ThaFormula.com - First off, let's just say Mel isn't the easiest cat in the world to interview.  He jokes around alot and it's always hard to tell when he's serious, so enjoy this little intro with Mel and Med of thaformula just fuckin around.

Mel Man - I'm the same old cat still at 30 uh, you know what I'm not gonna tell you how old I am.  About 27, 28, 22, 30 years ago this kid uh, ha ha, let me quit playin yo, what's up man! That shit sounds like an intro to some Curtis Blow Record or some shit.  

ThaFormula.com - Now alot of people out there don't even know what Mel Man looks like.  What's your thoughts on that?

Mel Man - That's good man, that way I can got to the grocery store and get my Fruity Pebbles and nobody is gonna bother me and shit.  You know I be walkin past muthafuckaz that be playin my shit.  So that's the coolest shit in the world.

ThaFormula.com - So you never tryin to be in the forefront of anything is a plan?

Mel Man - Nah, that's just me chillin.  I mean you can be in the front but that's all Hollywood.  Workin with Dre muthafuckaz is gonna always get us mixed up.  If I would have came in the game just solo with me, it wouldn't be no confusion as to who produced what.  But alot of shit that Dre do, cats be thinkin I did.  Like that Eve beat, Dre did that.  Cats always come up to me saying "Aww, you killed that Eve song".  I didn't do that shit, Dre did that shit you know what I'm sayin.  So that's how that shit be going.

ThaFormula.com - So do you think you and Dre will always produce together?

Mel Man - No doubt, That's how shit rolls. You hear that track right there.   

ThaFormula.com - Yeah that track is bangin.

Mel Man - Yeah,  I'm excited to work with Big Busta man.  Busta Rhymes is one of my favorites since Leaders Of The New School.  I'm a true B - Boy hip hopper.  Hip Hop is just really one form of music.  It ain't really separate, it's just one way of music man, that black people started to basically get away from the streets without sellin drugs and just killin each other off.  That track right there is throwin me off man.  I'm listening to that shit while I'm talkin.  I'm workin and talkin at the same time.  That's what you call Mel Man.  That's why their is the hyphen in the middle.  I'm listening to the track being flown and I'm doin this interview.  That's how much time a cat got nowadays.  I gotta get my interview and get this song done tonight to make my man Busta Rhymes record and shit, but that's how shit goes so that's what the fuck I'm doing.  

ThaFormula.com - How come you don't rap no more?

Mel Man - I got 3 records I'm about to unleash, but that's all in the future.  I got 3 albums.  I got the titles.  The first title is "Lucky Danielson",  the record on Aftermath is called "Mel Man going Postal", and the third record is called "MWA", Mel with Attitude.  Im going to have a triple album.  You know how cats come out with double albums, I'm comin out with the first triple album.  And I'm going to release it all over the internet.  It ain't going to ever be in stores.  I mean that's the new shit, that's what's in right now so I'm just following the trend.  I'm bullshittin with you man! (Laughs).  I ain't even got a computer man.  I'm fuckin with you because on the real, this is fun.  And you know I'm a down to earth muthafucka straight from the hill and Imma always give up the real.

Mel Man - Yo, let me ask you a question.  You think the Chronic 2001 should have got 5 mics cause you know The Source gave it 41/2. 

ThaFormula.com - I think it should have got 5 mics cause at that time their was really nothin else worthy of it.

Mel Man - So what you sayin, if some other shit was out, it shouldn't have got 5.  I'm talkin about based on the quality of the record.

ThaFormula.com - I'm sayin for the time I think it should have got 5 mics.

Mel Man - That's what I'm talkin about. I ain't talkin about next week, or later on that month.  I'm talkin about back in the day, do you think The Chronic should have got 5 mics.  

ThaFormula.com - That's a tough question cause I liked the first Chronic better?

