What’s good everyone! Here is another interview!! This time, we speak with DRE Colombian Raw. The New Jersey artist has lots of bars, crazy production and a sound that the real can’t resist. We spoke about his upbringing, influences, his sound, artists he wants to work with and much more!
Read the interview carefully, there is lots of gems in there! Check out DRE Colombian Raw HERE! Follow on twitter!
1. Where did you grow up and what was it like growing up there?
I’m from Jersey spent my younger days growing up there in a city called Englewood literally not that far away from the George Washington Bridge to New York. Growing up there back in the day is a lot different then what it is now. Before all the rich started remodeling the city and bringing it up shit was grimey west of the train tracks. Nothing but Latinos(mostly Colombians) and Blacks in our neighborhoods mad drugs and crime. We sold dope, robbed houses and we banged out wit niggas the same as anywhere else. I got a long with everyone growing up so I was neutral between the gangs and shit they had out there. Growing up I ain’t have my real pops like that he was in and out most my life so just had my mom a lil ass 1 bedroom spot with 5 of us in it till her and my step pops bought a big ass house only to rent out every single room in it so this shit was like a hallway house lol. I used to love playing basketball and was really good at it but I was a short nigga so I hung that dream up real quick when I was 13 and that’s when I was approached by an Old head nigga about moving some shit for him and making some runs for him. At the time I was already getting in trouble for stealing shit so I said fuck it let’s do it. He gave me a pager (yeah I’m that old) and just met up wit niggas to serve em. Shit some of the customers lived in my own house too real shit.
2. What music did you hear growing up?
I was always a Hiphop fan but not to big on that commercial shit. Yeah that glamorous life looks and sounds good to the naive but I understood the street shit and loved that more because I could relate to it we lived it ya feel me.
3. Was there a certain artist or album that made you want to get into music?
Mobb Deep was a major influence to me, Prodigy is my favorite rapper of all time.
Heltah Skeltah, and The Lox, Big L and Big Pun for they lyrical styles made me want to spit even harder.
4. How is the local music scene in your city?
I don’t know to much about it now but Back then it was the shit I grew up listening to some local niggas like The Orphanage crew and Serius Jones. The Sugar Hill gang(Rappers Delight) had Sugar hill records based in my city too so we used to see made artist in and out the city. I remember when that movie Belly came out that scene in the movie where they were supposed to be in a barber shop in Nebraska was really at Les barbershop in Englewood on Wides Corner next to the Liquor store. I remember we was all lil youngins and people surrounding that place wilding out smokin drinking police had the whole place all blocked off it was crazy when we seen them niggas all out there filming the movie.
5. Tell us about your new project.
Parte II is pretty much a sequel to a joint me and Jay Fehrman put out a year ago on Halloween as well. But this time I had a better vision for it and made it theatrical same storytelling as the first one but the sound effects took over the sound as well. Shouts to Meph Luciano for hooking that up for me. I’ve been working with Jay Fehrman since I started out and he’s just a sample king one of the best producers I know. I think his sound goes perfect with my style and that’s why this was done in a 2 weeks span.
6. How would you describe your sound?
My sound is Unique I have a voice that when I spit something it attracts the ears. I feel like when I’m spittin I’m showing a side people need to see. I’m Colombian so there is tons of stories to tell when you grow up in the environment I was brought up in. You can hear the pain in it and you can feel the energy is real with it.
7. If you could work with any mainstream artist who would it be?
Prodigy and Sean Price would of been my first choices R.I.P. to the Kings. Nas and Styles P and Jadakiss are definitely some I like to collab with one day. Maybe even doing a track on a DJ Premier beat would be a life long accomplishment for me too. But there are many artist from now I would love to do tracks with like them Griselda boys.
8. What do you have planned for 2022?
I’ve got 2 projects that I’ve been taking a long time to make. One produced in whole by Frank Grimes that is about 80% done and one produced in whole by Ras Beats that’s also at that same completion. When I drop those 2 I know they are gonna have people like yo this dude D.R.E. is something special.
9. Anything else you want the world to know….
Stop sleeping on me I’m coming!!!
