Published: Sunday - October 22, 2006
Words by Brad Tennesen
Dynamic Certified (Photo: n/a)
As the West Coast gradually rises back to the forefront of hip-hop, space becomes available for those who have been patiently waiting amongst the underground scene. Slowly but surely, hip-pop and studio emcees, are being forced out of the mainstream to make way for those with true underground skill and clout. Dynamic Certified is a group fitting that critera.
Stemming from its larger family of emcees, Dynamic Certified -- the group, which is made up of Long Beach locals Krunch, Jerzey J, Pac Ten, Rue Rue and J Rydah -- is viciously making a name for itself in the streets by destroying the pre-existing stereotypes of West Coast rap and refusing to conform to the new watered down styles that have recently become so popular.
BallerStatus was lucky enough to be granted a chance to visit the crew in their true hood, the LBC, to chop it up about the current state of hip-hop, their place inside it, and to talk a little about their recent mixtape, Rise To Power.
BallerStatus.com: What age did y'all first become active in music?
Pac Ten: I first became active... first fell in love with it around six. But, I first started developing my rhyme schemes and all in the ninth grade. About 15, I started getting serious, and I realized that this could be lucrative, that there was money to be made out here.
Jerzey J: Man, I first started playing with [music] around the age of 12. But at 16, Pac Ten and Techniec seen I had the potential to do it, so they really pushed me, like "We really need you to jump in and do this thing, this is serious." Since 16, it's been a wrap. I been a problem.
BallerStatus.com: For all intents and purposes, y'all clicked up as a crew in Long Beach, Cali, an area highly associated with West Coast hip-hop, thanks to trailblazing greats such Snoop and Warren G, and even home to iconic locations such as Vip Records. How do you think getting your start, in an area such as this, affected y'all musically?
Jerzey J: Truthfully, I don't think it affected our sound at all. I mean, most people be telling us that we don't sound like we came from this area.
Pac Ten: A lot of unconventional sound is coming out of this area, you know, the West Coast. We got are own unique flavor; we just coming with something new.
Jerzey J: We, Dynamic Certified. We ain't sounding like to G Funk 'ish or none of that. I mean, no disrespect, to Snoop or them...
Pac Ten: ... We got our own little niche in the game.
BallerStatus.com: As a crew, I'm sure you all are vital assets to your sound, as a group, yet still each bring your own element of style to the table. Who brings what?
Pac Ten: Well I bring, as far as flow, a relentless battle tested flow. I'm all over the board, there's no one weak point.
Jerzey J: Real Grimy. Street, you know? We spit our heart out out here. It's real treacherous. No holding back, it's all from the heart.
Pac Ten: We're genuine. If it's not from the heart, we ain't doin' it.
BallerStatus.com: Who are your greatest musical influences?
Pac Ten: Personally, I'm influenced by my peers. When one of my brethren get in there and spit a hot joint, it makes me want to step my sh-- up. Like Jers', when I hear him spit some hot sh--, it motivates me to get on my pen and vice versa.
Jerzey J: But, it's all inside the crew, friendly competition. My camp inspires me.
Pac Ten: It's not so much that outside music inspires me, as much as other artists grind. Like, when I see E-40 put the Bay on his back and puttin' other artists on, that inspires me. I want to put Long Beach on my back like that.
BallerStatus.com: Holding on to artistic integrity while attempting to break into the mainstream has been difficult for other artists in hip-hop. Has it been difficult for you as a group? How do you stay true to yourselves and still make music that is accepted and genuine?
Jerzey J: We just do us, it's not really hard. I mean, I understand that it's hard. A lot of people kiss a lot of ass to go mainstream and all that, but that ain't even really our goal.
Pac Ten: Mainstream is hard in that record companies press artist to bend their morals and water your sh-- down. But, it's really up to the artist. You have to decide whether you're gonna do you, or are you gonna sacrifice yourself to become a mainstream artist.
Jerzey J: We love our own creative control. We don't want people to change our songs or our style; we love what we create on our own.
Pac Ten: I always go back to our Dynamic Certified motto: Mainstream appeal with underground skill. So, we keep that balance. And the streets know what's poppin', and the streets make you, period. So, if you can keep the streets involved, than everything else will fall in place.
BallerStatus.com: Speaking of your music, the mixtape Rise To Power. A few of the tracks go as far as to mimic existing songs lyrical melodies and original beats; essentially making, for lack of a better word, a "harder" version of another artist's song. What are you trying to say to these artists and hip-hop fans with this approach?
