Westcoast2k: Can you introduce yourself to the people and let you know who you are and where you're from?

Noah Jones: My name is Noah Jones, I'm actually from Peekskill, New York, which is located not too far from Yonkers and the Bronx, in the same city that Elton Brand from the Clippers is from, and Mel Gibson also. Me and Elton went to school together and played ball in the projects together, so thats pretty much where I'm from. I live in California now, Anaheim. I moved out here in 1999.


How old are you?

Noah Jones: 27


When did you start rapping?

Noah Jones: I started when I was 11, in 1988.


Can you tell me your biggest accomplishments so far?

Noah Jones: So far, I was in 4 magazines, Top 25 demos of 2003 in one of the magazines. I was number number 2 for rap and number 16 overall. I got a clothing deal with Johnny Blaze clothing endorsement deal so I get free gear from them. I did a TV commercial that was aired on BET & MTV 2, they played it during the Oprah Winfrey show. It was from the DVD company that actually does the And 1 Mix DVDs and stuff. So, so far thats pretty much all I've done really.


Do you have a crew you run with or are you more of a solo artist?

Noah Jones: Well yeah, I'm a solo artist but I got a couple people that I kinda run with every once in a while, but nothing real real serious. We're all doing our own individual things. I have my own independent label called Inner Vision Entertainment. But other than that its just me, I'm the only MC.


The area youre from, do you think its supportive of local artists?

Noah Jones: I think it is, but its not as supportive as it could be. I think more areas should be more supportive of the local artists, especially when the local artists is doing things with their career. If its good music, and its a reasonable price, they should support it and buy it. Cause a lot of times record labels only care about how many units move. But they dont care about some of the other stuff that you've done with your career. They wanna know can you sell records, and the best way to impress them is your local friends and people that you know, especially if you got your stuff packaged right they should support it. If its cheap and affordable they should take care of you, it all comes back.


Since you've seen both sides of the country, do you think they are more supportive on the East or West Coast?

Noah Jones: I think people is basically cheap all together (laughs). They can get it for free and download it, a lot of people dont wanna spend that money for it anyway. A lot of people is very very cheap. And they have that mentality where they say 'Oh yeah yeah, when you get big, when you get big...' but they dont realize that the little contribution that they do as far as buying your album is what's gonna make you big. Rather than just you get there. Cause you can be the best local rapper ever but without the support you never make it.


How come you moved to Anaheim?

Noah Jones: I moved down here cause my father said he could get me a record deal. But what happened was it kinda fell through, but I'm not a quitter so I decided that I'm just gonna stay out here and try to make it happen for myself rather than go back to New York. So I figured I just stay out here and just do it from here.


How is it looking right now as far as getting a record deal?

Noah Jones: I got a couple of majors, pretty much like 4 or 5 majors that are really screamin at us right now. But its kinda weird because they give us mixed signals and then again they say 'We want this, we want that' or 'Your lyrics is dope but we need your production to be up to par'. And then I try to tell these people like 'Wait a minute, I'm selling myself as a rapper, as an artist. I'm not selling myself as a producer'. I'm sellin myself as a package deal because if I had every single thing together on my own I wouldn't need a label. I was figurin...Okay you're a dope artist, you're movin a little bit of units, you're on TV and stuff. When they sign you you get to work with the Dre's, you get to work with the Timbaland's, so I didnt think that their perception of production was really important. But they want a complete polished package that they can just shrink, wrap and just put out on the streets. If you gonna do that then what you need a label for anyway?


So do you plan to produce your own music now?

Noah Jones: Actually naw, I have a couple of friends, some of my good friends that produce some of the tracks. And this one guy named Flip, he actually produced some songs on Krayzie Bone's new album. He did like 5 songs on my album right now.


Are you trying to get signed right now, or you just waiting for the right shot?

Noah Jones: I mean I would love to get signed, I would love to. I'm not even gonna lie to you. I would love to be able to take my music nationwide and see what its like as far as through my eyes, and let people see what my music is like and let them hear where I'm coming from. Because my work ethic is ridiculous. I got 2 full time jobs, plus I do shows, write my music, find time to record, thing of that nature. So right now I'm very busy, very very busy.


Can you name some of the labels that are interested in you right now?

Noah Jones: Universal, Capitol, Sony, Warner Brothers, and there might be one more. Oh yeah and Interscope.


Do you keep in mind that the label situation could stay like that for the next 5 or 10 years? Could you imagine to stay independent for that long?

