One thing that has remained the same about me since I was about 7 years old, I am an Hip Hop Head. Unapologetically immersed in the hip hop culture. The modern music is not necessarily my cup of tea so I am thankful for my Tidal subscription. I also miss interviewing different artists and getting to learn more and ask questions about their goings-on. These things coupled together have me doing the writer's equivalent of digging in the crates.
R.I. P. Sean Price, this interview was a great one and Sean had a great personality and as a music artist I loved him and the time I spent speaking with him remains one of my favorite. Please enjoy!
R.I. P. Sean Price, this interview was a great one and Sean had a great personality and as a music artist I loved him and the time I spent speaking with him remains one of my favorite. Please enjoy!
Boot Camp Clik
Sybil: Who is part of the Boot Camp Clik now?
Tek: Boot Camp Clik is actually- Shrayne, Louisville and Top Dawg, that’s O.G.C. Origanoo Gun Clappers, then there’s Black Moon which is Buckshot, Evil Dee Beatminerz and then it’s Heltah Skeltah which is Ruck and Rock and last but not least it’s Tek and Steel which is Smif-N-Wessun
Sybil: The new album Triple Threat, how did you all decided that you were going to get back together and put out another Boot Camp Clik album?
Tek: It all just actually fell into play because it was just so much work that we was doin’ at the time we was like you know what, we got three albums we might as well do it like no ones done it before, on an independent label or at that rate anyway three albums at the same time all in the hip hop category all on the same label that’s real we’ll call it Defcon 3 Triple Threat and that’s what it is
Sybil: Do you feel like you’re relevant still with what’s happening with hip hop now
Tek: As long as it’s good music it’s relevant. We make timeless music, it’s not you are relevant you’re not relevant for this time. If that’s what certain minds think than you know opinions is like assholes, everyone has one. You just do the music and do it from the heart. I know I’m relevant, if I was irrelevant I don’t think I would be breathin today. The Most High, the Highest Power wouldn’t allow us to be doin’ what we doin’ if we wasn’t relevant
Sybil: The new album is called Smif-N-Wessun: Reloaded, are you all going by Smif-N-Wessun again?
Tek: We always gonna be Smif-N-Wessun. We still in a constant court battle with these people. We always gonna be Smif-N-Wessun till the day it’s over
Sybil: What have you all been doing?
Tek: Just constantly makin’ new music, goin’ on the road just constantly on the grind, just workin’ stayin’ out of trouble sucka free stayin’ out of jail
Sybil: Can we look forward to the same sort of music you’ve been doin’?
Tek: Of course it’s gonna be the same type of music cause that’s what Smif-N-Wessun does but it’s gonna be different at the same time. We’ve grown, we’ve learned more about the business, we read more so of course it’s gonna be different but remain in the same vein Smif-N-Wessun is known for.
Sybil: How do you feel about the state that hip hop is in right now
Tek: I mean hip hop is in a beautiful place right now. Anything that can open doors and give families access to do better things is a beautiful thing. It’s a beautiful thing to me I love it
Sybil: With the label issues you were having did it affect anything that you were doing or did you just keep it moving
Tek: In a way it did and in the same way it didn’t I mean, it opened our eyes and let us see what’s out there and it gave us more topics to speak on. You can’t let it stop you. If it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger, that’s just the motto I live by. and that’s what we continue to do
Sybil: Do you have any future solo albums coming
Tek: It’s been talk about it
Sybil: Do you feel like you’re gonna have to do something different to make your music relevant or do you feel like you are still relevant?
Steel: I think that you always gotta reinvent yourself each time you come out. You can’t expect people to want the same old fried chicken. I think our music is relevant in the hip hop community. I can tell that when we go to places like Switzerland, or when we do shows in New York or when we do shows in Brooklyn. I think our music is refreshing; it’s not what you used to. It’s not what’s played on the radio 24 hours a day. I think people need to have diversity to know that hip hop is a growing thing. I think our music is very relevant. Without it I think people would start to be like I don’t listen to rap anymore. I think when people hear it, it will give them a different way to go and the choice is yours.
Sybil: How do you feel about hip hop right now?
Steel: I think hip hop is definitely goin’ in a positive direction but also know that with the good comes the bad. Hip hop is not just all perfect. What’s beautiful about it is it’s like a child. Hip hop is alive, it grows, it develops, and it makes mistakes. It’s a religion where everybody is welcome. We can commune and make money. There’s a lot things in hip hop I would like to see go different, but I think when you see different things, that you don’t like it gives you the opportunity to establish where you’re gonna stand. What’s good about hip hop you can be anything, you can be a piece of shit if you want to and somebody might like you.
Sybil: What do you think has been the reason that you all have stayed together?
