With Stillmatic and Hip Hop Is Dead celebrating 10 and 5-year anniversaries next week, Nas speaks on having to hound Dr. Dre for beats and more…
With Hip Hop Is Dead, do you feel like that album marks you becoming an elder statesman in the game?
I didn’t go for that. That’s not what I was looking for, but for an MC point of view and a competitor point of view as an MC, yea, I was with that.
Did you have any reservations about sampling “Iron Butterfly” for the second time because you did it on “Thief’s Theme” before?
No, that was the joke. Hip-hop is dead. I’m gonna do the same beat again from my last album that was my last single. This is gonna be the shit again. And will didn’t even know it at the time, will.i.am when he played it for me and I told him that’s why I have to do this record. For me it was perfect. I know people didn’t get it, but it was my little joke.
The album also marks you working with Dre for the first time in 10 years. How did you guys reconnect?
You know, just hounding Dre ’til you get him. I just had to hound my man, you know what I mean? Once he opened up, he had a moment. I jumped right in there. I flew right in, got in the studio. [I'm] always excited to see him in the studio.
Game was on the track, but that was after he got kicked off Aftermath. How did that happen?
That almost didn’t happen, but again, hounding Dre. Staying on him, staying on him, staying on him. “Come on, I need this.” You know, [I] stayed on him.
Was he initially like, “I don’t want to put Game on the track or something like that?
Nah, he never said that. It was just, we wasn’t gettin’ any response. We needed a mix and master the song, so we wasn’t gettin’ any response on anything. We had to stay on him. He’s a busy man.
full interview - http://www.xxlmag.com/features/2011/12/nas-remembers-the-making-of-stillmatic-hip-hop-is-dead/2/
https://twitter.com/#!/manniefresh/status/148497032267579392
ReplyDelete^fuck that.. i guess dre is going to now take a beat from a guy that works with lil wayne and gucci mane.
ReplyDeletethis my assumption uzee!!
ReplyDeleteso wouldnt this be a great idea!!
idk if you heard that a new friday movie
is going to be released in 2012
i was thinking if dre made "keep their heads ringing" for the first one
wouldnt it make sense to have a song from detox
to put in the movie
than the westcoast can be back lol
I wish Dre would just wrap it up and finish Detox so he can finally have some freedom to produce for other people or even films again. Seems like 90% of people don't particularly give a shit about Detox anymore, especially hearing more articles and "news" about it that doesn't say anything official, but would get excited if it actually materialized.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I wouldn't even hold it against Dre if he just announced he can't do it anymore, maybe someday, but he wants to work on other things rather than putting out an album he doesn't feel is the best last LP he can do. Allhiphop posted a rumor from "insiders" that Detox is virtually shelved for good (for now) and since nothing seems like it's happening on that front, it's probably not even far from the truth. Would everyone just not forgive Dre for dropping it now so he can concentrate elsewhere and get his head together so he can maybe put it out later? I'd forgive him. The worst is NOTHING happening, not releasing anything, no news, and little to no hope for Detox anyway.
Sick of shit from insiders! the only people that know about detox is dre and iovine nobody else. Snoop dogg said it was coming soon in 2008 and in october and Kendrick Lemar said it was being mixed, truth is nobody knows shit. Its clear to see that Dre is being forced into finishing it. Iovine has put him in the studio when he isnt feeling it. I believe that detox will be relesed in 2012 but will fall below expectations simply because of the wait the fans have endured and Dre not feeling the music. Dre has to drop simply because of the time and money that has been pumped into it. This is the reason Dre is in the studio now. It is clear to see that Dre wants a break in his recent interview and it is suspicious that Iovine was the one to say that Dre will be back in the studio. Truth is Detox will drop!!
ReplyDelete"Kendrick says it's being mixed" didn't mean they're finished with the album. He gets hounded all the time about Detox in interviews and that time he just said they're mixing records for it. It doesn't mean anything because they've been mixing songs for years and was just a bullshit answer since nobody is allowed to give real details.
ReplyDeleteYou are right though, Detox dates have come and gone for a long time. It was supposed to come in '03, then late '05, then '08, and then February this year was the closest to official we ever got. All scrapped for one reason or another without a word.
