Perusing through a slew of Mack 10 YouTube videos is like witnessing arguably the ultimate henchman turn-head honcho in sixty e-minutes or less. The Inglewood, California luminary who so viscerally defined Gangsta Rap riding alongside fellow Westside Connection members Ice Cube and WC, warring with other Rap acts from across the nation, embodying his “Chicken Hawk” alter ego in every lyric delivered in the early-1990s has spent much of the last decade-plus steering his Hoo-Bangin‘ record label like a certified boss. He recently added Xzibit to his veteran roster and, next month, looks to release the anticipated Money Music, a collaborative concept album with his own lyrical henchman, Glasses Malone.
It’s refreshing to speak with G. Malone, really. While Glasses has embattled extensive release delays with his debut album, Beach Cruiser, he’s never lost sight of the bigger picture. Rather than rant about his plight, he rewrote the album three times, always focused on growing as a lyricist, soaking in the business tidbits that come with being signed to Cash Money and Hoo-Bangin’. Rather than growing increasingly bitter, he’s focused his energy on becoming increasingly better.
With Money Music on the immediate horizon, HipHopDX spoke with Mack 10 and Glasses Malone separately about Hoo-Bangin’s revival, the challenges of marketing an album in today’s retail environment, Beach Cruiser’s frequent delays and why above all else, lyricism remains most important.
HipHopDX: First, I do want to say that I’m excited about Money Music. I think it’s really good timing for both of you especially coming off the strength of Soft White with Mack 10 and with the frequent delays of Beach Cruiser. You guys sound good together on wax.
Glasses Malone: I’m going to be happy to finally get one in stores. It’s like a mothafucking marathon for an artist to get a CD in stores. So shit, I’m happy. I’ll take whatever. I’ll take it with him or whatever. It’s great for me. Matter of fact, shout out to Saigon, 'cause I already know his struggle. To see him come out [with Greatest Story Never Told], that was dope too. I’m just happy [Money Music] is finally coming out.
DX: What’s [Money Music] going to sound like? Who's on the production on the album?
Mack 10: These new kids called Drastic Legends. They did most of the whole album and we wanted to make it like that so the album would have a certain sound. It’s a concept record. The whole record is about hustling. It’s called Money Music; the entire record is just hustling. It’s a concept record so sometimes you’d like to make it have a certain sound.
DX: Is there a lot of storytelling involved? It’s a concept record sonically and within the theme. But are you going to be telling specific stories more so? Is it still going to still have diversity?
Mack 10: Yeah, it’s got both. It’s some Hip Hop on here, too. There’s some rapping on here and we’re telling stories and really just painting a picture. It’s a real concept record it’s kinda like the same approach I would've took with a Westside Connection record or something.
DX: The setup kind of feels like "The Boss and The Henchman." It’s kind of like the Hall of Famer and the all-star.
Glass Malone: That’s how it is in real life. We’re kind of like "The Boss and The Henchman." That’s our get-down. I’m a boss in my own right, but when I’m with Birdman and Slim [Williams] and them, I’m a henchman. With Mack [10], I’m a capo, feel me? So, I wanted to keep it just that, I ain’t want it to be nothing else.
DX: This is released through Hoo-Bangin’/Cash Money/Universal, right?
Mack 10: Just Hoo-Bangin’.
DX: I was curious about that just given [Glasses Malone’s] Beach Cruiser and I know [Hoo-Bangin’ and Cash Money] collaborate frequently. I wasn’t sure how this one was being distributed.
Mack 10: Yeah, Yeah. That’s because we just do it the way we want to do it. Baby and them is my homies so we don't really follow no certain rules as far as how stuff usually go. When it’s your partner getting down with you, you just do it however it’s fit to do it.
DX: What was it like working together? How was the chemistry in the studio?
Glasses Malone: You know what’s funny? All we do is talk about everything else but music. We don’t even talk about music. That’s why [on] the record, we don’t got a lot of rap records where niggas rapping about how good of a rapper niggas is. We’ve got music that’s really reflective of living that street and shit and like that. You know, still being a part of that life and parts of the life that we experienced and that’s pretty much the whole record. It ain’t really no records rapping about rapping. Pretty much street shit in general. All the shit we’ve been through and all the shit we’re going through.