Steel: I think it’s genuine love. Most of us, we’ve known each other before we were rappin’. We actually spent time together aside from rappin’. In the beginning we had a place which is my mother’s home; we called it the Dog house. My brother is Top Dawg of O.G.C. he had the first room in the house we called it the Dog Hilly. We used to all go to the dog hilly. It was like a refuge. All the Boot Camp members knows my moms they all call her mom Dukes. It’s like a family. We work with each other through the good and the bad.
Sybil: Do you have any plans for solo albums?
Steel: Yeah, I have a company called Bucktown USA and in that company I do video production, I work with artists I think in the near future I will have several projects out. Maybe a solo album. I have three albums that I’m workin’ on now, one album is with Iatoyla it’s gonna be a compilation with artists I like. I’m workin’ on an album it’s gonna be called Bucktown USA it’s gonna be a compilation of new up and comin’ artists and then I’m workin’ on what you could say is my solo project. I just like to stay workin’. I also have a television show. I just like to work.
Sybil: Do you have anything else that you would like to say/
Steel: Big up to all the people that’s been supporting us through the rough times and the good times and just stay tuned cause there’s more good times to come.
Sybil: What was it like doing the album with 9th Wonder?
Buckshot: It was cool. I’ve never worked with those brothers before.
Sybil: Chemistry is a little more smoothed out, was that a conscience decision?
Buckshot: I don’t do albums consciously like that; I do albums on the way I feel. I did that album based upon, that I liked Little Brother that I liked 9th Wonder. I did that album based upon the fact his beats were tight and we did an album and it came out dope.
Sybil: Nas once was said he felt his album (Illmatic) was a gift and curse, do you also feel that way about Enta da Stage?
Buckshot: I don’t understand a gift and a curse because the first album was one thing and people expect the second album
Sybil: It’s harder to live up to your first album being a classic
Buckshot: Name me one artist that hasn’t had that question. I would answer that. If that question was not generic I would answer that question. If it was specific to me I would really feel that but I don’t feel that. I don’t feel that question is specific, not from you and don’t take that personal I just don’t feel that 90% of what artists go through and what artists feel I’m not in tune with that whole bracket. The first album was a struggle it didn’t even go up to gold technically. So for people to put me on a pedestal. Although my album was respected it was a hard time because people did not accept it the way they accepted it later. I just never stop makin’ music. I got a lot of recognition from that album but I didn’t get anything else.
Sybil: You really don’t feel a certain way about people sayin’ you fell off, you don’t really feel like that’s true?
Buckshot: Naw, I don’t feel that way because I didn’t put myself up there. I’m not responsible for fallin’ off, whatever. Again, I don’t take that personal. What happened to Lil Mo, what happened to D’Angelo what happened to Erykah Badu, why isn’t Erykah Badu the way she was, why isn’t Puffy the way… why isn’t the Lox the way they were, what happened to the Lost Boyz, what happened to Wu Tang what happened to this one what happened to that one. The list could go on and on and on. Why should I think I’m specific, they really love me. You don’t love me. I shouldn’t be the one to fuck my life up and take it personal. So whatever
Sybil: Recently there has been something going on with XXL, what exactly happened with that?
Buckshot: The writers gave [Sean Price’s album] gave it a XXL and the hierarchy said take that off and gave it a XL. I don’t think that it’s fair. What’s the point of the department if they can’t make the decision? If they make the decision on 90 records and you step in on 91 why is it personal, what made you decide this was gonna be the one you step in on.
Sybil: Did they say why the…
Buckshot: No they didn’t and I don’t care. It ain’t that deep I mean we’re gonna move on, an XL a XXL. I just didn’t think it was fair.
Sybil: Is there gonna be a new Black Moon album soon?
Buckshot: Yes. I mean it’s kind of difficult because 5 is locked up and we never did an album with out 5. You know 5 is a very intricate part of Black Moon and I don’t know how to approach that. I got a lot to deal with, all this fuckin’ bullshit. Do I move forward with my career as Buckshot the rapper have people goin’ what’s up with another Black Moon album? You can not fuckin’ win for losin’ wit these people and they’re never satisfied. People don’t care about you and these artists better get that through they heads. You gotta keep doin’ what you do.
Sybil: Do you feel you have to do something differently now than in the early 90’s?