Noah Jones: Whatever it takes to be heard, Im do that. If I could sell 30.000, 40.000 record out the trunk of my car I'll do it. The music is whats most important to me, but I mean you figure, if you get signed to a major label then you get spread to the masses alot faster. I just want to be heard, as far as my music. But then again, if somebody can go out and spend 15$ on a Jay-Z record, or 15$ on a Eminem record, and they know where they coming from, or somebody else that they feel is just as good and they should just go out and spend the 5$, you know. Help a brother get there so that we can all kick it and live it up together. I mean people that buy my records or go to my shows, I give them stuff, or people that go to my site, I give them exclusive downloads and stuff like that, so I try to look out for the people and give back. But I wish that a lot more people would be supportive.


What are some of your goals that you're trying to accomplish as an artist once your signed to a major?

Noah Jones: I wanna do as many features as possible. And I aint even gonna lie, I wanna try to make all the artists that everybody hears on the regular look bad (laughs). I wanna get on a track with somebody and try to make them look bad! So that people can say 'Damn this little local cat is serious with it!'. And then when I'm done with all that, I wanna start and really push my own label, try to discover other artists, and try to help them get there so they aint gotta go through all the drama that I'm going through just to try to get there.


When you say you wanna do as many features as possible, who are some of the people you wanna work with?

Noah Jones: I really wanna work with T.I., I'd like to work with Luda. Just the people that everybody knows is real nice. I'd like to get a joint with Twista. I'd really like to do something with Drag-On, because I think he's real underrated. I think he's nice, he's got a serious flow, his voice is dope. Jay is nice of course, I'd probably do a song with Jay. Thats pretty much it, but I mean whoever really. Whoever sounds good, I work with them.


Anyone from the West Coast?

Noah Jones: From the West Coast Dj Quik, definitely. I would do something with Game. Xzibt goes hard, I would do something with him. Knoc-Turn'al too.


Are you planning to hook up with anyone of them right now, or only once you're signed?

Noah Jones: If I had the budget, of course. As long as you got the money, you can do whatever you want. If I had like 5.000 spare dollars I'd probably get Nate Dogg on a hook. All you do is go to his manager like 'Yo cut a lil deal for this young local artist. Here is 5 grand, come sing my hook!" (laughs). But you gotta have that investement. People dont realize that if you're smart with your money, like people investing in your projects and you take that money and you put it back to make into making your projects better, then thats cool. But if some knuckleheads that take that money and buy stuff with it that they're not supposed to, like they go buy lunch with the money or go buy some new shoes, or whatever. You just gotta really judge and find out who's puttin money into us to make the product hot.


Would you consider your music regional, being that you were born on the East Coast, and now living on the West West Coast?

Noah Jones: I would consider it global, really. Good music is good music. I mean 2Pac was born on the East, and then he moved to the West, even though people say that's West Coast music. Its hot and he came from the East Coast. And people from the West Coast is flowing like people from the East Coast anyway, so its all just music, its good music. You can hear people like Houston, when you hear him talk you would think he's from New York, but he's from out here. Same with Game, when you hear Game talk you say oh he's probably from New York. Naw, he's out here from Compton. So its pretty much like good music is good music. I would just consider myself an artist. I lived in St. Louis for 3 years, so I picked some stuff from there. I lived in New York most of my life, picked up some stuff from there. Same with California, its like different vibes from different places. And as long as you're fusing all together, and just keep it a part as your personality, its just you.


So you dont really trip off of other areas like some rappers do, as far as representing?

Noah Jones: Nah, because technically we dont own none of it. But I represent me, being an artist. But I let people know, yeah I'm from New York, but now I live in California. So I got love for my hometown of course, and I got love for the people that's taking care of me out there. I mean it would be foolish for me to claim one. I mean I like New York for certain things, and then I like California for certain things. I like New York for the attitude, for the state of mind, for the hustle. I like Cali for the people, for the weather, I like the fact that there's a lot of producers out here. So it depends of what type of person you are and what your custom is dealing with. So I like both, I can't really say what I like better cause I've grown so much from both of them.


You mentioned you got 2 full time jobs besides the music thing?

