URB: Terrace Martin did a really nice job as the producer of the album. What surprised you the most about him?
Kurupt: His musical range. He is a jazz musician, a hip-hop producer, R&B producer, classical music producer; he is all over the map at such a young age. He is a modern day Miles Davis, a modern day Quincy Jones. He can hear the music, and he can see it. I like the live instrumentation. I don’t think people are into live songs anymore; I think people are into sounds. I like the real drum kick; I like the real snare. People want that West Coast sound with the clap. I am more about taking fans to a whole new world with the music. He is going to producing my next album with Pete Rock. We are going to keep it real in house with that and Terrace is going to be one of the headliners of that production team.
URB: Pete Rock’ s “Yes Sir” off of the new album provides fans with the most laid back flow. Tell me a little bit about your approach on this record.
Kurupt: I am a vibe guy. The words and the tone that I set on their came from the music.
URB: Even as long as you have been in the game, do you still get excited working with these legends, like Pete Rock.
Kurupt: Totally. When I work with Pete Rock, or Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Scott Storch, I get excited working with any of these number one producers, and that’s what I care about most.
URB: What made you decide to revisit the “Bounce, Rock, Roller skate” track on this album?
Kurupt: it was short changed from the door. I had more that I wanted to put on there when I made the record. Terrace like the way that it was and that’s why he released it, but I had more to say.
URB: When did you decide to include Snoop and Quick.
Kurupt: Originally it was going to be on the Terrace Martin project. It was such a banger that I personally requested Terrace that I include it as a bonus. The streets of L.A. will love it. I wanted it on there because I felt it was bigger than having it just on a mix tape.
URB: Looking at the track “Questions”, which is aimed at the media and probably fans to a certain extent. Do you see these questions as a double edged sword because on one hand, you hear the same questions over and over, but on the other hand it means that fans are still checking for you?
Kurupt: Not really because I didn’t make the record to scorn the media. I just made it to show the different questions that are asked to Kurupt on a daily basis because I didn’t answer any of them on there. I was just speaking from the media’s standpoint. People are always bashing the media, but the media isn’t all that bad. So I made the record from the Media’s standpoint, like I am the media, and this was a concept that Terrace and Problems came up with, and I just loved the concept. These are all of the questions I have been asked throughout my career, and this is sort of ironic more than anything.
URB: It almost sounded like you were trying to say, “Ask me something new. I have addressed all of those things before.”
Kurupt: That’s a great way of looking at it, but I am big on concepts , so my main thing is to compile all of the questions people ask me, and many of the questions I find amusing. It was more fun than anything.
URB: Let’s talk about some of your other recent collaborations. You worked with Murs on his most recent project, Fornever. You appear on the track that starts the project and brings it to a close. Tell me a little bit about collaborating with Murs and how that came together.
Kurupt: It was great to work with them. 9th Wonder is such an elaborative producer. Its good when an artist brings something to the table that you haven’t done before, and that’s what Murs did when you brought Wonder to work with. That was the first time I really worked with Murs. We did about two or three records that day. Our work ethics are really similar; we just want to get on the microphone and let go. The Wonder gave us the opportunity to let fly. Me and Murs have been working together. I did Paid Dues first before we did this project together. I came out during Murs’ set (2009) and performed “New York, New York”, and we just flew from there.
URB: Have them been any discussions about you and 9th doing a project together?
Kurupt: Definitely. I would love to do a project with him because of the hammers he’s got, and he’s got so many. You can definitely see me and 9th putting it down.
URB: What was it like being one of the featured artists at Paid Dues this year? For many fans it felt like a long time coming.
Kurupt: Yeah, it was a long time coming, but once Murs broke down what Paid Dues was, it was just like wow, this is a West Coast Rock the Bells. It was really exciting to be a part of that whole experience. It was a part of West Coast History. At this year’s Paid Dues, I was looking forward to Jay Electronica. I love that new record he has out. I always love the Cube shows. There are just so many people there that I love to perform.
URB: Its going around that you have collaborative projects with Fred Wrek, QTD, Preemo, Muggs, can you speak on some of these projects and when fans can expect them to drop?
Kurupt: I plan on making records until I die. I was born to be an MC. You are going to see a Muggs produced album, a Battlecat produced album, Grown Folk Music will be my next project with Pete Rock; you will also see another DJ Quick and Kurupt project next year where we will be giving fans a little bit of a harder edge. You will see these projects dropping over the next 3-5 years. Each one of the producers bring out a different Kurupt. You are going to see a different Kurupt on each of these projects.
URB: So that project with Preemo will happen?
Kurupt: Definitely
URB: You worked with Gang Starr on the “You Know My Steez” Remix. As music mourns the passing of Guru, what are some of your memories of him?
Kurupt: Guru was an innovator. He took chances, by the records or don’t. This is Gang Starr. He took a chance with Jazzmatazz, but Jazz was something that he loved. He was a jazz kid. He is thorough on concepts. He was about pure substance records, and that was one of the things that I learned from Guru. It is a big loss for hip-hop, and for myself, I lost a good friend.
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