By Tonisha Johnson

The reigning underdog is in the building and on time. I forget he’s the producer and not the rapper. “It’s Sunday” Damon said as he entered the room, clapping his hands hard and then rubbing them together while taking a seat.

Was State Property II necessary?

Damon Dash: Truthfully, State Property I happened to be a theatrical that became a cult classic. Because I didn’t really love the way State Property I was made, because Beanie didn’t love it and Jay and everyone else, I thought if I was going to learn something in the movie business, I would tie it back to, you know, the perfect movie and to a degree, show everything that I had learned. And just make it a little better.

How does Beanie feel about is album and the film coming out?

Damon Dash: I mean, you know, he’s happy. We prepared once we had the inkling that he was going to be doing some time. We did what we had to do to make sure he was covered. We made sure that he stayed prevalent within the demographics. Basically Beanie was an artist that never got too much airplay. He never had more than 700 spins from any record that came off his albums. He’s never had any real spins at BET or MTV. He’s always been, to a degree, been revered. He’s done different things like make movies, clothing lines and that’s the reason why. So, we try to provide different outlets other than the traditional to promote his album. And with him not being here, we made 4 television shows, we made a movie, the making of the movie. We did countless mix tapes, we did all we had to do. I did all the interviews I could for him. That’s what you do for your brother. That’s what you do for your family. That’s what you do under this umbrella. It’s very rarely that we let anybody get wet. It’s just not going to happen.

Between State Property II and The Woodsman, I admire anyone who puts more money into it than the filmmaker. The contest is not going to get any easier when you run for president.

Damon Dash: When I run for president. It will be because everyone finally understands me and gets my perspective. Basically, everything I do…its not to make my job easy, its my job to make someone who is maybe misunderstood, may not be well received, or someone who is socially conscious; it’s my job to provide a venue for them. That’s the job that I choose to have. And I always have.

Were you disappointed with the response The Woodsman got since being affiliated with Lee Daniels who just came off an Oscar winning project?

Damon Dash: I was disappointed Kevin Bacon didn’t get the acknowledgement from SAG or The Golden Globe. I was happy with the fact that we made the movie. I was definitely happy that I made my money back. I was happy that it got critically acclaimed. I was happy at how it got received. I feel when you make a movie like that, your rolling the dice. You can’t be mad at anything. I chose that . I made really good relationships. I got to learn from all the different people. Kevin became a good and supportive friend of mine. He was there when I needed him. I think that was good. I felt bad for Kevin really. Because I thought he did a hell of a job. And that he was very brave.

The direction of this film [State Property II] is a lot lighter than its predecessor.

Damon Dash: I directed it. I’m a funny dude. It wasn’t meant to be a comedy, but as I was directing it, it sort of came because, certain situations you got to laugh at because they are ridiculous. It has to be comedic. And every gangsta that I know has a sense of humor. When they depict gangsters and not be able to make light of it…I just think, you know, we shouldn’t take ourselves so serious. I added another dimension to it that I think people weren’t expecting.

Your character loves the word Cake-A-Holic. How much of your character is really you?

Damon Dash: Probably all of it. When I was writing it, it was tailored to the individuals that were going to be acting in it. I think that all of them did a really good job. Because I didn’t ask them to do too much more than they really were. When you work with somebody that you know very well and that you work with, you know exactly what you want out of them. And that’s what you extract out of them.

When do you find the time to sit and write?

Damon Dash: It’s proper time and delegation. When I was preparing for the movie. I did all the work at night. I spent my days at work. I would come home at night and the story board would be done at 11, 12 at night. During the filming all my meetings would be done in the trailers. I was tired and exhausted. But you know, its what I wanted to do.

What’s your experience in learning direction?

Damon Dash: I learned a lot as a director. I’m a student of the game. When I first got into the movie business, from looking on the outside in, it looks a lot easier that it really is. I directed 2 movies before that. I didn’t prepare at all. I thought I could direct it freestyle. But its not as easy as people think. As I look at this movie, I’m happy with what I did with it but I know there are so many things that I could have done better with it if I had prepared a little bit more. So the next time I make a move, it will reflect that. Every level I have learned. And I’m a student of the game. And it’s very humbling as a matter of fact. In filmmaking there are a lot of different ways you can go. There are different emotions you are trying to invoke. I like Scar face, directed by Brian De Palma. Each scene he did was memorable. There are different things that I like and different elements that I take from different films.