All language subtitles for Our.Vinyl.Weighs.a.Ton.This.Is.Stones.Throw.Records.2013.1080p.BluRay.x264-OFT.[eng]

(music plays)

Talib: You know, he's
such an unassuming person.

When you meet him, he doesn't
scream Peanut Butter Wolf.

(lively music)

A-Trak: Peanut Butter Wolf.

I mean, yeah he's a character

and I think that the quirks of
his personality are a big part

of what has made Stones
Throw such a cool label.

Krondon: Stones Throw created
a home for all musicians.

It created a home-producers,
rock groups, whatever.

Motherfuckers.

(lively music)

?uestlove: I admire Wolf's strive
for embracing the unembraced.

He's able to pull all
these acts together

and cultivate an underground.

Common: The work that
Peanut Butter Wolf does

I think is like, necessary.

There's no limitations to the things
that he chooses to do with music.

No regard for like well,
these are the rules.

I think that's like what
we wanna hear in music.

Dam-Funk: Wolf, what's up
with you? That's right, y'all.

What's happening, world?
This is Dam-Funk.

You're tuned in to Peanut Butter
Wolf's 1 2/1 2/12, y'all.

Boiler Room, check it out.

♫ (lyrics) Don't go
swag, just stay cool.

Don't go swag, just stay you.

You know we gonna keep
on funking you till I die, y'all.

Got the Afro now you motherfuckers
can't hate on my perm, no.

You know I'm gon' keep on funking
you till you fucking learn, y'all.

Don't go swag, just stay cool.

Don't go swag, just stay you.

And if I ever hear
you motherfuckers

tell me this bullshit,
trying to walk up to me

and you ain't black
singing that N word

Imma fuck you up, y'all.

(crowd laughing)

Don't go swag, just stay cool.

Don't go swag, just stay you.

Give it up for PB Wolf keeping
this shit real true, y'all.

(crowd cheering)

Fifteen years, you know we gonna
keep on doin' it y'all, yeah.

Worldwide, L.A., Bay Area,
San Jose, Fresno, San Diego

L.A., Pasadena. You know we
gonna keep it real true, oh yeah.

Make some noise if
you're feeling this shit

y'all right now y'all, oh ♫

(crowd cheering)

Kanye: It's just those moments
where you meet with these people

and you understand that this
is a culture and a lifestyle

and an inspiration for so many

and it feels amazing when you
can walk into these spaces

and you know, live inside
of that creative zone

when people just keep it, you
know, to that level of purity.

Voiceover: This is
♪ Stones Throw ♪

Voiceover: The Tomorrow People.

♫ (lyrics) What is the
magic that makes one's eyes

Sparkle and gleam,
light up the skies

The name of the
game is Lightworks ♫

(upbeat intro music)

Wolf: I think the first song
I remember from my childhood

was The Entertainer from
the movie The Sting.

(piano music playing)

Lori: He was a sweetie pie

and very focused at
a young age on music.

(piano music playing)

Wolf: My dad was in the service.

After I was born he went
away to the Vietnam War

and he came back when I was 2.

(piano music playing)

We moved around.

We had to have moved to like
5 or 6 houses in 3 years.

Boston, South and North Dakota,

3 or 4 different cities in
Texas, Southern California

and then eventually
settled in San Jose.

(ship horn)

(piano music playing)

I was literally on the
moving truck and I came out

and a kid like knocked
on the moving truck door.

Steve: And I went
up to him and said,

"Hi, my name is Steve.

Do you wanna be my friend?"

So that's how long
I've known him.

(piano music playing)

Wolf: And I thought it was so
funny and like nerdy and weird

but I was like, I don't
have any friends here.

I might as well give
this guy a chance.

Chris: So, that's how
they got together

and they started singing or playing
this music in the garage.

Wolf: We kinda got into disco
and soul and funk together.

(lively music)

Voiceover: Hi, this
is your DJ Chris

with the top 50
hits of our record.

Michael Jackson's new song--
That was Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye.

A super old time
singer, I mean old.

Here's a song for all
of us kind of people DJ.

Next song on our countdown
is a song by Diana Ross,

who's been in a lot of
our countdowns before.

Well, I'm gonna have to go now

because I have to do
a dumb book report.

Lori: Poor boy didn't eat his lunch.
He'd take the lunch money.

He thought I didn't know.

He took the lunch money

and he'd get a ride
to the record store.

Steve: We'd just like
buy a candy bar for lunch

and save the rest of the
money and go buy records.

Wolf: Between the two of us,

like if one of us bought the record
then the other one wouldn't

because he lived across
the street from me

and then we would have twice
as many records that way.

(upbeat music)

By the time I got
into high school,

I started getting into
more new wave and punk

and that was around the
time when I met Jeff Jank.

(upbeat music)

Steve: We were just
kind of the music clique.

Me, Chris, Jeff Jank, Dave Gatt.

Dave: I know Chris
wasn't just into hip-hop.

I knew he liked The Cure,

I knew he liked New Order.

I knew he liked all these
other types of music.

(upbeat music)

Steve: We didn't really fit
in to one particular clique.

We were friends with all
of the different cliques

because we were into all of
the different types of music.

Alternative or new wave crowd.

We were friends with the
jocks, we were friends
with the hip-hop crowd,

we were friends with
just about every crowd

except for the heavy metal crowd

because that's the type of
music that we weren't into,

but we're still cool with them.

John: We were 80's kids

but were basically into counter
culture no matter what it was.

(upbeat music)

Hip-hop, punk rock, new wave.

Anything that was like opposite
of the mainstream we were into.

Wolf: And it was at that
time I started experimenting

and playing instruments
and playing in bands.

First band I was in
was with Jeff Jank.

(loud music)

He was the guy in my high school

that I thought was gonna really
be like a successful musician.

I was like a super fan,
you know, from afar

and then he asked
me to be in his band.

I felt like that was
a dream come true.

(loud music)

I loved what I was doing with Jeff
but I think my talents and my
passion at that point

were more into hip-hop.

(hip-hop music)

Charizma: Come on,
come on, come on.

Charizma: I said, the hip hop.
Wolf: it don't stop.

Charizma: The hip-hop.
Wolf: It don't stop.

Charizma: The hip-hop.
Wolf: It don't stop

Charizma: The hip-hop.
Wolf: It don't stop.

Charizma: Now do you
got the flavor?

Come on Jeff, let's
go in the studio.

Charizma that's my name
or shall I introduce myself,
self live and direct.

Yo I'm movin' off this--

Wolf: How are you doing?

My name's Peanut Butter Wolf.

I'm here at the studio.

(upbeat music)

Amy: Charizma ended up
being kinda my 3rd brother.

He was at the house nonstop.

We had like this
wall on the staircase

that had like all
our family photos,

and we took a picture of
Charizma and put it up there.

Jonny: That time period was kind
of the Will Smith kind of era.

Like when Will Smith
was like radio friendly.

Like, "Oh, this hip-hop stuff
isn't so bad son," you know?

Chris and Charizma
had that kind of appeal

but with still being like
edgy, still being punks.

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) Beat box
play one for me ♫

(beatboxing)

(upbeat music)

Amy: They were
really silly together.

Chris was really shy

and he brought out like a
really funny, creative side.

So, it wasn't unheard of
for the two of them
to, you know, get in costume.

Jonny: He would talk
Chris into getting like

dressed up with
wigs and like 70's,

like really weird clothes
from thrift stores.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: Okay, Public
Enemy? No, too violent.

Charizma: No. Beastie
Boys, that's too old.

Beastie Boys. X-Clan.

My name's Mike D.

Mike D: I'm psyched to hear
Chris was somehow inspired by

or encouraged by
what we were doing

because I think
they're a great example

of just being really independent
being really creative.