Mel Man - What difference does that make.  I'm just askin about this Chronic 2001.  Do you think it should have got 5 mics.  If you was workin for the Source, would you have gave the Chronic 5 mics. 

ThaFormula.com - Yeah I would have gave it 5 mics.  But I would have gave it 5 mics cause everything comin out at the time was garbage and The Chronic was really above everything else at the time.  

Mel Man - So what's out right now that you think is competing with it.  

ThaFormula.com - Are we talkin beatwise.  

Mel Man - I don't know, what you talkin about. 

ThaFormula.com - Beatwise, I don't really see nothin fuckin with it.

Mel Man - So you talkin lyrically.  See you comin from that straight underground perspective.  When you talk hip hop, it's cats that label themselves hip hop cause they mainly focus on underground hip hop and then their is cats that look at cats that's on the radio and say "Aww that's the sellout, iced out age".  

ThaFormula.com - Beatwise, I thought the album was 5 mics. 

Mel Man - I just wanted to see where we at, know what I'm sayin.

ThaFormula.com - Why did you and Dre only do 5 tracks on the first  Aftermath compilation album. 

Mel Man - I just got into the camp at the time.  I was fresh and shit.  It was like 8 producers in the house.  I was like one of the last ones comin in and shit.  The album was pretty much done and shit.  When I got out here there was pretty much like 2 or 3 songs left to make the album.  But see check this though.  I ain't really out for the glamour and glitz.  I was a star in the projects.  I was a popular muthafucka growin up, so I already know how that feel and shit.  So I ain't really anxious to jump all out on front street and shit.  I'm a kick back type dude.  I done been through it all.  I been shot at, shot at muthafuckaz, been in jail out of jail.  I done lived damn near every life to live.  I ain't never pimped or no shit like that, but I done seen all the tricks of the trade.  So I'm just basically playin my part now man.  Music is what I like to do.  That's what I fuck with so that's what goes on.  And I can break any muthafucka down who wanna come and challenge me on a hip hop conversation, remember that.  I'm a pioneer of this and I'm gonna keep the legacy going.  Nobody can front on me ever as far as hip hop, period.  I'm one of the last breeds to come from the crate carriers.  

ThaFormula.com - When you and Dre sat did to record the Chronic.  Was it a 50/50 thing production wise?

Mel Man - Yeah, me and Dre worked all the way through that muthafucka. It was pretty much how you see what's going on know.  Just imagine that like all day and night with Dre in the room and it would just start over and over again.  He comin with it, I'm comin with it.  My man La Bamba on the bass over there, he comin with it.  It even gets more critical then that.  I'll bring out the records sometimes and we will even go to choppin and piecing and shit.  It's all different type methods.  It's a long ongoing process.

ThaFormula.com - It seems like when The Aftermath compilation dropped everybody was saying it was wack and aftermath was over with.

Mel Man - It went platinum and shit.  That went platinum, The Firm went platinum.  I got all my plaques on my wall and shit.  I don't know what muthafuckaz is talkin about.  Tell muthafuckaz to take the dicks out they mouth.  

ThaFormula.com - So now the Chronic goes six times platinum.

Mel Man - So, that's just another plaque to the wall.  2 Way pagers is out.  That's the only thing that's changed.  Pagers got bigger.  See this that's all that's changed.  It's always busy in here.  People are always comin in here askin for this and that.  It's like when I met you. I felt your presence and I said Ok, cause I really strive off of vibes.  I don't really fuck with no cornball negative type muthafuckaz and you a straight up and down dude, so I said cool I'll take the interview, it's all good.  I'm a real muthafucka, you know what I'm sayin.  Real meets real and that's how it goes.  It's always busy at Aftermath.  Aftermath's always been a company and it's gonna remain a company.  Anybody that talks to me know that I'm the realest muthafucka walkin.  That's about that as far as wanting to know what's up with Mell Man.  Mel is the same muthafucka that he was from Pittsburgh with a son taller then him.  Doin what I'm supposed to do.

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