Obie Trice - The Internet Sucks - August 2006
From being Detroit’s “Well Known Asshole” back in the late 90’s, to being signed to Shady Records at the turn of the new century, things looked good for Obie Trice. In 2003 he released “Cheers,” which gained him worldwide exposure and a couple of hits. Earlier in the year, just as 2006 began, Obie Trice suffered a near fatal shooting. He recovered quickly and simply acted as if nothing happened, picking up right where he left off.
His follow up (”Second Round’s On Me) which we’ve been waiting for has been delayed a few times, but is finally making it’s way to shelves this month.
MVRemix: How do you view yourself?
Obie Trice: I mean I see myself as an artist, as well as seeing myself as someone who grows through the times. With each album and whatever I’ve got to go through though, I go through it as an artist.
MVRemix: Is the reputation of Detroit just? In terms of the violent context in which people talk about the city?
Obie Trice: Um.. [pauses] I see both. I see both; it’s not as bad in certain areas and it is. I can agree with somebody saying it’s not easy ’cause I was there, and I can understand when people say that it’s not as bad. So both situations I can understand.
MVRemix: How do you see the city?
Obie Trice: Once again, it’s the same thing - it’s both ways. Sometimes I’m relaxing and I’ll get a phone call, “Obie, you heard?” “Nah, I ain’t hear - what, what?” “Such and Such just got killed.” It’s a time to just chill, it’s fun and weather is nice. You know, sometimes it’s good day, like an Ice Cube day.
MVRemix: Its been eight months since you experienced your new years shooting incident, how has your life changed since that event?
Obie Trice: I don’t do the same things I used to do. I don’t go to the same places I used to go. I’m real observant about where I go and how I carry myself… I’m a little more cautious than I was.
MVRemix: Has that changed your attitude towards your lyrics?
Obie Trice: The attitude towards my lyrics has not changed, I mean I have made new songs since the incident that’s goin’ on my album. When that incident happened I had an offensive defensability goin’ on about myself, I felt a sense of paranoia. A lot of emcees have emotions goin’ on. At the time I made “Cry Now” to get all the angst feelings out of me, so I feel like friends who’re always seeing you gettin’ you shot outside of your home town - if that was the case. It’s just a feeling.
MVRemix: What was your first drink and how did you get your hands on it?
Obie Trice: My first drink? Moonshine, that was my first drink.
MVRemix: How did you get your hands on that?
Obie Trice: I was at the school with my brother, he was at Western Michigan University, so that’s how I got it. That’s not me now, I’m trying to sway away from this whole drinking. You know I don’t drink like I used to. But I wanna keep my albums in the same theme. The third one might be “Bottom’s Up” and the fourth one might be “Bar Shots,” you know? Just keep the whole theme in my career. At the end of my career, I might be a Moorman or something.
MVRemix: During your drinking days, did you often opt to buy rounds, or did you try to pretend that it’s not your turn?
Obie Trice: I’d steer away from it!
MVRemix: How does “Second Round’s On Me” compare to “Cheers”?
Obie Trice: “Second Round’s On Me” compares to “Cheers” - there’s no comparison.
MVRemix: So how do they contrast then?
Obie Trice: They don’t compare other than the title. You shouldn’t go into “Second Round’s On Me” expecting “Cheers” - not the same ingredients, it’s another album. It’s Obie just being Obie.
MVRemix: How many tracks has the tracklisting gone through? How many songs have been recorded?
Obie Trice: Man, I’d say over 80 songs. 18 songs have been made to go on this album, but I plan to come back with another album maybe late next year. There can never be as long a wait as there was with this second album.
MVRemix: Which song took the longest to complete and why?
Obie Trice: The longest song that I took to complete was the “Obie Story,” the last song on the album. For that you get a vivid outcome.
MVRemix: How did you first hook up with Akon?
Obie Trice: I hooked up with Akon in the Bahamas. He came up to me like, “Yo, you’re Obie man. I got songs that been stashed away for you, I been waitin’ to work with you!” He told me that, I said, “Bet, lets make it happen.” He gives me the song and I bring him in the studio and he politicin’ with Em[inem] and they knockin’ out joints. So you know, I made that happen! Me!
MVRemix: Perfect. Did you just record the one? Or do you have a variety of collaborations with him?
