DON'T MISS TODAY:

Back to Artist Profiles

3/27/2006 How are you doing? I'm chilling. I'm happy to be alive right now. The last time we were supposed to do an interview, you were sick. Did those banana Nutriments get you healthy? (laughs) Yeah. How did you get started drinking those? That's from hustling back in the days. We weren't eating right. Heroes and Nutriments and carrot cakes. How's the Fishscale Tour going? It's going great. Everything is good. How are you and M1 getting along? Everything is going good. We're on the same level and mind-frame. We do our work, sign autographs, and leave. How has the response to "Fishscale" been so far? It's been great. Great reviews so far. I can't complain. Why did the album keep getting pushed back? They just wanted to get the spins up on the single. Why did you want to put out the "Back Like That" as a single? They needed a bigger record than "Be Easy." I needed something that would put me on the radio and be there for awhile. I had to go do that. You know how the shit goes. It's politics, man. Politics aside, what would have been your single? I would have given you the joint "The Strap." It's about how little kids today don't get their ass beat no more. That's what they need right now. I have a song like that talking about how I used to get beat when I was little. Your moms would whoop your ass if you were bad. Nowadays, it's easy for kids. Do you feel like some music leads kids in the wrong direction as well? It depends. To each his own. There's not much of a message in songs nowadays. We need that more, and we need to talk to the kids more. We need more conversations. That's what rap is based on. That's not what it is. Are you happy with how the single is going so far? Here and there. It's got its loopholes. This is the industry. If you could change the song now, would you go with a different R&B singer? I'd keep it the same. Whatever God allowed it to be, that's what it is. I don't argue about things anymore. How did the death of Jay Dee affect you? It hurt me. He'll never get to hear the finished product. It's always the good people that things happen to. That's just the science of life. We'll all have to face that at different times in our life. We just never know when. "Be Easy" was a sick song. How was it working with Pete Rock? He's my nigga. That was mad easy. I went through some beats of his and picked that. Are you happy with the response from "Be Easy?" It's cool. I'm content with it. The button could have been pressed on it where it could have taken off more, but Def Jam didn't push the button on it. That's what it is. Do you have more work coming up with Pete Rock? Yeah. I have more work on my album with Pete Rock. Why did you add "Momma" to your album? We needed another single. We had another artist on the song but her camp was acting funny, and Def Jam used Megan Rochelle. Who did the intro on "The Champ"? Just Blaze. How was it working with Just? I was on the road. He sent me the music and I just did it. I heard two versions of the song. Are you happy with the final version? It's all right. It is what it is. You can't change anything. It just is what it is. How do you feel about the way "Fishscale" came out? It's good. Did you have any issues with sample clearances on this album? On this one, no. As of right now, everything is good. Who else did you want to produce on this? I got my man Doom. I got J.Dilla, Madlib, Pete Rock, The Wisemen, Studio Steve, and some new niggas. How do you and MF Doom work together? Me and Doom are in the same pocket. We're in the same field. It's easy to work with him. What are you and MF Doom going to do in the future? We're going to make some records and do what we do. Did RZA handle any production? No. No production from him. Is there any reason for that? No. I had him on every other album. I don't have to have him on every album. What it is is what it is. This is Hip Hop. That's how I look at it. Is your son Sun-God on the album? Definitely. He's definitely on the album. How are you helping develop him as an artist? He's developing himself. He plays a lot of sports, so he's just doing what he has to do. He has a few colleges looking at him for football. He writes rhymes, but my main focus is not on him as a rapper. How would you compare "Fishscale" to your other albums? It's another one of my vines. It is what it is. It's like one of my babies. I can't say what's better or what's not better. It just is what it is for that time. The next time will be a different time. With Jay-Z becoming Def Jam president, did anything change between the release of this and "The Pretty Toney"? No. I'm just under new supervision now. That's what it is. I'm just going to do what I do to make shit work, and they're going to do what they do to make shit work. Hopefully we have a successful ride. Are you getting enough label support for this project? I think so. I think everybody is trying to do what they have to do to make everything right. I'm just staying right behind it making sure the bus gets rolling. You have a doll coming out too, how did that come about? Some niggas wanted to make a nice doll. I went out to L.A., we kicked it, I told them how I wanted it, and it should be coming out soon. The cost of the doll is crazy. Yeah. It's ill how it's being made. Are you going to get into any other business