group shit, but we weren’t in a rush to sign papers, so we kept progressing. Me, Beeda and Stack already had our own movements before we started fucking with Town Thizzness. I had West Oakland, Beeda had East Oakland and Stack had his Purple movement. Hooking up with Thizz, it ain’t like we needed each other hella much, we just coming together and making it bigger. Was it difficult at all trying to make all of this work, being that there are a lot of interests involved? J Stalin: It wasn’t difficult because the money was right. We weren’t struggling trying to make it. The money was there, and when the funds are there, it’s easier. We’ve all got our own fans. We’re all on some street shit but we’re all different. I just keep it all the way street. I don’t have to sell dope and kill in my raps, but when I spit, it’s based on what I’ve seen and been through. My album is a movie that doesn’t end. It goes from part 1 to 3. You might get some bitches and killers selling dope in there. I’m rappin’ about anything happening to a nigga living the life I lead. I might get burnt in my raps. Yeah, it’s not everyday you hear someone rapping about getting burnt. J Stalin: It’s life. Just imagine all the things a nigga goes through in life. Everybody’s got a story to tell. Some people tell their shit, but some people don’t talk about everything. If it has to do with life, I’m putting it out there. Each of you, tell us about the albums that you are dropping and what to expect from them. J Stalin: My album is called Gas Nation because where I’m from, we call West Oakland “gas nation.” Everybody’s got gas and niggas are just getting gassed. West Oakland is like baby Baghdad. Explain what “gas” is for those who don’t know. J Stalin: Gas is guns, 17 shots or better. Who all did you work with and how was it recording it? J Stalin: It’s mostly me. This is my first nationwide album. My next album Prenuptial Agreement will be out next year. Everybody from E-40 to Too $hort and Mistah F.A.B. is on that one. Gas Nation is just my introduction. I get all my beats first and pick how my album is gonna sound. I ride and listen to instrumentals before I write. Then I just write it out like it’s one big song with different subjects. Beeda, tell me about your album The Thizzness. Beeda Weeda: It’s a set up for Turf Radio. I haven’t put anything out for a year, so I’m letting the fans know what I got coming. On my first album it was already 3 years old. I was a new artist trying to get out, so once people got a grasp of me, they was a little late. Right now I’m focused on being a artist and being professional. Basically what you’re getting is quality music. That’s the
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direction I’m going out here showing that I’m ready for the next level. What are you looking forward to the most? Beeda Weeda: I look forward to getting on the road and creating more opportunities for my people; getting out of this environment we’re in. I’m just showing that I’m ready for the next level. You can tell I’m from the bay, but [my music] still has national appeal. The next record will be my big record. In saying that it’s a “big record,” have you been cautious to not make a record that would only get played in the Bay? Beeda Weeda: That’s how I stick out anyway, I talk about everything. Coming from the Bay, off top people think you’re on the hyphy shit. I wanna show that we’re real musicians and artists out here. I come from Oakland and I want to show people what hyphy really comes from. It was never about dancing and dreads. It’s a street word. It means “willing to do anything at anytime.” The light on the Bay came around once and everyone was scrambling to get shit. But now, everybody’s together so we can get it and keep it. Stack, tell us about your album? G Stack: It’s called Dr. Purpthumb. I wanna introduce people to the Purple movement. It’s a get high record. It’s like a cannabis card. When cats have a weed song on the album it’s usually a good one, so I figured I’ll do a whole album [about it]. It’s something to light something up and burn to. Are you worried about the album getting into the wrong hands? Like kids. G Stack: Whoa, whoa. I’m a grown man. When you go to see The Terminator kill people, it says you have to be accompanied by a parent. I ain’t telling nobody to smoke weed. But it just puts you in a mood to blaze something up. But other than that it’s a good record [laughs]. It’s a set up for my next official solo release. It’s got Scarface and Too $hort on it. Being that you’ve been in the game for 16 years, do you see similarities in what’s going on right now and what was happening in the mid-90s? G Stack: What I see right now is that you’ve got J Stalin, Beeda, and D-Lo, you’ve got a few cats doing something, but you’ve also got legends like San Quinn, 40, and $hort still out here so it’s the same scene. I’m having fun with it. You’ve gotta have the respect of your peers, and we’ve got that. As long as cats pass the torch, it’s always gonna be good. You can teach them something. Sometimes cats get so relaxed that they just start thinking, “Oh, I’m relevant anyway.” I don’t feel like that. I do what I got to do. Cats love to get on my records; we one big happy family. We support each other. When someones album comes out we don’t wait to be given one. We buy it. Can you see the Bay getting back to the mid-90s heyday? We got that now. You just ain’t heard everybody yet. //