B FAP: Here we
go Mystic Television.

We're sitting right here.

You know who I am, I'm B FAP,
the Brother From Another Planet.

We got Charizma on one side

and we got the Peanut Butter
Wolf over there, no jelly.

How did you get that
name Peanut Butter Wolf?

Wolf: Oh, that's a
secret, that's a secret.

Charizma: We're
from the Bay Area.

Basically, Chris was about
you know, the crazy styles,

being different, the apple
juice, the cut off hat

you know, which I
originated and all that.

Wolf: Am I supposed to
look like into there or?

B FAP: Why not?

Wolf: I'm a new jack,
I'm a new jack.

Charizma: We get categorized
as the West Coast group

and people think that you know,

just because you're
from the West Coast,

you got like this stigma on you.

Like you're doing
this gangster rap

or you're doing this or that,
you ain't got no skills.

So basically, Charizma's out
here just to let you know

that they are some brothers
from the West Coast,

they got skills, you know?

We're here trying to do what
we got to do and be different.

Voiceover: Look at that crazy
hat and that apple juice there.

This guy is nuts.

♫ (lyrics) I'm pulling skin
since I'm the real McCoy

I take girls and line
them up like corduroys

This ain't a hand-me-down

Everyone loves a superstar

I love my mom
call breaks red light ♫

Charizma: My advice to
any up and coming artist

be true to what you do

and be different, be
original, be yourself.

You know, this hip-
hop industry is crazy.

Voiceover: What is the MC
if you can't green light.

♫ (lyrics) Check 1, 2
with the check 1, 2

I like to come back like ♫

Charizma: Kind of hard to
categorize Charizma.

I'm hard then I'm cool then
I'm apple juice, you know?

We're just trying
to be different.

♫ (lyrics) A thousand
people shot

And all the hoods that ran

Thinking how could all this
happen in front of one man

I made a move on the
girls with the good looks

That's overdue like
a library book ♫

Voiceover: Yo,
Chris, rewind that man.

Woman: He's still unsigned
but not for long

because Charizma is South
Bay large and rising.

All, I feel y'all, peace.

(crowd clapping)

Grand The Visitor: Very
few people leave San Jose

and blow up and become
super stars in music.

It's just a little
suburb, you know,

attached to the back
end of San Francisco.

(upbeat music)

You think about it.

You're trying to
tell your family

that you're gonna be
successful as an MC.

This is like winning
Powerball, right?

This is like winning the
lottery. I'm gonna be
successful in music

and we're not gonna ever
have to worry about this.

Right, right dude.

(chuckles) Right.

Kermitt: Notoriety you
know, makes people
look at you strange.

It was interesting.

Being with him there
was a lot of crews

that they weren't happy
that we were so prominent

but there was a
love for the fact

that San Jose was coming up.

You know, there was a lot
of hope behind Charizma
and what was going on.

Joanne: In the South Bay,
Charizma is ready to blow up.

Negotiations for his plat
single are going on right now.

They got signed up with
of course Hollywood
Basics out of L.A.

(knocking)

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) Now this little
rhyme goes to the hood

And this little riddle-rhyme
is up to no good

So why don't you just come
selector, come selector

The beat will flip it up

And like a recipe
why don't you mix it up

And mix it up, right.

Yo, well, here we go,
well, here we go

The reggae style is not, not me

But I go buck-buck on, one time

buck-buck, two times

So what, so call it coffee
'cause this all grind-grinds.

Swell, can't you tell I'm flowin
That fast, you can't lie

I put on my hat, my shirt
and then my sneakers and
my pants sag down ♫

Voiceover: Yo, it's the
Hollywood Basic segment,
you know what I'm saying?

I got Charizma in the house.
That's right.

Voiceover: Real quick
and then Charizma.

Coming out of San Jose, when
your music coming out, yo?

Charizma: April, May, May-ish April,
we're droppin' a 12-inch.

Red Light, Green Light.
Here's a Smirk

Voiceover: Why don't you
talk about a little bit

about your little
adventure up in L.A.?

Joanne: I'll never forget the day, how
happy they were when they came home.

He says, "I really feel like a celebrity."

And just happy, happy.

Just ecstatic two kids.

We threw them a big party
when they got back, too.

So, I think at that point, he
really felt like he was a star.

Wolf: It was nice. They had
a little party for us.

And they were like snapping photos
of us signing the contracts.

It was sort of crazy.

The pictures were all
(rapid camera sound).

Joanne: You guys got
like celebrities, huh?

Charizma: Yeah.
Wolf: A little bit of starstruck.

Grand The Visitor: The record
business is not clear cut.

They got hooked up into a label
that has some constraints to it.

They wasn't able to get
their hands on their money

though they knew it was there.

(soul music)

I think there was a lot of
people depending on them.

(soul music)

You know, with his family, with his
friends, people around them.

(soul music)

There was a lot of
pressure to make it work

and to make it look
like it's working.

(soul music)

Charizma: Thank you, Grandma.

(soul music)

Voiceover: You kids have
fun, I know you will.

(soul music)

Grand The Visitor: They
didn't really have it all yet.

So, I think he was trying
to keep that image.

Kermitt: Charizma got caught up in
something that was longstanding

that really didn't have
much to do with him at all.

Grand The Visitor: He was in a area
where people are starving to death.

Voiceover: East Palo Alto is the
poorest city in San Mateo County.

Kermitt: Really anybody
from San Jose at that time

in those areas was dangerous.

Voiceover: 42
homicides last year.

Has the highest number of killings per
capita of any US city.

Wolf: He was driving his car and
somebody tried to carjack him

and he resisted.

(soul music)

B FAP: Together forever
like a love song.

Charizma: Together forever.

(gun shots)

(soul music)

Wolf: Yeah, I got
the call the next day

and you know, it was...

I mean, you never
in a million years

can believe something like that.

Maria: I remember that day
because it was my Christmas Ball,

my senior Christmas ball and we had,
I had seen him on that Wednesday

and we said, "Oh, yeah,
let's not talk tomorrow

because it'll be more exciting

when we see each
other on Friday."

So, I didn't plan to
talk to him on that day.

I was at home watching
TV and Chris called.

He told me that he was gone,

that Charizma was gone.

Wolf: I didn't know what to do.

I mean I was just...

I took a break from everything

and just didn't really...

I just turned off basically.

(hip-hop music)

I was determined for the music
we had done together to be heard

and every label I
sent it to was either

no thanks or just no response.

So in 1996 I started
Stones Throw.

(alarm beeping)

(finger snapping)

(ticking sound)

(beating sound)

(rattling sound)

(up tempo music)

(rattling sound)

(up tempo music)

(upbeat music)

Jonwayne: I feel like we're all
one and the same around here.

We're all striving for the same
thing for you know, more or less

which is the advancement
of independent music.

Ariel: It almost feels like
Stones Throw is a home of sorts.

It's a very welcoming vibe.

It's almost like Peanut Butter
Wolf created his own genre.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: Most of the time it's
an uphill battle anyways

because most of the things I sign
are things that nobody's heard of.

(upbeat music)

?uestlove: I think as a curator,

Peanut Butter Wolf is
absolutely needed

and we need more people
to follow his example.

Smaller movements make
for a bigger better culture.

Royal Kush: I feel like
the Lost Boys is a term

that shouldn't be
thrown around lightly

but I think a lot of the people that Chris
brings into the family are looking for a
place.

(upbeat music)

Myron: L.A. is a big place

and everything is all
about how big, how fancy,

how Hollywood you are

and after coming across Stones Throw
it just feels a lot more free.

(funk music)

Dam-Funk: Today let's
just see if we could, you know--

I don't know, we'll
see but it's easy.

