At the age of 17, West Coast artist Ahmad Lewis secured a

record deal with Warner Bros. through the now defunct Giants Records while

still a senior in High School. Ahmad quickly broke out of the gate with his

widely popular song “Back in the Day” which made fans look back and reminisce

on their own days of growing up in Hip-Hop.

 

Although the

West Coast scene was mainly a haven for gangster rap, Ahmad was one of the few

artists that attained a level of success without resorting to violent lyrics or

controversial content in his music. Unfortunately his spot in the limelight

wasn’t long and Ahmad soon turned in to one of those artists that people ask, “Whatever happened to?,”

on occasion.  

 

Ahmad has recently resurfaced in a number of major news

outlets such as The Los Angeles Times due to his successful return to school.

While attending Long Beach City College, Ahmad achieved Valedictorian honors

and in turn was accepted by Stanford University to continue his education with

the help of additional funding by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

 

In addition to his goals for a PhD, Ahmad is also back

making music with a new album entitled The

Death of Me which he has

informed us will be out shortly. It will be his first solo

album since his self-titled 1994 release. In this new exclusive interview,

Ahmad discusses the ups and downs of his career and his successful return to

school – and how you can possibly do it too.

 

Ahmad f/ Ras Kass & Saafir “Come Widdit” Video

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

Was there ever pressure from your label for you to make music with a harder

edge?

 

Ahmad: No doubt,

especially from the suits and executives. It even persisted after my band, 4th

Avenue Jones, was signed to Interscope. We had that pressure too, although they

signed us knowing what we were about. They were like, “Do you hear what’s on

the radio? You’ve got to give us some of that.” And I was like, “I’m the antithesis

of that. We don’t care about that.”

 

You’ve got to understand that a lot of these record company

people and executives could be selling rubber duckies. They don’t care about

music. They are not music people. It’s not like the days of Clive Davis and

Quincy Jones. Now you have cats that come out of business school and it doesn’t

matter whether it’s rubber duckies, ice cream or CD’s—it’s a product. Whatever

the public is asking for, that’s what you give them. It sounds good to give the

people what they want but the problem is they create the climate to influence

what people want—then they give them that. It’s a real circular logic

when you think about it.

 

People don’t really want that, it’s just that they have been

so accustomed to hearing that, that they grow to want

it. Every time you see something positive come forward like a Lauryn Hill, OutKast or Kanye West, what

happens? People soak it up. They are so deprived that they embrace it. I don’t

believe that people don’t want music that is conscious. I just believe that

they don’t have access to it.

 

Ahmad “Back In The Day” Video

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

Let’s talk about the song that started it all for you, “Back in the Day.” You brought a lot of people back to their

younger days with that one. How did the song come about?

 

Ahmad: “Back in

the Day” was really organic. It was the last song that we created for my

self-titled album. I was in my girlfriend’s room listening to Teddy Pendagrass’

“Love TKO.”  I decided to make a

record out of it and sample the break. I took it to the studio and hooked up

with some of my producer homeboys and put the music down.

 

After the beat was created I was trying to figure out what I

wanted to say on it. I decided on talking about everything we did growing up

from Junior High School to now. I started calling around to my friends asking

them what they remembered from the days. That’s the feeling that the song has.

It’s a sociological document that describes a lot of the things that [were]

significant during those periods of time. I love that song for that reason. As

soon as it comes on you are transported to a certain moment in time.

 

AllHiphop.com:

The song garnered a lot of attention, but what happened after that? We really

didn’t hear much from you after that song.

 

Ahmad: After

“Back in the Day” came out, I toured extensively. I came back home and made a

second album. During the interim of my first album and second album, I became

even more conscious. Through the process of touring it solidified my

understanding that everything that they were selling in terms of commercialism,

the debauchery and hedonism that often comes with the lifestyle of a musician—it was all make believe and no happiness was to be found there. It was like

cotton candy. It looked big and puffy but when you take a bite it’s actually

nothing.

