The Deep End w/ Deezie Brown & Ec Mayne in Candy Blue Like Screw
Towards the end of August, Deezie Brown & Ec Mayne released a triumph project titled "Candy Blue Like Screw" that took years in the making to have it perfected from an idea to real-life artistry. Ec Mayne was lockdown with his writing being a coping mechanism to keep it motivated to have this album see the light of day while Deezie curated his sound to be a timeless act that's seen growth throughout the years that has been expanded throughout Texas for years.
Once Ec emerges back into the world, the idea was bought back in attention to have the two start working on bringing the once idea into fruition that kept them in studio sessions for the month on. They bring back the sound of the 90's and the legendary Screw Season in an incredible format that it can be viewed as a Certified Texas Classic to enjoy throughout the years. Here we break through a deep dive of the album with questions applying to the album's process, and many takes from Deezie Brown & Ec Mayne.
Deezie we know while EC was doing his time you had this album being worked on in the background, how was the process different from your previously released work like Judith or Hydrate?
Deezie Brown: For this album I didn’t really show the conceptual process much because I wanted the light pointed towards EC and his story. These days I’m just trying to figure out my role on playing executive producer more and this is the piece we were able to paint.
Where did the idea or inspiration come from to naming the titles of each song?
Deezie Brown: All in all, I just wanted to paint a picture that told a story of a boy's life's where we come from. We hear on TV what it’s like to be locked away, but having one of your own locked up hits differently. The album symbolizes more of a personal conversation between me and E as we’ve grown up from boys to men.
EC Mayne: This was the perfect title for the album knowing that Screw was my idol and role model growing up. From music to his style to his car, a 1996 SS Impala with Candy Blue paint, which as a kid I glamorized. Plus I always related cars with similar paint and say, “Man he got that Candy Blue Like Screw”, paying homage to our neighborhood hero and worldwide legend Robert Earl Davis Aka DJ Screw.
The delivery in lyrics and production off the project sounded like a lost screw tape, it had every elements of the 90’ sounding era with a modern twist to it. Was this always how y’all how envision to project to sound like?
Deezie Brown: The mold around this project really came from everything we learned as kids and how that carries on in your future. If you’re not careful, things can shift in the wrong direction quickly, and that needs to be heard musically from a place where sensitivity is not acceptable.
EC Mayne: This is how we always envisioned our projects and style since Deezie Brown’s and I’s first 2YG album. We took our town by storm and Screwed Up was a lifestyle, not only to us, but eventually to the world. The grills, the slow sound; we like a mixture of SUC, OutKast, UGK, 8ball MJG. We are like a good gumbo.
Did y’all have inspirations or personal matters that fueled y’all creative minds when working on the album?
EC Mayne: Of course. The whole album is my life and anybody who has been around me and really knows me or seen me can listen to Candy Blue Like Screw and visualize bar for bar, paying so much homage to the SUC Dynasty. Tts ridiculous and incomparable.
Was there any tracks that stood out to you the most during the recording process, where you knew that this one would be a genuine record that many listeners would take away from?
Deezie Brown: South End was one of the first songs recorded so after that I knew I had taken care of what everyone wanted to hear, which led us to make the album we wanted to, which explains the sound as more of a diverse Texas sound.
EC Mayne: Every track stood out to us compared to any record we have ever made honestly HA! But really, we brought back the real southern music, not this new wave where artists go throw their life away or they only cool if you shoot somebody or sell something type of music.
The presence of lyricisms done throughout the album really takes you through a time machine where the south once reigned in higher stature of bringing out unheard components. You can hear EC heavily influenced by artists before him, Deezie when creating the production for the album how was the creative process in match that same sound?
EC Mayne: Me and Deezie have been like thunder and lightning since day one. We knew we were on another level than the average ‘ima come dine ima come thru’ type Texas rap, especially amongst our peers. Any sort of hatred fueled us
EC. I know on the track “Miss Katie” that you deliver a powerful and emotional tale of your grandmother and her passing. You also had former Miami Heat player Chris Bosh produce the track, how was the recording process for you on that?