It's fast, like a drum
and bass type sound.

You know, we'll see.

Man, this sounds great.

I'm just gonna get
set up real quick.

1, 2, 3, oh.

(upbeat music)

Being on Stones Throw
has really changed my life.

I mean before I was on Stones
Throw I was driving trucks.

I was delivering tools to
places, I was working for
the American Red Cross.

All that stuff was fun I mean

but all the while I was always
recording and doing music

and I never gave up the dream.

(upbeat music)

At the end of the day
when I'm smoking a cigar

and at a beach somewhere
like you know, chilling

with a Cadillac margarita,
you know later in life

I like to look back and say I
never did you know, sell out.

And that's the type of
artist I wanna continue to be

and that's the kind of artist
that Stones Throw
has at this current time.

(upbeat music)

A-Trak: It takes someone with
unusual personality I think

to sort of see these little
nuggets of potential in people

and actually invest
the friendship

and spend time with people
that have that potential.

(piano music)

Mayer: Put on my first
album with Stones Throw

and it's been a
wild ride since then.

♫ (lyrics) Well I wish
that it would rain ♫

I was trying to
make hip-hop music.

I had just moved to
L.A. from Detroit.

I didn't really know anybody.

I got introduced to Wolf

and I was trying to get him
to put out some of
my hip-hop music.

He was more interested in
these demos that I did in my
bedroom of soul music.

It was stuff that I never
really had any plans on
making into a full album

but you know,
he's got that vision.

He's really pretty
magical in that sense.

Wolf: I feel like I'm
kind of a stomping ground

to start people's careers

and then they can kind of
do what they want after.

I think that's why I like
working with a lot
of younger artists.

Vex: I made a demo with
like 8 songs and I sent it
to like 6 other labels.

Only label that hit me
back was Stones Throw, Wolf.

♫ (lyrics) Fancy, I'll show you

You'll see ♫

I work at the UPS Airport

and I just drive tugs
around the airport.

♫ (lyrics) 'Cause I've
been on a lonely road

And I still got a
long way to go ♫

Wolf is the godfather
of my son now.

Anika: You know
there are these kids

that are making records
in their own rooms.

I mean, Vex Ruffin's a very...

He's a good example of that.

What we're doing is trying
to go against the mainstream

and go against this
kind of fake world

that the music industry
is pasting for everyone.

♫ (lyrics) I know how
the system works

I know how the people work

I know how the system works

And it doesn't

Stop looking over your
shoulder, no one's there

Stop looking over your
shoulder, no one's there

Stop looking over your
shoulder, no one's there ♫

They're not resting on their
laurels which is what I
admire about them.

They're not scared of change

and they're not scared of
embracing what's coming
up in the future, so...

(crowd screaming)

Geoff: Majors, they've
got individual departments
for taking a leak.

Smaller labels and I know this
myself because I've run them.

It's a very hands on business.

It's a Very personal business.

Homeboy Sandman: You know, they
don't try to create artists,

they try to find artists.

You know what I mean?

They don't...

And nurture artists, you
know what I'm saying?

Not trying to limit
what anybody does

but try to have people
reach they full
potential as an artist,

you know what I'm saying?

Voiceover: We're
going to take 2.

On the count of 3, Black Power.

1, 2, 3.

(clicking)

(upbeat music)

♫ (lyrics) Yo what you
want from me

Who was saying this
nation's indivisible

I don't care what they say

If they paid,
cats is miserable. ♫

Talib: Artists like Homeboy Sandman
who's a New York based artist

who's been around for years

and he's been making
quality hip-hop records

and no one's taking a
chance on marketing it,

promoting it or
getting out there.

I think they were a perfect fit.

♫ (lyrics) Everything we say is
in vain the days are biblical

(upbeat music)

Yo what you want
from me, what you want

Yo what you want
from me, what you want

Yo what you want
from me, what you want

Yo what you want
from me, what you want

Yo what you want
from me, what you want

Yo what you want
from me... ♫

Tyler: I was at McDonald's
and it's the ra--

I don't know whose car it was
in but the radio was on real low

and I just heard...

I heard my ear
just catching stuff

and I heard some
(beep) progression

I've never heard in my life.

I was like, "Turn that (beep),
turn it up, turn it up."

So I was sitting there.

I knew it was about to end

so I tried to catch the last
lyrics of it or whatever.

I went home and I sat
for like 2 hours (beep)

Quoting those (beep)
lyrics trying to find it

and I found this forum

and it some random
(beep) Japanese (beep)

And it said The Stepkids
and it had the song title

and I (beep)
YouTubed it, found it

then found out they
was on Stones Throw.

I was like what the (beep).

Listened to the
album and I was like

oh my gosh, this is crazy.

♫ (Lyrics) He's a
Shakespeare of his day

Like David when he plays

I'm one of a kind

He's Darwin of his age

A prophet and a sage

A legend in my own mind ♫

Dan: It's just a reflection
of Wolf's taste when
he started the label.

He was really just
interested in hip-hop.

Like the human mind
normally does,

he wanted to expand and
get into some new stuff.

Wolf: Stones Throw's
like a commune or
something at this point.

We're just oft like
doing our own thing.

Diva: I'm Diva

and I am an intergalactic,
inter-dimensional
immortal pop star,

and I'm here living a
few incarnations on earth

to try to see what I can
contribute to the
human population.

And heal this planet.

(up tempo music)

Tyler: You mentioned Jonti.

He's such a sick dude.

He's awesome.

Hey Jonti.

Earl: The vocals that he has
on this shit is so tight.

I don't know if that...

Does he like sing
that shit or is it...

Wow dude.

But then you got motherfuckers
like Guilty Simpson

who is just like dirty ass,
real scary hip-hop music.

Guilty Simpson: When I went
to Stones Throw about signing,

the main thing he told me that
he didn't want to change me.

He didn't wanna change my music.

I can be as filth flarn' filth
as I wanna be,

you know what I'm saying?

Say what I want, do what I want.

A-Trak: They're all
interesting dudes

but like each one of them injects their
personality in the projects.

After just a handful of
these records that come out

you can look at them
together and be like,

"Oh yeah, this is
from the same stable."

Royal Kush: Right, right.

Yeah and the other thing is that

Stones Throw is kind
of a meeting place

for a lot of different
musical worlds.

(up tempo music)

Wolf: James Pants was an
intern for Stones Throw.

He came to one of my
gigs when he was 15.

(up tempo music)

He went to his senior prom

and then he went to my
gig afterwards and
took his prom date

then he said, "Hey, you
wanna go record shopping?"

I said sure.

You know the way to my heart.

(up tempo music)

And then he eventually
interned for the label

then he started making mixes.

(up tempo music)

I don't even think he really
told me he was making music

but another employee
at Stones Throw said,

"Hey, have you ever
heard James' music?"

I said no.

I heard it and I was like
wow, he's holding out on me.

(up tempo music)

And then I told him that I
wanted to put his stuff out

and he, you know,
he couldn't believe it.

(up tempo music)

James: Good evening,
Los Angeles.

(crowd cheering)

My name is James Pants.

I come from a land very far
away to be here tonight.

I hope you have
an excellent time.

It's a Variety show of sorts

with song, dance,
drumming and screaming.

Have fun.

(music)

♫ (lyrics) The Eyes of The
Lord are Upon You Today

The Eyes of The Lord
are Upon You Today

The Eyes of The Lord
are Upon You Today ♫

(upbeat music)

(upbeat music)

Wolf: When I first heard
Madlib it was the Lootpack

and it was on college radio.

I was working at the record
distributor at the time

and I had just
started Stones Throw.

(hip-hop music)

Madlib: I was with Stones
Throw in the beginning

because of the first
records he put out.

