Artist: Big Noyd
Interviewer: Alex Fruchter

Big Noyd is no stranger to hip hop. After gaining respect through guest-spots on Mobb Deep tracks, Noyd readied his debut album Episodes of a Hustla for Tommy Boy Records. Things did not go as planned as Noyd ended up going to jail for while and putting his music career on hold. His second offering was released by Landspeed, which shutdown operations shortly after releasing the record. But Noyd has stayed on his grind and is back with a new album, and a slightly new outlook. Check out what he has to say about his past experiences, the Mobb Deep breakup rumors, and his new album.

SoundSlam: Everything going well with you?

Big Noyd: Yeah everything’s cool.

SoundSlam: Is the album all done?

Big Noyd: Yeah, the album is ready.

SoundSlam: When is it gonna drop?

Big Noyd: January 25th.

SoundSlam: What’s the tone like on your new album,The Grind?

Big Noyd: I don’t know if you ever heard, but I had an album called Episodes of a Hustla. It was one of my first materials that ever dropped. It was an EP on Tommy Boy records. Then I dropped something last year called Only the Strong. But I feel like this is my first album really because Episodes of a Hustler was on Tommy Boy and I wasn’t able to do an LP, a full length album because I got locked up and did some time. I had to do another EP which the record company put together themselves. When I came home it took me a while to put Only the Strong together because I had to get my life in order first. I couldn’t really focus on hip hop. When I actually did get in the studio and put a nice, tight album together I gave it to Landspeed, which is another independent company, and damn near the same day I handed in my album they went bankrupt and closed their company. So they were only able to press up a few, 50,000-60,000. I didn’t do any promotion. I didn’t get on the road, I didn’t perform. I didn’t put a single on the radio. I didn’t do a video, nothing! I didn’t get a chance to market the album or promote it. This is really my first album that I put together, and now I’m ready to get on the road and promote it God willing.

SoundSlam: How did those experiences that took you off track impact your actual approach to making music and what you wanted to put out their?

Big Noyd: Honestly it made me get in the studio. In the studio I started making as many songs as I possibly can. I feel like tomorrow ain’t promised to nobody. I feel like I got the opportunity to go into the studio and record, I’m just gonna record everything. Every minute, every second, every way that I feel, I’m gonna put it down on the mic on top of a track.

SoundSlam: You worked with a lot of producers on the album. You have Havoc and Ric Rude from SMP. How did you decide who to work with?

Big Noyd: I definitely went to Alchemist, I also got Havoc. I went to the fam, which is my family. I went to them first. And then I’m doing this deal 50/50 with Monopoly Records. Ric Rude also is their producer. That’s how I connected with them. I listened to a couple of tracks. He actually worked on a project Monopoly put out, Infamous Mobb. I heard a couple tracks on there that I liked so I figured it’s also in-house, like a distant-relative like a cousin. I approached it like that.

SoundSlam: Do you have a favorite track on the album, or one that really sums up what you’re trying to say?

Big Noyd: I would say Hoodie Like That. It’s basically hustling and grinding and trying to come up from a bad situation. Just getting my hustle on, and just trying to eat the safest possible way I can. Hoodie Like That describes basically what this album is about.

SoundSlam: Do you think people could make such good music without the pain and struggle?

Big Noyd: I think it definitely plays a big role in the creative side…when you experience it you can get in more to detail. The thing in your heart comes across. People can hear in your music the way you come across of a situation, if it really meant something to you. It’s easier to talk about something you’ve experienced than something you heard. Experience helps the creativity part because you’re able to get into more detail. You know it off-hand.

SoundSlam: You have “Only the Strong Survive” tattooed on your stomach. Where have you been able to continually find that strength?

Big Noyd: My daily things. I don’t even sleep at night because if I’m not thinking about where my next meal is coming from, I’m thinking about how to protect it. I’m thinking about how to keep it or how to pass it on. I got brothers. I’m thinking about how to pass it on when I’m no longer around. I don’t even rest at night. I swear. I don’t even sleep. I’m always in a survival mode. Money isn’t everything. That doesn’t guarantee life expansion. I’m always thinking about how to be safe, the best way to live, the best way to keep what I got and the best way to protect it and protect myself.

SoundSlam: What do you hope this album will do for you?

Big Noyd: Basically with my experience in the game if things had worked out differently I probably would have had 4 or 5 albums out already. I’m looking at this as my first album, so I hope this paves the way for people to want to hear another 2-3 albums. I still plan on putting out another 3 albums at least. I did Murder Muzik the movie last year. That was my first experience of recording a movie. Hopefully some of them scripts come passed me again, whether it’s a major motion picture or an independent it doesn’t matter. This is a business for me. Not only is On the Grind coming out on Carolina distribution there’s also Noyd Inc. which is my company. Hopefully this is the foundation so in 2-3 years I can also put out another artist, an R&B or rap artist. I’m hoping this is the foundation for that.

SoundSlam: For people that went out and got Only the Strong and the first album, what are they gonna see? How is Big Noyd the same or different from the last albums?

Big Noyd: It’s not the same. I’m not gonna lie or front on the public. The difference is only the music as far as production. I’m dealing with other producers I haven’t dealt with before. I’m also basically on my own. Mobb Deep is on it, but usually I’d make an album with Mobb Deep. I made this album by myself and just had them featured on it. A little bit more detail in songs. I’m not just making ill raps over ill beats. I’m trying to make songs about shit, about things, about my point of view. I got a song called Trust on the album. It’s about how sometimes you can’t even trust your own family. I got another song Hoodie Like That, what it takes to survive coming from the hood and coming from the ghetto. It’s not the same. It’s definitely worth the consumer’s money. I put a lot of work into this. I did it by myself….Majority is that Mobb Deep, Queensbridge, New York sound, but there’s also another part of it the type of music you’re not used to hearing me on because I’m dealing with different producers.

