Porn Valley- Rapper EA Ski is the subject of a “rockumentary” that’s being shot by Robert Hunington of Outback Productions for HBO with an airing scheduled sometime in 2004. We grabbed a quick chat with EA Ski and found him to be a pleasant, highly articulate man who, for reasons known only to him, isn’t that crazy about anal. We talked about porn, women, the Oakland Raiders, women and a variety of other subjects and women.
Gene: Tell me a little about this project.
Ski: Basically trying to capture EA Ski to its fullest, get into the brain of what makes EA Ski tick and get me out there to the forefront where everybody can see me image-wise, look-wise, how I think about the music and a lot of my views on what has been successful for us in the business, and the success we’ve had. Along with the nice-looking women, and that doesn’t hurt either.
Gene: What prompted you getting together with Outback.
Ski: It was mutual interests from Jon Krashna. We had been doing a lot of business together. He knows my history of doing music and the success that I’ve had from the music business has been so powerful. He was introduced to Outback Productions and spoke on me and was mentioning how we’ve been successful with a lot of records we’ve had and the type of attention we draw for us in the business, and how it can be a win-win for everyone as we go to the next level with this music and the whole DVD packaging. That’s where music is going- it’s going from music and packaging to having a hot DVD. A lot of these companies aren’t doing DVDs at all. They’re terrible. From what I’ve seen with Outback, the stuff they’re doing is high quality and they do mass marketing. And that’s how you win in anything including music. The stuff they’re doing is even defining music- they’re re-inventing how to market and sell product and get it to the masses where it sells; and it’s visible, out there. That’s what I’m really impressed with. Just the whole focus of the EA Ski along with the music and the DVD is a perfect combination because it reaches a broader audience.
Gene: Are you a porn fan.
Ski: LOL. You know what? You can call me a closet porn fan. I like porn for what it is. Saying I’m in that mood and not with a female or whatever and looking at some good porn that gets you off…even when you’re with a female, you can watch it and get off. Porn I think is very healthy. I think it’s the best way to go when you’re talking about safe sex and basically being able to enjoy something in your home and just be creative or whatever you want to do in your personal lifestyle.
Gene: What kind of kid were you like growing up.
Ski: I was a very witty kid. Both my parents are still together so that gave me morals to help me with a foundation. That was very important. My parents gave me the wit but I was in a community where there was only so much a parent could do. When you’re out there you still have to choose your own battles. I lived in East Oakland so that was really a hard area to grow up in and try to find your way. But I think we did really good trying to make a name for ourselves where I had to stay in focus. And music became our outlet. Music gave us a way to vent through all the stuff that was going on. We’ve been through little incidents growing up. We’ve all been in trouble and through stuff but we’ve been able more or less to put it into our music and be able to vent it out in our music. In that sense music has been very therapeutic for what we do.
Gene: What was your big break.
Ski: Actually the consistency of us making music landed us a situation. We were shopping our music to a label and the label was blown away like this is phenomenal. At the time it must have been a blessing from God. I know it was a blessing from God- because when we got there, they just had an artist who was just signing a major deal with Jive Records. They were, like, we love your music so much would you be a part of helping this artist blow up on this major label. We did about three or four tracks for him and it went platinum out the gate. It took off an sparked everyone calling us and wanting us to write and produce. There was a bidding war. Every label was at us trying to get us to do our own artist album. And that was really the big break for us. That artist was Spice 1.
Gene: You grow up in East Oakland.
Ski: Yes.
Gene: What the hell happened to the Raiders?
Ski: I’m going to tell you- the porn movies. They’re watching too many of them. And they ain’t working out! LOL.
Gene: Half the Denver Broncos were at a porno function last week.
Ski: What happens to a lot of artists and entertainers is that they lose that drive and hunger. You have to stay hungry if you want to be successful. If you’re in a comfortable situation where you feel you don’t have to compete no more or have to challenge yourself to be the best in a competitive market- and that’s a competitive market in anything- whether it’s football, sports, basketball or music, if you feel you can just get by because the money’s there, you’re going to fall off. And that’s what’s going on with the Raiders right now. They’re comfortable. They’ve got all the women. All the money. They’re not practicing. They’re not working out. They’re not staying sharp on their game. They turned from Super Bowl contenders to straight up losers.