We joined with them because we

heard Charizma,
Peanut Butter breaks

and this dude was playing
all this crazy music,

all the hip-hop we like.

I'm like he's playing this shit?

I'm like damn, this dude crazy.

We just connected from there.

Wildchild: That was at the time
when we were shopping deals

and they weren't
really interested

or at the same time
we weren't willing

to change what we wanted
to do for the labels.

And then it luckily got in
the right hands through Wolf.

Wolf: When I heard Madlib's
music, that immediately
became my focus.

(hip-hop music)

Oh No: Oxnard is actually
called the Little Chicago

because Al Capone and them
used to transport drugs
and stuff back and forth

from you know,
Oxnard to Chicago.

A lot of gangs out here.

A lot of gangs, you know the
rappers too, you know?

In the music world in Oxnard,

everybody is really
trying to get along

because there's really no time
for that bullshit, you know?

Everybody's trying to
do this music thing.

Voiceover: This is all live.

As you can plainly hear and
see there's no lip-sync
business going on here.

This is the real jam,
the jam of the jams

and we doing it
something like this.

(rap music)

Talib: First time I
heard of Stones Throw

was when I bought
The Lootpack album.

The first thing I noticed
was how dense that album was.

It was packed.

It was like over 20 songs,
maybe 22, 23 songs

and I just couldn't believe

that they were doing
this level quality music

but so underground.

(hip-hop music)

?uestlove: Stones Throw
came crashing into our world

like just came crashing
like a meteor.

(hip-hop music)

Woman: Could you please
just introduce yourself?

(upbeat music)

♫ (lyrics) If you're not
flipping cuts like DJ Rome

Well then you're not
representing with the LP

Now, if you're not
dropping tracks like Madlib

Then you're not
representing with the LP

Well, if you're not kicking
styles like Wild Child

Then you're not
representing with the LP

But if you're not
supporting hardcore hip-hop

Well, then you're not
a real hip-hop MC

If you're not in tune
to this, total bliss

Nowadays a lot of
rappers I like to diss

Because yo, all up in your songs

you'd be talking
about your glocks. ♫

Wildchild: Wolf has already
taken us on the road.

He was showing us stuff that other
cats I know didn't even get to see

until their 2nd,
maybe 3rd album.

♫ (lyrics) When the camera's
off you'll be acting soft

Because you'll be in
that mental state

Thinking that you're great

But everywhere around the gates
people saying that you're fake

Like dropping out of weight
while you're trying
to have your cake

But with your jams
ain't got no weight

And many niggas won't debate

We keep it hot like Benihana

With no drama while you
bite like a piranha ♫

Steve: It wasn't until
meeting Lootpack

to where Chris finally
was able to move on.

There was a long period
between the passing of Charizma

and the meeting of Lootpack.

And it was after the
success of The Lootpack

that he moved out
to L.A. to do more.

(upbeat music)

He risked everything
to come to L.A.

but it was a move
that he needed to do.

He needed to be with Madlib.

He needed to be there because
Madlib was the next thing.

Voiceover: And now
the competition begins.

J Rocc: The four horsemen
riding through town.

Egon, Jeff Jank,
Wolf and Madlib.

That was the label.

Like it was just out the house.

Like literally, out the house.

A-Trak: Egon was
just this very diligent

and responsible passionate guy

that came in and moved to L.A.

And came on board to help
make sure that things
were getting done.

The Gaslamp Killer: Jeff
Jank is also a visionary

and he is more involved in the
decision making at Stones Throw

than anyone cares to realize.

Mayer: He plays an enormous
role in Stones Throw

and he is the grumpiest
motherfucker

that you will ever meet
in your entire life

but I love that dude to death.

Wolf: He knew nothing
about computers

but he taught himself
basically everything

as far as like starting
stonesthrow.com

and he's like a big...

He's like the secret weapon
of Stones Throw, you know?

So this is literally
a bomb shelter.

That was made in
the 50's I guess

when the US and USSR
were in this Cold War.

We called this studio
The Bomb Shelter, you
know, because of that.

J ROCC: That's where they
ran everything out of
that damn house.

Egon out of his
room in the front.

Jeff Jank downstairs
doing nothing but artwork.

Madlib right around
the corner smoking

and just playing drums or
beats just cranking out.

I loved going over there.

Oh my goodness,
I used to love going.

(upbeat music)

By then like Stones
Throw you know,

it was like wasn't no
longer Stones Throw.

It was like Stones
Throw like oh shit.

This is the house over here,
it's going down over here.

Madlib: Reality shows
weren't popular back then

but it would have been crazy.

You see a couple dudes
arguing over here

and I'm eating up his frozen
dinners because I'm broke,

you know what I mean?

He's like, "Where
my dinners at?"

Over here I'm playing music
at 5 in the morning and drums

and Jeff Jank comes in yelling.

The next day we're drinking
martinis like nothing happened.

That's how we live. (chuckles)

It was crazy.

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) Hey yo we headed to a
party to go see what's happening

Smoking the lah in the
car turn on some rappin

Start to freestyle,
we'd be up on our way

Finish up the blunt

Somebody pass me that spray ♫

Wolf: You know, I appreciated
Lootpack for what it was

but on one of the tapes
on the backside of it was

this guy with a high voice
rapping over the beats.

♫ (lyrics) Police pulling
us over for no reason

Searching the car like ♫

To me it seemed like the beats
were a little more experimental.

The whole project just seemed
more experimental than Lootpack.

♫ (lyrics) You got warrants

You all niggas ready
for some torment ♫

I asked Madlib about it.

I was like...

I found myself listening to
that over and over, you know,

and I asked Madlib,
"What is this?"

And he was like, "Oh man!

"I forgot that was on there.

"Yeah, you know,
like you weren't

even supposed to hear that."

I'm like, "No,
that's really good."

I wanna put that out too
and he's like, "Really?

"Cool, I'm with it, whatever.

"You know, fuck it."

Talib: Quasimoto sound
is the Madlib sound.

Quasimoto is a piece of Madlib.

It allows Madlib to
say and do things

that maybe he wouldn't
do as an artist.

♫ (lyrics) The other day
Mr. Buddha had this plan

Get grands off the man so
our whole crew could expand ♫

We all need that as artists

and Quasimoto is
a genius invention.

♫ (lyrics) In my garage thinking large
puttin' together the entourage

My niggas straight hit the
bank and broke the hell out

So much money you couldn't
even get that smell out ♫

Flying Lotus: Hearing
that shit, at the time,

there was nothing like it.

You didn't even need
mushrooms or weed or nothing.

You didn't even need it.

You could just listen to that
shit and just be like what?

That shit'll just trip you
the fuck out, man.

Madlib: Yeah, that's the only
time Quas comes out, yeah.

Yeah, that's the only
time Quas would come out.

Madlib: I mean not for
weeks but like a month or 2,

you know what I mean?

Madlib: I wouldn't advise that
but yeah my man does it.

Madlib: Same, he's
just more loud.

You know what I'm saying?

Same type of vibe if
you get to know me

but he's just loud and
I'm more, you know, calm.

I think I'm loud when
I'm drunk, I don't know.

I have no idea.

(upbeat music)

♫ (lyrics) I remember
Ultramagnetic and Stetsasonic

Afrika Bambaataa
and the Soul Sonic

MC Shy D, Public Enemy,

Boogie Down, MC Shan, MC Ren

The Disco 3, Mr. Magic
with the Rap Attack

All day KDAY
Mix Masters, Craig Mack

Steady B, Schoolly D, Heavy
D, Mantronix with MC Tee ♫

Mike D: Madlib had you know,
this reinvention cycle.

Quasimoto was a big departure.

You know, he was not afraid to
then go out and make something.

That's not what people expect.

That is not even what people think
is gonna be a Madlib album.

