2007 Draft Picks: Joell Ortiz

"Fifteen Minutes With..."    By Drew Ricketts on March 28, 2007 at 9:08 am

Pious basketball observers can sense greatness even in a novice and I’m a devout follower of the sport. Hip hop is analogous to roundball because you can count on a crop of anxious rookies clamoring in the wings. Only a special kind of aficionado can distinguish the pro’s from the rank and file amateurs. An emcee must impress me with all facets of his craft to gain my approbation and, if that happens, he must also chart his ascent masterfully to gain other fans along the way. I call it Graduation. The world is now over-run with would-be ballers and would-be emcees, few of them ever surpassing the elementary level…fewer still charging for a Bachelor’s in rhyming or a Master’s in musicianship. Seeing the next Kobe Bryant or Nas in the making, however, resuscitates a true admirer’s sense of hope and continuity. This series is dedicated to the Hip Hop Draft Picks of 2007 and why one or all of them will be heard from for years to come.

Up first is Joell Ortiz.

Stats

School: The Big Pun School of Rhyme Architecture
Voted: Most Likely to Intimidate a Great One
Affiliations: Block Royal, Aftermath, Dr. Dre
Draft Status: Almost Undrafted…now a Top Pick
Degrees Sought: Monster Rhymer, Bellicose Beast
Recommended Reading: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

TSS: For starters, you have a line in your latest song, “Got Nothing On Me” with Ma Barker: “I think I’m gettin’ overconfident…”

JO: (chiming in) “…the flow is monstrous.” (Laughs)

TSS: How does it feel having people confer on you the status you thought you deserved in the first place? How does it feel seeing the realization of that buzz?

JO: I’m just taking that breath of fresh air. Like I know that me and my team wasn’t buggin’…like me leaving the studio with my head held high wasn’t just me feeling myself. People are finally reassuring me that I bring that feeling. That feeling that people are looking for sometimes. Even coming off the stage at shows also shows me that I’m doing something right. I pat myself and my team on the back for that. I see about the same 60-something faces at every show and that’s real — that’s like ‘damn.’ I seen this dude at one of the shows who had been at maybe the last fifteen and I said ‘come on, you’re coming in with me’ and the dude denied me like ‘no I wanna pay.’

TSS: (laughs)

JO: It feels good to know that I wasn’t buggin’…that there was something there.

TSS: In the process of getting this buzz and being on the scene, when did you first think ‘Oh I’m kinda nice’ like ‘these guys are all right but I can make a career out of it’?

JO: Stretch Armstrong, ‘99. XM radio…it was his radio show. It was me, Pretty Ugly, Laze, FT, Boom Pacino. We was in the studio and Stretch was like, ‘yo I’ma bring all y’all to the show today.’ We was real cool with him.

TSS: He actually went to my high school.

JO: Who’s that?

TSS: Stretch Armstrong.

JO: Oh yeah? Word. We go up there and dudes were going off…and we in the cipher. So, I’m like last for some reason. And I go and I start rhyming and everyone was like (makes an awestruck face)…I was rhyming and everyone was like (makes face). And these were dudes who all had they lil’ buzz up at the time. This was my first time on the radio too. Before long, Stretch just goes ‘I told y’all there was some heat up in here!’ I thought ‘this is it. This could be it.’ ‘Cause he was like ‘for your first time on radio, you acted like you was up in ya living room.’ To hear that from a real pioneering DJ made me feel good. That was probably the day I said lemme do this for real.

TSS: Yeah. Okay so compare that moment to the time you were Hot 97…it was you, Gravy…

JO: It was Gravy…

TSS: Saigon, and a few other up-and-comers. Some shit went down that day…someone got shot. What happened then and in the interim period? Were you on a hiatus?

JO: It was a lot that happened in between to add to the pressure of that situation. Besides it being (Funkmaster) Flex and it being prime time…I had done so much in between there that it was high expectations. Like, a lot of people were behind me. Being Spanish is a knock sometimes…like they’ll say ‘he’s nice for a Spanish n*gga.’ I was trying to get out that loop and — I’m totally not a prejudiced n*gga. When I say n*gga, I mean “my n*gga” so that it ain’t outta [context]. The real prideful Puerto Ricans, their boy is up there…with two black guys. Trust me, I know this is how [people] think. All my boys are like ’since Pun who has there been?’ and now I’m up in Hot 97 and n*ggas is looking at me seeing what I’ll do. So I’m like ‘I’m black too at heart dude!’ Then I go up and I do what I do. Flex looked at me and said after ‘I lost money. I had Saigon.’

TSS: (Laughs)

JO: You won. I’m like ‘wooooow.’ And this is the ill part, ’cause you know how Hot 97 works. You have to be on that list to come up there in advance. I found out at five in the afternoon that I was replacing someone. Like four hours before it was supposed to go down, they’re telling me this. And my barber, who cuts Flex’s hair, was like ‘I’m telling you, you should get Joell up there.’ So Flex says to him, ‘Enough of this. Lemme see what this kid’s about. Bring him up there.’ After the show he says ‘you did your thing.’

