Your new album Angel Dust and Waffles has one of the more creative titles I’ve heard in awhile. How did you come up with that title?

Me and my homeboy Dom, we recorded the album in his basement and the original title was going to be Dom’s Refrigerator and we were going to name different songs like “Brita” and “Lasagna.” Everything in his refrigerator. But I said something and he said, “That’s like angel dust and waffles” and we just laughed so hard. We were like, ‘That’s the title right there.’ It got a good response. It means it’s good food that drives you crazy. Everyone’s been coming up with their own titles for what part two should be.

Bullet and a Bracelet was another great title for an Illa Ghee album. How do you decide on a title?

Sometimes it’s simple statements that you want to come out with and just say something. Anybody that knows my music knows I always named my music by feeling. I have a song called “Designer Jacket” and it has nothing to do with a designer jacket, but the song just felt like a designer jacket. The beat just made me feel good. That’s how I come up with titles.

Dom Dirtee produced the entire project. How did you two meet and work on an entire album?

Me and Dom have always been friends. He’s done most of the covers for my CDs. He’s also a producer. We were chopping it up one day about coming out with a CD. I always felt his beats were pretty good and we decided to just do a real project, an EP, and see what happens. It can’t hurt. I think he’s a dope producer, fresh. I’m trying to stay away from the cookie cutter sound, all the music that sounds the same. It’s fresh but it’s still hard-hitting. I’m glad the people like it.

What did you hear in Dom that let you know you could do an entire album together?

I would say it’s more of an up-to-date boom-bap sound. It’s kind of a cool, gritty boom-bap sound but it’s not so gritty.

You’ve been pushing Angel Dust and Waffles on your own. You don’t have a promo team behind it or anything like that. What’s that been like?

It’s been work. It’s a job. We actually put it out through Soulspazm. We’ve just been pushing it, really pushing it. You really have to understand people and if I’m one of your favorite artists, support the project. I’m not at the point where radio is playing my stuff. I don’t have the machine behind me. In order for me to keep going, I need you to keep me going. I’m still constantly putting out projects. I may not be putting them out as fast as you want me to, but the projects that I put out, I gotta make sure they go as far as I can push it.

What’s been the biggest challenge being independent today?

It’s the awareness, making sure people are aware of the project. People still think that I can have it in the stores. Everyone doesn’t have iTunes. It’s really the awareness of where they can get it, where you can cop it at, and what other means you can use to get it as far and wide as possible.

Are you enjoying the independent process and grind?

Yeah, because if I fail, it’s my fault. There’s no one else to blame but me. Plus I’m learning as I go. There’s nothing better than learning as you go along with it.

On Twitter, you recently shouted out Maino for his success after being released from prison, a situation you’re familiar with. What does it take to be successful after prison?

My outlet didn’t work out so much. I came out and I thought Mobb Deep would teach me the ropes, but they didn’t, so I had to go out and learn them on my own, pretty much. I didn’t have a mentality for the business and they sure didn’t let me know about it. I just figured I would have the best teachers with them being in the business and if it wasn’t to be put out through them, they would show me the best way to be independent and I have to say I was wrong about that.

You were loyal to them through their various beefs from what I could see.

Yeah, I was loyal. I mean, we’re still cool today. I just learned that you can’t wait on nobody. I just wish that things would be different and unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. Me being the person that I am, I’m not going to give up. I just took a longer road. The road is taking longer than expected.

Even through your trials and tribulations, Angel Dust and Waffles is a testament that you’re still making great music.

Yeah, because I feel I’m a good artist. I strongly feel I’m a good artist. The response that I get from the fans and new people that are introduced to my music, you know, everything has been, “No, don’t stop. A lot more people know who you are than you think.” That’s why I always say that I’m the most known unknown rapper in New York City.

Each album you’ve dropped has shown improvement in your ability to rap. How do you consistently show improvement?

It’s about matching everything up. I learned how to put together an album watching Mobb Deep and watching the Alchemist. Silently, I learned to sit there and look at how they structure an album or whatever. There is no loyalty, I learned. All you can do is just hope for the best. Whatever you feel strong about, hope the people will accept from you. You just put your best foot forward. You just can’t have albums with songs all over the place. I know different emotions come out as you write albums but you don’t want to go all over the place. It’s just a process. When you talk about different topics and different subjects, it’s how you want it to be perceived. It’s also about the beats you pick. You want to make sure you pick things where it doesn’t sound like you’ve done it before. I try my hardest not to sound repetitive.

What’s next for you now that Angel Dust and Waffles is out?