SoundSlam: Speaking about Mobb Deep, do you know any truth to those rumors they are broken up?

Big Noyd: It’s rumors to me just as much as it is to you. I didn’t get a chance to sit down with the fellas and discuss what was really going on. They just dropped an album, they were out on the road. I’ve been home in the studio working, doing my own thing. I’ve been really busy. The work we did together we did a while ago before they even hit the road, before they even dropped their album. The song they’re on on my album and the song I’m on on their album, we actually recorded that a while ago before these rumors and stuff started. The thing that’s going on now is surprising to my ears, just as it is to everybody else.

SoundSlam: Going back to being locked up for a bit and how that got in the way of your music, are there things you learned that you could pass on to someone you see in a similar situation to you?

Big Noyd: I’ll tell you man from my experiences, I had an opportunity in my life that I didn’t take advantage of. Those opportunities don’t seem to come around only but one time. You’ll be a lucky motherfucker to get two. If you ever come across an opportunity you gotta take advantage of it. You gotta make that decision to be man enough to know that the way you’re living is not right. To call yourself ‘keeping it real’ and all that, you gotta sit down with yourself and consider what’s really keeping it real. A lot of people got the definition of keeping it real confused. I’ve been down that stage also. It’s just experience for me to realize what was what. If you can find out what that is without going through that experience, it’s a good thing. When you get an opportunity you can’t let that shit go because there’s definitely less of a chance of you getting another one. If you’re really hungry like that you keep it real with yourself and take advantage of the opportunities and stop worrying about what keep it real means to everybody else. Worry about what keep it real means to yourself.

SoundSlam: Do you see that pressure of having to keep it real impacting hip hop music and culture?

Big Noyd: Definitely. That’s why you got so many people claiming stuff, showing you their gun wounds, and showing you they’re with these crew, and down with this click, and they got this many guns. They feel without that people are going to look at them like they’re fake and they don’t really live it. That don’t make you real. Real is a man with kids that takes care of the family, or mother, or brother, or sister, and being there for them. In my opinion a lot of people got the game fucked up because they call themselves keeping it real to these people who supposed to real, and they’re the fakest fucking people on earth. You call yourself keeping it real for this person, to prove to this person who is one of the phoniest people in the world. The people who are real are you’re grandmother and grandfather who lived through the struggle and racism when they really had ‘get to the back of the bus’ shit like that. Those are the people who keep it real, who lived through that. You’re keeping it real for this dude because he rides around in a benz and has a gold chain and a gun, and you want to show you keep it real to him, and he’s the biggest snitch on the fucking planet. That’s where people got it confused at. Stand up and be a man, and don’t worry what everyone else thinks about you. Think about the ones that do care about you and do need you. Worry about what they think about you. That’s keeping it real. There is a lot of pressure on people. That’s why rappers show you their gun wounds. That’s keeping it real. I swear to God, if somebody said to me, ‘you don’t have to rap and you could make it out of the struggle, make that same amount of money, and live a safer way of life and have the same means you would make if you were rapping,’ I would go a different route, cause this shit ain’t worth it sometimes.

SoundSlam: It seems that part gets glamorized to kids and keeps that cycle going.

Big Noyd: I agree. At the same token that’s what it is. A lot of people did go through the struggle and are trying to make a dollar to just feed their kids and they look at rap as a way out. As long as you let the kids know it ain’t cool. It’s one thing showing off your bullet scars, and another thing showing them saying, ‘you don’t want to end up like this.’ There’s a big difference.

SoundSlam: What have you learned about the business aspect?

Big Noyd: It’s much harder. If you work hard when you’re in the majors you can think about doing a triple amount of work. I mean by that just going to all the stores. I gotta be the lawyer and negotiate deals. I gotta go in the studio and get the producer in here at this time, get him comfortable and settled, and get him the equipment he needs. I gotta pay for studio time. I gotta come up with the money to pay for the studio time. I gotta hire a photographer to shoot my pictures. I gotta edit them to make the magazine. I wear every hat. That’s not even including the next level when all that’s done. Now I gotta go to radio and get my song on the radio. I gotta hire a PR person. I gotta hire some guy that’s gonna help me do retail. I’m wearing every hat, so it’s like triple the amount of work. There’s always two sides to everything. That’s the work part, but then there’s a great part cause you get a lot of respect for that. This way, when I’m not just being an artist I can still go out and distribute albums. I can get into the photographer game. I know what they look for in pictures. I can know how to get a song on the radio.

SoundSlam: At the end of the day how will you know all that hard work was worth it?

Big Noyd: I would love to sell independently 150,000 copies. I get 30,000 copies, I did my first project I would love it. I did it on my own, it pays so much more than just the money. To see I came all the way on my own without going to school. That picture that you see on the CD cover at Best Buy, I did all that. Everything from the artwork to having it on the shelf in the stores, I’ve done that on my own. I learned how to do it and I’ve done it, and I’ve sold 30,000 copies…Just to know every minute I’m growing as a person. That’s more payoff than any amount of money in the world. I’m not sitting around on my ass smoking a blunt, or on a corner rolling dice and only doing that. I’m learning every single day

Big Noyd’s The Grind is in stores January 25th, 2005.