Ice Cube Discusses N.W.A. Movie, Dr. Dre's Detox And More

via All Hip Hop

Ice Cube I Am The West on Lynch Mob Records arrives July 13.

Game Video Interview With The Life Files

Game The R.E.D. Album on Blackwall Street/Interscope arrives June 15.

Devin the Dude: New York Magazine 4/20 Feature Interview, Reveals He's Recorded For Detox

How has your recording style changed over the years?
It’s pretty much the same. Right atmosphere, the right weed, the right people around you, the right positive energy. You need that to even be able to have your ideas come across. You can have a shitload of ideas, you know, bottled in, somewhere, but if you’re not in that right atmosphere, around the right people, smoking the right weed … if you smoke … you can be trapped down in there.

How long have you been singing, and would you ever put out a full R&B-type album?
I’ve been asked that a couple of times. I don’t know if I’d be able … I don’t know! I don’t know if I can pull that off just yet [laughs]. I’ve been singing since I was in the third grade, when I was first getting albums. I was kind of singing along with the records. My grandmother heard me sing, and I kept falling asleep in church, so she put two and two together and had me in the choir.

Is the career you have the one you had envisioned for yourself? Do you ever consider how things would be different if you had landed a crossover hit?
If I had a hit, and it’s a song that I really felt good about, and I have fun with, and I didn’t really have to change what I do, I would love a hit … but if I would have to change, and go to a totally different production, totally different rhyme style and way of doing things, to be able to get a hit, I don’t know … I don’t’ know if I could do that.

Have producers or label execs pushed you in that direction?
We kid around, we kid around in the studio … we come across a beat, like “yeah, get us one of these! We’ll be in!” That type of shit. [Laughs.] It’s a matter of being comfortable with what you’re doing, with how you’re working. If I’m not comfortable with that type of song, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it for myself. If I was asked to do it with someone, with somebody else’s project, and it’s one of those songs that sound kind of trendy, I’d probably do my best on it.

I know that Scarface helped you come up with your name. What’s the story behind that?
I was in the studio working my first solo album, you know, Face, he was the production coordinator, getting everything together. He was helping me out with the tracks. And we was down to the last couple of tracks that we needed to get done. And he was like, "What’d you used to listen to when you was little?" So I thought about the old-school stuff I used to listen to back in the day … Stanley Clarke, George Duke, uh, Quincy Jones, The Dude album. And he was like, "We got the record?" So I went in the B-room in the studio, where we had all the records, and I just started digging through the crates, and I ran across that Quincy Jones album … we heard the little groove; we had to remake that one. It took us a couple of hours. I started writing, getting stuff together — it started coming together. We just wow, knocked it out. Knocked the track out. He was like, "Man, this ought to be the name of your album!" And I was like, "I don’t know, man. Quincy Jones, man, that’s the dude! I’m not the dude." And Face was like, "Nah, man, you the dude, Devin. It’s perfect for you." I had to think about it a couple of hours, and then I was like well ‘fuck it.’

Are you a fan of The Big Lebowski?
I mean, I never really saw the whole movie. I heard about it. After the album, people were like, "Man, did you get your name from that?" I was like, "Get my name from what?" I was always, not against the character, but I just didn’t want people to think I got my name from the movie.

Do you let your kids listen to your music?
I used to let them listen to the instrumentals when they were really small kids. I used to get ideas, not really ideas, answers from them … if they bob their head to the music, it's pretty much a cool song to work with. If they just ignore it, and play with the blocks or whatever, I was like, this is probably not it. But my kids are a little older now, they can listen to it, they have their ideas and they know the dos and don’ts, and the ins and outs.

You’ve said you were planning on working with Dr. Dre on Detox … did that end up happening?
Yeah, it was a few weeks ago … I had a chance to go out there, and it was a cool experience, man, just to be, a part of the project. Just to give it a shot, anyways. I don’t know if I’m gonna make the cut but, you know what I’m saying, if it’s so, it would be a huge thing. But if not, I’m all right. I’m be behind it, just for him reaching out to me, man. I’m speechless.

Did you get to hear the album?
No, man. He was excited, I can tell you that, about the album, and where it was going, and the names that he brought out, the producers and the other artists that he brought out for the album. It’s going to be well worth the wait, I believe.

