.ScottishHead
04-10-2007, 07:17 PM
O.C.
By: Jared B. Ware
Talking to Omar Credle is a wild experience in itself; classic New York accent, elite emcee, and brash commentator on both hip hop as art, and hip hop in the eyes of the music industry, O.C. is not far from hip hop royalty. Never really a major label wet dream, O.C. got his break when Serch heard him on Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge" and decided to take a chance on him. O.C.'s debut was built out of an era, and at a label, where an artist's creative control was encouraged, while strict quality control was enforced. Over the last thirteen years the industry's guidance of artistic development and creativity has completely shifted and the quick buck single is often stressed over the quality of a whole album. O.C. and I caught up on his career, Reef The Lost Cauze, Organized Konfusion, DITC, Ill Bill, Serch, Jay-Z, Kanye, and Heiroglyphics among many other topics in this interview. He knows why he made the choices he did, he doesn't regret his moves, but he does seem to be catching on to how to run this independent grind in 2007. But regardless of what he says he learned from his time with Heiro, to hear him talk of the new Prodigy record and his own music you can tell that he too, is back on his New York shit.
PhilaFlava.com: Would you rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect or be rich and have a whole lot of resent?
OC: (Laughs). Let me see, when did I make that statement in '94. I guess a little bit of both, I'm not gonna lie. It's a different day. I mean you know, the respect factor is a thing, where money comes into place you got respect, but if you don't you know some people sell they soul for anything, not me.
PF: How have your goals changed over time in this rap game?
OC: As far as what?
PF: When you came into the game where did you see yourself with it in ten years? Versus nowadays what are your goals for the future?
OC: Ahhhh. Honestly, I have a whole different mindset now. But I don't think me, you, I don't think anybody knew it would go this far. I mean I knew it was going, it was going somewhere, but damn this is like the porn business right now. It's so much money, it's anarchy in the corporate world, you know it's anarchy on the streets, like you know you gotta be down with certain crews, and you know... it's different now. So probably to answer that question my goals is just like to keep hip hop preserved I guess? Just in the sense of making good music.
PF: Do you regret making Bon Appetit?
OC: Hell no.
PF: No?
OC: Nah. I think I laid a blueprint with that record. And you know, I think a lot of people followed suit. I think that... I think Jay, I think Kanye, I think a few people took that album and took it to the next level. Plus they was on the stage, so you know, it was a better platform for them, doing what I did.
PF: Who do you stay in contact with in DITC?
OC: Ummm... Everybody.
PF: Everybody?
OC: Yeah.
PF: Any possibility of a new DITC record at some point?
OC: Awww man. Honestly, I don't know man like... I wouldn't hold my breath at this point. I think if it didn't happen now? You might see maybe a Finesse OC collabo album, or an AG Finesse collabo album before you see a Diggin' album.
PF: That'd be sick though. That'd be sick to have one of those.
OC: Yeah we talking, and you know we talking... we just gotta iron out the kinks.
PF: How come Fat Joe doesn't ever have any DITC members on this albums?
OC: I don't know man you gotta ask Fat Joe. (we both laugh) I mean I think Buck was on the last... well nah Buck was on probably two or three albums previous production wise, but umm... and I think Finesse did the Pun, Big L record. I don't know man. Like I always explain this in a nutshell I think Joe and Big L was more like the stars of the group. Like I think I always felt that they would've been the breakout stars before me, Finesse, or A.
PF: Yeah I guess.
OC: That's just, that's they character, they that charismatic type of dude. I mean L was going to Roc-A-Fella so that should tell you.
PF: Word. So what happened with that Organized Konfusion and OC collabo album a few years back?
OC: Ahhh. It just didn't come to fruition man. I mean I really don't like talking about it, cuz I think we had a little tension between, well we did have tension between us, me and Po.
PF: I remember seeing some stuff around that.
OC: He was talking shit, yaknawmsayin'. I talked shit... it just ain't happen, but I don't think it was meant to happen.
PF: Yeah. You still talk to either of those guys?
OC: Well yeah Pharoahe, that's my dude. That's like my mentor right there. I mean forever my homey, before the music.
PF: Word, word. You guys grew up together right?
OC: Yeah me and Pharoahe grew up on the same block, moved from Brooklyn to Jamaica Queens.
PF: Was Love, Hell, Or Right ever recorded?
OC: Umm nope. It was like actually it's some songs that I don't even have copies of that Buck has. And we probably did like a umm... and this might sound like some bullshit, but you know the shit that Prodigy just did with Alchemist?
PF: Yeah.
OC: With like the 70's samples we did that.
PF: Damn.
OC: We did it. And I'm wondering if Buck's still got the joints or if the DATs is just messed up.
PF: Yeah I mean cuz that'd be crazy if that could see the light of day at some point.
OC: Crazy man. I'm loving that new Prodigy record right now just because it's like so New York. I love those dudes. Cuz I mean, people can talk shit, G-Unit or not those kids did the same formula from day one. Prodigy is my dude, and Havoc, and Alchemist.
