Flatline: After the death of Tupac and members leaving the group, what keeps the Outlawz ticking?
Noble: Just this Outlaw pride man. We put in a whole lot of work and we never really got a fair shot...whether it be tragedies or just, whatever...so that really keeps us going. I feel we're just as talented or probably more talented than the number one dudes in the game. We still young, we started when we was young...16,17. That really keeps us ticking....Pac lookin' down on us every day man. So it's just the spirit we got in us. The streets keep us ticking man.
Flatline: You switch up a couple lines from RUN DMC's "Peter Piper" and make it your own on the album. Who influenced you coming up and who did you listen to?
Noble: Aww man, growing up, everybody influenced me. Dudes like Kool G Rap, Rakim...of course RUN DMC...EPMD...everybody man. I was definitely a kid of hip hop man.
Flatline: Do you ever think Tupac's murder will ever be solved?
Noble: (pause) Naw, hell naw. I don't think the police ever wanted to solve that one.
Flatline: You've been on several independent labels. In general, what do you think of the music industry?
Noble: The music industry? It's a lot of fuckin' bullshit that go in the game but the flipside of that is when you meet good people and build good relationships. It can take you far, you know what I mean? There's a lot of money in this industry besides the smoke screen. The industry is cool...but I don't really feel like we've really been IN the industry like that. Like, sometimes, you can be in it, but not really IN IT, you know what I mean? It's kinda like a job. I love doin' music but, you know, we got kids to feed at the end of the day. So we really on the business side of it. We never really been on a major label. We basically been on Death Row but we never put out an album with them...
Flatline: What happened with the Death Row situation?
Noble: Well, Suge was locked up when we signed. When we was doing all that music, all that "All Eyez On Me" and all that Makaveli shit, we wasn't even signed to Death Row. Pac was tellin' us to hold off so we could sign to Makaveli/Death Row, so he could get the majority of the money off us. Being that we had a whole lot of music over there when he passed, we figurin' that was the place for us to be to carry the torch. If Suge had been out, it probably would have been a way different story. We haven't had the privilege to be on a major label...with big push and three videos for our album. We ain't never had that shot yet. I feel like we deserve that shot and we ain't never gonna stop. You know, I feel like we're not an independent group man...we got a worldwide message.
Flatline: On "Outlawz 4 Life" you got a few guest spots on there from people like TQ and Bun B from UGK. What was the goal all of you had in mind going into the studio to record the new album?
Noble: To be honest with you, when we was recording, it wasn't really like we was recording this specific album...we just record. That's just what we do. We got a whole lot of projects we're working on. Like me and Edi just did an Edi & Noble album...we just finished a Dead Prez/Outlawz collaboration album....
Flatline: You worked with Dead Prez?!
Noble: Yeah, we got a whole album done with Dead Prez.
Flatline: When is that coming out or is there any release date yet?
Noble: We tryin' to find distribution for it right now.
Flatline: Any chance of you maybe hooking up with Paris to have him do some production?
Noble: I'm sure we will. Actually, Paris was supposed to send us some beats for the Dead Prez/Outlawz album but I don't know what happened. I'm sure we probably will be doing something with Paris sooner or later. We also just did a little compilation with JT The Bigga Figga. We just WORKIN' man. We independent and we about to smash the streets like we never did before. When it comes to making substance, we do that shit in our sleep. We do that shit with our fuckin' eyes closed man. I don't really feel like too many dudes that are out now can even really compete with us man. People get it confused...like when you hear people on the radio every day and see'em on the tv every day....it's because they got push behind them. Them shit's don't be no hit records. Everybody doin' the same ol' shit...somethin' for the clubs....
Flatline: The majority of it is cookie cooker material...
Noble: Yeah, and everybody's video is the same...same bitches in the video...comin' with too much of nothin' new, no type of substance. There's a few dudes...like, I like Kanye and Common...there's a lot of dudes doin' their thing, don't get it wrong. I ain't talkin' about nobody...everybody gotta eat, everybody play their position. But I feel like, as far as what we do, can't nobody do it. Like, when you listen to Tupac and you get that feelin'...you can't get that from nobody else and it's the same with the Outlawz man. When you listen to us and you get that sort of feeling, you can't get that shit from nobody else. We try and put our soul on over them tracks.
- Flatline for rapstation.com
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