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Originally Posted by AllenB25
"the ghetto jam is about to slam" ...yeah,
def a classic.....i think he was tha first rapper
outta st.louis....i might be wrong , he coulda been
from tha west coast somewhere
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st. louis???????? your kidding right?
The Domino Effect
Long Beach County, California has produced some of hip hop's biggest names. Warren G, Nate Dogg and Snoop Doggy Dogg are just a few of them. Their style is defined as "g-funk" and they sound like a mix of Parliament, Mowtown, and some rugged beats. Central to the g-funk sound explosion is none other the LBC's very own Domino.
Domino hit the air waves in the summer of 94' with the funk soaked "Ghetto Jam" that was heard in Jeeps and Land Cruisers from East L.A. to the South Bronx. His self titled debut album went gold several times over and is still selling. Following up a single that has sold over a million copies to date, Domino released "Sweet Potato Pie" which is still heard at clubs and house parties across the nation. This is not a CD that you are likely to find at your local used record store.
Along with success came cash and fame, things that can inflate egos and distract those not ready for it, worse yet cause folks to fall off. Domino was not about to let this new found fame and fortune throw him off of his original plan: making the entertainment business his 9-5 job. "It's not about getting paid now, it's about getting paid in the years to come," says Domino. He was not about to sit around the crib and pat himself on the back until his money ran out.
So, Domino went out and bought his own recording equipment, his own production equipment and got to work on his latest bomb, "Physical Funk." As you are sitting here reading this, somewhere in America the title track and first single from the album is bumpin' at high volume. But "Physical Funk" is not just about keeping Jeeps bouncing, it's about innovation and growing with the times. In the future months you will see Domino's name as the producer of many up and coming hip hop artists' albums and possibly on a cut with none other than "The Ruler," Slick Rick.
He is a busy man, but Domino put a halt to his hectic schedual of producing, recording, networking and occasional loungin' with the homies to share a bit of the playa's world with LIFT Magazine Online.
LIFT Magazine Online: So, you just got back from doing a spring break show on South Padre Island. How did that go?
Domino: Off the Hook! That was some way out stuff.
LIFT: Do you do that kind of thing every year?
Domino: No, not really. I think we were just going down there to do kind of a promotional thing, you know, with the new album coming out and all.
LIFT: You did most of the production in your latest album, "Physical Funk," how was that for you?
Domino: Well, on the first album Battlecat did most of it, but I wanted to get into it this time. The programming and the production of it, that is. So I had to sit down with the equipment and learn it because I had seen it done, but watchin' and doin' are two different things. So, we just put the equipment in the studio, laid everything out and just made it happen.
LIFT: What was tough for you about learning to produce?
Domino: What wasn't!? You know, you are dealing with all of this new stuff and no one wants to teach you how to use it. I don't understand. If you know how to do something, why don't you teach the next man? It's not like somebody can steal your flavour from you. It's like Roger (Troutman) from Zapp. Everybody uses a voice box now, but nobody sounds like Roger. It took me a while to learn about the equipment. You get something that you don't know too much about and you really aren't going to do too much with it. After about a month it was just sitting there and I had spent so much money on it. It was just sittin' there and I was looking at thousands and thousands of dollars. I hadn't even turned it on. So, I just threw all of the manuals away and sat down, for hours, and learned it for myself.
LIFT: How long did it take you to put this album together?
Domino: About a month, month and a half.
LIFT: Do you write most of your music in the studio?
Domino: It depends. Sometimes you get in there and start to vibe and it comes out just right. Sometimes I just go down to the water by myself and think about the world and make it make sense. Sometimes you go into the studio to put down some tracks and some other madness comes into your head and you start making things up right then and there.
LIFT: Have you taken your production skills and collaborated with any one else?
Domino: I would like to, but I haven't really collaborated with a lot of people yet. I just got a call to do something with Slick Rick which would be cool. I would like to collaborate with a lot of people, but I'm really not into the stress. There is a lot that comes into play when you deal with other people. Sometimes you get much attitude. People have different ideas about what's going to happen and who is going to get paid and how much and so on. You see, I want to keep it different. The minute you let that stress come in it does things to your creative stuff. I'm down with people that are straight with me. Everyone gets paid for the abilities that they have. People let money get in the way and that can hurt the creativity. People get all caught up in it and that's what I can't deal with.
LIFT: You don't curse a great deal on your albums. Why is that?
Domino: Because it is a challenge. You know, I only said about three or four curses in ten songs. And, I keep it real for the homies and the homegirls. Also, I don't want to have to make a radio edit for every song. If a radio station likes six or seven songs off of the album, I want them to be able to play them. The challenging part comes from trying to use another word other than "shit" or "muthafucker" that the homies can relate to that is just as effective. Some people think that if you take all of the "shits" and "mutherfuckers" out that you are a sell- out. I don't feel that that's the case. I think it shows that you can get your point across without doing things the same way as everybody else. Also. what you have got to understand is that we as artists need to take it to another level. We have got the (Robert) Dole's and the (Newt) Gingrichs out there saying that we are poisoning the minds of the youth. What they don't understand is that we are who the youth are listening to.
LIFT: Do you feel that by not cursing you jeopardize you relationship with the "hardcore" hip hop audience?
Domino: No. They know who I am. They know that it's just entertainment and about making money. They all know me anyway. If they got something to say about it they will let me know.
LIFT: From what I understand, you went to junior high school with Snoop Doggy Dogg. Were you rivals at that time?
Linear Mode
