stray-bullet

Dubcnn: Do you think we will see some sort of a Dangerous crew “reunion” happen where you, $hort, Banks, PeeWee and some of the other rappers from the Old Crew get back together, is that a possibility?

Oh yeah, yeah, the only thing is it would have to be some straight up money upfront and it has to be stipulated what’s asked of me. And I need my money right now! Every muthafuckin’ dime, cuz we can’t get down all the way. $hort my homie, but he like, kinda soft to me. $hort know he gotta play real ball with me because $hort done seen me do some shit that he don’t really want. He don’t want no part of. And I don’t really want it to have no part of him, when you get on that side of me, you know what I’m sayin’? What was that group he had out here, with the guys from all the different place?


Dubcnn:: Oh, Badwayz? With Studd, Joe Riz , Murda One??

Yeah! You know, I ended up pistol-whippin’ Joe Riz at Lake Hav?? In front of $hort into a bloody pulp. And I think that kinda registered with $hort like “Ok, Shorty B is not playin’!”


Dubcnn: Yeah, Shorty B’s for real *laughs*

Shorty B is not playin, man. And I’m not fuckin’ with him on no bullshit no more. So when $hort come to me, it gotta be straight upfront. Ain’t no ass kissin’ cuz I done made a 100 records that went platinum since I ain’t fucked with you, been on everybody’s records. So, $hort respect and I don’t think, I wonder about that Dangerous Crew shit cuz ain’t nobody really gonna put no money behind it, I don’t think. You know because if it’s up to $hort, since I guess he owns the name, the business ain’t gonna give us nothin’ but problems. Cuz one thing I notice about $hort, and I love $hort, but he don’t know how to take money and make money. $hort just know how to make money and spend money. He don’t know how to take the money he made and make it make money. Cuz to me, $hort done fucked off 2 record labels: Dangerous Music and Too $hort Records. And what will fuck me up with $hort, is that we would get a nice video budget, and $hort would spend all the money and then shoot a wack-ass video!

So that’s what hurt $hort a lot cuz he was so greedy, that he would spend all the money and then give the people bullshit. Shootin’ them wack-ass videos and I was like man, we gotta stop this. After that I was like I don’t need them, they need me, so I’ma take my shit and go on, and I been doin’ my thing ever since, man.


Dubcnn: Well, let’s kinda start wrappin’ this up a little bit. If you want, you can go ahead and give me those numbers you was talkin’ about earlier….

*Gives Contact Details*


Dubcnn: Cool, yeah ! I’d like to holla at him too, so...

Well just hit him up, call him up. Tell him you just did this interview with Shorty B about the Dangerous Crew, tell him I gave you his number, so you can put it on the front line.


Dubcnn: Here’s another question for you…

Yeah, go ahead, man….


Dubcnn: What’s been the one song, out of all these songs you’ve worked on, what’s been you’re favorite?

Uhhhh, shit man, that’s a hard one right there, man. I’m not sure I can even answer that one. Let me see for a second, a song that I had the most fun doin is I guess, uh I don’t know man cuz we had so many, I guess, I think it was We Do This, with 2Pac, on Too $hort album. I had ran in to him at Rimshop one day in Atlanta, and I said, “Yo, Pac!”, and he said “Shorty B! What’s up?” I told him to come over with me to Dallas Austin studio and I’m finishin’ up $hort’s album and I need you to come put a verse on it. Pac said, “sure man, come on!” And he followed me over to the studio and he laid the verse on it.

We had fun, smokin’ and shit all night. He went and laid it, wrote his verse in 30 minutes, just laid it and we kicked it and had fun. But it’s so many sessions, man! And Gettin’ It was cool, cuz George Clinton was there, Parliament Funkadelic we has havin’ fun, singin’ in the studio, so I guess, I dunno, Gettin’ It and that Pac session.


Dubcnn: So the atmosphere when you was recordin’ during that particular time was just all fun and just playin’ music….

