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Civil Interview: Smoke DZA Talks ‘Legends In The Making’ Video, Similarities to Biggie & New York Hip Hop

Posted on January 20th, 2014
by
Staff Editor


Smoke DZASmoke DZA’s been at the forefront of hip hop’s smoking culture for a few years now. He was one of the founding forces behind The Smoker’s Club Tour that brought together acts like Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Juicy J and a handful of other respected names in hip hop.

However, the Harlem MC is much more than just a “pothead rapper” and talks to KarenCivil.com about the real meaning to his music, the upcoming release of his “Legends In the Making video” with Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa and Harry Fraud and his take on New York’s place in the industry.

I hear you’ve got the “Legends In the Making” video with Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa and Harry Fraud coming out soon. Talk about that a little bit.

Right now I feel like I’m in the same place where Big was when he creating Ready to Die or where Jay was when he was creating Reasonable Doubt. This is my first time putting out an album on my own, so when I thought about doing “Legends in the Making,” it was where I was at the time. It’s a legendary record with three legendary stoners and a legendary producer on the beat. I just tried to keep that feel going, keep that flow going and relay that in the video. And when you see the video, it’s very different to what we all do. It’s pretty much like a movie and hopefully the world sees it the same way.

You say you see the similarities with how it was when Jay and Big made heir debut albums. What’s similar?

Coming from Big, it’s the hunger. When you hear the project, when you see that video, you’ll get a better feeling. And for Jay, it’s the whole independent way of looking at it, from rejections to really having something to prove. It’s both of them mixed up in that feeling right there.

Alright, cool. You, Curren$y and Harry Fraud also recently released The Stage EP. How would you describe the working relationship?

These guys are not only family but they’re also talented artists that I really listen to on a daily, really fuck with and really can comprehend what they’re saying. It’s always fun working with my peers, so I enjoy that.

Speaking on peers, can you explain the idea of The Smokers Club for our readers that aren’t too familiar with it? 

The Smokers Club, that shit was started maybe like 3, 4 years ago with me Curren$y and Big K.R.I.T. It started in Johnny Shipes apartment [and] was basically one of the first tours for acts like us, leaning towards the whole smoking, pothead culture that we all love so much [laughs]. For everybody that was a part of it, it was real healthy for their brands; it was a brilliant thing.

As you just mentioned, the common theme of smoking is a really big part of your music, but on the flip side you don’t want to be confined to the idea of being a “pothead rapper.” How do you fight that idea?

Well, I mean, it’s kind of hard. Being that my name is Smoke, they’ll try to just throw me in that box, so I can’t really shake it because I can’t front like this isn’t something that people love me for doing. At the same time, I have way more to offer than just talking about weed. My real fans that actually listen to my shit know that it’s way more than just weed. This album will definitely show everybody that didn’t know what Smoke DZA was that it’s not just based on weed.

You’ve done a lot of work with other New York artists like A$AP Rocky, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$ and you’ve got influences like Dipset, Jay Z and The Notorious B.I.G. How do you feel, as a New York MC, about New York’s place in hip hop and what people are saying about it?

Right now New York is in a beautiful space right now. We got a lot of talented artists coming out the town. There’s really no bullshit going on. You know, I’m excited that I’m at the front of it, that I’m actually relevant in the city and can be spoken about with everyone else. And I’m excited about all of the legends and pioneers from New York that are actually reaching out and working with the new artists. I think it’s tight.

Are there any legends that you’ve worked with that you can speak on personally?

I’ve been working with Cam; I’ve been working with Jim. Shit, I worked with Pete Rock. I’ve been working with a lot of guys. I mean there’s a lot of other guys I kind of want to keep a secret until te album’s out, but those guys right there I’ve been working with and they opened their arms and really rock with me so I’m excited about that.

So you spoke on how you’re going to release your independent project, Dream Zone Achieve, which is also what DZA stands for. Do you have any updates or details about that?

Yeah, April 1st. April 1st, digitally it’ll be coming out and it’ll be a big celebration. I’ve got a lot of videos following with it.

Anything else fans can expect from it?

Well, fans can expect features that you’ve never see before with Smoke DZA and definitely a story. This is summing up all my projects and just leading into a whole new direction, a whole new energy. This project is really going to open a lot of eyes.

4 responses to “Civil Interview: Smoke DZA Talks ‘Legends In The Making’ Video, Similarities to Biggie & New York Hip Hop”

  1. HEIST INTERNATIONAL says:

    @HEISTMUSIC