♫ (lyrics) CCB, take
it back like LONS

Remember Daddy Fresh
or Maestro Fresh Wes

I know rap, my man ♫

(upbeat music)

Madlib: And it sounded
like what it looked like.

I didn't disagree when
they showed me.

I was like, "Yeah,
that's it right there."

A pig face, Alf nigga, like I don't know,
you know what I mean?

That's what he
sounded like. (chuckles)

(upbeat music)

Wolf: And then Madlib started
telling me, "I wanna make jazz."

I said, "You wanna make jazz?

"How are you gonna make jazz,
you don't even play instruments?"

"Oh, I don't have to play
instruments, I could sample."

Madlib: At a point I
got tired of hip-hop,

you know what I mean?

Because it gets boring.

Anything is boring after you
do it for a while, you know?

Got into jazz about 2001.

Mike: It's sort of a
reverse manifestation

of people who got into hip-hop

then sort of explored the
music that hip-hop sampled,

and then fell in love with that

and manifested a
new approach to it.

And when you go to create
original music based on that,

your interpretation of it is
something completely original.

Wolf: We were playing the music for
Weldon Irvine, who was like a jazz great

from the 70's that A
Tribe Called Quest sampled.

And we played the music for
Weldon then he was like,

"This guy did not just learn
how to play instruments.

"He's been playing
his whole life, like--"

I said no, I'm telling you,
he just started learning.

He said, "Well, I'm gonna look this
brother in the face and ask him."

Madlib: He's like,
"Show me what you do."

Put in the CD he's
just like (chuckles)

And I was like woohoo!

Wolf: And that's when I realized

that actual musicians are
like giving it up to this guy.

Who was like a producer who just kind
of makes do with whatever he has.

Geoft: I always will
say that the...

I think that Madlib is...

You know, I would compare
him really to Frank Zappa.

(drumming)

Hip-hop essentially
was just stale.

Absolutely like the worse bread,

you know, you don't
wanna feed ducks.

And viciously commercial,
you know like Ja Rule.

You know that was kind
of I suppose around
that kind of time.

J Rocc: I don't think Wolf
made it a conscious decision

to make it Madlib, the
producer of Stones Throw.

I mean, he had other stuff
coming out at the same time.

It's just that you can't
compete with somebody

that was making 5 albums
every 2 or 3 weeks or
something, you know?

Madlib: I'm here from 7 to
7 the next day, everyday.

You know what I'm saying?
I sleep like 2 hours, 3 hours.

(upbeat music)

I'm a quiet dude, I hate
people looking at me,

you know what I'm saying?

I don't like too much attention.

Wolf: I don't know
him to be anywhere
but in his studio creating.

He's not concerned about
how popular he's gonna be.

The money and the fame
don't seem to be the main
reason why he creates.

He creates to create

and to just get it
out of his system.

Respect everybody who
listens to my shit, though.

You know what I mean?

Otherwise, I'll still be
bumping it for myself,

you know what I mean?

?uestlove: I got a
call from J Dilla.

He's like, "Madlib is
killing me right now."

I said, "Really?"

He said, "Yeah man.

"Like he's going
where I wanna go."

He does little nuances and
tricks in his music that like--

That I know only I get.

Like even if I were
to play it for you,

it would go over your head.

Madlib is talking to
me and only me.

(upbeat music)

Kanye: The purest and
greatest musicians come
out of that environment.

Also, just a struggle that we
deal with in those environments.

Where you're fighting.

You're fighting
for your freedom,

you're fighting for your
economic equality
with your talent.

That's all you got.

There's no other
chance right there

and you know, that
pressure bust pipes.

You know, you're gonna...

Something great.

A rose is gonna grow
out of that concrete.

(upbeat music)

Dilla was definitely
one of those roses.

(upbeat music)

Voiceover: And this guy
sitting over there...

Y'all guys good?

DJ House Shoes: I kind of
introduced Madlib to Dilla.

It's funny, I introduced Dilla
to Madlib through the
Lootpack album

and then I introduced
Madlib to Dilla

and Wolf and Madlib
came out for the first time

and we were all in the studio.

Madlib: It's Madlib,
the beat conductor.

House Shoes was there
rolling up the blunts,

you know what I mean?

My man walked in with the
SP and the snow, J Dilla.

J Dilla: I could explain it

Voiceover: Okay, come on man.

J Dilla: I hooked up with
Madlib because I love his work.

Voiceover: How did you do this?

It's like I'mma tell
you, I'mma tell you.

Voiceover: Start from
the beginning, come on.

J Dilla: I hooked up with Madlib,
because I love his work.

Bought his records.

When I first heard
Lootpack, I went crazy.

Who was this cat?

I actually got in touch
with Madlib and flew him out.

Let's do an album or something.
Let's do a EP, or

let's just mess the industry up,

you know what I'm saying?

Hook up like that, do it.
And really do it.

Wolf: You know, Madlib
really looked up to Jay Dee

and Jay Dee looked
up to Madlib too.

So it was this real like weird
awkwardness when they met.

They were in the studio.

J Dilla: Yeah.

Wolf: And then House Shoes
is like passing weed around.

DJ House Shoes: Dilla's
never been influenced

by somebody so strongly
as he was by Madlib.

Talib: Then you see Detroit
not just with Oxnard

but with the West Coast.

Dilla did a lot of West
Coast sounding thing.

Something about Detroit

and West Coast sounds
did well in the Midwest

but in Detroit in particular.

Mayer: There are no labels
like Stones Throw in Detroit.

There's no entertainment
business there.

We all had to look elsewhere

to find somebody to
actually put our music out.

Thankfully there is a guy
like Peanut Butter Wolf.

(upbeat music)

Common: That Jaylib project just
turned out to be something, like...

It's a hip-hop monument.

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) It's Frank
Nitty in the place to be

With Jay Dee to the
ILLA and the LIB

So let me see you
touch the sky ♫

The Gaslamp Killer: Madlib
and Dilla got together

and started challenging
each other super hard,

and Dilla moved to L.A.

♫ (lyrics) In this bitch,
we raise the stakes

Up a little bit and
shut shit down

Tone to the toe to the
chrome to the zone

You need to put your hands
up is what you need to do

Plus niggas got
game like the PS2

It's Dankery off and... ♫

Kanye: Dilla maybe
perhaps might have been

a bit more of a
scientist perfectionist

and Madlib might have just
been a bit more crazy.

♫ (lyrics) We are in
this motherfucker

We are in this motherfucker ♫

Common: As soon as he got
out here he loved L.A.

He loved it.

It was like I think a
breath of fresh air for him

because you know,
no matter what,

when you're at the crib,

when you're in your hometown,

everybody you know
is around usually

and that could be...

Obviously that's the foundation

but at certain times if
you're the centerpiece

then a lot of it is just--

Everything is depending on you.

It's easy.

It's better to get
away sometimes

just to kind of reboot yourself.

(upbeat music)

Voiceover: Ladies and
gentlemen, direct from...

at the lost gates of sunny Southern California.

The Gaslamp Killer:
It wasn't like damn,

these Detroit guys did it again.

It was like this is now,

this is us.

Now he's moved
here for a reason.

It's because he believes in
the energy of California.

He wants to be in the
sunshine and the warmth

with all the positivity
and all these people

that are really like
loving what he's doing

and loving what each
other are doing

and really sharing and...

It wasn't so dog eat dog.

We weren't like Silver
Lake, Echo Park, Eagle Rock,

Hollywood, Venice
Beach, Santa Monica.

No, we're like L.A.

This is L.A. hip-hop, we all--

You know, Compton, Watts.

We were all just in it.

Common: Anyway, he came out here

and I definitely felt
his energy being up.

We would go get records
and give him records.