 

When I came home I wanted to make a record about all of

that. I told myself that I was going to be even more conscious this time. My

label was like, “We don’t even accept this record. We’re not putting it out!”

Shortly after that, they went out of business. I then had to fight to get out

of my contract. Even though they were out of business, they didn’t want to lose

me as an asset because I had some success. So I was shelved for a couple of

years.

 

That whole experience made me a little bitter but then I

came back and formed a band called 4th Avenue Jones and we got a

record deal with Interscope. We toured but our album was never released on

Interscope. We put out a series of independent records. We did shows on The

Wake Up Show and other underground outlets so I’ve been active. In terms of the

success that the “Back in the Day” song had, I was never able to equal it. I

was never in that type of position again where I had that label support but

because I love Hip-Hop, I never stopped making music.  Cats in L.A. and on the underground know that I gave it all

that I had. As far as history goes I feel that I am one of the tightest cats to

have come out of the West Coast.

 

4th Avenue Jones “Move On” Video

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

Now you recently made a decision to go ahead and fulfill your mother’s original

wishes of you attending college. What prompted that?

 

Ahmad: I was on

the road touring with my band in Denmark. We were doing a rock concert because

we performed rock as well as Hip-Hop. My son was with me and he was one year

old at the time. We had just finished touring in the States and you know all of

the struggles that come with the road and having to keep up with paying your

band and other expenses after each show. We were struggling and my son was with

me and I was like, “You didn’t sign up for this. You need some stability. You

need to be in a pre-school and see the same friend’s everyday. You need to have

an anchor.”

 

I told people that I was getting out of the game and going

back to school and they were like, “Why are you going to do that? The only thing

you know is music. How are you going to support yourself going back to school?”

I’ve always had a strong sense of believing that I could do whatever I set out

to do and that comes from having a strong mother. I told myself that I wasn’t

going to lose. I didn’t know how I was going to manage but I knew that I wasn’t

going to lose. I went back to school with the intention of doing my best and my

best turned out to be Valedictorian.

“A lot of times I feel sorry not just for Hip-Hop

artists but for people in general who do something well and then buy into the

notion that’s all they can do. I knew that I was a good rapper… But that’s

not all that I’ve ever been. I am a scholar, an artist, a father, a friend, an

intellectual.”

 

AllHipHop.com:

What was your mom’s reaction when she learned you would finally be going to

college?

 

Ahmad: She was

excited. My mom went back to school late in life as well and received her

Master’s Degree from USC. She’s been the model for everything that I am doing

now. Since she was able to accomplish it, I knew that it was possible for me

also.

 

AllHipHop.com:

Did she give you any “I-told-you-so” type of reactions?

 

Ahmad: No. I

bought a house from this music business so it’s not like I need to do what I

didn’t do, now it’s just time for me to do something different. A lot of

times I feel sorry not just for Hip-Hop artists but for people in general who

do something well and then buy into the notion that’s all they can do. I knew

that I was a good rapper because I invested hours upon hours upon hours of time

to perfect that craft. But that’s not all that I’ve ever been. I am a scholar,

an artist, a father, a friend, an intellectual, so many things. Why

paint myself in to a corner? Not only am I going to go to college but right now

I am also putting the finishing touches on my new album. I’m doing it all.

 

4th Avenue Jones “Stereo” Video

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com: So

you ended up being a Valedictorian at Long Beach City College and now you are

going to Stanford University. What are you studying for there?

 

Ahmad: I’m

finishing my undergraduate degree. My goal is to get a PhD in Social Welfare.

I’m a Sociology major at Stanford. I transferred there

and out of 1200 people they only selected 21 transfers. For me being from a

community college and you have people transferring in from bigger schools, it

was really remarkable.

 

AllHipHop.com:

With all of the rappers using the Doctor title in their nickname, you could be

the first rapper that is actually a Doctor one day.     

 

Ahmad: Exactly!

