Jun

20

20/20: AllHipHop.com Interviews Mr. Dj of Earthtone III

by Zack Lee | Filed Under 20/20 

I know many of you don’t know who Mr. DJ is by name, yet I’m pretty sure everyone has heard his work….unless you’ve lived under a ROCK for the past decade. He’s 1/3 of the production team Earthtone III, which also includes Big Boi and Andre3000 of……um, Outkast. Currently he’s in the process of working on Common’s upcoming album “Invincible Summer”. Word has it that the project will be helmed by him and The Neptunes solely. AllHipHop.com sat down with him and discussed his longevity in the music game, the perks of success without fame, and working with Common. Here’s an excerpt:

AllHipHop.com: Fourteen years as a producer and most people probably wouldn’t recognize your production name, let alone what you look like. You’ve said before that “longevity is a lot better than being famous.” Do you feel like not being “famous” helped you achieve longevity?

Mr. DJ: That’s yet to be seen. I do understand that it may inevitably be the time people recognize who I am, and I hope that it doesn’t curse me or change the way things go. But I don’t think it will, cause it’s all about the person and how you handle it. I do understand that in order to achieve the level I’m trying to achieve, you do kind of have to step out a bit. So it’s a catch-22. But I hope it doesn’t affect my longevity.

I do think that being behind the scenes has preserved my sexy, if you will (Laughs). It preserved it, because you don’t burn out as fast. When the spotlight’s on you that means people are watching you, and just as soon as your tap-dance starts to slow down then the lights turn on. If nobody even sees me, the curtain is still closed and you just hear me tapping back there, then you’re still waiting on the curtain to open. So I hope it doesn’t jinx me.

AllHipHop.com: You can get away with a lot more if nobody recognizes your face.

Mr. DJ: Yeah man, exactly. I can go to the grocery store, I can go to the mall, I can drop my kids off and not have a problem. I’ve watched things change for Big and Dre in that aspect, and I just hope that I can somehow make it all happen together.

BONUS:

Read rest of interview @ AllHipHop.com



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