He'll just be at the crib.

We ended up moving to a
place near Hancock Park,

an apartment that I
stayed in for a long time.

And man, I would get
up in the mornings and

man, go to the kitchen. There he
in the dining room making beats.

I was like...

I mean, there's nothing
better I could dream of.

Kanye: I met J Dilla
at Common's crib

just down the
street here in L.A.

They were staying together

and I just remembered
looking at that MPC

and thinking like those drums
that came out of that MPC.

You know, arguably the best
drums in hip-hop history

and just remember
just vibing with him

and having so much respect

and just wanted to
work with him more.

Dilla, every time it's like that kick
just sat so perfectly and like the--

His swings, his
shuffles on his beats,

his snare choices, the way he
sample shit, it was just like...

It just sounded like,
it felt like drugs.

I mean, his music just
sounded like good pussy.

♫ (lyrics) Get up in it, what

Start her up, what

Get her washed dog,
prime her armor up, what

Big wheels, Cadillac grill, what

What, what ♫

Station DJ: Talking about tryin
to put Jaylib into circ--

And let's do this drop right here

104.9 London's XFM.

Voiceover: All city people.

J Dilla: Turn it up live and direct.

Brand new.

(laughs)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Turn up another
notch, another notch.

♫ (lyrics) Yeah, holla, get it, popping
off from the bottle to the collar

Clap your hands y'all

Get live when you
party with your man, y'all

It's the official

Hands in the air, let
me see the wrist glow

Turn me up another
notch in the system

You say you want
the hot sh-- then listen

Madlib and Jay Dee Z doing
it like we're doing it for

And you don't want
to change your dial

World premier
rearrange, your style ♫

What?

Common: You know, it was
a real like quality time

of making music for them too.

I've definitely seen a lot
of quiet power within them.

It was able to connect
and do something great.

Wolf: We've been working
with J Dilla for a while

and you know, I asked Madlib,

"Who else do you see yourself
working with outside of
our immediate crew?"

And he said MF Doom.

MF Doom: Yeah, the whole
mask thing, really...

All right, there's a
time in hip-hop where

things from my point of
view started going more

to what things looked like opposed
to what things sound like.

(hip-hop music)

Talib: The Madvillain album,

that's just almost as close to perfect as
you're gonna get for a hip-hop album.

You got Madlib at
the top of his game,

you got Doom at
the top of his game.

(hip-hop music)

That's like one of the purest
hip-hop albums you're gonna hear

because Doom focused so
heavily on the rhyme scheme,

and on what he's doing
with the rhymes.

Madlib focused so heavily what
he was doing with the samples.

It was like--

It's just like this super pure,

unfiltered raw focus on
that Madvillain album

that is just untouchable.

MF Doom: He's always
at the bomb shelter

and I'm always up on
the deck writing, right?

And then he would
give me another CD,

I get the CD and I'm writing,
you know what I'm saying?

And then he's back
in the bomb shelter.

I would hardly speak to him.

Wolf: We knew that we had
to put him up in a hotel

and stuff while he was out here.

He always ended up just
staying over at our house.

MF Doom: Yeah, I got a mini
mansion up on the hill.

It was a pretty big crib though.

Lot of space in there, you
know, overlooking the hills.

It was a good place to work
at, you know what I'm saying?

Real quiet up there.

♫ (lyrics) They say he accosted
the man with the sliced wig

Allegedly; the investigation
is still ongoing

In this pesky mission he
gots the best con flowing ♫

Egon: I'm really curious because
you know, you've been hanging out

with one of the guys that
we all consider, you know,

one of the best
producers in the game.

In the game from independent
to commercial, whatever.

Has he influenced your way of
thinking about beats at all?

MF Doom: Oh yeah, "O" just got me
back into, the whole fun part of it,

you know what I mean?

Like until then I didn't
really have a partner

now I feel like I found my
partner, you know what I mean?

Prince Paul: Nobody
knows anybody 100%

and Doom's pretty eclectic,
you know what I'm saying?

A lot of us musicians are kind of
in our world and our own thing.

We get to--

We only expose what we
want people to really know.

I'm sure there's layers to Doom
that nobody's really gotten to.

I'm sure there's parts of himself
that he doesn't even understand.

Wolf: You know, I knew that he had
lost his brother and music collaborator

just like how I had lost
Charizma and I never--

I went probably
like a year or so

without even
mentioning it to him.

(upbeat music)

Then this subject kind of
finally came up, you know?

He really opened up to me

and it made me feel
a lot closer to him.

(upbeat music)

MF Doom: Anybody here
could wear the mask
and be a Villain.

Male, female, any
race, so called race,

you know what I mean?

It's about where you're coming
from in your heart,

you know what I'm saying?

What is the message?
What you got to say?

♫ (lyrics) Wreak havoc,
beep beep it's mad traffic

Sleek and lavish people
speaking leaking to the maverick

He see it as just another
felony drug arrest

Any day could be the one he
pick the wrong thug to test

Slug through the vest,
shot in the street

For pulling heat on a father
whose baby's gotta eat

And when they get hungry,
it ain't shit funny

Paid to interfere with how
a brother get his money

Now, who's the real thugs,
killers and gangsters

Set the revolution, let the
things bust and thank us

When the smoke clear,
you can see the sky again

There will be the chopped off
heads of leviathan, my friend ♫

Madlib: I knew his style, he knew my
style and we meshed them together.

We didn't talk about it.

It just happened.

I go and make my beat CDs and he'd be
up in Wolf's room sleeping or something.

Wake up and do a song.

I wake up and he
have songs done.

Only thing we did together
was a lot of chocolate shrooms.

Egon: Ladies and gentlemen, boys
and girls, Egon, Stones Throw,

all the way from
Los Angeles, California.

I'm here with the Madvillain
tour, record release parties

featuring superstars
like Madlib, Peanut Butter
Wolf, J Rocc,

special guest J Dilla and
of course, the metal face
man, MF Doom himself

and we're about to go
check in with the fellas.

(hip-hop music)

?uestlove: By this point,

Dilla is like our
Dalai Lama, all of it.

He is our spiritual leader.

(hip-hop music)

What Donuts represented was like

you know, the return
to old soul loops

and the old Motown
breaks and that stuff.

I mean, that's
where hip-hop was.

It was like the
post-blueprint era.

You know, Jay-Z had
rhymed over a lot of these--

Well, they were calling
them like Chipmunk breaks

because Kanye would put
them on 45 or whatever.

But it was basically like cats
rhyming over these
old soul ballads on 45.

And I was like, this is almost
like your answer to that.

Okay, you know a lot
of you cats are bringing
back the soul records

but you know, I'm gonna show you
just one more time how to do it.

And I was like, "Yo man,

it's almost like you were
sending a message out there

to all the beat makers
using soul records

that you know, like I'mma
show you how to do this, right?"

He was just like, pshhh...

He would never
take credit for it.

Common: His mother told us
stories about how when
he was a little kid

he used to just walk to the park
with the 45s on his, um, wrists.

He would carry
45s like bracelets,

45 records on his wrists.

He wanted to go to park
with them on his wrist.

That's what would make him happy
so he was born into this music.

♫ (lyrics) Okay, okay,
there comes a time ♫

(hip-hop music)

Jay Dee had gotten sick and it
happened when he was overseas.

He felt something going
on and when he got
back here, you know,

he'd been diagnosed
with something,

with like a blood, a
rare blood disease.

DJ House Shoes: It kind of
became public that he was sick

and he was in the
hospital not doing good.

Flying Lotus: I just remember
seeing him looking that way

just like he was
already on borrowed time.

And I just...

I couldn't even look him
in the eye, you know?

Because I had a feeling that
he wouldn't want anyone
to see him like that.