I've heard consistently for a while Dre did turn in Detox at one point, I think around '08, but Iovine turned it down because it wasn't uptempo enough. Make of it what you will but I believe it. Someone close to Bishop posted Bishop and Dre made an entire album heavy on his features, his writing, and everything, but Dre scrapped it too. They were working on The Reformation at the same time and pretty tight together so I believe it. It's a fact Iovine is in the business of making Detox marketable and high-selling because it's his money being spent to make it, so it puts Dre in a position to accomplish too much at once: 1) Pleases himself, 2) Pleases the fans, and 3) Pleases Iovine and the label for mainstream play. When you're a notorious perfectionist on no deadline, making your last LP, under enormous expectations to make it "perfect", and make sure it's also good for radio play and selling copies, that's not easy to do for anybody, even a veteran like Dre.
Dre shouldn't be forced to do anything because if he's been obligated, it's no wonder we haven't had Detox. His two albums took time but anyone who was there says it was fun to do them, everyone collaborated, and making good records comes from feeling good, confident, focused, and inspired. When you're locked in the studio to make perfection because it's expected, it's never going to work. I've defended Dre and Detox A LOT over the years but if 2012 ain't the year, then fuck it forever. I want Dre to win in the end but he should just walk away from Detox if he's not feeling it so he can do something else. Detox will be crushed under the hype and expectations if it ever sees the light of day, but that goes away and if it's a classic, it'll prove itself with time. He just has to ask himself if he even wants to put it out and if he feels he can put it out.
If Detox was made of songs like Hustlers I'd be more than happy.
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/MikeWiLLMadeIt/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Finstagr.am%2Fp%2FZzg2L%2F
ReplyDeleteDre in studio with producer Mike Will, Slim the Mobster also tweeted that T.I. was in the studio
Don't think Dre can fully scrap Detox. He knows that one day the inspiration might come back again and then he's gonna wanna work on it again. But that could be 1 year, 3 or even 5 years.
ReplyDeleteDrefan since 91
^ I agree with that because there's more than enough material and contributors, but in the end it comes down to his motivation and focus to just jump that hurdle to finish it. If he shelved it for now to do something else, it isn't the end of it, it just means he's being real and doesn't want to put something out that doesn't have his focus. Unless you have that focus and fire inside you, it's never going to be finished.
ReplyDeleteHe seems like he's still working on it but fuck if anyone knows what that means. Honestly I think he just enjoys making Detox, working with all these guys doing it, and riding the hype of it more than wanting that to come to an end and put something out that's going to be judged inside out with a harsh microscope.
heres hoping dres new year resoloution is to PUSH DETOX THE FUCK OUT "" singns not looking too good right now everything has gone very quiet ,no news leaks even mention of a release date i think dre might be at the point wer he would rather indulge on previous work and the love he still recieves from it rather than put out something that will be no matter how good it is be crucified by critics due to the wait and hype surrounding detox ,im not doubting dre by any means i believe hes probably got a classic record on his hands but ultimetely the man him self has to approve of it or it will never see the light of day ...IF WE DONT GET DETOX 2012 WE NEVER WILL IN MY OPONION ...
ReplyDeleteFrom Wikipedia:
ReplyDeletePossible Tracks
Winning (Intro) (Featuring Charlie Sheen & Tommy Chong)
"Die Hard" (featuring Eminem)[108]
"Young World" (produced by Dr. Dre)[109]
"Broadway" (featuring Drake) (produced by Birdman)
"Crips & Bloods" (featuring Snoop Dogg & Game) (Produced by Dr. Dre)
"Ghosts & Ghouls" (featuring Tupac & Eazy-E) (produced by Dawaun Parker)
"Ghetto Kids" (featuring Ice Cube & Elton John)
Farewell (Outro) (featuring Dj Pooh)
Probably bullshit...But(?)
100 percent bullshit no doubt
ReplyDeleteI really cant see dre putting dead people on detox i would like 2 see a tribute track to Eazy E i think that would be a great thing for dre 2 do for his last album. but the chances of that happening are slim.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people are saying That they will give up on detox if it ain't released in 2012 but they simply won't! The whole detox saga is giving dre an awful amount of attention and if helping him sell his headphones. (he's even made headphones called detox!) Everywhere dre goes people are constantly asking him about detox. I believe that dre has to release detox but Im not going to put a time or a date on when I'll give up believing. Dre needs time and if he ain't feeling it we ain't. Dre isn't like lil Wayne or drake who constantly create shit albums with one or two good tunes. Dre sets a trend whenever he's in so we should all wait and enjoy the album when it drops.
