Game On!

Def Jam Icon ships today to PS3 and Xbox 360. EA was in town and they arranged for me to interview Redman and play the game with him. It was really exciting to meet him.

Redman enters
MDS: How’s it going?
Redman: It’s just the bomb, man. The bomb. Smoked this (holds up mostly smoked blunt) We all ready for business.
Someone offers Redman a light. The lighter is green.
Redman: That’s a good color.
MDS: Green’s a good color, eh?
Laughing, Redman lights blunt.
MDS: I gotta tell you, Redman. I am a huge fan of yours. Much of my time in the mid ‘90’s was spent playing video games and listening to your music.
Redman: And getting high.
MDS: OK, OK. I wasn’t going to come right out and say it. And getting high.
MDS: The other thing is that I grew up in NJ
Redman: What part?
MDS: Millburn. So a lot of the places that you sing about, like Irvington
Redman: East Orange, Plainfield, Springfield
MDS: yeah, I always get a huge kick out of that
Redman: Nice. Nice.
MDS: So, how do you like the game?
Redman: I think the fucking game is fucking fabulous.
MDS: That’s your official quote?
Redman: Yes. I’m still trying to learn the motherfucker.
MDS: Did you play games when you were a little kid?
Redman: I had Atari. I had Coleco. So, yeah. I even had a Jaguar when it was out for a minute. I played a lot as a kid, but when I was introduced to Doom it took it to another level.
MDS: Oh, yeah!
Redman: I’m a first person shooter kind of gamer.
MDS: Totally. Doom2 totally changed my life. (High fives all around)
Redman: Yeah, man. I always wanted to meet the motherfuckers who did Doom.
MDS: I used to work at the NJ Medical School, on South Orange Ave in Newark. I was a network administrator and I built this whole setup so we could play Doom over the network after work.
Redman: Nice
MDS: We would play all night. It was awesome.
Redman: Wasn’t that shit weird, man.
MDS: There was nothing like that.
Redman: Nothing like that in the fucking world.
MDS: And it just like totally sucked you in and gave you this feeling of power.
Redman: And it felt like what Hell was like. Oh shit, that was messed up. They made one for Xbox, didn’t they?
MDS: Yeah, for Xbox 360, last year.
Redman: You know what else was a fucking good game? Powerstone. They ain’t never made anything like that again. Powerstone was a dope ass fucking game.
Kudo explains the controls to Redman.
Kudo: The face buttons are attacks so you can start whaling on those. The right analog stick, you can do a grab and throw by pushing up and then down.
Redman: You showed me some of that shit before.
Kudo: If you rotate the right thumbstick around from say 3 o’clock to the left it’ll knock the guy to the left. If you rotate it around to the right, it’ll swing kick him to the right. Or if you go straight down and straight up that’ll…
MDS: Would that by any chance be a blunt?
Redman: Yeah. Yeah, you can have it. Sure.
MDS: Dude, that is so fucking sweet. Thanks.
Redman: That’s the end of it but you can still smoke up on that one.
MDS: Thank you, sir.
Voice in the background says, “Someone take a picture of that”
Redman (still playing game): I’m trying to remember my grabs.
Kudo: Right, so if you push up on the right thumbstick then you can grab a guy and throw him into the hazards.
Redman: I know. The background has fucking got it.
Kudo: Why don’t you two guys fight it out? Hands controller to Matt
Redman: Yeah, while we’re getting high.

MDS: So how did you get involved in actually making the games?
Redman: I really owe everything to Lauren. You know, she’s been in my whole career, the whole time I’ve been banging out music. I’m just glad she saw what she wanted to do and she included me in her plans. First of all, she know me and Meth is big gamers. And for her to have this kind of plan and give me this kind of opportunity I think it’s beautiful. I like this shit and I don’t even like fighting games. I don’t play Tekken
MDS: What makes this better?
Redman: I mean it’s fucking like reality, man.
MDS: It’s not just button mashing
Redman: What it is, is that the characters are on here, the MCs and actors and stuff, but that is not the main issue. That is not what’s keeping this game over. Oh, I got a better character so I killed you. That’s not what it’s about. The action, the details, what’s going on with these things in the back. It’s taking it to the next fucking level. Watch a lot of games want to be like this shit here.
Other: Who do enjoy whipping on the most?
MDS: He seems to be enjoying kicking my ass.
Kudo: You can see how he’s taking damage and his face is messed up and his clothes are torn.
Redman: yeah, man, the fucking background. I’m fighting some guy and there’s a car and other fucking shit coming out.
MDS: So do you play a lot of games now?
Redman: I still play games. I’m on Call of Duty 3 for 360. And the reason why that’s out of control is because I’m learning shit on there. It’s not just fighting and shit but putting me in the action how these fucking soldiers were back then, the Germans and all that shit.
MDS: Yeah, it’s crazy.
Other: Tell me a little bit about the new album you have coming out.
Redman: The new album is called Red Gone Wild and it’s coming out on the 27th. I called it Red Gone Wild, not because it’s more wild and shit, I’d be doing that anyway. I broke the mold with previous albums I did. I got the deuces. I got a team now, I’m introducing Yellowhouse, MC’s Dick and Don, Ready Rock, Raquel, Marquee, Melanie, and E3. I haven’t had an album out in a while and want everyone to think of this as an introduction. This is some good music and I want to hear more. You all can tell I’ve grown. I’m 36 now so I can’t be talking about crazy young shit
MDS: You know, man, I was reading your bio and I saw that you’re born in April 1970. I was born in March 1970.
Redman: Yeah.
MDS: It’s funny.
Redman: Yeah, it is. You know, you right there. Meth was born in March 1971. Yeah.
Other: So are you happy with your character in the game?
Redman: Yeah. I love it. The thing is with all my characters in all the games they come up to me and say “Yo, your character is hard as hell to whup.”
Other: What do you think is the illest thing you ever said? What makes you say, That’s my shit right there?
Redman: On the mixing? I don’t know, I’ve got some pretty dope shit on there, like number 10, number 3.
Other: There’s something about Lil Wayne?
Redman: Yo, I blow ya minds, like Kurt Cobain. My block is hot like Lil' Wayne, I'll pop ya little chain. I'm ready, hip hop is not gon' be the same. Like the Roc and Dame, I'll dot the little change.
Redman: You know me. I’ll do the mixing. Number 10 is really where I showed some skills with that Eminem beat.
Redman: I’m in the studio like 15-20 hours a day. I’ve got my own studio in midtown Manhattan so you know midtown, you better get on that bitch.
MDS: Yeah, you’d better use it.
Redman: Once I put my name on that lease, that’s where my time goes. My studio ain’t got no windows or nothing like that. That’s how I get my shit on.
Redman and I continue fighting each other.
MDS: You play a lot of 360?
Redman: Yeah, I got the 360. I also got the PS3 but I ain’t really banged out on that yet. You know what I’m really surprise at? The Wii system.
MDS: I love it. It’s very inventive. There are so many different things you can do. The controller is pretty cool.
Redman: I think that’s some new wave shit that they’re doing.
Other: What’s your favorite game with you in it?
Redman: Right now, this Def Jam Icon shit. I was in this EA Sports basketball game.
Other: You were an unlockable character.
Redman: Yeah. I thought that was really cool.
MDS: What do you think of the convergence of urban culture and gaming? You know, like there’s more hip hop games. You’ve got all the kids playing games. More and more games use popular music. Do you see the games and music becoming more tied together as time goes by?
Redman: Hell yeah. Why wouldn’t they? That’s the new wave. Music, games. It sells. That’s what it is. I want to make some adult games. Like really wild. There’s plenty of kids games, but adults like to play games too. You could have a party and invite people over and show ass, titties, everything.
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Redman: You can get hit by these graphics, too. You can get hit by the camera or the lights.
MDS: Yeah, you can throw the guy into them.
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MDS: That’s awesome that you played Doom 2 like that.
Redman: Yeah.
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