THE BOOK OF EVIDENCE: 200810

MURDER DOG Interview with Pastor Troy by Lil Ray Ray. 2001(ish)

I’ve been learning more about the area–College Park, Decatur, Augusta–is there a big difference between the styles comin from the different towns?

Everybody in Atlanta’s really on they own shit. Everybody representin where they from. Everybody representin their shit. We ain’t on no gang bangin shit, but everybody love where they’re from. Everybody just kickin it. Everybody makin paper. It ain’t no big difference.

Let’s get into the controversy. You’re one of the most controversial niggaz in the South right now!

That’s right! But I ain’t thinkin bout that bullshit. Whatever come, come on. We spoke with Murder Dog in ’98. Alright. That’s all I got to say, alright.

Speakin on the Master P situation, I heard that had got squashed.

I spoke with homeboy once on the phone. I was tryin to catch up with him and let him know that we ain’t really swingin like that. That shit’s years old. When I wake up I damn sure ain’t thinkin about you, and I hope you ain’t muthafuckin thinkin about me. This little CD, I ain’t sayin nothing bout nobody. I’m just rippin my shit. Somebody was interviewing me earlier and she was actin like I gotta do that to get off. Hell, I’m comin any-muthafuckin-way. If I say fuck this nigga, I ain’t sayin nothing to this nigga. We got em man, you know what time it is.

I first heard about your album from the controversy, but when I got it and listened to it I was like, This shit’s harder than a muthafucka.

That’s what I wanted homeboys to see. It wasn’t like it put me in the game like that. Everybody will understand when they get that Pastor Troy Face Off. I really believe that’s gonna be one of the hardest albums to come out. I’m on some real Gangsta shit. With lyrics, everything. That shit’s complete.

Who did you work with on this album?

I kept that shit in my fam real real tight. I didn’t want no salad album. I wanted it down Pastor Troy style. D.S.G.B. All them Down South Georgia Boys represented on that joint. My niggaz was with me. We got Peter the Disciple, we got Nature Boy, my uncle Ice, we got Rhonda. That’s the shit that’s gonna open up all the doors for us to come in this muthafucka and sit down. We’re plannin on sittin down for some years.

Now you got everything on track with the Universal situation. For a while you have a little problem

…

No little problem, it was a big problem!

Was it a conflict with Uni or was it a middleman situation?

It was a middleman situation, but at the same time I’m tellin Universal this and they weren’t listening. Shit, I’m the muthafuckin artist, they gotta listen to me. How the hell a nigga find out he’s on Universal? What the fuck is goin on? One day it’s like, "you’re on Universal now." That’s the biggest joint, woulda loved to a been there, but I wish I’da been doin the damn talkin. When I finally got wind of everything that was goin on, it was already done. I’m hollerin at Universal, I’m sayin Y’all ain’t talkin, I’m talkin now. Then when they finally ready to talk to me they tell me I been dropped. Homeboy went up there to New York and encouraged them not to put out that Pastor Troy album.

I heard about that blackball situation. That shit for real?

Hell yeah, that shit for real. But I had that muthafucka out. Sittin there with my goddamn eyes closed.

You put the album out anyway. That shit grew legs and ran, regardless if there was a major behind it.

They dropped me at 10,000 units. They didn’t think that shit would go to 200. I had a lotta muthafuckas in there worried about their jobs. How the hell you gonna get this nigga back! When they signed me a nigga was still bustin heads and shit. This is after a year, they tellin me Naw Troy you ain’t dropped, you was just on suspension. I’m sayin, y’all muthafuckas crazy as hell. They understand what I’m bringin to the table. I understand what they can bring to the table. Together we’re gonna make it happen. We just gotta be together, not no one-way shit. Let’s make it universal, goddamn it.

Right before you sealed that deal you still had your underground thing goin.

I was just fuckin with it. I put out that Pastor Troy and the Congregation joint. Just pissin off Universal, lettin muthafuckas know that I’m still down here thrivin, still down here workin. They looked up, that shit was number one heat seeker Billboard. Lotta people thought that was my sophomore album, lotta people disappointed cause it wasn’t. But I wasn’t even dealin with my fans at that point, I was dealin with the business when I was makin them moves. Universal shut down that project, we still negotiating back and forth, back and forth. Then I tell ‘em I about to drop another CD and it ain’t gonna be a Pastor Troy album, it’s gonna be Pastor Troy presents D.S.G.B. I Am D.S.G.B.. They knew they couldn’t stop it no way. It wasn’t on my label, it was on my brother’s label. He paid me for all the tracks, this is all his shit, he’s his master, he can do whatever he want with it. They thought I was bluffin. I pressed up 10,000 of those muthafuckas–crunk back up all over again. Next thing you know they want to work it out, I say Cool. I don’t wanna fuck with this shit anyway. Them bootlegs got me for real!