ReplyDeleteI think while its frustrating fans, its also a form of marketing in a way, because to drag out the process and the tension created by waiting for it to drop and the trickles of news/info keep Dre's name and Beats brand in peoples mouths. Another thing to think about is that it was perhaps a mistake calling it his last album so early in the piece, because that puts immense pressure on it to be an opus and to go out with a bang. Further, it would actually be an immense task to create a body of work which satisfies such criteria as a) not being too gangsta to be unbelievable b) not being too pop so as to attract calls that he's sold out c) also that it has to be popular enough to sell units and compete in a muscial env where his style of music or even rap is no longer dominant d) the fact that people want something that reminds them of old dre e) but not recycling what he did in the past, ie making a fresh new sound f) as well as the fact that the alot of the people who helped craft the first 2 projects are no longer in the picture. Not defending such a wait, but can appreciate the pressure put on calling something ur last when numerous stakeholders want diff things from the project, coupled with fact that he may not even be sure what he wants it to be
ReplyDeleteJ-Mil
Real talk, Detox isn't that hot anymore, and just about everywhere I see on the net that posts something about it, it's bombarded with comments about people not giving two shits, making fun of it, and everyone else echoing how this is a joke and it's never coming. People I know offline couldn't care less about it and think the whole thing just taints Dre's entire reputation. If he walked away from it and moved on, it'd be a different story, but when he has almost zero output for YEARS for something barely anyone is 100% confident is coming out, he's a joke.
ReplyDeleteI've been following Detox since almost the very beginning, on and off but still closely, and it was definitely a hot idea in late '05 when Game, Em, and 50 were peaking. When the leaks started dropping off around '08-'09, excitement was there, but ever since then it's just gone downhill fast. It's too frustrating to wait for something that 1) Doesn't look like it's ever coming, 2) Never has anything official about it, and 3) Will never live up to the crushing hype anyway. People just don't care and if they do, they don't want to wait anymore.
The problem is there's literally NOTHING official about it. It's just the words of people that you can't be sure even know anything, and these vague promises that never hold up ever. There's no real reason for anyone to get excited over something that has nothing official about it + takes up all Dre's time and effort when he could be making music that sees the light of day. That's why I say if 2012 ain't the year, I'm just done. I like too much and too many kinds of music to put all my energy waiting on this shit longer than 10 years - that's my limit. No rap album can ever be worth the wait and energy I put into it and defending Dre almost the entire time. If we don't at least get official news, dates, or the ball rolling by 2012, that's it, and why wait anymore? 10 years? Come on man. If 2012 is the same thing as 2011, as in no news or anything, not even good leaks, who really wants to hang on?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D1ZXbSl64bU#!
ReplyDeleteI feel ya. I think the reason why all of us are still here is because we still have some hope. And let's face it 2011 was one of the shittiest years for Hip Hop. That's why we've been holding out. Because there isn't anything descent to listen to anymore. That's my opinion. From a record company( Aftermath) We get a sub par Game album, and a mixtape( Slim tha Mobster) That's it. A whole year. What is going on over at Aftermath " Music ?" The rap game has certainly changed. It has really gone downhill and I do believe that Dre has the talent to change the game. I really think that if he wanted to he could release 3 full length albums with enough hits to blow anything that's out there out of the water. Why he hasn't I don't have the answer. Only Dre does and I wouldn't believe anything else anyone has to say. I also am willing to go as far as to say that I believe Detox is finished and it will be released soon. There is alot of proof that it exists( The leaks,Die Hard campaign, The Detox headphones, the Dre interviews, Etc) I think that people need to understand that this isn't the Dre of the 90's or 2000's this is an older wiser Dre and I think that he is in the process of creating and inventing something that we haven't heard and he's not going to go about releasing any of it unless it comes from his album. I think that's why he hasn't produced anything for a while( not on Game's lp or Slim's mixtape etc. I really believe he is going to prove everyone wrong and when he does I want all the non believers to rethink what you are saying and learn a little thing called PATIENCE. Thans again Uzee your work is still appreciated......
