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Interview
by SashaS
30-6-2000
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| Dr Dre |
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'Not These Niggas Again'...
NWA reunion cheered with hemp-flags
After a decade of no-hope the first product of the never-expected NWA (Niggas With Attitude) reformation was one song, 'Chin Chic', included on the soundtrack to the Ice Cube's film 'Next Friday'. Quentin Tarantino, infamous for 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992) and 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) that won him a Palme D'Or at Cannes, was supposed to produce/direct the video to mark the comeback of the rap legends.
"Yeah, we met," Dr Dre drawls slowly, and fairly quietly, but with ample authority to dismiss any thoughts of messing with him. "He was pitching ideas to us we but waited too long to release it. Hopefully we'll be doing something together in the future."
The reformed line-up of NWA features original members Dr Dre, Ice Cube and MC Ren; Snoop Dogg has replaced the late Eazy-E who died in March 1995. Within a month of being diagnosed with Aids. DJ Yella's absence from the line-up is explained thus by Dre: "Nobodyknows where he is. Whenever we find him he'll be part of NWA again."
Formed in Compton in 1987, the band issued only one album, 'Straight Outta Compton' (1989), before Ice Cube decamped for a solo career that included albums 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) and 'The Predator' (1992) and acting in movies 'Boyz N the Hood', 'Friday', 'Anaconda', 'Three Kings'...
The rest cut one more album, 'EFIL4ZAGGIN' ('Niggaz4Life' spelt backwards) in 1991 before going their solo ways. There is no doubt that NWA's short career - just over 3 years - has had a major impact on the rap-homies. Rebellious and violent gangsta rapping, dropping brutalistic imagery sprayed with expletives to voice their anti-everything stance, has defined many a hip-hop perimeter. Being controversial is something they, with a little help from Public Enemy, determined and popularised.
"I think I know what people mean," Dre reflects, "but I see it as being honest, not holding back and not wanting to compromise. We wanted to express our environment the way we saw and experienced it and if people thought it was controversial it simply meant they had no idea what was going on it our ghetto. NWA was the sound of the street-level truth..."
Dr Dre (born Andre Young) followed the NWA period by issuing solo album 'The Chronic' (1992), production work, running his own label and discovering Eminem; Dre's second solo work was '2001' seven years after the first project. Now, we are stepping back to the (aborted) future...
"We just started planning it; we'll be playing some dates and working on the new album for release at the beginning of next year. All we have right now is the title; 'Not These Niggas Again', and nothing else... We also have to make sure that there are not too many people dipping their hands in the pie. That's the worst thing that happened then and we don't want a repeat... Only people who work on the project should be paid for it."
Things have changed a lot in meantime as Dr Dre's 'disciple', Eminem, has blizzardly demonstrated.
"'The Marshal Mathers LP' is killing the last one. He's an incredible artist and what he does is astonishing and unique. Nobody raps like he does. He is one of a kind...Whenever we are in a studio I try to do something better than the last time. I believe that every artist should try to top himself, every time they go into a studio; that's what I always try to do."
NWA have influenced a lot of people and addressed some very important social issues; but did they ever feel any responsibility?
"No; if you can't take care of your kids, don't expect us to; we have never been role models; the role models should live in the kids' homes and not be on television, in movies, music."
SashaS
30-6-2000
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