album bei Ill Kid Records.

Juice: Dein Soloalbum “A Man Of Few Words” wird ja langsam zu einer Eastcoast-Version von “Detox”.
Premier: (lacht) Ich habe gesagt, dass ich es nächstes Jahr mache. Die Alben von NYGz, Nich Javas und Khaleel werden zuerst erscheinen. Erst dann bin ich bereit, es fertig zu stellen. Es muss verrückt werden.

Juice: Du Hast einem Remix für den Song “Go Slow” des Schweizer Soulsänger Seven mit Talib Kweli produziert. Wie kam es dazu?
Premier: Das was dope, Sie schickten mir das Original mit dem Verse von Talib Kweli und fragten mich, ob ich einem Remix davon machen könnte. Wenn ich gesungene Songs produziere, spiele ich gerne selber Sachen ein – ich beherrsche ja auch einige instrumente. Ich spiele die Keyboards ein, füge dann Cuts und meine regulären Drums kinzu und stelle sicher, dass der Beat bouncet. Ich bin sehr zufrieden damit.

Juice: Kannst du uns noch ein kleines Update über deine kommenden Projekte, deine Produktionen und die Veröffentlichungen bei Year Round Records geben?
Premier: Als nächstes kommt das NYGz-Album. Wir haben den Titel von “Pros N Cons” in “Hustlers Union – Local NYGz” geändert. Nick Javas aus New Jersey arbeitet an seinem Album “Destination Unknown”. Haltet danach Ausschau! Khaleel, ein Künstler aus Texas, arbeiter ebenfalls an seinem Debüt. Er hat einen sehr eigenen Stil. Alle künstler von Year Roud werden auch auf dem NYGz-Album zu hören sien. Ich habe wieder mit Christina Aguilera gearbeitet, aber keiner der Songs wird auf dem Album sein. Nächstes Jahr liegt meine Priorität bei den Veröffentlichungen auf Year Round. Checkt außerdem das nueu Royce da 5’9″-Album “Street Hop”, das ich als Executive Producer betreut habe.

Juice: Wenn du fünf Songs aus deiner Diskografie aussuchen müsstets, die nicht so bekannt sind, die man aber unbedingt checken sollte – welche wären das?
Premier: “Goldyn Chyld” von Ras Kass. “Extra Extra” von Paula Perry. (überlegt) Weißt du, eigentlich denke ich nie über meine eigenen Platten nach. Sobald ich einen Song gemacht habe, denk ich bereits an den nächsten. Ich bin gewöhnt an meine Routine und denke immer schon an das nächste Projekt.