Ras Kass - Interview

Ras Kass is one of the finest lyricists that hip has ever produced and has been for the past three decades. From his debut Souls On Ice onwards, he has enhanced his reputation as a top tier MC and lyricist and continues to do so as he unleashes each of his multiple projects. Ahead of his upcoming releases, Gavin Brown caught up with him to discuss his love of the art of hip hop and his musical past and future.

You’ve got a new album coming with Havoc and RJ Payne. Can you tell us about the album?

Yeah, it's called THEGUTTR. I'm actually heading to the studio after this and the record is being mixed right now. We’re ready to shoot videos and we’ll have a single out in fe next couple of months and go on the promotional trail. I’m grateful to Havoc and everyone involved. It’s an Ill album.

How did you all link up in the first place to make the record?

I’ve always been cool and had a good rapport with Mobb Deep and everyone , they’re always good dudes. Me and Havoc actually discussed something after Prodigy passed, rest in peace, at Art Of Rap. A few years later, I ended up seeing Havoc in Dallas, Texas. I was hosting and he was performing and we just had a conversation about something that we thought could be a viable way to keep the sound alive. There’s never replacing Mobb Deep, that chemistry was so crazy, but as a fan, I still want to hear that Havoc production in a project. We discussed a way to honour that Mobb Deep sound, Havoc, Noyd, that Queensbridge sound but having other emcees come in where it’s different as you can’t duplicate Prodigy, you can’t replace him but keep that same sonic. The whole thing was keeping that vibe but honouring Mobb Deep. We discussed it over the years, and decided it was a good time to do it and we did some songs and they came out kinda crazy. That’s why it’s called THEGUTTR, it’s that Mobb Deep shit.

Have you had any thoughts about a new solo album as well?

People that know me, know I love working. I enjoy the creative process. I'm always working on a lot of stuff. I'm kind of transitioning out of solo albums. I wanted to close that door but I do like building albums as an executive producer, being a Dr Dre and writing and conceptualising projects. I have an album that's different than anything I've ever done that I'm really excited about, and hopefully sometime next year, we'll be finished with it. I’ve been letting it be what it is. Ras Kass is a little more socio political. My natural state is a little conflicted hence Soul On Ice is a little street but is intelligent, the duality of man. With THEGUTTR shit, I just keep to be the boy from LA I always was. I can talk for real with this West Coast lyrical street shit. It allowed me to be where I'm at right now. The other stuff is a little more reflective. I’m also enjoying working with just one producer and getting one producer of that calibre is amazing.

How did it feel finally doing and releasing the HRSMN album The Last Ride after all those years?

Well, we never had a proper album before, everything was bootlegged. It was a manager putting shit together or someone doing some slimy shit. We never officially put out an album, we had songs on each other’s albums but we never even mixed those records. We had a great opportunity twenty years ago but didn’t capitalise on it. That’s why I was very supportive of Slaughterhouse because they executed our idea and were able to keep it consistent for two or three albums. It took us twenty years to do one album and I think we can thank COVID for that. We had some free time to get everything unfinished from the past ten years and I was able to re-sculpt them and get them finished. I call it our debut finale and it was great to finally finish what we started and get an album out.

Have you talked about doing anything else in the future?

I never say never but tight now my focus is is really enjoying this THEGUTTR stuff.

Have you got anything further planned with Jamo Gang And Long Story Longer at all and how was it working on those projects?

It’s so funny being part of so many little things. Jamo Gang is family, El Gant is one of my best friends. I just saw J57, he’s so creative and such a vibe. Jamo Gang is Jamo Gang, I’m sure at some we’ll revisit it. El Gant just dropped a new track featuring me and Marco Polo produced it, he’s dropping his first solo project in a while, as long as theres two of us on it, it’s Jamo Gang! Long Story Longer was with our friends from Detroit, Swifty McVay from D12, he asked me and Yukmouth to hop on a couple of records and we went over and did it. Long Story Longer is their brand really, we’re just guest artist on it.

Is it fun for you to do so much different stuff like working with Havoc with that Queensbridge sound and then the work you've done with Jack Splash for example?

I like art, pieces of art. With Jack Splash, it was an art piece. The HRSEMN, for me,  was an art piece. I made a project called Van Gogh, so I've kind of always been in that zone. Like I said, I'm gonna shift more into an executive producer. Every rapper retires at some point. I want to shift out of me being my primary artist, I just want to shift into, developing people, it's fun, I really enjoy it.

Your sons are both in Coast Contra, they've been absolutely smashing it. Will you work together again?

They’re my kids, man! I’ll always work with them! I see them work hard, they’re good kids. The entire group are good human beings. I didn’t even want them to do do music.

Was that because you know what the music industry can be like?

Yeah, I didn’t want this for them because of shit that I've been through and the fuckery, why would you want your child to suffer through that? I didn't want them to do that, but when they said they wanted to do it, of course, I was behind them. I love them,  I know they're hard workers and I know they're talented. I'm very grateful that they're getting a fair chance. I've worked with them since they were nine years old. I put them on the A.D.I.D.A.S album where they’re rhyming. They’ve been rhyming with me since they could talk!

Obviously you’ve guided them about how to navigate the music industry, but what's the best advice that you got when you were coming up?

The best advice that I got was that I was gonna get fucked over. I just didn't know how much, Coolio actually gave me that advice haha! There was no way I could know how much or who was going to do the fuckery. My older friends were learning the business too so it was the blind leading the blind. I always try to tell any younger artists to just learn as much of the business and try to get a team because it’s not a genuine business. I told Coast Contra, these people don’t love you, this shit is fake. The only thing that’s real is the art form.

You’ve recently done a track with MC Ren and worked with Buckwild, that must have been a thrill for you to do things like that?

Yes, sir. Bucket list stuff for me. For Ren to ask me to be a part of his project, they’re my foundations as a West Coast MC, I bought those tapes. I bought that vinyl. MC Eiht just DM’d me recently too, which was bugged out! That part of the journey is what I love. I love being able to make something. MC Ren is one of my idols and somebody I look up to, and the fact that he would even consider me to be a part of what he's doing means a lot to me. Trying to make sure that I do a good job is really what I thrive off. Any time Premier sends a beat, it’s like pressure, but that’s what I thrive off. I can’t let Prem down! That’s the culture. That’s the part of this hip hop stuff I love. Rocking with someone who made a difference in my journey and really wanting to kill it. GZA was performing recently, him and Raekwon, and he asked me up to rhyme, and I was nervous but I don’t want to let GZA down, I gotta get busy! That is where my genuine love for this culture comes from and creating with amazing people.

You played live in Brixton at the end of last year, how was that experience and will you make it over again to the UK soon?

Yeah, that was great. It was with Big Noyd.   Shout out to Big Noyd, he’s on THEGUTTR album obviously, keeping that Mobb Deep family line. We’re hopefully touring as THEGUTTR but I’m coming out myself and we’re trying to line up UK shows but hopefully September.

Interview - Gavin Brown