Noah Jones: Yeah cause I can't live off the music at all. Not at all, I probably couldn't pay hardly none of my bills of the music, probably hardly nothing for the simple fact that I'm selling records out the trunk of my car. But that's nothing in comparison, cause its like, you thread your time for your dollars. If I didnt have to work that second 9 to 5, and I was out here just selling CDs all day I probably could live off that. But then again I dont wanna give up that chance of risk because I know how flaky some people are. They are like 'Yeah your music is dope' but when you ask them to buy the album for $5 they're like 'Naw man I aint got it'. So its like, wait a minute... the CD is all pressed up, you got the artwork, you got the bangin tracks, you got the stuff they spin on a commercial. I even got some radio spins on the radio out here, and they still dont wanna support it. So you dont really wanna quit your job for that, you kinda wanna do it on the side until it really starts rollin. And if I get a major, then of course I'll be able to quit my second job, or even both jobs hopefully.


What are some of those projects that are available right now?

Noah Jones: I got one CD out right now called "The Fire Within". Its got 15 tracks. I had another CD called "The Author", which was done in 2001. I'm not really promoting that as much. But Im trying to work on some new radio cuts right now, and I wanna do a double album. But the only problem with that is that I dont know if its gonna really be beneficial for me to make 2 CDs, as far as how the industry is right now. So Im gonna push my album that I have right now, it came out in June. I wanna give it 1 good year promoting it, wrap my vehicle up with it, put the album cover on my vehicle. Do alot more shows, and see what else I can do as far as promoting it. Then, by the time the year is up, I'll have new songs recorded and Ill probably throw together another album and see what direction I need to go with that. Because who knows, if I buy more flyers, more posters, things like that, then I wont have to work on another album for a minute. Cause if you do it right, you can have one album, as long as its good music, and promote it for a couple years like the oldschool dudes. So I'll see what Im doing, but Im constantly recording so I always got new music.


So you think you can make it without knowing or being discovered by the big names?

Noah Jones: I think I probably could, but like I said, its a matter of being at the right place and bringing the music to the places where its hard to get to. Some of these places out here they love my music, but they really dont have as much access. So if I was able to find something, I probably could. I mean Master P did it, Lil Flip did it. There are alot of artists out there that I feel Im just as caliber if not better caliber, and they did it. I wish I could find out the method in which they did it. Wether they used hustle money that helped them with it, or whatever the case may be. But I wish I knew all the methods, but its alot of expierence. I keep my ears open and I listen to people when they tell me something. I try to incoporate that and just see what happens from there.


Are you trying to get on mixtapes?

Noah Jones: Yeah, I been on a couple mixtapes. But everybody doing mixtapes, but I dont know alot of people that are really serious about it. Its like...Yeah I'd love to do a mixtape with you, but are you really gonna put the mixtape out? I dont wanna just record songs for people, and just take lyrics and throw em on people's stuff that are not gonna be used and not gonna be heard. So alot of people have alot of ideas, but haven't really put out the stuff they said they gonna do. Like me, when I sit down to do an album, I know Ima put the album out. I dont have just like 40 songs just sitting there and never put together, never titled up, nothing. Some people are like that.


Do you work with DJs?

Noah Jones: I work with anybody. Anybody thats gonna help me with my career, Im gonna work with. From local to big names, to DJs to Asian cats in the Asian clubs. It doesnt really matter, if you're trying to help me with my career, as far as doing something together, no problem. Ill write you a hot song in about 45 minutes. So it doesnt really matter. Whatever you need, just call me up and tell me what you're looking for. If you got the beat already, I'll drop something over the beat.


Alot of people claim that West Coast rappers arent lyricists. Do you think thats true?

Noah Jones: I think there are some that are really really serious lyricists, there's alot of dudes out here. Its just that we're only used to hearing the same type of music, because the radio stations only wanna play a certain type of music. So it makes alot of people wanna record and write a certain way. I noticed that myself, when I submitted my stuff to some of the major radio stations out here in Cali, I submitted some bangers. And they was only picking songs which had R&B choruses in it. So Im like wait a minute...all the other stuff, the personal stuff, they dont wanna none of that. They just want stuff which had R&B in it, thats all they wanted. So the industry is really being scoped in alot by the people thats controlling the radio and controlling the money.


So the radio politics is something thats holding you down right now?