TSS: That’s really big. You were talking about the DJs and that niche of Latin rappers. That’s where a lot of people start to stake claims and in regions or whatever the fuck else. How does it feel to know that you have to beast every time, especially given the fact that Pun is like the shining star…

JO: Right. I embrace the challenge because hip hop is competitive by nature. Everyone has that you-ain’t-fucking-with-me attitude and you’re supposed to have that. ‘Cause I get comparisons to Pun a lot and some of them are genuine like energy-wise, and believability on a beat, charismatic…Those are big shoes to fill. I’m a fan. I’m a fan of Big Pun. I always say I’m like a fan with a deal. And um when you talk about Big Pun, you’re talking about a legend to me. To mention me in the same breath as Big Pun is flattering. When I listen to Pun sometimes I go ‘C’mon…he didn’t say that man. How did he fit that in? And the six lines before that one were hot!’

TSS: True.

JO: To get mentioned within the same breath as that dude is crazy but I’m up for the challenge. ‘Cause you know it’s like ‘He’s hot but he’s no Pun…’ which is fine. Then there will be people like ‘I’m telling you dude is hot!’ My job is to keep people saying he’s reppin’ with Pun.

TSS: What do you feel about all the directions hip hop has taken? I, for one, prefer a rapper who can just rap over beats, experiment with different flows and cadences. Those guys are kind of under-appreciated. How do you think you can carve your niche given the fact that rap has gone so many ways?

JO: Right. The thing that I study — ’cause this is my business I gotta study it, dude — I’m finding that a lot of up-and-coming artists are being themselves on the underground circuits, then getting deals and not being themselves. You have to balance yourself with who you have to work with. You’re gonna get those hot-sounding beats but if you can still bring that gutter element to it [when there's] that poppy sound to it and make them go like ‘Damn, who the fuck is this?’ Biggie did that a lot like with “One More Chance” and then would go back and do songs that say ‘look, I’m still hip hop.’ But now it’s bottles and models, champagne and bubbly. Dude, n*ggas didn’t see that at S.O.B.’s. Joell Ortiz is always Joell Ortiz. When I get on stage it’s me and when the lights go off it’s me. When I get on stage it’s the same kid that was backstage.

I don’t get out there and put on no chain that say Aftermath. I say hip and tell muthafuckas to say hop…and n*ggas go crazy for my shit. [They] get out there and stop doing the thing that made them hot in the first place. They get producers in front of [them] asking ‘What sound are you looking for?’ and they say ‘I’m looking for that club record.’ What? What happened to ‘just come in and play me some fire’? Whatever one is jumping, whatever I feel. ‘Cause records that play in the club for me are gonna be ones that land there. I’m an emcee: I rip beat. Rappers direct records. Emcees rip beats. If I do a record that is in the club, it’s gonna be something that n*ggas can listen to. I don’t rhyme for the thugs or the bottle-poppers. But, the n*ggas? I’ll rhyme for the n*ggas to be in the club and have some shit to bob they heads to. I’ma get this thug n*gga moving (sways head). That’s my angle.

TSS: True. So that’s your approach. I know there was a time when label execs and A&R’s would say you didn’t have that ‘twinkle in your eye’ or whatever. A&Rs passed over you…you mentioned that Jermaine (Dupri) owes you $10K…the deal with Lenny S. What were you thinking during that time?

JO: I was thinking dudes were overlooking talent for little shit. Either things that didn’t make sense or things that could be easily changed. That twinkle in the eye shit was some …gay…I dunno. I was like ‘what are we talking about again?’ When you talk about like um ‘he’s kind of heavy’ okay um…there’s treadmills. (Laughs) A few extra pounds? It’s not like I’m 500 pounds. A real business n*gga would see that and say ‘this n*gga’s nice! I know I can do this because I know what I can make.’ What I liked about Dre was that he let everybody be them. And he’s going to bring me to the main stage. Eminem made the same records once he got signed, just over bigger beats. On the real, I’m happy that over there. I can get a chance to shine.

TSS: Some people have the notion that Dre shelves projects and that it’s going to be hard for you to come out from under all the various things he might be doing…with guys like Saigon and Papoose who have building their buzz for a couple year but haven’t reached the national stage on that level. What are you going to change to get that national level?

JO: Well, first of all, I won’t change anything. I’m going to continue to be me — the kid that he signed, the one that he fell in love with. The Brick he put in his iPod. I’ma also root them n*ggas on, guys like Saigon and Papoose because if they successful, I’m successful. Or, whoever’s out first. But we need to stop acting like we’re bigger than we are. Because a buzz is mad quick — a couple of people knowing your name. Getting muthafuckas to know your name and go cop? That’s a different ballgame. Like ‘I heard that n*gga’s nice, he’s nice. Did he drop this week?’ is not the same as ‘I can’t wait ’til this n*gga drops!’ So, you do that by remaining yourself. A lot of dudes look at me and say ‘you got two deal. You signed with Aftermath.’ I look at them and say, ‘I’m you.’ You sitting there thinking…I got a record deal. That’s it. When all’s said and done. I’m a fan too. And I just haven’t been excited in a long time.

