Earl breaks down how radio stifled his national popularity, and gave birth to “Captain Save A Hoe,” as he speaks about independent freedom, why mixtapes aren’t his steez, and Mac Mall’s talent.
The cliche says that age ain’t nothing but a number. But if Hip Hop has taught us anything it’s that the cliche isn’t usually a truth. Aging in the genre is usually a violent and awkward process and all of us are susceptible to its effects. All of us, it would seem, except for E-40. For nearly 25 years the Vallejo legend has remained Rap’s foremost architect of slanguage and slaps.
Where most veterans slow as they age, 40’s only picked up the pace. Last February he released two separate albums – Revenue Retrievin’ The Day Shift and Revenue Retrievin’ The Night Shift. Now he’s back with the third and fourth installments – Graveyard Shift and Overtimes Shift – set to drop at the end of the month. DX sat down with 40 Water to chop it up about his independent legacy, the art of hitmaking and the Bay Area water supply.
