E-40 discusses new album, being an underrated hip-hop legend and cookbook with Snoop Dogg

LOS ANGELES — E-40 built a three decade-plus career on the foundations of an unorthodox rap flow, schooling listeners with life lessons through his streetwise perspective.

With a heavy dose of Bay Area slang, E-40 created a lane for his unique hip-hop vernacular that has made him one of the genre’s most revered artists. As a savvy businessman, he’s leveraged his connections in the rap world to the wine, ice cream and food brand industries, including a Filipino food business inside Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Now at 56, there’s no slowing down for E-40, who released his 27th studio album “Rule of Thumb: Rule 1” on Friday. His new project comes more than 30 years after his debut, “Federal.”

The new album — which features NBA YoungBoy, Too Short, Larry June, Gucci Mane, B.G. and E-40's son Droop-E — is the first installment of the “Rule of Thumb” album series. He plans to release the sequel album early next year.

In a recent interview, E-40 spoke with The Associated Press about being an underrated legend, his unorthodox rap style and the new cookbook called “Snoop Dogg Presents: Goon With The Spoon, ” which released earlier this week.

Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.