Noyd has been active since his cameo
appearance on Mobb Deep's debut album Juvenile Hell.
Many may remember him from his appearance on the song
Just Step (Give Up the Goods) on Mobb Deep's sophomore
effort The Infamous.
Since that memorable appearance the rapper Noyd has gone
through his fair share of ups and downs in the music
industry. Despite his strife and triumphs he is back
with a new album called Illustrious. Big Noyd checks in
with DC Music and Models/Cred Magazine to talk about his
career, his album Mobb Deep and his company Noyd Inc.
by LD Williams
CRED: You made your first appearance actually in 1993
Mobb Deep's debut album Juvenile Hell, a lot of people
seem to not know about that when you were on the song
Stomp Em Out.
Big Noyd: I think a lot of people don't know that
because even Mobb Deep shies away from that album. I
mean they count it because they know it is in the
archives but they say officially that their first album
is Infamous, but yeah I've been doing it since Juvenile
Hell that was the first joint I did with Mobb Deep that
was really on wax that was my first real studio session.
CRED: Oh Yeah
Big Noyd: I had other studio sessions but nothing as
major as that. That was up in D&D studios where Premier,
Biggie Smalls that is where all of the real hip hop went
down at. D&D is one of the biggest studios.
CRED: Let me ask you this do you ever get discouraged
with everything that's happened with all of the politics
and everything else? Do you ever feel broken down
especially because you have that respect on one level
you have that street respect and people look at it like,
‘ Yeah, Noyd is that dude he does do it like that he
does put it down when he does do it but there's that
commercial side where people don't….
Big Noyd: I mean definitely man I am a strong dude but
of course you put in a lot of hard work and to see it
get flushed down the toilet over not even because fans
don't like it or fans don't want to hear it. Like you
said it is politics, maybe it is a label situation,
maybe they say you are not mainstream your stuff is more
underground and stuff like that. On the same token you
know what my music got a place because there are people
that understand my lyrics and I am speaking a story not
just for people from Queens but for people all over the
world that's going through and can relate to the stuff I
am talking to in my music. Even if there is a million
people who don't hear my music or don't like my music if
that one person where you been, man I miss you when are
you going to come out with more stuff that is going to
gives me the point to make music and keep it real.
CRED: Now you are on Koch how is it different doing
business with Koch?
Big Noyd: Well it's a big difference because um actually
this album Illustrious is coming out on my label Noyd
Inc it is just distribution by Koch so it more like
cutting the middle man out. You know what I mean because
even though you haven't heard me for a while I still
been doing my work I've been building my studio in
Queens and getting my little team together and a couple
of artists that I think is hot and up and coming and
getting the behind the scene thing together.
CRED: Can you talk to me about some of the artists that
you think are hot that you are getting together. Who can
we expect to come out from Noyd Inc?
Big Noyd: Right now man it is really just one but I got
like two other producers. My man BAM he's just a really
street dude he is one of them dudes that get slept on
because he doesn't have the pretty boy looks. People
will be like he is nice but we can't market him. Noyd
Inc is not going to be concerned with none of that we
taking it back to the lyrics when it was about lyrics.
It wasn't about hooks and we always wanted the beats. It
aint about the hooks and the dance if you nice you nice
and he is really nice. I also got producers my man Ric
Rude he did some joints before he was messing with me he
did some joints with Capone and Nore and did some stuff
with Funkmaster Flex but he kind of fell out of the loop
so I am bringing him back into the game so Noyd Inc is
the label and Koch is the distribution.
CRED: You are talking about a lot of people from Queens
Capone and Noreaga and Mobb Deep. What is your
relationship with Mobb Deep today?
Big Noyd: I mean it's love man those are my brothers way
before rap music and a lot of people ask me like you was
on every single Mobb Deep album and now they are on
G-Unit and you are not on Blood Money is there problems?
Is there something going on? And it is nothing like that
at all at all. It's just that like you said when it
starts to get politics like 50 is not going to put Noyd
on unless Noyd is signed to G-Unit. 50 was like we are
going to put Mobb Deep on once they sell a million
records they want to sell then we are going to bring
everybody in and put them in their videos and do songs
with them. Up until that point we are just going to keep
it Mobb Deep.
I understand it because it was about business it would
have worked out but Mobb Deep didn't sell the records
that they were supposed to sell. It was kind of like a
domino effect where it's like once Mobb Deep didn't sell
the records then we couldn't do what was in the plans.
