The Dust King
A Childrens Story
DX: How did you start working with Nas for this album?
Stic.man: We knew Nas for a minute, [since when] we were on Columbia. This particular time, he just reached out. He actually reached out to M1 [click to read] and askedI dont even think he knew who did our beats. M1 hit me and said that Nas wanted us to come to the studio and hang out, write, produce, whatever, do some collab work. But he wasnt real specific on what he wanted us to do, so I assumed he wanted us to rap on something. Just cause thats what people usually use our brand for, because of what we have to say.
So I went out to L.A. with my pad, ready to rap my ass off with one of my favorite emcees. [Laughs] He was totally like, Yo, I want yall to produce this. Do yall have any idea how you could develop this particular thought? I want to get at Fox News, got any beats for that? I found out over a few days that he wasnt really interested in us rapping or being featured, but he wanted a sound and he wanted some help in conceptualizing his ideas. Thats pretty much what I do with dead prez, so M1 just sort of fell back, like, Knock it out. Make the beats happen. Thats pretty how we got into the mood. I ended up doing five or six things musically that he wanted for his record. I think he ended up choosing three. But it was good. Hed say, Heres a concept, and we just started building on it. Id play some tracks, I made some shyt on the spot. Some stuff I produced, like the Untitled song, Nas hit me two days before his deadline. He said, I need some shyt about [Louis] Farrakhan. Hook me up with a track, nikka. [Laughs] I did something that I felt, I wasnt sure if he was going to fukk with it or not. I sent it to him, I hit him late that night, and he was like, Its done and mixed. Before I even heard where he was going with it, it was mixed and ready to go. You know how industry shyt goes, sometimes you dont always [record music] in the same room at the same time.
We did Sly Fox in the same room same time, and Untitled I did in Atlanta. The Youre Not Alone record, as far as all the singing and the beat, I was working on it for the dead prez Information Age album. But I thought, Nas would kill this sh*t.
DX: With your production catalog not as expansive as those of others, Nas working with you so heavily was almost on some 70s shyt. Two artists just working together based on liking each others material, not on whos hot. Do you think you two have an older mentality as far as how you create music?
Stic.man: Yeah. I think we have things in common as far as the music we like, with old school music. Nas is a Hip Hop fan a lot more than I am, as far as raps and keeping track with the latest Hip Hop. I definitely dont be on that. Im the type of person to buy Curtis Mayfield CDs two, three times a year. Thats my fault. But I noticed in his career, hell come with the [DJ Premier] shyt, the stuff he had on the I Am album, just dope beats with a good feel to it. Like Mastermind. Im into that west coast shyt as far as Hip Hop per se, like The Game, as far as a record that I would buy. Or Scarfaces album [Made], I collect his shyt. I like a street sound thats musical. My first love as far as music is Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, all that Soul sh*t with a message. Thats my baby. When Nas did that joint Get Down, how he was spitting over that old school type of sh*t? Thats my favorite way to hear Nas.
DX: What were you guys studio sessions like?
Stic.man: It was exciting for me. I was in Cali, doing it big. [Laughs] Im working with one of the greatest emcees in the game. It was real professional. Im a workaholic, so from the time I walked in, Im creating and trying to take advantage of every second in terms of doing the best job I could do. If someone calls on me to make something happen, to me, thats everything. I want to give all of my attention and my best ideas, so thats how I took it. We just vibed and talked about politics, where he wanted to go with his records, the negative press he was getting because of the ****** title, and we got to work. I called in some of my peoples in L.A. on some guitar strings. I was on my job, thats how I looked at it. But we did develop a relationship of respect, exchanged some literature and DVDs. It was a mutual respect.
DX: Given the content of your previous music, what was your involvement in Sly Fox? That really felt like a Stic.man and Nas song, I almost expected you to put a verse on it.
Stic.man: Nas came with that idea. He said, I want to get back at Fox for trying to put me out there like Im a murderer, and taking my lyrics out of context. He had the title for it and everything, and he was like, I want you to help me build on that sh*t. We just started throwing back ideas and phrases. He got a notepad and started writing down things Id say, things he would say. I think [M1] was in there for at least some part of that, in the general conversation. We didnt have a beat for it, we just had some ideas. I had this beat I was doing for a martial arts movie. Something just said, Play him that. I had some little [bass] rumbling low in there, and I was like, That sounds like some news shyt a little bit, lets see if thats the vibe. I really didnt think it was, but I was just like, Let me see. When I played it, and he was just like, Thats it! Im like, What, that beat aint really ready! But if he likes it, let me see what I can do to make me feel like its on point. I called in the guitars to bring it more where I thought where it should be at.
So we get the notepad full of ideas about Fox. Im like, Searching like CBS, and I see B.S., track us down with GPS. He came with, Red Foxx, only fox I know. He would scribble it down, but not in a rap format, just dope little pieces. He goes in the booth after I get the beat all up, but what you hear on the song, he spit that. He had a certain method of what he wrote down and how he spit it. So Im like, How can I be productive? Let me think of a hook, so we can stay focused. I wanted to do a million songs, I didnt want to be stuck on one song forever. So I write the hook that you hear on the song, and when he comes out the booth, I go in the booth and lay the hook down. When I get halfway done with the hook in the booth, he stopped me like, Come out. Ima say that hook. I leave the pad in the booth, and he goes in there for one take and spits that shyt hard. We work it out, keep working on the song and tweaking it, and thats how Sly Fox came about. It was co-written and a collaboration, but it was his idea and his genius.
