Eldorado Red – Mob Life vs. Music Life (Interview)
Eldorado Red has a habit of dipping in and out of the music scene, but he also has a fan base that forgives his elusiveness time and time again. Bubbling back up in the underground, Eldorado released the mixtape Black Gangster with DJ 5150 recently and a new song with Zaytoven. The above video clip outlines some of Eldorado’s past history and upcoming projects, but if you want the full, in depth scoop on Alabama’s great hope, keep reading. Eldorado had a lot to say about the street life compared to life portrayed in rap music, and he also explains his new collaboration with Alley Boy which raised a few eyebrows.
We’ve been sitting here talking about your history in the game and there’s some key elements in your career that people might not be aware of – you had a situation with Rick Rock, the producer…
Yeah, shout out to Rick Rock and the whole Federation and the Bay Area. I was out there fuckin’ around for about four and a half years. I was working on a solo project with Rick Rock – we actually put out an independent album with Fontana called The Eastside Rider. The Federation situation didn’t work out so my solo project never came out. But I was out there grindin’ wit’ Rick Rock for a minute. That’s the first little bit of rap industry shit I ever experienced. At the time, he had just did the Jay-Z record “Change the Game,” he had the Busta Rhymes record with Mariah Carey, he had a lot of big records.
What was your game plan after that situation was over?
After the deal got fucked up, I came back to Alabama, to the streets. I knew Rick Rock from Alabama – he was originally from the Bay Area but we both had family in Alabama. We knew each other before he had blew up in the production game. So I went out there and tried to make somethin’ happen. But you know, every situation ain’t the right situation. When you tryin’ to fit in to someone else’s program, but at the same time, you patiently waitin’ to do yo thang, then your success is basically depending upon if these people pop off or not. When The Federation’s success wasn’t what the label expected, they got dropped from they situation, which domino affects everything else.
So you quit the game for a minute?
I ain’t have no plan – my plan was to go back to where I started, back to the block. I had said fuck the music thang for a minute after that. I came back down south and kinda reinvented myself and that’s what we got today. >>>>>
You’ve been putting out a lot of mixtapes and collaborations. What are you trying to achieve with your music now?
First of all, I’m trying to put out quality street music – some shit that ain’t too ignorant, but at the same time, a nigga is tellin’ a story. When you dealin’ wit’ the streets, some of us is talkin’ from a third party experience, and then you got niggas that’s talkin’ from they life. I happen to be one of them niggas that’s talkin’ from my life experiences. I’m not talkin’ about what my big brother did – even though my big brother was a muthafucka too. I’m tryin’ to bring to the game the story that ain’t really been told – as far as Alabama is concerned.
You had the “3Ps” song that was real big with OJ da Juiceman about a year ago. How did that song come about?
That shit was special to me ‘cause it wasn’t planned. Before that I had jumped in the game with the record “I Luv My Plug” with Shawty Lo. That was the first shit I put out. After that I wanted to come back with a banger, somethin’ a lil more uptempo. I was fuckin’ wit’ my young nigga Mike Will, and I had just moved to the A. I had been coming to the A since 2002 from the whole mob movement. I officially moved to the A the year we did that song. Mike Will was one of the first young niggas I met on the production tip that I felt had potential. He was helpin’ me craft my sound. So he came with the beat, and I already wrote the hook, but I didn’t want to rap it, I heard OJ’s voice on the hook. Mike reached out to OJ ‘cause they had a relationship.
What happened after Mike Will reached out to OJ for you? Y’all recorded the song right away?
Real recognize real. I was staying in M West over by Body Tap at the time. OJ pulled up in his Hummer. He hopped out with the crutches – he had just got shot up in a lil situation over on the eastside. He came to the crib shot up, on the medicine and everything. He was humble, he was just a real nigga. We played the music for him and he got on it. He felt what the hook was sayin’ and we made it happen. It turned out to be a banger. With that being said, a lot of people mistaked it for being OJ’s record. That’s why I shot the street video with Raw Report, to clear it up. Niggas was ordering ringtones for $1.99 and I ain’t see none of that money. I’m still trying to collect that check. I’m gonna get the lawyers on it in a minute. But at the end of the day it was a good look. We gave the streets what they needed.
You have a new collaboration on Alley Boy’s mixtape – Definition of Fuck Shit. How did y’all link up for that? Had y’all worked together before?
Man, I ain’t never did no music with Alley until then, but I been knowin’ Alley Boy on some whole other street shit that I ain’t gon’ get into. I really fuck wit’ these streets and real niggas. I been knowin’ Alley for a minute and it didn’t have to do wit’ no music. While he was doin’ his thing and shit was goin’ good, and I’m workin’ on my thang, we got in the studio and knocked some shit out. Shout out to Alley Boy, Black, the whole DuctTape.
