Danny Diablo

Chummy: So state your name, and tell me a little bit about the music you play.

Danny Diablo: My name is Lord Ezec, AKA Danny Diablo. I'd best describe my music as New York underground hip-hop with influences from both hardcore and metal.

Chummy: What would you say are the differences and similarities between the hip-hop scene and the hardcore scene in NY?

Danny Diablo: To me there�s very little difference between the two, and I grew up with the both of them. I'm from Jackson Heights, Queens, which is like a hardcore Mecca. You know, Gorilla Biscuits and Killing Time are from here, and I grew up seeing those bands around all the time. At the same time I was listening to hip-hop, and could relate to those lyrics the same as I could to hardcore bands. A lot of underground rappers in NYC are hardcore kids, or used to be hardcore kids, and they know about the scene and ethics of hardcore, and they incorporate that into the hip-hop scene.

Chummy: Would you say that you�re a hardcore kid playing hip-hop, or a rapper that used to be a hardcore kid.

Danny Diablo: I'm definitely a hardcore kid and will always be one, my shit that I'm doin right now is more �thugcore� than it is anything else.

Chummy: What is �thugcore?"

Danny Diablo: Well, for years in the scene most of the bands were hardcore bands that were influenced by punk, and most of their lyrics were about unity and shit. Don�t get me wrong, I still love that shit, but thugcore is more like heavier shit, more metal influenced music, and lyrics about shit that I seen and been through growing up. The lyrics are more street style lyrics, similar to hip-hop.

Chummy: You've done hardcore bands for years between Crown of Thorns and Skarhead. At what point did you decide to cross over and do hip-hop as Danny Diablo?

Danny Diablo: Well, about two years ago I left Skarhead, moved to Pennsylvania, and got engaged. At the time, my boy Donny AKA D110 got in touch with me. He was an old friend of mine who played drums for Skarhead. He was like "yo, Ezec, you should get back in the music game, you started this whole thugcore shit." It was cool cuz he really believed in me as a musician. He had this label called UW records, so I started recording with him and tried to see what would come of it.

Chummy: Would you say that you started �thugcore?"

Danny Diablo: (laughs) Yeah, I'm the fucking thugcore originator.

Chummy: Having grown up in NY, and listened to your bands and other bands from NYC, pretty much everyone has heard of "DMS" in either songs, or graffiti, or clothing. Could you describe what DMS is?

Danny Diablo: DMS stands for �Dirty Money Syndicate� or �Drugs Money Sex." It�s basically a crew that originated in the hardcore scene in NYC. We all represent our crew to the fullest, and we all have mad love for each other, which is why you hear about it in our songs. I'm trying to bring DMS to the masses as a musical collaboration, which is why I'm calling my project "Danny Diablo and the DMS All-Stars.� It�s kinda like how the Soul Assassins are a crew, but they also do music. That�s what we're doing with DMS.

Chummy: The last time I saw you, you told me that UW Records went under, could you tell me more about that?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, the guys that ran UW Records, Donny aka D110 and G-Fella were both arrested for cocaine dealing and distributing. I was actually in the apartment when the fucking cops busted in that shit. It was fucked up yo. I saw FBI agents, a SWAT team, local and state police, the shit was fucking crazy. They busted in and put fucking guns to my head, I was in my fucking underwear on the floor with fucking lights and helicopters everywhere.... They took me down to the station, and thank god I got released two hours later. Donny and G-Fella both got at least 10 years in lockdown. Shit is fucked up, cause it was a federal investigation, so they're gettin more time than they should. If it was just a local thing, they'd only get 1-3 years. Also my old guitarist Matty is getting like 5 years, too. Shit breaks my heart and much love goes out to them. If I blow up and make enough money I'll get them a really good lawyer and get them out.

Chummy: What would you say are the disadvantages of being a white rapper?

Danny Diablo: To tell you the truth though, I don�t even consider myself a white rapper. I just consider myself a street kid, and my music is for the street kids, no matter what color they are, and that�s what I rap about. I'm Jewish and Puerto Rican, so a lot of white people probably don�t consider me white anyway. (laughs) I don�t give a shit, I'm fucking proud to be Latino, and proud to be Jewish.

Chummy: My two partners and I are all Jewish; the girl I run the site with was actually born in Israel.

Danny Diablo: Word, yeah, I love Israel, I been there twice. My sister married an Israeli� I was Bar-Mitzvah'd and everything, I'M FUCKING PROUD TO BE A JEW AND YOU COULD PUT THAT IN FUCKING CAPITAL LETTERS...

Chummy: (laughs) Awesome, I totally will.

Danny Diablo: Word.

Chummy: How do you feel about some of the white rappers that are around right now?

Danny Diablo: I like all the NYC underground white rappers, like Necro, Ill Bill, Non-phixion, Lords of Brooklyn, Slain from Boston, Everlast and DannyBoy from House of Pain, I have a side project with Dannyboy called "the shotblockers" so look out for that. As far as the garbage that�s out, and some of those motherfuckers that claim to be rappers, that shit is just garbage. I have a Fred Durst diss song on one of my mix tapes about that shit.

Chummy: Does Fred Durst know about the song or do you know if he's heard it?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, he's heard it. (laughs) He ain't gonna do shit though.

Chummy: So, since UW Records went under, what label is your music gonna come out on?

Danny Diablo: It�s gonna be on La Salle Records which is Travis Barker's from Blink 182's and the Transplants' label.

Chummy: Have you been recording anything lately?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, actually I just got back from Boston, I did a few tracks with this rapper up there called Slaine, and right now I'm recording some tracks for my new shit.

Chummy: What could people expect from your new stuff?

Danny Diablo: It�s gonna have a lot of guest appearances from different rappers and musicians. I got Dannyboy on there, the guys from New Found Glory, Good Charolette, Weezer, Rancid, Madball, Jamie from Hatebreed, Puerto Rican Mike, Skinhead Rob, and a ton of other shit.

Chummy: Last time we spoke you said that Tim Armstrong is gonna be producing some of the songs, that still happening?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, he's gonna do like three or four songs, and Sergio Vega from Quicksand is gonna be doing a few songs, too.

Chummy: When Skarhead used to tour, you guys would hit up a lot of strip clubs right?

Danny Diablo: Hell yeah.

Chummy: What cities have the best ones?

Danny Diablo: L.A. and Miami have crazy strip clubs.

Chummy: Better than the ones in NY?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, but there used to be crazy ones in Queens. Most of them got closed down though, you used to walk into those joints and they'd be mad dirty and shit. Like girls swinging from the pipes on the ceilings. (laughs)

Chummy: You ever hang out with porn stars?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, actually this one girl Jessica Darling, she's my homegirl, her and her husband are close friends of mine, he directs movies and would put Skarhead in the soundtrack, or have a few of the girls wear Skarhead shirts.

Chummy: Do you have any good tour stories with that shit?

Danny Diablo: (laughs) Yeah, I got tons, but I can�t talk about them. My girl would kill me. I got stories that I can�t even believe actually happened.

Chummy: Thanks for the interview, anything you wanna close with?

Danny Diablo: Yeah, look out for my new shit, and much love to my boys in lockdown Donny and G-Fella.