I’m working on a quite a few projects. The main ones now that I’m working on is Move Still, Lay Standing. There’s another one, The Ghee Code. And Disco Lemonade. Those are the projects right now. Me and Dom are going to work but I’m also going to work with different producers and different artists, just to fill my repertoire. I can be a part of the new talent and prove that I can stand on my own with any talent out there.

http://illaghee.com

http://twitter.com/illaghee2k

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You recently dropped The Cure 2, another dope Willie the Kid mixtape. Are you happy with how it’s doing so far?

Yeah, I’m excited about it. The Cure 2 was definitely a project that I was excited about putting together last year. I did The Fly 2 and The Crates to really go in that direction for The Cure 2. It’s really an in-your-face, a rhyme-driven project. I wasn’t really looking for no radio hits or I wasn’t looking for no single hooks. I was really just trying to take it back to the cipher and the basement and we definitely got that approach, definitely.

That was my favorite part of the mixtape, just real lyrical tracks. Are those your favorite tracks to make?

I enjoy it all, man. I enjoy making stuff for the mainstream because for me, it comes natural to make that type of material. When I’m able to just go crazy and do whatever the heck I want to do, it’s therapeutic for me, man. It goes beyond making music for a career at that point. When you sign to a label and the label got certain expectations and you have things you have to do for certain markets, that’s a strategy. But when I’m making music just for me, it’s holistic, man. It’s a therapy process for me, man.

What tracks were the most fun on The Cure 2?

The most fun, I think, was picking the beats. That was probably the most fun in the process. I was getting the grimiest, most in-your-face process I could find. I went with my trustees for that and got Frank Dukes, MoSS, and getting together with all my brothers and carving out that process. That, and the artwork, putting that together.

Is it ever hard getting beats for a free download?

Oh nah, nah. Those guys are good friends of mine. Those guys, I respect their talent and they respect mine. We talk on and off the grid. I understand what they’re doing and I understand what they do. I do records for them and I never charge them anything and they send me records and never charge me anything. I think for us all, we understand that and now if I had a major release and it was dropping and I had a budget, I would definitely pay them out of being a good dude and being fair, but as far as mixtapes, I think we all recognize the power of the underground and what it means to put some good shit together, even if it’s not mainstream.

And they’ll be the first ones you’d call when you get a budget.

Damn right.

The last time we’d talked you just released the Never a Dull Moment EP with Lee Bannon and the album was forthcoming. How’s that project coming?

It’s dope. We can’t stop making the music, man. We’ve been making mad music and some of the music is so dope I want to put it out. “Drunk Ass Bitch” was really for the Never a Dull Moment but we threw that out on The Cure 2. Now we have to just sit down and organize it. We make tons of music all the time but we haven’t really started pushing anything on the project. He sends me beats and I send him songs back and we go on and on with making music but I think we have to organize what we’re doing for the project.

But it’s definitely coming out. I would say we just got lost in the sauce and the idea of making the music. We just have to get the release date and all that.

You’ve always been known for working with DJ Drama, but you weren’t on his latest album Third Power. Is everything good?

Dram’s still a good friend of mine and we still keep in touch. He’s doing what he’s doing with his career and I think I just have to keep doing what I’m doing with mine for now. I think for now, everybody, me, him, Don Cannon, Sense, La the Darkman, everybody’s found a new comfort in just going in their own direction. No hard feelings. There’s no beef, no internet blogs. Everybody just needs to work in their own space right now. We’ll get back to it eventually.

Do you want to establish yourself as a solo artist more?

Yeah. I think we never gave our solo careers a chance. We’ve always been so connected to each other for such a long time. I don’t want to say we grew out of it but we all grew into a need to pursue our individual paths. That’s what was next on the agenda for everybody.

Do you have any regrets from the moves you made back in ’06 and ’07, when you were just starting to become knowing in the hip-hop community?

I can’t say there’s anything I wouldn’t do because it all got me to where I am today. I’m not one for regrets. I think everything that happened was supposed to happen. I think being so attached to Drama and the Apphiliates and Gangsta Grillz, I think what that did was give me a platform for being able to do what I’m doing now. I think it gave me a platform. I think back then, it gave me the leverage to do this crazy shit I’m doing now.

You’ve worked with a lot of big names on Gangsta Grillz mixtapes and albums. What have you learned through those experiences?

The number one thing I learned, man, was who I am as an artist. I believe in organic, natural chemistry and an organic, natural physical process. I like to identify with the artist as a person and I think that really makes for a beautiful product. A lot of times in the past, we were doing shit because it was good for business or it flowed for what we were doing as a company, business-wise. But I think in 2011, from some of the collaborations I did, like Styles P, Cory Gunz, and Jon Connor, I think stuff like that, and Krondon from Strong Arm Steady, I think those kind of collaborations and musical projects we put together, I think they speak more to what I’m saying as far as having a true bond and a true connection with the people I’m working with for the sake of the music.

