Outside the Lines With Rap Genius
OTL 57: Paul Stewart Excerpt #1 “Naughty by Nature”
Paul Stewart: We had a plan to take Naughty by Nature to a lot of stores, it didn't quite work out...
SameOldShawn: Is there a story behind that?
Paul Stewart: There is, but...
SameOldShawn: Can you share it?
Paul Stewart: Yeah, I mean you know, Shakim was Treach's manager and managed Latifah her whole career - an amazingly successful smart guy, you know. We went to the swap meets and all this stuff because that's where you really broke and sold records at that time in Los Angeles. So we had put together an itinerary for Tommy Boy - we had done this with artists like Paris and other artists on Tommy Boy's label - and he was like, Treach can't go to these stores. And we were like, we didn't understand what he was saying because we go to these stores, why can't he? But he had a really valid point, you know, because Treach - the way his hair was and everything - he looked like a gang banger. I I could go to these places and no one looked at me twice, but a black guy in a wife beater with hair braided up in Slauson, it could easily turn into "Yo cuz where you from?" he defintely would be instantly drawing a lot of attention in the hood in LA at that time...