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Let's conversate.
I'm with ya pimpin'. I got some shit to talk about so it's all to the good.
You're regarded by a lot of people as maybe the godfather of Memphis rap?
Yeah, me along with Gangsta Pat.
What initially made you want to start rapping?
I always had a love for rap from day one. Back when people like Run DMC, Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, when they was puttin' it down. Boogie Boys, I'm talkin' 'bout the whole breakdancin' thing. I was young, I was at elementary at the time but I was deeply influenced by it. I was widdit and I started writing at an elementary age. So I was influenced then just writing and just diggin' that whole vibe. But what really made me wanna be a rapper and feel like I could be an artist, as far as put out records and everything, is when Ice-T came out. I just felt that I related to a lot of stuff he was talkin' about. I was thinkin' to myself damn, shit. I could rap about stuff ya know, just like he rappin' about it - and probably could actually make it. I look up to Ice-T to this day you know what I'm sayin'? I don't give a damn, he always gonna get a record sale from me.
You said you could relate to what he was talkin' about. What sort of life were you livin'?
Well, I was growin' up in the projects so I was, ya know, doin' my little thing, as far as in the D-game? Is that where you got your name from?
Actually I got my name because my real name is Alfonso and Al Capone's real name was Alfonso. So it's like my grandmomma and momma, they used to tease me when I was growin' up, callin' me Al Capone. I would've never known I would be a rapper called 'Al Kapone'. That's how the name came up. But listenin' to Ice-T, livin' the type of life I was livin' at the time and livin' around people livin' that type of lifestyle I just deeply related to what he was talkin' about. It was some of the realest stuff I ever heard. He didn't just glorify the lifestyle, he really just spoke on it as far as the good and the bad, and I respected that. Like I said, that's what made me think I can do this.
That "Six 'N The Morning" shit.
Man, I'm talkin' about back to "Doggin' The Wax"! Fo' real.
You mentioned Gangsta Pat.
Ice-T was like my main influence but Gangsta Pat was like the first rapper outta Memphis to actually have a record released. I was like 'okay, Gangsta Pat did it, I know I can do it - he from my hometown', ya know what I'm sayin'? He was puttin' it down so he really laid down the inspiration to make me say okay I'm doin' it. Ice-T made me wanna do it and say I can do it. Gangsta Pat made me say I'm gon' do it.
Are you from the same part of Memphis as Gangsta Pat?
Nah, Gangsta Pat is from Blackhaven. I'm from South Memphis. Blackhaven is where Tela's from, DJ Paul, he's from Blackhaven. But I'm from South Memphis, kinda up the street from where Gangsta Blac and Playa Fly come from, around South Parkway.
What made you want to start your own thing?
I started as a performer so I just did a lot of stage shows. Being the opening act for a lot of artists that came in. Really my stage shows is what got me the opportunites that got me into the game. Normally when I do a stage show it's real high energy, real energetic. I get the people into it even if they've never heard the album or the song before. My stage presence always got me over and that's when people started lookin' at me like 'who is that dude?' ya know, 'we probably need to record somethin' with this dude'. The stage shows is what got me into doin' it.
How did that Memphis gangsta sound develop?
It came about really through the club scene. At the time, that's when the 'gangsta walk' was first gettin' started, that lil' dance we was doin' here, that lil' chant 'get buck' was goin' on. It was like a club thing but nobody had never really put it into the music. Gangsta Pat represented the gangsta side of the Memphis rap scene. I think I was like the first person to put that 'get wild make 'em act a fool' thing into the Memphis rap style. That's what everybody identified me with. The energy came from the club scene and I just got it and put it on record and put it on stage. It's never stopped since.
So the 'Tear Da Club Up' chant came later?
Three 6 and them came out with "Tear Da Club Up" but that was like years after I had already started. Matter of fact, DJ Paul and Lord Infamous had told me at one time that they used to imitate me, ya know what I'm sayin'? Before they got they chance. I remember a few shows that I did, I used to do shows like at the high schools and stuff. I remember performing at Hillcrest and DJ Paul was there. I remember signing him an autograph, he was one of the guys in the crowd gettin' wild with me. It was mad love 'do.
What would you say is the best album you've put out?
Well, my groundbreakin' record was actually a maxi-single. Like three songs and a remix song, called Lyrical Driveby. It was crazy because the quality of the recording was terrible, but the people loved it so much it didn't matter. It was like one of those classic moments in time as far as Memphis go.
I guess the bad sound made it sound more underground?