Did you name your album Suite #420 after picking 4/20 as a release date, or was it the other way around?
It just came about because since the early 2000s I had wanted to put an album out on 4/20, and we tried to put one out in 2004, and we looked at the calendar and it didn’t fall on a Tuesday. We realized 4/20 wouldn’t be a Tuesday till 2010 and I said, "Man I don’t know if I’ll be rocking then," so I just kind of gave up on the idea. So it’s a blessing that I could still be a part of hip-hop in 2010. I had to name the album that. (source)

Hayes: Timbaland & Dr. Dre's New Artist Protégé DubCNN Interview

Dubcnn: When did your love for music first begin?

Hayes: From the first time I ever heard music, I was hooked. It goes back as long as I can remember. As soon as I heard music, I felt it in my blood and knew it was a part of me.

Dubcnn: So then, you knew from pretty much early on that music was your destiny?

Hayes: Hell YEAH!

Dubcnn: Coming out of Detroit, Michigan, whose sound(s) did you grow up listening to?

Hayes: Whoever I grew up around, who I looked up to, and whatever was going on around my (way), was my influences. I got my style from what was going on around me in my life, and what was going on in Detroit.

Dubcnn: Define what exactly it is that you do when you pick up a microphone?

Hayes: I just say it’s good, interesting, and I hope you all like it. I don’t know how to explain it more than that, but I really hope you like it!

Dubcnn: How did you actually manage to get two of the best producers in the biz, Dr. Dre and Timbaland, to take notice, and ultimately jointly sign you to both of their respective imprints; Aftermath Entertainment and Mosley Music Group, through Interscope Records?

Hayes: I've known Tim and Dre for a long time. Me and Dre was on Detox, and one day we was just chilling, we was sitting on the couch -- I don’t know if we was watching a football game or a basketball game -- and Dre was like, “Yo, I was thinking ‘bout signing you, you want a record deal?” I said, “Yeah, my nigga, YES I do!” And then, me and him was out shooting dice one night at Jimmy’s club, and Tim came in and asked us, “Hey, what the fuck are you guys doing?” And Dre said, "We were about to do an album together." And Tim said, ‘I’ll fuck with Hayes. Let’s do it together, we’ll make it huge, Dre!’ And after that, we started working, and it’s been going on ever since. I couldn’t believe it was happening.

Dubcnn: Damn, that's amazing! Now, as a precursor of sorts to your “official” solo offering, you just dropped your 3rd street-tape, The First 48. For someone who has not heard it yet, what would you say can be expected from it?

Hayes: I would say get you a copy, check it out, and let me know what you think of it. It’s available for free download on my website, www.iamhayes.com

Dubcnn: Oh, okay. So, have you titled your highly anticipated, forthcoming Aftermath Entertainment/Mosley Music Group/Interscope Records' debut yet?

Hayes: I haven’t titled it yet. It’s a work in progress.

Dubcnn: Will Dre and Tim be handling/sharing all of the album’s production?

Hayes: Dr. Dre will be doing half the production, and Timbaland will be doing the second half.

Dubcnn: Nice! Well, what has it been like working in the lab with these two studio geniuses/living legends?

Hayes: It’s been beautiful. They are both brilliant. They both have their own style, and they both come up with the craziest, most original material. It’s amazing.

Dubcnn: I bet! So, describe a typical studio session when working with Dre and Tim? Are they both very different when it comes to crafting in the lab?

Hayes: Great is great. You spell it the same way every night. There is no difference between great and great. They both do things that you wouldn’t hear or see. It’s always unpredictable. Exciting and unpredictable, always a pleasure.

Dubcnn: Are there any special cameo appearances to look out for?

Hayes: I love so many artists that I’m gonna take it how it comes. I know Dre and Tim got their own vision. I have a wish list, but it’s too long. I just love everybody that’s talented, and there are so many great artists I’m going to let it fall into place.

Dubcnn: What has been the key to your success so far?

Hayes: God. I don’t never make any choices on my own, I trust the eyes of faith. When you do that, it can go anyway. God is stronger than me, to take me where I’m going. I just sit back and let the Powers that Be lead me to where they want me to go. And then, everything always works out right.

Dubcnn: That definitely seems to be working in your favor! With that being said, what is your 5 to 10 year plan in entertainment?

