JS: You first came out first as “3-D” on the Hilltop Hustlers label. Tell me about that situation.

EST: That was Lawrence Goodman’s label and, besides Steady B because he had a deal at that time with Jive, all the rest of us were on that label. It was a subsidiary of Pop Art and a more mainstream version of an urban rap label. Lawrence had been involved with cats from New York City—Marley Marl and all them—so he knew about the game and how to get records played. Luckily for us, our music spoke just as much for us as Lawrence Goodman’s hustle did. And the hustle that we all put together collectively in championing each other’s causes, every time somebody from the Hill put out a joint.

JS: How did those tracks on that first EP, “Crushin’ & Bussin,’” come about?

EST: Chuck was the main producer for Three Times Dope. Sometimes me and Chuck would collaborate but he was the main one. He did his thing and lyrically and conceptually I did my thing, sometimes solo and sometimes along with Chuck. And then we’d consult with Wood. On occasion, we would all collectively have a group idea, or Chuck would come to me like, “I got this sample I want to let you hear it.” The way he’d put it together would make me come with the rest of it. Chuck was real ill at being an introverted producer—somebody that could give you something from themselves and have it sampled in a way that was hot. Chuck had a sound.

JS: I’m looking at the record and it says produced by Lawrence Goodman and Steady B…

EST: Steady B produced “From Da Giddy Up,” which was the record after that that caught wreck. He didn’t produce “Crushin’ & Bussin’” but they took credit for it. Steady was the head artist and he was also Lawrence’s nephew. Basically they took advantage of the situation. Once we saw that we said, “Y’all didn’t produce that.” Lawrence would say, “I was executive producer on that, I paid for the session and I OK’d the record to be completed.” He had last say on everything. I understand that role to be the executive producer. He was always trying to over-juice his worth. He was just a good talent scout, he knew how to put it together. And, if he’d have stayed to that grind, he’d of been a hell of a label head. Instead, he just allowed some brothers to come together, do something for a time and then the thing fell apart because homey wasn’t about his business all the way. But he didn’t produce nothing of ours. We even made a statement on the second album, once we had got our contractual stuff right with him, letting people know that even though this may state that he had something to do with the album, he in fact had nothing to do with the album. He was there while we were making the records but he wasn’t making the records we was making. He heard us doing our thing and he would be like “ES, keep that tone, I like that.” But we already had our thing tight. Executive producer? Yes. The guy that gave us our first chance to do what we did? Yes. But he wasn’t integral as far as how our tracks were made, creatively.

(originally published at www.jesseserwer.com)