Dre and I will have to hook up and do a record then [laughs]. I believe that

Roxanne Shante got her PhD.  You can verify that. [Note: Roxanne Shante received a PhD in

Psychology from Cornell University]

 

“If you have the grades, the will and the desire

– it will happen. There will be nothing that can stop you from going to

college. People don’t let money stop them from making demo tapes, buying studio

time or getting those Jordan’s.”

AllHipHop.com:

You secured financing for your education through the Jack Kent Cooke

Foundation?

 

Ahmad: Yes.

Stanford is paying for most of my education, housing and other expenses.

Whatever they don’t cover, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation covers for me. Jack

Kent Cooke also has a network of scholars that I am able to tap into and I have

developed some serious friendships based on that network. There is a support on

every level that they supply.

 

AllHipHop.com:

For any rapper or fans out there that wish to go back to school, what do you

recommend?

 

Ahmad: That’s the

question I’ve been waiting to answer. First off all there needs to be a belief

in one’s ability to get it done. Second you have to have optimism and hope to

get it done. Hopelessness is a scourge in our community and the reason we don’t

do things is because we don’t hope to do them a lot of times. Understand that

you can go to college – Stanford and Harvard were built for you to go

there. It’s not for other people only – it’s for you. Get that in your

sights and tell yourself that you are going there. Then develop the will to do

it.

 

Put down the weed and turn off the PS3 and read a book.

Don’t just go to a concert but go hear a lecture also. There are lots of free

lectures going on out there. Take notes and figure out what it is to be a

scholar. Be a student of life. Understand why you are in your predicament.

Understand the game so we can play it. Look at me – I did it. I grew up in

South Central Los Angeles, poor, black, short, dark-skinned – and I’m

winning.    

 

AllHipHop.com:

What about people who say they can’t afford it?

 

Ahmad: I love the

city college system. When I went back to school, I didn’t have much money but I

pretty much did my first two years of college for free. There would be grants

that would pay for the books and other needs. The State also has money

available to help you – and honestly where there is a will there is a

way. Even if you have to take some type of loan and go in to a little debt, a

college graduate on the average makes three or four more times over a lifetime than

those that just graduated from High School. If you have to go into $20,000 of

debt to get a four year degree, that will more than pay for itself once you

graduate. Don’t let money be the reason that you don’t go. If you have the

grades, the will and the desire – it will happen. There will be nothing

that can stop you from going to college. People don’t let money stop them from

making demo tapes, buying studio time or getting those Jordan’s. You can do

it.     

 

Music always came naturally to Warren G. When your best friend

is named Snoop Dogg and your stepbrother is Dr. Dre, it’s not hard to understand why.

 

But instead of riding the coattails of his more famous colleagues,

the self-proclaimed “G-Child” went on to craft a highly successful solo career

featuring a triple platinum debut [Regulate…G-Funk

Era], two gold albums [Take A Look

Over Your Shoulder, I Want It All],

and a well-received independent release [In

The Mid-Nite Hour].

 

Now on the cusp of his sixth solo album The G Files (January 27) and celebrating 15 years in Hip-Hop,

Warren G explains how he’s retained his passion for creating art in spite of

the cruel mistress that is the music industry.

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

The new album The G Files features Ray

J on the first single. How did that collaboration come about?

 

Warren G: I’ve

been knowing Ray J since he was a young buck to now being a grown man. I used

to see him all the time at Snoop’s, and we always said we wanted to do a song

together. And then it just happened.

 

I was in the studio and let one of my cats hear “The Crush”

instrumental. He said, “You know who would sound good on there…Ray J.”  I was like, “Wow, ok,” but I didn’t do

nothing with it for awhile. Another day I let someone

else hear it. And he said, “You know who should be on that…Ray J.” So now I’m

like damn, two people have said the same thing.

 

I didn’t know if it would fit him, but they’re hearing

something I’m not hearing. I called up Ray J, told him I had the hook ready,

and all you had to do was sing it. He heard it and then laid it down. Bam! It’s

been popping and bubbling ever since.

