Ice Cube’s putting the West Coast on his back with his new album I Am The West and he’s doing something he’s never had the opportunity to do on this album in collaborating with his sons OMG and Dope Boy. We caught up with Cube to talk about any potential East Coast hostilities, his influences behind the album and working with his kids.

What was it like working with OMG and Dope Boy?

I mean it’s cool working with OMG and Dope Boy.  You know, what I love about it is the fact that they, they’re their own MC’s, you know they don’t need my help to be dope.  When they go in the studio, you know at first they used to come and get the keys from me.  Now I got them their own set of keys, you know, and they be in there, and I’ll be asking, “Do you need my help?”, and they like “Nope! We got it” And that’s cool, and that’s what you want to hear, so when it’s time to get down, you know I’m just as much as a fan too, and, you know I think they’re going to end up with a lot of fans.

What are some of the influences that had the biggest effect on this album?

The influence that had the biggest effect on this album is just the West Coast period.  You know, just celebrating what we are, and how we do it in our music, and not worrying about radio play.  There’s beats on there to that I think are more universal, but for the most part, it’s a West Coast album.  People that like hardcore West Coast music gotta love I Am The West.

What are you most proud of on the new album?

I’m proud of the whole thing, you know what I mean.  There’s a lot of dope songs on there.  Drink the Kool Aid is dope, the whole album is something for me to be proud of, you know.  They’re my babies, when I finish each record, you know I can’t pick which song is the best, or which album is the best.  All of them are dope to me.

How does this album pay homage to classic gangster rap that you helped shape?

This album pays homage because it’s so West Coast, it’s not apologizing for it, you know.  In some ways, it might be too West Coast for a lot of people so you know.  I think that’s definitely paying homage to the past.  You know, when you’re doing a record, and you’re calling it too West Coast, that means that you are really trying to concentrate and make sure that it is what it needs to be.  I think the West Coast is going to love this record.  I think that everybody’s gonna love this record.

What are your plans for a European Tour?

Oh we definitely plan on touring this record.  We gonna to go all through Europe, you know what I mean, I wanna hit all the areas, you know what I’m saying.  I don’t wanna leave out one spot.  So, we got our guy Brent planning, you know what I mean.  Anybody in Europe that wanna book us, we ready to come.  And you can go to IceCube.com and lace us with anything or get information on where we’re gonna be.  Here we come.

I Am The West seems to be, a reference to rivalry, rivalries between the West Coast and East Coast Hip Hop.  How do you think European fans will react to the album, not being apart or in the middle of the clash?

I don’t believe this record is a clash between the West and East.  You know, it’s like , Why  the fuck every time the West Coast celebrate who we are, we beefing against the East, you know what I mean?  You know, Jay-Z just did a song called New York, New York [Empire State of Mind].  Nobody thought he was beefing against the West.  So, you know, people just need to cut it out.  And Europe needs to be behind the record, because it’s a record that’s true, it’s a record that, you know, if you want the West Coast Hip Hop you should be getting from: me, Snoop, some of the other hommies on the West Coast that’s doing it, you know what I mean. If you look for hardcore gangsta rap and you’re getting it anywhere else, you’re not getting it authentic; it’s not coming from the source.

Tags: Dope Boy, Hip Hop, Ice Cube, Interviews, OMG