Yeah. But I'm talkin' 'bout bad! It was real bad ya know what I'm sayin', but the people, they didn't give a damn. They wanted that song by any means - it was poppin' up on everybody's mix-tapes, all kinds of stuff. Back to Paul again, I remember Paul comin' to me one day and sayin' man, so many people have put the song on they mix-tapes without even consulting me and people sayin' stuff like 'Al Kapone - he gon' get whoever do it', stuff like that. Paul came to me like 'is it alright man, can I use the song on the record?' I was like 'man, it's all good. If you need that to get yourself started, do that, it's all good. If you ever get a chance to show me some love,' not knowin' that they would be as big as they are right now, 'if you ever get a chance to show me some love, show me some love back one day.' So Lyrical Driveby was basically a maxi-single and that was like the hugest.
That never reached here. Da Resurrection was the first.
Okay, Da Resurrection, that was the most mainstream record I've had out. 'Cause I got fanmail from like Poland and Germany and they was talkin' about Da Resurrection. That was the one that got the most mainstream appeal.
So that was your biggest selling?
Yeah, that pretty much was the biggest one. It never was the hugest movin' record outta Memphis but Resurrection, we was able to do anywhere between forty (thousand) and fifty on that.
And Priority had a piece of that?
Priority had a piece of that but the funny thing about that record, it never was promoted, never. It was put out so I ain't mad about it but I will always wonder what it would've did if we actually did the promotion on it, maybe did a video or two.
You're one of the first Memphis rappers to collaborate with people from other areas. What made you decide to start getting on all those compilations and hookin' up with different people?
Man I love it, I love it. I felt like I was still in a lot of ways real underground still, and a lot of people who had blew up on a national level were gettin' more accepted. Like Eightball & MJG, Three 6 Mafia - a lot of those groups. They were blowin' up on a whole 'nother level and I felt like I never had the true opportunity to be felt on that level. At that time I was independent and I was like 'okay'. Normally when people want you to do compilations or feature on records, the red tape they have to go through to get the artist is so much to the point where sometimes the artist never gets a chance to make those connections. But since it was directly through me, it was simple. It was like if a company called, they had to call and talk to me direct. I really kept it simple ya know? Whatever we had to do to work it out, we worked it out.
That's what's great about the independent scene with you guys running your own labels. If people wanna hook-up, they can go directly to the guy that's running the label.
Exactly. They ain't got to go through the record companies, the management, this person and that person. Plus everybody tryna get they cut off us so the charges start goin' up and by that time, the company that's tryin' to do the collaboration, they feel like that's a little too steep or they give up or something like that. But since it was directly through me I was able to make everything happen. I felt like it was a good thing for me to do because I didn't wanna drop another solo record and I felt like the best thing for me to do was to do a lot of collaborations, to get heard in different markets. I know with independent distribution, a lot of independents, they might be strong in their area but not be as strong in other areas. Or it might be some kinda distribution breakdown and it'll slow you down from gettin' heard in different markets. I felt like if I got on these different records, wherever they were strong at I knew I would get heard in that area. I use that as my radio, that was like radio for me.
Along with people like UGK, you must spend a lot of your time travelling?
Yeah, I love it. You get a chance to meet different people and find out different vibes in different areas. Like in the South, we all got a similar vibe overall but if you go to different places in the South everybody still got their own individual flavour and everything. You would never know about it unless you go to those different areas to really get a good feel for what's goin' on. And that's just the South so you can imagine goin' to the West - that's a totally different feel and vibe, goin' to the midwest and different stuff like that. That's what I like about travelling, you get to see what's goin' on and get a different perspective on what's happening in different areas. You can see what people in different areas like about your material and then you can kinda make a connection with everybody. I get so many people sayin' 'I like this song, I like this song' in different areas and you start to think, 'okay I need to do more songs like this', because in some kind of way it's connected with all these people.
How did Memphis To Tha Bombed Out Bay come about?
Well, at that time I had did so many compilations and I was like it's time for me to do a little release on the Alkatraz label, but I was thinkin' I'm not ready to do another solo album yet. I had real strong connections comin' out of California and at the time a lot of those people were tryin' to get exposure in the southern area. So I just did the same thing I did when I was collaborating on their records and worked out a little deal, whatever. I got certain groups outta the Bay Area just to contribute certain songs. And I got the groups I work with here and a few groups that's not actually on the Alkatraz label, but people it was easy to make a connection with and I'm like 'okay, I'mma try this record Memphis To Tha Bombed Out Bay.' We did it and that record is still selling right today. Record stores everywhere I go to, they're like 'man, we still sellin' that record'.
You must have been one of the first rappers from Memphis to hook-up with a lot of artists from California. I saw DJ Squeeky did some production on the Land Of Da Lost album too.
That particular record, it was produced by me, J-Dogg and Squeeky. Squeeky did the drums on it. The music was done by me and a guy named J-Dogg. I can say that I'm one of the first artists from Memphis to really have a strong California connection. I get a lot of fanmail from California.
