Interviews - Written by The Source on Monday, September 22, 2008 21:18 - 4 Comments

Dubb Union: The Forum

Carrying their respective hoods on their backs, Damani (Inglewood), Bad Lucc (Watts), and Soopafly (Long Beach) are on a mission to shift the spotlight back to the West Coast rap scene. The Source sat down with each to gain insight on their new, Snoop Dogg-backed, self-titled album and how it came to fruition.

Words: Mark Anthony Jenkins

The Source: How did the three of you come together?

Damani: It started with an idea. If you had three different dudes from three different places and they were in a group, then it would be hard to hate on that if they was all dope. The first person I found at a studio on Crenshaw was Bad Lucc. I heard him spit and I was like, “That’s the one. He’s one of the pieces.” We made our first mixtape together, threw it out in the street and had a good response. As we kept going, it got around and Snoop heard it, he liked it, sat us down, then we put Soopafly in the group from then on. Snoop started backing it, the music got better and better, and that was how Westurn Union was formed.

The Source: Describe what you each bring to the table?

Soopafly: I like to bring production and try to bring together not just a song, but something out the box. Bad Lucc brings a lot of lyrical content. He’s on point all the time when he comes. He’s our gunner. Damani also has lyrical content and a swag about himself that I feel will carry him to the next level.

The Source: How much of an influence has Snoop been on this project?

Soopafly: Snoop has been more of a moral influence. We understand that as a group we just don’t want to rely on him all of the time. We want to establish to the world that we are our own group, our own union, our own entity. We can get things done on our own.

The Source: Is West Coast hip-hop still synonymous with gangster rap?

Bad Lucc: Yes and no. Our friends, family, a lot of us are gang bangin. The dudes that we hear about on the West Coast coming up ain’t talking about bangin. They talking about, “Yeah, we from here, but we about good music, the latest dance, haters, etc.” We’re not using that for the fuel no more.

Soopafly: I hope not because I’m so tired of that. Of course there’s gang bangin out here, but do you gang bang 24/7? Can’t you talk about something else? Change the game up, that’s my answer to the situation. Don’t talk about that so much.

The Source: You have described Dubb Union as a “movement.” Explain.

Damani: The movement is in the whole concept of the name Westurn Union. The whole thing was about dudes that had nothing to do with each other style wise, geographic wise, just showing that together we are moving. There’s nobody better than Bad Lucc at what he does. There’s nobody better than me at what I do out here, and there’s nobody better than Fly as a producer/rapper on the West Coast besides Dr. Dre.

4 Comments

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adaceDoge
Nov 19, 2008 21:34

Hello. It is test.

Hybrid
Dec 22, 2008 20:08

I’d like to start by saying that I think you guys are doing a great job. I can’t start that way though because I’m having a hard time believing that The Hip Hop Bible is sitting on it’s laurels letting this culture be destroyed by a bunch of know-nothing critics and adolescents who have no appreciation for talent, skill or craft; only marketing savvy. Yes, you too, oh hallowed scribes of Street Knowledge are falling into this trap of abandoning that which above all makes an MC great: LYRICS.
There was a time when every rapper’s dream (besides platinum plaques and groupies) was to be acknowledged as one of the chosen few whose verse was so eloquent, clever and symbolic of one’s originality that it became, dare I say it? A HIP HOP QUOTABLE. Wow, could you get a higher accolade of your ability as a lyricist than that? Posdnous didn’t seem to think so. “Man, everything I say should be a Hip Hop Quotable” he said on “Stakes is High.” The great late yet all too early Big Punisher even boasted he was “King of the Hip Hop Quotables.”
Now with Soulja Boy-D4L-Hurricane Chris-Dem Franchise Boyz ringtone rappers coming outta the woodwork, lyrics are becoming a relic of a bygone era back when rappers were, uhm what’s the word? Oh yeah…SMART.
Let me get to the point…YOU CAN FIX THIS. And if you love this culture as much as you proclaim to, then YOU SHOULD FIX THIS. Give appreciation to some of the Lyricists out there still struggling to make their voices heard, stop being lazy and giving the quotable to Jay-Z and Nas. Go out there and FIND that underground verse that everybody should be checkin’ for! How did y’all manage to not give ANYBODY a quotable for that song Slaughterhouse?!
We are dying because you are LETTING US DIE. This isn’t about the South being wack OR an East Coast comeback. This is about how The Source has an established tool for getting Hip Hop to focus on that which made us great and can do so again. Why is it when I google Hip Hop quotable I get search results for a Ludacris song? This is unacceptable. Y’all don’t even have Hip Hop Quotables on your own website? What…the Fuck?
You need an issue dedicated to the Hip Hop Quotable and what it means to all of us. You need to tell us about WHO got them and WHY. And you need to make MC’s realize that this is something they should strive to get and that the only way to do that is by being NICE with the wordplay, rhyme schemes, poetry and vocabulary. Why am I putting this to you? Because VIBE put Plies on the cover and called him the future of Hip Hop. Y’all should be shittin’ bricks trying to prevent such a thing from occuring. As for XXL, I don’t recall a SINGLE rapper bragging about how they got “Train of Thought.” Besides we should be past excuses now. Stop following the trends and start SETTING them again. BE the change that all of us want to see. Return to your former glory by taking the first step.