At the same token it is all good because even Prodigy
put out Return of the Mac on Koch, Alchemist album is
coming out on Koch, Havoc just did an independent album
Kush that just came out on Nature Sounds and I'm doing
my own Noyd Inc thing on Koch so its like a double edge
sword you want to be on a major label because they got
machine, got the money, got the push then again a whole
lot goes into that look at Mobb Deep they was under
someone who controlled not putting Noyd on the album. If
you think about it if it was up to them they would be
like ‘Hell yeah Noyd has to be on the album are you
crazy?' but because their boss even though 50 is a cool
dude but it's business. It's because 50 telling them we
are going to put your entourage on the next project Mobb
Deep wasn't able to do it even though in their heart
they wanted to do it they were not able to do it. That
is that politics stuff and I want everybody to live and
get money I try to stay out of trouble and me and 50 is
cool that is what makes it more crazy I know people are
like what is up with you and the Mobb.
No me and 50 is mad cool I remember before he even blew
up and got with Dre and Em we did Bump Dat together. I
remember him coming to the studio and looking at me like
‘Damn Noyd you always kill it, I love y'all niggas y'sll
make me want to rhyme' like he was open off Mobb Deep
and our Queensbridge sound. Man I see him like they did
local shows in New York area and stuff like that before
they went on the G-Unit tour and 50 is like make sure
you bring Noyd just my vibe he wanted to be around me he
grew up listening to Mobb Deep. It is all love because
he knows that I understand the game. He knows I
understand this business thing so there is no problem at
all between me and the Mobb.
CRED: Let's get focused on Illustrious you worked with
Joell Ortiz on ‘Ghetto' what was it like working with
him?
Big Noyd: Oh man he is exactly what we are talking about
right now he is one of those lyricists. He probably got
good hooks or whatever but when you hear his music it is
about lyrics and that is what I love. I knew his manager
Mike Herron shout outs to Mike Herron I see you baby. I
knew him actually because Mike Herron used to work at
Rawkus and he got in touch with me through Alchemist and
he said we want Noyd to be on Soundbombing 3 and I
didn't know Mike Herron at the time and Alchemist called
me and said this kid Mike Herron wants you to get on
this joint for Rawkus.
I was like let's do it. Alchemist did the beat I did the
rhyme and that is how I met Mike Herron. Year's passed
like two or three years passed and he comes up to me in
the studio and he's like I got this boy Joell Ortiz I
got this boy Joell Ortiz and I'm like word we gonna get
up we gonna get up I met Joell Ortiz but we didn't do no
music. Another year passed and Mike calls me up again
and says we are doing this mixtape and I want you to
come get on it I went to the studio and he played it for
me it was called 125 Grams I heard this boy spit son man
and I was like he got it. I fuck with him because he is
right up the alley of what I love with the lyrics. It Is
like real recognizing real, with the Illustrious album
it is executive produced by Lil Fame from M.O.P and I
wanted to do something out of the box I know everybody
all through the years expected me to be with Mobb Deep
this that and the third which it ain't no problem it
ain't no problem with me and my dudes but with the
consumer what could I do different between this CD and
the last.
I wanted to do something a little bit different even
though I love the Mobb Deep sound and the Queensbridge
sound I just got to come out of the box a little bit.
So, I got up with Fame we did like ten joints we picked
the best four out of the ten, you know what I mean we
used that for the album. He helped me pick beats, he
helped me with hooks, he helped me with concepts for
songs so he was really hands on with this album so I
gave him executive producer credit.
I also got my boy Ric Rude one of the dudes I was
telling you about coming up under me on Noyd Inc, DJ
Skeez, I got these kids called Day Up they hot they got
two joints on the album, and I also got these kids
called Streetradio they have the second single off my
album called “Money Talks”. I am trying to have
something for everybody and still stay relevant in a
time as much as people may love Noyd for his verses time
is changing there are some kids out there who don't know
who Noyd is and my music don't sound like the music they
listening to now. I still want them to enjoy my music
without them feeling if isn't that bubblegum rhyme I am
not going to listen to it. I still have to stay within
what I love to do whether they relate or not but I try
to make something for everybody within my standards.
CRED: Are you satisfied with the way the whole product
came out now that it is in stores and it was a two year
process. Are you satisfied the aggregate if everything
now that it is out in stores. Are you satisfied with the
way the project came out?
