Interviews

Donnis Interview With HipHopSite.Com (*sticky*)

HHS: What are you up to man?

Donnis: I’m just going through beats right now.

HHS: So are you picking stuff for your mixtape or your album?

Donnis: Both. I mean I can’t even explain to you, bro. That’s why I everybody feels like I’m on hiatus, but then a lot of new people are getting to know me now. But, I’m going through beats for this [Fashionably Late] EP we’re about to drop on Itunes and shit, to go along with this amazing [Fashionably Late] mixtape we’re about to drop, and then before that mixtape, I think I’m going to drop another mixtape like in the next week and a half or something. So I’m just working.

HHS: Okay so the mixtape / EP is called Fashionably Late, right?

Donnis: Yeah.

HHS: Let me ask you this, when does Fashionably Late become Inexcusably Late – because there’s been crazy delays with this shit, we’re waiting for you to make it happen? We wanna see this thing, whats the deal, when is this coming out?

Donnis: Honestly it’s gonna be like June man, but I’m gonna feed the streets mostly, you know what I’m saying. I’m about to just drop a bunch of freestyles and records all on one thing – Me and DJ Holiday about to come with that. So it’s just like I’m so pissed because now you know I gotta a label situation and they love the record, which is a good thing, but now they want to do videos for all this stuff, so it’s just becoming a crazy thing. So you know, it’s crazy right now man.

HHS: And how does Atlantic feel about the whole mixtape thing, because they are kind of notorious for sending out cease and desist letters to the blog scene and shit, so as far as you being signed to Atlantic, do they give a shit about you doing a mixtape, or they just like, “whatever”?

Donnis: They want me to do these mixtapes, but the thing is, I’m not just one of these artists that raps over beats, I make records. They hear these records, and like, one time I had one record they won’t let me use for the mixtape and they’re like “Yo, we want that for the album” and then I got these other records like “yo these are crazy”. The record labels see dollars man, so they want to use them for this EP, but they’ll also be on the mixtape too. You know, I consider it the gift and the curse, that means I’m talented. They have other artists on my label that they just let them do whatever the fuck they want to do.

HHS: And do you say that the label lets them do what the fuck they want because they are much bigger artists, or they do what they want because they are not relevant to the label?

Donnis: They don’t care because it’s not relevant and it’s not nothing they can make money off of right now.

HHS: Being that you are signed with Atlantic, is your deal structured with any imprint labels? I know you’ve been connected to Fools Gold, and obviously Grand Hustle is connected to Atlantic – is your Atlantic deal connected to any it’s imprints?

Donnis: It’s all me, man. It’s me and my crew, my label called The Academy. That’s what it is, The Academy / Atlantic. T.I.’s my homeboy, we just did a lot of stuff together the other day…. pause, no homo shit…(laughs)… We just landed in New York and handled a lot of business. And you know, Fools Gold is family, they got the “Gone” record going for me right now and we killing it.

HHS: Okay, so the “Gone” video has some explicit imagery in it. Did they say you had to shoot another version of it, or do another edit for MTV or anything like that?

Donnis: Nah, the video was all my vision and it was all wanted to do. I fought very long and hard to make sure that the video was what I wanted it to be. I haven’t heard no negative shit about the video.

HHS: Nah man, I like the video. A lot of rap videos these days use the same elements over and over again, so the thing I did like about it was that it was not formulaic, it looked very original so…

Donnis: 100 percent. To me at least, there’s an art to this, there’s an art to it. We have to bring the art out – a lot of people just don’t give a fuck and that’s why you get people that come and go very quickly. I’m out here strategizing to make sure I stay. My rise has been slow and steady, but it’s going to be rise that’s going to be around for a long time.

HHS: So, you said that first you have the [Fashionably Late] EP?

Donnis: The EP and the mixtape will drop on the same day.

HHS: Okay, so what is the difference between the two?

Donnis: The mixtape is 12 records, the EP will be 6 records, 4 records that are on the mixtape for people that don’t go to the blogs and download, and 2 new records that are not on the mixtape.

HHS: Have you really started thinking about the album yet, or are you more concentrating on the mixtape?

Donnis: On my album, I have records put aside for the album. I don’t want to say I’m halfway though, but probably thirty / forty percent into the album. I’m trying to make sure that I kill everything between here and mid-June. That there’s so much music out the kids won’t get tired – with freestyles and everything – so I can spend the rest of next three months just working on the album, so they can definitely expect the album for the top of the year.

HHS: So have you settled on a title?

Donnis: Right now I’m looking at the title, Basic Training, based on me being in the Air Force. That’s what I’m looking at right now. Time changes everything, but definitely a military theme because thats a part of my story they haven’t heard.

HHS: You said you definitely got some records that you know are going to be on the album. Do you have anything that you look at as a classic or crowning achievement? Something you are like “nobody can fuck with this”?

Donnis: Me and John Legend, you know what I’m saying (laughs) did some stuff together that’s pretty crazy. Everything I put aside for my album is something I feel is timeless. I’m trying to make a timeless album, you know what I’m saying. I’m trying to make that Chronic, I’m trying to make that College Dropout, I’m trying to make that Blueprint, I’m trying to make that Eric B. & Rakim Paid In Full. I’m taking my time with it, I’m going for the gusto, I’m going for the win, not just putting stuff on there to put it on there.

HHS: Okay, so let me ask you this. You just listed a bunch of classic records. To me the best hip-hop album of all time is Public Enemy It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. I’ll put it up against anything. So for you, what is the greatest hip-hop album, hands down?

Donnis: For me? Best hip-hop album hands down for me? …….. It’s really difficult for me, because I’m from the South..

