Coming off the release of the 30-song Dazamataz LP, Daz Dillinger stopped by the HipHopDX office to talk to Editor-In-Chief Trent Clark about the rapper/producer’s storied career.
The legendary West Coast artist discussed the benefits of true independence, the shift from Crips to Bloods in mainstream Hip Hop and his pick in the argument of Dr. Dre’s debut The Chronic vs. Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle.
Daz has mostly remained independent since the release of his sophomore solo LP, R.A.W, in 2000. As he explained, the death of physical CDs has presented a great opportunity for independent artists to sell their music.
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“I sold 10,000 CDs on the first day through my website — and other channels — for $25 a piece,” he told DX. “I make 20G’s off 1,000 CDs.”
When asked what keeps him motivated to continue making music as opposed to taking up a role as an executive, he said, “I don’t want to deal with other people’s problems … I tried that before.”
The veteran artist also spoke on the decline of “blue dominance” in Hip Hop.
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“It’s just all Bloods right now,” he noted. “It went from the east to the west to the south, and now everybody’s getting it … it’s just about can withstand … this depression of gangbangers.”
He does acknowledge artists like Nipsey Hussle and G Perico who are still carrying the blue torch though.
“They are representing, doing what they are doing … it shows in their music and the neighborhood and the community work,” he said. “When I’m riding through the streets, I see them all.”
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The iconic producer also spilled a little tea, revealing that “Pimp of the Year” rapper Dru Down was almost the rightful owner of the “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” instrumental. Unfortunately for Dru, he wasn’t able to pay the $5000 fee. The rest, of course, is history as it became a classic 2Pac and Snoop collab.
During the conversation with DX, Daz also weighed in on the persistent The Chronic vs. Doggystyle debate.
“Everything is better on Doggystyle,” he declared. “On The Chronic, we just helped [Dre] put it together … we were just learning. On Doggystyle, that’s when I started producing everything.”
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Check out the more of the interview with Daz below.