Hayes: I’ll probably be doing whatever I love. And this is the crazy thing about doing what you love: If you ask the average person what they want to be doing in 5 to 10 years, they will probably tell you they want to do something they not doing. Why wait 5 to 10 years to do what you want to do now? You can do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. I love music, and I love being creative. So, I’ll be doing something creative, and something I love, 5 to 10 years from now.

Dubcnn: Makes sense! Well, you've been on the road quite a bit lately with Timbaland, so what’s the live show element actually like?

Hayes: It’s like praying not to get booed! It’s like a constant prayer to not get booed off stage. *Hayes chuckles* I like performing. I’ll probably be an artist that performs with just a mic attached to me. I like to take the accessories away, so I feel like I’m really interacting with the people.

Dubcnn: I hear you’ve been writing and assisting with Dr. Dre on his long overdue, anxiously awaited DETOX LP. How much involvement do you have? What can you divulge or reveal about this top secret, years-in-the-making opus?

Hayes: I work with Dre everyday, that’s my man, so I don’t have nothing to reveal at all.

Dubcnn: Damn, more secrets! Well, are there any other mixtapes or cameos on others works to look out for from you in the meantime?

Hayes: No, me and Dre finishing the first single from my album. Be on the look-out for that in the next couple weeks.

Dubcnn: Do you have any closing thoughts?

Hayes: Yeah, Life is all about living. And, Life is short. So, do what you love and LIVE now! (source)

Stat Quo Interview With DubCNN (video)

Stat Quo talks about his old and new label situation (Aftermath - old/Big Dream Ventures - new) and the long awaited 'Statlanta' album among other things. (source)

West Coast Weekend Premieres Of Sorts On Both Sides Of America With Dr. Dre & Ice Cube

Today at Fenway Park, Interscope's Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre showed up for batting practice at the Boston Red Sox & New York Yankees season opener, to promote Beats by Dr. Dre Red Sox headphones and to drop new info on the Dr. Dre & Jay-Z upcoming cut "Under Pressure."

Photo link:
WENN Photo



On Saturday (April 3), the 5th Annual 2010 Paid Dues Festival hit Southern California with Ice Cube headlining the event, premiered a new joint off of his upcoming I Am The West "I Rep That West."

Dr. Dre And Jay-Z In Studio Pic

According to Nah Right, the picture was taken February 21, 2010 in Miami, the day after BP3 tour kicked off in Florida.

Dr. Dre Discusses Headphones & The Delayed 'Detox' With The Guardian UK

With a reputation that precedes him, it's a daunting experience awaiting Dr Dre. Over six feet tall, with shoulders wider than Joan's during Dynasty's heyday, it's not only his physical presence that's commanding. Boasting a back catalogue of some of the best rap records ever created, the man's a hero, a myth, and a legend.

Today, Dre is found in a carpeted and cavernous Best Buy in New York's Union Square, where he's holding a press conference not to promote his long-awaited album, Detox, but for his electronic consumer brand, Beats By Dre. It's an incongruous location to find a multi-millionaire genius; a bit like going to see Robert De Niro promote Freeview in Argos. Yet, judging by the queues and the trilling sound of the tills, it's been an effective event for a brand which includes headphones, laptops, speakers and DJ software. Surrounded by fans, label reps and assorted Beats staff, it's a relief when he muscles through the melee with a warm grin and a firm shake of the hand.

"Aftanoooon," he smiles, attempting an affable British accent of the Dick Van Dyke variety. "'Ow are ya?"

Andre "Dr Dre" Romelle Young is perhaps the only producer to have changed the course of music over three decades (maybe four, if he ever releases Detox). In the 80s he bought us unbridled rage and provocative refrains via LA rappers NWA. Next, he ushered in the marijuana-marinated "G-Funk Era", both on his own album, The Chronic, and Snoop Dogg's seminal debut Doggystyle. In 1999, he proved worthwhile white rap wasn't just limited to the Beastie Boys and 3rd Bass with his protege, Eminem, before unleashing 50 Cent on to the world in 2003. In the pop sphere, he's worked with everyone from Gwen Stefani to Tupac, Nine Inch Nails to Jay-Z, plus Mary J Blige and Burt Bacharach. His eye for a star and ear for sound is arguably second to none; stabbing, sample-free synths, heart-stopping drums and tense, taut percussion being among the Doc's trademarks.

