S. Samuel
Rap veteran Redman has shed light on the current state of hip-hop and why clearing samples these days frequently causes delays in music dropping.
Reflecting on his sample of Cypress Hill‘s “Kill A Man” on “Time 4 Sum Aksion,” Red said using music snippets without fear or consequence in the past is now only a memory.
“That ended because we got more viral. We got more media coverage on this whole hip-hop game now,” Red explained in an interview. “Samples caused a major problem. Back in the day, you could snatch a record, snatch it right quick, and you ain’t have to clear sh*t. Now, you gotta clear every-f*cking thing…For example, on the Red & Meth album, Blackout! 2, I had to take out something I said that related to a verse on another artist’s album. I [interpolated] something Snoop [Dogg] said on [Doggystyle], and I had to send [the album] in. The sample clearance [service] told me I had to take it out ’cause [Snoop] didn’t own that publishing to that album. It goes so deep. It’s so f*cking anal, this rap game. but you gotta deal with it.” (Hip Hop DX)
Red recently killed the notion of album sales dictating an artist’s worth.
“You gotta understand, we’re doing a movement,” Red said in an interview. “It’s not just about record sales. F*ck how many motherf*ckers got the biggest sales and all that. That don’t mean sh*t. Motherf*ckers be having high a** sales but not respected in the street, not respected for the culture. It’s not about sales no more, it’s about a movement. Who’s gonna follow that movement? Red and Meth are the smoking movement. Any time we drop an album, y’all should be at the f*cking store, whether you like it or not and buy the f*cking album. December 7th, Reggie.” (Best of Both Offices)
In late December, the rap veteran spoke on representing his New Jersey home state.
“I tell everybody in the interviews, it’s still a lot of room for Jersey cats,” Redman said in an interview when asked about the presence of prominent Jersey emcees. “I know Joe Budden is holding it down. But we need more. Me and him just can’t do it on our own. It’s so much talent out there. You got Ransom out there, he’s coming up. He’s been hitting hard, he just needs that one to get up there to say ‘All right, he’s official. He’s Jersey.’ My nephew’s next, he been putting in mad work. I’m building him as an artist though. I had him on the road with me for like five years, so he’s well in-tuned with how to be an artist. He’s well in-tuned to how to perform, go out and service the crowd and rock the mic, and he’s ready. So I’m telling all my Jersey cats, like, I see a lot of cats out there that’s coming — We need something to solidify, ‘This is how Jersey runs. We got our own anthem. When sh*t is going down over here, I know we’re five minutes from New York but we’re still in our own world.'” (Good Fella Radio Show)
Red’s latest solo album, Reggie, debuted on the sales chart around mid-December.
Rap veteran Redman’s Reggie debuted on the chart this week at No. 118. With seven days under his belt, Red’s new album has shelled out 10,600 records to date. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
Check out a recent Redman interview below:
