Bizarre This D-12 member from Eminem’s Shady Camp, has been making a lot of noise on the solo tip. From his new album “Blue Cheese n’ Coney Island” to his reality shows including “Rapping with the Stars” and “Celebrity Fit Club”, Bizarre has been making a dominant name for himself in the hip-hop scene. Check out this exclusive interview Bizarre drops on us!
By William Hernandez
WHO?MAG: Talk about the new album “Blue Cheese n’ Coney Island”? BIZARRE: It’s my second album coming out Oct 23rd on my own label “Red Head”. I’ve been working on it for four or five months. I got some hot producers and some crazy collaborations on there. As far as producers, I got Jeff Bass on there, a kid called Silent Riot, and Dub Music out of Detroit by Applebed. Most of the producers I messed with were out of Detroit. As far as collaborations, I got D12 on there, my artist Young Miles, KB, Tech N9ne, and Twisted.
WHO?MAG: Why did you choose that title for the album? BIZARRE: Basically anybody out here eats blue cheese with their hot wings. Where I come from, Coney Island, it’s the biggest thing. Basically I am back and forth to both places. I live in Atlanta, but I be in Detroit all the time. Basically it’s a representation of both cities.
WHO?MAG: How did you hook up with Koch? BIZARRE: A couple of my people knew them. We had somebody mutual. A mutual friend hooked it up.
WHO?MAG: How was it working with Jeff Bass for the first single “Fat Boy” due to his history of working with Eminem? BIZARRE: It was cool. He always got something hot. Actually my man King Gordy heard the beat first and did the hook. All I had to do was come in and write it.
WHO?MAG: How was it working with Tech N9ne? BIZARRE: It was cool man. That’s my homeboy. We did something for his album a couple of years back. He just returned the favor. I’ve know Tech N9ne for a minute. It was fun.
WHO?MAG: Give me a history lesson. How did you meet up with Eminem and how did D12 come together? BIZARRE: I met him through Proof (RIP) at the Hip Hop Shop probably like 1999; something like that. Everybody knew him from battling people. I met him at a battle at the Hip Hop Shop through Proof way back in the day. Proof wanted to start the ultimate rap group. He got together a bunch of different rappers from different groups and made them one big click, like an all-star team, and that’s what we ended up doing. The group worked out so much that we left our groups and joined him. That’s when we formed the Dirty Dozen.
WHO?MAG: Why didn’t you go through Interscope to put out the album? BIZARRE: I don’t know? You have to ask Interscope that. I have to go with who gave me the offer man. My job is to put out music and I only got one interested.
WHO?MAG: Talk about the “Handicap Circus” album? BIZARRE: I was performing in London and Matthew Knowles, which is Beyonce’s daddy, came to one of the shows. He saw the performance, so he wanted to sign me. I just did a one deal over at the label. I’m not happy with the results of the album. It was a young label that really didn’t know too much about hip hop. It was what it was.
WHO?MAG: They had De La Soul on the label as well. BIZARRE: Yeah and they didn’t do too good either.
WHO?MAG: I know you did another album as well on Federation Records called “Attack of the Weirdoes”. Can you talk about that? BIZARRE: Ah man! I was 17, 16 years old when I put out that record. That was an independent record me and my boy Rico put out just for the streets, man. I didn’t think it went pass Detroit. This is a little buzz record. I was young and wanted to put something out. Get my name a little buzz out there.
WHO?MAG: Are you guys working on another D12 album since Proof’s passing? BIZARRE: D12’s album is coming early next year.
WHO?MAG: Why couldn’t you get Denaun “Mr. Porter” to produce any tracks on the album? BIZARRE: We were supposed to hook up, but we kept on missing each other. He was real busy in LA working on “Detox” with Dr. Dre and I was real busy doing on my album and doing the TV show “Rapping with the Stars”. We kind of kept missing each other.
WHO?MAG: How was your experience being on that TV show “Rapping with the Stars”? BIZARRE: It was cool. It gave actors and entertainers a chance to see what rappers really do. Now they know it ain’t so easy like they think it is. I schooled Efrain that was my student. He was Little Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite.
WHO?MAG: Speaking of TV shows, how was your experience being on Celebrity Fit Club? BIZARRE: It was cool. Dr. Ian and I still keep in touch. Actually he’s in my first video “Fat Boy”. Just trying to keep it moving man. It was a pretty cool experience man. I wouldn’t trade it for nothing. I still keep in touch with some of the other people from the show.
WHO?MAG: What’s a fond memory you have of Proof? BIZARRE: He was the smartest guy I knew. Always thought about what he wanted to say and always had a different perspective of you than anybody else in the world. That’s my memory of Proof.
WHO?MAG: Of the two D12 albums which is your favorite and why? BIZARRE: Probably the first album. I like the first album better because we were a little hungry and young kids. We just had a lot to prove to everybody. I like the first album. It was crazy.
WHO?MAG: What made you want to move down to Atlanta? BIZARRE: It’s popping out here. Nice weather. There isn’t any snow. (laughs) It’s chilling, a real nice place. Houses are cheaper and the whole hip hop scene out here makes it the place to be, man.
WHO?MAG: Talk to me about your label Red Head music? BIZARRE: I got KB on the label. He used to be with Scarface’s group Facemob back in the days. He’s coming out with his album. Then we got Slimm Calhoun that used to be down with Outkast. We got Monica Blair, the singer. She sings on both of my singles. and Young Mouth from Collipark. We got a full roster.
WHO?MAG: Who were some of your influences as a rapper? BIZARRE: KRS ONE, Masta Ace, Redman, and Erick Sermon.
WHO?MAG: Any last words? BIZARRE: Go out there and cop that Blue Cheese n’ Coney Island. It ain’t the typical Bizarre sh*t. The group and I have been through a lot in the last two years. A lot of emotions and positive songs. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
