Talk:Saint Dog

Context
So, what kind of music does he perform? Rock, rap, what? Vocalist, drummer, what? NickelShoe 17:02, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

To utilise
As an original member of the Southern California hip-hop act Kottonmouth Kings, rapper Saint Dog toured the United States, Europe and Japan in support of the band’s major label debut and best-selling album, 1998’s “Royal Highness.”

Since leaving the group and reuniting with his older brother, Big Hoss – who had been on lockdown for six years – Saint Dog has released a fresh indy album, “Spun Craz,” and, after reopening communications with the Kottonmouth Kings, came back to Suburban Noize Records to release his nationally distributed “Ghetto Guide” LP.

In an interview from his Riverside, Calif., home Sunday, Saint said that through his rhymes he gives fans a tour of the suburban ghettos of southern California – the lower income, lower class areas. “There’s a lot of info on there for the average kid that don’t know nothing,” he said. “You’ve got all kinds of little gangs and (stuff). It ain’t like the Bronx or anything. It’s more of a suburban ghetto. I put it down for my town because there aren’t many people putting it down for my town.

“That’s what rap music’s all about – tell everybody where you’re coming from,” he added. “We’re from Inland Empire. My brother’s got that tattooed on his eyebrows, you know? So we’re riding.”

Life in the suburbs isn’t as rough, necessarily, as it is in the inner-city. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, Saint said.

“There is gang violence everywhere and it’s to be taken seriously,” he said. “All I do is vent. This whole album is just a reflection of where my life’s at and everything. My brother-in-law, he’s facing the death penalty right now.

“Kottonmouth Kings is a party band, all right?” he said. “After I left Kottonmouth Kings, I wasn’t on the tour buses no more. I wasn’t getting my advances. And I was young when I was. After that, life around me ... my close family – people die in it once a week, getting shot with a shot gun and this and that.”

Back in the day Saint Dog counts the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill among his greatest rap influences. Going back to the mid-’90s, he and fellow aspiring rappers D-Loc and Johnny Richter met Brad “Daddy” X, who promoted shows at clubs in California. They wrote rhymes about the good times they had getting into clubs while underage and partying in Hollywood.

Brad X suggested that the guys form a rap group. He got them into a studio, where they recorded several tracks – most of which have never been released. The lone exception is the song “Nightlife,” which appeared on the Kottonmouth Kings’ “Hidden Stash” album. Since Richter left prior to “Royal Highness” and returned after Saint Dog left the group, “Nightlife” would serve as fans’ only taste of the chemistry that the three rappers shared.

Saint Dog, who used to work as a roadie for Brad X’s band, the Humble Gods, said some of the highlights of his days in the Kottonmouth Kings included touring Japan. The band played shows in Osaka, Shibuya and Tokyo. It even played in Amsterdam.

“Signing with Capitol (meant) having something big happen in my life,” Saint Dog recalled. “I thought that was cool, getting that big fat check. That advance was tight. That was all cool. It started as a studio project. We were blessed. We got put right on a tour bus and we were cruisin’, touring nationally basically nonstop.”

Parting ways Saint Dog left the Kottonmouth Kings in late 1999. The band would go on to record four studio albums and a double live CD in the years following his departure.

“It was a fork in the road,” Saint Dog said, recalling his split with the group. “It was musical differences. It just kind of came to the point to where it was just time to go. I went one way, they were going another way and I just kind of pulled out. It was mutual.

“Big Hoss was getting out of prison and I was just trying to post up,” he added. “In a nutshell, I guess I just wanted to kick it. I was more worried about getting in an old school ride and just cruisin’ the coast and surfing. I was kind of burnt out on traveling at the time.”

Over the past five years, Saint has gotten married and had a child. His “Spun Craz” LP was available online and at his solo shows a few years back. It included Big Hoss’ song, “Linebacker,” which is about fat chicks.

“Hoss is a funny (guy), so he came up with that,” Saint said. “He wrote that about a prison guard. This chick used to hook him up when he was in jail. He was like, ‘She’s big, big ... But she’s mine.’ He’s funny like that.”

The duo’s label is U.S.A., which a circle around the ‘A’ to represent the symbol for anarchy. The label name also stands for Unconformable Social Amputees.

“It’s social cutoffs,” Saint said. “Amputees are cut off from society and won’t conform to any other man’s way of thinking. They’re free thinkers.”

Big Hoss has a solo album in the works – featuring Saint Dog, of course.

“My man does acoustic songs,” Saint said. “He’ll bust out songs that are like Social Distortion, real heartfelt. He’s got his own style. He’s mad talented. Everybody’s gonna get a real taste of it all when he comes out with his album. It’s gonna be real twisted, you know?”

Mellow Man in the house Several tracks on Saint’s “Ghetto Guide” LP are produced by hip-hop legend Mellow Man Ace, who played a role in starting Cypress Hill with his brother, Sen Dog.

Kevin Zinger of Suburban Noize introduced Saint to Mellow Man Ace. The pair first collaborated on the song “Tequila” from “Mad Dog American,” the album by Sen Dog’s side project, SX-10.

Mellow Man Ace later appeared on Saint’s “Spun Craz” album on the song “Slippin Into Dark,” which also featured Sen Dog.

“They came out and showed me love,” Saint recalled. “There was no money in it. It was all love.”

Along with co-producer Bronek, Mellow Man Ace made tracks for “Ghetto Guide.” In addition to production, Mellow raps on the track “Breaking the Glass.” The pair did a concert together and there are talks of having Mellow and Saint tour together down the road.

“He’s a dope hype man,” Saint said. “I think he’s real talented, a good emcee.”

Back on Suburban Noize Since returning to Suburban Noize, Saint Dog has toured with the Phunk Junkeez and the Mix Mob. He’s hoping to tour opening for the Kottonmouth Kings in order to bring his new music directly to the audience that received him so well when he was in the band.

“I came back to Suburban Noize because it was an avenue to get my music back – you know, to be able to target my old market and to get right back and let everybody know who used to know me when I was in Kottonmouth Kings,” he said. “It’s was a direct in to that market. That way, people could hopefully bring it to bigger and better things and just continue to keep it rolling.”

Fans who catch Saint on future tour dates are likely to hear a medley of his verses from Kottonmouth Kings songs like “Life Ain’t What It Seems,” in addition to favorites from “Ghetto Guide.”

“I try to put the fun club songs in there,” said Saint, who is building himself a new house. “So I keep it loose. You’ve gotta have fun with the album. I try to keep it cool like that, you know? But at the same time, I was just reflecting. I was a little angry with all the stuff that’s going on in my life and stuff, (stuff) that I’m seeing. I tried to have all that come across in the album.”

F.Y.I.

Big Hoss did not go to jail for cocaine posession.

thanks.