Kurupt Exclusive Interview On “Streetlights” Album W/ CHAMPMAG.COM

 

 

 

 

 

Kurupt Exclusive Interview W/ CHAMP MAG
CHAMP MAGAZINE
DJ Laz Vagez

CHAMP:  Streetlights is out and dropped on 4/20 for all my kush smokers out there. How you feeling on the first week release?

Kurupt: You know, we a beginning company and all releases are due to the company and other things that push the line and make everything happen and we’re not with a major so I felt very good. We released our first release through our deal that we have, and it was successful to us because this was our first thing from our own company. My team is established and I have a staff, a president, a general manager, a vice president, so it’s real big for us to be able to release our own…shit you know what I’m talkin’ about? That was real big man. We felt great about the release and we’re still pushing.

 

CHAMP: Now the reason behind the title of the album is a dope view in my eyes and passionate way of looking at it. Can you let the people know the reason why you named the album that?

 

Kurupt: I got so many different ones. It’s just so many different things that made me stick to that title. It always bounces back to Streetlights due to the things I was seeing. Street lights is the lights of the streets man. It lights up the streets. When you play the record you just have a good time to it, it’s something good to smoke to, and something good to enjoy and that’s the basic thing behind it. One time I was just driving and leaving the club and I was sleeping and when I woke up; I just seen the street lights pass me and I was like that was my life. That was the first thing that made me say I’ma name my album “Streetlights”. The second thing was anytime I play the record, all the homies would just have a ball to it and just go crazy, and they would just start smoking. I was like wow, this could light up the game right. Everbody could be just laid back and kicking it and not do anything and I play some of the records, and everybody just get up and we have a party and I get my burn on, get my kids to dancing. That’s the life of the streets man.

 

CHAMP: That’s a dope view. You dropped the “In Gotti We Trust” which is a crazy joint featuring Xzibit. The thing is on this album there’s versatility on it. What kind of moods and types of songs do you set on the album?

 

Kurupt: I really tried to hit ‘em with where I’m at right now today. I’m a different man than I was back then. My musical outlet is a little bit different as far as how I want my music to be. I make real songs and not just rap records. I know a lot of people want me to go awol on the mic. I might get that feeling on my next album that Pete Rock’s producin’. I wanted to make songs with questions and concepts behind them. “In Gotti We Trust” I was able to spaz out, but like “Yes Sir”. That was a tale of me and the homies showing them that we’re still flyer, sharp; “Face Down”, I went to the streets on that one and went back to the hood with that good 808 in there and that classic chorus. Streetlights is the anthem to the album. Street anthem. I wanted to educate these youngstas on this Willie May sample and giving the some game about life and how I was feelin’. “ I’m Drunk” I told a tale from the club of a drunk nigga who be walking around all the time. Three separate drunk niggas with three separate visuals. Each verse is a different person. I just wanted to get conceptual music and that’s why I let Terrence Martin do it ‘cause he’s a musical cat, he’s a jazz cat, so everything about Terrence Martin is music, so I really wanted to hit ‘em from that stand point with grown folk music. That’s the title of my next album “Grown Folks Music” and you do know that.

 

CHAMP: Terrence Martin will be behind the production with that one?

 

Kurupt: Terence gon’ be apart of it as well, the album’s gon’ be produced by Pete Rock. Pete Rock is gon’ do the damn thing but me and Terrence is gon’ bring our own thing to the table. We really stepping our game up now. I got two main titles I’m working with. “Grown Folk Music” and then I got “Massacre Central”. I don’t know which one I’ma go with yet because people kinda want Kurupt on the mic so I might just go all out and go “Massacre Central” or I might just hit ‘em with this big “Grown Folk Music”. Me and Terrence is on a different page with our music now that we dropped “Streetlights”. Music is totally on a different level. I’m just still growing. I feel like I reinvented. I started from ground zero and now I’m working my way back to where I’m supposed to be.

 

CHAMP: Terrance Martin produced a majority of the album and your vision for this album was to have a nice mellow album to spark up to. Which joint on the album if you had to pick one, would be the most “piff-a-rific” joint?

 

Kurupt: What’s that word you just utilized?

 

CHAMP: Piff-a-riffic (laughs)

 

Kurupt: Huh? (laughs). You using bigger words than me nephew (laughs). You might as well get on the mic man. What was that word you just said?

 

CHAMP: Piff-a-riffic

 

Kurupt: (laughs)…and you do know that!

 

CHAMP: (laughs)

 

Kurupt: “ Yes Sir” is the one that I look at as uh…the word (laughs).

 

CHAMP: “Yes Sir” is the piff-a-riffic joint of the album

 

Kurupt: Definitely man…Definitely. What’s the definition of that word you utilized?

CHAMP: It’s like terrific with “piff” in it. The piff’ll get you high and terrific is just amazing so it’s just highly amazin’

Kurupt: Ooohwee piff-a-riffic I got it now! I got it now! Piff-a-riffic. Don’t be mad when I put that in one of my rhymes man. I gotta big up my homeboy I’m piff-a-riffic.

CHAMP: That’s it

Kurupt: Now that I know the definition, the most piff-a-riffic album has got to be on the bonus cd. It’s called “Smokin’ 4/ 20”. It’s the one on Itunes and that’s the most piff-a-riffic there is man. It’s something to smoke to but it’s just so terrific.

CHAMP: Ha Haa! That’s it!

Kurupt: Go to that Itunes and go and get that Kurupt with the bonuses on there man. Real piff-a-riffic. Chuch.

 

CHAMP: Chuch (laughs). What do we got next with Young Gotti.

Kurupt: I don’t know man. Theres certain things on my plate that I got set up that we already have in effect. “All That I Want” is the next single with me and Snoop. I’m kinda syked on this movie game, we building the next Kurupt album as well as Roscoe’s solo album. I’m also doing a deal with Roscoe Mali for his album to release. I got a couple things on my plate. Snoop if right now is putting together the DPG the movie, with me Daz, Snoop and Soopafly. The Dogg Pound album is finna be droppin’ before the end of the year. 100 Ways with Daz, Soopaly, and Snoop. Daz and Soopafly did the whole entire album, so they’re back in the studio gettin’ it in. Right now it’s so big. Not only for myself, but the whole Dogg Pound as well as my company Penagon.

CHAMP: So Penagon is the new movement to move with in 2010 in the west coast.

Kurupt: Oh you do know that man. Penagon entertainment is something I put together to release all this talent ‘round me. I train ‘em so that they can have an outlet to release some of these big music that they makin’ because the game is so big. G Hood Fellas, Y.A, everybody just really concentrating on they game right now and moving in such a positive way, but also real musical and the records of the chain, so I put together Penagon records for that, and I’m just gon’ be releasing these records that I have and make it happen.

CHAMP: Now is that gonna be a west coast label for west coast artists only, or are you tryna take that worldwide?

Kurupt: Definitley worldwide. I’m gonna release anything that’s good music. Rock n Roll, anything that’s good. I also have a singer name A-Dub. He’s super superb with it. We just getting’ our catalogue right now and building our artist roster and as well as we dealin’ with all genres. Penagon is the entertainment company. It’s not just a record label. We do filming fashion, and it involves entertainment as well. We’re looking for writers for film, and we’re looking for directors, a production team. We really looking for that right now, because our artist roster is really nice right now. We also looking for artists as well. We never stop looking for talent.