Who would you like to work with next?

I’m excited to work with some producers. I can rap for three or four motherfuckers. I want to work with the RZA, Kanye West, Havoc, Pete Rock. All the producers, man. Madlib. I want to work with some producers. That’s who I want to get with.

What does it take for up-and-coming producers to catch your ear?

I don’t know, man. I just know when I hear it. Friends of mine say I’m too picky and they’ll play me a beat and I won’t like it and a week later I will. I’m real funny about beats and I’m real particular about beats. I got to a point now where I don’t even rap on beats unless it makes me go crazy at first. I don’t believe in “grow-on-me” beats. The song magically comes together in my mind before I can write it down. That’s the kind of beats I’m looking for and I got some real good friends in the business that I can turn to for beats. Every time Alchemist sends me beats it’s always incredible. I think Al’s one of my favorites right now and of course Lee Bannon. They send me shit and it always goes. And my man V. Don out of Harlem, New York. He’s got some crazy shit too. When I get beats from them brothers, I’m straight. But I do want to branch out and make some more music with up-and-coming producers and I think that’ll come as I keep making music.

What’s next for you?

I’m about to do this project called Moment in Time. It’s going to basically be, I’m not even sure what to call it at this point, it’s going to be a package where you download a link and you get some videos, rare throwback footage and rare behind the scenes footage. It’s basically going to be an interview and music to go along with it. It’ll be like when an artist went on Rap City and they showed all their videos at that time. I’m going to give a real in-depth interview about my career and videos from throughout my career.

How’s your big brother La the Darkman doing?

Oh, he’s doing well. He’s doing really well. He was doing some dates with Wu-Tang on the Wu-Tang Tour. He was just reaching out and going back to his roots with the Clan. Him and RZA’s relationship has always been great. We got some great things coming in the future with La and RZA so check out for that.

What talent should we be watching for from Michigan next?

My man S. Class Sonny. Make sure you check out for him. He’s a friend I grew up with and he had to go away, pay a debt to society. But he always stayed in touch and when he came back, I told him all my resources would be his. He’s my friend, but I’m telling you he’s one of the most influential and hardest-working cats I know. I’m not talking about the ones that are already on the radio and known already. He’s one of the fastest growing guys. Check for him.

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Stu, you’ve been busy working on a lot of different projects, from the full-length LP with Blaq Poet to working on Copywrite’s new album God Save the King. What was it like working with Copy?

It was pretty easy to work with Pete. He’s a real talented dude. I’ve been listening to him probably since I was a freshman in college. I know what type of beats he sounds good on as far as the tempo and as far as what type of vibe on the beats that he would gravitate towards. I sent him a ton of beats and he took a bunch and maybe out of every seven or eight, he picked, like, two and then recorded on them and sent them back. I wasn’t in the studio with him but he would send them back and it was always pretty crazy what he came up with. I pretty much sent him all of my new shit that I was making and he picked the ones that he was feeling and he laid them down. It all came out pretty good as far as I’m concerned.

When you send out beats, you have your idea of what artists would sound good on and they have their own ideas. Do you feel like Copy picked the best beats or did you have others you wished he’d taken?

There were a couple of them that when I make them, I think, “Oh, wow, everyone’s gonna want this one” or whatever. There were one or two that he said were crazy and he planned on using those and I was excited to hear the finished product but he didn’t use those. There were a few of those. But of the ones he picked, I’m pretty happy with the way they sound. It’s a good mix of him picking ones that I really felt strongly about.

Is it a little intimidating sending music to someone that you’ve been a fan of for a long time?

At first it was. It’s like, ‘Oh, wow, what if he doesn’t like my shit?’ He was hitting me up on Facebook and it was cool. We were going back and forth but the first time I sent him, like, fifteen beats and I was wondering about what if he didn’t like any. But then we did a freestyle for HipHopDX and it came out good and then we did another one. Then there weren’t any inhibitions at that point.

The “Workahol” beat was something I hadn’t heard from you before in your other productions. Did you feel like that was a departure from your usual sound?

Nah, it was different. It was a different tempo. It was a little bit slower. I talked to my partner in crime, Vanderslice, and he said I always do beats that sound like you could murder somebody to. I tried to branch out with Copy since he’s not talking about killing people and robbing people. There’s nothing wrong with talking about that. But I was looking for different types of vibes and that’s one of the ones I came up with.

Did you surprise yourself at all with that beat?

