Jimi “Chopmaster J” Dright has genuinely seen and heard it all. As one of the founding members of the legendary Hip Hop group Digital Underground, Chopmaster J and bandmate Shock G struck music business gold in 1990 when their single “Humpty Dance,” off their debut album ‘Sex Packets,’ hit number one on the Billboard Rap charts and number eleven on the Pop charts. Along with their commercial success, Digital Underground also introduced a young Tupac Shakur to the masses. In 2021, Rolling Stone named “Humpy Dance” the 241^st greatest song of all time on their 500 greatest songs of all-time list.

But in 2021, Shock G died suddenly at the age of 57 of an accidental drug overdose. Chopmaster J, who recently overcame his own health issues, is carrying the legacy of Digital Underground forward while also carving out his own lane, including with his new album ‘The Kamala Album,’ celebrating current Vice-President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who is a former classmate of Chopmaster J’s.

The Hip Hop Museum caught up with Chopmaster J to talk about the upcoming Presidential election, his memories of Shock G and Tupac, and what it was like being a classmate of Kamala Harris.

Adam Aziz: What do you remember about Kamala Harris as a classmate?

Chopmaster J: It wasn’t if we were really like friends in class. She was studious and a good girl. You know, back in those days, we’re talking the 70s. I was only interested in the little fast girls. I was probably trying to find somebody to kiss behind the bleachers or something at lunch or after school while she was studying. When we were kids, our teachers would tell us that we could be anything we wanted to be when we grew up. You could be President – she believed it. 

I lived directly across the street from the school, and Kamala was bussed in. Kamala lived in what was known as the hood in Berkeley, California, at the time. That’s why she was no joke growing up and didn’t get bullied. She was a really cute little girl but would stand up for herself and her friends. 

AA: Did you and Kamala’s paths ever cross again?

CJ: Our paths crossed again. She was an attorney briefly for Oaktown Records in the early 1990s. I had a studio at that time, a nice 5,000-square-foot facility in Berkeley. She came along with a couple of people from Oaktown Records. They wanted to rent the facility from me for an event they were doing. And that was the last time I spoke to her.

AA: This album is celebratory and celebrates your former classmate Kamala Harris. Election Day is November 5th. What are your thoughts as we approach it?

CJ: It’s so crazy that we’re in a place where we have to decide between an educated person that’s been in the field prosecuting people, doing things, and really had her feet on the ground for the last 30 years or so, you know, practicing doing what she does. And the other option is a convicted felon. Only in America can this be.

AA: I want to ask you one question about former President Donald Trump. Some years ago, many Rap artists held Donald Trump in high regard. He was frequently referenced in songs and would be seen at events by Rap artists. Why do you think Rap used to embrace him so much?

CJ: It’s the influence of New York. The culture of excess was dominating Hip Hop at the time. Donald embodies rebelliousness. I was listening to a podcast, and they were explaining how a lot of people, especially a lot of young black men, relate to Donald because he looks like he will flip the bird at someone. He looks like he’s saying screw the establishment. You can’t put on an old Mike Tyson fight without seeing Donald, without it being at Trump casinos, and Trump having his name announced before the fights.

It’s a shame that the same brothers want to endorse Trump. Even the disenfranchised white people who are into the MAGA thing. It’s sad that they don’t realize he doesn’t give a shit about them. I think Kamala is the better candidate. I love the idea of good leadership, and I’m not afraid of women leading us.

AA: I want to shift gears and talk about Shock G. Looking back, what do you think Shock brought to Hip Hop culture? I always thought he was underappreciated.

CJ: Shock was a super talent and an incredible producer. A talented cat all the way around. And as talented as he was as a rapper, that might have been the least of his talents. He really was an incredible producer. He was a reluctant superstar. He was challenged with the idea of dealing with success and wanting to be an underground thing. He was f*cking selfish. He wouldn’t have had to be underappreciated. He could have been all the things that I saw in him, which is why I decided to start a group with him. I really feel he short-changed folks. Even with Tommy Boy, Shock had become so pissed off with “Humpy Dance” being a success. He hated “Humpy Dance.” There were times he would cry because he didn’t want to perform it. 

I recall one time we were sitting at JFK Airport waiting for our flight and reviewing offers from Bubble Yum, Sprite, Doritos, and Jello Pudding. 20th Century Fox wanted to do a ‘Sex Packets’ movie, making us the executive producers and everything. And Shock turned down all that stuff. I explained that we needed to strike while the iron was hot, and Shock said that if they were offering $250,000 this year, they would offer us $300 or $500 thousand next year. And I was like, no, that’s not how it works. They are doing the “Humpty Dance” this year, and next year, they will be doing some Country shit. And lo and behold, the next year, it was all about Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart.” 

Towards the end, I was trying to get him to reunite and do the next era of Digital Underground. But success killed him, bro. But I love him, and he was super talented. We did some things. We touched the world, travelled the world, and had some fun, and that’s all you can ask.

AA: I want to switch gears to Tupac. Do you have a story or memory about Tupac that you might want to share?

CJ: He was a sweet kid. He was a really good person. He was a nice person that was left to fend for himself. One story that always sticks out to me is him being the one guy who would come up and was smart enough to make himself of service. Most people hit you asking to put them on, but ‘Pac was the one who would say hey J, what can I do to help? He was so smart. He was so intelligent. He was that cat raised to be the leader of something. When we were on the road, ‘Pac was my roommate. He would help set up equipment. He was Tupac then. He was a dope rapper. He was the charismatic guy; he was all that, but he was down to set up the gear and do what he had to do, and I can’t say how much that speaks to someone’s character with his abilities and skill set.

AA: Being around ‘Pac so much, what did you make of it when he went from “Brenda’s Got A Baby” Tupac to Death Row Records Tupac and the f*ck everybody, thug life attitude?

CJ: That was survival. When ‘Pac, at 18 and 19, was left to his own devices, it started with him doing the ‘Juice movie. And then there was no one there with him. And then later, for him to get involved with certain characters in New York, if one of us was there, a lot of that stuff wouldn’t have happened. I don’t think he would have gotten caught up in a situation where he got shot going to a studio to get some money that should have already been in his pocket. I don’t believe he would have gotten caught up in a sexual assault case. I don’t believe he would have ended up in prison if he was appropriately managed and somebody was looking out for him. I just feel really bad when I think about it. So when he ended up having to sign papers to get out of prison, I don’t think any of us wouldn’t have done that.

‘Pac was the type of guy that if he came on board with you, he’s your advocate. He was great for Death Row, but Death Row wasn’t great for him beyond getting him out of prison. ‘Pac was the gasoline to the fire they already had going on. When I think about Shock and Pac, fame killed them. I feel bad when I think about both of them in that regard. I miss them both. I really miss what ‘Pac would have and could have been. ‘Pac was a poet that rapped. People want to say he went gangster when he went to Death Row, but I think ‘Pac even said it himself: when you’re in certain rooms, you’ve got to do what’s going on in that room just to survive. He needed a big bro, and I don’t believe Suge (Knight) was the right big bro. Suge was the big bro your mom told you not to go hang out with.

Read more interview on the The Hip Hop Museum!