Cold 187um: I brought Livin’ Like Hustlers to Ruthless Records done. The whole blueprint to Livin’ Like Hustlers was done. I had 75 percent of that record done. All me and Dre did was reproduced it because it was done on eight and sixteen track on the demo. We went and took every sample that I used, every groove that I used, and re-cut everything. To me, Dre was more of an engineer on that aspect of the album. Now there were songs that we produced together were like “Freedom of Speech,” “The Last Song,” “Kickin’ Lyrics,” and I think “Another Execution.” Everything else was done. I learned a lot about making Hip-Hop records from Dre. The thing about it was people don’t know that because I allowed myself to learn at that level. The theory, the production, the creation; I was just as much a part of it as Dre was. Dre didn’t hold my hand. Above The Law’s concept and the things we rapped about was already done.
AllHipHop.com: Do you think that hurt you in hindsight to allow Dre to take the credit for it?
Cold 187um: Definitely. It’s a bittersweet thing. It’s just like saying if you become and understudy or and intern for somebody and it blows up. Then that person wins from it, but you’re in the game now. So yeah it hurt me, but it helped me a lot. It enabled me to have the great knowledge that I have now about making records. It was free, I didn’t have to go to college for it. I’m Dr. Dre’s understudy, but I don’t get the credit. People don’t know that when It comes to doing all [the production] I’m sharp as he is. I was taught by him, how to make records.
AllHipHop.com: You coined yourself “The originator of the G-Funk style” and you guys were doing that type of production right after Dre left Ruthless.
Cold 187um: You gotta realize that Black Mafia Life was cut before The Chronic. Black Mafia Life was cut when N***az For Life (Efil4zaggin)was cut. There’s no conception of The Chronic during this era. The thing that happened was we were in a transition leaving Sony to go to Warner Brothers. The Chronic came out [in stores] before Black Mafia Life. But it was done, when N***az for Life was wrapped. When you run them next to each other, The Chronic is more of Hip-Hop funky album. Black Mafia Life is a funk album. It’s a straight gooney, ill, dark, grim, parliament meets Isaac Hayes meets Willie Hutch meets the Isley Brothers meets Above The Law.