Obie Trice: We recorded that one song, that “Snitch” song.
MVRemix: The first time I heard you was through the Internet with “Well Known Asshole,” before you got signed to Shady Records. What are your thoughts on the Internet and music and the whole MP3 generation which now exists?
Obie Trice: I think the internet sucks man, I’m not internet savvy like that. I think the internet sucks because - take a person like Johnny Cash, he’s dead. He’s selling 85,000 records his first week - he’s number one - that’s crazy! That’s all due to internet fucks. All this technology - in a minute music is just gonna be like music. A guy ain’t gonna be able to just get wealthy off music. That’s against it, that’s like you take a confident new dude playing basketball - he comes from shit ass, dookie, turd ass, boo boo slums, grimey ass cockroaches, roaches and motherfuckin’ rats and he’s a hell of a basketball player, and when he gets drafted he deserves to get paid those dollars. So I just hate… I’m just not an advocate of the internet. Maybe if I was a blue collar worker or somethin’, nickel and dimin’ and I ain’t have the money to buy somebody’s record, okay then. But fuck that! I’m an artist and I’m biased. Buy my record!
MVRemix: Because of your position on a major label, do you buy records or are most of them promo’s that you get for free?
Obie Trice: I don’t get shit for free, I buy my records. I go out and buy my records. I bought Busta Rhymes’ album. I went out and bought T.I.’s “The King” album. I go out and buy records. I don’t get shit for free, promo’s or like. They probably have them at the label, but it ain’t like nobody’s sendin’ me all this free shit. I’m a good guy, I stand in line and I buy it myself.
MVRemix: What’s your favourite record that people wouldn’t expect you to own?
Obie Trice: A record that you wouldn’t expect me to own… [ponders] The one where the guy says [singing] “I believe in miracles!” You know that song, you know what I’m talkin’ about? [singing] “I believe in miracles!” That’s a record you probably wouldn’t expect Obie to own but I buy some shit like that.
MVRemix: And going on from that, what was the last album that you played solid for a good couple of months?
Obie Trice: The last album would have to be “The Black Album.”
MVRemix: Do you have any more videos planned for the album as of yet?
Obie Trice: I just finished a video for “Jamaican Girls.”
MVRemix: Can you tell me a bit about that video?
Obie Trice: The video; me, a bunch of bitches, Jamaican type ambience. I’m doin’ my thing, killin’ the mic, how I do.
MVRemix: Where was it shot?
Obie Trice: It was shot in L.A. though [chuckles]. Shot in Malibu.
MVRemix: So it has a nice tropical look to it?
Obie Trice: Yeah, it has a nice tropical look.
MVRemix: A la “Fight Club,” “If you could fight any celebrity, who would you fight”?
Obie Trice: [ponders] I would wanna fight… It’s gotta be a celebrity?
MVRemix: Someone in the public eye…
Obie Trice: It’d probably be the producers of MTV or the producers of that… What’s the name of it? The producers of the show where they be tryin’ to get chose to go out with the girl… They sit on the bus tryin’ to get chose, go out to try and be with some chick… I would fight the producers of that show because they put real… MTV is overboard man, like they put real flaming gay motherfuckers. You know I ain’t got no thing with gay people, but at the same time - you won’t play a “Snitch” video? You won’t play a “Snitch” video but you will go against God’s will and put gay people on TV and flaming like that? I don’t get into that. So I would fight the producers that play that, ’cause they won’t play “Snitch.” Like what’s wrong with playin’ my video? MTV has always been overboard, like an overboard channel, at the same time I’m just sayin’ “Don’t snitch.” There’s nothin’ hard about it. Shut the fuck up tellin’ on people.
MVRemix: You’ve played a part in “Life Goes On” - do you have any other films or TV in the works?
Obie Trice: We lookin’ at a couple of scripts right now, a couple of things. I did a little thing on “C.S.I.” and on “Life Goes On.” There’s a couple of things that I got. I’m really trying to focus on this music.
MVRemix: If you had to compare the album to a designer label or luxury car, what would it be and why?
Obie Trice: I would say “Second Round’s On Me” is like a Phantom. Because it ghostly approaches you, like one of those new albums that you hear but you can’t hear just one time. You’ve got to listen to it.
