but if Necro picks the beats...Kool G. Rap and Necro are currently working on a full-length album titled The Godfathers, which came about after the latter got in touch with the veteran MC to record what began as an EP. Speaking with Platform8470.com, the Juice Crew alum spoke on how the project is shaping up.
43 years old and making music for over 25 years, Kool G Rap is a veteran of many street wars and still running the trenches. His upcoming endeavour is a collaboration with New York co-soldier Necro entitled גThe Godfathersג, slated for a release in 2012. גIגm impressed by the material weגre working on right nowג says Kool G Rap. גImpressedג. Need he say more? This project is already written in blood in our agendaג¦
You and Necro both have a fascination for raw, street rap with gangsta allures, so this collabo was bound to happen right? How did things come together?
Necro got in contact with me through one of my peoples. B asically he connected me and Necro together and that was pretty much that. Necro made it clear he wanted to do a project with me. It started off as an EP, but as we got in the motion of doing things, when we started out knocking a number of songs, the idea kinda changed to doing a full project, גThe Godfathersג project.
What can we expect?
A lot of people can only imagine. But since both of us are like similar in what we do, weגre both like raw, underground spitters, they will have an idea already. Weגre both rappers with a sophisticated flow, multisyllabic. Itגs that hardcore rugged attack, that griminess. For instance, if I was to name some records that you can compare this project to, you can expect to hear a Necro - G Rap גMen At Workג or גWanted: Dead Or Aliveג, or גPoisonג. This project is right along the lines of that, but very much 2011-ish
Iגm impressed by the material weגre working on right now. Iגm amped up and charged. I know the people that are waiting and anticipating the project are gonna be completely satisifed. This is gonna be that raw, lyrical, spitting, hardcore, street. I mean all these different things wrapped up into one. The fans out there that are familiar with Necroגs work and my own work, I know their imagination can just put it together on what us two, Necro and G Rap, are gonna do. What we could possible be capable of doing on our own, what we could be doing together, they can only imagine, but they will have some kind of idea
Will there be a remake of 'Break A Bitch Neck' on it? In a way you can compare Necro to Akinyele...
(laughs) That was something that was not discussed between me and Necro, but now you mention it, that sounds like an ill idea (laughs). A record like that would be right up the alley of what Necro does and of course of what G Rap has done. It hasnגt been discussed but itגs possible.
You were a ghost writer for Salt N Peppa. What do you remember of those days?
I wrote the song גChick On The Sideג on the B-side of גPush Itג. It was before G Rap ever had a record. Before I was with Juice Crew, before all of that. It was when I was working with Hurby גLuv Bugג Azer. When he just started to work with Salt N Peppa, I believe. The reason why I assume that -it was a long time ago- is because immediately after, Salt N Peppa and Hurby recorded that record answering גThe Showג by Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh. I believe that was their first single, I donגt remember the name of the single right on top of the head though.
Are you still a ghost writer?
Iגm not actively a ghost writer for anybody. I wouldnגt rule that possibility out though in the future. But as of right now, no, Iגm not.
One of your most remarkable features was on the UNKLE album. How did that
happen, through Shadow?
That was me still kinda early in my career. I only had put out two albums at that time, so it was like still in the early stages of my career. I was still riding that wave, you know, that first wave you ride, when youגre first getting in the business. When you start earning recognition. It was a good thing. Working on a lot of project is good. A lot of people came to me for features at that time. It was one of the first features besides doing features with Juice Crew. At the beginning I pretty much arranged features myself, there wasnגt any people calling me. I got them on my projects. Now with the UNKLE project, that was the first time somebody else came out to me and reached out so that was a good thing. I loved the feature, but it was so long ago, almost a decade, I donגt remember a lot of it.
One of your upcoming features is with Adil Omar. He's from Pakistan. He reached out to you, we suppose?
Yeah, through one of the social networks, I believe it was Facebook. He simply e-mailed me, saying he wanted to do a collab, I contacted him back and we put it in motion. Simple as that.
You rap about the streets of NY, but you're also open to foreign collabo's, it sounds like a contradiction but you do it...are you trying to tell the world what NY is about?
