New Interview with Creator of Dragon Ball GT Rap

[DerekPadula]

Do you have any questions for the creator and singer of the Dragon Ball GT rap intro? I have an interview scheduled with him this Thursday, March 19.

Now is your chance to discover its true origin. So ask away!

[OWmyDragonBallz]

Do you have any questions for the creator and singer of the Dragon Ball GT rap intro? I have an interview scheduled with him this Thursday, March 19.

Now is your chance to discover its true origin. So ask away!

My question would be:

What the hell were you thinking? Rap was a terrible choice. Instead of using the cheerful and adventurous tune from the original Japanese version, you decide to create an atrocious and embarrassing AMV on crack.

In my honest opinion, I believe FUNi screwed up big time with this one. They should of just kept the intended music of the show; it would've been a lot more deserving than this crap. How do you think Americans would feel if other countries changed the music of Indiana Jones or Star Wars with gangster rap? It would be laughable and overrated. The same applies here.

If FUNi couldn't stick with the original music of the show then they shouldn't have licensed it in the first place.

[Kakacarrottop]

My question for Shorty...How did he get involved with FUNimation, and what is the current licensing situation with the song? Also was he a fan of the show himself?

[shinmaru]

Terrible opening, how did he get involved and what were his thoughts about it

[Kid Buu]

What does he think of the Japanese opening?

[TripleRach]

What the hell were you thinking? Rap was a terrible choice. Instead of using the cheerful and adventurous tune from the original Japanese version, you decide to create an atrocious and embarrassing AMV on crack.

I don't think he (Shorty?) is responsible for replacing Dan Dan and hiring himself. This seems more like a question for someone who was a higher up at FUNimation.

[ekrolo2]

I.... kind of like the rap opening... jumps out window before the pitchforks get to me

[Sedorna]

I'd like to know why he specifically chose to use rap as opposed to some other type of music.

[The Time Traveller]

What the hell were you thinking? Rap was a terrible choice. Instead of using the cheerful and adventurous tune from the original Japanese version, you decide to create an atrocious and embarrassing AMV on crack.

I don't think he (Shorty?) is responsible for replacing Dan Dan and hiring himself. This seems more like a question for someone who was a higher up at FUNimation.

I swear I remember Funimation having a contest to see who raps the lyrics that they wrote the best.

[Lord Beerus]

How long did it take him to write the lyrics for the song?

How did they contact him to specifically to do the intro?

Why was he chosen?

Was he satisfied with the final results of the song?

What was the reaction of the higher ups or any member of production team at the point of the rap intro?

[sayian_nation_]

The rap could of been better.

[ZazamPow]

I.... kind of like the rap opening... jumps out window before the pitchforks get to me

Me too, but for the same reason I like Rock the Dragon.

I honestly have no idea what to ask this guy. Maybe, was he aware that his song was meant to change the tone of the whole show, and how did he feel about doing that, changing the show from what the creators had in mind in such a way?

[Blade]

Do you have any questions for the creator and singer of the Dragon Ball GT rap intro? I have an interview scheduled with him this Thursday, March 19.

Now is your chance to discover its true origin. So ask away!

How about:

How did the initial brief you were provided differ from the actual demands of the project? Was it an uncomfortable working balance between your artistic conception of the project and dialogue you had with the client (Funimation) and directions they were pulling you in?

[superrayman3]

Here's my question What are your thoughts when it comes to how much negative reception the fans and critics gave the GT rap when it debuted when GT first ran in the U.S.?

[EXBadguy]

Just a simple question. Did he ever think his opening song could've been used for at least the second half of GT instead of the whole thing? Cuz the first half was cheery and adventurous while the other half(17 and Shadow Dragons) was all serious and action packed.

I.... kind of like the rap opening... jumps out window before the pitchforks get to me

You are not alone! I am here with you! But I do think rock or rap-rock could've fit GT more than regular rap.

[sangofe]

"Were you given guidelines for how to produce the opening?" Or "how did you come up making a rap for DBGT?"

