IAJ: How did you get the name, "DB Tha General"?
DB: DB Tha General is my childhood name. My real nickname is Ditty Bo, for those who don't know. So I cut the, "Ditty Bo" in half 'cause nobody can ever say that and I shortened it to, "DB". And, "Tha General", you feel me, is 'cause I'm a real leader, I think like one all the time. In control all the time. I'm the first rapper with "Tha General" at the end of his name. I was a trendsetter… then everybody else followed suit. It's cool, though. I ain't trippin'.
IAJ: Where are you from?
DB: My background is both East & West Oakland. Period point blank. You feel me? My heritage is kinda like the South, Mississippi and Arkansas. Predominantly, it's East Oakland and West Oakland. My daddy's side is from the East, my mama's side isfrom the West, the Bottoms. My daddy's from Funktown. So that's really where I come from, East Oakland and the lower bottoms. On the real.
IAJ: How has Oakland shaped you as a musician and as a person?
DB: Oakland shaped me as a musician & as a person mainly because my daddy is a real Too Short fan. My daddy listened to Rappin Ron, MC Pooh, Dangerous Dame and Richie Rich. He was a fan, so I grew up rocking with him, listening to all these people. This was what helped shape me. And I did not realize it back then but it ended up shaping my whole career, listening to all of these rappers and seeing their life, and crack. 'Cause crack really is Oakland. You feel me? Cokeland. Straight up. Growing up seeing crack and seeing poverty, and seeing real family members-real crackheads!! When you've got family members that are real crackheads…you're going to want to see out of that. Being a young kid, you're going to want to see out of that. It's going to make you want to make it in life overall.
IAJ: Tell us about, "Knock You Down" song & video. I know that that was your break, in a sense. Tell us the story behind it.
DB: Alright. We were at a picnic. You feel me? And Hooker Boy Filmz was at the picnic, too, and he came up to me and said, "Bro, would I like that 'Knock You Down' song? That's the song that all the youngsters are feeling right now. Let me shoot that video". At first, I didn't want him to shoot the video. You feel me? 'Cause I felt like my first video was going to be some superstar material. But I will take a chance 'cause at that time he just shot J. Stalin's video. He just shot videos for everybody that was up and coming. He was originally the Act Up director. He was shooting everybody's videos so we did it and it came out great.
IAJ: Who made the beat?
DB: This person named Coop. He was a little short white dude and was no more than 16 years old when he made the beat. I ended up linking up with him at the center on YU (Youth Uprising) on 88th and Mac Arthur. I made my whole first cd, "Welcome to the Navy", at YU.
IAJ: Alright. Now, let's talk about the controversial, "King of Oakland" CD.
DB: That's the controversy right there. When I said that I'm "King of Oakland", I know that there are probably a lot of rappers that took that personal, got mad or probably rolled with it while some didn't. But all I want to say is, it's all about confidence in me speaking. I really want everybody else to think like that. You feel me? 'Cause if you don't think you're the best, then nobody else would think you are. You feel me, though? I feel like, as a rapper, as a boxer, as a basketball player, as football player, as for every sport, if you don't feel that you're the greatest, you ain't the greatest. You feel me? You've got to feel you're greatest. You've got to think you're the greatest. And you're going to be the greatest. Ain't no middle, ain't no in-between, ain't no I'm alright, I'm cool. I have got to be the greatest.
IAJ: Let's talk about Poe Boy Music Group. How did that situation come about?
DB: That Poe Boy situation, that was a good situation. You feel me? I was down there with The Rap Manager and Andrea's aka El Plaga. Nobody really knows El Plaga, but he's a cool Miami friend that we met when we were down there. And my bro, you feel me? The Rap Manager, Ian. You feel me? We went to Flo Rida's record release party. We went down there and we were all up in Club Mansion popping big champagne bottles. You feel me? Me, Brisco, Big Chuck, E Class, and everybody else like real big Miami bosses with the whole Poe Boy camp. Then down the line, I ended up doing a song with Billy Blue and Brisco. You feel me? And that was a good link. That's in one of the mixtapes circulating out there. Go to my Youtube channel and see how we really did it big down there. That was filmed also by the Rap Manager. You feel me? That was a really good experience in my rap career and my life 'cause that was the first time ever, ever, ever really leaving Oakland, when I flew to Miami. That was big. You feel me?
IAJ: Cool. So what was it like looking at all those platinum and gold plaques in Poe Boy's recording studio?
