One of the many wonders of modern day hip-hop culture is seeing its most seasoned bodies active in crafting tunes that transform into the birth of fanbase fantasies.
In the latest episode of the Rap Radar podcast, legendary hip-hop producer DJ Premier went into storytelling mode as he touched base on his experiences with Biggie Smalls, crate digging methods, current endeavors, and of course, a couple of knee-slapping Guru tales.
Preemo also mentions that he and fellow legend-in-produce Pete Rock have joined forces to produce the new De La Soul album. “Me and Pete Rock are supposed to be doing De La Soul’s next album. Just the two of us,” says Preemo.
This is not the first time talk about the dream collaboration has hit the masses.
Back in 2014, De La Soul announced the making of a six-track mixtape that will be fully produced by DJ Premier and Pete Rock, fittingly titled Premium Soul on the Rocks. There was no theme or release date reported for the project.
According to Dave, the Native Tongues trio was at the stage of collecting beats from the two class-act producers and did not have a concept for the album as of yet.
“Right now we’re just accumulating beats. The guys have been sending us beats. No real idea of what the theme is gonna be, the theme behind the title, what that’s gonna be, if it’s gonna be skits, if it’s gonna be songs, remakes, whatever it is. Right now we’ve just been accumulating beats and waiting for Premier to handle some stuff as well. So it’s still in its early stages, but we actually plan on recording through the month of September for it, so we’re getting on it.”
According to the Gang Starr comrade, he and Rock have been active in the development of the project. The Soul Survivor producer has even teased Preem, and De La Soul’s Pos Dnuos and Dave by playing a couple of records and saying, “these ain’t even my real ones.”
At this point, there is no telling if De La Soul’s next project will be titled Premium Soul on the Rocks, or exactly where the album’s concept will stand, or if the gem will be an album or a mixtape. There is a great chance this album will hit the ranks. Last year, De La Soul released their ninth studio album And the Anonymous Nobody… debuting at number one on the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart and number twelve on the Billboard 200 earning a 2017 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.
Speaking to Rap Radar, Preem tells the story behind Nas’ “I Gave You Power” and reveals the song was originally named “Gun,” but due to record label restrictions, the name was changed. He also speaks on the journey behind Biggie’s “Ten Crack Commandments” and his riff with Public Enemy’s Chuck D over the sample of his “Shut ‘Em Down” countdown.
Premier made it known that he will forever be open to making classic albums. When asked who he wishes to work with, the class-act producer gave an impressive and sensible response.
“I wanna work with DMX, Ghostface. I wanna work with Mary J. Blige, I wanna do a whole album. It will be classic hands down,” says Preemo. “Jill Scott, I can make a classic. Erykah Badu, I can make a classic. But they gotta let me do it.”
In the podcast, he also reveals that he is currently working on a couple of tracks for Redman’s highly anticipated Muddy Waters 2 alongside some tracks for Nas’ new album, in which details have yet to be confirmed. Prhyme 2, his duo project with Royce da 5’9 is complete and is confirmed to hit the masses next year. He is also the executive producer of MC Eiht’s Which Way Iz West which was released earlier this year back in June.
Watch DJ Premier’s episode on the Rap Radar podcast, below.
