With rap music at its commercial peak, some artists handle interviews like a presidential candidate or an athlete who’s wary of losing an endorsement deal. That’s not the case with rapper/producer Daz Dillinger whomakes up one half of California-reppin’ duo Tha Dogg Pound. Our Q&A sessions have been more like smoked-out powwows and the artist known as “Dat Nigga Daz” is a straight-shooter.
As an artist on Death Row Records during its prime, Daz contributed both beats and rhymes to his cousin Snoop Dogg’s debut album Doggystyle, Tupac’s All Eyez On Me and Dr. Dre’s masterpiece The Chronic. Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 debut album Dogg Food is double platinum. After leaving Death Row (and his homie Kurupt) less than amicably, Daz kept himself busy on the independent grind, releasing a slew of mixtapes, albums and videos. He also released the album So So Gangsta on Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Label in 2006. Kurupt and Daz reunited after a bitter three-year separation and released two more Dogg Pound albums Cali Iz Active (2006) and Dogg Chit (2007) on Koch Records.
Ever the hustler, Daz has another solo LP, Only On The Left Side, slated for release on August 12th by his own DPG Recordz. Tha Dogg Pound’s next offering, 100 Wayz, is scheduled for October. The first time I chopped it up with Daz, Dogg Chit was about to drop and he didn’t seem to have a beef with Koch at the time. What a difference a year makes. During our second convo, Daz sounded off on the popular indie label and took delight in the public KO of his friend-turned-nemesis, Suge Knight.
Words By Khalid Strickland
TSS: Last time we spoke, you said that you were working on an Atlanta strip club flick.
Daz: “Make It Rain.”
TSS: Yeah, what’s poppin’ with that?
Daz: Aw man, I just finished it up. I’mma try to come out with that in September. I got T.I., I got Alfamega in there; I got a star-studded cast. I’m looking to drop my album, Only On The Left Side on the 12th of August. And then that Dogg Pound album, we getting’ ready to drop that in September. And I got another movie with my Uncle Junebug. It’s called “Uncle Junebug’s Crib” and it’s like “Sanford and Son” – an old nigga with some young bitches and shit, just having a good time.
TSS: We saw you on Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood. You like being on TV?
Daz:Yeah, you know… doin’ some family things (with) my lil’ cousin.
TSS: Aside from the bread, do you have any other goals for Only On The Left Side?
Daz: Just working the same angle, giving the people some music. I hooked up with the people who bought Death Row for the $24 million, so I can go over there and help them run that and revive the catalog. That was one of my ideas. When I heard that they bought it I contacted that office and said, “I’ve got all the (original Death Row) artists right here.” So we can put the albums back out, shoot some videos off of those songs, like “Bomb Ass Pussy” and shit like that; do some interviews. Re-package it and put the albums back out, ‘cause you need the artists to do that. ‘Cause Koch was fuckin’ it up.
TSS: Really?
Daz:Yeah. They was sneaky, man. They wasn’t paying a muthafucka and they was doing some under the table shit. I’m glad they ain’t got the shit no more. Fuck Koch! Read the rest of this entry »
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