Rest of the intervew : http://philaflava.com/q&a.htm
By: Jared B. Ware
Talking to Omar Credle is a wild experience in itself; classic New York accent, elite emcee, and brash commentator on both hip hop as art, and hip hop in the eyes of the music industry, O.C. is not far from hip hop royalty. Never really a major label wet dream, O.C. got his break when Serch heard him on Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge" and decided to take a chance on him. O.C.'s debut was built out of an era, and at a label, where an artist's creative control was encouraged, while strict quality control was enforced. Over the last thirteen years the industry's guidance of artistic development and creativity has completely shifted and the quick buck single is often stressed over the quality of a whole album. O.C. and I caught up on his career, Reef The Lost Cauze, Organized Konfusion, DITC, Ill Bill, Serch, Jay-Z, Kanye, and Heiroglyphics among many other topics in this interview. He knows why he made the choices he did, he doesn't regret his moves, but he does seem to be catching on to how to run this independent grind in 2007. But regardless of what he says he learned from his time with Heiro, to hear him talk of the new Prodigy record and his own music you can tell that he too, is back on his New York shit.
PhilaFlava.com: Would you rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect or be rich and have a whole lot of resent?
OC: (Laughs). Let me see, when did I make that statement in '94. I guess a little bit of both, I'm not gonna lie. It's a different day. I mean you know, the respect factor is a thing, where money comes into place you got respect, but if you don't you know some people sell they soul for anything, not me.
PF: How have your goals changed over time in this rap game?
OC: As far as what?
PF: When you came into the game where did you see yourself with it in ten years? Versus nowadays what are your goals for the future?
OC: Ahhhh. Honestly, I have a whole different mindset now. But I don't think me, you, I don't think anybody knew it would go this far. I mean I knew it was going, it was going somewhere, but damn this is like the porn business right now. It's so much money, it's anarchy in the corporate world, you know it's anarchy on the streets, like you know you gotta be down with certain crews, and you know... it's different now. So probably to answer that question my goals is just like to keep hip hop preserved I guess? Just in the sense of making good music.
PF: Do you regret making Bon Appetit?
OC: Hell no.
PF: No?
OC: Nah. I think I laid a blueprint with that record. And you know, I think a lot of people followed suit. I think that... I think Jay, I think Kanye, I think a few people took that album and took it to the next level. Plus they was on the stage, so you know, it was a better platform for them, doing what I did.
PF: Who do you stay in contact with in DITC?
OC: Ummm... Everybody.
PF: Everybody?
OC: Yeah.
PF: Any possibility of a new DITC record at some point?
OC: Awww man. Honestly, I don't know man like... I wouldn't hold my breath at this point. I think if it didn't happen now? You might see maybe a Finesse OC collabo album, or an AG Finesse collabo album before you see a Diggin' album.
PF: That'd be sick though. That'd be sick to have one of those.
OC: Yeah we talking, and you know we talking... we just gotta iron out the kinks.
PF: How come Fat Joe doesn't ever have any DITC members on this albums?
OC: I don't know man you gotta ask Fat Joe. (we both laugh) I mean I think Buck was on the last... well nah Buck was on probably two or three albums previous production wise, but umm... and I think Finesse did the Pun, Big L record. I don't know man. Like I always explain this in a nutshell I think Joe and Big L was more like the stars of the group. Like I think I always felt that they would've been the breakout stars before me, Finesse, or A.
PF: Yeah I guess.
OC: That's just, that's they character, they that charismatic type of dude. I mean L was going to Roc-A-Fella so that should tell you.
PF: Word. So what happened with that Organized Konfusion and OC collabo album a few years back?
OC: Ahhh. It just didn't come to fruition man. I mean I really don't like talking about it, cuz I think we had a little tension between, well we did have tension between us, me and Po.
PF: I remember seeing some stuff around that.
OC: He was talking shit, yaknawmsayin'. I talked shit... it just ain't happen, but I don't think it was meant to happen.
PF: Yeah. You still talk to either of those guys?
OC: Well yeah Pharoahe, that's my dude. That's like my mentor right there. I mean forever my homey, before the music.
PF: Word, word. You guys grew up together right?
OC: Yeah me and Pharoahe grew up on the same block, moved from Brooklyn to Jamaica Queens.
PF: Was Love, Hell, Or Right ever recorded?
OC: Umm nope. It was like actually it's some songs that I don't even have copies of that Buck has. And we probably did like a umm... and this might sound like some bullshit, but you know the shit that Prodigy just did with Alchemist?
PF: Yeah.
OC: With like the 70's samples we did that.
PF: Damn.
OC: We did it. And I'm wondering if Buck's still got the joints or if the DATs is just messed up.
PF: Yeah I mean cuz that'd be crazy if that could see the light of day at some point.
OC: Crazy man. I'm loving that new Prodigy record right now just because it's like so New York. I love those dudes. Cuz I mean, people can talk shit, G-Unit or not those kids did the same formula from day one. Prodigy is my dude, and Havoc, and Alchemist.
Rest of the intervew : http://philaflava.com/q&a.htm