12/01/05 | Exclusive Interview With G-Flow

       Westcoast2k sat down with Long Beach Producer G-Flow to discuss his recently released project "Armageddon - The Prequal", which is the warm up mixtape for the "Armageddon" album dropping in March of 2006. He talks about growing up in Long Beach and hooking up with MC's such as RBX and The Lady of Rage for his projects. G-Flow also speaks his mind on the music business going down on the West Coast.

Westcoast2k: So tell us a little bit about your background and how you started off...

G-Flow: I'm from Long Beach, so I started off working on the underground scene doing stuff with people on the east side of Long Beach. Worked with people that went to the V.I.P. record store. And then I started getting my name out there, so I started working with people like RBX and Truth Hurts. And as I came up I got a hold of Crooked I, Sly Boogy, and everything started to come together. I been producing since I was 19 or 20, so I been doing this for like 9 or 10 years.

And I was also doing this adult stuff. We put it out on the underground level cause we didn't lock up a distributor before we pressed it up, and I had a thousand copies. So they didn't wanna buy the copies or press up theirselves, so we just served them up at the release party and made a lot of money off that on the underground level. That was my first project, I had Tri-Star and Eastwood on the album, and a whole bunch of new West Coast talent and put them on there too. Like JB, Menage, Caliph and others. Caliph is on that song with Crooked I and Truth Hurts on the "Armageddon" album. That song is single material at its finest. It's a monster!


Westcoast2k: Can you talk about the "Armageddon" project that you got coming?

G-Flow: Well, we were working on the "Armageddon" album, and I had this bright idea to call everybody that's on the album back in and have them do another song. So we got this other project released called "Armageddon - The Prequal" for the streets. So we got a whole other album done, Lady Of Rage is on it, she came and did her song. I got RBX doing another song, Crooked I came and did a song doing 64 bars straight. He got a song rockin' 64 bars and it's stupid! Sly Boogy came and did another one.

So "The Prequal" is basically promotion for the real album. But it's all new original songs. I'm not really big on rappin' over other peoples beats when we got tracks that we can use. I'd rather get a couple original tracks and get it barcoded. The Prequal is the same deal DJ Quik did! He did that "Trauma" mixtape and "Trauma" album. So I was like 'Damn, I had the same idea as DJ Quik, so I must be doing something right!'

The album is gonna have Lady of Rage, Truth Hurts, Crooked I, Eastwood, RBX, Bo-Rocc, there's so many people on there! We gonna do it big with this project, so we're really pumping the mixtape right now to promote it. I took a chunk of money at my house, and hollered at people and let them know that it's all out my pocket. So I got some West Coast love that your average cat probably wouldn't get. But when they heard the stuff and how hot it was, they wanted to work with me too.

But the sound on there is real new. We're messing with new sounds right now. You know how they did the Old West Coast and the New West? We're bringing a whole different sound. Sometimes we're mixing the Rock feel with the Hip Hop shit. It's real street, we didn't go corny with it like on Beasty Boys level or nothing like that. But we kept it hard and West Coast. So we got a whole different sound to it. The gangbang stuff still works in some cases, but we kinda went with a brighter approach.


Westcoast2k: You got a release date for the album?

G-Flow: The "Armageddon" album is gonna drop early next year. It's gonna be my first project of 2006. But "The Prequal" is now available at www.relicent.com.


Westcoast2k: Whats like the concept behind dropping the compilation? Are you trying promote your label or is it mainly to shine some light on the artists on there?

G-Flow: Both, it's a combination of promoting the label and introducing new artists. Cause what we do, you got the celebraty names on the album, and then we got new artists like Caliph, who's my artist. Then I got a couple of other new artists. There's a guy who used to rap with Crooked I back in the day named Moses. He's really good. Then there's a couple of cats out of Inglewood, so we sprinkled it with new talent. The new people can be heard by bringing the OG names in.


Westcoast2k: How come you dropped a compilation and not just a solo album for Caliph?