You know, it’s like, we were winnin’. All my records were goin’ platinum, Pac was doin’ good and he was a real good friend of mine. And you know, I put Pac on $hort’s album. $hort really didn’t even know Pac like that. He knew of him and had seen him and stuff, but he ain’t never know Pac. Cuz you know, me and Pac used to run together, live together and all that, so you know, it’s like umm…


Dubcnn: With Pac, did you do anything on any of his albums?

Yeah I did a few songs with Pac! I did The Life I Lead, I did…I gotta go back and look cuz I don’t know titles anymore....I did Lil’ Homiez...I gotta look at the titles and I can let you know exactly what songs they are. But yeah, Pac and me had did about 10 songs together.


Dubcnn: Wow! That’s something I wouldn’t have known right there. Cuz I know you was with Digital Underground for a bit, but I guess I wouldn’t have thought that cuz that was before Pac was big, but that makes sense that you guys were close like that.

Oh yeah! Me and Pac was like the closest cuz we had used to run, you know, when we wasn’t in the studio, we was runnin’ together in the streets. Man, I had so many pictures I had left up in storage and they had took my shit. But I had sooo many pictures of Pac. I mean me and Pac. Me and Pac was homies before Pac even had one tattoo.


Dubcnn: Damn, that’s way back!

You know what I’m sayin’? That’s what I’m tryin’ to tell cats. When I knew Pac, Pac ain’t have no tattoos. Not a one. So I did a lot of stuff with Thug Life, I did a lot of stuff with the Outlawz. I just talked to Big Syke the other day, cuz they all my nephews. Outlawz, Thug Life, they call me all the time, I hear from them quite often. All of’em call me Unc. “What’s up Unc?” Big Syke just called me the other day, “What’s up, Unc?”...”What’s up, Syke baby?!” Pac’s mother, Pac’s sister, they all love me. They always show me love and hug me and kiss me every time they see me. Afeni Show me love every time she see me. You know, Pac’s sister Setra show me much love every time she see me like, “Shorty B, how you been?” just hugs me and kiss me. They always treated me like family. I remember, lemme tell you this story one time, man, so make sure you record this...


Dubcnn: I got it goin, homie….

What I did, I was at our studio, me & $hort, we had a studio out here in Atlanta. And Biggie came through one day, right? As a matter of fact, first I was at $hort’s house when he was livin’ in his first house in Gifford Forest and somebody knocked at the door. I told $hort somebody was at the door I’ma get it. When I went to the door, it was Biggie. He was standin’ there with his cane and had a lil’ black suit on. He gave me five and shit, he came on in, we sit down, smoke a lil’ weed, and so $hort say he goin’ to the studio cuz he wanted me to let Biggie hear some beats, right? So we went to the studio and I let Biggie hear some beats. Then Lil’ Kim showed up at the studio. So I played this beat, for the Booty Call Soundtrack called Call Me.


Dubcnn: That was a tight song!

Yeah, I did that. I produced every note of it. And Kim fell in love with it. She keep sayin’ “I want that beat! I want that beat!” So, then Puff showed up. So basically, he said I’ma fly you out to New York in about 3 days, which he did. He flew me, $hort and my homeboy P.O. out to New York. And $hort was in one studio with Puff doin’ *sings, “the world is filled with pimps and hoes*, you remember that song, that they did?


Dubcnn: Yeah, it’s called The World Is Filled...off of Biggie’s Life After Death album…

Right! The World Is Filled...they was in the other studio next door doin’ that one, and me and Biggie and Lil’ Kim was in the other studio doin’ my song, right? So Biggie had came through, he had this big-ass muthafuckin’ jar cuz I had bought Biggie a ounce of weed because when he was out in Atlanta, he used to be like "Is that California weed we havin’?" So I had brought him an ounce of weed to New York. But when I got to the studio, Biggie had this big-ass, like a jelly jar, full of chronic! And I said, “Shit, well you don’t need this!” He pulled it out, and said, “Yeah, I’m BIG.” But he went ahead and got it. I gave him the ounce of weed and we was kickin’ it, stayin’ there all night.

