As one of the hottest producers in the game, Dame Grease cracked the game open in 1998 when he helped usher in a gritty artist by the name of DMX. Grease produced the majority of the album "It's Dark & Hell is Hot". The album went 4x platinum and ever since then, he has been on every DMX release. The Harlem native has worked with such artist as Nas, The Lox, Freeway, T.I., Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Fat Joe, Mary J. Blige, Tricky and Kelis just to name a few.

You're a multi-platinum producer from Harlem but before being a producer you were also a rapper how did you make the transition from a rapper to being a producer?

I used to be in a group back in the day in 1993 then I got into producing because like, I was actually producing the songs we were doing before I was actually physically making ‘em. So I started going into making more tracks. Like now it's not actually that I'm back to rapping but I just revisted it on my latest album Goon Musik and probably a couple more projects. Even when I do rap I don't actually sound like anybody, I kinda added my own flava to the page then I just scratch the beats.

Your first official entry into the game is when you hooked up with DMX and Ruff riders how did you all hook up?

I'm from Harlem and I used to rap back in the day and had a big buzz in the neighbourhood and all around the city. As far as my production to the owners of Ruff Ryders they had a couple of artists that they came to me with which was DMX and The Lox. They wanted to put something together so you know, we all got together me the owners of Ruff Ryders, DMX and actually Mase from Harlem World we just all started doing our thing.

Over the years you've produced for a lot of artists like DMX, Kelis, Mary J Blige, Yukmouth to name a few. What has been your most memorable experience and why?

Actually Max B, he's big out here I'm doing 3 albums with him right now and we just put out 2 mixtapes one with DJ Whoo Kid called, "Public Domain 3" or the "Lip Singin" actually that's one of the most memorable moments. That joint right there was memorable like, it's not actually just a mixtape it's like an album you know what I'm saying? It's full with skits. If you check it out and listen to it the first skit he's talking about Milli Vanilli actually there's a diss tape coming out with Jim Jones about how he sold Max B hooks and different stuff like that. That's why he called is Lip Singin' cause they lip singing on the video it's Max's voice but another guy is singing it.

Really! Is this mixtape out now or coming out!

It's out now it should be on the web and probably some stores. That's the most memorable moment cause we had fun doing the tape you what I'm saying? It's a hard hot hot tape well actually it's the biggest tape out right at this second.

Are there any artists out there that you would like to work with?

Err no I try to work with everybody actually.

So you're willing to work with anybody that wants your production?

Oh yeah I actually want to get with everybody because I like to work with different artists. With different artists you have different players you know what I'm sayin? It's my job as a producer to bring out the best of them.

What do you think make s a good producer?

Basically a producer got to be able to work hand in hand with an artist. Like the producer might say the direction to go is with the artist but it's also the artist direction and the producers direction.

What equipment do you use to make your beats etc?

I use everything.

Do you sometimes play live instruments or is it all computer based?

I work on keyboards, if it's a certain song that I might require to get a saxophone player, trumpet player. I hire instrument players.

What artists are signed to your label Vacant Lot?

I have Nino and my group Lenox Ave Boys right now I'm working with an artist called Donny Goines, I got ant artist called E Nasty that's on my album. You know that's my artist's right there on Vacant Lot they got a lot of good stuff that's poppin' off.

Tell us about your album that came out in May called, "Goon Musik"

Yeah I dropped Goon Musik May 27^th. I dropped Goon Musik on the tenth year anniversary of DMX's "It's Dark and Hell is Hot". That was the reason cause on May 19^th 2008 made 10 years when DMX's, "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" came out, it came out May 1998. So, May 27^th I dropped Goon Musik, it actually doesn't have nothing to do with It's Dark and Hell is Hot but just for the street value and people who know it, it's like the same type of music that's on It's Dark and Hell is Hot. I just named it Goon Musik cause that's what it is. Actually the album is a series, this is volume one it's mostly myself on there and my Vacant Lot artists and Max B. I got volume 2 coming out and I have a lot of underground goon artists in the game I got people coming in to get it poppin' so you know? There's gonna be a whole series. Also my new album is coming, "Sour Diesel" which is actually a big feature album which I have everybody from Nore, Styles, Pusha T from The Clipse, Freeway, Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, Max B, I got everybody on this album!

Will "Sour Diesel" be out this year?

I'm hopefully trying to get it out this year but it might be the top of next year.

What other projects are you working on at the moment?

Right now I'm kind like you know all through the day I get new tracks, so I'm always doing tracks with different people besides my own label projects I'm doing. I have executive producing projects like the Max B situation I'm the executive producer on the album and mixatpes.

Dame that wraps up the interview is there anything that you would like to add?

You can hit me up on www.myspace.com/damegrease I check that daily. I got a lot of music coming out I drop a lot of mixes on the internet too you know what I'm saying? So go and get some free mixtapes.

I wanna give a big shout out to my home girl Pheobe One on Choice FM out there in the UK.

Interview by Jai Boo