Pac Ten: That's basically just a mixtape blueprint. Most mixtape artists do that. It's just to show that you could flip that style too if you wanted. It's not taking a shot, necessarily, at anybody. We don't really do that. We don't do all that "diss" rapping and that, you know? We keep it in the streets. If we had a problem with anybody, you ain't gonna hear about it on records, that's for sure.
BallerStatus.com: How did you come up with the name of the mixtape Rise To Power?
Pac Ten: We just flipped that "Carlito's Way" movie. That really how we feel, like we on that rise to power. We getting our team strong; we building our chemistry. It starts in your own back yard, first Long Beach, than the rest of the world.
BallerStatus.com: The new album is about to come out. Does it have a name yet? Can you tell us a little about it?
Pac Ten: It actually doesn't have a name yet. We've just been in the studio bangin' out tracks. We probably got like 40 right now. We're limiting that down to about 16 of what we think are the best and them make it our album. Right now, we just gathering material to make it the joint.
BallerStatus.com: Individually as emcees, y'all each have all had a pretty impressive run musically; very possibly able to make it as complete solo artists. What is it about your "Dynamic" as a group that makes rapping together the ideal situation?
Jerzey J: It's like X-Men. We better as a whole. We gonna take over sh-- as a whole. I mean, solo, you can't do what you can as a crew. Like Pac might be good at a hook, and I might be good at some verses, or like I might be great on the hook, and he might be great at another...
Pac Ten: ... I know that it's kinda' cliché, but we're like Voltron. Each individual is vicious in his own right, but when you form together, it's a whole other entity, a whole other life form -- a juggernaut, a monster. We got a movement behind us, and we about to really change the thinking about Long Beach music -- about West Coast music.
BallerStatus.com: As the West Coast is slowly battling its way back to claiming the throne of hip-hop, there is a lot of pressure on artists such as y'all who the streets are calling "the new west" to produce high quality music and truly put us (the West) back on the map. How do ya'll respond to this type of talk? Is it threatening, motivating, what?
Jerzey J: I don't consider us "The New West." We just hot artists. We been doin' this thing since before that title was created.
Pac Ten: We're not trying to be pigeon holed as just West Coast artists. We feel like we can hold our weight in any region you put us in. We got jams that'll rock down South. We got lyrics that'll kill off the most vicious East Coast emcees. We want to be known as those n----s who are street credible, that we can go anywhere we want on the West Coast and it's all good. So, we are the new west, but we don't want to be labeled that way.
BallerStatus.com: Do you attribute more of your recent attention to the fact that your sound as a group is improving or evolving, or rather is it listeners who are evolving and are now ready to apply their ears to higher quality of music?
Jerzey J: I feel like its both. I feel like we evolving and I feel like fans and the people who listen to our songs, they evolving with us.
Pac Ten: The L.A. fan base is a stubborn one as it is. They stuck on the forefathers and pretty much like what they like, and like what they used to. It takes 'em a minute to come around. Usually it takes [L.A. fans] to see an artist win with their formula before that adapt to it and take hold of it. So you know, once a few more artists that are in the same vein as us break ground, a lot more listeners will come around. We tend to get a lot more feedback from other regions 'cause the West Coast in is a transition period right now. But, they'll come around. I see it. We gonna have our time. These old n----s can't do it forever.
Jerzey J: [laughing]... they gotta hand the torch over some day.
BallerStatus.com: Do y'all like the direction hip-hop is going?
Jerzey J: I feel it's going in a good direction. But, I think the West isn't back yet because there's not enough unity here. Too many West Coast artists will not mess with the next West Coast artist, they want to block 'em out. I feel like the old heads at the top don't want to let go of that spot and let the young heads in. Like, you got bosses on the East and South that put out artists all day.
Pac Ten: They realize that I can make more money if I put this cat out and try to keep up and compete with him.
Jerzey J: On the West, that's not there.
Pac Ten: The West is too segregated. Too many people worried about the next artist taking their shine, as opposed to "I can shine with you."
BallerStatus.com: What can fans expect from Dynamic Certified in the future?
Jerzey J: Greatness, politics can't hold us down for ever.
Pac Ten: The next super-duo since Dogg Pound. We really changin' and revolutionizing the music game. A new flavor, new style, a whole new approach. Go hard or go home. We do it from left field, it's never the easy route for us. It's gonna be hot. Anybody that know Dynamic Certified know that we here to stay.
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