So, Biggie had kinda taken a likin’ to me. I told him to let me see that ring that he got on his pinky finger. I wore his ring for like a couple of hours during the session, you know we was just kickin’ it. I asked him what he was doin, cuz Biggie don’t write rhymes. He was actually writin’ the rhyme he was about to do in his head! I’m sittin’ next to him like “what you doin’?” He says, “Wait a minute Shorty B, I’m almost through. Ok, I just had to do my rhyme. I’m finished.” And I said, “so you just wrote a rhyme while I was sittin’ right here next to you?” He said, “yeah…I’m finished.” And he let me hear the rhyme and shit. So I said to him, “It’s true? You really don’t write no rhymes?” He said, “Nah, I don’t write rhymes.” And I notice T.I. kinda does that too, when I be in the studio with T.I. It’s kinda like he freestyles it a lil’ bit, but it’s more like he writin’ it the way he put it down.

So, anyway, We stayed out there for about 3 days and did the song. So when I got back, the night that I got back, Biggie called me. He told me Mary J. Blige was havin’ a birthday party, and invited me and $hort to come down. He said he’d pick us up from the airport. I told him I was with it, and I’ll call $hort and see what’s up? But I really think they was tryin’ to get me up on the production team or something, you know what I’m sayin’? I mean, Biggie had just kinda taken a likin’ to me. But I was fucked up because in the back of my mind, I know Pac was my nephew. And I know the shit gonna come out sooner or later, but I just left it alone.

So, anyway, I had called $hort and told him and $hort was like, “You sure you wanna go up there? Cuz them cats might found out how tight you are with Pac...” And I had thought about that then and I was like” Whhooo..! I didn’t think about that!” $hort said, “one of them fools might find out how tight you is with Pac, and then it goes into some other shit!” And I never felt like that’s what was happenin’ cuz I felt like Biggie had taken a likin’ to me as a friend, and as a person, and as a man. And I was good at what I did, you know, I made music. You know, anybody wanna be around somebody who what they do...if you’re good, you know what I’m sayin’? But I Had to call Biggie and tell him we had another show and we wasn’t gonna be able to make it. And he said that he was just callin’ to make sure he keep in touch. That was the night I got back. 8 o’clock the next morning. Guess who called me?


Dubcnn: Who was that?

2Pac!


Dubcnn: No Shit?

No wait, I’m trippin’. At 8 o’clock the next morning, Biggie called me. At 9 o’clock, like a hour after Biggie had called me, 2Pac called me! He said, “Shorty b there?” I said, “ yeah, who’s this?” he said, “it’s Pac.” So I looked at my phone, and said, “you over there?” He said, “yeah, I’m at my momma’s house.” I said, “Nigga, I’m on my way, I’m comin’ right through, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He said, “bring all the weed you got!” *laughs* So I’m trippin’ cuz I had just got off the phone with Biggie, and now Pac is callin. I can’t really tell Pac that Puffy just bought a song from me, and had gave me $55,000 for the song! So, I had to go get that money. You feel me? They gave $55,000 for that song! So I go over to Pac’s momma’s house and I knock on the door and Jasmine Guy open the door. And her hair was all over the place, so I teased her and said, “whoooo! My nephew home in major way, huh?” But she started laughin’ and said, “go on boy and stop actin’ silly.” Cuz I had just made a joke about Pac wearin’ her ass out, right? *laughs*

So I went in and just hung out all day with him. It was Thanksgiving, 1995. At Pac’s momma’s house. I had pictures of it and everything. That had just tripped me out that it had all just went down like that. I was like, damn, I had just talked to both of these cats...they trippin’..and Pac is like my nephew and Biggie’s like a friend. You know what I’m sayin? So I never told Pac and I never told Biggie. I just let it do what it do. I’ll never forget that. I always wanted to tell somebody that story. They had called like a hour apart and I just couldn’t believe it.


Dubcnn: That makes another question pop in my head, cuz you worked with Pac & Biggie, 2 of the biggest and greatest rap artists of all time...

Oh yeah, and they was both pretty much friends. I was both of’em. Pac was like my brother, basically. And Biggie was just like my friend. He just took a likin’ to me, and we just kicked it. I never told Pac that cuz I felt so strange, and then now I got Biggie callin’ me wantin’ me to hang out with him!


