Anthony Cadwell – “Goldy”
-Thomas Jackson – “Stresmatic”
-Marvin Selmon – “Dooniebaby”
-Ricardo Thomas – “Rick Rock”
For years, seismologists in the San Francisco Bay Area have been predicting the eventual yet certain arrival of “The Big One,” an earthquake of monumental force capable of sending out powerful shockwaves for miles. But what these experts have missed is that it’s already happened with Federation, the trio of Doonie Baby, Goldie, and Stresmatic that’s guided by veteran producer Rick Rock, who has helmed songs by artists such as Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and E-40. Federation is largely responsible for setting off the hyphy movement in the Bay Area, one of the most significant expressions of musical youth that the region has seen since the Summer of Love.
Like its Southern cousin Crunk, HYPHY is a term encompassing the wildly energetic dancing, music and car culture that was born in Oakland and spread throughout the large and diverse Bay Area. While the stunt-pulling car gatherings known as sideshows have been around for years, it never had its own unique sound propelling it until Federation made it official with its clever wordplay, rousing chants, and equally bombastic beats and basslines.
-How did you guys all hook up to form the group Federation?
DOONIE: Me and Rick met each other in Alabama; had a mutal friend that passed away. We made a promise that we would cont. to do music, cause we were all doing music together. Rick came out to CA, then a year later flew me out here. Then we met Goldie and Stress. Starting doing music together, and here we are.
-What inspired you guys to get into music?
STRES: Money and bitches. And that’s the real answer and if anybody else in the rap industry says that’s not why they got into music, they are lying like a muthafucker cause they wanted a car and bad bitches.
GOLDIE: And we don’t want to hear that shit about I’m in it for the love of music. Man I’m in it for the love of money and I’m not trying to go back to the hood empty handed.
-How did you guys hook up with Rick Rock?
DOONIE: Me and Rick be knowing each other since about 92 -93. And then after he brought me out here we met Stress and Goldie, and we have know each other for about 10 years now.
-So you guys are largely responsible for setting off the Hyphy movement..How did you guys get it started? How did it come together? How did the term Hyphy come about?
DOONIE: Yes, we did have a big part in starting the Hyphy movement. The word came from “Keak Da Sneak “. The movement actually been in the bay for years, ever since I have been knowing about the bay and living in the bay, it’s been going on. But it just starting coming to the forefront when we came with the song “Hyphy,” ft. E-40, Keak Da Sneak, San Quinn, Turf Talk and everybody on there. We decided we wanted to do a soundtrack to the bay area lifestyle, to the hip hop lifestyle.
-From what we hear Hyphy could be anywhere from doing some crazy dance moves to straight smashing someone in the face. What’s your guys definition of Hyphy?
STRES: Hyphy to me is just going crazy. You might be in your car and open all the doors, or you might see someone you don’t like and stomp they car out.. make it look like a monster truck hit it. Shit, that’s hyphy.
All of the above .
-So Is this Hyphy movement just a fad? Do you see it still poppin 5 years from now?
DOONIE: I don’t think it’s just a fad because it’s like a culture; it’s a subsiderary of the hip hop cutlure. It’s another branch off the hip hop tree. And that’s the bay area culture and that’s not going no where. The term “The Hyphy Movement” might burn out or something…I don’t know maybe.. possibly.. but as far as the music and how the bay area gets down, that’s going to always be there.
-You guys are known for doing some really hyped shows.. What’s the process of doing a show for you guys.. Do you guys drink a case of red bull or what?
STRES: It’s different.. sometimes we might get drunk as fuck, sometimes you know a nigga might pop a pain killer or a muscle relaxer, so u can feel really relaxed, and then we just go! Sometimes we don’t even know what song we’re doing… just put it on and we just go, get hyphy and go stupid. Might jump in the crowd, you never know, might pull someone on stage…we just go stupid with the show.
-Do you guys have any tours lined up?
STRES: Not that we know of. But we are on the end of DubTour, when it swings back to the west coast.
-You got this new album “It’s Whateva” on Warner Bros Records. What happened to the label situation over at Virgin?
DOONIE: They dropped the ball, didn’t know what to do with hyphy.
GOLDIE: They fucked up!
DOONIE: and Warner Bros picked us and now we are moving and getting paid.
-So tell us about the new album. What should fans expect?
DOONIE: All hell breaking loose, It’s a roller coaster that you never forget.
-Who’s all gettin down on the album..guest appearances?