ReplyDeleteI think we are past the point of patience. There is a point of diminishing returns.. where the amount of time that you frustratingly wait for an album outweighs the potential rewards that the album brings you. For me personally it was about 3/4ths of a year coming to this site daily... for others it is different.
ReplyDeleteDre did this to himself. Everyone think detox is a joke because he handled it the worst way possible.. he dangles the album in front of our faces and hardly gives us any progress updates on it himself and even when he does they always end up being wrong. by giving us so little actual information fans can only make the assumption that either A)he is using detox to keep the fans on edge in order to boost sales and stay relevant, which is a complete disservice to the fans. B) he is afraid of the criticism that might come from the album, in which case that is pretty sad... or C) he really needs all this time in order to come up with an album that he feels will live up to the hype. the amount of people that believe in C) these days are becoming less and the people that believe in A) and B) are growing. Although there is a 4th option... where they dont give a shit anymore.
There is good hip hop music outside of aftermath... and there has been good releases from hip hop artists this year you just have to find them. 2012 is going to be insane as far as hip hop releases go. I think dre will finally release the album that year. It just wouldn't make sense if he didnt.
dre can do whatever he wants he has earned that... but waiting for this album and following this shit is just about as smart as waiting at a bus stop for a party bus that you don't know when it will be coming or if it will be coming at all. Following this shit is retarded until we get a release date or a confirmed single or otherwise. until then we are fucked.
ReplyDeleteI always assumed the problem was Dre and his camp threw out the idea of his last, perfect magnum opus album during a time Em, G-Unit, and Game were on top, before things started falling apart on that front and Dre realizing he either can't make this album or can't dedicate himself to do it.
ReplyDeleteWhen he discovered and signed Bishop, Detox seemed to move along (until word said he finished it) as Dre found new talent and a partner making it, but Iovine and Interscope torpedoed that shit because they put no support in Bishop right up until they backstabbed him over the "Grow Up" single and he left.
After that Game left Aftermath, 50 and G-Unit peaked, and Em was on hiatus. By all accounts the entire concept and reason to do Detox fell apart from that, and Dre wasn't very dedicated to it until he hooked up with Bishop, again, before Interscope ended up sabotaging him for not being mainstream enough to sell.
I mean I could go on and on recounting history through my eyes and understanding, but the hype had already smothered the entire concept of Detox before it was made, and along the way realized he can't pull it off for a lot of reasons. He set himself up in a way that fucks him because anything less than perfect in every sense will be seen as a disappointment and massive failure. As time's gone on and Detox has become a myth, it just pulls Dre even deeper in the quicksand and that's where we are now. "Perfect" is a very abstract thing and Dre being Dre, like anyone, cannot and will not settle for anything - it just becomes this endless bullshit of "working on it" for eternity and never being satisfied.
The only thing it comes down to is Dre settling for what he has, feeling he topped himself, and accepting a rap album can only be so good without inventing a new genre, in an era the music industry is way saturated and the internet has changed things since 1999. He can't invent a new genre of music like he did with The Chronic or 2001. The only hope for seeing Detox is down to Dre himself, not the material, and if he flounders 2012 like this year not particularly giving a shit about Detox, worried that releasing Detox will tarnish his name, which is a premium name to market his headphone business, then it's not looking good. If 2012 isn't the year and nothing solid comes, I'm sure some of you guys will hang on past that, but count me out. At that point there's ZERO reason to bother if and until he comes to his senses and just puts it out before the entire Detox thing taints his name entirely anyway.
i think dre is also struggling to come up with a good concept and theme to the album. Maybe he thinks gangster shit is played out and he is trying to find another thing for him to talk about. If this is the case then the people around him need to step it up. its not that hard to come up with a cool theme to a dr dre album... all you need to do is talk about the life of dr. dre and how he is the ultimate og. that or just talk about the history of hip hop and what he thinks of it... This is his grand finale.. just have the lyrics sum up everything that he wants to say about hip hop and what he has done with it.
ReplyDelete