" State  of  The Gully Union "

 

 

   Today we had the opportunity to chop it up with the legendary DJ LETHAL , who is an accomplished turntabilist who can cut , scratch , Beat Box & transform with finesse with the best. Also known for his position in the rap metal band Limp Bizkit for over 15 years in addition as world famous for emerging with the Legendary House Of Pain with the timeless hit "Jump Around " . We sat down with the man himself , and let him put the needle on the record.

 

 1. What was the first Hip Hop song you heard ? That's a hard one to answer but when my family escaped from Latvia back when it was the USSR we went to Italy then off to New York in 1978 ish. My pops was a guitar player and played in clubs a most of his career. At some point we moved from Manhattan to jersey city then to linden NJ.

 

It was there in around 2nd grade I was playing snare drum in a talent show at school and that's the first time I saw Pop locking and breakdancing. I can remember the song they were jamming to but I was hooked. But my pops always had mad records and my bedroom was his studio. I really was into kraftwerk before I heard Hiphop. Funny story. I went to elementary school with Rakka who is in dilated peoples. We came back together again in the early 90's where they (evidence and Rakka) were going by the name of fatliners. I had them signed to epic/immortal records

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. How old were you when you started Deejaying ? I would have to say around 7th grade. Maybe 12 years old. By that time I had moved to Los Angeles. At Bancroft jr High school I met a bunch of heads and we were all into graffiti and breaking. I used to beat box.  I used to live by a park called "Plummer park" where I met DJ ROB ONE from cbs crew (RIP) you couldn't walk through his apt because he had record crates as carpet. But I didn't have turntables at the time. After school we would go racking and tagging. Then roll to my buddy SER (WCA) crew, he was the only one that had a full system at his house. This picture is from around 7th or 8th grade in my bedroom setup. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 3. Whats your favorite instrument ? My dad played guitar. He influenced me in everything music. But for me I would have to say drums because my dad was so dope at guitar I knew I could never try to fill those shoes. . My uncle owns a music school in Toronto Canada. Where I would go every summer and bang away on drums there at The academy of music on Younge St. 

 

 4.Whats your favorite Drum Machine / Sampler ? I'll say the sp-1200. Although the first beats I ever made were on a Roland W30. My first couple beats went on the first house of pain album. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. What was that feeling like when House Of Pain Dropped " Jump Around " and it exploded ? It was just amazing. After a small run with Everlast, djing for him on a Rhyme Syndicate in Europe with Ice-t and company.(I was 17) had to have my parents sign a permission slip to go. We came back home and things slowed down. Then we started hanging out and everlast reconnected with Danny boy.

 

After a while everlast hooked up with Muggs and we started going to his crib and the first beat he played us was Jump Around. We knew from the first second we heard it , that it was a banger. Our homies started playing it in our local clubs and the crowds would go nuts. The rest is history. We kinda blew up on the west coast at first doing very small club dates and house party's off haight street. But it went from 0 to 100 real quick. 

 

6. Who inspired you to become a producer ? First off my Dad. Being that my bedroom was his studio. He used to let me play with his Linn Drum Lm-2 in elementary school. But as far as Hip-Hop producers. DJ Muggs and Dj Premier a long with Pete Rock and Diamond D. There's a few more

 

 7. Are you working on any up and coming projects ? Always working on Music. Right now we're working on the new La Coka Nostra album.Then I have solo projects I'm working on and DJ'ing party's all over the world. 

 

 8. What gets you in the mood to make a track ? A nice PHAT blunt of some OG Kush. Ha. 

 

9. Where do you wanna see Hip Hop 10 years from now ? Pushing forward with a bit more quality and skills. Just hope it gets a little less cheesy. Coming from the "90's" era I lived through a really good time for Hiphop. I'm glad there's some artists that are keeping that boombap alive and pushing it forward with modern elements. I spin a lot of clubs and there's songs I just can't play because I can't even understand the lyrics and don't like it.

 

Some songs have literally 3 words to the whole song. I would like to be able to rhyme along to songs like it used to be where you could recite a whole Rakim verse word for word. Long live Hiphop!!!! Peace.

 

 PS. Thanks for doing what you do at The VIP Soundlab by Making great Drum Kit products and Tutorial videos. Best $ I ever spent on sounds and I have 20 years of samples I've collected. So if I spent $ with you it's definitely because you have dope stuff. 

 

Partial discography - For House of Pain records, see the group's main article. For Limp Bizkit records, see the group's main article.

 

• Everlast - Forever Everlasting (1989)

• Funkdoobiest - Which Doobie U B? (1993)

• Sugar Ray - Lemonade and Brownies (1995)

• Funkdoobiest - Brothas Doobie (1995)

• Sepultura - Roots (1996)

• Tura Satana (aka Manhole) - All Is Not Well (1998)

• Soulfly - Soulfly (1998)

• Videodrone - Videodrone (1999)

• Powerman 5000 - Tonight the Stars Revolt! (1999)

• Biohazard - Mata Leão (1996)

• Coal Chamber - Chamber Music (1999)

• Dope - Felons & Revolutionaries (1999)

• Rob Zombie - American Made Music to Strip By (1999)

• Run-DMC - Crown Royal (2001)

• Kurupt - Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001)

• Rob Zombie - The Sinister Urge (2001)

• Dope - Life (2001)

• Shihad - Pacifier (2002)

• Slaine - The White Man Is the Devil Vol 1 (2005)

• Street Drum Corps - Street Drum Corps (2006)

• DMC - Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll (2006)

• Dead Celebrity Status - Blood Music (2006)

• Jamie Kennedy & Stu Stone - Blowin' Up (Theme music) (2006)

• Main Flow - The Flowfessionals (2006)

• Evanescence - The Open Door (2006)

• Ill Bill - Ill Bill Is the Future Vol. II: I'm a Goon! (2006)

• Street Drum Corps - We Are Machines (2008)

• Ill Bill - The Hour of Reprisal (2008)

• Adil Omar - The Mushroom Cloud Effect (2012)

• Vinnie Paz - God of the Serengeti (2012)