Exclusive Eastwood Interview

As a former Death Row Records inmate, Eastwood has long been one of the top new upcoming prospects out of the West Coast anticipated to blow up on the rap scene. For years he did his time along with Crooked I under the Death Row label but like his former labelmate Crooked, Eastwood broke free in order to keep his destiny in his own hands.   Since then, he's been on a series of adventures including being a part of a group with Compton super-star The Game and Long Beach's Techniec called M.O.B. However, that didn't last long as well. Now signed to Jaded Entertainment Eastwood states that he's ready to release his new album and we've got all the details for you in this exclusive interview.   Styles: Lets talk about this new deal. I have been hearing that you got something worth 1.8 Million. Is that correct?   Eastwood: Yeah I got 1.8 Million, but that's just a budget.   Styles: Ok, so it’s just a budget. I understand that you have signed to a company called Jaded Entertainment. I haven't heard of this company until recently. Give us some insight on Jaded.   Eastwood: It’s a new entertainment hip hop record label. We are trying to see who are going thru for distribution right now. We might go thru Sony or Universal. Honestly we have about 5 different deals on the table so its up to us to decide where we are going. This is a brand new label and I am the first one out of the gate. They kind of found me and saw that I was a free agent. They feel proud of my music and appreciated it so much that they decided to put 1.8 Million behind it. So with all of that I decided to run with it (Jaded). Plus being independent you get more cake anyway. Right now I ain’t trippin' off of the majors.   Styles: So how did you hook up with Jaded?   Eastwood: I met through a friend. One of my home girls that I went to high school with was already cool with the person starting up Jaded. She reached out to me and let me know that he was trying to start a label and that he was looking for a dope artist. She said that he was probably going to look for some talent that was already out there, somebody like a pioneer who had already been doing this shit. But what they found was a young nigga who's been doing this shit and they decided to bank on me. Styles: Before all of that happened though, you were rolling with The Game and you were a part of a group with him and Techniec called M.O.B. that fizzled out. What really happened with that situation?   Eastwood: With The Game situation, we were doing the group thing for a minute but I guess he had to focus more on him. He decided to let the group thing fade away for a minute for whatever reason. I still don't understand to this day. But it came to the point where I needed to eat. I had to make a decision to hang around and kick it, wait for something to happen or go get your money. I decided to go get my money but still maintain a cool relationship with The Game.    Styles: So you never got a clear explanation about anything? One day it was just over?   Eastwood: I never got a clear explanation about nothing. The only explanation I got from Game was "East I am fuckin' with you! Don't trip we about to do it big! We gonna get it poppin! We finna kill these niggas! We finna kill the world! Lets do it my nigga!" That's all I got.   Styles: But you are still cool with Game and Techniec, right?   Eastwood: Yeah, I'm straight. I am cool with Game and Techniec man. We good.   Styles: There were quite a few stories going around while you guys were together. Was it true that Suge Knight was pissed about you guys using the M.O.B. Name?   Eastwood: Naw I think he was more curious about who came up with the name and all that. Really the name was just a statement "Money Over Bitches". That has been a statement and phrase forever and I guess due to the fact that it’s the name of a real hood he felt like he should speak for that hood. I fuck with niggas from that hood so therefore it wasn't a problem of that nature. I think that he maybe saw a something big was about to happen and was trying to stop it before it cracked.   Styles: How are you with Suge these days? You still cool?   Eastwood: Yeah, Suge is cool man. I don't do business with him anymore and you know I thank him for the ride that I had at the Death Row University. I graduated now. You know when you graduate from a school you can't go back right? You may come back around once in a while, say what's up, shake some hands and then you leave, but you don't go back to regular classes. I am moving forward. I've graduated to a higher level now so that's where I am at.   Styles: Do you still keep in contact with some of your former Death Row inmates? Like Crooked I, Kurupt, etc.   Eastwood: Well I still talk to Crooked I. I don't really talk to Kurupt anymore. I do maintain a cool friendship with Danny Boy, that's my boy. We still chop it up from time to time.   Styles: Well, lets talk about your album. Lets start with the name. What's it gonna be?   Eastwood: The name of the album is "Making History", ya dig? Because I am the first nigga out here that's gonna do a Double CD and shoot a video for every song on the album.   Styles: Every single song?   Eastwood: Every single song on the album! Not only that but I packaged a documentary, so I did it all man. I didn't leave a thing out. To even further knock the ball out of the park, I am going to give away a free mixtape that I am doing right now called "Loyalty Or Nothing." The bottom title is going to be “P.U.S.H” which means Pray Until Something Happens. Styles: Do you have a release date for all of this?   