Dubcnn: Yeah, I bet that was a tough situation to be in...

Yeah, man that shit tripped me out! And I didn’t know what to do cuz I couldn’t tell nobody.


Dubcnn: It almost don’t get no bigger workin’ with both of them…

You know, and I never did get a song out with Biggie that actually came out, but I knew that’s where he was headin’, wantin’ to get into the studio. I had taken alotta things up there with me, and he had liked all of’em! I just wonder what woulda happened if I woulda went up there. But then, I couldn’t really go because I didn’t want that shit to get back to Pac the wrong way. You know, I didn’t want him lookin’ at me crazy, so I just left it alone, man.


Dubcnn: So after workin’ with 2 superstars like that, George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic, and all the others you’ve collabed with, is there anybody left that you REALLY wanna work with, that you haven’t worked with yet?

Uhh...I would say Prince, just to top it off. You know, I would love to jam with Prince. But lemme see is there anybody else that I would, you know what I would really love to, damn, I done near worked with everybody! I guess, I’d have to go to icon status like Mick Jagger or some shit *laughs* But seriously, I guess I would really have to say Prince. I would love to go in the studio with Prince, and see what we do.


Dubcnn: Damn, that would...

It would just be so hardcore funk! It would be ridiculous.


Dubcnn: Yeah! I don’t even know what to say about that. I don’t even know if I could imagine that!

I know! Me neither! I just wonder what would we create? Me and him in the studio…and just kill somethin’!


Dubcnn: Yeah! I can’t even speak on that, cuz that would be wild!

Yeah, man, me too! *laughs*


Dubcnn: What about Dr. Dre??

Oh, as a matter of fact I’m glad you said that. I had met Dr. Dre one time, but it’s like, I wonder, as a matter of fact, that would be my other choice cuz that’s the only cat in hip-hop, that’s somebody, that I don’t have on my resume. And I would love, I’d have to say Prince & Dr. Dre. That pretty much would do it for me.


Dubcnn: That’d be a great kinda, icing on the cake for you resume right there with those two!

Yes sir! But you know, Dre like...to me havin’ Dre on my record don’t even do nothin’ for me no more, cuz Dre don’t have the respect...I mean, he got the respect, but he ain’t really had nothin’ really in a while. I’m sure he gonna come out with this Detox album and set the record straight or whatever he gonna do. But it’s like, I don’t know, Dre ain’t on the frontline, I guess you could say, no more like he should be.


Dubcnn: Yeah, he’s more laid back with it now….

He done got rich! He can just wait on his album so he can release an album every 5 years. I mean it’s funny, cuz like I learned music. I didn’t get in this game for the money! I got into cuz I had God-given talent. I had no choice. The money would come. But it seems like after alotta cats got money, it’s like I heard Timbaland say in a magazine, that kinda fucked me up, He up there sayin he tired of doin’ beats, or some shit. I’m like you pompous muthafucka! You done got all this money and you would say some shit like that? And as a matter of fact, it was in the Source where they got at the bottom it say “Negro Please!” *laughs* like when cats say stupid shit. One of them thangs. And I was like, how could say some shit like that? This game done took care of you…of course you gave somethin’ back to the game, but that’s how it goes. That’s the name of the game.


Dubcnn: Now, you actually had a song on the Don’t Try This At Home album called Out For The Props...

Out For The Props, exactly!


Dubcnn: Where you was bashin’ The Source for their ratings. Speak on that for a minute…

Yeah and that album had went gold! And they wouldn’t make no more copies of that album. They just refused to sell any more of it. But that’s what it was about. Here we just went platinum, and they give us 3 ½ mics, and these other cats sold maybe 100,000, and they give them 5 mics! It’s like, who was writin’ this shit?...*laughs*


Dubcnn: That’s what alotta people be thinkin’

Yeah, that’s how I felt. I thought it was crazy.


Dubcnn: With Nas proclaiming hip-hop is dead, and Timbaland recently saying it’s been dumbed down by the hooks and jingles, what is your opinion on the current state of the rap game?