Speak on that. A lotta people aren’t aware of that situation.

That bootleg shit is for real. They busted a bootleg guy here in Atlanta. Homeboy was turnin over 60 CD’s fully packaged and wrapped in like 4 minutes. This nigga’s pressin and distributin like he’s a goddamn company. Anyway I put that D.S.G.B. album out there, I didn’t press up enough to meet the demand. I didn’t know I was gonna have 20,000 CD’s sold like that. Man, them bootleggers crunk up on my ass. I’m bookin with Universal. I was happier than a muthafucka when they gave me my money. I didn’t feel like runnin around bustin these bootleg niggaz’ heads on these CD’s. I didn’t feel like that.

That shit is crucial. Convenience stores, and now with the Internet.

That shit’s crazy. I was happy as hell to get that shit outta my hands. Fuck that, that’s y’all’s headache now. And I ain’t runnin around this muthafucka with no bats. That shit, the law need to crack down on that shit. That shit is a real muthafuckin crime.

Let’s go back to your beginnings. You started with the I Declare War album. Did you do the production on that album?

I did six of the tracks myself and I co-produced the other six. I can’t play the goddamn piano and shit, I beat the drums. I don’t even look at myself as no producer. I just know how to fuck with that shit a little and get what I want. Ain’t nothing like throwin to your own shit. Perfect match.

You didn’t do any production on the D.S.G.B. album, did you?

No, SMK did them joints.

Your production did complement your rap style. So who did the production on this new one?

I came back. I did 10 of the 14. I complained about that shit, but I won’t rap on nobody else’s shit. I don’t wanna rap on nobody else’s shit but mine. My other homey who did the other 4 tracks, we went to high school together. He know me. That shit, I felt like I was rappin on some tracks that I produced myself. That nigga gonna have some plaques hangin around this muthafucka.

I heard you were planning to do a project with Playa Fly. Was it a song or were you talking about doing a whole album?

A whole album. Me and Fly, we got something real cool. Hell, we even went to jail down in this muthafucka. We were trippin in the ATL. Leavin the club, fuckin with police, everything. Now we’re really just sittin on it. We’re waitin on Troy and the majors, and Fly too right now. I’m tellin him, I’m with Universal, I’m with a machine now, why don’t you come over here. Let me put an album out on you.

A Fly/Troy album would be outrageous. Who else you worked with since you dropped the album?

Forty Waters! I fucked with 40. That nigga got a lotta goddamn respect. And I put a joint on the Ludacris joint. If I see an album that’s goin gold I wanna be involved with it. I want my name in clubs everywhere. I’m down with it. Whenever you drop your new shit I wanna be on that too. I fucked with them Three 6 boys too on the Hypnotized Compilation. They were straight.

How did you get your name Pastor Troy?

It was like a salute to my pops. My pops raised me, five children and built a church from the ground. That was motivation for me to build up my record label.

Did your father influence you a lot?

He had a lotta influence on who I am right now. He’s my pastor. I’m my own man. I’m Michael Troy, he’s the real Pastor Troy.

What did he have to say about you doing Rap?

He’s accepted it. He’s behind me 110%, as long as I’m doin the right thing.

Did you put some new songs on the Universal release?

I put about five new songs. My thing has been regional for the most part. This is gonna be my first major release. With We Ready I moved 200,000 units just in this region. I had to put that out national. When Universal told me I could get away with havin one album down using all them other releases that were already out, I’m like hell yeah, I’m all in. I got one album down and I know I’m gonna have to drop another album immediately to keep the people crunk up. Next release I’m gonna have a new album from top to bottom in I say November.

How is the album doing for you?

It’s straight. I got the Rap City and all that shit goin on. They’re showin the video on BET. You know what time it is.

What are you up to right now? Are you touring?

Yeah, we’re workin on the tour right now. We’re tryna go everywhere with this shit. First I gotta get it to Georgia. Then I’m headin for California.