Gene: Talking about the women. This is why most guys get into music, right? It’s the women.
Ski: To me it’s not. I love ’em a lot. But I’ve always been into the music for the music. It’s been a very good part of helping me stay focused and not going out and doing bad stuff. It’s been very therapeutic for me. Things that I went through in the streets of Oakland from just the negative stuff to being able to channel that energy into music, music speaks to everybody. And when you make hot music, it motivates people. And then there are perks with making hot music. You have the women. You have the jewelry. You have the fame, the fortune the perks and all the stuff that goes with it. First and foremost is the music for me and then everything falls into place. I think that’s how I continue to make hot music is because I don’t let anything distract my focus from the music.
Gene: How about your persona and messages. Is it very positive or are you the snarling urban dude.
Ski: I’m very analytical with my music. I can take any situation and paint a picture where you get it. I have a song on my album called Answer Me and I took that record from all the stuff I’ve been through, from having weapons cases, assault cases, talking about how I brought up a lot of cats in this gang and how they forgot to acknowledge the one who put them in the forefront of this business. I can change moods. I’m a very moody dude. I’m the type of dude that can be one way one day and different the next. My emotions depend on when you get me. And my music is like that. I’m a freak or I can talk about how the industry is raping a lot of the artists, not giving them any royalties, giving them bad deals. Or I could talk about the east coast-west coast tension. I could talk about what’s going on in the streets or tell any story from any point of view. I think that’s what makes me edgy. And I don’t really have that type of attitude where it’s just one-dimensional. I think that’s what makes me diversified to sell multiple records. Because if you’re one-dimensional you’ll find that music is so fickle. There’s so many changes every day. One moment they like Ice Cube, the next moment they like 50 Cent. So when you’re able to change and mould your style to whatever, it gives you much more staying power.
Gene: When did you lose your virginity.
Ski: Oh, wow. Well, well, that’s hard. Because I don’t know losing virginity like actually just losing, losing it.
Gene: I don’t mean misplacing it, I mean losing it.
Ski: Okay. I want to say about 14, 15. It was kind of vague but I guess it was one of the females I was digging and we just were kicking it. You think you know what you’re doing but you really don’t know what you’re doing, trying to stick it in..
Gene: Was it an older woman?
Ski: No, we were the same age.
Gene: A girl from the neighborhood.
Ski: Actually she went to another school. It was one of those things where I was from Oakland and she was from Berkeley and I would creep through her window.
Gene: You were banging a progressive chick.
Ski: Yeah! LOL. I would do my thing. Creep through the window., Her mom was asleep. I was a bad dude. Not all the way bad.
Gene: Let me ask you a Howard Stern question. Have you banged any famous chicks?
Ski: Oh, man, yeah. But I can’t put their names on record.
Gene: Do you confine your sights to women in entertainment or are you equal opportunity.
Ski: I love women, man, whether they’re famous or not. I just love beautiful women. I don’t discriminate. The more famous they are, the more difficult it becomes sometimes because you’re dealing with the Hollywood-thing. And I’m not a Hollywood cat. I’m a very down to earth cat. I could take an entertainer but it’s always a game. And I got to remember where she’s in the Hollywood mode where I’m not so I have to deal with her totally differently than I would have to deal with somebody who’s not in that world.
Gene: Seeing anyone on a serious basis.
Ski: I have friends.
Gene: Booty call.
Ski: Exactly. It varies. It can be seven days a week sometimes.
Gene: It drops in your lap, now.
Ski: I consider myself a pretty groomed dude. I wouldn’t say handsome. But I keep myself groomed. I think my look definitely accommodates a lot of females interests.
Gene: What cologne are you wearing.
Ski: Dolce Gabbana.
Gene: Getting back to porn do you have any favorite performers?
Ski: I like porn for different things. Sometimes I like porn just to watch it. I don’t really have a favorite porn star.
Gene: What’s your sexual turn-on. What do you like?
Ski: Man, I like all kinds of stuff. I like a squirter. I love watching a female squirt. That turns me on.
Gene: There’s a couple of girls in the business who could wash your car.
Ski: That’s what I’m talking about. That’s a turn on to me. I like that.
Gene: How about anal?
Ski: I’m not an anal cat. At all. To each his own.
