By David Ma

“Now, you know you don’t own a Benz / Yes, I do and chrome’s the trim,” says Redman to himself on “Redman Meets Reggie Noble,” a track off his 1992 debut, Whut? Thee Album.  Even then, he drew a line between himself and Redman, a boastful blunt smoking, gun-toting rap character who’s nothing like Reggie (besides the blunt smoking part).  17 years later, his new album Reggie Noble 9 ½ furthers this distinction and caps a career that’s made him known in the world of both rap and entertainment.

Renowned for his solo work (Dare Iz A Darkside and Muddy Waters) and collaborations with Methodman (Blackout! 1 & 2), Redman’s appeared in films and TV, runs his own label, Gilla House Records, and is an admitted workhorse.  “I multi-task ‘cause I’m after that paycheck,” he says, something that was apparent during our interview as he placed me on hold repeatedly, prepping a new album and mixtape with his agent, all while taking his daughter to soccer practice.

I caught Reggie on a rare but busy off-day to talk about his pre-Redman days, upcoming film work, and other projects in the pipeline.  Here’s to Reggie Noble, a rapper who’s never taken himself seriously and who’s built a name through hard rhymes–and an even harder work ethic.  Or, as he once put it: “So fuck all you fools out there with a large vocabulary in your sentence / I don’t need that shit to pay my rent with!”

You debuted on EPMD’s Business As Usual? Talk about that history for people who don’t know?
I met the legendary EPMD at a club in Jersey called “Sensations.”  I was actually a DJ at the time and was with this other dude. We went to Sensations to see MC Lyte, but once we got there, we saw EPMD backstage and decided to just kick it.  My friend told Eric Sermon [that] I could rap, mind you, I was a DJ at the time and only knew, like, two raps [laughs]!  But they kept fucking with me, telling me to kick some raps for them.  After a few hours of drinking and smoking, I kicked some raps and Eric threw me on stage that very same night! That’s how I got down with those dudes.  That’s how everything started basically.

That’s how you linked up with Def Squad?
After that night, EPMD was just a phone call away.  We became homies and I ended up living with Eric [Sermon] for some months.  When they’d go on tour, I’d come along to carry their bags and shit.  Eventually I worked my mic skills up and got to be featured along with Def Squad.

After dropping your first album, Whut? Thee Album, you made Dare Iz A Dark Side.  When was the last time you heard those albums?
Man, I haven’t [listened to] them in like… when I recorded that shit [laughs].  Over the last ten years, I’d say I probably heard parts of them, but I never sat down and listened to the whole thing.

Out of all your records, which has the most sentimental value for you?
Oooh, hmmm, Muddy Waters and my first album.

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