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

Your last few albums have been independent, so you’ve now experienced both

sides of the record label business. What’s the biggest adjustment or

difference in going from a major to an independent?

 

Warren G: I

haven’t had to make any adjustments as far as me. I pretty much do the same

thing as far as production. But as far as the business side, [I’m] having to do

[sample] clearances, a lot of radio promotion, and all the things normally a

major would do for you. I’m having to do all that

myself. That right there is definitely difficult, but it’s teaching me more of

the deeper side of the business.

 

But I’m enjoying it and seeing how things really go. So from

here on out I should be able to do everything on my own because now I know all

the same people the major labels know. The only difference is the label has

unlimited funds! [laughs] When you’re indie you gotta work with what you got.

 

“When I did ‘Regulate’ I listened to Michael

McDonald’s ‘I Keep Forgettin’. So I can take this,

put some Hip-Hop drums up under it with a cool bassline,

and I can rock this. It’s about making an idea bigger than what you just

listened to. But one thing Dre always told me [was].

‘If you can make the [cover] better than the original, keep pushing.’”

 

Warren G f/ Nate Dogg “Regulate”

Video

 

 

AllHipHop.com:

Every producer has their own routine in regards to how they select samples and

construct songs. How does Warren G go about producing a track?

 

Warren G: I

listen to [old] records, that’s a part of it. That’s

where you get a lot of ideas from. I don’t know no

musician, producer or artist who doesn’t get ideas from listening to the people

that was putting it down before. You do the same idea, but you upgrade it.

 

When I did “Regulate” I listened to Michael McDonald’s “I

Keep Forgettin’.” So I can take this, put some

Hip-Hop drums up under it with a cool bassline, and I

can rock this. It’s about making an idea bigger than what you just listened to.

But one thing Dre always told me [was] “If you can

make the [cover] better than the original, keep pushing.” That’s what I follow.

 

AllHipHop.com: There’s a lot of different music sources you pull from when

you’re sampling. It could be jazz, rock, or R&B. Is there a particular

genre you prefer sampling for Hip-Hop?

 

Warren G: Let me

see…I don’t think I’ve used the same artist more than once. But you know what

I’ve heard a lot of ideas from certain incredible artists. But I’d only take

the best idea and roll with it.

There was a record from…remember Sugarfoot?

[Was he] from the…Commodores?

 

AllHipHop.com:

The Ohio Players.

 

Warren G: Yeah,

the Ohio Players! He had a solo record that no one really knows about, Sugar Kiss, that was incredible! You gotta be a deep digger to know that. I discovered a lot of

great ideas from that cat. I was like wow! He must have been the guy that was

really behind a lot of production with the Ohio Players.

 

That’s sorta

like how I am. I was the guy that brought all the ideas and came up with all

the hit records. The diamond in the rough that no one knows

about. People know me as an artist, but I’m a producer, DJ, and I dig

deep and collect records.

 

Warren G f/ Mack 10

“I Want It All” Video

 

 

 

AllHipHop.com: A

lot of fans who look at your resume point to the third

LP I Want It All as a project that

retained a good balance between your production and guest artists. They never

overshadowed you and fit perfectly into the mix. With the new album, do you

have a significant amount of guests or is it mostly yourself?

Warren G: I don’t

like to put a lot of guest appearances of known artists, but I like to take the

unknown talent and let them be a part of my album. [That way] I can help them

jumpstart their career.

 

I’m a producer. I’m not one of those cats who’s gonna get on and say I’m an incredible emcee and should be

in the Top 5 and all that. I’m a producer first who knows how to rap.

 

A reason why I’m exploring new talent is that I can be a

door opener for a lot of talent out here (West Coast). There’s a gang of talent

out here but they have no avenues. Either you go through Interscope

or…sh*t…I don’t even know who else! [laughs] A lot of the doors aren’t being opened.

