Thug Life Army

What did you do for money before you started rapping?

Before I started rapping, I didn’t make no money. I have been rapping since 7th grade, so if you call $21 a month working at Mickey D’s, not Mickey D’s, it wasn’t even Mickey D’s at the time. Washing walls with my mother at houses in Vallejo, and mopping the floors at a young age at Maggie’s Hamburgers while moms was working there. If you call that money, then there it is.

Your alias is E-40, what was your inspiration for the number 40?

Well my name is Earl, that’s my government name so there’s the “E” and cats was always calling me “E.” The 40 on there was because I would usually drink about 6 to 7 forty’s per day. Easily. Forty’s was like the shit back then.

What was your brand of choice?

Old English, Saint Ides, Lumpy Face, Mickey’s, Rainer, and 211 Steel Reserve.

Did you have an alias before E-40?

Pimpy-E

You have a new release in stores March 16th titled “My Ghetto Report Card”, can you describe the album?

My album is vintage E-40 with a new school twist.

How did you and Lil Jon come up with the idea to have him produce this cd?

I’m actually on Lil Jon’s label, BME distributed through Warner. We collaborated; we met up in the late 90’s and stayed in contact. Lil Jon by then a couple of years later took that world by storm and took over the industry. At the time when he did that, I was getting off of Jive Records, me and Jon came together like Siamese twins. He hollered at his folks, the whole BME click, everybody agreed and we started working the next day. So here we are making good music together.

How do you think Lil Jon has influenced this cd?

He has a vision and he knows that I have a certain sound that I got to make sure I kept on this album. Also a new-school sound. I can’t say new-school sound, its mixed up so its southern music that’s really world-wide music, now it’s a mixture so he made sure that I kept it authentic to my roots but also he made it where the album is gonna grab everybody also.

You said you met Lil Jon in the late 90’s, where did you guys meet each other?

I met him through my partner Too Short. Me and Too Short was doing a lot of things together, like concerts. Lil Jon a lot of the time was with him and we just stayed in contact and it was all gratified.

What other rappers are featured on your new album?

I got the whole Sick Wit It umbrella which is my label. We got Turf Talk, B-Legit, Mike Jones, Bun B, Pimp C, T-Pain, Mohegan, Lil Jon, and Jewels Santana. I got a gang of folks. The album ain’t bananas, its coconuts.

Are you planning on launching a tour to promote the new cd?

I believe the BME click is gonna to put together a tour and in the meantime I’ma stay visual, I’m gonna do a promo rush, I’m gonna be hittin every city.

Are any shows planned for Portland Oregon area?

Oh definitely. I think we gonna do a record release party out that way. One of my good friends who I really consider family would be Cool Nutz. Truly, truly real dude. He already put his bid in on a record release party out that way.

Do you think you have received recognition for your unique slang used by many?

Nah, no, not at all. But you know what, the trap, the soil, the gravel, the gutter, the inter-city. As long as they know, because they are the spokespersons who will give you the validated confirmation number that I am the undisputed king of slang. So as long as the ghetto know, it’s all good with me.

Your biography states that your family was very involved with music, in church and at home. How much support has your family shown you with your rap career?

My family is the backbone, because I couldn’t have done it without my family. We all came up together to form the first Click ever, me, my brother D-Shot, my sista Suga-T, and my cousin B-Legit. I can just remember when we was youngstas, I was the oldest (at) 8 years old, we were all in the backyard playin ghetto games just singing doing whatever, banging on whatever it is, just doing out thang. We was always musically inclined. I played the drums all the way from the 4th grade on up. My granddaddy and my grandmother were high ranks in the church; my daddy was a preacher for several years. All my life, over 60 years and that’s where it’s at, we grew up in the church like a lot of people from my era.

Does the church see anything wrong with your lyrics?