G-Flow: Because cats can get a better name on a compilation! The other thing is... shit Ima be honest with you! When you growing up and you riding the school bus with "The Chronic" on, and I'm hearing RBX and The Lady Of Rage rapping, and I'm now working with people that I used to admire, so hell yeah! It feels like a dream. My cousin is actually King T, but I don't have no contact to him. Tell him his cousin G-Flow is doing big things! When you tell him his cousin G-Flow he'll know. Cause when I used to be around him I was garbage. My beats was wack, the flow wasn't right. When I was like 16 or 17 I was horrible. So I stepped my game up so much since then, he'll probably think 'Naw this nigga still wack!'. But naw, we're on a whole different level right now. It's a movement! I'm looking to get with G. Malone and Bishop Lamont, cause I like those cats. So Ima see if I can some more cheese together and see if I can get G. Malone on some stuff. So this whole West Coast thing is a movement.


Westcoast2k: You're also closely working with Tri-Star and his album. What happened to that?

G-Flow: You know what happened? I got about 14 or 15 songs with Tri on it. But it got ugly, because he was dealing with the Kurupt thing. I didn't know what the legalities were, if I started releasing his stuff. So he came back and did some new stuff. But he said if I wanna send it to you guys its OK! He just did that "Certified Crazy" joint with Sir Jinx. Jinx is crazy!


Westcoast2k: Is there anything else you wanna say?

G-Flow: Yeah I wanted to speak on something, and I need you to quote me on this. You know how everybody always complaining that the West Coast can't get on, and how everybody is just hating on the West Coast? I been dealing with a lot of West Coast artists that's been in the game for a long time. You know what a big problem on the West Coast is? Nobody has business sense. If I was an exec with millions of dollars, and I came across some of the cats that I been in my studio with, people that's been on platinum albums, I wouldn't give them no money! I'm being real, sometimes I'm just like 'What the hell is he talking about?'. So, it is true that we're being hated on to a certain extend. When I went to Atlanta I went to radio stations and they had all Atlanta artists. And that's how it's supposed to be! When I got off the plane back from Atlanta, all I heard was the same stuff I heard in Atlanta! That's when I heard that one song "Shake That Laffy Taffy". And I thought it was a joke when I was out there, I thought they made that in the bathroom or something, this is hilarious! (laughs) And when I got back I turned on the radio and it was one of the most requested songs out here! Shake that laffy taffy! I was just like 'This is a nightmare!!'

But as far as artists out here, they have no business sense. Like, what's a business plan? They just say 'Yeah we all got business plans'. When I heard that I was scared. I ask them 'What you mean we all got business plans?'. They tell me 'Well all I need is a cool situation!'. What the hell is a cool situation? (laughs) I'm supposed to give you some money, and that's supposed to be a cool situation for me? So I wanna talk publishing with them. 'Yo you should get this and this publishing'. 'Naw, I don't wanna talk about that right now'. 'What the hell you not wanna talk about publishing for?' So I just wanna put that out there, that a big problem on the West is radio politics, but the other big part is the business. So I wanna get that out there first and foremost. Don't blame everything that's going on in the West on the media! Look in the mirror and be like 'OK when I go to a meeting with people in suits with a lot of money, do I have on a pair of khakis? Do I have on a suit? Do I smell like weed when I go in there? Do I go to the meetings?' So it's some issues over here.

The other thing too, I wanna say as far people that's doing it big, the next to blow is gotta be Crooked I. I think Crooked I is a monster dude! But it's a hard situation for a lotta cats out here. When Sly Boogy came over, I was sitting in the corner like Damn! He came in the studio when he did the song for me. And he had sheets of paper with verses all over. 'What you think about this one? what you think about this one?' They were crazy! But he went with J Records, and I don't know what happened to that joint. But like I said, the business over here is real bad!

       G-Flow Presents "Armageddon - The Prequal" is now available through Relic Entertainment. The project can be purchased from the Relic website at www.relicent.com.

It features all new songs from the likes of Lady of Rage, RBX, Crooked I, Sly Boogy, Caliph, and many more.