LATACO Interview with Pawz One

We first heard of Pawz One at Landmark Inc. during their last show, Dollar Knockout (LATaco coverage). His lyrics were not your regular radio play but had depth and character for those with an ear for something new in hip-hop. Erwin Recinos had a chance to find out more about this up and coming emcee from South LA.

What part of LA did your grow up in?
Well I was born in Compton and spent some years growing up there but I've lived in a few cities around LA. Long Beach and Norwalk are two cities where I've spent a lot of time.

Where is your favorite place to get tacos? What do you get?
Aww man, LA has so many bomb spots to get tacos. Even at backyard parties you can get a plate of bomb tacos. My favorite spot is El Atacor in Pico Rivera, I get like 5 asada taco. You can’t go wrong with that.

Who produced Verbal Virus 2.5, and how was the experience of making that album?
I had a few producers on the album to keep it from getting stale. Changing the sound with every other track. The most consistent was DEFAULT, he produced about 3 tracks. The process was fun but it can get frustrating dealing with so many chefs in the kitchen. I just wanted to show people that I am not a one dimensional artist that can only rap about the stereotypical stuff we always hear.

I was listening to the track Buried Alive from Verbal Virus 2.5, one of my favorite tracks. Can you give us a little history about that track?
That’s a good example of what I am trying to do. The song is about a series of events you go through when you get arrested. Going to court and getting sentenced to jail. Rather than glorify the situation I expressed how much going to jail sucks. So I was speaking in the first person and I used a lot of my own personal experiences as a reference for the song.

What are you trying to express with your music?
Just the whole human experience of life and how I view things. The emotions people and events make me feel. I'm grateful to have an outlet where I can express all of that. In the end I want people who can relate to my music to know they have a voice that speaks for them.

Was listening to a Brian James track Good Heart, was that you? If so how was that experience?
Yeah, Brian had asked me to be apart of that record. We had met at a show and I was in the front row while he performed. His sound drew me in because he can rap and has content which is rare these days. Then he heard my set and saw that we were on the same page and we have been building ever since. The best part about making the song was the video. The dog in the the video went crazy when he saw me and got my shirt all filthy. I couldn't be mad because, I was getting him riled up.

What's the last song you were listening to on your iPod?
Well the last song was 2pac "Keep Your Head Up". My son wanted to hear it over and over.

Who are you currently listening to in the LA hip-hop Scene?
Just producers lol. I do not really like to listen to people when I'm writing so it doesn't subconsciously have me sounding like them. I’m working on a new album so I can't really listen to anyone. Instead I listen to reggae, rock or just beats from dudes like EQ, TARIQ BEATS, ARTIST DES a few dope cats from out here.

Who would you like to work with currently in the industry?
Man, thats a good question. Theres a lot of people as far as artists, but I'm thinking more in terms of producers. I would love to work with DJ Premier, Alchemist and Dre of course. Hi-Tek is another one but there are just too many to name. I have been blessed to work with some of my favorites like RAS KASS and AGALLAH.

Three CD's that you could not live without.
SUBLIME - Sublime, RAS KASS - A.D.I.D.A.S and this burned cd my cousin made with classic rock, reggae and some old hip hop songs.

What should our LA TACO readers be looking out for next from you?
I'm currently recording a new album with two producers in LA. The albums called FACE THE FACTS and it's entirely produced by BREEZE & DEFAULT. We have a few guests but are focusing on trying to showcase what we can do. There is a free mixtape out now called NUMBERS DONT LIE on Bandcamp.com. It's a collection of work we've all done and a few new songs exclusively for the mixtape.

Thanks for the interview, any final words?
Yeah, I want to thank LA TACO for taking the time and i wanna thank all the people who took the time to read this interview. Thanks you. PEACE.

Keep up with PAWZ ONE on Facebook and Twitter. Download for free his latest release Numbers Don't Lie.