"Engineering and mixing are absolutely key," he says of the post-production process that helps ensure such perfection. "Once a song is done, for me personally, it's usually two or three days to get the mixdown." Indeed, Dre has produced scores of sonically indelible records. He raps, too; Eminem, Snoop and Jay-Z are all rumoured to have ghostwritten tracks for Dre.

"You know, it's real weird. I've looked at pictures that my mom has of me, from when I was four years old at the turntable," says the former DJ of his transformation. "I'm there, reaching up to play the records. I feel like I was bred to do what I do. I've been into music, and listening to music and critiquing it, my whole life." Of his fastidious approach to production – Detox has been some eight years in the making (so far) – he's at a loss to describe how he does what he does. "Once that sound is right, once that mix is right, it's a feeling that you get, here," he says tapping in the general direction of his heart. "It's unexplainable."

This painstaking process isn't the only reason Dre has kept his fans waiting. For the last three years, he's been waylaid wading through designs and technology for the range of headphones he's been producing alongside Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, who's with him at Best Buy today.

"If you know about Dr Dre, these headphones weren't coming out until they were perfect, or else we would have had Detox five years ago," cracks Iovine. The Pacino to Dre's De Niro, at first glance they're an unlikely duo; the wiry, wise-cracking, fast-talking New Yorker, and the self-contained, quiet Californian, straight outta Compton. Yet though Iovine may talk a mile a minute while Dre is somewhat more muted in his musings, this polar-opposite pairing are a powerful partnership. Iovine signed Lady Gaga, Pussycat Dolls, Gwen Stefani, and Timbaland, while Dre owns Aftermath, distributed by Iovine's industry goliath; Eminem and 50 are among his signings. Not only partners in money-making, the two have been friends for over 19 years.

"Our kids play together and everything," says Dre (who also points out that Iovine's tea-making abilities are "the sh*t"). "We're pretty close."

"I didn't know a lot about hip-hop in 1990, I was from the rock world," shouts Iovine, a former producer for Simple Minds and U2. "I'd listen to hip-hop and sonically it sounded terrible. A guy brought in a tape and the first thing that hit me was the sound. I said, 'Whoever's combining these worlds like this, is doing something no one's done before. I gotta meet this guy.' And that's what got me interested in Dr Dre."

Distilling Dre's innate sense of sonic precision led the pair to devise a different way of reversing the record industry's loss-making mishaps. "I'm just trying to be a creator in among all this shit that's going on," Dre says about hawking high-end headphones. "I just want to get my music out and make sure that it's heard in the right way. That's all I give a f**k about."

Rather than the tried and tested trainers and tracksuits that most artists flog when they begin to merchandise themselves, they brought Beats By Dre back to the essence of the Good Doctor's brilliance.

"Three years ago we were talking about the deals that acts do," Iovine remembers. "We said, 'We gotta do something about sound.' We went from analogue to digital and the digital revolution all went terribly wrong. So we said, 'Screw the sneakers, lets get into headphones and speakers.'"

Jimmy and Dre's main reason for wanting to diversify is because the way in which we listen to music has deteriorated so dramatically.

"[I did this] because it's sound. And I know a little bit about that," Dre chuckles, before explaining that an MP3 downloaded from the internet, particularly illegally, can be as much as 10 times lower in quality than vinyl or even a CD. Coupled with the fact that many are listening to music on mobile phones or through tinny speakers, it all makes Dre disgruntled. "Once it gets to your computer, everything's compressed. It's like smashing sound," he explains. "So we're trying to fix that."

Beats phones are proving quite a celebrity draw, with Lady Gaga and P Diddy designing their own lines. Iovine and Dre have also pulled in some famous pals today to spin for the crowd after they've finished their press conference; twice during our interview Iovine, mid-sentence shouts "WILL.I.AM" as Will.I.Am walks by the green room we're sequestered in. "DAVID GUETTA!" he yells again a few minutes later, telling the assembled throng of staff that "Elvis just walked in the room!" And to me, "You don't know what you've hit on here. No one will ever have these two guys together again." Indeed. However, putting the dance DJ and Dre together does elicit more insight from Dre. He apparently "had a ball" at Guetta's F**k Me, I'm Famous night that he runs with his wife in Ibiza.

