Interview with Agallah

The golden 90’s era is where sampling beats and lyrics matter and it still is today. A lot of producers have paved their way through sampling beats from the MPC 2000, ASR 10 to chop up beats, add kicks and snares. Artists can flip both emceeing and production in one element. This includes Brownsville New York’s prolific artist Agallah who has blessed the hip hop scene since his first single hood anthem “Ghetto Girl”. Agallah have produced for EPMD, Das Efx, Onyx, Sean Price, R.A. The Rugged Man, Mr. Cheeks, Busta Rhymes, Big Pun, Remy Ma, to name a few. As a former member of the group Purple City, he is well known for his solo projects and his production skills. Agallah has been one of the few emcee/producers during the 90’s before it exploded to a different phenomenon.

Intrigued has the humble chance to interview with Agallah as he discussed his most talked about mixtape “The Red V” as well as his forthcoming album, working with Alchemist, working with Pop Off and his overview of the hip hop game.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): The Red V mixtape is awesome, tight production, great lyrics. The audience is receptive to the mixtape. Are you satisfied with the mixtape and if there is anything you would change on the mixtape?

Agallah: Yes i stayed tru to my roots on #REDVMIXTAPE i dont regret nothing or changing we spent a lot of time trying to make sure its special  , I don’t try and come with music to compete cause everyone is in competition and this industry can be very competitive and don’t want that aura on my music . I just know how to make incredible records.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): Flashback thought: When you came out with Ghetto Girl (my personal favorite till this day) and the classic album Wrap Your Lips Around This, did you say to yourself, this is what I wanted to do with hip hop?

Agallah: When I came out with ghetto girl it wasn’t my plan to make that record. I was experimenting but knew it was something the label (east west) could market and promote, they really had no plan when they signed me as well as the other artists on East West/Elektra at the time. Wrap your lips around this is a cult classic heads will never hear me rhyme like that again. I switched my style cause you grow out of certain ways as a MC so that’s what happened and glad it’s one of your favorite joints .glad it made an impact.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): You’re on of the most prolific producers in the game. Who were your musical influences in the game?

Agallah: Thank you well the pioneers Marley Marl, Erick Sermon, Dr Dre, DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Pete Rock, Latief who did the slaughter house album for Masta Ace, Ty fyfe got dope production too always wanted to work with him, and others, Alchemist is dope I just know my style goes with his production so me and ALC have chemistry, sampling will never die the game needs that.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): I definitely admire your work ethic. You got that go getter attitude by doing it on your own and you had tragedies early in life. How did it shape your musical work ethic and your view on life?

Agallah: Well we are all human at the end of the day and work without faith isn’t happening. I did demos in studios on borrowed time. Shopped deals even still when labels turned me down and didn’t give up. I’m a man first before the mic so there’s certain things I’m not gonna tolerate like disrespect. I am from Brownsville projects so I grew up with a chip on my shoulder and learned to brush it off cause nowadays these youth don’t know struggle to a certain extent. I as well as other rappers my age pay respects to the forefathers and I don’t see that in today’s culture, people screaming out young like that is gonna last forever. Nas said you gonna be older longer then you'll be younger.  Do the knowledge.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): The Red V mixtape is the warm up to your next project, the Red Velvet. How the project coming along and how much of it is completed?

Agallah: Red Velvet been was completed but didn’t wanna surprise the people too soon cause it is truly an epic album which I been working on for the last 7 years. I know you saying 7 years? Yeah it takes time to make a fine wine and that’s what red velvet is like a fine wine sifting thru the b.s going on in the rap game now. Trust me this is a classic album i put my name on that.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): We are going to keep the new album in suspense for the listeners, (laughs). What can the fans expect from the new album?

Agallah: They can expect greatness at a high level, right now I got Roc Marci, Big Daddy Kane, Prodigy, Alchemist and Dame Grease ,Killah Priest, Inspectah Deck, Sean Price, Termanology, Killer Mike posed to make an appearance as well as others such as Planet Asia, Rockness Monsta, Onyx and more. I got a gang of dope motherfukers who is all on the same vision with me and I can’t go wrong cause I aint planning to fail. Word! The red velvet album is fire also got Ras Kass and Chino XL. Total emcee and producer carnage!

DJC Jones (Intrigued): One of my favorite tracks on the mixtape is “Sky High” with Popoff. It has an intoxicating feel good west coast feel to it, love the video. What did you see in Popoff that made you decide yo I want him to get on this track?