Eastwood: We are shooting for January. We might just go ahead and breathe real easy man, first quarter, but I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. Because we are really trying to make sure we stay focused and do the right thing and give the world what they want from every angle. We don't really want to rush it. It’s definitely coming sooner than later.   Styles: Can you give us any details about the album? Producers? Features?   Eastwood: I've got a lot of in-house producers on this album. A lot of dudes I've been dealing with from the ground up. As far as features go, I've got Too $hort, Snoop Dogg, and E-40. I did it real big on this album. I've also got Lil Flip. I got some shit from different regions.   Styles: Damn, that's crazy you got Snoop on this huh?   Eastwood: Yeah I got Snoop on the hook. He scratched in on the hook. Styles: That's cool. How did you work that out between you and him? Especially considering all of things you being at Death Row in a time where there was friction with Snoop?   Eastwood: I understand that Snoops got a lot of weight on his shoulders, and he understands that I understand that, therefore we maintained a cool friendship. You know even though we are from different eras we both been thru some similar shit in that we both dealt with Death Row, which made us the men that we are today. So he understands that and we maintained a cool friendship.   Styles: Ok, and before the album you are going to drop this "Loyalty Or Nothing" Mixtape first, correct?    Eastwood: That will be out in about 3 weeks. I'll be at you in about 3 weeks with everything on the mixtape. The world can have that for free. It’s on fire too. It’s just me and my camp.   Styles: Now that you bring up your camp, lets talk about it. In a lot of cases once an artist gets his foot in the door he brings in his camp. Who is Eastwood bringing in with him?   Eastwood: I got a squad of niggas! Livewire, Young Zo, Young Cutty. I got a camp that's coming thru. Face, Big Easy, Dizzle. I even got Self Made South. My nigga Philly P and my cousin Ace. I got a squad out there in the A-Town, Self Made South. That's my own personal label, Self Made. After my album drops I plan on getting my label poppin'. I am going to let my family get some of this shine too.   Styles: are you still keeping your ear to the streets though? Who is Eastwood listening too these days?   Eastwood: I haven't been really been listening to anybody, to keep it 100 with you. I am kinda on my own shit. I've been so focused on my shit. All I've been doing is working, working, and working. I've been keeping my shit in the deck so I can remember these songs and to make sure I am putting out the right music. So I aint really got nobody in the deck but me, but when I do I bang like Old School shit. Classic Ice Cube, all of the old 2pac, I bang shit like that. I don't really bang new stuff.   Styles: So let me ask you this then. Why should the fans support Eastwood and get behind your music?   Eastwood: Because of my hard work and dedication to this. Not only that but because of my talent. I feel like if they are going to go out and pay for an album, they might as well go out and spend that money on someone who's got talent. I've got real talent. I feel they should get behind me because I am out to give them their money's worth. Plus I am a real dude. I am not going to mislead anybody. I am only human but I have no intentions on misleading anybody. I'd like to lead people to a more positive mind state to where they feel like I bring hope to the hopeless.   Styles: You stated earlier that you are making the music for all regions to enjoy…   Eastwood: Its like this man. Whoever don't like my shit, they must not like or know music. They don't know music or they are just a pure hater. There's going to be haters out there. But I got some shit for the East, North and Down South. I'm a West Coast nigga by far so you already know what it is for the West. I gotta have some shit on there for the West. I got some shit for everybody. Whatever you want it’s on this album. I guarantee you that there is something for everybody.   Styles: That sounds all good to me man. I can't wait to get a preview of things to come when that mixtape drops. How are people going to get a hold of that?   Eastwood: Man, I am going to throw it to you and let everybody download it. Come fuck with Styles man! Styles got the exclusive Eastwood mixtape. It will be at you all real soon. Download that shit and spread it out to the world because I promise that my mixtape is as hot as my album. I want to tell all of my fans, "thank you for holding me down." Thank you for staying there with a nigga. Finally the time has come for me to debut my album. I am finally going to show the world what we've been believing in all this time and that's the truth. I appreciate all of the realism from the fans and I am going to show the love right back. All of you DJ's come holla at your boy. You need me like I need all of you. All of you DJ's holla at your boy. I got singles and all that. Holla at your boy when you see me in traffic.   It’s been a long time coming. I am finally ready. From Death Row to Black Wall Street and now finally to Jaded Entertainment where I am my own boss. Its time!