[GS7X7]

What the hell were you thinking? Rap was a terrible choice. Instead of using the cheerful and adventurous tune from the original Japanese version, you decide to create an atrocious and embarrassing AMV on crack.

I don't think he (Shorty?) is responsible for replacing Dan Dan and hiring himself. This seems more like a question for someone who was a higher up at FUNimation.

I swear I remember Funimation having a contest to see who raps the lyrics that they wrote the best.

I remember that too.

I remember some fat guy in a Goku outfit did a really cheesy AMV of him dancing around to the lyrics in front of the DBZ English Buu opening with bad special effects and that was the winner. (I think it was a bonus feature on some dvd?)

[DerekPadula]

Thanks, everyone. I'll add these to my list.

Keep 'em coming.

[UltimateHammerBro]

It's been pretty much said, but I'd like to know how much control he had over the final result.

Did Funi give him any guidelines he had to stick to?
Was it his decision to make a rap song?
Were the lyrics his or sent from Funi?
How much information was he given (or, alternatively, did he already know about the show?) before beginning the work?
Was the song composed before or after the score?

I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to condense this into one question

[GS7X7]

I'm kind of expecting that he was following orders and having most everything approved by Funimation, since that's how Menza said his work was handled.

"What the hell were you thinking? Rap was a terrible choice. Instead of using the cheerful and adventurous tune from the original Japanese version, you decide to create an atrocious and embarrassing AMV on crack. "

I doubt he just marched into Funimation headquarters one day and ordered them to replace all the music.

It was probably Gen and Barry's idea, since they had interviews they posted online the very same day. Thankfully I archived the Dragonballgt.com 1st Day Announcement interviews nearly a decade ago and, at long last, those archives have finally proven useful.

http://www.animecauldron.com/dbzuncenso ... views.html

1. Gen Fukunaga, President

"Hello, I'm Gen Fukunaga, President of FUNimation Productions. Thanks for joining us. We're so excited to have you fans, uh, following the Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball sagas, and now we're embarking on Dragon Ball GT, the long-anticipated sequel to the Dragon Ball Z franchise. We're really glad that we can, uh, bring this to you, it's been a worldwide phenomenon. We can expect to see higher power levels, higher impact, more action, and Super Saiyan 4. So- stay tuned and join us, join us in this great journey, and the rest of my team will be telling you what's coming up.


2. Barry Watson, Producer

"Hey, I'm Barry Watson, I'm the producer here for Dragon Ball GT and we are in the middle of production right now and I wanted to take a moment and tell you a little bit about what you can expect.. on it. For those of you who are not familiar with Dragon Ball GT, it's the next big thing in the Dragon Ball line. Uh... it's got the cast of characters you love- Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, as well as a host of new and exciting characters with Pan and Geeru and.. a whole new season of new an exciting villians. Uh, for those of you familiar with uh, Dragon Ball GT, let me tell you that this is a whole new look- at what you've seen before. We've redone the music, we've redone the sound effects, we're pumping up the energy and the dynamics throughout the entire series to give you more of the stuff you love with Dragon Ball Z, more action, more excitement, uhh... you've, you've got the Goku going Super Saiyan 4, you've got all kinds of new plot turns and twists. So, it's something you don't want to- mi-miss because it's a, uh, brand new fresh dynamic look at an exciting series. So, uh, get ready, because it's a whole new look and expect the unexpected with Dragon Ball GT. Heheh..." (sips a cup of coffee as the image fades out.)




BONUS- http://web.archive.org/web/200302150601 ... allgt.com/

http://web.archive.org/web/200304140308 ... age=making

And here are the original interviews! Wow, even THIS stuff is preserved perfectly on the web archives?! This is why I love those archives!

http://web.archive.org/web/200304091929 ... ?page=what#


I forgot how pretty Stephanie Nadolny was. When I fussed about the interviews, I definitely meant the first 3 and not her. (sides that she was just a VA doing her job, not an exec making the big decisions)