EC Mayne: It was really just another song to me. I actually wrote the song right on the floor in my bathroom in Lakeway, before even hearing the beat. I finally expressed how I felt about the situation since she passed. I had always completely shut down on the subject and never liked talking about it.
But I’m an artist not a rapper and this started as poetry to girls in school to express feelings like 2Pac or Z-Ro. Then led to mastering the art of freestyle in my area and jamming Screw tapes. Trying to have all their strengths and none of the weaknesses.
If you could’ve had any deceased Texas legend bless this tape, who would it be and why?
(Ex: Screw chopping and screwing the entire project, Fat Pat on a verse, Big Moe on the chorus etc)
DB: For me, I’m thinking a joint album with Screw would have been a blessing. Bringing him into my world and vice versa...
EC: Definitely Screw choppin’ this entire project would be ideal, since he not here, I’m going to get DJ Big Baby of Smithville, who Screw taught how to chop n screw personally (he also his cousin). Definitely would have Pat on ‘Big Bass 2000’ and Big Moe on ‘Robert Earl with the Swirl’, Pimp C on ‘Crucifix Was the Name They Gave Me’ and, Big Hawk on ‘Worth It/Forever My Chrome Lady’.
I had to do my googles when it came to Bastrop, Texas since I know you both hailed from there and it happen to be a big part of this album and since I didn’t know too many facts about it, What would be one thing you would let someone know about Bastrop?
DB: It’s just like every other small town. There’s places to go and places to stay away from and a family member on every corner. The difference is the culture when it comes to storytelling and the obvious is that Bastrop and us are from the same county as DJ Screw. It proves there’s a tremendous amount of gems that have and will get overlooked.
EC: Definitely not like the tourist brochures ha! It’s a beautiful, peaceful and definitely southern hospitality type of town, but it does have a dark, ugly, racial history that continues on to this day. Especially on the South end. Wrongfully accused death row inmate, Rodney Reed, who Kim K and Kanye were involved with while I was locked up. He family to me and from right down the street. A lot of friends, family and peers of color have been done wrong by the judicial system in Bastrop and get more time in jail for drugs than murder or rape of a child. So glad Dr. Phil and Kim K are shedding light on it, now I get a chance to as well.
EC: In the album you mentioned your time being locked up, having to deal with past troubles and the consequences that came from them in “Bastrop Country Jail” you end the track off with mentioning that with having a substantial amount of music, there are three little girls you want to see. How’s that feeling after everything you went through you can now be able to do just that?
EC: It was real awesome when I came out. It was evidence of a divine presence for real. Everybody gave up on me and thought I was gone, but god is good. It's a surreal feeling like I’m in the twilight zone. I feel like I haven't gone long, but it’s like I’m two years behind my daughter, Eliana aka Lyric. She was 6 when I went in and now she just turned 8.
The name of the album has be inspired by Robert Ear Davis Jr (RIP) I have to ask, do y’all have a favorite screw tape you like to jam?
DB: Chapter 57 Wine Berry Over Gold & All Screwed Up Vol. 2are both good riding music no matter what kind of engine you pushing.
EC: Really any Screw Tape with Smithville people on it are my favs. Separating The Real from the fake 2000 (my kinfolk Dray’s 21st birthday tape with other Smithville G’s plus Shorty Mac Z-Ro and Big Moe). Awesome tape N 2 Deep (Dray’s Brother Lil D and my brother Kid’s best friend tape) Players Night Out (Shorty Mac, Toon and ACT all from Smithville). Final Chapter (young Lil Keke freestyles with Screw Shorty Mac and ACT were reppin’ da Ville and 71 and the county tough). Any Big Moe, Keke or Grace or lost tape, Southside still holding, RIP Drew and Lil flip showed out for real on his first Screw tape freestyle