Wolf: He always bounced back
and when I saw him in
the hospital you know,

and I remember I
went like one time,

I picked him up
from the hospital.

He called me to like
take him back home.

You know, that was
like a huge celebration

in the wheelchair
and everything.

Put in the wheelchair in
my car and he usually
always bounced back.

?uestlove: I'll say I was
in denial at that point

but then James
started filling up

and he instantly walked outside

and I was like
oh God, this is...

This is goodbye.

(crowd cheering)

(crowd chanting)

MC: Yeah, say
it, say it, say it.

Come on, come on,
come on, come on.

(crowd chanting)

(crowd cheering)

J Dilla: Yo, it's a blessing
to be out here right now
bringing you this celebration.

M.C.: It's what it is, yo.

J Dilla: From the D
I'm like fuck it.

(crowd cheering)

Make some noise if you're
feeling me out there.

(crowd cheering)

(hip-hop music)

Madlib: When Dilla passed
everything changed.

He was like a Coltrane.

When Coltrane was there,

everybody tried to
follow what he did

and when he died, motherfuckers
didn't know what to do.

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) All I give to you ♫

(hip-hop music)

MC: Make some noise for J Dilla.

(crowd cheering)

♫ (lyrics) I give to you ♫

(hip-hop music)

Common: We felt like we had
lost one of the greatest.

The people that I've
seen at the funeral

you could just tell that he
had touched a lot of people.

DJ House Shoes: The music
stopped when Jay left.

That's the most accurate
statement I could make is

when Jay left the
music fucking stopped

and it was like a
moment of silence.

A very long moment of silence.

Wolf: Dilla passed away,
Doom was no longer recording

and Madlib didn't
wanna rap anymore.

It was really kind of the
Wild West for Stones
Throw at that point.

Like anything goes.

Gary Wilson: I can hear it now.

Speak to me.

I love Gary.

Speak to me.

I love Gary.

Speak to me please.

I love Gary, I love Gary.

(music)

♫ (lyrics) Linda wants to be
alone, Linda wants to eat alone

Linda wants to sleep
alone, all into the night

Linda wants to be alone,
Linda wants to eat alone

Linda wants to sleep
alone, all into the night

Linda wants to be alone ♫

DJ House Shoes: Up to that point
it was a fucking hip-hop label

and it seems like after
that point, you know,

Stones Throw is really not
a hip-hop label anymore.

And I think Jay's passing
kinda led him to set
foot on that path.

Geoff: The Gary Wilson start.

I was enthralled
by that whole thing.

♫ (lyrics) Linda she's
so out of reach

The girls are swimming at
the beach all into the night

Linda wants to be alone,
Linda wants to eat alone

Linda wants to sleep
alone, all into the night ♫

J.Rocc: The records up until
Gary Wilson was just all heat.

Gary Wilson isn't bad,
it's just not hip-hop.

♫ (lyrics) Doctor told
me what to do

I got to get away from you ♫

What the hell is this
like, you know?

And it's what Wolf liked.

Wolf: Gary was a hero to me

because he was such an underdog.

The Gaslamp Killer: And for
all of us freaking diehard

hip-hop, B-boy type people,

we were just a little confused.

A-Trak: No, I don't think so.

I mean never really saw it as a
sort of sudden change like that.

Even during the first
10 years of Stones Throw

releases like Yesterday's New
Quintet definitely broke the mold

of what a hip-hop label
traditionally would release.

I don't think, you know, the
releases post Donuts

were that much of a
surprise or departure.

Voiceover: Next,
we'll have DJ Steve.

The moment you've been waiting
for at the number 1 song

we'll have it right
after these messages.

Just think these two albums
could be yours for only 10.99.

Could you believe that?

Only 10.99.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: Baron Zen, my buddy
Steve from my childhood.

I put out his record
that was done on a 4-track.

You know, just
some lo-fi bedroom

like Daniel Johnston
type of stuff.

Steve: One day Chris
just called me and said,

"Hey, let's put out the Baron
Zen. Let's put it out."

So we went through
it and he put it out.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: That did really poorly.

♫ (lyrics) I got to get, got to
get, got to get rid of Rick ♫

Steve: I was a teacher.

I still am a teacher. (chuckles)

Yeah, so I teach
middle school English.

(upbeat music)

A-Trak: A lot of record labels
sign artists or projects

that they think will do well.

(upbeat music)

But for Wolf it was just like,

I'm gonna press up my
little brother's punk band.

(punk music)

Or I'm gonna press up a
7-inch of Captain Funkaho.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: We had to start over
because the people that
we were relying on

were either no longer with
us or just not recording.

A-Trak: And if people like
it, cool. If people hate it,
fuck it, we had fun.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: The more I strayed
from what people knew
Stones Throw to be,

the more I got criticized.

(upbeat music)

I was surprised because we
were doing the same thing
we had always done

and I felt like I was
always finding new artists
that were really great.

Diva: The person that really
sold me on Stones Throw,
though, was Folerio.

Royal Kush: Well, Folerio has a
very inviting sense about him.

He seems to be a traveler.

(music)

The Gaslamp Killer: I
definitely think that Wolf

is different than
what people think.

(upbeat music)

DJ House Shoes: Yeah,
Wolf's a regular dude man.

Slightly awkward, you
know what I'm saying?

Good dude.

I think there's a fucking party
animal trapped in him there.

Like way deep down.

It's a real wild
motherfucker in there.

Folerio: Folerio loves
New York City!

(crowd cheering)

Man: Folerio, Folerio yeah!

(crowd cheering)

Folerio: Great.

All right, well awesome.

Well, I'm just grabbing some
records and I'm almost there.

Folerio loving!

(crowd cheering)

(upbeat music)

J.RocC: What makes him
think of Folerio?

And then do it--
to go full blown,

Folerio'd out. Like he
signed Folerio like really?

You'll put it out,
Folerio's new record?

Folerio: You want one more song?

You want one more song?

(crowd cheering)

Will we make one more song?

(crowd cheering)

No problem?

James: God, I'm so glad there's
a label just putting
out this nutty stuff.

That's never gonna sell
but it's just so good, you know?

20 years down the road

that's gonna be the
records people are
looking for, you know?

It's like, "Oh yeah
this label Stones Throw,

they only put out
200 of this Folerio 45

and it was so terrible at
the time no one bought it.

But now it's like it's the--

You know, everyone wants to.

It's like the holy grail
of Stones Throw, you know?"

Wolf: There was a time you
know, in Stones Throw's history

where we just weren't
making any money.

A lot of it also had
to do with the fact

that the record stores
were all closing down.

So, you had Tower Records
and Virgin Records.

Any major chain in the
United States closed down.

Madlib: Internet, YouTube.

I respect everybody
that does that

but that messed up our,
you know, what we do.

We still wanna do it but that
messed up a lot of things.

Wolf: We got hit with like tens
of thousands of returns of CDs

and a lot of record
labels actually closed
their doors that year

when that happened
and we kind of stuck through it

and just kept putting
out weird shit. (laughs)

(upbeat music)

Dam-Funk: Wolf had heard
my music on Myspace

based on the comment I
left on Baron Zen's page.

(upbeat music)

Steve: Dam-Funk's
first release was

on the Baron Zen Remix album.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: He gave me his album

and it was like 5 or 6
albums worth of material

and he didn't wanna
make it any shorter.

So I said let's do a vinyl box
set for your debut release.

People would go
in the record store,

they'll see this box set of
this unknown person and be like,

"Wow, this person
deserves a box set.

"They must be really important."

And it worked.

(upbeat music)

Mayer: I was kinda...

Like when I came in,

I was part of the kind
of like 2nd generation.

