Fresh off the release of his newest mixtape Hotels 2, Problem released the first visual for his song, “Best P—-y.” With a deep and somber tone, Problem illustrates how women, while they may have that asset, can also come with lots of emotional baggage and sporadic mood swings. During our recent interview, Problem explained the music video concept came from watching a scene in the 1979 film “The Warriors,” in which a female gang member distracts the rival gang so her gang can attack. The idea was brought up by none other than West Coast hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg. Check out our Q&A below and be sure to be on the look out for Problem’s upcoming third annual 4/20 Smoke & Fresh concert in downtown Los Angeles.
How did the song and music video treatment come about?
The song actually stemmed from a situation that I was in that day. I just got in to it with a girl or whatever and you know how that goes. They get pretty crazy. So instead of doing a normal thing that dudes do like I’ll call up another girl or something, I just came to the studio and just wrote a song about it. And I just took all, I took that moment and just thought about all the crazy women that I’ve dealt with in my life and just combined it into one record. And as far as the video, I can’t take credit for that. I was playing Hotels 2 for Snoop and while it was on “The Warriors” was playing in the background. That scene where the girls are coming up to set up The Warriors and they like kiss and doing all like that, that was playing when “Best P—y” was on so Snoop was like, ‘That’s the video cuz! That’s the video right there! Do it like that cuz! Do it like that!’ I’m like, Oh shit! Who is going to tell The Dogg to not do it like that? We got with LA Joe, told him the concept and we just did a modern day version of that. Shout out to Snoop for the great idea. It’s just an updated version of that. I know everybody would expect p—y and females. I mean, I done those videos. I wanted to do something different this time.
Who is the song’s producer and how did the collaboration happen?
That day, I’m telling you. I fucking came to the studio. I was madder than a motherfucker. And I just went to my email and that was the first beat I seen. So I pulled it pull and I just did the song. I did the song in like 15 minutes cause I was really like trying to get the frustration about of me. Because don’t nobody like to get in to it with their girl or whatever. It was just all meant to happen the way it happened.
It has been five years since your original Hotels mixtape and now you put out Hotels 2. Why now?
I wanted to go in a different direction as far as like what I’ve put out recently, but still the same vein. I wanted to give this project towards women, the independence of women, the growth of women and just like their. This is their project to turn up to. And I kind of remember the vein I was in when I did the first one. So I was like well why not go get DJ Hed? He’s my boy anyway and he did the first one with me and now he’s a fixture in L.A. radio. The growth of Diamond Lane and Problem? That’s definitely happened. So it’s like lets just celebrate basically the five-year anniversary and just turn up one time. And the project came out dope man. I’m hella excited about the feedback. I love that people are fucking with it and I just can’t wait for y’all to see what’s coming.
Do you know when part 2 of the video will come out?
Yeah, I know when it’s gonna come out. [Laughs]. Yeah, just stay tuned. Stay tuned. We got a lot of dope things that’s coming off this Hotels 2 project. A lot of dope ideas and different things that we’re going to try tour wise and visual wise.
Can you talk about your Smoke & Fresh concert on 4/20?
Yeah, that’s my third annual Smoke & Fresh 4/20 show. This year we have vendors and size and have a lot more artists, a lot more performers. I’m trying to slowly turn it from just a Problem show to a festival style thing that we can do every year. You know what I mean? It’s at The Union in downtown L.A. Can’t wait to see y’all and I’ll be making an announcement.
In a few weeks you turn 30, how does it feel?
Ah man. I feel like I’ve been blessed so much with beautiful things, beautiful family, beautiful kids. Every day is my birthday, man. It’s just another day to me, dude. I’m just happy that I’m here and able to provide for my family and do what I love to do every day. That’s the way I treat it.