ventures now that your doll is dropping? There are a lot of things but I don't want to say it because I don't like to let things go out into the universe without being manifested first. I'd rather let my shit manifest and then bring it to the light. Are you happy with how Trife's career is going right now? Definitely. He's been writing and writing and writing. He's got his game-face on right now and he's just waiting in the cut for everything to fall in place. How's 2006 looking for Trife? He's scheduled to do a lot of shit. We're just waiting for the time. How did you help Trife? I just had him around. He just had to sit around, watch, and learn. Are you guys working on a new Theodore Unit album? Definitely. We've got some cuts done already and we've got some cuts that we have to get in and do. Everything will be complete real soon. Did the chemistry of the group change when Solomon Childs left? No. It's all good. We still have the nucleus. It doesn't matter if anybody leaves. It is going to be what it is going to be. How important is it to have personality in your rhymes and stand out? I don't know. I just do what I do. What you can recognize in me, I may not be able to see because I'm the one doing it. If you can see that, it's a blessing. Where do you do your best writing? By myself. In the house, on the water, or in the car. Somewhere by myself where I can just zone out. A lot of this album I wrote in my house. Last year I broke my ankle so I was in the crib a lot. I wrote this album with a fucked up ankle. How did you break your ankle? On the motherfucking ice. I can't walk on that shit right now. I remember hearing a radio interview with you where you said you write things down and go back to it and can't remember what it means. Does that happen a lot? No. That's when I was rhyming abstract on a few cuts, when I'm just throwing shit in the air and say whatever I feel like saying at the time. At the time, I might have had an idea of what I wanted it to mean for myself. Those were different styles I was using. That was during the "Supreme" era. Do you ever worry about fans not understanding everything you say? The fans adjusted. They were like, "I didn't know it was going to be like that." It didn't mess me up, but I realized that I had to watch what I said. Some people like it like that for some reason, and some people are like, "What is going on?" Do you feel like you have to be accessible to everybody? Of course. There are going to be joints on the album that everybody can get. In Jay-Z's "Fade to Black" DVD, we see Slick Rick lending you his jewels. It seems like there's a lot of respect between you two. Yeah, no doubt. That's my homie. We're stuck in the same time zone. I love him. That was one of my idols coming up. For me and him to be getting it on in this era right here is a blessing. Did he inspire your story-telling songs? Of course. On "The Sun," I went into his world. I was even inspired by the way he dressed. Is he one of the only ones in the game that can compete with your chains? On that level. We have other brothers coming up like Busta Rhymes. Pharell and those niggas are coming up, too. Does religion ever influence your lyrics? Maybe sometimes, but not too much. What's real is real, but at the same time, this is just entertainment. How did the Wu Tang Tour go? Everything was great. It was successful. You can't ask for anything more than that. There have been rumors about everyone not getting along. Was it all good on the tour? Yeah, it's all good. Fuck rumors and fuck what people say. Fuck all that "he-say she-say" shit. Did you guys record together on the road? No. Is the Wu Tang album any closer to seeing the light of day? It's coming next year. Inspectah Deck told me in an interview that he doesn't feel the industry is ready for another Wu album. Do you feel that's true? I don't think the Wu is ready for a new album. I think the world is ready but I don't think Wu is ready until everybody comes together. What's it going to take? It's going to take everybody to be serious and look each other in the eye and really, really, really want to do this from the heart. Fuck the money and fuck everything else and put your heart into it. Stop playing games, man. I think that's the best way to get it done. It depends on everybody's schedules. Everybody has built so much of a base where they got their own stuff popping off. Now you have to find time to put the Wu album in the schedule. How important is it that everybody handles their issues with each other inside the family instead of taking it to the media? You're supposed to do that. You're supposed to handle it with the family. All that other stuff is irrelevant. It's not supposed to be anybody else's business. Once it starts getting out there and it's everybody's business, it makes it blow up even more. Now more people are whispering in your ear and all that. I'm not going to go shut anybody down. If I have a problem with somebody, I'm not going to go to radio and magazines and blow it up. That's not cool. Has the chemistry changed in the Wu or will it always be there? I don't know. I think it would change because it's been so long since we've worked together. I can't even tell you what I think the chemistry would be. I don't know. I don't know where to start from. You might get in the room and brothers may not want to