Noah Jones: Yeah man, I think the radio politics is ridiculous. For example, I submitted some songs to a major radio station here on the West. I'm not gonna say which one, I dont wanna burn no bridges. And I submitted 3 songs to them, and they picked the song that they liked, and then after they picked the song they liked, one of the people that picked, tried to smash it a little bit, tried to dogg it out after they selected it. It was a hot song, actually one of the lead songs of my album that everybody been talking about. And then they the same people that say 'Oh we like the new Guerilla Black', when Guerilla Black sounds exactly like Biggie. I'm like damn... maybe I should bite Nelly's style and try to come out like that. Maybe I have a better chance biting somebody else's style than being original and doing my own music. Its ridiculous, the label that I'm dealing with is funny, cause Guerilla Black sent in a 4 track demo and got a deal off that! And he rhymes just like somebody else, I mean carbon copy. Bites somebody's style all the way to the way he's pronouncing his lyrics to the way he's pronouncing his words, he sounds just like Biggie to me. I'm not afraid to say that he sounds like Biggie, because a lot of people out there feel that way but they dont have the nuts to say it. And Shyne at the beginning he sounded like Biggie too, except for the fact that he distinguished himself as an artist because his flow wasn't like Biggie's. He just got caught up with the same type of voice, cause that's his natural voice. He didnt flow like Biggie, he didn't come out with his verses like Biggie. But Guerilla Black sounds like Biggie. When he first came out people were like 'Yo thats a new Biggie song?'. The way he pronounces his words and shit...and on top of that he's not just big and heavy, he looks like Biggie too! I mean he probably got his own ideas, he probably got some flows that are original, but its just the fact that he just got a deal based of who he sounds like, and not because of his ability. You know, I started in 88, so growing up in New York it was like, you used to get smashed on if you were biting somebody else's music. They were really bringing it to you like 'Hold up, what are you doing, thats not your style' to the point where they came into your house and fight with you, because you're rapping like somebody else. A lot of people quit like that! But I'm really big on originality, really big. Thats why I try to make all my songs different. Wether its the flow thats different, or the delivery, or the topic thats different. I try to make every song different so that way nobody can label me or categorize my style, or they can say that I rhyme like this or that. All my songs have a different vibe to it. Sometimes I rhyme fast, sometime I be on some R&B type joint, sometimes I be real hard. Because sometimes my life is in that direction where I wanna be hard. I had a rough day at work, Ima come home and write some heat cause I'm frusrated! So my life changes, and so does my music on a regular basis so nobody can categorize me. To be an artist, rather than just being a rapper, to me I'm an artist.


Being a rapper, do you think its important to have a good education?

Noah Jones: Its mixed, because alot of people think that to be a good Hip Hop artist, you gotta come from poverty, come from not having. But later on in the game you gotta learn the business anyway. So its good to have a little bit of both, to have have some street education and then definitely have some business knowledge so people dont try to take advantage of you. To me its kinda essential to be pretty well spoken. You dont wanna get into an interview and sound like an idiot and can't handle yourself in a conversation, because people look at you for stuff like that. So you gotta be as professional as possible and that means learn how to speak, learn how to pronounciate and stuff like that. So I think education is important. But the promotion, the marketing and the financing is the biggest part in Hip Hop. If you have all of that, you can make somebody thats garbage seem as good as LL Cool J, if he got the right kinda backing and promotion behind him. Everywhere you see posters and people start to think 'Damn dude's gettin big, he's kinda tight'. I'm not even gonna lie, Lil Flip to me is not a super lyrical type dude, but he's blowing up because his type of music he's puttin out. But Crooked I is a way better rapper, but because nobody is promoting his music and pushing him out there he's not doing as well.


Did you get in a lot of beefs for always voicing your opinion like that?