DB: Oh yeah. Those plaques, the first Rick Ross album plaques, that was it. All the plaques in there, them big plaques, that's MOTIVATION. That made me know that I'm almost there and I'm closer to my goals and where I'm trying to get to, just seeing those Rick Ross plaques on that wall and seeing real FloRida Apple Bottom Jeans platinum plaques on that wall, let me know that I could really get there if I want it bad enough.
IAJ: Alright. I know that you've been doing some shows recently. Talk about the some of the shows you've been doing.
DB: I just opened up with Too Short in Santa Cruz. I just did a show up in Santa. Barbara. I'm starting to travel more for my shows. I was just in Walnut Creek, Santa Rosa, Concord, Sacramento, and Salinas. You feel me? All of that are the best ones. Showing that your music touches farther than where you come from.
IAJ: We see a lot of things going on with the White Girl Mob. We see that Kreayshawn has been giving you a lot of accolades in her interviews in the beginning of her career. How does it feel to be out there even more with Kreayshawn giving you good press?
DB: V-Nasty and Kreayshawn are my sisters. You feel me? They're from the hood and I'm really rocking with them, and they're really rocking with me. I love and appreciate every time she mentions my name in all the magazines out there. I wish her all the best and all the success in all that she's doing. 'Cause she's really doing it and she's really putting it on for me and my niggas and my hood and my team and my squad and my circle. And that circle knows who I am talking about. You feel me? So that's all she's rocking with. It's all that matters. The White Girl Mob, they're my sisters. They're my niggas. They're my everything. Straight up.
IAJ: That's big. That's what's up, man. What do you have coming in the future, man? What's the latest and greatest?
DB: The latest and greatest, I'm about to do a collaboration cd with my brah brah in Santa Barbara, and my brah brah in Atlanta. Then I have 2 new mixtapes dropping with the Thizzler coming out. I'm going to be on http://www.thizzler.com. That's my bro, Em Dubious. Shout out to Em Dubious. I love my nigga. I've also got my album, "I Shine We All Shine" coming out. Look out for that.
IAJ: Let's talk about your relationship with Too Short.
DB: Short is my real uncle. Let me tell you all how I met Short. We met at Youth Uprising on 88th and Mac Arthur. I used to mess with him everyday and I'm like, Short you've got to put me on, but Short always tells me that if you're doing something and you're really making a lot of noise, you don't have to do anything 'cause they're going to come for you. And that's the biggest lesson that I've ever learned from the Godfather. If you're really making noise and you're really raw and you're really all that rah rah shit you're saying, then, nigga, they're going to come for you. Period point blank. That's what he told me. Later on, I ended up really messing with Uncle on a whole other level. I would say, he really was passing the torch on to the real King of Oakland. Ain't nothing bigger than that-the Godfather Short is really passing the torch on to DB Tha General, the King of Oakland. That's big in other people's eyes. The more he interacts with me, and I'm sure he doesn't do that with everyone, the more he shows how much love he's got for me and my niggas. He only works with me, Upgrade, Rico and my nigga, Prince Lefty. So, we're running.
IAJ: Do you have any artists that you've got your eyes on and would like to work with in the future?
DB: The only two persons, right now, that I would like to work with in the future are Jay Z and Kanye West. For a producer, I would say Kanye is who I want to work with. You feel me? I ain't going to lie, Mannie Fresh. I like his beats. Mannie Fresh made everybody, they just don't know it. Everybody that came off of Cash Money, nigga, he raised. He was probably the only producer making albums back to back from one song to the next. Mannie Fresh-Cash Money producer, legend. He ain't with Cash Money right now but they're taking him back. That nigga is raw. I think he's about to produce Mystikal's album. Also looking forward to working more with my Poe Boy Family, they really showed me a lot of love out there in Miami, so I hope for more interaction with Big Chuck and E Class. Shout out to them, and Billy Blue, and Brisco you feel me?
IAJ: Do you have any last words? Shout outs? Where can people find you?
DB: I want to shout out The Rap Manager. I want to shout out Bad Mouth Ent. To my brother, Diggler, Triangle of Sin Ent. You feel me? I want to shout everybody in the Bay that is doing it real big, real major. On the real, all the niggas I work with-The Huss, Fab. They're the only 2 rappers that I really work with. I'm doing my own thing. I'm pushing my own movement. Too Short doesn't do that with everyone, but he shows how much love he's got for me and my niggas. He only works with me, Upgrade, Rico and my nigga, Prince Lefty. We're running. We're going to do it right there. check me out dbthageneral.net and badmouthent.com