The 411/Treach

NAUGHTY BY NATURE'S TREACH, August 22, 2000

Treach stepped into the media room at The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards 2000 just moments after all hell started to break loose. Doug E. Fresh was on stage trying to calm the crowd, and Treach attempted to downplay the incident during the interview.

What's going on in there? Did you see the fight?

"What outside?"

No, the one that just happened right now.

"They were just slap-boxing. Don't take it nowhere it wasn't. Come on, now. Don't blow it up no more than what it is. When it's trouble you see 15 on one side, 20 on the other. You'll know it's trouble 'cause all of y'all will be running out of here. Come on, it ain't nothing big."

(Editor's note: Shortly after Treach left the interview room, 15-20 men allegedly affiliated with Death Row and dressed in red shirts with pictures of Snoop Dogg and the words "Dead Man Walking" rushed the stage, bottles started to be thrown, the show was called off, and, as Treach predicted, most of the press rushed out of the room.)

What's up with Naughty By Nature?

"You wanna hear the list? All right. It's the new Naughty By Nature album. Basically we're doing this all independent right now. The Treach solo album. As far as the movies are concerned, 'The Book of Love' is coming out -- the first BET theater release. Sometime before the new year look out for that. First I did a 'contract killer' movie, so I'm on some 'Treach Snipes' stuff right now -- tae kwon do, running with the guns and flipping, getting little bruises and stuff. So look out for that this fall. It's called 'Love and a Bullet.' They're shopping a deal with major studios right now. It's real good. They're the writers from 'The Big Hit.' So look out for that. Lee Davis, he's an up-and-coming director under Spike Lee. He did a movie called '3 A.M.' about the drama with the New York taxicab drivers and stuff, the violence and all. So Pam Grier's in that. Danny Glover's in that. I got a little spot up in there with Guru, you know, from Gangstarr. So look out for that. I mean, I thank all of y'all for supporting us throughout the years, because you know in the music industry it's like a new artist or new group game. You know what I mean? If you're seen past a couple amount of years, you're looked at as like a fossil, or you're prehistoric or whatever. But the big find is on. We still breathing and doing it and handling it -- coming with an anthem every album. So keep supporting -- www.naughtybynature.com. Dot damn it, put it down, list it up."

You vowed to keep the memory of 2Pac alive. What are you doing to keep that promise?

"Ay, man, everything I do. He's tatted on me for life. Everywhere I go, everything I do, he gets a part of. My music -- till the day I'm gone he's always gonna be there. You're mentioning it, so you know I put it down for him. One thing we said before... if I go before him, or he goes before me, just keep our name on the streets, and I got that for him. Whatever he needs or his family needs from me, ride for life, for real."

You've done quite a bit of runway modeling. Are you going to continue with that?

"Oh yeah. You know, I ain't getting chubby or nothing. It ain't sloppy over here. I'm handling it, I'm gonna put it down. It's a business thing, you know? It's a lot of love -- for up-and-coming designers, I'll throw it on. You don't have to do nothing but send me the gear, I'll put it on. But if you're coming out there and you're really making it like that, you know, cut a check."

You mentioned a couple of albums. Do you know when the new Naughty album will be released?

"It's actually gonna be during the first quarter of 2001. There's no title right now because we're actually right in the middle of it. Usually, we hear the whole album, mix it down and get the feeling or the vibe of the whole album. Because a lot of songs we do don't make the album, so we know the whole vibe after we know what's definitely going down with it."

Who are you working with on this album?

"You know, it's a whole long list. We just came from Jamaica, too... Kingston. We did a song for the Marleys album. We did something with Red Rat. Also, look out for the Samoans. Y'all know 'em out here as the Boo-Ya Tribe. We did something real spicy and nice for them. It's real good in hip-hop. It's real good in the usic. The film thing is going on. Look out for Illtown Films -- that's my film company since like '93."

You mentioned naughtybynature.com. Any chance you'll go straight to the consumer with this next record since you're independent right now?

"Hey, listen. It's like, I've been in the game so long. I'm not sitting back, and I'm not getting artist deals. You know what I mean? Don't come to me with no artist deal. We've got to do some CEO type things. Right now it's all independent. I don't care about no gold, no platinum plaques, none of that. It's about paper. If I seel 100,000 times 10, I'm mil-ing off. If you even hear it or not, I'm gonna put it through the things where the paper's coming first. Because it ain't about me, I done seen it. Whatever I want I got. It's for the kids, the college funds, our future generations. So they ain't out there bangin', they're putting it down together making businesses instead of bangin'. All right? That's what it's about."

-- Mason Storm, The 411 Online

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