Now, I did say earlier on that it was a pleasure to interview Preem... but in all honesty, it was one of the most daunting assignments I've ever had (next to an Outkast interview - but I'll save that story for another time). It's not that DJ Premier wasn't approachable - quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that he isn’t one to mince his words, and he certainly doesn't suffer fools lightly.
Thankfully, I made it through unscathed, as Premier happily offered up very frank opinions on a range of subjects. But what really came across loud and clear was that Premier was as passionate about hip hop as his beats are banging. His energy was infectious, and he really came to life when recalling the musical influences that shaped him while growing up in Texas, the golden era of hip hop that he encountered on moving to New York in the mid-80s, and his work with the greats of the game (including some classic studio stories).
Of course, not everything from these two sessions made the final cut for my article. During one of the moments when the tape recorder wasn’t rolling, Preem delved into a subject that was clearly near and dear to his heart – porn. Hell, he's such a fan that he even produced a track for porn actress Heather Hunter.
While being driven to his final interview, Premier decided to conduct a quick porn devotion poll amongst the other people rolling with us in the minivan (the vehicle of choice for all touring hip hop stars, don't you know). He eventually turned his attentions to me, asking me in his trademark deep, gravelly voice: “What about you? You like porn?” Not really a topic I'd thought we'd be covering in the interview, to be honest.
As I fumbled for an answer, Premier obviously picked up on my 'uneasiness' (that’s a nice way of saying I’m really a prude). He quickly followed up with a statement that still rings in my ears to this day – “You ain’t a real man if you don’t like porn”.
That was pretty much the moment the interview ended. My memory is a little clouded, but I vaguely remember jumping out at the next set of traffic lights (while considering launching a feeble face-saving mission by saying I was heading to the nearest news agent to stock up on porn). Shameless... anyways, read on for more from the man himself.
You can read how Puffy didn't liked "Kick In The Door" in the interview here.
Source: A Grumpy Old Man With A Beard
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