Big Noyd: In my heart on a scale from 1 through 10 with
10 being the highest. I definitely give it a 7and a half
the reason why I say that is because there was a lot
more things that I wanted to do as far as I mean overall
as far as the video and everything because I had joints
with Havoc that we did but I couldn't clear the sample I
mean if I tried to switch the beat up and the song came
out so ill we wrote it to that beat. Infamous Mobb I
don't got them on the album and I really wanted them but
they were all over the place.
Infamous Mobb which contains Gambino, Ty Nitti and God I
really wanted them on the album real bad I also wanted
my homegirl Chinky the first lady of the Mobb. I really
wanted her on the album real bad and it just didn't
happen. Them couple of things right there I would've
gave this album a 9 the sample cleared with the joint
with Hav, if I had Infamous Mobb and Chinky on there and
that's just personal reasons far as the music I love it.
I love the album I think people like the album more than
I do that's what I love about it even more. I'm like
‘Damn I could've done this in my sleep I could've
literally done this in my sleep the way this album came
out. The sound sounds different as far as working with
Lil Fame and working with new producers that I have
never worked with before.
My lyrics and the flow of my music and I can do it in my
sleep. The only reason I gave this album a 7 and a half
close to a 8 is because I don't have my family on it the
way I want to. I am not talking about Hav and P Mobb
Deep. I'm talking about my homegirl Chinky who I'd
definitely like to have on this album. At the end of the
day I got Noyd Inc and people didn't hear from me in a
while so with this album right here I am not going to
wait another year to come out with another album. You
are going to see another Noyd project in another eight
months.
CRED: So we are definitely going to have another Noyd
project before the end of 2008?
Big Noyd: Definitely. Me, Havoc and Alchemist spoke
about doing Episodes of a Hustla 2.
CRED: Is there anything that you want to
say especially to the DC artists you know the rap market
here is burgeoning. We here at DC Music and Models and
CRED magazine we want the indies to go mainstream nobody
has really broken ,and a lot of times people look at the
artist and they think 50 cent and this guy not to knock
these guys you have really been in the industry 15 years
and you've gone through being incarcerated when a
borderline classic came out, to a record company going
bankrupt, you have had labels drop the ball I know
Episodes of a Hustla only had 11 songs. You have gone
through a lot up and down up and down classic verses.
What can you say to everybody that is going to be a
artist that is going to deal with the bull. What advice
can you give them so that they are better prepared?
Big Noyd: I mean man this is straight from the heart to
be honest with you I do not have the answers to this
game. That is exactly what this is it is a game so I'm a
tell you have to have patience. I hear first hand to
tell you as much trials and tribulations as I been
through in my career all the stuff that I been through
if I didn't have the patience to deal with certain
people and certain things I wouldn't be here at this
interview. I'd be back on the block selling drugs or
maybe just another profession. I would be doing
something else because even though in my heart there is
nothing else I'd love to do but this music whether it is
me rhyming or putting someone else on you know producing
another artist.
I always wanted to be in the music business but you
definitely have to have patience and you definitely have
to be hands on with your project. Don't leave you career
up to anyone whether it is a record exec in a big
company, your mother, your father, your homeboy or
someone who been in the game before you so you think
they know. Go with your heart and what you believe in
with your music if you go bumpy roads along the way at
least you get to find out those mistakes on your own
because other people always got hidden agendas no matter
what you could be the hottest MC and they will be like I
just want to make money off of this kid. You could be
the hottest MC and they'll be like don't do this don't
do that because they do not want to see you blow. They
know the decisions you make that could help you they
will say nah don't do it because they do not want to see
you blow up.
You got a lot of people like that and I had to learn
that the hard way. People don't like to see you shine
when they are not shining themselves. Be hands on and
another thing that you got that I didn't have coming in
is this internet and this YouTube thing man. You can
have an album out there and a million people or a
hundred thousand people can listen to it without having
a record deal now. You can put a song on the internet on
your myspace leak it to this person and that person and
it might catch a buzz or do a crazy video on YouTube and
come up with an ill idea and have an ill video and
people will be like did you see that video.
You don't even have to have a record deal nowadays. You
definitely have a great advantage in this game I know
with this internet thing with the download it is a
double edge sword you can make a lot of music and you
are not a one hit wonder go ahead and leak that hit
don't hold it leak it out to the people and see what
their response is. Give it away sometimes give it away
because if you are a good artist to where you are not a
one hit wonder and you can make those songs you are
always going to make hits so don't sweat it.