Do you do your own production as well?
I do a lot of my production with J-Dogg, we call ourselves Alkatraz Productions. But I don't just do all of it because I have to write and a lot of other stuff, so we work with other producers like DJ Squeeky or SMK, ya know what I'm sayin'? If the track is hot I'll feel workin' with people.
So it was your Bay connection that led you to hook-up with E-40 and Sick-Wid-It?
Exactly. Like I said, you can't explain everything but it was connections that kept comin' from out that way. Somethin' always pointed me towards that way, so I started travellin' out there more. In some kind of way, E-40 was lookin' for me to be on that Southwest Riders compilation! It blew me away. He called my house and I'm talkin' to him and I'm like 'well, don't nobody else really sound like this dude, it's gotta be him!' It was real cool. That did wonders for me bein' on that compilation because so many big artists was on there - from Master P to UGK, to of course E-40, Eightball & MJG - so many people was on it. So that did a lot of good for me and after that, that's when I came with Memphis To Tha Bombed Out Bay and E-40, he thought that I was still doin' my thing on an independent basis. I met up with him in the Bay a couple of times when I was promotin' Memphis To Tha Bombed Out Bay. We went to the studio at his crib and we kinda hung out and kicked it for a minute and we ended up doin' a song together at his crib. I'd say a few months later he had gave me a call and asked me how I felt about gettin' down with Sick-Wid-It. I felt like that would be a beautiful move for me because I personally didn't wanna do another independent record as Al Kapone because the people, they wanna see you elevate. I felt like that was the move to show people that it's time for me to elevate to another level.
What is Sick-Wid-It doing for you?
The deal I got with Sick-Wid-It is as a solo artist. What they bring to the table is, E-40 got money connections to really put the real work into pushin' a record. He got a lot of strong connections from bein' in the game as long as he's been and on the level he been on - and doin' the independent thing as long as he's been doin' it with Jive. They got the power and the clout to make certain things happen. Like this might be the second record overseas they'll actually get a chance to hear comin' from me, because it's comin' from Sick-Wid-It/Jive and that's a major. Basically they got the money and the power to make more things happen and through that, it can move me up and then I can use that juice to put back into my independent label. It works out all the way around.
I'm feelin' that buckshot from the cover already!
Man! So many people gave me love for the cover alone. It's like 'that cover's the muthafuckin' bomb!' I knew it was a good cover but I didn't know it was gonna touch people as much as it did.
What I like about it is that you're in your dressing gown - comin' out blastin'!
Man, just lettin' people know it's do or die, I'm goin' all out ya know what I'm sayin'? Either you gonna ride or die and man, I ain't gon' lie to you, this is definitely the strongest record I ever put together.
Is the album done now?
Yeah it's finished, I just got one song to do with Suga T. I did a collaboration with MJG, Eightball, of course E-40, B-Legit, and then I got my dudes that I been workin' with, Taylor Boyz. It's a real hot record.
Who handled most of the production on that album?
Well, Alkatraz Productions did production on it. SMK did some stuff, DJ Squeeky did some stuff and Neil Jones, he did a lot of stuff on it. He did a lot of stuff for Eightball, Tela and some people like that.
So you kept a lot of Southern producers on the album?
Yeah definitely. It's a Southern record for sure.
What's comin' up next for Alkatraz?
We had this new Taylor Boyz record and now we gonna chill for a minute, go ahead and let my record come out and do what it's gon' do. And then I'll start makin' decisions on what the next move for Alkatraz will be. We might do a record with all the Alkatraz artists on it. It'll be more like a click album rather than a compilation.
I know you do a lot of writing as well. Would you like to write a book or something like that?
Maybe. I started in elementary writin'. I was on like the school newspaper writin' and I used to write short stories in elementary, so who knows? I might get into doing some stuff like that. I do a lot of writing for other artists. I wanna get into just writin' songs, not just for myself but writin' songs in general, that I could sell through publishing or something like that. The avenues in the game are so broad, you just gotta know how to exploit every opportunity that you get. Some people, they just try to be an artist and that's it. I'mma be an artist 'cause that's what I do but I wanna make money bein' an artist, doin' shows, I got my own video show here in Memphis. It's real hot, it's called Underground TV. That's on the cable channel but it's so raw it's like one of the hottest shows here. It's raw, I'm talkin' 'bout you get to see from the Juveniles to the Fiends to the C-Murders to the DJ Pauls, Playa Flys. You see it in its rawest elements 'cause we might be on there smokin' out, we might be drinkin', all kinds of stuff. Just some straight underground. I wanna hit network TV one day.