INTERVIEW WITH KURUPT
BY Joanna Chaundy

KURUPT SAYS 'BOLLOX'

TO EAST/WEST RIVALRY!

I must be the most nervous, excited girl in London right now. It's 4.00pm and I have a phone interview at 4.30pm with Westcoast rapper, Kingpin KURUPT! I am starting to get a little doubtful that this interview is gonna take place, as I have been told that Kurupt is a very difficult person to catch and get time with, but sure enough my phone was ringing at 4.29pm.

'Wuzzup L'il momma', his raspy Californian accent is so cool that it sounds like he's rapping to you as he speaks.

I ask him how he's doing (feeling very nervous), and within minutes he made me feel like I had known him for years. He answers my question instantly joking around, 'well, you know, maintaining. I went skinny dippin the other night, trying new things, ya know! ' I laugh and already I know this is gonna be fun.

After messing around a little I get started with some questions. He's currently touring in the States with Snoop and I ask him what it's like being on the road again since the HUGE success of the Up In Smoke tour last year. 'It's beautiful, all the homiez is there. Aint nuthin like goin on the road with ya loved ones and makin money together, ya know? It's a beautiful thang!' I then informed him that the British government didn't want the Up In Smoke tour over here, (for obvious reasons) and Kurupt is shocked. His voice raises a couple of octaves, 'Why? I bet they was like: (he impersonates the government) 'UP IN SMOKE? YOU BETTER PUT IT 'UP YO ASS!' he laughs and I can't help but think that that's exactly right! I get on to asking him about his eagerly awaited third solo album, 'SPACE BOOGIE'. To me it is a lot more diverse than his last. 'I tried to be. I also tried to add things on there that my children would like and my momma.'  So I'm then very intrigued to know what his mother thinks of his usual gangsta lyrics, as I am with most gangsta rappers. 'My momma aint messin with none of that! She pourin water in the cup, she's blessin the water in the cup and throwin it on me when I walk in...SPLASH!'  Again, he impersonates his mother in a completely innocent way, 'I heard about ya little record boy!' So this then leads me to ask him whether he is now aiming towards a more mainstream audience, as his single 'IT'S OVER' featuring Natina Reed (his fiance) is getting mainstream radio play. 'No, I just really wanted to put something on there that my kids can listen to, cause I'm gon' still put my gangsta shit on there, but it wouldn't hurt to have something my momma can listen to.' He is very genuine and is pleasantly surprised to hear that his single is getting mainstream radio play in the U.K. He's bursting with enthusiasm, 'WOW! Tell em thank you for giving me the opportunity and listening to the music rather than the persona'. He seems extremely happy at the response he's got and I am so glad I was the one to tell him. 'I didn't know nuthin' about that, it means a lot and that definitely requires a trip!' For those of you that know Kurupt, you'll know that he lashed out at certain artists on a track called 'CALLIN' OUT NAMES' on his previous album, 'Streetz Iz A Mutha.' One of the main people he had beef with was DMX. I feel more than comfortable asking him if that is over and done with. 'Yeah, I squashed all that. I lost my mind for a second, it's a part of being human, it's called mistakes.' I'm very overwhelmed by his honesty and he continues to say that the good thing is that, he lived through it without being injured or injuring someone. Automatically this (as I'm sure you'll agree) leads us to remember the tragic death of 2Pac, one of Kurupts best friends. 'It's a good thing I woke up so quick, cause Snoop said kill it and once he did that and broke down 'why,' it made total great sense. That's why I love my big homie cause he gives the best advice.'

He speaks very highly of Snoop who seems to have guided him through his career and I feel free to give my opinion that I personally think all the East/West rivalry is bullshit. 'Yea, it's all bullshit momma.' So, could it be that all the rivalry has come to a head now? 'Definitely! I think the problem now, is not East and West. I think people are bored and don't have nuthin to do, cause the East is feuding with the East now.' The conversation seems to be getting a lot more serious and I already miss the jokey side of him, so I decide to break it down with a very mainstream question. 'What's your favourite track on the album?' Without any hesitation whatsoever he boldly says, 'GANGSTA'S.' This is a track produced by his well-known partner in crime, Daz. And secretly I agree, but didn't wanna seem too ass kissy! 'You can't beat that classic Doggpound.' Speaking of Daz, I wanted to know why Daz hadn't produced as much of his new album as before. He has now introduced us to his new producer, FREDWRECK, who is doubt a great producer if you hear 'Space Boogie', although it's always great to hear Daz and Kurupt together. 'Daz was working a lot, so I couldn't get his total participation but he will always oversee the rest of my albums for the rest of my years.' This is good to hear. I ask how Daz is, and Kurupt jokes, 'Eatin' a lot! He's my boy, but you wonder why I'm so skinny? Cause I keep orderin food around that n#gg#. Don't leave any plates around Daz!'

Again, Kurupt has me in hysterics until we get talkin about Suge Knight. I tell him that I'm a bit reluctant to talk about Suge (as he was released from jail the day before) but Kurupt talks freely about him in a very complimentative way. 'Hopefully the man's gonna come home, cause he needs to be home. He got kids and a momma that loves him, ya know? He'll do right, people just need to have faith in him.' I leave it at that and I'm just happy that he shared that with me atall as I was advised not to mention Suge.