Home > Features > Interviews > Mack 10 & Glasses Malone: A Gangster And A Gentleman
Mack 10 & Glasses Malone: A Gangster And A Gentleman
by The Company Man
posted March 31, 2011 01:28:00 PM CDT | 4 comments
Mack 10 & Glasses Malone: A Gangster And A Gentleman
Glasses Malone speaks about the excitement of his first retail project, while Mack 10 speaks about his revived Hoo-Bangin' Records, and their shared opinions of L.A.'s restored lyricism.
Perusing through a slew of Mack 10 YouTube videos is like witnessing arguably the ultimate henchman turn-head honcho in sixty e-minutes or less. The Inglewood, California luminary who so viscerally defined Gangsta Rap riding alongside fellow Westside Connection members Ice Cube and WC, warring with other Rap acts from across the nation, embodying his “Chicken Hawk” alter ego in every lyric delivered in the early-1990s has spent much of the last decade-plus steering his Hoo-Bangin‘ record label like a certified boss. He recently added Xzibit to his veteran roster and, next month, looks to release the anticipated Money Music, a collaborative concept album with his own lyrical henchman, Glasses Malone.
It’s refreshing to speak with G. Malone, really. While Glasses has embattled extensive release delays with his debut album, Beach Cruiser, he’s never lost sight of the bigger picture. Rather than rant about his plight, he rewrote the album three times, always focused on growing as a lyricist, soaking in the business tidbits that come with being signed to Cash Money and Hoo-Bangin’. Rather than growing increasingly bitter, he’s focused his energy on becoming increasingly better.
With Money Music on the immediate horizon, HipHopDX spoke with Mack 10 and Glasses Malone separately about Hoo-Bangin’s revival, the challenges of marketing an album in today’s retail environment, Beach Cruiser’s frequent delays and why above all else, lyricism remains most important.
HipHopDX: First, I do want to say that I’m excited about Money Music. I think it’s really good timing for both of you especially coming off the strength of Soft White with Mack 10 and with the frequent delays of Beach Cruiser. You guys sound good together on wax.
Glasses Malone: I’m going to be happy to finally get one in stores. It’s like a mothafucking marathon for an artist to get a CD in stores. So shit, I’m happy. I’ll take whatever. I’ll take it with him or whatever. It’s great for me. Matter of fact, shout out to Saigon, 'cause I already know his struggle. To see him come out [with Greatest Story Never Told], that was dope too. I’m just happy [Money Music] is finally coming out.
DX: What’s [Money Music] going to sound like? Who's on the production on the album?
Mack 10: These new kids called Drastic Legends. They did most of the whole album and we wanted to make it like that so the album would have a certain sound. It’s a concept record. The whole record is about hustling. It’s called Money Music; the entire record is just hustling. It’s a concept record so sometimes you’d like to make it have a certain sound.
DX: Is there a lot of storytelling involved? It’s a concept record sonically and within the theme. But are you going to be telling specific stories more so? Is it still going to still have diversity?
Mack 10: Yeah, it’s got both. It’s some Hip Hop on here, too. There’s some rapping on here and we’re telling stories and really just painting a picture. It’s a real concept record it’s kinda like the same approach I would've took with a Westside Connection record or something.
DX: The setup kind of feels like "The Boss and The Henchman." It’s kind of like the Hall of Famer and the all-star.
Glass Malone: That’s how it is in real life. We’re kind of like "The Boss and The Henchman." That’s our get-down. I’m a boss in my own right, but when I’m with Birdman and Slim [Williams] and them, I’m a henchman. With Mack [10], I’m a capo, feel me? So, I wanted to keep it just that, I ain’t want it to be nothing else.
DX: This is released through Hoo-Bangin’/Cash Money/Universal, right?
Mack 10: Just Hoo-Bangin’.
DX: I was curious about that just given [Glasses Malone’s] Beach Cruiser and I know [Hoo-Bangin’ and Cash Money] collaborate frequently. I wasn’t sure how this one was being distributed.
Mack 10: Yeah, Yeah. That’s because we just do it the way we want to do it. Baby and them is my homies so we don't really follow no certain rules as far as how stuff usually go. When it’s your partner getting down with you, you just do it however it’s fit to do it.