When I made it, I knew someone was going to want this and he said right away that he wanted it. As soon as I sent it out, ten minutes later, he said he needed this. When I heard the sample and then as soon as I started chopping it up, I knew it was going to be pretty good.

I love the gritty, dirty Stu Bangas sound but also hear your production growing. How do you see yourself maturing as a producer?

I’m becoming more than just samples and drums. That’s what I started with, just chopping samples and chopping drum breaks. And now I’m trying to get more into different types of synths on the beats and trying to make the overall sound quality bigger and better and trying to get some major label placements. There’s a couple of guys talking to me and Vanderslice who shop beats to major label guys. If that happens, good. If not, no big deal. I just do it because I like to do it and working with talented artists. That will continue, going forward.

I just want to keep on making dope music. I figure the rest will take care of itself. I’m not too concerned with chasing big names. I just want to make dope music. The other stuff, I’m not concerned with.

Is it a challenge getting beats heard with how many producers are out there today?

Not too much. There’s a lot of competition, but you just have to catch the rappers at the right time. I get pretty good feedback and I just try to pay attention to what guys are working on stuff. That’s what the internet is good for. I know what guys are working on projects and I’ll send something to them. I’ll put certain things aside for guys when I know what they’re looking for, specifically.

You and Blaq Poet did an album together, Blaq Poet Society, last spring. What was it like working with Poet on that?

It was pretty crazy, man. I’ve been listening to Poet since he was on Tommy Boy and Screwball and “Who Shot Rudy” and all that stuff. I never thought I’d be working with him. Working with him was good. He’s a nice guy. He’s pretty straightforward. That project was kind of like my baby and it came out how I envisioned it, as far as the whole horror movie theme to it. Putting it together with him and Vanderslice was like a dream come true and being thoroughly involved in the process of making the record.

What are you working on next?

Vanderslice and I linked up with a label out in Virginia called Man Bites Dog Records. We’re putting out our producer record called Diggerz With Attitude. It’s all our production. We’ve got Roc Marciano on it. Alchemist is rapping on it. Evidence, Ill Bill, Vinnie Paz is on it, Poet’s on it. There’s a bunch of other guys. So we’re doing that and we’re almost done with a whole record with Smiley the Ghetto Child. We’re almost done with that and that’s all me and Vanderslice’s beats. And we’re about halfway done with the Wais P record and me and Esoteric are about a quarter of a way done with the whole record. And I did a joint for Ill Bill’s next solo record that’s out this way and I did one for Vinnie Paz’s next record that has Mobb Deep on it, and I’m super-excited about that because I’m huge fans of those dudes. I got a few records on Chino XL’s project and I already heard back on that. I’m just trying to make beats and get them on other people’s records and I’m always looking to do more projects.

Can you take us through the making of a Stu Bangas beat?

First, I find a dope sample and lately, I’ve been so busy with my nine-to-five and I got a kid now so Vanderslice will hook me up with some samples. I would say 80% of my samples come from him. He’s the best dude I know at picking samples. I’ll trade some stuff with him for some samples and after I get some stuff I like, I’ll probably just throw it in Pro Tools, the part that I want to use for the beat, and then I’ll add some synths and bass over it, speed it up or work on the tempo and find the right drums I want to use for it.

What equipment do you use?

I’m still using the MPC 2000XL. I don’t think I’ll probably ever switch from that. I’m too comfortable with that system itself and then I got a Korg keyboard I just got that’s pretty sweet. I have a Micro-Korg that I’m still working with to put stuff over the samples and Pro Tools to record.

I finally figured out where you got your email handle, Thornton Melon, from. Shouts out to Rodney Dangerfield.

Back to School! (laughs) That’s like a classic movie. It’s really cheesy and campy but that dude really cracks me up in that movie for some reason.

Do people usually get that reference?

Nobody ever gets it. I was sending Jaysaun beats a couple of years ago and he was asking me who the fuck was Thornton Melon and I told him not to worry about it, it was a long story! (laughs) Nobody ever gets it.

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Roc C’s album “Stoned Genius” is in stores December 13th via Kash Roc Entertainment!! The former Stones Throw MC, representing Oxnard, CA, is back with another full length album packed with guest appearances from Freeway, Termanology, Rapper Big Pooh, Blu, Charli2na, Oh No, Alchemist and more and features guest production from Madlib, Oh No, Alchemist, Lee Bannon and others.

Roc C “Starchild” Feat. Alchemist (Produced) by Alchemist
Roc C “Starchild” Feat. Alchemist (Produced) by Alchemist by Synergy Works

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Reks and Styles P assisted by Alchemist drop some serious serious heat. I am definitely looking forward to Reks’ new album

Reks feat. Style P- Why Cry (produced by Alchemist)

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We’re left speechless with this one. Thankfully Alchemist isn’t:

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And not only that, but he also loves Lil’ Fame more than Lamp? Blasphemy!