signed,
Hybrid

P.S. I don’t believe anyone should bitch and moan without offering a solution so I have a list of some of the ones I know should be in there. It is not complete but it should get you started. If I’m wrong on any of these, feel free to let me know. I’m working off of memory here. We’re all human on my side of the street and nobody’s perfect. One.
Andre 3000-Aquemini,International Players Anthem,Royal Flush (He got one from ATLiens but I don’t remember it)
AZ-Rather Unique,I Don’t Give A Fuck,Fanmail
Beanie Sigel-Whatcha Life Like (I know he’s got at least 2 more)
Big Boi-He’s got at least 2, one from ATLiens and one from Speakerboxxx
Big L-Da Graveyard,’98 Freestyle (honorable mention for Ebonics)
Big Punisher-Superlyrical,Dream Shatterer,Drop It Heavy,Bring ‘em Back
Bishop Lamont-My Opinion
Black Thought-Y’all Know Who!
Canibus-Beasts From The East
Cee-Lo-Decisions, Decisions (He has another one)
Chino XL-No Complex
Common-Retrospect For Life,The 6th Sense
Consequence-He got one but I forgot it ’cause the song wasn’t on his CD
dead prez-Hip Hop
E40-something from “My Ghetto Report Card”
Eightball-something from “Lost”
Eminem-Forgot About Dre,The Way I Am,Renagade
Foxy Brown-730
Fredro Starr-What If
Game-something from LAX
Ghostface Killah-Impossible,Cream 2001 (at least 2 more)
Guru-Flip The Script
Gza-Breaker, Breaker
Ice Cube-Ghetto Vet,Child Support
Inspektah Deck-Triumph,Grand Prix (Y’all listed the verse incorrectly under Rec Room)
Jadakiss-Blackout,Why
Jay-Z-Cashmere Thoughts,Money Ain’t A Thang,Mind Right remix,The Takeover, Izzo,Alone In This World remix,Go Crazy, I Know, Minority Report,Watch What You Say To Me (Sorry if I missed one but it seem like he get it every other month.)
Joe Budden-Family Reunion
Kanye West-Through The Wire,All Falls Down,Diamonds, Everything I Am
Keith Murray-The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World
Kool G. Rap-a verse from Murda Muzik, the song was with Mobb Deep
KRS-ONE-(something, I mean it IS KRS!)
Krumb Snatcha-Make ‘Em Pay
Kurupt-Trylogy
Lady Of Rage-Sho Shot
Lauryn Hill-How Many Mics
Lil’ Kim-This Is Who I Am
Lil’ Wayne-Dr. Carter
LL Cool J-4,3,2,1,Back Where I Belong
Ludacris-first song on Chicken-N-Beer, I Think
Lupe Fiasco-Real Recognize Real
Method Man-Shadowboxin’-NYC Everything
MJG-I forgot but it was only 8 bars (very lazy)
Mr. Voodoo-I forgot
Mos Def-Mathematics,The Rape Over
Nas-It Ain’t Hard To Tell,Verbal Intercourse,I Gave You Power,Stillmatic freestyle,What Goes Around,One Mic,Black Zombie,Carry On Tradition (he might have more, I don’t remember)
Notorious B.I.G.-Kick In The Door
Pharoahe Monch-He’s got at least 2
Phonte-The Yo-Yo,All For You
PMD-Rampage
Prodigy-Nighttime Vultures,Quiet Storm
Prince Po-Hate
Q-Tip-Get A Hold (and 1 more)
Rakim-Microphone Fiend,Hoodlum
Ras Kass-H20 Proof (maybe Remain Anonymous too)
Redman-How High,Do What You Feel,Hostility
Rza-something from Supreme Clientele
Skillz-The Wrap Up
Sticky Fingaz-Money Talks
Styles P-he’s got 2 but I don’t remember
Talib Kweli-The Proud
T.I.-Prayin’ For Help
2Pac-Letter To My Unborn
I know there’s more but this is over a hundred already and I don’t remember any others. I hope you take this seriously and I hope to see the complete list soon.

ryguy
Apr 20, 2009 0:05

I’m glad there’s a group coming from the west again I have a cd with them on it with snoop I’ll have to listen to it more.

MarkAnthonyJ
Apr 20, 2009 23:24

@ Hybrid-

Your point is valid…though I think you picked the wrong forum to express your thoughts. It is obvious that you put a lot of thought and effort in your posting, and as a reader as well as a contributor, I agree with a lot of the points that you have made. One thing that you have to understand is that magazines, like music, still have to monotize to sustain themselves. I myself have been disappointed by some artists that have made covers of magazines, even some of the assignments that I have been given to cover, but certain artists/trends will translate into magazine sales. As I’m sure you well know, this magazine as well as several others are struggling to sell issues as a result of several factors, primarily a poor economy and the continuous surge of online content, but I think they have tried to do the best they can to combine a mix of comercially viable material as well as stay true to issues that are important to us that love hip-hop. The magazine goes as the music industry goes, and up until recently, there hasn’t been too much to write home about in regards to music, but in my opinion that is slowly changing…and I hope that The Source does its part to promote more “real” hip-hop. We shall see…