JOELL ORTIZ TALKS SLAUGHTERHOUSE, NEW ALBUM & OLD VS. NEW SCHOOL

Joell Ortiz sat down with 2DopeBoyz for an interview to promote his new album “That’s Hip Hop” (which drops on March 15 and you can order here) and ended up discussing why he rhymes, if young rappers need to know their hip hop history and gives us an update on the new Slaughterhouse album.

Fourteen years [after you debuted with Kool G Rap], you’re still here with a new album that has a simple title. 

I chose the title because it’s a self-explanatory project. I always hear people thanking me for continuing to do “real hip hop.” Hip hop is one thing and you have this other avenue with what I feel is trap music meets hip hop. I personally don’t feel like the divide is between the music, the divide is trying to figure out how to rename this genre of what kids are doing now. Even in rock you have Heavy Metal and Soft Rock, but it’s still all rock music. The kids that are doing these records… it is hip hop but it’s not the same category. And we have to figure out a way to name this new genre. When I get into something, I go into it representing that golden age when you had to be hard, rap hard and rip something apart. You had to make someone’s face scrunch up. When you heard the beat you had to frown. That’s what I stand for.

Read the rest here.