DB the General speaks on his inspiration and new album, ‘Felix the Cat Mitchell’

by the People’s Minister of Information JR Valrey

In this new COVID-19 world, where most of us are quarantined, I came across some sonic dope that I wanted to share with the readers. For people who are longtime fans of my work, they know that I pride myself on interviewing the most talented artists who also have consciousness to make a positive change in the communities that they come from.

I met DB the General a few years back in Oakland, hanging out with local record exec Big Stone and legendary rapper Askari X. I remember from the start DB having a lot of respect for the level of Black revolutionary conversation that we were having when he walked in.

On a smoke break, DB came outside and shared a blunt with X and I. I asked him a number of questions to feel him out and quickly came to the determination that he was highly intelligent and a thorough dude. He told me and Askari about his family’s affiliation with the Panthers. He also told us how he was studying Moorish Science.

What I liked about him off top, is that he did not try to build up this “Imma rapper” persona like so many rappers do in public. He was very humble around us, and I appreciated his respect for knowledge.

Year later, the “Felix the Cat” album dropped. I was curious to see what the young brother was up to. Then “Quise Mode” came on, and I’m still stuck there (at the time of writing this). I keep rewinding that one; I have not even had the chance yet to listen to the album.

I wanted to give the newspaper’s Hip Hop fans a heads up on a rapper that will be talked about for generations because his unique talent and voice is unmatched. Here is DB the General in his own words.

M.O.I. JR: Can you tell the people what made you want to start making records?

DB the General: My big brother was a rapper, Spicy Mike, I was trying to be like him. That was my first influence.

M.O.I. JR: How many albums do you have, and when did they come out?

DB the General: Thirty-two albums from 2007 to now, so over 10 years I dropped 32 tapes.

M.O.I. JR: What made you name your newest contribution after Oakland drug kingpin Felix Mitchell? What qualities did he possess that you admire?

DB the General: I named it Felix the Cat Mitchell because in Oakland we don’t really use the term gangster rap; we would say mob music. The original mob in Oakland comes from Felix Mitchell. And I admire the bringing together of the community, giving people jobs.

The M.O.B., the My Other Brother term, comes from Felix. He used to watch the “Godfather” with his team. He was a businessman more than a gangster. That’s what I admire the most.

M.O.I. JR: What made you sprinkle your music with consciousness when the going fad in Black music is to be as high, dumb or stupid as possible?

DB the General: Because that part of Oakland history is never talked about. The Black Panther Party for Self Defense was a part of my upbringing. Being a child from West Oakland, my grandmother helped with the free breakfast and lunch program. My mother told me that the Black Panthers use to tell them to do pig sounds at the cops.

That part of my life will never go away. Just driving around Oakland with my mother, she would always point out a BPP house and say that was the Black Panthers’ headquarters. That stuck with me forever. Power to the people!

M.O.I. JR: Who are some of the rappers that you are inspired by? Why?

DB the General: First my most powerful influence would be Rakim, the god MC from New York, because the way he rapped was on another level. He is a very woke individual. Nas and Tupac for the same reason. They come from the RAKIM class too.

But in Oakland, Askari X, Seagram, Rappin’ Ron, Too Short, Digital Underground. I always liked rappers that had something to say, with a message in the music, a story behind it.

Askari X’s “Ward of the State” was my Uncle Tuff’s favorite song. I love that song. Rappin Ron was a lyrical monster, his name will be a part of Oakland history forever. I want to do the same.

M.O.I. JR: Who are some of the people in general that you are inspired by?

DB the General: Huey P. Newton, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Bobby Hutton, George Jackson, Angela Davis, Maya Angelou, Tupac, Nipsey Hussle, Bobby Seal, Fred Hampton, Dick Gregory, Muhammad Ali, Nat Turner, Mansa Musa and Gaddafi.

M.O.I. JR: You have been known to have a lot of Hip Hop beef over the years. Why?

DB the General: This is my favorite question (laugh out loud). Every beef I had, they all came for me. I wish I could ask them. I never started anything with nobody in the hip hop community.

Nobody has a valid reason for why they have beef or a problem, so the only thing left is the way I RAP: no arguments, no fights, no shots thrown. I admit my mouth is bad, but that’s the way I rap; that’s the way I paint.

They all wanted my spot but will never admit it . I get a lot of love and a lot of hate, but I know deep down inside, it’s only because of the way I rap. It’s street; it’s hard. But a real beef or a real problem, I never had one. That’s the god-honest truth.

M.O.I. JR: How do you want your fans to feel about you when it’s all over? What do you want your legacy to be?

DB the General: This a good question. Nobody has never asked me this before, but I want the people to know and understand I called myself a king, because we all come from kings; that’s one. For two, it’s God gang over everything because we are God’s people at the end of the day and if I’m a bang anything, it should be GOD FIRST. That’s for two.

And that my love for Oakland is so big that it probably stopped a lot of opportunities for me. My whole mission was to show the world another side of Oakland that everyone was scared to show – the street side, the military side, the die for the people side.

I never really rapped about pimpin’, money and drugs. I wanted the world to know Oakland will not be respected by the world until they see a street cat. Tupac was the last one. The world is still waiting.

That’s all I was trying to do and I’m still doing it. We don’t bang colors in the Bay; there aren’t no Crips or Bloods, only turfs. So the world is confused until that story is told on a worldwide platform.

M.O.I. JR: What kind of music do you listen to when you’re relaxing?

DB the General: Everyone that knows me, knows I like old school music: Parliament, the Gap Band, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Sade, The Temptations, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, Zapp & Roger, The Fat Boys, Whodini, Run DMC, Melly Mell, Sugar Hill, Issac Hayes, Mary J, Whitney Houston, soul music. That music that touches your soul.

M.O.I. JR: You have an explosive song on your new album called “Quise Mode.” What does the name mean? And why did you name it that?

DB the General: It comes from Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Mode term, but really it’s just a Oakland term period. It means turning up to the highest level, like going crazy or going off.

But my brother, rest in peace, Marquise Pope – we call him Quise. So to me, I’m in Quise Mode when I’m ready to turn up. When I think about him, that’s all I need to motivate myself to rap good.

It’s really like that with all my dead people. That’s what pushes me. I don’t want nobody to forget about them. I’m motivated by death. It sounds crazy but is very true where I come from.

M.O.I. JR: What is your favorite song on the “Felix the Cat” album? Why?

DB the General: My favorite song is the Quise Mode because that’s the level I need to rap at all the time, but it’s hard because I’m not always in that mode. But if I stay in Quise Mode, I’ll be good forever, rap wise.

M.O.I. JR: How has the COVID-19 affected you financially as an artist as well as your creativity?

DB the General: Financially, it really has not affected me. Honestly, I’m still making money. And my creativity will always be on point, because I get that from movies and books and my own research.

M.O.I. JR: How can people stay online with you?

DB the General: My Instagram is dbthageneral35. My Facebook is suntzu. My Twitter is Dbthageneral. My Snapchat is Dbthageneral5. My email is dbthageneral35@gmail.com.

M.O.I. JR: How could people hear and purchase the album?

DB the General: It’s on all digital platforms. It’s on YouTube too or Spotify and iTunes.

The People’s Minister of Information JR Valrey, journalist, author and filmmaker, can be reached at blockreportradio@gmail.com or on Facebook. Visit www.blockreportradio.com.