I can wrap that shit up so fast, man, it’s like you gotta bunch of young kids that’s gettin’ rich, right? But they ain’t got nothin’ to give back to the game. They just out to get somethin’ out the game, get paper, so they can get paid. But they ain’t givin’ nothin’ back to the game. They not really good for hip-hop. A lotta young kids is getting’ rich, but they ain’t got nothin’ to offer the game and give it longevity. The bottom line for your question is that what’s wrong with hip-hop is like the rules is missing. I mean, the youngsters got the game, but ain’t got no rules with it. You know why?


Dubcnn: Why is that?

Cuz the disappearance of the OG. Ain’t nobody settin’ those structures and the youngsters done gone rampant and they don’t really know how to have that respect and loyalty and to look out for your homies that been there with you all the time. And now that you done got the money, you don’t even know him no more! That shit burns me up! And I know these youngsters today crazy…they ain’t never had no money, so then when they wake up with a million dollars they don’t know how to act.

It’s like Jazze Pha...I raised Jazze Pha! Jazze was up under me and Too $hort for years! That’s why he keep givin’ Too $hort beats , cuz he be doin’ those beats for Too $hort outta respect. And we did a couple songs together, and I give it Jazze, and every now and then he reach back and show a lil’ love and a lil’ loyalty. But a lotta cats out here, man, because there ain’t no OG’s, the OG has to be welcomed back into this game! Or it’s all gonna fade out, cuz we already listenin’ to samples of samples of samples! I mean, where’s the musician? And there’s so many of them, and so little of us, but the game need us!


Dubcnn: It’s like there’s no creativity in the game no more...

Right! Yeah! There’s none because they done eliminated the OG. There’s just cats like me that refuse to lie down! I’m in this for life! I’ma be on the charts forever! Cuz I know what I do, and it’s gonna keep me on the charts forever. But there’s a lotta other cats out here that don’t get that opportunity, so many OG’s that play and got such good music. It’s like rap needs a year of the OG. Like everybody come back. D.O.C., Shorty B, Kool G. Rap you know, cats that made a difference in the game. The OG is missin’ man. The game is full of games that ain’t got no rules. So how long it gonna last? That’s my opinion. And you can quote me, Shorty B said there has to be a year of the OG’s to replenish some realism in the game cuz it’s like I don’t even respect, don’t get me wrong, but you got producers like Just Blaze and all that doin’ that Jay-Z shit, right? But I don’t respect, I mean I respect him as a man, bein’ black or white or whatever, cuz he’s feedin’ his family and all that, and I respect that you came up one way to feed you family. But I don’t respect you as a producer because you gotta take somebody else’s record and come up on it and make a hit that was already a hit?

When cats like me gotta go in there and create and think of what I’m gonna play and what it’s gonna be. I don’t get my hit records from somebody else ideals. I can’t respect you with fifty cents outta that shit. Now I respect real producers, who go in there and play, come up with the ideas and bring it to life! You know what I’m sayin, when it comes from your hands, your ideals, your imagination. That’s a producer to me. I’m not trippin’ on no Just Blaze and shit like that when you gotta go the first thing you do, and I done even see Rico Wade do this, but I been around Rico long enough to know that he IS very talented and he WILL get the job done by his own hands cuz I know he a Pisces and he talented like that. But what I don’t understand is there’s no way I can respect you, no matter how multi-platinum you is, comin’ up off someone else’s shit! And then I’m supposed to respect you. Like you the shit. But then there’s cats like me that gotta go in there and make it up, play it and everything, put all the hard work into it, and then don’t really get the props for it! But you gonna go give him his props when he done took somebody else’s record and put another drum beat to it?!


Dubcnn: Right, right…

I mean, please print that in big letters, man. Shorty B is not respectin’ nor understandin’ that shit. You know what I’m sayin’, how y’all be respectin’ producers that come up off of somebody else’s ideas that’s already been done. I’ll respect you when you come up with your own original shit and it’s fly. Then you a producer to me. And I’m a real advocate about that, cuz man that shit burns me up! And I can name a lotta cats, but I don’t wanna name’em cuz it’s not really against them personally, but it is in a way. It’s like I don’t respect cuz, so what you was in the papers, the magazines, you gotta hit record, you got Jay-Z with a single but ANYBODY coulda did that! Just took somebody else’s record and made it fly! Cuz it was already a hit!