Gene: Typically about a woman, what’s the first thing that would attract you?
Ski: It varies on each day but it’s breast and ass. Definitely.
Gene: A BIG ass?
Ski: I like a nice round ass. Some asses are just too big. But it has to be a pretty balanced ass.
Gene: After this shoot wraps up, what’s next?
Ski: I’m in the midst of working on my album which is going to be off the hook. It’s going to have nice big feature names. I’m talking to Ice Cube we’re in the process of talking to Dre, see if that could happen. It’s all about politics but the music is going to be incredible. Along with this movie that we’re working on, I think it’s going to be phenomenal for what it brings to music. Visuals and music just go together. Along with the music that we’re putting inside the music, it’s just going to be off the hook.
Gene: I’m curious. Snoop Dogg has worked with adult companies. Ice T has worked with adult companies. What do you guys do get together and have secret meetings to decide you’re going to do these projects.
Ski: I think it all goes hand-in-hand. We love women. It’s unrealistic for anybody to think that any entertainer is not interested in adult entertainment. We like adult entertainment. I think adult entertainment can appreciate what we do based upon the fact that we talk about a lot of situations whether it’s an adult situation, or intercourse with females or just talking about females in general and how we interact with them. I think when it’s all said and done, it just gives us an idea of how to really put it all in perspective. It’s the perfect combination.
Gene: What’s your feeling about Eminem?
Ski: I have an empty thing. It’s very empty. I don’t really know how to comment on that.
Gene: When are you going to do a Girls Gone Wild?
Ski: When the opportunity presents itself. When the opportunity presents itself with a bunch of women around me I’m going to have fun. I’m going to enjoy myself. But there are some things that I won’t do as far as who I am. As far as having two kids. I have to moderate.
Gene: So you’re very conscious about being a father.
Ski: You have to be somewhat conscious to that degree. Whatever decisions I make or decide to make I’m definitely going to have to be able to explain it and break it down. So I’m never going to be embarrassed with any moves that I make. At the same time I want to be able to develop that thought and try to predict how it’s going to turn out in the future. I think everything’s about thinking things out and making sure that you’re somewhat analytical about your moves and the steps you make.
Gene: Where would you draw the line of taste where you’re not going to cross it.
Ski: I draw the line based on what I do. I’m a producer. I’m an artist. I’m a writer. I’m a businessman. I’m a CEO. I try to do what do best. So when it gets into like the acting and stuff, it’s fine because I do videos. And doing videos you’re portraying what your music is. So making the transition is not too difficult. But as far as making the step into the adult world and stuff, that’s not my world for me to do. I could be a part of it and let everybody else do their thing while I’m around it. But I’d rather do what I do that I’m best at.
Gene: Who’s your favorite music artist?
Ski: That would have to be Ice Cube. Ice Cube to me is highly intellect when it comes to music. His subject matter is so broad from politics to commercial to the streets to just everything in genera;. He’s covered so much ground as an artist and he articulates in a way where it’s powerful and it touches a nerve. It touches a nerve in the way unlike anybody. Tupak was very poetic and he definitely was great, too. But there’s something about Ice Cube, his delivery and his style. Ice Cube was able to change his style at any point in time even to this day. And he knew how to interact with his fans and he knew how to broaden his horizon even going in the movies and being his own director and being a writer. Those are important things when you come from the entertainment world to be able to be diversified.
Gene: What the hell was he thinking when he did Anaconda?
Ski: You know what? I think he’s asking the same question. Cube does some great movies. He’s definitely developed a style and being comfortable in front of the camera where he knows how to get into different roles. He started off in the Boyz in the Hood from being a person that really wasn’t too hard for him to get into character to going into Three Kings or going into The Barber Shop. The more you go in front of the camera- and that’s where I want to go- the more I go in front of the camera, the more my dialogue gets better, the more convincing I get. I just think he’s great at what he does.
Gene: Is that what you’re aiming for, a screen career?
Ski: I would like to go there along with the music. I think that’s what’s going to make me much more powerful- to be able to go in there with my music and my music dictating the dialogue and really becoming just one. It all becomes one- music and acting is one. You do a scene and hear the music, it plays a role in the scene. Those are the things that I like about entertainment and music- just the merge.