DX: What was it like working together? How was the chemistry in the studio?
Glasses Malone: You know what’s funny? All we do is talk about everything else but music. We don’t even talk about music. That’s why [on] the record, we don’t got a lot of rap records where niggas rapping about how good of a rapper niggas is. We’ve got music that’s really reflective of living that street and shit and like that. You know, still being a part of that life and parts of the life that we experienced and that’s pretty much the whole record. It ain’t really no records rapping about rapping. Pretty much street shit in general. All the shit we’ve been through and all the shit we’re going through.
DX: How’s it been watching G. Malone’s evolution? He’s done a lot of great work and you’re a major influence on that.
Mack 10: [Glasses Malone] was like, when I got him, he just needed a little bit of polish and I knew that if I threw certain shit to him he was going to be alright and he was going to be on his way. And that’s what I did. I knew he had all of the makings to be one of the greats one day. And since he had everything else, I knew that if I helped him out he’d get to where he’s going. He’s headed in the right direction right now.
DX: So we can look forward to that energy being translated onto the album?
Mack 10: It’s crazy! It’s crazy between me and him. Like, we understand each other. G is the kind of guy that I am. He’s really from the streets so we don’t play by no square rules and square ethics or none of that shit. It’s a good relationship.
DX: Glasses, I know you had to have gone through a lot of different emotions while making Beach Cruiser. This is your third time making it. You’ve done this a lot of different times.
Glasses Malone: Well, my music is nothing but a reflection of what’s going on. It’s forever shit, material and ideas for either Mack & Malone or Beach Cruiser. I try to stay away from rapping about some punk-ass problems I’m going through with having money and dealing with this shit. I always try to reflect on the shit that I deal with when I’m in the streets everyday because that’s something that everybody’s going to go through forever. So, I’ve made three different versions. I really could leak out a lot of the records. The only reason I made it three times was just growing lyrically over and over again. I keep growing lyrically. That’s why I keep remaking it because I’m so much better than I was. The way I’m rapping, the way I put bars together, how many times I’m rhyming in the same bar, how many times I can rhyme syllables. That’s why I keep redoing it and lyrically I’m just so much better than I ever was. I want to stay on top of my game lyrically. I want to keep getting better and better. That’s why every time somebody hear something like Drive By Muzik [they] are blown away by it. That’s why I keep updating Beach Cruiser. I almost feel like I need to do it again because like I’m starting on this White Lightning 2 and lyrically it’s better than everything. I’m just happy to keep progressing. I just don’t want to reach a ceiling.
DX: Do you feel like an outlier in that sense? You’re talking about how important lyrics are and it seems on shallow level -- when you look at rap commercially -- that lyrics are the least important part of the song. It seems like a lot of artists don’t even care about lyrics anymore.
Glasses Malone: You know what, people say that all the time and I always hear that. I don’t think that’s true. I mean, seems like a lot of rappers that have built swag, style and presence that are successful but they aren’t as successful as the people that are dope lyrically. If you look at Atlanta, everybody’s talking about who’s hot in Atlanta. And there are a lot of style niggas that come from there, but the lyricists are still the cream of the crop there. You’ve got the T.I.s. You’ve got the Outkasts. If Outkast put out an album, they’re going to outsell everything that came out. Period. When Ludacris puts out an album, it’s going to outsell everything that came out. Period. The top of Hip Hop will always be reserved for the elite. Period. If you’re not an elite lyricist, I mean, the top selling Hip Hop artists are all dope niggas: 2Pac. Eminem. Jay-Z. Outkast. The Notorious B.I.G. I don’t buy that shit. I truly believe lyricists and lyricism and being dope in general will always be the top of the shit no matter who’s hot at the time. It can be a million m'fuckers hot. There’s been a million m'fuckers hot since I’ve been growing up but the top, the elite part has always been reserved for the elite lyricists and the dope emcees. There’s nobody that can contest that. There’s no situation where somebody can say, “That’s not true in this situation.” Every situation that’s true.
DX: You mentioned in an interview in December 2010 with OzoneMag.com that being around Lil Wayne encouraged you to put the pen down. Did you stop writing? Are you going with a more train of thought approach now?
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