Buckshot: I’m sayin’ look, let me explain somethin’ to you. I can say this I come from an era where like people may not be able to relate to me because I come from an era where “gulliness” or pride or ego or I’m tryin’ to find the right words and it wasn’t so positive. I wouldn’t say it was more positive back then. I think it has gotten much better now but it’s gotten more crazy. Niggas is on some digital shit now. If we change the time and change the crime we gotta change the rhyme. Let’s stop constantly talking about the same crack the same this it ain’t that no more. So it’s funny. I’mma always be relevant to myself, I don’t give a fuck. Why would I need to be relevant to anyone but myself. I’m relevant to my son. I’m relevant to my mom, I’m relevant to my sister, I’m relevant to those I love fuck everybody else. That’s not relevant to me. Nobody can get mad at that. I got to a point that the only thing that’s relevant to me is guac,money. When you get past 19 you not playin’ games no more. Rap is a hustle, I got mad hustles. I don’t care about the game I care about the money. I came back in the game for the guac. I’m from Franklin Ave, I’m about that bread. The oldest cliché’ in the book, what you want the fame or the money? I took a lot of the fame and then I went back for the money
Sybil: What is it about the Boot Camp Clik that has kept ya’ll together for all these years?
Buckshot: The fact that we all personally know each other. We all grew up with each other and we all share a mutual love for each other. We didn’t come together from the music so when the music leaves us we’ll still call each other, we’ll still come together. We family for real. We may have problems but at the end of we love each other; that can never be tainted by the music.
Sybil: Anything you would like to add
Buckshot: You pretty much covered it. I’m at that point, time will speak for itself. I’m still in the game like all the rest of these people. I thank you for the interview.
Sybil: Thank you!
Sybil: First, about Heltah Skeltah are you all going to be doing another album?
Sean: Yeah definitely we gonna be workin’ on another album we just takin’ out time wit it because the last album we put out Magnum Force, mutherfuckers was kinda disappointed so we definitely don’t wanna do that again as soon as it get done you’ll hear it trust.
Sybil: What have you all been doing between your last Heltah Skeltah album and your current?
Sean: I’ve been locked up selling drugs caught again, I had a barber shop lost that, pretty much my life been a piece of shit ever since. Livin’ off the land like Johnnie Rambo eatin’ berries off the trees. Sellin’ haze, sellin’ pills all that shit I talk about on my album is real man, word
Sybil: Are you happy with the way Monkey Bars was received?
Sean: Everybody showed love on Monkey Bars, except XXL and I ain’t mad at them either man opinions is like assholes so I’m not really mad at them. I love it
Sybil: Are you gonna be doin’ any promotional tours?
Sean: We stay promoting. The whole think is called Triple Threat and my album came out first and then Buckshot and Tek and Steel shit on September 13. The whole campaign is nice it’s genius. You see one you see all three. I like that shit.
Sybil: With Heltah Skeltah, Rock had a more distinctive voice did you ever feel pressure to work a little bit harder?
Sean: Hell yeah! Hell yeah, that’s why I’m so fuckin' nice now. What people don’t know, and that Rock don’t tell people, when we signed our deal I had like six verses. I ain’t have a rap book so I used to torture myself, be in a room “no body speak to me, get away from me”. I wouldn’t leave the room until I got the song done, I was goin’ through hell to do Nocturnal. The answer is yes I worked very hard on my shit, definitely under pressure.
Sybil: From when you first came out rap has changed drastically, do you feel pressure to do things differently to fit in?
Sean: I feel good about whatever’s goin on right now. How old are you if you don’t mind my askin’
Sybil: I’m thirty
Sean: You’ve played video games before right. You know what I feel like? You ever play a video game wit somebody and you goin’ through hell to get to this part and your cousin come over and he know the code. He did all the shit you been workin’ hard to get and he just did it with a few codes. That’s what I am right now, I’m the code. I feel like I’m cheatin like my skills are on point.
Sybil: Where do you feel like Heltah Skeltah or Sean Price is going to fit in?
Sean: You know what, it’s better for Sean Price than Heltah Skeltah. Not disrespecting my group it’s just that when you do things back in the day people tend to ol school label you. Sean Price, I’m not sayin’ Heltah Skeltah can’t do it I feel like Sean Price has a better chance because it’s fresh, it’s new.
Sybil: I hear you where down here in North Carolina
Sean: Yeah, I’m already 11 songs deep, there’s gonna be 15 songs. It’s the second part to Monkey Bars and it’s called The Mighty Flow Young. Bulk of it is done by Khrysis and 9th Wonder. I liked the chemistry, no pun intended, so I went back down there and knocked out nine songs in five days
Sybil: So when do you plan on having that one released?
Sean: First part of next year
Sybil: That’s all the questions I have is there anything else you would like to add?
Sean: Just be on the look out September 13th, Tek and Steel, Smif-N-Wessun: Reloaded. Also my DVD, its called The Passion of Price. I have a lot of videos on there, some you never saw before, some you’ve seen. In depth with the God, see how I live where I live how I came up, whatever. Look out for the new album next year, The Mighty Flow Young and the Boot Camp album. We workin, we workin’ hard. This is the BCC and in the 2K6 we make hits, straight up man.
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