Agallah: Well Pop Off has a commanding voice when I met him. I was impressed by his style to say that he is Mexican from Whittier California who has been in the streets and survived thru the love of hip hop. Him and his brother Gil are very passionate about the culture and they were like my first homies I met on the west. Me and Pop Off have a good chemistry and that’s what’s it’s all about. Can’t force great sound or music when you don’t have chemistry! Check his mixtapes G&C 1 and G&C 2 also his EP with producer Max Dollas called Strength. Pop Off is a part of my movement now Propain Campain. Other artists to watch for Spliff Hemingway and my secret weapon Young hope! Hope will bring hope back to this rap shit.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): You also got an Alchemist track on the mixtape. In fact, you and Alchemist produced Crookie Monster which is very creative. How was it working with him and what element(s) did he add to the mixtape?

Agallah: Alchemist is like a drug dealer with the best coke in town. I mean he a white boy making crack that’s like Boston George or some shit feel me, when I met him he had a keyboard, ASR and records and just bangin out joints. When I met Al, we just were fond of each other skills and became friends. Hung out in his apt in NYC a lot and just was creatively making joints and record shopping. Al makes sure he is doing something that is gonna last that’s why I work with him. He is not a fly by night producer.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): What are the arsenals of equipment you use when making an Agallah beat?

Agallah: My mpc 2000, 3000, reason, logic , live instruments , analog gear , my portable mpk mini , lots of vst's ,protools mbox and mic 

DJC Jones (Intrigued): What do you think about hip hop nowadays compared to how hip hop was when you first started?

Agallah: Hip hop has evolved into a big corporation now. It’s all over. Anyone can try to rap but it’s not organic anymore. Now you can buy a ratchet rapper song online like a dollar menu, music that don’t help you get healthy but causes a cancer, that’s what’s going on cancer music. I’m not gonna say that for every artist, there are some who trying to say some stuff, I can’t even remember who, it’s so much poison out right now.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): If you come through material from an upcoming artist or producer, what talents do you look for?

Agallah: I look for a skill a talent that no one has, how much an artist puts into his or her craft dedication and work. The work will speak for itself as Jordan said he had to start from the bottom when he played for North Carolina and when he got to the NBA he also started at the low bottom of the totem pole, soon to win 6 chips. Start from the bottom for real you'll get to the top eventually.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): The hip hop world heard the Kendrick Lamar verse on Big Sean’s “Control” record. What were your thoughts of Kendrick’s verse?

Agallah: Kendrick’s verse def sparked a riot for a few weeks, I don’t know if it was positive or negative, hopefully he can just keep making good material, as far as his style, Andre 3000 is def the father of it and can’t say that he is truly original. I break down rappers, I’m a producer I hope he don’t get offended. Oh well, PROPAIN IS THE SHIT!

DJC Jones (Intrigued): You discography resume is filled with the best artists. You worked with the best of the best from R.A. the Rugged Man, The Alchemist, Mr. Cheeks to platinum artists like Busta Rhymes and Big Pun. With 20 plus years under your belt, what motivates you to continue do music?

Agallah: Technology was gonna change the game whether producers emailed beats or not, now it’s too easy, so now everything don’t come across authentic it’s very hard to filter tru hip hop so be careful listeners everything aint that boom bap rap, it’s a lot of wack sauce over bass beats and that ross style era of music is now played out to me, people can be more creative. I aint knock the bass sound but be more creative. We gonna start looking stupid if we don’t.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): With technology changing the game, emcees and producers are emailing tracks and doing beats on IPad’s. During the 90’s golden era, everything is done in the studio. What do you think about artists emailing tracks and do you think that messes up the creativity as oppose to working with the artists in the studio?

Agallah: Yes and no on that one from a labels perspective yes, from an artist /fan perspective no.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): What advice would you give to upcoming artists and producers that want to get in the game right now?

Agallah: Start building your brand from the start. Don’t get caught up in false promises and dreams go and get yours. You ya self, don’t rely on people in the business ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU AINT PAYING THEM YET. Best advice i could give.

DJC Jones (Intrigued): We’re about to close this, where can peeps hit you up for guest features and production. Also where can peeps download and hear your music? Any social networks or emails they can hit you up with!

Agallah: FOR GUEST FEATURES WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/AGALLAH

SUBSCRIBE TO MY VEVO CHANNEL WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/AGALLAHVEVO

LIKE RED V MIXTAPE PAGE WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/REDVMIXTAPE

TWITTER INSTAGRAM PAGES: @AGALLAHTHEDON @PROPAINCAMPAIN

DJC Jones (Intrigued): Any last words and or shoutouts!

Agallah: The most high, Allah the most merciful, my family, friends those who support me, my whole Propain Campin family, the city of New York and the city of Los Angeles, Propain Cats World Wide

Go cop that new mixtape from Agallah The Red V on Itunes! Hip Hop at its purest.