In the “Play Your Position” song, there’s a line where you say “If you was real and you snitched/It Ain’t the Same/So tell Jeezy to stop mentioning O Dawg’s name.” What exactly are you trying to say?
We don’t associate with rats. We don’t shout them out on records or none of that. My thing was, I’m speaking from a hands-on experience. Everything I’m speaking on is green lighted by the mob. I’ll let the people figure out what I mean by that. I have to go to people and get permission to express these things. It’s a hierarchy that’s bigger than me. If I go to the counsel and they say it’s nothing wrong with what I’m sayin’, and it’s a thing we were all a part of at one time, and some of us still are a part of – but at the end of the day, it wasn’t no diss to Young Jeezy. I got Young Jeezy music in my car right now. It was basically like from real nigga to real nigga, if you the nigga you say you is or that we know you to be, don’t shout them type of niggas out.
So you weren’t dissing Jeezy?
It’s like an OG told me, the farther you go up the ladder, the more your ass shows. The more you in the spotlight and you become a star, sometimes people lose touch with reality. I don’t know the reason for him shouting O Dawg out, I know that was his man or whatever, but I’m saying it’s certain things we don’t do or cosign in this game. He did something me and my niggas definitely ain’t cosigning. This is coming from the big homie, shout out to Zippo. This shit ain’t third party with me. But shout out to Jeezy and CTE, it ain’t nothin’ like that. If I’d did that shit then my big homies woulda got at me, like we ain’t fuckin’ wit’ that dude, he gave a statement so fuck that nigga, he’s a rat.
Changing the subject just a bit, you have a decent underground following, and a foundation that can definitely be built upon. What’s it going to take for you to come out of the streets all the way and focus on the music?
A check. Anybody got a check?!? That what’s it’s gonna take. This game is a grind. It’s good one minute and bad the other. To this day, I ain’t got a rap check ever. Everything I do, any videos or mixtapes you see me put out, or anything that looks like it has financial backing from a corporation, it ain’t coming from that. It’s coming from me and my niggas that believe in me.
So what kind of numbers are you talking about as far as a check goes? What are you worth?
I ain’t gon’ throw no numbers out there. I don’t wanna cheat myself, I’d rather treat myself. I’ll just wait till somebody makes me an offer and I’ll decide. Just give a nigga something to work with where I can totally focus on this music.
So what difference would a check make?
I’d be giving y’all fans a lot more music if I had a check, B! I need a check! A nigga got too many hats he wearing right now. When I can get in the studio and I feel motivated – the game got a lot of watered-down ass shit. And then these niggas that’s on, they stories ain’t even real or they talkin’ about somebody else’s story, that’s when I get motivated and knock out a mixtape. Other than that, I’m tryna get it in, just like the next nigga, tryna get these racks.
Listening to you talk, nobody would probably guess off top that you’re from Alabama. You don’t have a strong southern accent. You mentioned spending some time in the Bay Area, where are you from originally?
I’m originally from Harlem, ya dig? Spanish Harlem to be exact 108th & 3rd. That’s where I was born and spent a lot of time at. But my family is from Alabama. Me being the type of kid I was, getting’ kicked out of every school, a nigga just being bad as a muthafucka, I got sent to live with my father and grandmother in Alabama when I was like 14. That whole up top/down south thing always been a part of my life ‘cause I been back and forth. But I got the game, the hustle and muscle, in Alabama, the south. That’s where I got my sack up – that’s what I represent. Shout out to Harlem – that’s where I learned about music, hip hop, the first place I seen a nigga downtown with a big ass boombox and some cardboard break dancing. But I got my manhood in Alabama. I’m a grandma baby. Ridgecrest all day, every day.
What else should people be checking for in the near future?
Be lookin’ out for my new mixtape coming out called White Power. BGM Mafia, my bricks stamped with swastikas. I got that Black Gangster 2 coming out with DJ 5150. I’m working. I got some shit for y’all. I got a couple of street videos too. We finna shoot the BGM Mafia street video, gonna have my man Suge Knight come through and fuck wit’ me. I got a single I’m pushin’ called “Loud Pack” produced by Zaytoven. Shout out to my nigga Bolo. I’m just workin’. I’m gonna keep givin’ y’all authentic street music – none of this watered down shit. We gon’ keep this shit all the way 100. Black Gangsta Movement, Bloods Gettin’ Money, whatever you wanna call it – BGM, that’s the gang, ya dig? Mob life.
Song: Eldorado Red – “Zips of the Loud” (Prod by Zaytoven)
Posted under Music