♫ (lyrics) You know baby'
I know you think we can
make it all work out. ♫

David Letterman: Mayer Hawthorne,
ladies and gentlemen.

There it is right there.

How do you do?

♫ (lyrics) I don't wanna
make this any harder
than it needs to be

So don't cry ♫

Mayer: So it was like this
new crop of kids coming in.

It was me, Dam-Funk,
James Pants and Aloe Blacc

and Wolf really
saw it like that.

You know, he saw us as
the future of Stones Throw.

He was getting kind of pigeon-
holed into Stones Throw
being the hip-hop label

and I don't think he ever
really saw it like that.

♫ (lyrics) Just don't
feel the same ♫

Wolf: After we released
Mayer Hawthorne's album,

when Aloe heard that he's
like, "I can do that."

He started working with
this band from New York
and they did I Need a Dollar.

(soul music)

♫ (lyrics) I need
a dollar, dollar

A dollar that's what I need

Said I need a dollar

Said a dollar is what I need

Said I need a dollar

I said a dollar
that's what I need

And I'll share with you my story

If you share your
dollar with me ♫

Conan: My next guest is a
Southern California native.

He is here tonight with a
song from his latest
album Good Things.

Please welcome Aloe Blacc.

Wolf: Aloe said, "I think this
is the song I Need a Dollar."

And I heard it and I was like.

Then it got licensed
for this HBO Show,

How to Make it in America,

it was the theme song

and then we rushed to get it
on iTunes and we called it

I Need a Dollar, How to Make
It in America theme
song in parenthesis.

We didn't even
ask if that's okay.

Like we probably could
have gotten sued for that.

♫ (lyrics) I need a dollar

I said a dollar is what I need

And I'll share with you my story

If you share your dollar with me

Come on, share
your dollar with me

Go ahead, share
your dollar with me

Come on, share your
dollar, give me your dollar

Share your dollar with me

Come on, share your
dollar with me, yeah

Yeah, I need, I
need a dollar, yeah ♫

Madlib: You got your house.

That's what you got
your house and your car

but you got to keep that up.

You don't sell a
certain amount it's over.

It's over but-- you know?

Wolf believes in something
different it looks like

because he still fucks with
cats that may not sell as much.

Or he may one day,

but you got to take that chance.

That's why I'm still here 20
something years later if
you know what I mean.

You can't have the future without
the past or anything between.

You got everything and
that's what Stones Throw had.

(upbeat music)

Wolf: I think what's been
exciting for me
with Stones Throw

and just being in the music
industry is just how
unpredictable it is.

It's difficult but you just
never know what's
around the corner.

(upbeat music)

Love man.

(upbeat music)

Snoop Dogg: Nigga, that
shit knockin'.

(upbeat music)

♫ (lyrics) Let me do my
thang, do my thang

Yeah, Imma do my thang

Let me do my thang

Stay on the low and get
it everywhere that we go

Let me do my thang

New gators on my feet rolling
up and down this street

Let me do my thang

I'm busting new batch get
it back just like that

Let me do my thang

I'm hard in the paint never
say what a nigga can't

Let me do my thang, do my thang

Yeah, Imma do my thang

Let me do my thang ♫

Man in green: Yeah, we can
turn it all [unintelligible].

Snoop Dogg: We got 5
or 6 great club bangers

if we just drop the
motherfucker with the
right meaning or reason.

I love how you all get down.

You all know what the
fuck you're all doing.

I told Dam, I was like
"Whatever they
say, I'm with it."

Dam-Funk: We just wanna
make this a great record,

you know what I mean?

We're gonna do it and you know,

it's beautiful that
we came to this.

This is what it really is,

creating music and
vibing with each other

and making something happen
to a great conclusion,

you know what I mean?

And everybody working together.

Snopp Dogg: And Dam, this
is a record about us

giving the people
what they want.

They requested this record right here.

Dam-Funk: Yeah, oh, you already know.
Snoop Dogg: We was forced into it.

Dam-Funk: We already (laughs)

Salute to that.

Snoop Dogg: We were
forced to do this record.

I mean anything else
would be uncivilized.

Mike: It's incredibly
hard to grow and
maintain the same ethics

and the same ethos over
such a long period of time.

Where they are today is
just a larger version

of what they were
originally doing which is
incredibly hard to do.

A-Trak: Stones Throw just
managed to build its own
empire independently.

There's so many great labels
that signed with a major

for some sort of
joint venture deal

and that ended up
killing those labels.

It's a tempting decision.

J.Rocc: It's crazy that they've
been able to hold on this long
with every other label closing.

Wolf could have got bought
up probably 5 times.

Wolf's like, "No, I'm good.

"I'm keeping the label,
it's my label, you know?

"I didn't start
this to sell it."

Wolf: Some of my decisions
have prevented me from
being more successful

and I understand that
but I guess that's my struggle

because I mean, there's
probably like 3 or 4
handfuls of people who

when I put a record
I want them to like it

and then beyond
that I don't care.

Royal Kush: There is a bit
of an anti-establishment
flair to Stones Throw

and I don't think
that's a coincidence.

I think that has
to do with Chris.

His quest to move beyond music

and that move beyond
curation in essence kind
of go beyond general.

Mike D: I think
people like this,

they expect one
thing and I get that

but ultimately the only thing
that keeps things alive is
change, invention, reinvention.

It's just like whatever sparks,
whatever it is he sees he's
like, great, I wanna do that.

(music)

Wolf: In 30 years I want
to see Stones Throw Records

either in the $100
bin or the 99 cent bin.

I don't want it in the $5 bin.

I want people to either
like really hate it
or really love it.

(hip-hop music)

♫ (lyrics) I'm a fugitive
running from my past

How long will freedom last
I'm swinging knuckles of brass

Motivated, hustle for
cash, I'm puffing the hash

Leave a rapper on the ground
with his jugular slashed

And laugh at him, it's humorous

A lot of emcees got one
style, me I got numerous

I stand out so
nobody's confusing us

I'm way better, cold
winners, beige leathers

Black pistols, red
eyes, blue jeans

White widow, caked up, new green

Travel across borders,
across water

Being short on my
cashflow is a tall order

Your style shallow like
fountains where they
toss quarters

Wishing away to be
the pick of the day

When motherfuckers would care
to hear the shit that you say

On show day you couldn't
give the tickets away

Loser

And this is the way

And this is the way

I step through the door, sharper
than a blade from a mower

Success, you more
like the pitch of a four

What a mess, I ain't gotta
brag when I double cash

Come easy like a breezy
with a treble pass

Still by popular demand

Return like a shirt when
you wore it with a tag

Still clown in the C-U-T

Eyes low, Tae Bo, no S-U-V

CA to the D what up, talk shit

The shoe fit, equipped, get
your tongue shoestring, damn

Stay sound as I crack jaws

You lock doors, we break
through the bores in the drywall

By far we a highlight

You an extra, catch shade
from the spotlight, right

No pressure, respect,
just the best

To headline the field like
rent from your next check

M.E.D.

And this is the way

And this is the way

Pete Rock ♫

♫ (lyrics) So you feel
it oh so very strong

About us meeting

And you would like to know more

I get the feeling

That this here may not work

Because you see me I can
hide with something there

We can go as far as
you would like to go

But it's with your heart baby
that you got to let me know

I understand that it
takes a lot of work

But I'll be right here if
you just stand by your word

(soul music)

You say that you
need my love, my love

But what are you
gonna do if you get it

You say that you need my
love, my love, my loving

Charizma: They didn't
think we're nerds, did you?

Who cares.

Wolf: I don't know.
Charizma: I have twenty cents.

Sometimes you just got to do
your own thing, you know?

Charizma: Yeah, we're different
than everybody else DJ.

That's what sets us
apart from them.

Wolf: That's right.