You've got the Kanye's, Swizze's, Timbo's, but don't forget to put Dame Grease up there. He's produced some of the hood's hottest tracks and you don't even know it. Dame speaks on who he is and why you should respect the Dame Grease brand!{mosimage}
For those that don’t know but should, who is “Dame Grease?”
DG: I’m a producer who has produced for almost everyone. DMX, Nas, Jay-Z, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Kelis, Cam’ron, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, the LOX, Nore, Scarface, Yukmouth, LL Cool J, T.I., Juelz Santana, etc.
You are a multi platinum selling producer, what inspired you to get where you are today?
DG: My surroundings as a youth, everything I’ve put into my music and production is something I’ve experienced so that is really what influenced me.
How difficult was it to break into the mainstream hip hop scene?
DG: It was hard but everyone has to pay their dues. Once I established myself working with the LOX and DMX I was able to break out.
Who was the first artist to give you that chance?
DG: Probably the LOX, working with them in 96/97 is really what first established my buzz as a producer.
You produced the LOX's dedication to Biggie Smalls “We'll Always Love Big Poppa’” and the DMX track "Get At Me Dog" did you expect both singles to go so well?
DG: The Biggie song we didn’t really expect to do as much as it did. It was a really sensitive time, but when they let Puff hear the song he was crying. They actually thanked us and said it really helped. It also inspired them to do “Missing You” which was the A-side to the tribute single. “Get At Me Dog” was crazy because I actually produced “If You Think I’m Jiggy” for the LOX, which was the last big song of what people described as the jiggy era. Then I produced “Get At Me Dog” which set off that whole new era of Hip Hop, it was definitely a risk at the time but it paid off.
At what stage of recording a track do you realise it’s a hit?
DG: It’s crazy because sometimes you know it as soon as you think of the concept for the song. Sometimes it’s just that strong that you know what the concept is capable of doing. From there all you have to do is put the song together and physically bring the idea together.
Your name is appearing in credits all over at the moment with the likes of Jay–Z, and Nas. How important is it for you to keep you’re name known?
DG: To keep it real with you, I wasn’t as concerned with it as much during the early part of my career. But now it’s everything because it represents credibility, good business, and solid hits. At the end of the day all you really have is your name and credibility.
It has been rumoured that you will be stepping back into the studio to record a new album as an artist.
DG: The new album I have coming out is called “Goon Muzik,” it’s actually done and will be dropping May 27th on Babygrande and my label Vacant Lot. On this one I’m on a lot of the songs, but I don’t consider what I do rapping. I look at it as hood narrating, almost like the narrator of a story.
Your mixtape on myspace has created quite a buzz is it going as well as you first anticipated?
DG: I knew the Respect the Producer instrumental mixtape would be big because everyone from fans to artists have been asking me for it for at least the past five years. Because when you look at it as a whole each song is like a piece of the puzzle that describes my career. There’s hits I’ve had on there from 1998 all the way up to this year. To give you an example, I gave Max B a copy when he was at the studio and he was telling me that he’s gotta go in on all of these joints *laughs*.
Could you speak a little more on you’re project hiphopworld.tv?
DG: All I can really say is that I have my own separate site HipHopBrain.com that will be launching soon.
What else have you got planned for 2008?
DG: Other than Goon Muzik on May 27th, hopefully I will have my other album Sour Diesel out by summer. Sour Diesel is more of a compilation with artists over my production. I also have Max B’s mixtape coming soon, Meeno’s new single dropping, and mixtapes across the board from my artists at Vacant Lot.
Before you go is there anything you’d like to add?
DG: Be on the look out for the Dame Grease brand.
