All The Way Up

Fast-forwarding to 2016, each of the members of D.I.T.C. have navigated the changing music industry landscape in different ways, releasing new albums, side projects and compilations to keep their cult fanbase happy. True to form, presently Fat Joe is toasting to success with a massive new club single “All The Way Up” featuring French Montana & Remy Ma, while at the same time contributing to the new D.I.T.C. album D.I.T.C. Studios. The album invites budding new producers that are successfully able to capture the golden era sound through their beats, with the original line-up present on mic duties.

Although getting to this point was not easy, as Show declared D.I.T.C. “a wrap” in a 2011 interview, citing creative differences as the reason that they would no longer record together as a unit.

Show: There were too many egos, too much everything. We never were disrespectful to each other, but at the same time, if everyone doesn’t have the same way of looking at things, it could be a problem. I was always the one trying to get D.I.T.C. to do things. It seemed like it wasn’t going to happen, so I was just frustrated when I said that. Like, I’m not even going to try any more. I felt like it was falling on deaf ears and everybody’s egos was involved.

I guess it started with Fat Joe and I. We weren’t speaking for like eight years. Joe and Finesse weren’t speaking either. Based on that, once Joe and I connected last summer, we all started having talks. We’d go in the room, talk to each other, air out what we were disappointed about or what dudes weren’t on the same page about. We put everybody in a room, aired it out with one-on-one conversations and moved forward. That’s basically what happened. Dudes gotta be men, come to an agreement — or disagreement — and keep it moving, and that’s what we did. It’s like that with most families, you’re going to have disagreements, but if you air them out and say how you feel, you can move forward. Every family goes through these periods.

Fat Joe: Me personally, I don’t think we have creative differences. With me and D.I.T.C., I am a member. I’m not the leader, not the boss, not the head rapper. I play my position. I make requests and throw my flag up like “Yo should we do this?” If I’m counted out, I’m counted out. I was just happy to see my brothers come back and make music together. It’s been a dream of mine — not only of mine — but for the fans. So I always like ‘Yo let’s work,” and Showbiz started throwing beats around like “Alright, you want to do it, let’s do it!” At the end of the day, this is my family, this is my home. This is where I’m from so I’m always proud to work with my brothers. This is where I came from and I could never forget that.

Show: It’s dope that we have a superstar down with our crew, which L would have been also. It’s great that Joe shows up and helps the guys get through the door. It’s a beautiful thing. He’s been making hits since he came through the door, you can’t take anything away from Joe. Twenty some years later and he’s still making hits.

Buckwild: I always felt lyric and production-wise, we were the line-pushers. With the beats you want to look for the top of the line production, where everything is original. I even think that Kanye modeled himself after Diamond, “the best producer on the mic.” Early on, every time I would see an interview, he would be bigging Diamond up.

If you look at the lyricists, A.G., O.C., Finesse, Big L and even Pun, that’s a whole other level. For Joe with his hit making abilities, every time someone tries to count him out, he comes with another hit and knocks ’em down. Every time I walk outside the door, all I hear is “All the Way Up.” After this other one drops with Bryson Tiller, that’s going to be number one as well. I heard it and was like “Oh my god, this nigga has done it again.”

O.C: I told Joe’s ass a few weeks ago, I don’t understand why people don’t mention this cat when they mention the Hov’s and the other hit makers. Fuck you, this dude got just as many hits as everybody else. I don’t see the recognition. I guess he’s like “Fuck it, I’ll still do it.” I just bothers me when people don’t mention the diamonds in the rough that we got in my clan.

I don’t really see another producer / MC group that is fucking with us, period. I don’t care who has platinum or millions of records sold, they’re not even talked about at this stage. Looking at our studio, there’s a million plaques on the wall, you would think as individuals we all went super platinum. At the end of the day there’s nobody really mentioned in the same vein as us, period. We set the blueprint. Nobody is fucking with us, no disrespect to anyone, but that’s just what it is.

Lord Finesse: Everybody talks about we need the real hip-hop, the real beats, the real rhymes, we need lyrics with substance. I think on this project we have all of those things there. I get tired of people complaining, then when the proof is in the pudding, they don’t support it. People saying ‘Can I download it? Can I stream it?’ Like no, support it. Don’t just talk it, support it.

Diamond: We hope to add on to our catalogue and continue the legacy. Dope beats, dope rhymes. Just more of what we’ve been doing.

Fat Joe: What I can say is, with no disrespect to anyone specifically, when you hear other rappers — your favorite rappers — that get to our age. They get rusty and fall off. I’m just glad that everybody sounds better than ever. Everybody is killing this shit, everybody is flowing, everybody is dead nice. It feels really really dope. I play it for young niggas in the studio and they’re like “Daaaaaamn!” That’s major. A lot of our favorite rappers ever started to deteriorate when they got older.

Buckwild: I think the competition fuels us too. After you become a part of a platinum record and you get a taste of one, it becomes repetitious and something that you really want. How many people can say that they are still doing it in 2016 with classic records that are still rocking? Dudes look at us like “I want to be able to do what you do.” It’s very humbling to have a career this long. Most of the hit records I have are still in rotation or are getting licensed.

O.C.: These dudes are special. That don’t die with age when you are talking about us. D.I.T.C. is one of the greatest, man. Ever.