"I have to go out to clubs now," he says, referring to preparations for Detox's release. "You need to understand what people are listening to."

Which brings us, neatly, back to the album; headphones are all well and good but what everyone wants, including the kids who queued for hours to see Dre in Best Buy, is Detox. When is it dropping? There's a shy grin and a little nod: "I'm working hard on it. I'm stopping to work on other artists in-between, but the minute it's done and I feel it right here," he says patting his heart again, "that's when it will come out. Hopefully the beginning of 2010." (Needless to say, a few weeks after our chat he releases a statement to say it probably won't be before 2011 now. Sigh).

Still, however and whenever it arrives, Dre feels he might have created the perfect song on this album. Almost.

"I don't think I've done that record yet. I'll know what it is when it comes; I know exactly what it is in my head, but I haven't done it yet. It's close."

We will, he assures me once again, hear it soon, though: "I got some sh*t coming, believe me." -- Hattie Collins (source)

(main photo courtesy of ABC News)

Dr. Dre: Vibe.com Gives 7 Reasons Why 'Detox' Won't Come Out In 2010

1. The Man Has Product to Push

From headphones to soft drinks, Dr. Dre is reaching out to a new audience that would have probably been picketing him a decade ago. Forget gin and juice, Dre has Dr. Pepper and $300 Beats by Dre headphones to sell. Who needs to push an album when they can make endless cash on products with their names on it? Remember George Foreman’s grill.

2. The West Coast as a Lot of New Blood Emerging

Nipsey Hussle, Jay Rock, Pac Div, Problem, and Terrace Martin are just a few of the fresh talent coming from Cali and they’re not only gaining a solid following but the architects of West Coast rap are welcoming them as well. Snoop Dogg has worked with Nipsey and legendary West Coast MC, Kurupt is letting Terrace Martin produce the majority of his next album, Street Lights, expected to drop this year. Dre doesn’t have anything to prove but he may be watching to see how the public responds to the new sound coming from the west coast.

Read the other 5 reasons and the full article here:
Vibe - 7 Reasons Why We Knew Detox Wasn’t Coming Out in 2010

In The Studio With Dr. Dre Protege Slim Da Mobsta

Perhaps Slim Da Mobsta previewing a taste of 'Detox' right here?

Dr. Dre, Will.i.am & Jimmy Iovine On The Decks At 'Club Beats' Best Buy Event NYC

More photos:
Getty Images
Wire Image

also at the same event Dr. Dre speaks about Detox, 50 Cent, Game, etc as seen on RR.





Related:
Dr. Dre And Best Buy Create 'Club Beats' In Store Area For DJ's And The Like

(twit pic main photo courtesy of Monster Cable)

Game Discusses Working With Dr. Dre Again

via XXL

A glimmer of hope is on the horizon for fans still waiting for Dr. Dre’s mythical Detox album to drop. Game recently told XXLMag that he and Dre are hard at work on both Detox and his own album, The R.E.D.

Giving insight into the production legend’s work ethic, Chuck Taylor said composing with Dre is a slow process. “If you get in the studio with Dre you best be prepared to be there for a long time ’cause he gonna coach you word for word until he gets you to 100 percent where he wants it to be,” he said. “You gonna be in there all night working on one verse. “

The R.E.D., which was originally scheduled for release on December 8, was pushed back to February 16. Although there is still no official release date for Detox, Game hints at an intense recording schedule to complete it.

“We recording every single day working on Detox and working on The R.E.D. album,” he revealed. “It just feels good for me to be back in the studio with the big homie and working on my project.”

Game also shared that Dre will make the ultimate decision on which songs that come out of the simultaneous Detox/R.E.D. recording sessions will go on which project.
(source)

50 Cent Sheds Some Light On Album Leak And Detox

Dr. Dre Invites Jay-Z On 'Detox'

MTV Shows

Short, sweet and to the point.

Dr. Dre reaches the carbonated masses with Dr. Pepper

The promotional teaser for 'Detox' begins airing June 1st.
Will 'Detox' now see the light of day? Only Jimmy, Doug & Dr. Dre really know.