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Universally recognized as one of hip hop’s greatest producers, DJ Premier has forged classic cuts with everyone from Nas and Jay-Z, to Rakim, The Notorious B.I.G. and KRS-One. Alongside Guru, Primo helped pioneer the New York City sound with their seminal group, Gang Starr. While the future of the duo’s partnership remains unclear, Premier has been busy nurturing a roster of new artists on his own label, Year Round Records, as well as an unlikely collaboration with Christina Aguilera. As the lines between mainstream and underground blur, Premier’s unique production sound and mixtapes have continued to delight purists. In town as part of the International DJ Festival 2006, BangkokRecorder quizzed the legend himself about the state of hip hop, moments before he played before a reverential crowd at QBar.  How do you like Bangkok so far?
It’s dope. I got to go to the temples today, the King’s palace, and all that, a little shopping. The food is excellent, we’ve been having a good time.
You’re known as a legendary hip hop producer. How do you view hip hop today, and how do you rank it?
Well, the hip hop that I make and listen to is in good shape because we keep it funky all the time and keep it real. Hip hop, as far as the mainstream media calls it, is out of control. Everything balances out eventually, but we won’t let it stop how we make our music. We’re not going to follow the trends of what radio stations say is hot, so we’re good.
 What equipment do you use, production-wise?
I use old, vintage equipment that really made the hip hop sampling era popular, from Marley Marl and producers like that, Rick Rubin. I’m starting to get the new equipment now, but it’s all experimentation at the end of the day.
What can we expect from you tonight?
A trip through my style and taste. Everything is all relative to the future and to the past, but because I respect it, I’m gonna play it and give them a picture of what I enjoy when I’m at a party; cutting and scratching and showing the artform.
On your website, you say that it's your daily operation to "restore skills, soul and integrity to hip hop". How did hip hop lose its purity? I mean, are there many factors to blame, or can you isolate one or two moments with hindsight that changed things for the worse?
Nah, anything that becomes mainstream…
[At this point, Primo breaks off and calls to across to an assitant: “Hey, they’re playing Biggie! Hey, you heard me?” From the speakers inside QBar, the house DJ can be heard playing ‘Kick in the Door’ by The Notorious B.I.G. Premier gives his aide a glare that says, "they broke my contract" before returning his focus to our dictaphone.]
Anything, this tape recorder. The same quality will not continue once the money starts to come in and then the passion’s out the window. We keep the passion in what we do, and because of that our stuff stays pure all the time no matter when we make a record. We’re keeping the culture alive for those that still care about it.
And that’s what drove you to start your own label, Year Round Records?
It’s the same situation. You know what? Create your own road, build your own house. 
Here in Bangkok, there are stallholders selling pirate copies of your work. Piracy is widely accepted in South East Asia. How do you feel when you see people bootlegging your stuff, and have you ever stepped to anybody on the street?
There is good bootlegging and bad bootlegging. There are ones where people fiend for something so they want it and they can’t find it or get access. But, if you know that, let the artist know that gap exists, like myself, so we know that we need to supply that product for the people that are fiending for it.
Bootlegging will always exist, and regardless, there’s going to be so many different ways of supporting an artist, whether it’s buying their merchandise or something off their website, y’know, go buy a hat or buy a T-shirt, or a mix CD, you will survive that way. That’s why I’m still here doing gigs and I can still make albums, still put out artists, still put out merchandise and venture into other businesses.
It’s 2007, and you can’t let the slow train get on the tracks. It’s got to be a fast train.
Premier, thanks for making me enjoy hip hop in the first place.
Thanks, brother.
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