Dubcnn: I agree with you, man...

You know what I’m sayin’, Chad? This shit got me heated as a muthafucka. You can hear it in my voice *laughs*


Dubcnn: I know, I’m like damn, he’s getting heated over there!

Yeah, that shit pisses me off! It’s like the game is so fucked up, that we got to get it back to the OG’s, the originators, the guys that are creative and MAKE music, not TAKE music. I like music makers, not music duplicators. I will say this last thing about me. The kind of producer Shorty B is, Shorty B don’t go out when the electricity do! Like once your drum machine cut off, then that’s it for you. Man, I’ma pick up a guitar, I can play the drums, or play anything else that make noise without no electricity I’ma play it and keep the party rockin’!! That’s a real producer! A cat who can keep the party rockin’ no matter what, electricity or not, all these cats are only as strong as their drum machines. And I want that put in big letters. Shorty B said that! I mean, I’ll give you 50% for bein’ a super-producer, but how can I respect you when you done took somebody else’s record, sounds and shit, that they had to work hard for to make their hit what it wasand then you come along and takin’ all the hard work he just did, and put a drum beat around it, and then get your lil’ rapper to rap to it, and now you the shit! Ain’t no way in the fuck I’m respectin’ that!


Dubcnn: Yeah, I hear ya. I don’t even listen to the radio much at all...

Cuz it’s so immature and I don’t want that shit invadin’ my mind!! Cuz I got to be creative. I don’t want that fake-ass, immature-ass music that’s on the radio infiltratin’ my mind with that bullshit cuz I don’t believe in that, man.


Dubcnn: Yeah, somethin’ like Chain hang Low and all that shit...

Yeah! That stuff’s ridiculous, man! And that *whistles The Whistle Song by Juelz Santana*) this whistlin’ shit, man! I’m like, man c’mon! Is this what music has come to?! Is this where we getting’ at? They done took over the game, but ain’t got nothin’ to give back to the game. They just taking from it. Print that shit, dog. Whatever you do, print that shit. Big bold letters Shorty B said that.


Dubcnn: Let me get this one last thing before we cut off. You wanted me to make sure I mentioned this company you’re getting’ hooked up with…

Yeah, please, it’s XENOPIE, they do custom design products.

Dubcnn: Well, Shorty B, thanks for your time and please check this interview out over at Dubcnn.com and see the views and responses this in interview gets, cuz we got a lil’ group that discusses nothin’ but Dangerous Crew shit on there. They call me Dubcnn: – part of The Dangerous Crew Movement over there, and I’m just doin’ part to check in with you guys and try to bring you back out to the masses.

Yeah, that’s cool, man. That’d be really nice, man. That’s really cool.


Dubcnn: We just tryin to get caught up with you and see what you doin’ now, what you did in the past, and how everything happened and bring it full circle, and shit...

I’m gonna do another interview with you and give you the raw shit. I’ma give it to you raw and uncut. Probably start a lil’ controversy on the next one.


Dubcnn: Ok. That sounds good. So we doin’ another one then?

Put Volume 1 or Part 1


Dubcnn: Part 1? And you’re gonna give me another interview?

Yeah, say to be continued, cuz I’ma say some hard shit next time. I’ma put it on the front line.


Dubcnn: Ok! Well, I got your number and I’ma call u again soon, and I’m just gonna turn my mic on and let u say what u gotta say! Is that cool?

Right there! It works for me, man.


Dubcnn: Alright, Shorty B, man, I appreciate it!

Thanks, Chad! Me too, man!


Dubcnn: I had good time listening to your stories…

You know what I’m sayin’, call P and Banks, tell’em I gave the number to you, and tell’em you on that Dangerous Crew shit and you want the story.


Dubcnn: Ok, I’ll do that! I look forward to Part 2 with you…

Alright, dog, God Bless! One love!


Dubcnn: Later, man.


source-dubcnn.com

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