Nah, because I don’t try to act like I’m super holy, as long as I am a firm believer in God, I got the faith, and I accept Jesus Christ as being the most highest. As long as I known that’s the only God that I know. I don’t worry about it because I don’t claim to be a preacher or filled with the Holy Ghost trying to act better than everybody because I got that background. I wish a lot of the new generation had church in em. I’m God fearing and that’s what has kept me on this earth all these years, blessing me, and got me to where I am at today.

A lot of times some people stay stubborn and think that, when they see rap they think all rap is bad, like every song that I make is shoot em up bang bang. Its not shoot em up bang bang, I got stories to tell. Songs like One Luv, Things Will Never Change, Here’s A Little Story, the family songs and all these songs I’ve done have a lot to do with my upbringing, its struggle rap. I got a song on my new album called “I’m Happy To Be Here” its like I’m just happy to be here, I know somebody can relate to that be it whether they were sittin in a chair watchin TV in the ghetto and there’s a shootout and one of the bullets pass they head, it could have been their head and they are just happy to be here. Whether somebody beat cancer, they are happy to be here. Whether someone was in a bad car accident, they happy to be here. I’m a teacher; my raps mean a lot because I mix it up. I’m just a street narrator.

You mentioned the song “1 Luv,” was that song directed toward anybody in particular?

It’s a mixture of family and friends. I’ve been around the whole situation. All I am is the story teller, I’m the narrator. The street commentator broadcasting live from Magazine Street.

Who started rapping first in your family? Was it you, B-Legit, D-Shot or Suga-T?

I think it was me and B (Legit), Suga, and then D-Shot.

The Click was founded in 1986 with the tentative name “Most Valuable Players (MVP)”. What is The Click doing today?

We all got solo projects. B-Legit just one called the Block Movement. My brother D-Shot got his album coming out called “Calling Shots,” and my sista is working on some inspirational music. She’s all the way into it with her motivational speaking to schools she’s deep into ministry; she’s deep into church right about now. Me personally, I’m doing my thug-theezaleni right now, still rappin and doing my thing.

Are there any plans for another release from the Click? If so, when can we expect it?

Yeah, in the future definitely. Right after everyone does their solo bolo songs and what have you, we come together like Siamese twins and make it our goal. So we’re all still family.

Taking it back to the old school, what was your favorite memory about 2Pac (Tupac)?

We was shooting a video out there in Emmerville and it was at some apartment complexes on urban soil. One of my favorite memories was him actually interacting with all the kids, like picking up babies and holding them in his hands and taking pictures with em. It put a smile on everybody’s face to see him doing that because a lot of cats just didn’t know that 2Pac (Tupac) had a heart just like everybody else. He loved kids and that was one of my favorites.

How did you first meet 2Pac (Tupac)?

I got wind of 2Pac (Tupac) actually recognizing me through Richie Rich of the 415. He gave me 2Pac’s (Tupac’s) phone number and I gave him a call and he was acknowledging what I’m doing, peepin it out. Pac did a lot of traveling and always kept tabs on the Bay. I was like “its all love bra” and I acknowledge what you doin and I stayed in contact with him and we met. Damn, when was the first time we met? It had to have been 1993 or 1992. I don’t even remember the first time we met. Oh, I known when it was. It was jack the rapper. In Atlanta. We were talking on the phone and we met at Jack the rapper which was a big convention where all the rappers would come together with all the labels and everything and it was just a big convention of performances and everything.

What was the most interesting thing about 2Pac that stood out while you worked with him (Tupac)?

His work ethic and his ability to smoke blunts and drink Hennessey. He’d smoke 25 blunts, drink Hennessey and still be focused and knock out a song in 20-30 minutes. Knock out a verse in 10 minutes. I’m talking about a fresh verse.

Do you remember what year the footage of 2Pac (Tupac) rolling a blunt with you was?

Yeah, that was 1993 in the video for my song “Practice Looking Hard.” I practiced looking hard and he hung out all day through the whole video with me.