Lil Zane – The Big Zane Theory

Q.  Are there any current projects that you are working on?

A.  I’m working on a distribution deal right now and there are going to be a lot of fresh artists besides myself off of the new label.  I’m in talks to work with Blu Cantrell on her new album, I’ve got “Money and Tragic” coming out and a new project is untitled right now, but it’s going to be real, real, real soon, we’re looking for an August release date.  I’ve got a couple of independent films I’m working on, one is called The Sun Will Rise, and we’re shooting that film in April 2005, we’ll be filming in Atlanta and New York.  It’s going to be real big, it’s with me, Nicole Hall, she actually played on Baywatch for a minute, she’s a big model, you have a couple people who are in the film that are real big actors.  I’m working on Bone Crusher on my new album, Bobby Valentino, he’s a hot new artist right now out of Atlanta, he’s signed with Ludacris.  Akon, you know Akon who has a new song called “Locked Up,” so you know music, movies.

Q.  “The Big Zane Theory” was released in August, five years after your first album.  Why the long wait?

A.  You know I was finding myself, I had to find myself, I was really young and I came into a lot of money real young.  A lot of things happened, I was just finding myself, and having a lot of people around me.  I didn’t have a lot of people around me at the time that could help me develop to my full potential.  I stepped out and got myself together, you know I had been signed to Capital before so I am no longer signed to Capital, I got released from Capital.  I just wasn’t happy where I was making music at, I still apologize to my fans, I am a true hustler, I believe you gotta have product for your customers and I feel like I let my fans down a little bit by not releasing as much music as I could of, but you know I was finding myself and going through life.  Just going throughtrials and tribulations, I just stopped with music for a moment, I did some films, I did Dr. Dolittle 2, I did Fighting Temptations with Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr.  I did Motors with Vivica Fox, Finding Forrester with Sean Connery, I wish I could have been more focused and put out more music but we’re still, we’re still young, we’re still rich, we’re still ready to put out music. 

Q.  How does “The Big Zane Theory” differ from your first album?

A.  The Big Zane Theory is different from my previous album because my first album received a lot of promotion and the label was excited and they were behind my project.  We were like the first rapper out of Atlanta really, I set it off, you know you got the T.I.’s, and you got the Bow Wow’s, coming out of Atlanta, and all those people coming out of Atlanta.  Lil Zane was the first rapper out of Atlanta and I think that the first album got promoted a lot.  The second album “The Big Zane Theory” when it came out the label only shipped 40,000 copies because they just didn’t understand me, they didn’t understand my music.  You know Capital was a gangster rap label, they had Ice Cube, they had No Limit, they had NWA, and Lil Zane had a little more appeal than those guys.  I just don’t appeal to gangster rappers, that’s one audience I don’t appeal to, I appeal to everybody.  I appeal to young folks, old folks, I appeal to young guys, older guys, so I feel like being on that label I was being put in a category.  I was not trying to be nothing like gangster, I wasn’t trying to be too commercial and too “pop-py” either, I’m not too commercial you know, I’m not a choir boy.  I’m not a thug, I’m not a gangster, I’m not a choir boy either, I’m clean cut, I respect my elders, I respect people period but I felt like Capital and Priority was trying to turn me into something I wasn’t.  Everything was really rushed and wasn’t promoted, it didn’t really have any structure to it.  I want the respect and I want the money, I got the fame.  I’m waiting for the respect and the money.

Q.  “The Big Zane Theory” is a more mature album, what have you learned over the past few years?

A.  If you call that mature, I’m still growing up, I’m still finding myself, you haven’t seen the best of me yet.  Like you said, I came out in 2000, you have to be a real, real, real down fan to know that the Lil Zane album was out.  You might have just been in LA and came across it, it wasn’t really promoted, so I say the world hasn’t seen the best of Lil Zane yet, there is no telling where I am going with it, cuz I feel like they don’t know me.  I’m trying to keep making good music and get ’em ready for what’s about to happen but this time when I come, I’m not coming and going and coming and going, I’m here to stay.

Q.  The song “Tonite I’m Yours” helps explain what The Big Zane Theory is, for those who haven’t heard it, can you fill them in?