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New Alchemist-produced banger by Krondon. Steady is the Gang!

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*Disclaimer – Tracklist reviews are exactly that – a review of the tracklist. Anything we say about these songs (except for the ones that leaked already) is pure speculation because we haven’t heard it! This is merely an uneducated guess about what the album might sound like. This one is even more complicated because we don’t know what tracks the Alchemist is actually rapping on.

Alchemist’s Chemical Warfare tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. ALC Theme feat. Kool G Rap
3. Lose Your Life feat. Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss & Pusha T
4. Chemical Warfare feat. Eminem
5. Grand Concourse Benches feat. KRS-One
6. Therapy feat. Evidence, Blu, Talib Kweli & KiD CuDi
7. Smile feat. Twista & Maxwell
8. Keep The Heels On feat. Prodigy
9. Gangrene feat. Gangrene (Oh No & Alchemist), Roc C & Crooked I
10. Lights, Cameras, Action feat. Lil Fame
11. Some Gangster Shit feat. Fabolous
12. From Now To Then feat. Jadakiss
13. On Sight feat. Dogg Pound & Lady of Rage
14. Take A Look Back
15. That’ll Work feat. Three 6 Mafia and Juvenile

Although Alchemist has been making more Twitter posts than beats as of late, his new project is looking pretty solid, even with some repeats like “Lose Your Life” and “Therapy” that first appeared on The Cookbook. I guess it’s okay to use recipes again, but this just feels like leftovers.

“ALC Theme” features Kool G. Rap outshining Alchemist, yet has the Alc accomplishing something on his bucket list, so props for that. “ALC Theme” is a nice segueway into “Chemical Warfare,” which features Eminem rapping about the history of nuclear weapons and dirty bombs. Eh, who are we kidding? It’s really just Eminem rapping about some more pills.

“Grand Concourse Benches” has the Blastmaster KRS-One annointing the makeshift beds for the homeless as the 7,856th element of hip-hop, right behind Nike commercials and just ahead of chicken nuggets. “Smile” will actually leave you with a perplexed look on your face because it’s bad enough you can only catch Twista’s every fifth word, but then he’s paired with Maxwell, which makes a stranger combination than that time Steven Seagal and Nicholas Cage tried to shoot a movie together but ran out of things to karate chop.

“Keep the Heels On” is the most perplexing song title, considering Prodigy’s current, um, situation. Don’t make me go there!

Oh No and Al have a new group Gangrene. Not sure if/how the putrefaction of tissues could inspire a group and also a song by the group of the same name, but I’m sure they’ll tell you something about how they like to smoke green or make green or make and then smoke green, but I think they’re actually just World War I buffs paying tribute to that deadly nuisance. Word on the street is that Crooked I only appeared because Alchemist said he could use his old beats for his next series of Hip-Hop Weekly freestyles.

I have no idea what Lil’ Fame is going to rap about on “Lights, Camera, Action” but I’m guessing it’s going to have something to do with fake rappers and holding down BK, which is 100% cool with me. Here’s hoping Al doesn’t try to fill Billy Danze’s shoes on this one.

Something tells me that you could take a verse from Fab’s “Some Gangster Shit” and trade it with a verse from Jada’s “From Now to Then” and both songs would still make complete sense.

Tha Dogg Pound and Lady of Rage reunite on “On Sight.” Was RBX not available? “Take a Look Back” has Alchemist doing just that, by himself, which makes it good that he put this at the end of the album, because no one really wants to hear him rapping by himself. And I don’t know if this is true, it’s really just a rumor that I had in my head, but ever since DJ Qualls got the nod as the main producer on Hustle and Flow, Alc has been in the studio standing on his head waiting for his chance that he’s the superior producer.

Chemical Warfare, despite some repeats, will probably be the strongest compilation to drop in ’09 and that’s not just because we’re another 10 years away from getting even a glimpse at Dr. Dre’s long-awaited and soon-to-be not-anticipated Detox.

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This may be the only thing worth going to the clink for.

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Each day we’re harrassing N.O.R.E. with a question. The question can be about anything and everything and we’re going to print N.O.R.E.’s response exactly as he sends it back. If you have any questions you’d like the one and only N.O. to answer, leave ‘em in the comment box.

Who’s an easier target to diss, Alchemist or Scram Jones?

2 tell u the truth al and scram actually beat me n ranking everytime when it’s just me and them but when it’s a crowd or we n public I always win I love both them guys!!!

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