DX: Even though it didnt make the album, I thought that one of you guys standout songs was Association, which he put on the The N*gger Tape [click to listen]. On the hook, Nas says, Association breeds similarity. Do you think artists come to you just because of the message you have in your other records and the aura theyve had, despite your lack of extensive production experience?
Stic.man: Well as Nas has told me, hes a fan of the musicality in our beats, not just what were talking about. Nas has his own thoughts, ideas and opinions, and if youre a fan of Nas, you know that. I dont really think it was just that, I think he likes the sound, and that it would probably be a good marriage for the message and the theme of this particular record. Weve done things with him in the past that havent been released yet, but this time it worked out.
I think that people assume that if youre going to work with Stic.man, that youd have to make a political record. That couldnt be farther from the truth. I think everything is political, dont get me wrong. But to work with me, thats not a requirement. To me, its about being an honest expression, and helping you bring out the concept that you have. To me, thats an art within itself. People talk about records like Laffy Taffy [as negative], but I look at that record as a producer and say, Wow. Thats a dance record where they rap not only as Laffy Taffy in the hook, but in the verse, theyre talking about tootsie rolls and yada yada. They stayed on their context. I think thats a good song in terms as a songwriter. I dont think its prolific or our generation and all that shyt, but I dont judge everything by the same standard. Its a talent to make a dance record, its a talent to make a pop record, its a talent to make a street record, its a talent to make a political record. I respect all of that, and my goal is to be the kind of producer that can be in all of the genres. Not contradicting my own personal beliefs, but at the same time, being a vehicle and expressing my musical direction and my ability to bring concepts to life. Not to be known as, Come to me for the political, yada yada. But, if you come to me for my sound and my soul, and my drums, and my ability to bring a concept to life, thats what I want to be known for as a producer.
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this should put the idea that jay elec is penning nas's verses to rest.
i rarely would call someone a liar as an outsider looking in, but im calling dream hampton a liar. she did not hear 6-7 reference tracks by jay elec or stic-man.
the fact she made such a claim means she didnt realize the crucifixation that was going to occur. her journalistic integrity is on the line and her career is going to take a huge hit because of this lie.
Stic.man: We knew Nas for a minute, [since when] we were on Columbia. This particular time, he just reached out. He actually reached out to M1 [click to read] and askedI dont even think he knew who did our beats. M1 hit me and said that Nas wanted us to come to the studio and hang out, write, produce, whatever, do some collab work. But he wasnt real specific on what he wanted us to do, so I assumed he wanted us to rap on something. Just cause thats what people usually use our brand for, because of what we have to say.
So I went out to L.A. with my pad, ready to rap my ass off with one of my favorite emcees. [Laughs] He was totally like, Yo, I want yall to produce this. Do yall have any idea how you could develop this particular thought? I want to get at Fox News, got any beats for that? I found out over a few days that he wasnt really interested in us rapping or being featured, but he wanted a sound and he wanted some help in conceptualizing his ideas. Thats pretty much what I do with dead prez, so M1 just sort of fell back, like, Knock it out. Make the beats happen. Thats pretty how we got into the mood. I ended up doing five or six things musically that he wanted for his record. I think he ended up choosing three. But it was good. Hed say, Heres a concept, and we just started building on it. Id play some tracks, I made some shyt on the spot. Some stuff I produced, like the Untitled song, Nas hit me two days before his deadline. He said, I need some shyt about [Louis] Farrakhan. Hook me up with a track, nikka. [Laughs] I did something that I felt, I wasnt sure if he was going to fukk with it or not. I sent it to him, I hit him late that night, and he was like, Its done and mixed. Before I even heard where he was going with it, it was mixed and ready to go. You know how industry shyt goes, sometimes you dont always [record music] in the same room at the same time.
We did Sly Fox in the same room same time, and Untitled I did in Atlanta. The Youre Not Alone record, as far as all the singing and the beat, I was working on it for the dead prez Information Age album. But I thought, Nas would kill this sh*t.
DX: With your production catalog not as expansive as those of others, Nas working with you so heavily was almost on some 70s shyt. Two artists just working together based on liking each others material, not on whos hot. Do you think you two have an older mentality as far as how you create music?
Stic.man: Yeah. I think we have things in common as far as the music we like, with old school music. Nas is a Hip Hop fan a lot more than I am, as far as raps and keeping track with the latest Hip Hop. I definitely dont be on that. Im the type of person to buy Curtis Mayfield CDs two, three times a year. Thats my fault. But I noticed in his career, hell come with the [DJ Premier] shyt, the stuff he had on the I Am album, just dope beats with a good feel to it. Like Mastermind. Im into that west coast shyt as far as Hip Hop per se, like The Game, as far as a record that I would buy. Or Scarfaces album [Made], I collect his shyt. I like a street sound thats musical. My first love as far as music is Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, all that Soul sh*t with a message. Thats my baby. When Nas did that joint Get Down, how he was spitting over that old school type of sh*t? Thats my favorite way to hear Nas.