 

I can’t just go knock on Jimmy Iovine’s

door and say, “Jimmy, listen to this.” I can set up a meeting, but who knows? My

avenue was Dr. Dre as the door opener. But he’s

working on Detox

and his company, so he doesn’t have time to really help out like he wants to.

But he can set up that meeting. [laughs]

 

AllHipHop.com:

It’s somewhat died down now, but over the last year a lot of East Coast artists

were complaining about not getting the same mainstream chances as Southern

artists. The ironic thing is that a lot of West Coast artists have been like

“join the club,” since many of them felt they’ve had that same issue for 7-8

years. Why do you think it’s so hard for certain artists to keep up?

 

Warren G: What’s

going on is that there are a lot of cats in company positions that really don’t

know music. A lot of these people went to college, got degrees, and they get a

job as an A&R and don’t know real talent. They’re only working with the

people that they know.

 

I helped make the West Coast pop with the talent I’ve

discovered and artists I’ve worked with. And I’m still gonna

make it pop. [laughs] It’s a crazy industry right now;

those 360 deals take your publishing, merchandise, film, and TV rights. Now you

can’t negotiate other revenue options. That’s why I’m not on a major. I’m not

giving those things up, except maybe film and TV. [laughs].

At the end of the day I make hit records, and those can’t be stopped. There are

some solid people on the labels. Most of the people getting clout that you hear

about, I’ve worked with.

 

“They [TVT Records] still owe me money! We got an

attorney on the case trying to work everything out. We put our hearts into the

record [213’s The Hard Way] and a never got a royalty check: me, Snoop, or Nate (Dogg).”

 

AllHipHop.com:

When you analyze the music that is popular today, what do you like and dislike

about it from a production standpoint?

 

Warren G: I like

that a lot of the music you can really party to, straight club music. One

dislike is that you hear a record and it’s not as full as it should be. You

hear one note and some drums! Now that part I’m kinda like, damn. And those records sell a million.

 

Now if I do something like that, [the fans] are gonna be like, “Oh that Warren G was wack.”

[laughs] So I don’t try to copy what’s going on and

try to stay instrumental, using up to five instruments. On this album I have a

lot of synthy songs combined with the live

instrumentation.

 213 “Groupie Love” Video

AllHipHop.com:

The 213 group album [The Hard Way] was

critically and financially successful, but the label TVT went bankrupt. Do you

guys still plan to release a follow up or is that not possible with the

bankruptcy?

 

Warren G: They

still owe me money! We got an attorney on the case trying to work everything

out. We put our hearts into the record and a never got a royalty check: me,

Snoop, or Nate (Dogg). We never got nothing from that record, even on the backend. We don’t even

know the international sales. That’s how crazy the situation is. Hopefully

we’ll get our past due.

 

AllHipHop.com:

You would think it would be in the label’s best interest to work something out

as the album is well past gold with over 600,000 copies…

 

Warren G: And you

know as well as I do that the album should’ve sold 5 to 10 million off top.

That’s Warren G, Snoop, and Nate Dogg. Combined we’ve

sold at least 100 million records [over our careers].

 

AllHipHop.com:

Conventional wisdom would say that album should’ve dropped in the mid 90’s when

everyone was at the peak of their commercial success.

Was it a matter of you guys doing too well solo-wise to make time or was it

label complications?

 

Warren G: Everybody

was on different labels and they weren’t trying to share instead of letting it

come out and build their artists up. The labels just wanted to shut the whole

thing down. But we worked through all of that and finally got to do it. I

really enjoyed it.

 

AllHipHop.com:

You’ve worked with everyone from Bishop Lamont to George Clinton. Do you recall

a time when you worked with an artist and their talent just completely shocked

you in the studio.

 

Warren G: Who

shocked me the most was Roger Troutman. He was incredible. This dude came in

the studio with the talkbox. You look at it and say,

“What the hell is that?!” You look at it like, “I

don’t know what this n***a got.” He had a little keyboard about 15-20 inches

long and a green ball with wires on it and taped up. I didn’t understand it

man, I was tripping.

