From Back in the Day to Right Now, Ahmad Speaks (Exclusive Interview)

It's been well over a decade since west coast representer Ahmad dropped his instant classic track "Back in the Day", but in the meantime he's lead a fascinating life, founding the successful band 4th Avenue Jones, graduating from Stanford and now, making his triumphant return to hip-hop with his new album "The Death of Me". In an exclusive interview with RefinedHype, Ahmad talks about his musical journey, his plans to succeed in the modern day game and lays out some plans to create a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.

RefinedHype: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Ever since I saw the video to "Get Some Money & Go To Jail" I've been following your comeback on "The Death of Me" closely.

Ahmad: Thank you. I've seen you guys showing me love, and I have to say Crooked I came with it on that song. The video, actually, we shot in my living room. That car scene is really just me siting on a chair.

RefinedHype: Wait, that's crazy. You did that entire video in your living room?

Ahmad: Totally in the living room with the blue screen behind us. All of the effects were virtual. I was just getting my act on.

RefinedHype: How did you come up with the concept for that video?

Ahmad: I've always prided myself on writing my own treatments for my videos. That was harder when I was on the majors, but now that I own my own company I'm able to really experiment. I was sick and tired of seeing cats on the news when they shouldn't be, and I thought it would be hella funny to do a mockery of that. I thought I would get more flack, but I got a lot of 'that's right!' I thought it would be more controversial, honestly.

RefinedHype: Like athletes who seem to achieve riches and notoriety overnight and aren't prepared to stop themselves from going down the wrong path, I think we've seen a lot of rappers do the same thing. You catapulted to fame at an early age, did you struggle to stay on the right path?

Ahmad: Not really. I didn't really make that much money. In '94, I was getting $5,000 a show, and got about a $250,000 deal, and then had to put a lot of that into the album. The artists today, if you have one song, that can fuel a tour that can make legitimate money. I did my share of shopping, made some bad investments, bought a house when I was 19. But I bought a Honda Accord, I didn't buy a Mercedes, so I've always tried to be smart.

RefinedHype: In terms of making a living as an artist, how has the music industry changed since you've been in it, and how have you changed with it?

Ahmad: Let me just really scream this from the top of the roofs. It's been like the industrial revolution. These are times we've never seen before, when an artist can create music at a minimal cost. I did my album on Pro Tools in my apartment. Virtually everything was done at home. You couldn't do that before, it costs thousands, and that's why we needed labels. Now, you can create your true art and take it directly to the people. I can simply say, 'I've got art to sell, who wants to buy it?'

RefinedHype: I don't think the average fan truly realizes how completely online distribution has changed the game.

Ahmad: I guess the bad thing is that it's so cheap that we get a lot of bad music pushed out, but good music makes gravy. If you're really excellent at what you do, the people always recognize it. If you can juggle hella good and you're the best juggler in America, people will pay to see you juggle. That's my advice to everybody, just be excellent.

RefinedHype: Do you think you're one of the best rappers alive?

Ahmad: I don't think there is any 'best'. Who's better, Outkast or EPMD? Public Enemy or Dead Prez? Rakim or Nas? Jay-Z or Pac? There is no best, there's just a Hall of Fame, and I just want to be in the Hall. I want cats to be like 'Ahmad did 'Back in the Day', he used to run the Wake-Up Show, he started a rock band, he started his own company, he changed the game, and he made great art.' That's all I want to do, and then I want to die (laughs).

RefinedHype: I've been pushing this idea for years. I think we really do need a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame that votes in artists that made serious contributions. We have a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but we need to get together and start a Hip Hop Hall of Fame.

Ahmad: No doubt, but we need fair representation. I was looking at a list of the best hip-hop songs of all time, and I was like, 'how could hardly have any west coast shit?' Not to toot my own horn, but 'Back in the Day' is a classic. I've toured the world, and cats everywhere know the words. How is that not a classic? West, East, North, South, it has to be legitimate.

Like the DOC. You never see DOC on the best of all-time lists, but he was one of the illest to ever touch a mic. On one of my new songs, I say, 'we OG, I'm like the second coming of the DOC." As a lyricist, I think I'm really good. That's why my new song is "Ima a Emcee". When I was at Stanford, I saw a professor and she really knew her topic, she had mastered it. And I thought, what am I great at it like that? I'm an emcee.

RefinedHype: For you, what is an emcee?

Ahmad: An emcee is a cat who is devoted to the culture, of hip-hop. You have to have a total understanding. You have to know that you can be in a suit and be the most hip-hop person in the room. It's an aura, how you carry yourself. I'm a Stanford alum, but I can still spit slang, and I know hip-hop culture. I feel like I'm bi-lingual in a lot of ways. To be an emcee, you have to be able to write your own rhymes, you have to be able to perform, I mean really perform. Not just walk around the stage. You need to give the people their money's worth.

RefinedHype: You've touched on the fact that you graduated from Stanford with a degree in sociology a few times now. What did you learn there that you're applying to your music?

Ahmad: I started my company WeCLAP there. I was thinking of starting a non-profit, you know how in college you want to save the world, and after visiting Zimbabwe I was so jazzed to start a non-profit. And then a professor said, 'the last thing we need is more non-profits.' Man, he nailed it on the head. But a friend told me that I needed to start WeCLAP anyway, and what I really know the best is music, and I devoted the company to making genuine hip-hop. And don't get it wrong, you can make genuine hip-hop over a pop track. The people just have to know it's something you've really lived. That's what I want to return to, and what I'm delivering on the new album, "The Death of Me". It's about innovation.

RefinedHype: These larger labels are dying because they can't change, but it seems like a smaller, tighter operation like WeCLAP can be flexible enough to succeed.

Ahmad: You can't just put something on iTunes and say, 'go buy my record, I'm good.' That's what everyone else is doing. You have to put work in. I get up at 6 am and go to bed at 1 or 2, everyday. One of the things I learned at Stanford was that work ethic, to do things I have to do, like papers I had to write there. Now, when I have to write something like a description for a new video, I can do it in two minutes. I didn't know I was learning that, and gathering confidence, but I have it now. I feel like I can do anything. So what we're going to do is make WeCLAP a success and put west coast hip-hop back on the map with this album. It's my baby, I'm really proud of it.

For more on Ahmad, check out WeCLAP.com, where you can purchase and listen to "The Death of Me". And if you're in L.A. on August 24, be sure to check out Ahmad perform at DJBooth,net's latest showcase along with Tanya Morgan, Marion Write and more. For tickets and more information, click here