DX: What were you guys studio sessions like?
Stic.man: It was exciting for me. I was in Cali, doing it big. [Laughs] Im working with one of the greatest emcees in the game. It was real professional. Im a workaholic, so from the time I walked in, Im creating and trying to take advantage of every second in terms of doing the best job I could do. If someone calls on me to make something happen, to me, thats everything. I want to give all of my attention and my best ideas, so thats how I took it. We just vibed and talked about politics, where he wanted to go with his records, the negative press he was getting because of the ****** title, and we got to work. I called in some of my peoples in L.A. on some guitar strings. I was on my job, thats how I looked at it. But we did develop a relationship of respect, exchanged some literature and DVDs. It was a mutual respect.
DX: Given the content of your previous music, what was your involvement in Sly Fox? That really felt like a Stic.man and Nas song, I almost expected you to put a verse on it.
Stic.man: Nas came with that idea. He said, I want to get back at Fox for trying to put me out there like Im a murderer, and taking my lyrics out of context. He had the title for it and everything, and he was like, I want you to help me build on that sh*t. We just started throwing back ideas and phrases. He got a notepad and started writing down things Id say, things he would say. I think [M1] was in there for at least some part of that, in the general conversation. We didnt have a beat for it, we just had some ideas. I had this beat I was doing for a martial arts movie. Something just said, Play him that. I had some little [bass] rumbling low in there, and I was like, That sounds like some news shyt a little bit, lets see if thats the vibe. I really didnt think it was, but I was just like, Let me see. When I played it, and he was just like, Thats it! Im like, What, that beat aint really ready! But if he likes it, let me see what I can do to make me feel like its on point. I called in the guitars to bring it more where I thought where it should be at.
So we get the notepad full of ideas about Fox. Im like, Searching like CBS, and I see B.S., track us down with GPS. He came with, Red Foxx, only fox I know. He would scribble it down, but not in a rap format, just dope little pieces. He goes in the booth after I get the beat all up, but what you hear on the song, he spit that. He had a certain method of what he wrote down and how he spit it. So Im like, How can I be productive? Let me think of a hook, so we can stay focused. I wanted to do a million songs, I didnt want to be stuck on one song forever. So I write the hook that you hear on the song, and when he comes out the booth, I go in the booth and lay the hook down. When I get halfway done with the hook in the booth, he stopped me like, Come out. Ima say that hook. I leave the pad in the booth, and he goes in there for one take and spits that shyt hard. We work it out, keep working on the song and tweaking it, and thats how Sly Fox came about. It was co-written and a collaboration, but it was his idea and his genius.
DX: Even though it didnt make the album, I thought that one of you guys standout songs was Association, which he put on the The N*gger Tape [click to listen]. On the hook, Nas says, Association breeds similarity. Do you think artists come to you just because of the message you have in your other records and the aura theyve had, despite your lack of extensive production experience?
Stic.man: Well as Nas has told me, hes a fan of the musicality in our beats, not just what were talking about. Nas has his own thoughts, ideas and opinions, and if youre a fan of Nas, you know that. I dont really think it was just that, I think he likes the sound, and that it would probably be a good marriage for the message and the theme of this particular record. Weve done things with him in the past that havent been released yet, but this time it worked out.
I think that people assume that if youre going to work with Stic.man, that youd have to make a political record. That couldnt be farther from the truth. I think everything is political, dont get me wrong. But to work with me, thats not a requirement. To me, its about being an honest expression, and helping you bring out the concept that you have. To me, thats an art within itself. People talk about records like Laffy Taffy [as negative], but I look at that record as a producer and say, Wow. Thats a dance record where they rap not only as Laffy Taffy in the hook, but in the verse, theyre talking about tootsie rolls and yada yada. They stayed on their context. I think thats a good song in terms as a songwriter. I dont think its prolific or our generation and all that shyt, but I dont judge everything by the same standard. Its a talent to make a dance record, its a talent to make a pop record, its a talent to make a street record, its a talent to make a political record. I respect all of that, and my goal is to be the kind of producer that can be in all of the genres. Not contradicting my own personal beliefs, but at the same time, being a vehicle and expressing my musical direction and my ability to bring concepts to life. Not to be known as, Come to me for the political, yada yada. But, if you come to me for my sound and my soul, and my drums, and my ability to bring a concept to life, thats what I want to be known for as a producer.
-------
this should put the idea that jay elec is penning nas's verses to rest.
i rarely would call someone a liar as an outsider looking in, but im calling dream hampton a liar. she did not hear 6-7 reference tracks by jay elec or stic-man.
the fact she made such a claim means she didnt realize the crucifixation that was going to occur. her journalistic integrity is on the line and her career is going to take a huge hit because of this lie.
...I think Snoop admits it but he's garbage now without one so we woulda realized it anyway
..the whole rap game takes lines here and there from other nikkas...Nas didn't big up his brother stic man for that hot "CBS see b.s" line at all