 

Then he got to playing the guitar, hitting notes, and then

started singing. He’d sing it first then do it with the talkbox.

I didn’t know he could sing like that. He was doing it all. I told him he was

so incredible I had to take him out to eat.

 

So I took him out to dinner at this place called Georgia’s,

and called my homegirl and told her, “Look, get about

15 girls.” We were sitting at the table like bosses with all the girls. And I

told him, “Roger, any one you want, she’s yours!” [laughs].

He was great, and I was very hurt when I heard what happened to him. Roger was

very talented.

 

AllHipHop.com: You

also worked with Mac Dre back in 1999 before he

passed…

Warren G: Right. Actually

when he got out of prison I went up to Vallejo to see him at a party in the

park. I didn’t know what was up, so I come in and everyone is like, “Damn,

that’s Warren G!” But I was going to meet up through a mutual friend. [Then] he

came on the stage.

 

Remember he was fresh out [of jail]. There were stripping

girls up there. As soon as one breast got showed, the whole place erupted. They

started fighting and I’m like, “What the hell have I got myself into?!” [laughs] I put my back against

the wall and let everything flow past me since it wasn’t no

beef with me.  Afterward we linked

up at his buddy’s house. I gave him the track and he put it down. Dre was a real cool cat.

 

AllHipHop.com:

What other artists are going to appear on The

G Files?

 

Warren G: Travis

Barker produced a track on there. We’re trying to get the lead singer from

Sugar Ray to get down on that one. Paul Wall and Lil Keke

are also doing verses on one of my records. We’re working on that right now.

Snoop is gonna be involved, too. I talked to the

drummer of Green Day, and we’re supposed to link up. I’m still working while

I’m finishing [laughs]. I’m going to keep working and bringing new things to

the table. The main thing is having the new talent on the record get heard. The

tour is all being put together right now. It’s not set in stone but it’s all

being put together. And I have an international thing as well. I’m letting

people know Warren G hasn’t gone nowhere.

 

AllHipHop.com:

Will the tour use a live band? I know that’s a staple of a lot of your music.

 

Warren G: Now

c’mon man you know I’m the first dude to rock a live band! [laughs]

I was the first Hip-Hop artist to bring a live band overseas in ’96-97. Now

everybody does it. It gives the show a different feel and you can stop without

having to push a button. You can look at your band and they’ll do a breakdown

for you. Or you can go over if you want to. The band is in tune and they know

what to do. It’s a great feeling. When I was in Asia it was great. Snoop still

goes over there and tells me people always ask, “Where’s Warren G?” I’m

definitely going back to that circuit. I still look good, haven’t aged a bit!

 

AllHipHop.com:

Any closing thoughts to the Hip-Hop world?

 

Warren G: I just wanna say to the Jay-Zs and Lil Waynes of the game to come holla

at your boy. Warren G is the diamond in the rough [on production]. Come stay

with me for a week in the studio and I guarantee I’ll make y’all some hit

records, not that quick-fast stuff. You’ll see what Warren G does. I got a lot

of records and I’m like, “Damn, Jay-Z would kill that.”

One of these days when I ready to hang up my Adidas I think

I’ll join one of these companies and show them how to really do it. Another

thing [in regards to working with other artists], I like Max B! He’s tight to

me. He reminds me of myself. He gets out there and handles his business while

being against all odds. The boy can go, he’s creative, and he knows how to make

hooks. He can write songs that can captivate you. But I like Cam and Juelz too, all of them.

 

AllHipHop.com:

Sounds like Max needs to be hollering at Warren G for some production.

 

Warren G: Oh I’d

have him off the chain. I know what goes on in this whole industry. I’m the eye

in the sky. Russell [Simmons] and Lyor [Cohen] holla at your boy…Kevin Liles too! [laughs]