HHS: That’s cool…

Donnis: I grew up on [Outkast's] Southernplayalisticadillicmuzik, these Outkast records. Hands down would be difficult because [Outkast's] records compete against each other. My favorite albums are Southernplayalisticadillicmuzik, Aquemini, Goodie Mob Soul Food, Blueprint Jay-Z, T.I. Trap Muzik, The Chronic. Those are probably like some of my favorites….

HHS: No ATLiens? C’mon…. (laughs)

Donnis: (laughs) they all captured a classic moment in time. People ask you that question, if you were on a desert island, what albums would you take, there’d definitely be a grip of those albums on there. I mean, The Love Below, what the fuck you going to do with that, what you supposed to do with that?

HHS: I like The Love Below. I know a lot of people were like, you know….

Donnis: Nah thats probably my favorite album ever. If we sitting here really talking. The mixing by John Frye….. Shout out to him, he’s amazing. I’m about to start working with dude.

HHS: When we were hanging out that night at Vanity in Vegas, you were with Clinton Sparks, how did you guys link up, and are you working on stuff together?

Donnis: When I signed my deal, we went out to L.A. and my manager had a relationship with his manager. He hadn’t heard anything from me, so I played him “Diary of an ATL player” and he liked it. So he hit me off with a few records – he sent me some records – this one he had that was huge, it had this really big sound with an orchestra and everything. So, I rapped on it, and I murdered it. So when I got out there to Cali, I played it for him and he was just mind blown, he was like “yo I didn’t think anyone would be able to do this on this record.” So, that song is on my album and is the intro to my album. We just continued the relationship through the music. He asked me to come down to the venue, Vanity, so how could I turn that down man, Clinton Sparks in Vegas, he’s one of the biggest deejays in the world.

HHS: Definitely. I saw an interview you did with Dee Vazquez, you mentioned the books The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and 33 Strategies of War. Have you read these books and have you used the knowledge for evil?

Donnis: (Laughs) Have I used the knowledge for evil?

HHS: Yeah, for evil.

Donnis: (Laughs) Nah, don’t use the knowledge for evil. For me, I feel like that book man, it’s just like anything else man, it’s a part of life, you just take from it what you to take from it. I could use the knowledge all day and all of these things that I believe in. But you’re gonna take it and do what you want with it – and those books are like – if you look at some of that shit, its like “yo, you gotta be a fucked up person to do some of that”. But for me, I just took some of the things I already knew, like the story about the king who really wanted the girl, and he ignored her, ignored her, ignored her, and then she wrote him all these letters and started going crazy over him. Then he replied and then she didn’t care anymore. And, I think that story, I can compare it to feeding the blogs – a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time, and then you go away, because when you go away that increases your value and people want you even more. Look at Kanye, he got in all that trouble, disappeared for a while, and no everybody wants him back.

HHS: He had to kinda retreat a little bit right there, I think. We were almost getting into Kanye overload, especially with 808′s & Heartbreaks LP. I wasn’t big on it, but I thought it was cool he took a year off and laid back in the cut for a minute. You know he’s gonna kill it with this Good Ass Job shit….

Donnis: Exactly. For me, I like 808 and Heartbreaks just for the fact that every real artist that is not on some bullshit cookie cutter, make-the-biggest-smash-I-can-make-using-the-biggest-producers-in-the-world and all that crap. I feel like those real artists need to go away and do their masterpiece, to fully express themselves as thoroughly as they possibly can. I felt like 808 was that album for him where he just went in like – you got all my emotions, this is the way I feel, this is what I’m going through, if you people love it great, if not I’ll be back [on my old style] next year.

HHS: Do you do any of your own production?

Donnis: Nah, we starting that right now, though. Like if you’re a producer, I’m definitely over your shoulder. But I don’t Puff Daddy it and take all the credit (laughs).

HHS: No, definitely man. I think one of the keys to longevity in this game is having the ability to produce your own music, then later down the line you don’t really need to rely on anyone else to do it for you.

Donnis: You gotta push yourself in every avenue possible.

HHS: So “Gone” is taking off, getting a lot of buzz and everything, who would you get for the all-star remix, if you could do like a “Flava In Ya Ear” type remix?

Donnis: (Laughs) I cannot tell you because it’s coming….

HHS: Hahaha man, I knew that it was coming. Okay, so hypothetically, who would you get for the imaginary remix if you could get anyone.

Donnis: (Laughs) I can tell you who’s not on it.

HHS: Okay let’s do that.

Donnis: Andre 3000.

HHS: Yep.

Donnis: That would be phenomenal.

HHS: And so this remix that’s actually happening – the artists you have on it – are they bigger artists, guys from the Freshmen 10, or…?

Donnis: They bigger artists, from different cities and different places, they all have already gotten their respect. Definitely all people I look up to and I’m proud to have them be apart of it.

HHS: Okay, and I hate to even go here and you don’t even have to comment on this, but what was your response to the Jae Millz comments against XXL’s Freshmen 10 list?

Donnis: My response was, you know, I would never stop anybody from getting money, you know, I don’t hate on other black people getting money, so you know, if that’s what he feels he needs to do to get his shine, that’s fine. I don’t have any problem with Jae Millz, I actually used to be a Jae Millz fan. He’s been in the game a long time so I have no choice to respect him, ten years in. Maybe he’s at the peak of his career and he feels he can talk down to people. I’m one year in, I’m putting on for my friends and family. I’m in a blessed position and I’m really excited to be here. Me and Vado was in the club together, yo, back and forth on text trying to get some stuff together. I definitely think Vado is talented, and I think Vado can speak for himself. He was like “don’t worry about that shit, you know you got people out here that fucks with you.”

HHS: Is there anything else you want to add?

Donnis: Nah man, I’m good homie, when I’m coming to Vegas homie, we gotta get this poppin’!

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