write around each other. I don't know how it might be. It's all cool, though. How are you going to make sure "Fishscale" is successful? If the building is on it like that and they let me do what I have to do, then it's all good. Do you regret that "Tush" was released before "Run" could come out? Yeah. I'm not that upset, but whatever happened just happened. I can't even cry over spilt milk. What it is is what it is. The game is twisted. The building was going through a lot of problems at the time and I got caught in it. A lot of people say New York is in a bad position. How do you feel about that? We put ourselves in that position. At the same time, what goes around comes around. It's time for other niggas to get their burn. What goes up must come down. You can't stay on top forever. At the same time, we have to do what we do. I don't know how people look at Hip Hop. My eyes for Hip Hop are a lot different than other peoples' eyes. I'm not saying I have the best eyes. I feel that the old music that we used to listen to was the best music. I feel that that's the way it should be. That was music you could feel and have fun. Everything is too stale right now. To each his own. We're in a fucked up state, though. Who would you blame for the situation? The DJ's and the record labels. Once you take money to play a joint, that really knocks off the next nigga. Then you have DJ's that want you to make shit "radio-friendly." Being "radio-friendly" kicks a lot of the shit out when it was real. It's on both sides. You just have to bend with the wind. That's why I told you I had to come like that for the single. When in Rome, you have to do as the Romans do. That's what's going on right now. It's politics, man. Do you see things getting better? No, not really. Everything is getting worse. You know that. Can the Wu bring back New York? We have to bring ourselves back first before we do anything else. If we fuck around, everything is going to be the same. We have to bring ourselves back before we do anything. It all starts with self. Are you ready to record with the Wu again? I'm ready to do whatever. The problem is that everybody else has to do what they have to do. I've been like that. I have a lot of stuff that I have do now, too. Everything has a line now and I can't just skip and go straight to that and not fulfill my other obligations. Before, we used to depend on that, but it's not first anymore. That's how it is. GZA did an album with DJ Muggs, do you see yourself doing an album with one producer and one concept? I'm not sure. I never looked at it like that. What do you want to tell people about "Fishscale"? It's a fun joint. It's nice shit. It's a nice balance of real shit, but at the same time, it's fun. It's a rollercoaster ride. You're not going to be mad at it. It's me doing me. You're not going to be mad. What are your goals for "Fishscale"? Nothing. It's in God's hands. I don't have a goal for "Fishscale." God has the goal. It's out and I'm ready to do more music. It's out and I'm ready to do more music. I don't like to be worried about what I'm going to do on "Fishscale." I have more albums to create and more mouths to feed. I don't get stuck on one album all the time and expect it to do whatever. It could sell three copies, I don't give a fuck. This is just what I do. Do you ever see yourself dropping a lost tapes-type of album some day? I don't know. I really can't tell you that. I'm so much on a spiritual level. All of the questions you're asking me is in God's hands now. God is going to give me my answers. Whatever He allows, that's just what it is. People have to get back on God again. That's what time it is, G. Is Hip Hop ready for that? I don't care what it's ready for. Ready or not. I know it's "to each his own," but they better be, or else their punishment is going to be real severe at the end of the day. If people don't agree, they might tune you out. On the Day of Judgment, it doesn't matter if you agree. God has the last word at the end of the day. He knows all of the secrets of the heart and the mind. That's what it is right now. I don't care if you don't agree with me. I'm in tune right now. I'm His servant. Is it hard practicing your spirituality on the road? Nope, because I'm conscious of a lot of things that I do. Why do veterans get respect in rock and roll but not Hip Hop? I don't know. Maybe it's because you're not putting in the same work that you used to. I never thought about that. Should age be a factor in Hip Hop? It depends. A lot of young motherfuckers don't really know the essence of this shit. If they don't know where it all started from, they'll never know where it's going. They're just caught up in right now. What advice do you have for kids trying to get in the Hip Hop game? Put God in your life. Try to get in the game and do what you do. Work hard at it, and put God first. Without the Father you're not going to ever make it anywhere, I don't care how nice you are with it. Do you have any other projects you're working on? Another Theodore joint and a couple songs with Raekwon. How's Rae's album coming? Right now, I haven't heard anything. I just have some shit that he wants me to get on. What do you want to say to everyone? February 28, go cop that album, "Fishscale." It's your boy, holler. That's what it is.

By Brian Kayser

[83] REACT TO THIS INTERVIEW