Kurupt has collaborated with many big artists on this new album. These include, Fred Durst, Jon B, Everlast.  We discuss the dispute that Eminem has had with Fred Durst, DJ Lethal and especially Everlast and he explains, ' I love em both to tell you the reals, but they both grown men and no one can get involved'. I pursue in telling him that when he did the 'CALLIN' OUT NAMES' track, just like 2Pac's 'HIT EM UP' track, people could feel the anger. It was not a joke as most of you hip hop fans will remember, but when Eminem lashes out, people seem to not be as scared. He agrees, 'Yea, I was on fire! I'd close my eyes and see red,I'd open my eyes and see red, I'd go to sleep and see red, I'd dream and see red,I'd drive and see red.' Then just as I go to continue, he quickly throws in; 'I'd lie down and see red!' (Cheeky!) He then laughs. I get the feeling that Kurupt is not seeing so much red anymore, which is good. We then talk about the contrast in him doing a track with Jon B. Kurupt does not hold back, ' I don't care if they think it's RnB sell out or what, Pac showed us the way.'

Whenever Kurupt mentions 2Pac's name he lights up and reminisces on different stories about him, which to me was fascinating to hear. He explains that 2Pac would say to him, 'stand up for yours Kurupt, you can do what you want.' So, if 2Pac was still alive, would Kurupt have done a lot of stuff with him on his albums I wonder. 'Definitely. You see on the new Doggpound album from Suge, that he got classic 2pac shit on there. There'll probably be a zillion more, you know Pac!' He tells me that one day 2Pac came out with eight songs! I can already vision 2pac speaking from the way Kurupt impersonates him. (In a dominant voice) 'Stop playin with the game man, this is all we got!' He's a great storyteller and this enabled me to understand much more about the effect 2Pac had on them. I tell him that his track 'KURUPTION' ft Everlast, reminded me of 2Pac's 'ME AND MY GIRLFRIEND'. We then start singing the chorus to Me And My Girlfriend. ' I never looked at it like that!' He speaks highly of Everlast's talent and then decides that he wants to shoot the video for this track overseas. 'I wanna be like Michael Jackson and go to Moscow!' Now I KNOW he's playin. So I say, 'yeah, you can be dancing down the street with your own little drum'haha' After fits of laughter he says, 'why not?'

I had been dying to ask Kurupt about the hilarious story I heard about him falling off a moving platform, during the video shoot for newcomer Shade Sheist. 'OH MAN, there is no story it was VERY real. That muthafucka was movin so fast momma! I tried to keep my composure like Snoop.'  I would have paid money to see that, after the way he described it. Kurupt loves originality and wished they had kept it in the video. After more crazy talk that we escalated to out of nowhere, I finally ask him about his acting, as he as recently done a film, 'PLAGUE SEASON', directed by Ron Shelton ' (White Men Can't Jump) also starring Ving Rhames and Kurt Russell. 'The experience was the training. Uncle Ron, Uncle Kurt and Uncle Ving all walked me through it.' So I ask Kurupt if he's going to get into more acting rather than rapping, and he sharply replies, 'I think I'm gonna totally get into acting, LIKE rapping.' I was very pleased and impressed by that answer.

I tell him that it would be great to finally see him in London after all these years and he tells me another great story of how he and Daz met their hero, Robert DeNiro in London. Hollering out. 'TAXI DRIVER! GODFATHER'OH MY GOD!' He is star-struck just telling the story.

Much to my surprise, Kurupt then informs me that Craig David is killing it in the States. FINALLY'UK has some recognition baby! Go Craig!  We talk about Craig David's clean cut image and I try to explain that Craig's audience is usually between the ages of 12 and 45! 'Not out here. Out here it's gonna be ALL naked woman! He's Americanised now!' I can't help but laugh, as I'm sure it's probably true.

After discussing British talent he has the balls to impersonate the BRITS! This was SOOOO funny. I tell him that not ONE American can say the word BOLLOX like a Londoner. Then I had Kurupt and the rest of the guys at the Record Company all attempting to say it for 5 mins.  'BU-LLUX, BAALUX.'  Sorry guys, you just aint got it. But it was fun hearing them try. We escalate into a conversation about groups such as Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, so I ask him if Backstreet asked him to work with them, would he do it? 'I f'kin would, you DAMM RIGHT! I'm f'kin with them AND N'sync. Aint nuthin' wrong with it. I'm just gonna make sure I don't have Em there (Eminem), cause he might burn the whole building down!' After laughing some more at Kurupt's impersonations, I was told to rap things up as Kurupt had been good enough to go WAY over the interview time. I thanked him and told him that I can't wait to see him do a show in London. 'Well, you know, we gon' do it big when I come out there. We gon' have us a ball and do a SUPER BIG, SUPER SUBERB over a good glass of HENAROCK!' I completed my interview feeling overwhelmed by his personality. Kurupt is a levelheaded businessman, with an 'IF YOU WANT SOME'GET SOME' attitude which has brought him a very long way. Hilarious, witty and a pleasure to talk to. UK'BE ON THE LOOK OUT!!