Brand new interview with La The Darkman. He talks about a bunch of interesting things like picking the beats and MC arrangements for Wu-Tang Forever, producers for his new album and co-founding the Aphilliates Music Group. Every time La does an interview, I can’t help but feel a lot of sincerity and maturity coming from his words and thoughts. The new album should be fire! Link (via)
La, you’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes lately. How do you like that?
I love it. I’ve always been behind the scenes, even with my situation with Wu. I was a teenager and I have a lot of ideas. I picked a lot of beats for the Wu-Tang Forever album. There’s also songs where you could hear me on hooks. I’ve always been behind the scenes. I’m the Darkman and I live up to my name. The Darkman is lurking in the dark. I don’t have to be seen to be felt. I can be heard to be felt. They don’t know that’s a La the Darkman production. Every beat that was picked and who rapped first and who rapped last and who rapped in the middle, I was behind that. I really love being behind the scenes. I was that type of guy in the neighborhood where everybody knew me and I knew everybody but I didn’t stay in everybody’s face.
Are you still working with Havoc today?
Yeah, I’m still working with Hav. I talked to Alchemist today. I have the best relationships, B. I just got off the phone with RZA. He just started a company with Quentin Tarantino. I’m a genuine dude. I mean what I say and I mean what I say, so anytime somebody has a problem with me, they must be a snake or they must be a liar because all I do is I ask anybody to keep their word. That’s what I do and that’s how I got this far. Anybody that’s ever done business with me will tell you that I’m a man of respect. I’m trying to become a made man. Made men don’t become made by doing business incorrectly. You become made when you put in your work in all of the right places and they all say, “That dude is the one”…Everybody will tell you that’s ever known me that I’m a man of respect. Respect made men.
How do you get at these guys who are supposed to be impossible to get at?
I think it’s because I’m genuine and I’m sincere. Anybody who talks to me or touches me can see that I’m not shucking and jiving. I’m not any of that. I do business straight up and I love all them guys. Vanilla Ice, who I’m cool with, is the first Eminem. He sold 30 million records and had the Taco Bell commercials and I ghostwrite for him sometimes…Being in the Clan is like being a Kennedy. Kennedy’s pop up in many places. A Kennedy is supporting Barack Obama right now. Arnold Schwarzenegger is married to a Kennedy. Being a Kennedy is like being a Rockefeller. The bloodline is rich and when you have that, you don’t have to worry about money. I’m rich in mentality and I’m rich in thought process and I’m rich in how I develop relationships with a RZA, with a Vanilla Ice and with a DJ Drama. You have to be rich in mentality. Kings travel amongst kings.
