Every couple of years, another city emerges as the new “hot spot” for Hip Hop. In 2003 it was Atlanta, a few years before that it was Philly then St. Louis.
Right now, Chicago is claiming the throne, and with due cause. Kanye West is up for 10 Grammys (petition or not), Twista has taken over Busta’s spot as the #1 guest feature and Common’s album is arguably the most anticipated of ’05.
But back in the late-90’s, it was all about Do or Die. The group...AK, Nard and Belo received a lot of attention with their first two releases, "Picture This" and "Headz or Tailz" which were both filled with candid stories of pimpin’ and hustlin’.
Then, in 2000 they moved to Rap-a-lot and released the ill-received "Victory". Two albums later, DOD is back with their self-titled release on Legion Records/WEA. Led by the K. West produced “Higher” and “Magic Chick” produced by Kells, rest-assured, they’re still keepin’ it PI.
You guys were away for a while. What was going on in between albums?
Nard: Honestly, we was hustlin’ and getting ready to put this album together on our own. At the beginning, from a business perspective we didn’t know what we were dealing with so we said, let’s get it together and get paid. We was comin’ off Rap-a-lot and so we were in a better position to be more creative.
Speaking of Rap-a-lot, not many artists ever leave there. Once you sign with J it’s pretty much a wrap. Was you’re departure friendly?
AK: [Laughing] You’re right, it do be a wrap once you sign to Rap-a-lot for a lot of artists. But the thing is, we had a mutual respect with Lil J because we came in as artists, but we came in as men too. So we understood how he deals with certain situations and he understood how we deal with certain situations. We still see each other and we can still talk. Everything is cool.
Did you approach this album differently than your previous releases?
AK: There was no change, just growth as artists. We tried to give a different perspective of life, we’re growin’ in the industry right now, we’ve traveled and been around. It’s a different perspective than if you just stayed on one block.
Who’d you work with?
AK: DJ Quik, R. Kelly, Kanye, Scott Storch, Remy Ma, Twista, Seleena Johnson…a lot of people.
Was it a conscious decision to have so many features?
Nard: We wanted to show we can work with other hot artists, and show our diversity.
You’ve been in the game for almost 10 years now. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen?
Nard: The loyalty. It’s not like it used to be. Rap used to be about people, now it’s about glamour.
AK: And they don’t want the independents to make money. That’s why so many big companies are merging together, they don’t want to have to go through the independents anymore and that stops young blacks from making millions in this game.
How have you survived all of the bullshit of the industry?
AK: To survive the bullshit, you have to be vigilant. It’s not the industry, it’s the people in the industry. If you want to be at the top of the game, you have to know everything from back to front—every aspect of the game.
Were you worried about appealing to those 106 & Park kids who don’t really know about Do or Die?
AK: You have to understand that we’ve sold millions of records, so it’s not like folks don’t know who Do or Die is.
But you have to admit that the average 15-year-old, who gets their daily intake of rap from the Top 8 at 8 or Free and AJ may not be familiar with you all, even though you’re vets.
AK: Yeah, I feel you. You do have younger fans [out there] now and they’re finicky about music. But once you hit the stage and people see that you believe in what you do, they’ll believe too.
How has Chicago shaped you as artists?
AK: Growing up in Chicago, you have a different mentality as far as gangs and pimpin’ we had a different mindset. We’re very aggressive and people don’t want that in their atmosphere.
How does it feel to see Chicago getting a lot of shine?
Nard: I think it’s real good. People are getting a brand new view. They see we can come out there and compete. Now we hear Twista, Kanye, Common, Shawna, we’re about unity. It’s the same things as with Lil Jon, Luda and Usher in Atlanta, unity.
Right now, Chicago is claiming the throne, and with due cause. Kanye West is up for 10 Grammys (petition or not), Twista has taken over Busta’s spot as the #1 guest feature and Common’s album is arguably the most anticipated of ’05.
But back in the late-90’s, it was all about Do or Die. The group...AK, Nard and Belo received a lot of attention with their first two releases, "Picture This" and "Headz or Tailz" which were both filled with candid stories of pimpin’ and hustlin’.
Then, in 2000 they moved to Rap-a-lot and released the ill-received "Victory". Two albums later, DOD is back with their self-titled release on Legion Records/WEA. Led by the K. West produced “Higher” and “Magic Chick” produced by Kells, rest-assured, they’re still keepin’ it PI.
You guys were away for a while. What was going on in between albums?
Nard: Honestly, we was hustlin’ and getting ready to put this album together on our own. At the beginning, from a business perspective we didn’t know what we were dealing with so we said, let’s get it together and get paid. We was comin’ off Rap-a-lot and so we were in a better position to be more creative.
Speaking of Rap-a-lot, not many artists ever leave there. Once you sign with J it’s pretty much a wrap. Was you’re departure friendly?
AK: [Laughing] You’re right, it do be a wrap once you sign to Rap-a-lot for a lot of artists. But the thing is, we had a mutual respect with Lil J because we came in as artists, but we came in as men too. So we understood how he deals with certain situations and he understood how we deal with certain situations. We still see each other and we can still talk. Everything is cool.
Did you approach this album differently than your previous releases?
AK: There was no change, just growth as artists. We tried to give a different perspective of life, we’re growin’ in the industry right now, we’ve traveled and been around. It’s a different perspective than if you just stayed on one block.
Who’d you work with?
AK: DJ Quik, R. Kelly, Kanye, Scott Storch, Remy Ma, Twista, Seleena Johnson…a lot of people.
Was it a conscious decision to have so many features?
Nard: We wanted to show we can work with other hot artists, and show our diversity.
You’ve been in the game for almost 10 years now. What’s the biggest change you’ve seen?
Nard: The loyalty. It’s not like it used to be. Rap used to be about people, now it’s about glamour.
AK: And they don’t want the independents to make money. That’s why so many big companies are merging together, they don’t want to have to go through the independents anymore and that stops young blacks from making millions in this game.
How have you survived all of the bullshit of the industry?
AK: To survive the bullshit, you have to be vigilant. It’s not the industry, it’s the people in the industry. If you want to be at the top of the game, you have to know everything from back to front—every aspect of the game.
Were you worried about appealing to those 106 & Park kids who don’t really know about Do or Die?
AK: You have to understand that we’ve sold millions of records, so it’s not like folks don’t know who Do or Die is.
But you have to admit that the average 15-year-old, who gets their daily intake of rap from the Top 8 at 8 or Free and AJ may not be familiar with you all, even though you’re vets.
AK: Yeah, I feel you. You do have younger fans [out there] now and they’re finicky about music. But once you hit the stage and people see that you believe in what you do, they’ll believe too.
How has Chicago shaped you as artists?
AK: Growing up in Chicago, you have a different mentality as far as gangs and pimpin’ we had a different mindset. We’re very aggressive and people don’t want that in their atmosphere.
How does it feel to see Chicago getting a lot of shine?
Nard: I think it’s real good. People are getting a brand new view. They see we can come out there and compete. Now we hear Twista, Kanye, Common, Shawna, we’re about unity. It’s the same things as with Lil Jon, Luda and Usher in Atlanta, unity.
