UpTight Interview Part 2 (Former Silverback/Aftermath Records Artist)

http://illuminati2g.com/site/2012/08/03/uptight-interview-part-2/

I2G is back with part 2 of our 3 part interview with Uptight. Part 2 delves into what happened with Uptight and Aftermath and what led to his departure and the origins of the D.O.C.’s album, Deuce. Or was it his album to begin with? Hmmm, read on to find out.

For those that missed part 1, click on the link below:

http://illuminati2g.com/site/2012/07/28/uptight-interview-part-1/

So basically everyone else was feeling the record, but when it came out to Dre hearing it, he was not feeling the track. So basically they were fronting on the record?

Well I mean the people around did say they were proud of me and enjoyed the work that I did, and I did what I was paid to come out to Cali and do. 2 or 3 days past and Dre hear the records and he was not feeling it and now all of a sudden no one in the studio is feeling it either.

Laughs

The same cats that was telling me how dope it was are telling me man you should have rapped something else.

Laughs

So I get to the studio and I see Dre and he is always real cool and cordial, I mean he has no reason not to be. He asked me if I thought the music I did from a couple of days ago was dope and I said yes. I also said if you don’t like the records, I can do something else. He kept asking me again if I thought it was dope, and by this time I am not understanding these lines of questions.

The average person would say it maybe a little differently like do you believe in your music. But I am not understanding his line of questions so I told him again if he did not think the music was dope, I could do something else, no problem but we need to get in the studio and work on it together. I can rap a bunch of stuff that I wrote and it is not going to be the same if Dre is not in the studio when I record it. So needless to say that never happened.

So after that, what was the deal with Aftermath?

I was still doing music with them, but once I got wind that Dre did not like it, then it became a thing of then tell me how they operate and what they do. I was chilling in the conference room with Mike Lynn and everybody and it was all love, no issues. But then the conversation with Mike shifted to it being about me and then it became about my deal and me working in the studio.

To me, that was not the right way to deliver that kind of information in that setting. It would be different if I was tripping about things, but I was actually there to try and make things happen. I had only been in the studio, one time for 10 minutes and all my stuff was good. I did not have alot of retakes and even if I was asked to rearrange my verses, I did that.

Mike Lynn got to talking about where Aftermath came from and how things were before me coming and how they got rid of everyone after the Aftermath compilation did not do well. Xzibit was a big part of that reshaping of the label and they really took a liking to him at the time. Basically Mike told me when you get in the studio you can’t be bullshitting because time is money.

Now I am thinking, why are you coming at me from that angle because I was only in the studio for about 10 minutes?

Right

I am concerned with his approach and my reply to him was well I was only in the studio for 10 minutes, I am trying to make this work. Right when I say that Mike Lynn starting to flex and raise his voice at me. I look at Dre like what are you gonna say or do about that. Dre is the chief, I am the Indian and I don’t feel comfortable in over stepping my bounds. Dre just looks at me like I don’t know nothing.

Laughs

So for me when I see those drops in the ranks then I need to fend for myself, because I ain’t from California and I ain’t sweating Dre. I had a contract and I have to by that contract not what somebody else says. I told him I don’t understand why we are talking about my contract and I was only in the studio for 10 minutes, I am trying to make this work. He started raising his voice at me some more.

Laughs

I finally told him look I am from Dallas, I ain’t from here. If you think you are gonna punk me, that ain’t gonna happen. You raising your voice and doing all this loud talking, I don’t operate like that. The way you are talking to me at this point is real wreckless, then Dre jumped in the conversation trying to calm me down. I told him I don’t need your help now, I needed it before and you did not say anything.

Laughs

Now everybody looking at me like I’m the one tripping but my main point with all that was, you don’t have to yell at me to get your point across. So after that, that was when everything shifted and they did not have me come to the studio anymore.

Damn, only after 2 songs? That is fucked up.

That’s one song.

Wow! One song, Christ! So what happened after that?

I did one more song, but it was on a positive tip. Dre told me you can’t make a entire album of songs like that. The song was called We All In The Same Hood and it was about Bloods and Crips. He just told me you can’t make a album of songs like that, he never said yo that song was not dope. Me and Dre never went into the studio together and create a entire song from the ground up like he does with alot of his other artists. Like he did with 50 Cent, Eminem and what he is doing now with Slim The Mobster and Kendrick Lamar. We never got to work on a track together, so I don’t know what it could have been.

So basically they were nitpicking your music?

Yeah that was Mike Lynn though and he was a hinderance to me because of that. But even through that I wasn’t tripping because I was there to work. Mike at that time did not have any power, he was there because of Dre and Dre would not step up and take a leadership role. That was the whole problem, Doc should have spoke up and I should not have had to say anything, because it was not my place, but I am not going to be disrespected at the same time. All you have is your respect at the end of the day.

So how many records did you get done for your actual album?

2

That’s it? Damn

(Laughs) Yeah it’s the total opposite of my contract.

You should have just told them look per my contract you are going to finish my fucking album no matter what.

Yeah but at the same time these are the types of things that go one when your chief has no power.

So you wrote the song on 2001, Big Egos correct?

I wrote half. Hittman did the hook and DOC wrote Dre’s verse, but that was back in Dallas when that song happened.

So did Dre just send the beat over and have you write something to it or what was the deal?

Nah Dre definitely orchestrated that. Because we were in Dallas back then.

So a little before the song but after all that other stuff you went back to Dallas because of how the situation went down?

Right. I did not fit into what they were trying to do, Dre even said that and said he was not sure as to what he was trying to do. It really was not the best timing to be one of Dr. Dre’s artists at that time.

(Laughs) Yeah apparently so.

By that time Dre was working with Six-2 and Erotic D, who Dre is close with. I mean in 1997, Erotic D from a production standpoint was on par with the music Dre was putting out there because he had that same sound. Six-2 worked with Erotic and DOC so it was a familiar face so it made it easier. It’s all good, I ain’t no hater.

So when you went back to Texas, what were you working on at that time?

Nothing really, other than the record we were working on with DOC. I was still under contract.

So how did Deuce come about?

Well the Deuce project came up because DOC was working with Erotic D. You know Erotic produced DOC’s last record before that, Helter Skelter.

Right.

Erotic D got DOC hyped on the idea of the album and DOC let Dre hear the records and he thought they were dope. Then that is when Six-2 came in. Erotic was doing work on both of our albums.

So how did the compilation record Deuce come together?

Those songs were originally meant for Six-2′s album.

Oh so Deuce was originally going to be Six-2′s album?

Yeah, but DOC got a little ego towards the end there and decided to make it his own project. We were all supposed to be on the album though. It was almost like DOC went from being humble and remorsed to it’s all about me and I don’t owe nobody nothing. That once again is why that album did not do so well, because it was one of those arrogant moments.

It was DOC feeling himself, and minus a couple of songs, DOC ain’t even on the record.

Right

It was supposed to be a crew record, it was supposed to be DOC presents Six-2, Uptight, El Dorado and Seville, and that concept would have worked. DOC doesn’t have his voice so let the youngsters do they thing. But the thing I did not get about that was we wasn’t getting paid, DOC was the one getting paid. And even with that DOC did not get paid that much because the record did not do well.

So basically DOC not only screwed you guys but himself as well?

DOC looks out for DOC at the end of the day.

Right. So I think I read on your myspace page a while back that you wrote some songs for Detox. Is that true?

Stay tuned for our conclusion to our 3 part interview with Uptight as he answers the Detox question and more.