The West is Back…Side: The Bay Area’s DJ BackSide links up with the Best of the West to see what’s really goin’ on in their heads!
soopafly
S
oopafly has not only been a staple on the West Coast through his raps, but the whole West Coast Gangsta sound can be seen through his eyes. He’s lived it, rapped it and more, and he’s part of two groups now, not just The Dogg Pound. I got to sit down with Soopafly and talk openly about his new group The Western Union, the female rap stint and drought, and what he’s been up to the past few years. Here, he gives us a true perspective on what is going on in the West Coast right now and what needs to be done for us to succeed.
Pound, and we are the epitome of gangsta rap, all the time. That’s what the fans want to hear; that’s what the fans expect. The Western Union tries to veer off a little from this a little to embrace other ways of displayin’ Hip Hop.
Soopafly opens with this: “The West is on our way back. It’s like our homecoming right now. Everybody is comin’ back. It means a lot to see us all come back together. We’re about 65% back. Game is just one person, and I’m down with the hyphy movement, but not just one thing can bring it all back. In the South, we just can’t talk about Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri anymore. You’ve got Rich Boy and [Unk’s] ‘Walk It Out’ and all that. So we just gotta keep the ball rollin’ and we’re doin’ that.”
Do you think it has something to do with the way women are portrayed in Hip Hop videos? No, I really don’t. I think it has to do with – I mean, I haven’t really got a CD from anyone that sounds like they should be out, you know what I mean. A male can do it, but he can’t do it better than a female as far as what she wants to say and how she wants to portray herself. You’ve got Beyonce on the R&B side killin’ it over there. I mean, are there any females that even want to be a rapper? ‘Cause I don’t see it.
BS: What have you been up to the past couple of years? SF: I’ve been layin’ low. I’ve been workin’ on R&B. There’s been a lot of setbacks with my album, but it’s comin’ out May 22nd on Koch. I fell into Western Union [with Damani and Badd Lucc] and that was just a good situation to rejuvenate myself as far as being on the West Coast. And I’ve been workin’ on beats, man, my solo project. Helpin’ B Real work on his solo project. Stayin’ busy, ya know? That’s all I do. Western Union is new, but what’s up with the Dogg Pound? Are y’all still functional? Always functional. We have gotten out the hard-head mode, gettin’ grown and realizin’ it ain’t about the bullshit, it’s about feedin’ our kids and gettin’ that big paper. And what’s the difference between your new group versus the old group? Western Union and the Dogg Pound? I met Damani and Bad Lucc of Western Union about a year ago and that situation just worked itself out. I found that I could bring knowledge and game and connections to this younger situation and it just all fit. They rejuvenate me. I’m a little bit older then them. Their youthfulness and hustle makes me want to go out and be out there right with them. Then there’s the Dogg // OZONE WEST // OZONE WEST
Where are all the female rappers right now? I don’t know. I can’t worry about them, I gotta worry about me. They better get they pants together and get out there and get they music heard. I haven’t heard anything [from a female] lately.
Technology is changing too right now. For an experienced rapper like you, how does that factor in? SF: Yes. Check me out at www.myspace.com/soopaflydpgc. Buy the album, it only costs $10. I know you got it! Technology is a part of life right now. You see how record sales have gone down. Labels and artists have to change their strategy. The internet can help you a lot. And hurt you too (cough, cough), YOUTUBE (laughs).
The Big Squeeze [came out] April 24th. Yeah, it all came together really by everybody hangin’ out around the studio. Like MC Eiht, aiight, you fit here, and Damani, you here, just like that. That’s why we called it The Big Squeeze, cause we squeezed it all together. And that’s how it really came together. Soopafly closes with this: “Stay behind me if you love me everybody, cause I’m still comin’. The Western Union. My album. It’s all comin’. Snoop is really reachin’ out right now. So it’s time. //
Check out more of my interviews every month here in OZONE West. www.myspace.com/djbackside and holla@djbackside.com