TSS: I was going to ask you about that. That song that you dropped with Stimuli…me and my boys were like…(miming disbelief). Especially the back and forth you had going.

JO: (Laughs) Aha. Yo that joint was hard.

TSS: When you do a record like that and you’re around an artist like Stimuli who’s maaad nice, how do you keep the faith when there’s artists in the public eye who are not nice at all? Are you challenged to step it up more?

JO: At first I used to be like ‘Man, are you for real? Nah this is not it.’ But then as my awareness grew, my buzz improved, I thought: this might be perfect. I might be able to slide in the backdoor and potentially be a savior of some sorts to people. This is wonderful. ‘Cause the game’s polluted. Nobody’s getting that ahh-smell-the-fresh-country-air. They getting that pollution. I’m not into it.

Instead of getting down, I started to see n*ggas come and then never come out again. That’s what going on. ‘Cause n*ggas be buzzing among the industry…that’s not [what I'm looking for]. That doesn’t do it homey. N*ggas have been bouncing from deal to deal. Deal here, deal there and never come out anywhere. The trick is you gotta be the fuckin’ intern’s boy. The n*gga who goes to get coffee for that n*gga has to be like ‘Here’s you coffee. Oh, and that kid Joell Ortiz is nice.’ That’s when it’s like hmmm. That’s when they go out in the street and say ‘what the fuck is going out here?’ ’cause they not out there.

TSS: (Laughs) I see.

JO: I was one of them niggas.

TSS: Who are you feeling? Who’re you saying ‘when people find out about him, it’s gonna be a problem.’

JO: Outside of myself…damn dude. There’s people missing stuff. I’m not trying to toot my own horn…I’m a fan. Some people have stronger points than others. Some guys may be strong in one area…but not as much in other areas. Somebody might be a great metaphor rhymer but you hear a whole joint and say ‘huh?’ Or somebody might be a great songwriter but you go to a show and you’re like ‘awww…’ Like Papoose, I could listen to his joints all day and be like (bobbing head). He’s nice with the wit. He’s a WITTY ass n*gga. I want the person who can combine ‘em, a real down-to-earth n*gga. The whole package. When people are asking about your freestyle, your show at B.B. King’s and that song, then you can be like ‘that’s the MAN.’ There comes a time. That’s not nothin’ anyone just has. You get better at those things.

TSS: The Block Royal fam…that connection…how did that come about?

JO: That just came from them seeing me perform and them being fans. We did shows in Jersey, and the dude who founded Block Royal (rest in peace, he got killed) with Akon and all those artists, saw me. He told me ‘Listen dude, you got it. And I have an army. We can make it a beautiful marriage. I need a face for my army and you need a squad to back you.’ And he got killed, and that shit let [the air out of us]. We met through something outside of music. My manager knew him. I’ll never stray away from that. I got a show, I can count on 50 of them dudes being in there no problem. And that’s hard to get 50 grown men to come out dude. My show is RAP. And they come there and that’s how we click.

TSS: Outside of Dre, has any artist or emcee come to give you kudos that you didn’t expect?

JO: G Rap was like early on it ‘This is a beast’ to my manager Mike Heron. Kane and he’s on my record. Him saying that. OC at Lord Finesse’s birthday party…called me up on stage saying, ‘I see someone in the crowd who needs to be up here.’ I’m getting pumped like ‘Oh shit.’ OC on his slot time at his show! That’s crazy. It was hair-raising.

TSS: What can we expect from “The Brick”?

JO: A breath of fresh air. The one everyone’s been waiting for. Hip hop is appealing and I can get into it. Hip hop is emcees over dope beats with that you-can’t-fuck-with-me swagger. It’s not a piece of jewelry. Rappers need jewelry because they don’t have that glow. I could come in there with nothin’ but when I come in, whoever knows who I am goes ‘Oh, Joell’s here.’ ‘Cause my jewels are in that booth. When you put that album on, you’ll go ‘Damn that nigga’s nice’ not ‘Did you see that hoodie he had on?’

They can get into what I’m talking about. We all say ‘I was out on the block sellin’ crack’ and there’s nothing special about it. Bust my gat…we could do that. When you can say I didn’t sell crack to a pregnant mother…that’s a different kind of hustler. That’s vivid. Who says ‘I sell crack and when the fiend offered me his son’s video game I refused’? No one says that. Everybody’s rappin’ about hustling and everyone’s a kingpin. Where’s the runners? How did you get to be a kingpin? Let’s stop talking about how good it is and tell the truth. The time a n*gga didn’t pay you…the time you was dead broke and your connect wouldn’t pick up. Be real. Joell Ortiz is real on every record.

Listen to…

“Hip-Hop” (Audio Stream)

Recent Freestyle On Green Latern

Joell Ortiz’s forthcoming solo LP, The Brick, which will be released on 4-24-07 on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and features appearances from Immortal Technique, Ras Kass, Big Daddy Kane, M.O.P., Maino, Graph (among others) and production from Alchemist, Lil Fame (M.O.P.), Showbiz and MOss.

Posted in "Fifteen Minutes With...", ARTIST INTERVIEWS, GENERAL