Interview with Hurt M Badd
Nia B.


Did you ever wonder who the mastermind was behind the production of Tupac’s Makaveli album - one of hip hop’s dopest albums to date? Well if you didn’t know, I want take the time to introduce you
to - Hurt M Badd.

Tyronne James Rice, aka Hurt M Badd, has been on the scene for some time now. Formerly a member of Death Row Records, this 29 year old STL native has a story to tell. From talent shows to long hours in the studio Hurt has definitely made his mark.

This multi-talented rapper/singer/song writer/producer has been blessed with many talents to grace the world with. Hurt, currently residing on Chicago’s Southside and part of Dilla Management, was happy to give me some of his time to give me the just of what’s what.

How were you introduced to the music industry?

Well basically music attracted me when I was 5 years old. I saw a lot of celebrities on television like Michael Jackson for example. I saw how the crowd was going crazy for him, so I guess I wanted that attention. So what I did was start entertaining people and they really gave me a good response. I didn’t know what was in me, but I started going to clubs when I was 13 and I would ask the owner to just let me dance off one record. They used to be like “Come on man”. I’d say, “Just one record !”, so they did and after that I saw that was a way for me to make money. So I took it like a job and I’ve been able to live off of it every since.

You say you used to dance when you were younger, did you participate in talent shows ?

Yeah I did some talents shows, that’s another thing that motivated me because I won first place in everything I entered. I had a streak and it was longer than the bulls. (we both laugh)

Hurt M Badd is a peculiar name, how did you come about it ?

Well this one guy I knew used to come to the talent shows I performed in. He used to see the crowd go crazy for me, and after the show he’d tell me “You put a hurtin’ on the crowd.” You should call yourself Hurt M Badd. I was like “Hurt M Badd” that’s not even a name, but I took it into consideration. I used to break dance and decided to get a jacket airbrushed with Hurt M Badd on it. Every since then it stuck and there you have it.

What type of performances were you doing ?
Singing, dancing, comedy, rapping.

How did you begin writing music in addition to writing lyrics ?

I was a DJ when I was younger and I used to mix records a lot. When I got to Death Row records I had never really been around a lot of equipment. They had a room full of equipment and I had access to the room and instead of just looking at it I asked one of the engineers to hook it up. I was already familiar with the basics that came along with working some of the machines, so I just started making music that I knew how to make.

How many albums have your original music been featured on?

I’ll say about 22 albums.

You were originally signed to Death Row as the lead singer in the group B-Rezell and you wrote and performed “Blowed Away” on the Above The Rim Soundtrack and “Horny” on The Murder Was the Case Soundtrack. How did you hook up with Death Row?

Well that goes back to the talent shows. I had won first place in this one talent show, and I was with this guy named George and we were singing. And after we got done singing this guy named Mark was all over me like, “Why are you still doing talent shows? – You can sing !” Mark had told me that he’d met Suge Night and they talked and got familiar and he told him whenever he got a group together come holler at him. So he found me and we got a little group together, I was the lead singer. So had a song that I arranged all are harmonies to that we sung acappella and we went and sung it in front of Suge, he had sent for us. Once we sung the song in front of Suge, he was blew away. He told us – “Y’all with The Row now”.

Do you still have ties to Death Row to this day ?

No, not really, but I still get my royalties even though it has their name on it.

What prompted your decision to leave Death Row ?

I really just wanted to go out on my own and experiment. I didn’t want to be tied down. I didn’t want to be exclusive.

What was that day like when you met Tupac ?

Everybody was waiting on Tupac to walk through the door. It was just like, wow…
Everybody couldn’t wait to welcome him home, to his new home (Deathrow Records). It was a feeling we all had and we planned to treat him like he was at home. We were all just charged and ready for it to happen.

When did you and Tupac start working together ?

We started working together immediately after Tupac finished All Eyes On Me, which was the first album he recorded on Death Row. He was looking for a sound that he hadn’t ran into yet. Basically he told me that he didn’t want his music to sound like any of the music he’d done previously. So I told him I was a producer on Death Row and he was like, “Well can I come to your room sometime and hear a few songs?” And of course I was like, “Sure.” And the first day he stuck his head in the door and spoke to me he asked me, “Is that your song playing?” I was like - Yeah. He was like “You did all of that by yourself? Let me get that.” And after that we recorded Against All Odds. And everyday after that we were in the studio. I couldn’t believe it. I thought he was just playing with me, because everyday he’d stick his head in the studio and be like, “What’s up? What you got for me today?” And he’d actually pick a song everyday. Then it started getting bad because he’d start picking two and three.

Do feel that you and Tupac had a special chemistry ?

Yeah we did. Some artist you can work with and you just want to give them a good beat and produce the vocals, and make everything tight. But with some artist after you do the first song with them you just want to go back to the lab by yourself and create a beat because your just feeling like you have to work with that person. It’s just this vibe you have between each other. And I think we did have a special chemistry. That’s how he was. I had worked with Danny Boy, Jodeci, Kurupt, but how I felt with Tupac I didn’t get that same feeling with them. He was so talented and quick. I’d be like I know you got that rhyme written down in your hand. You had to come to work with that rhyme already written because he was just too fast. He was special…

How did you feel about the remake of “03 Bonnie and Clyde” with Jay-Z, Beyonce, produced by Kayne West?

It was a real honor. It felt real good see that people appreciate and like my music.

A lot of producers use samples, unlike you. Do see producers moving towards using more of their own samples in the future, or do you see them continuing to recycle beats ?

I basically see them doing the same ole’ thing that’s been happening from here on out. I don’t think it will ever change to something brand new. It’s [hip hop] had its sampling days. Its had its days were you didn’t hear melodies in. I think it will stay the same.

Seeing that you’re a man of many talents – rapper, singer, song writer and producer which one do enjoy
doing the most ?

All of them.

How does a Hurt M Badd track begin and develop ?

Basically I sit down and look up at the sky…Then I start seeing what direction I want to go in. Do I want hard sounding drums or soft sounding drums? Once I get that down, I find a nice little melody. After the track is developed, I then start the vocal process. I might start singing or just try to fit in with the beat and once I do that lay the hook, lay the versus then I’m looking for the bridges. After that, me and the artist get on it and we see what can go here, what can go there and basically that’s it.

What’s your favorite piece of work ?

I would say Blasphemy with Tupac.

How do you feel about all the beefs in hip hop today ?

I look at it like this, it’s a good and a bad. I expect both a good and a bad because you are going to have your rappers that rap about different things and that come out in their music. I don’t really pay too much attention to it; I try and focus on myself.

So if you weren’t in the industry, what would you be doing ?

I’d probably be in the NBA or something. (we both laugh)

Who would you like to work with in the future that you haven’t work with yet ?

I would love to work with Missy Elliot, B2K, 50 Cent, and Puff Daddy.

Currently who are you working with ?

I’m working with an artist called Smooth who’s from Chicago. I am also working with an artist named BOKE, who had a single that was in rotation on Chicago’s radio station Power 92.

What all can you deliver to an artist ?

To sum it all up, I can make them a star. If they can’t sing, we can still do something. I can put them on beat. I can put them in key. I’m dedicated to it, so that makes room for me to give them time to really get it together. Like when you record vocals, artists that really haven’t been in the studio before don’t know that you never really go in there just one time. Its never one take. I know about the patience you have to have with an artist. Behind all my experience I can make them a hit. Just call me a “HIT MAKER”.

Interview Conducted and Written By Nia Beckwith