...The two solo rappers have come together to release a group album CALLED Recession Proof on Ill Burn Records. Rolling with the theme of “red and blue makes green,” A-Wax (who is a Blood) and GonzoE (who is a Crip) are determined to show their city, their coast and the entire country what can happen when people put their differences Aside to accomplish a common goal. The album also represents a fresh start for both artists. Gonzoe got his start in the rap game as a member of Ice Cube’s mid-90s brainchild Kaution, but the group quickly dissipated after releasing just one album, South Central Los Skanless. After a brief spell as a member of 2Pac’s Outlawz, Gonzoe circulated on the underground doing everything from appearing on Kurupt’s Kurruption album to overseeing musical scores for independent films like Blue Hill Avenue starting Carl Payne. Gonzoe also kept busy as a member of Yukmouth’s interstate network The Regime. A-Wax, who was born in the Bay Area, would see his life take a couple different turns. Shipped to Seattle as a child, he quickly got caught up in the wrong crowd and served time in prison as a teenager. Released at the age of 21, Wax was still young enough to make something out of the rest of his life and chose rap to make that happen. Since 2002, Wax has released near two dozen mixtapes and albums and even garnered an affiliation with Akon’s Konvict Muzik. While both of these artists have plenty on their plate as solo acts, Recession Proof is their main focus now. OZONE caught up with the duo as they relaxed at the Cannibus Club in Los Angeles as they spoke on crossing color lines to work together and explained why opposites do indeed attract. How did you guys end up being in a group together? Gonzoe: Me and Wax both signed with Ill Burn as solo artists. We met up with each other, everything was copacetic, and it turns we actually worked well together. A-Wax: Ill Burn were fans of both of us and were interested in us making music together. When we met up, everything was good and 100. We shot some videos, and now we’re out touring promoting this record. Gonzoe: This ain’t gonna be a one shot deal either. It worked so good that we’re going to do a second album. Since both of you have been in the music game for some years, I’m sure you’ve become accustomed to doing things a certain way. How has becoming a group worked out so far? Gonzoe: That’s why we met up with each other first. We both have been working on our own for
a minute. Just because you rap doesn’t mean that when you get in the studio with each other it’s going to work. That’s why I left the group Kausion, because it stopped working. But working with A-Wax has been like jumping back into the shoes of someone who had the same goals as me, and was going as hard as me. A-Wax: I’ve been a solo artist for as long as I can remember. I’ve done collaborations, but not to this extent where I have input on everything. I’ve put out 20 mixtapes and album over the last seven years. Competing with Gonzoe has made me hungry again. It makes me want to compete. Since you both pledge allegiance to two different gangs and are from two different parts of California, it seems like an unlikely partnership. A-Wax: We’ve got some mutual friends that don’t like us or each other. Us in particular, we didn’t have no problem with each other, but we have mutual friends. We almost had problems with each other on accident without even meeting each other. Nothing but positive has come out of this project though. Gonzoe: It’s just the powers that be. A-Wax: You got real and fake from every side of the map. I don’t respect everybody just because of colors. Me and Gonzoe have a common goal: we’re trying to get to the upper echelon of the rap game. Working back and forth lightens the load. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still gonna have solo careers. But because of this album, I put my solo [career] on hold until we get this other album out. It came out so good that I want to try it again. Gonzoe: All the beef shit was just bickering; nothing was concrete. After I met A-Wax, I didn’t have a say-so in the problem they had with him. But once I was brought up to speed, 1+1=2 and I’m a stickler for street ethics and someone crossed the line, bottom line. I chose to do an album with Wax to abominate all that shit. A-Wax: I don’t really even want to get into what happened, but it has caught a lot of people by surprise that me and Gonzoe did an album together. People tend to want to see things a certain way because they have their own agendas. Both of us are in a position where we can do our own thing. We both have our own labels and we’re both self-sufficient and hold each other down over here. It’s like we’re a family over here, and we don’t have to worry about anything. I can leave a stack of money on the table and it won’t move if I leave the room. Why did you name your album Recession Proof? A-Wax: We’re natural born hustlers. There ain’t no recession in certain areas of life. One of those areas is Ill Burn, and we’re burning through a lot of money because we believe in what we’re doing. We’re live from the Cannibus Club right now, so we’re burning in that way too. (laughs) Plus it plays off our backgrounds. You put red with the blue and we make green. The cover has green font and we have a common goal, and we want to let everybody know about it. Gonzoe: We met and came up with a common theme we were gonna go with, and that was Recession Proof. That was the state of the mind at the moment. We wanted to show all the haters all the money we’re getting too. The streets said we’re supposed to be killing each other, but we said no.
“You got real and fake from every side of the map. I don’t respect Everybody just because of colors.” - A-WAX 12 // OZONE WEST
We wanted to show that you can come together. It’s a slap in the face to all the people trying to keep us down. Tell us a little bit about the album itself. Who did you work with? A-Wax: We have production from Happy Perez, Nonstop and Josh Franks. We used about five or six producers and I’m satisfied with it. I can’t wait to hear the response from it. Gonzoe: We just left from Rude Jude’s show. We had people from all around the nation calling in. Only one person was hating. We took 60 calls and everybody liked it. What was it like meshing your musical backgrounds together, seeing as how A-Wax is from the Bay and Gonzoe is from Los Angeles? Gonzoe: I think Wax makes universal music. A-Wax: Yeah, I’m probably one of the Bay Area exceptions. I went to jail young and I actually experienced gangbangin’. I’m just a different Bay artist, I never stuck to one certain sound. I don’t try to forcefeed my sound or forcefeed that I’m from the Bay, I just do lyrics. Gonzoe: He actually pushed me to other levels, like challenging me to get on other types of beats. This album is coming out independently. Talk about what that’s been like. A-Wax: It’s like a fresh start. We have a clean slate right now, and we’re in charge of our own destinies. We’re starting fresh but now we have all the knowledge. I don’t have to worry about someone taking advantage of me anymore. I know exactly what’s going on, from distribution down to promotion. Gonzoe: It’s like a kid in the candy store, who was struggling. We had a deal before and everything was coming from our pocket. We’re having to look at guys who had the budgets and creative control. But doing this independently turns you into a businessman and makes you want to get more bang for your buck. It makes you record more too, so that you have more of a catalog. You’ve put some of your other projects on hold to focus on your responsibilities as a duo. What should we be expecting from you when it’s time to go back solo? Gonzoe: I’ve got Year of the Dragon dropping next year, but nothing’s getting in the way of Recession Proof. I put my solo on hold and it wound up being a good decision since I have access to producers that I didn’t before. A-Wax: I’m dropping Most Hated, which will be my solo. It has a lot of introspective songs and thought-provoking music. I’m just trying to give my hardcore fans what they’re asking for. This is going to be after Year of the Dragon comes out. We’re gonna keep putting out free music on the web and keep getting our music heard. Gonzoe: The next thing were doing together is a project called California Cartel. We just started and we’re about two songs in. We’re going to crank out 50 [songs] and pick the best 20. We do music for real; we record everyday. We aren’t just rappers on a video shoot or trying to get in the club to mess with girls. We do this for real. Its like the ‘Pac days. We did this everyday. We only rested to get up and make more music. //