A.  This is a woman’s record, “Tonite I’m Yours” was the first single off The Big Zane Theory but it wasn’t supposed to be.  I personally wouldn’t have picked it to be the first single because of the music that was going out then.  You gotta come out with something that’s going to hit the club, come out with something that’s going to shake people, usually artists drop their good record second.  They messed my fan base up a little bit with that “Tonite I’m Yours” record because it gave me the girls but I already had the girls, all the girls are my biggest fans.  What they’re trying to do now is show these young dudes out here that you can support Lil Zane, cuz Lil Zane is real, he’s one of the realest dudes out here in the rap game.  I feel like “Tonite I’m Yours” it doesn’t explain “The Big Zane Theory,” “Tonite I’m Yours” WAS A MISTAKE!  Great record, but it was bad timing.  This time I’ll have no excuses, this time it’s me by myself, this is what I’m about.  I make the decisions, I pay for the producers, I work with the producers, I sit down and say no, I sit down and say yeah.  I decide how much I’m going to spend on my album and where we’re going to record it at. 

Q.  You collaborated with Tank on the song, what about Tank made you feel he was right to add to the song?

A.  I was a fan of Tank and I just thought including him would be different, and at the time I didn’t have any cameos on my album at that point so I figured he’s feeling my music, I’m feeling his, so let’s do something and see what happens.  I think that he really appreciated it though, he’s a very nice guy, and if nobody appreciated that record, I think that women appreciated that record. 

Q.  You’re president of 3 Mill. Entertainment, what sets this label apart from others?

A.  I am actually doing the ground work, a lot of artists have labels and have other people doing the ground work for them, and they’re still not learning the business.  I’m in those meetings every day, I’m in the studio then going to those meetings and then going to the movie set, then going to the interviews, then going to the gym, I’m still growing with my label.  I’m a part of every decision that’s being made, I’m a part of every dollar that’s being spent and there is a lot of pressure but at the end of the day I sleep better at night because I know that it’s in my hands and I can trust myself.  The thing that sets my label apart from all other labels is that I am not a new artist with a new label, I already have a fan base, I’m a known artists on a new label.  This label is mine and if my fans really love Zane and they wanna support Zane, this time they  can feel like they are supporting Zane.  They’re not supporting all the bullshit that was behind Lil Zane before, cuz what they were really supporting Capital, the people who were behind Capital, the record people, they’re really supporting them.  This album here, they’re really supporting Zane, when they buy that record they know that every dollar is going in Lil Zane’s pocket and the people who really deserve it. 

Q.  You were born in Yonkers but raised in Atlanta, are you more influence by the Northern or Southern styles?

A.  I’m influenced by the South, the West and the East, I love Z and Z is from the south baby!  I’m like a chameleon, I blend in, that’s a record for everybody!  I’m world wide baby!

Q.  You’ve done music, acting, and you’re head of a record label, is there anything that you haven’t pursued yet that you still want to?

A.  Yes, I’m starting a clothing company and I’m also really focused on my nonprofit organization.  It’s a foundation I started out of the ATL and we’re going to help kids across the country.  Those are two things I really want to get in to, clothing and I want to get in to my nonprofit organization. 

Q.  Is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans and supporters?

A.  I would like to say that you know what, thank you for all the support from day one, from when you were all first introduced to me anywhere to the latest song “Tonite I’m Yours.”  I personally want to apologize for the big gap in the music because I’m a true hustler and I believe in satisfying all of my customers.  I just apologize for the gap and I promise you this time if you support Lil Zane, you’re really supporting Lil Zane, you’re not supporting all the bullshit that’s behind Lil Zane.  You’re supporting the man Lil Zane, thank you for staying down, always supporting Lil Zane, continue to support me, when you buy this album or log on to my website, www.3MillEntertainment.com, any time you go to download a song or buy the album you’re really supporting Zane, Zane’s dream and Zane’s vision.  Before the vision was a little bit of mine, but it was like I was young, I couldn’t things like I wanted to but you all still supported it.  Thank you for your support and this time really be on the look out for me, go on the Internet or my website and you can write to me, 4828 Redan Road, Suite 107, Stone Mountain, GA, 30084, you can write to me, put Attention Lil Zane @ 3 Mill Entertainment.