Now, you may say that sounds like a contradiction, but really, I donגt see what the contradiction is. Just because I did a record called גStreets of New Yorkג, I donגt see how I could contradict that by doing a record with someone form Paris, London,ג¦ anywhere on the globe. Thatגs no contradiction. גStreets of New Yorkג is a record about me, rappin about the things I see around me growing up. My experiences, and all the things I see around me in my environment, growin up,...
What are some rap albums that you have in your iPod right now?
When Iגm working on projects I donגt really marinate with outside projects too often. So I really couldnגt tell you anything. Maybe other than my latest album I just dropped - which is גRiches, Royalty, Respectג and the EP before that. I might be listening to my own work, you know what Iגm saying. When Iגm indulged in another project, whether itגs a solo album, or a collaboration like Iגm doin now with Necro, Iגm not gonna absorb myself with too many artists. I donגt want anything to rub off subconsciously. Iגm trying to reduce that as much as possible.
Let's say we have to introduce your work to a kid who just recently started listening to hip-hop and we can only do this by giving him three out of all of your records, which ones should we give him?
(thinks) If I would give him three projects, that would best define who Kool G Rap isג¦ (thinks harder) One of the three projects would beג¦ uhmג¦it would have to be the first thing I ever came out with, which is גRoad to the Richesג. I believe you got to give them the foundation first. I donגt believe I could skip that. I got to give him that first as a backdrop. Itגs like proppin the stage, or whatever.
Then I would maybe, rather than goinג right to the second album, give him ג4-5-6ג. Other than that, גRoots of Evilג. That way youגll give them the foundation, you could give them a project where I worked with another legend, a legend in the making at that time, Nas. Very much a legend right now because of his body of work. It wasnגt just business with me and Nas, we also had a personal relationship. We knew each other already on a personal level, as well as a artist-to-artist-relationship.
The reason why I would give him גRoots of Evilג is because they would get an overall raw picture. That would just complete the whole picture for someone who didnגt have a clue at first. Because now you get at that, you get the storytelling side. And thereגs no other albums that display my storytelling abilities better than גRoots of Evilג.
What's the difference between Kool G Rap from the eighties and Kool G Rap twenty years later?
It would definitely be maturity. Iגm more of a polished artist now. Itגs like, as far as my recording, as opposed to the 80גs, I was just spittingג¦ I wasnגt thinking about the different techniques of recording then. You know, you do your adlibs, your choruses, your hooksג¦ itגs evident. When I first came out, I really didnגt do songs with hooks and choruses. So the difference is, Iגm more well-rounded, 20 years later, than I was in the 80גs. Without taking anything away from the G Rap in the 80גs, because that raw fire is what made up for no choruses, no hooks, no doubling your tracks. It was just that raw, highly energetic fire that made up for not being as polished.
Did you know or could you have thought in1989 that you would still be releasing -rap- records in 2011?
I really wasnגt thinking about it in 1989. I really donגt think I really thought about it before. It mightגve not been anything I planned to do, but Iגm gratefulג¦ that Iגm here doinג it. And it really looks like itגs even going beyond 2011 now.
I really appreciate the people out there that continuously wanna hear Kool G Rap. Whether itגs a feature, or dropping a solo project. I appreciate the people that appreciate my craft, my body of work. Appreciate everything I do. As far as talent wise. And thatגs what keeps me going. Thatגs what made it possible to make a record in 2011, and lookin like we goin into 2012.
What makes you going every time again? Whatגs your secret?
My passion, my love for the art. My competitiveness. The fact that I grew up with hip-hop. And because I ainגt ready to throw the towel yet. Who knows when thatגll be. Maybe soon, maybe not. (laughs)
As far as my secret. If you mean whatגs my secret of my longevity? Itגs my competitive spirit. And, thatגs not really a secret, when youגre an artist of my calibre. Or when youגre an artist of a lot of catsג calibre, that I consider legends. Cause I donגt believe a legend could fall off. I believe people get to different points of life, and maybe lose the ambition, or lose the desire. But I think anybody, that earned that status of being called a legend, always has the ability to come back, and amaze people. The gift never goes away. The only thing that goes away is the desire.
Now finally: what does the 'G' stand for now. Genius or Giancanna?
The G in Kool G Rap stands for גGeniusג. גGiancanaג was a name I took on later in my career. But the G stands for גGeniusג. It will always stand for גGeniusג.
to go bump double barrel
