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Joell Ortiz Chops Up The Brick Artist: Joell Ortiz Interviewer: Tommy Faone |
Joell Ortiz Chops Up The Brick
Interviewed by Tommy Faone 04-22-07
AmalgamDigital.com: You have some heavyweight producers on “The Brick” like The Alchemist, you got rap legend Big Daddy Kane, and you got some up up and coming underground artists like Graph and Immortal Technique. You also have what some many consider to be one of the most consistent hit makers in the industry right now, Akon…How were you able to get so many features to come out and contribute to this album?
Joell Ortiz: Well hmm, Akon is Block Royal which is my team. Dudes like Big Daddy Kane’s, they were just getting wind of me…on some “This dude is nice and he is from Brooklyn”. On the producers, I wasn’t really trying to reach out, I got alot of in house producers and dudes I work with already. As the buzz progressed, and we worked harder & harder people started to reach out. The Alchemist & The Premiers and stuff like that were first like “you know, whatever,” but then when you got these guys reaching in like Saigon, we were like “forget it, we gotta do this”. Immortal Technique I bump heads with him all the time at underground venues and stuff like that. Ras Kass as well…and hmm, I’m just blessed to have these people want to be part of my movement.
AmalgamDigital.com: I understand “The Brick” was created before you got signed, when you were going through a lot of personal trials and tribulations. Do you think you will have any problems finding that same hunger that lives in your music now on future projects with Dr. Dre seeing that your lifestyle has changed?
Joell Ortiz: No because there are things that always remind you where you come from and I notice that. I got two deals now and there are things that still happen on a daily basis that hmmm… hold on one minute [Interview gets interrupted with the sounds of a child screaming in the background – Joell asks us to hold on for one minute and yells “YO, HE HAS TO BE QUIET. I AM DOING AN INTERVIEW. TAKE HIM IN THE OTHER ROOM”] Im sorry man, so there are things that happen that remind you were you come from. Like just today… just going up to Koch and seeing what’s going on.. there is always work, I am always grounded yo.
AmalgamDigital.com: The Brick is out on Koch April 24th. Is this deal something that was inked before the Aftermath deal? And if so, how does that work into your contractual agreement with Interscope?
Joell Ortiz: The way it work was like We was in talks with Koch at first but nothing was on paper so at first The Brick was going to come out as a mixtape. I was just fed up going in and out of meetings with people saying “ You’re a little heavyset”, or “Your Spanish”, so I was going to just throw it out feel me? So Koch got wind of it and said it was incredible and wanted to invest in it. Then Dre’s assistant on the west coast got a hold of my demo and she called my management and said “I played your stuff to Dre and he really likes it”, so we thought it was just some positive feedback. She was like “no, you don’t understand. He wants to fly you out, like as soon as possible!” and we were like WOW. We went out there and chopped it up with the aftermath staff . I met Dre the following day and he said, “On the real, there isn’t much I want to talk about because the record has me sold. I just want to make sure you weren’t a knucklehead or have any rap beef because you know I have taken loses over nonsense.” So I told him I am a honest kid just trying to make music and who better to do it with than someone like you and he was with that. He said “ Have your people call my people and welcome to Aftermath” and I was like wow of course I’m going to do this Aftermath thing but I was in talks with Koch already. He was like “What’s going on with that?” and I told him we have an independent album we are trying to get out and the paper work isn’t there yet but we like made a verbal commitment and he said “That is kind of different in terms of a dude putting an independent release out before a major one, especially over here. We don’t do that over here.” and I was like, “I am a man of my word Dre, it’s all I got, my word and my grind. I made a lot of promises to producers who are on the album, studio I worked out of, ya know what I mean people counting on me coming out know what I mean, so I can’t really do that” So he was like “alright send me the album so I can listen to it.” So we sent it to him, then he called me the next day. Six in the morning from the west coast and said
“the album is incredible and I don’t see this doing anything but helping our situation, so go head put it out and get your money, get your gwop and do what you do.” So I am like holy crap I just got Dr Dre’s blessing. So that’s how that worked out. So what happens on April 24th will definitely speed up the project on Aftermath.
AmalgamDigital.com: Have you began working on your Aftermath debut? And what is the timeframe of when it will be released?
Joell Ortiz: Well I’m six to eight songs into it already. From working with Jazzy Phe to Kwame. I just did a track with Smokey Robinson. Its getting crazy dude.
AmalgamDigital.com: I was wondering if you were at all afraid of falling into the vaunted Aftermath trap of getting signed, building hype, sitting on the sidelines collecting dust and eventually getting dropped such as G.A.G.E, Hittman and Rakim….and what do you think makes you different?
Joell Ortiz: You can’t concern yourself with the past. You know the thing is to keep people excited, what is he going to do next. If I got this deal and just sat there, that was my fault. And if I didn’t act like I got the deal and continue working and being grounded, then everyone would be excited. I am here to make Dre’s job easier. I want him to understand he signed something that is already in motion, and is still moving and when he comes in it’s that much easier for him because he is a pioneer and he shouldn’t have to work that hard.. I got this. So I will go out and do everything I have to do without him telling me or Aftermath telling me and that’s going to get them excited and plus I can rhyme.
AmalgamDigital.com: I understand you were in negotiations with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label back in 2005 and were close to signing over there…what happened there? That caused you not signed with him?
Joell Ortiz: Well, I won a EA Sports emcee battle and the winner would end up on NBA live 05 and a demo deal with Arista. EA kept their promise, and what happened with Jermaine Dupri was Arista was on the down and eventually folded. Jermaine told my people to hold on because he had something working over at Virgin and he would keep up his end of the bargain and it never happened. So Through moving with labels, that’s a huge move for a big time producer/pioneer, so it easy to understand how a winner of a rap battle could get lost in the source.. you feel me? So I was kind of upset, so I had to double back and think about it. I wasn’t big yet, a big deal. I can’t knock it. The only thing that got me upset was when he signed that kid Sunny. It was a little smack in the face that you don’t sign the winner of a battle you sponsored but you would sign another battle winner. You know what I’m saying? But it was all good. There was never no beef. I was like wow, but I’m good now. That was a chapter in my book. We are all good now… like all is good , Me & Jermaine…We are cool. Those are learning experiences it just shows you that you have to stay grounded and that you have to keep busting your tails cause it’s gonna get serious.
AmalgamDigital.com: Lastly I understand you are doing an exclusive promo joint for Amalgam Digital with Breeze Brewin of The Juggaknots over a dope, hard hitting Moss produced track, how is that coming along?
Joell Ortiz: Its coming along great. I am always working. Everything I do I double and triple check. Moss is a great producer. He has been producing for me for a few years now… so I see good things coming from that. DJ Next is a good dude he was one of the first dudes to believe in me. Shout to DJ Next & Amalgam Digital.
