I Am Not A Gangster! D. Black - The Interview

For the record D. Black is not a gangster. What he is though is a member of the up and coming Sportin' Life Records crew taking Seattle by storm. With his parents hailing from Seattle's first real Hip Hop crew, the Emerald City Gang and a stage presence that commands your attention one thing D. Black is sure to be is successful.

After D. got done rockin the crowd inside the EMP Sky Church on Saturday we stepped outside to find out what was really going down with this Seattle Hip-Hopper.

Gander On for the interview.

GN: So How's Life?

DB: Life's good, it's wonderful!

GN: Everything but the bills right?

DB: A lot of the times I come to shows, and for some reason on show days there's always a lot of baggage and that's the time it gets overwhelming. But I swear I love being on stage more than anything. Right when I get on stage, even up to that it's stressful. I know it sounds cliche but I'm serious that's my high, I don't drink, I don't smoke. It's the best part of the game for me.

GN: How long have you been performing for?

DB: I did my first show in like the fourth grade. That was my first time being up on stage. I had my little studio at home so I made a little show tape and I rocked it. My partner started crying he forgot his verse in front of the entire school with the parents. That was my first time rockin it. I can't remember my first real show, my sophomore year of high school we had a club night, Sportin' Life Thursdays at the Safari Club on Rainier. I know that was the beginning stages when we used to rock it.

GN: You had a studio in the fourth grade?

DB: I set it up myself. I had these two karaoke machines hooked together so I could dub my tape to the other tape and I had a microphone hanging from the vent because I didn't have a mic stand. I had a Roland groove box, that was my first beat machine, I got it when I was like eight. I've been doin it for a minute.

GN: You just had a birthday party for Sportin' Life Records?

DB: We just had a birthday party, a five year anniversary party. We've actually been a crew before that but we made it a business back in 02'.

GN: You have a new album coming out?

DB: Yeah, "Life and Legacy."

GN: When can people expect that?

DB: Around the first quarter of 08' January, February.

GN: What was Mix A Lot's reaction when you first played "808" for him.

DB: I go to Mix's house and I got this record. I'm kinda scared because I know people have done Posse before and Mix didn't like it. We were just choppin it up for a minute. He had already heard about the song, so we're in the studio and he puts it on and he hears himself and he's kinda like that's me and then it just drops and his head noddin and it stopped and then he played it again and he was like this shit is hot and I told him I felt like it was a hit. He worked with it and mixed it and then a baby was born.

Word Association

GN: Bumbershoot

DB: Live!

GN: My Posse's On Broadway

DB: Classic

GN: Seattle Hip-Hop

DB: D. Black, Sportin' Life

GN: Sportin' Life Records

DB: The Movement

GN: D. Black

DB: Forever!

For more info and upcoming shows be sure to check out Sportin' Life Records Myspace page and be sure to pick up Fatal Lucciauno's record "The Only Forgotton Son" a record already labeled a Seattle classic as well as D. Black's "Cause and Effect" out now. And be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for J.Pinder and D. Black dropping new albums soon.