Bubba Sparxxx has opened up about failing to live up to the expectations of Interscope Records executives, who thought the Georgia rapper was going to be the next Eminem.
Speaking to Vlad TV, Bubba (real name Warren Mathis) revisited the making of his second album, Deliverance, which he released via Timbaland‘s Beat Club imprint under the Interscope Records umbrella.
“It was a different sound,” Bubba said of the 2003 LP. “Tim and I had really went in and did some soul searching and we decided to swing for the fences, you know what I’m saying?
“I had just did the ‘We Ready’ Archie [Eversole] joint; it was the biggest I had ever been in Atlanta. People was hyped in the streets about Bubba Sparxxx and I was ready to go get with Lil Jon and come like that. But Tim was like, ‘Think about this: what if we made the music that sounded the way the ‘Ugly’ video looked?'”
Referring to Bubba Sparxxx’s breakout 2001 hit, the accompanying raucous video celebrates the stereotypes of southern life, and Timbaland wanted to make an album that best represented that part of American life while blending country, bluegrass and Hip Hop.
While Bubba was initially opposed to Tim’s idea as it was a huge departure from the sound of his debut album, Dark Nights, Bright Days, once he was sent the beat for “Comin’ Round” he was ready to buy into what Tim was selling. “When he played me that beat, that beat was so jammin’ and so original; I had never heard anything like it,” Bubba said.
There was also a sales angle the super producer was pitching to Bubba, as he felt like he needed to do it to live up to the hype that Interscope had set — and make up for lacklustre sales of his debut album.
“‘This is the only way you’re gonna sell 10 million,'” Timbaland is said to have told Bubba. “‘We gotta sell 10 million this time to get caught back up for us not doing the numbers we was supposed to do the first time.'”
Bubba continued: “I had made mistakes the first time too, you know what I’m saying? I think everybody in the situation made mistakes … I think Interscope as a label took things for granted because of the success Eminem had and they thought it was gonna come automatically for me.”
He then explained what he believes are the key differences between himself and Slim Shady and how he and Timbaland felt like they were competing with Em and Dre as a duo, especially with both parties being signed to Interscope.
“There were some areas where maybe I was stronger than him but there were some areas where he was more experienced,” Bubba said. “First of all, he was older than me when he first came out … We was just two different human beings on a different journey.
“This is something that Tim and I have discussed too. Yeah, I failed to live up to being the second coming of Eminem. He failed to become the second coming of Dr. Dre in that situation, even as far as getting caught up in that line of thinking of that’s what we’re competing with, or we’re trying to match up with this standard of feeling like that was the pressure that was on us, though, in that building.
“That’s what it was looked at as, the two different teams almost competing, even though we was always cool with ’em. But even just feeding into that line of thinking was a mistake, a grievous error on our part. And we definitely fell short of that [on the first album].”
Bubba Sparxxx circled back to Deliverance, reiterating why he and Tim felt like they needed to take a new approach and adopt a new sound in order to try and “get to that Kid Rock level.” Unfortunately for Bubba, the album didn’t perform very well commercially but he still believes it’s a classic album and called it a “cornerstone” for a lot of music that was to come later.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bubba discussed his addiction to Percocets which he was first prescribed after suffering a snowmobile accident.
1 hit Wonder
so 1 more than you or me then….
Who is this again
Who is this again
sreggiN hatin
sreggiN hatin
Says the rekcarc on the sreggin hip hop site that uses the word “hatin” . Gtfoh kcid-pmil
Bubba Spark Deliverance album was really good, definitely a head of its time. Him and Timbo had great chemistry. The problem is coming after Eminem most white rappers weren’t really “taken serious as a MC or weren’t given their true shot.” I can make an argument Mac Miller “Faces” is a better album than anything Meek Mill, Drake or Cole has made, but because Mac was white a lot of hip-hop fans looked past him. RipMac. Same with Action Bronson, Action has put together some of the best NY hip-hop albums over the past 5yr. Long story short, give flowers to those who put In the work no matter the race.
Slaine is the best white rapper
@JC – You misspelled Aesop Rock
Mac Miller was not white he was ethnically jewish.
You sound silly and uneducated.
Jews can be white dummy. Madonna converted to Judaism. She isn’t white now?
You’re dumb. ‘Wasn’t white he’s Jewish.’ Mac has said countless times he’s white. Jews are white
Who
Bubba was dope, but just didn’t have that “ it” factor.
Bubba did his thing and had ppl watchin n waiting. He could never been the next EM. But Atlanta ruined rap via corporates. ATL suites killed hip hop
i still bump deliverance every now and again .. the shit holds up
Unless you were willing to disrespect your mom on wax, do pills, and wear skirts, makeup, and heels in your videos you were not going to be the 2nd Eminem. Keep your head up, Bubb; the shit you put out was dope and it still bangs.
There will never be a second Eminem. That kind of talent comes around once in a lifetime.
Despite I’m not an Eminem fan, you can’t mention these two even in one sentence.
Bubba was dope but lacked charisma and the rap scene was really crowded when he came out. Bad timing. Also, Em had released Real Slim shady so any white rapper coming out after that for a while would automatically been placed in that knock off category. Em has said later that he thinks Bubba is dope though. I think Bubba would have stood a better chance if Em jumped on a track on Deliverance. Wouldnt be impossible to make happen because they were on the same label. Oh well. Bubba been dope.
deliverance wasn’t a classic but definitely a good solid album. i may play it today. and tbh, even though enimem is a better rapper, i rather put in one of bubba old albums anyday over em.
Bubba was underrated, I still play Deliverence. He was just unlucky to drop during Em’s peak.
So did EVERY other white rapper.
Thats some racist ass shit but nobody says anything. Because he white he gonna be the as good lyrically as Eminem ? If it was the other way around, the comments would be flooded with uproar. Make a fried chicken or watermelon joke and watch what happens.
Bubba needs to sacrifice someone like Em did.
More like “I never was, or even came close to, being good enough to be the next Em.”dudes get sober and say the dumbest shit.
Bubba! You weren’t lyrical enough, that’s why you weren’t the second coming of EM!
Bubba! You weren’t lyrical enough, that’s why you weren’t the second coming of EM!
‘And Bubba Sparxxx, he just won’t write
Because he’s so caught up in that snow white
That Timbaland can’t even get him in the studio
He’s so gone off that coke, right?
And it’s so sad ’cause he’s dope, right?
America’s next great white hope, right?’ – Em on G.O.A.T
Bubba Sparxxx and Eminem should of done a collab then gotten married just to mix shit up – as for the racism part like Tupac said and i quote “Cause both black and white are smokin’ crack tonight” Amen