STRES: We got Travis Barker from Blink 182, Snoop, Dub C, Tash from Alcoholicz ,Federation All Stars, La Rule, Turf Talk, and San Quinn from Frisco, we got a lot of people on there. And us!
-Any other producers besides Rick Rock featured?
STRES: Hell No!
-The lead single, “Stunna Glasses At Night,” is getting some nice play right now.. Do you guys have a favorite song on the album?
DOONIE: My favorite song the album now is ” Get naked…”
GOLDIE: We’re just dope, I like everything.
STRES: Every song is the dopest song ever…I think in music..no I’m just fucking with u … it’s is the dopest in all hyphy from country, to pop, to anything.. it is the dopest… you know what? We ARE the dopest ever to touch the microphone. No, I’m just fucking with you… we got some dope shit on there though.
-What projects are you doing out side of the group?
STRES: www.stunnashadez.net and you can call me at 1-877-stunnaz and get your pair of stunna shadez peronsalized with Swarvorski crystals and all different sizes, shapes and colors. For a low price. Get them while their hot!
DOONIE: I got the tellie couture clothing line which is my clothing line. We are starting off with the Scrape The Surface shirts and the Federation shirts, then we are going to move to the hats and shoes and we are going to put out the Bay Area shoes. I got them online ready to be processed. Then I got an album coming with La Rule from Richmond. We are coming out with the 2nd album (PURPLE: RELOADED) which comes out in Oct. sometime.
GOLDIE: I have been doing a lot of recording with Travis Barker on the side. I was just in the studio with Tila Tequila from myspace ..actually did the beat my motherfucking self… and wrote the hook. I’m dope! Fuck!
STRES: We got the 18 Dummy Energy Drink coming and it taste hella good, all different flavors. Look for that in stores in like 3 months.
-It seems like people in the Bay support their own and help push each other. There were some rough times for you guys as a group and you guys stuck together. Did you guys ever think about quiting the rap thing altogether, as a group, and or do solo gigs? What kept you guys together?
GOLDIE: We never thought about splitting up, you know, didn’t think about quitting, giving up as a collective. What kept us going is we gotta get it. Everyone else is gonna get it, we gotta get it too. We dope! Why can’t we get it?
-What do you guys do in your down time?
GOLDIE: Smoke weed and mack the bitches!!
STRES: I like to sit back on my couch, watch a lil tv, maybe get some head, sometimes i might fuck, but i really like to gettin head… and sometimes I like to walk my dog.. and then come back and get a lil bit head. pretty much the bottom line is I like to get some head.
DOONIE: What Stress just said, I feel the same way.
GOLDIE: I third that motion, fuck!
-Who else should we be looking for outta Northern Cali?
GOLDIE: Turf Talk, Keak Da Sneak , San Quinn ,Nump Trump, Dirty Mackin, Kinsmoke, Battle Loco from
Southern Cali… Everybody. Shit look for us. Look for us first, then look for everybody else.
-Outside of Northern Cali, who do you guys think is putting it down right now for hip hop? Who do you guys listen to?
STRES: Right now I’m really feeling Young Dro.. he ignorant man, I’m loving it. I’m really feeling that Field Mob album right now too.
GOLDIE: I never stop fucking with G- Unit, because my nigga 50 is monkey fi monkey on you niggas. You can’t beat that, I fucks with G-Unit and anyone who has a problem with it, fuck off!
DOONIE: I’m fucking with that nigga Young Dro too. Cause he ignorant as fuck. I’m waiting for and early copy if I
could get it. That nigga Dro is sick!
-It’s obvious that hip hop as a business is flourishing. Do you like the direction that hip hop as a music is taking, or would you like to see something different?
STRES: I like the way its going as long as we keep getting money… that’s basically the bottom line is gettin the money. Hip hop, that is all good. As long as that money is coming in, a nigga can sing about a bird walking my nigga…as long as we get the money in a bag, a paper bag. If you would like to book the Federation, get ahold of Suave Management (suavisito@comcast.net) we got some from the low for you.
-What can we expect in the future from Federation?
GOLDIE: If it’s good, fuck it,… music. As far as the artists under the Federation umbrella; Kinsmoke,
El Dorado Red, Battle Loc, good music man, just push it forward!
-Any last words?
DOONIE: Fuck you haters!!
GOLDIE: Check this shit out though.. right, I’mma save it for a Bitch……. OUT!
