DJ MUGGS
Feb 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Wasim Muklashy
“Hurry up, before I get embarrassed,” DJ Muggs says.
These are the last words you'd expect to hear from a man who has had more of an impact on the astronomic success of hip-hop than most bling-blingers can claim. In 1989, he reigned as DMC World Champion, and a year later, Cypress Hill released its record. “It's been nonstop ever since,” he says.
In addition to full-time responsibilities of manning the decks and production boards for Cypress Hill during the past decade-and-a-half, DJ Muggs managed to wrangle an A-list of heavyweights for his Soul Assassins series, including Dr. Dre, KRS-One, Wyclef Jean and RZA. In between, he has worked with everyone from Zack de la Rocha to Ice Cube to Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg, House of Pain and Tricky. His versatility helped add even Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth to his resume. Still, “Hurry up, before I get embarrassed” are the only words he can find as the photographer asks him to pose outside on this brisk, early Melrose Avenue Monday.
Late last year saw the release of Grandmasters (Angeles, 2005), a collaborative effort with another of his Soul Assassins cohorts, Wu-Tang Clan's GZA. “We just kept in touch to work on the next Soul Assassins record, and we talked about doing something in the future, and when things are supposed to happen, they happen,” he says. As the opening track dramatically proclaims: “GZA…The Almighty DJ Muggs…The time has come!”
“I wrote the beats,” Muggs recalls, “he wrote the songs, he came out here for eight days, we recorded it and bam!” The record also includes strategic appearances by Raekwon, Sen Dog, Masta Killa and Prodigal Sunn. Even fellow Wu-Tanger RZA joins the power-duo on “All in Together Now,” a complete throwback to old-school Wu.
Additionally, Muggs is keeping busy with his label, Angeles Records, which just put out Change, Self Scientific's new record. “I just signed DJ Warrior and a kid named Mitchy Slick out of San Diego,” he says. “I also got a radio show on Sirius called ‘Mash Up Radio’ on Shade 45, Eminem's station, and we got a new Soul Assassins album called Cloak & Dagger,” a record Muggs is co-producing with the Alchemist. “We're getting it ready for this summer.”
As far as his production techniques go, Lawrence “Muggs” Muggerud likes to stick to what works. “I mainly use the [Akai] MPC3000 and record on [Steinberg] Nuendo,” he says. “We got a Mackie board; I use Blue Sky speakers and an ASR-10 sometimes, and I keep a few keyboards if I need overdubs, but I'm pretty simple. I stay away from a lot of the computer-based stuff. I like to keep it old-school and keep it on the MPC. I like the speed of it; I can do it with my eyes closed.”
Still, his DJ techniques have managed to keep pace with technology. “I don't buy vinyl anymore. I use MP3s and Serato Scratch Live. It's 10 times better. I can show up with 14,000 records instead of [bringing] three crates, and thinking, ‘Man, I wish I would have brought those records.’”
Once inside Fat Beats, Muggs' eyes are open, his ears are in tune and he's ready for a stroll down Fat Beats Lane. Here's what he's got in hand as he walks out:
50 CENT
The Massacre: Special Edition (Aftermath)
I'm definitely a 50 fan; 50 got blackballed, so he went the street route and won the hearts of the people. The brother has done things as a businessman that nobody's accomplished or attempted to do — breaking new ground. I've never seen an MC brand himself as this. What makes this interesting for me is that this one has a video for every song on the album. There's 21 songs, so it should be interesting to watch the album.
THE ALCHEMIST
1st Infantry: The Instrumentals (ALC/Koch)
Probably one of the best producers in the game right now. It's his instrumental album of his 1st Infantry album. I thought the beats were incredible. I got this because I'm going to have some kids do demos on it. If I need some freestyles on some mixtapes, I'll ask some fools to bust over this 'cause all the beats is hot as hell on this. It don't get no better than this.
ATMOSPHERE
You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (Rhymesayers)
I bought their last album and thought it was really good. I like the brother's lyrics. They call it emo-rap, but I don't think it's emo-rap, I just think it's real rap. So I'm interested in seeing what they say now in this one. I like Ant's beats. I thought the beats were funky. I like the fact that he uses samples, and they're really gritty and grimy. I drove by his show when he was out here, and I seen lines around the block, so I was like, “Okay, okay.” So I'm finally glad I got around to getting this. After I'm done with Little Brother, I'll be poppin' this one at full blast.
CAM'RON
Purple Haze (Rock-A-Fella)
Cam'ron, man, I respect his whole clique. There're a lot of brothers following 50, following Jay-Z, following what NWA started, but Cam'ron, he [and his clique] have their own movement; they do their own thing out of New York. They move like themselves. They've got their own fans. And I like his wordplay a lot. Never had a chance to check this out, but I like their production, and the album cover's tight. I try to do research. This is what I do man; gotta stay up on the game.
DANGER DOOM
The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
So I went and got two copies of this right here. Danger Mouse, I definitely like what the brother's doing. It's a breath of fresh air. I'm tired of brothers sticking their things in this hip-hop game and sucking the life out of it. I think the way to keep it moving is to be creative, keep it innovative and bring fresh new ideas to the game. And I think Danger Mouse is doing that. I like the fact that they're bringing the comic book and costumes to the stage. They're not sitting there with their chains, tryin' to look hard.
LITTLE BROTHER
The Minstrel Show (Atlantic)
Some stuff I might not bump all day, but I'll give it a listen, especially if I hear it's getting a lot of critical acclaim, like Little Brother. I don't know what my thoughts are going to be on it until I put it in. I know 9th Wonder's been getting a lot of respect and acclaim, and [Little Brother has] opened a few shows for us last year and were great live, so this is something I've wanted to hear. As soon as I leave, I'm going to put this one on all day today…just drive around with it and bump it.
SUPERNATURAL
S.P.I.T. (Up Above)
This is Supernat's solo album. He's one of the greatest freestylers ever. He can keep it raw; he can throw his voice like different people; he can rhyme about the day on the spot, about what you wearin' on the spot, and it makes sense. He puts on an incredible show. Plus, I did a song with Raekwon on this album called “Black Opera.” They played me the album in the studio at, like, 2 in the morning. I didn't have time to soak it in, so now I'm going to put it in my car and bump that shit.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Dreddy Kruger Presents…Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture (Babygrande)
This is from a brother in the Wu-Tang family, Dreddy Kruger. This is his new thing, and it's the whole indie culture, so he got a song in here with Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Ras Kass, Aesop Rock. It's like the underground culture mixed with Wu-Tang affiliates. I've always been a Wu-Tang fan, and I'm really into what's going on in the underground, what kids are doing, keeping this hip-hop game vibrant, bringing food for thought, bringing new, creative, innovative ideas. So this is a mesh of that. A good listen.
Fat Beats; 7600 Melrose Ave., Suite J, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036; 323-655-8997; www.fatbeats.com
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