Noah Jones: In the beginning it kinda did, but once people started to realize the logic of the situation and the truth of the situation, it actually got me out of more problems than they got me into. Cause I was always able to tell them that I respect what they trying to do, but in my opinion this is not the type of stuff that I'm feeling. Some other people may be feeling it because they have different type of taste, but coming from a artist point of view, meaning I write lyrics, and I'm not just a fan or a listener, and I know what it takes to put into writing a song, I look at them from a different point of view, I dont really like some of that stuff thats goin on. So what people respect a lot is when you give them the truth. Thats part of being real. Some people like it, some people can't handle it. The truth is like kryptonite to these fake people, some people can't deal with it. But I think thats one of the reasons why growing up in New York I was respected, cause I was never really afraid to speak my mind. And I even do that on my tracks too, like every track has a part of me in it. People that know me will tell you 'Yeah thats exactly how he is' or 'Yeah I know when that happened, I was right there when that happened, I remember this'. So if I'm rappin about big breasts in my songs, then thats wassup, cause all my girls have big breasts (laughs). That's just how I am, I put little personal stuff in every single track. But you cant live your whole live expecting everybody to like every single thing you say, because at the end of the day you only gotta answer to yourself and god. Just be honest with yourself and the people that you work with. But how can you grow with a person if nobody's telling you whats real. Like 'Yeah you dope, you're the best rapper' and then behind your back be like 'I wish he had more R&B in them joints'. I mean if they would have came and told me that, then I could have incorporated that in my music and everything would have been straight. So I just respect the honesty, if you're not feelin this let me know what I need to work on and change. Usually my people are straight, but before I even put anything out or let my friends hear anything, I make sure its already on the level I feel it needs to be. Ima work on my lyrics first and make sure my lyrics is real serious. But the people I've dealt with have always been pretty honest with me. The only people that I feel are kinda shaky are the industry people. They look for certain things, like 'Oh your production needs work'. But then everybody that hears my stuff on the streets thats buying my records is coming back and telling me 'Yo dogg your beats is hot, I love your beats!'. And I'm like damn, why dont you say that my lyrics is serious cause I'm a lyricist. But people here in California they love beats. So these industry people tell me 'I'm not feelin your beats' then I'm like wait a minute, I'm not trying to sell my beats, I'm trying to sell myself as a rapper. So it makes me wanna send them an acapella CD rather than a CD with beats on it. But its a contractionary because the people thats puttin the money behind the music is feeling it because they buying it, so thats more important. The consumers like it so personally I dont really care that the industry dont like it. But I also gotta look at the fact that out here in California some of these labels are getting 200, 300 or 400 demo submissions all the time. And they probably hear people that have a lot of money invested in their studios and production, and their beats sound probably a lot better than mines. But maybe they just dont have the vocal talent that I have as far as being a lyricst. So being that they hear so many beats they are accostumed to like it. So if I come with something different they not really feeling it because I try to be different and I try to come with the most non-commercial stuff, but give it a commercial twist if I can.


Do you give people a positive message in your lyrics?

Noah Jones: Yeah, you can find a lot of positiveness and truth in most of my songs. Its pretty much that my life story is dont give up, every song you hear is something like I'm not trying to give up. Because this is the type of things I was going through. I was born with a hole in my heart, I was supposed to have died at birth, so technically I'm not even supposed to be here right now. Like a year later after I left the hospital as a baby the whole thing just went away and I've never had heart trouble or nothing. But dont get caught up in the messenger, I will look for the message. The messenger is not really important at all, he's just the person thats delivering the message. The message is whats important. But whatever I can do I always give people positive outlooks. There is a lot of people that I work with around here that come ask me 'How did you do this' or 'Where did you get this done'. And I always share all my information, I'm not afraid to do nothing. If I go there to get my CDs pressed up, then I'll tell people like 'Look this is the place where I went to get my CDs pressed up, this is where you should go. This is where I go to record my tracks, this is where you should go.' Apparently Im comfortable enough going there, so whoever else doing the same thing should be able to go there too. But I always try to give people a positive message. If I can do work at 2 full time jobs and get somewhere, then I know that a person with 1 job living at home with their moms can get there. They just gotta follow the right path and just work hard at it and not give up. Listen to people when they tell them stuff, taking advice and criticism. Work on their music, polish their craft up. Dont go to the studio if you havent rehearshed a song. Dont go there spending 4 or 5 hours trying to do a little verse. I go the studio and do about 8 songs in about 2 1/2 hours. Every song that you hear has been a one take song. A lot of them I write right before I go to the studio. So its just part of my hustle, I know that I dont wanna be working these 2 full time jobs for the rest of my life. Everything that Im doing Im takin time away from my family, Im takin time away from having personal quality time to really work on this music. And the second job is really to finance the music. So the focus is definitely there.


Is there anything else you wanna say?

Noah Jones: Yeah, just stay posted at www.NoahJonesMusic.com. Hit me up, feedback, special requests, anything. If anyone out there got a birthday party coming up and you want a track for your birthday party, holla at your boy! (laughs) Whatever you need I try to get that to you as long as I can get around my work schedule!

[ Listen to Noah Jones Shout Out ]

For more information check out www.NoahJonesMusic.com.

Contact Noah Jones / Management:

Richard Spoon
Spoon Management
(909)-898-6678-Direct Office
spoonmanagement@yahoo.com
2-Way-rspoon@tmail.com