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8/3/2006 What's up? I'm hanging, brother. I'm hanging. Made in Brooklyn is close to dropping. How are you feeling? I'm anxious. I'm anxious to see the response of the people and to see if I can quench the thirst of the thirsty people because they say they want it. I'm anxious to see if I fulfill the requirement of true hip-hop fans especially looking for the raw element of Wu-Tang. Regardless of how the people feel, how do you feel about Made in Brooklyn? I feel great about it. I feel it's a blessing and an accomplishment. I feel great about it. At the same time I'm always looking to improve and I'm looking to see if the people are looking to approve. You have to always look out for the people because they're the ones who put you where you are. "Ringing Bells" was definitely letting people know you were there. No doubt. That's just the art-form. That's just the art-form of emceeing right there. That's how I was feeling on "Ringing Bells." Did you get the response you wanted from "Ringing Bells? The few people who heard it said they liked it. I feel I'm in the right ballpark with that. You talk about the speed of light a lot in your rhymes. What does that mean to you? Light is energy. Light is knowledge. You can look at light in a lot of different ways. When you learn something, it's like a light-bulb comes on in your head. Light is waking up in the morning or waking up at night, whenever you arrive. You can look at light in a lot of different ways. A lot of people do take for granted a lot of the simple things in life which is smell, hearing, taste, sight and touch. A lot of people take a lot of things in life for granted. What else did you want to touch on for Made in Brooklyn? Made in Brooklyn also gave me an opportunity to work with a few producers and MC's from my hood, which is East New York, Bed Stuy. It gave me an opportunity to work with them and incorporate them. The same way I've been waiting patiently, they've been waiting patiently for me. These are brothers I've known all my life. I got to incorporate them into the Made in Brooklyn project. "Brooklyn King" was a dope track. Are you the king of Brooklyn? No. I look at myself as a prince since my pops is still around. (laughs) It's really about what's on the inside that counts. I don't look at myself as any greater or any less. I look at myself as an individual who gives respect and commands respect. I try to keep life simple. If you don't aim for the highest goal that you can possibly strive for, how will you ever get there if you don't have that type of vision? I don't have to compete for the crown. I'm cool on that. How do you feel about the new generation of Brooklyn MC's like Papoose and Maino who will carry the torch in the future? I feel hard work pays off. That's how I feel. I feel like a person will be as successful as he or she aims to be. That's how I see it. When I interviewed Capone, he talked about how much trouble he had writing full songs by himself once he went solo. Did you face any challenges like that at first? Nah. I take my time with it and I don't try to rush it. Let it be what it is. I didn't really have any problems. I would rather do a song with someone else than by myself because I hear so much talent and I want to get better. I would love to be in a position to work with more people because I love their voices more than mine. I get it done. It's not a problem making this music. How was it getting with Pete Rock for Made in Brooklyn? I've known that brother for years. You always want to do things with people where you love their music and respect them as people also. You want to get around to it and do things and sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. We got to sit around and it was dope. It's a good thing. What kind of vibe did MF Doom bring to this album? He's crazy with it. I was listening to his shit one day and I heard some shit off of his shit and was like, "Yo! You're not using that shit? I want to fuck with that!" That's how crazy his shit was when I heard it. It was great to work with him also. It seems as though Doom's beats are perfect for the Wu. It definitely came together. What's the biggest difference between Made in Brooklyn and No Said Date? I'm very thankful that my family is here supporting me once again. That's a beautiful thing. Without the support of my family, I'm just one person. It's really the supporting cast around me that's really making everything what it is. I might be the spokesperson for it at this present time, but I didn't try to do anything really different. I might have a few different voices. I use voices like instruments and I try to incorporate that into the sound. I didn't try to do anything too different because from the response of the people, they said they loved No Said Date. I was like, "Well, if you loved it, I have a lot more where that came from. Let me try a little bit of this." I got the opportunity to work with brothers I had been wanting to work with for a long time. Were you surprised at the overwhelmingly positive response to No Said Date? I was definitely surprised. An album to me is like waiting on the birth of a child. You're nervous until the due date actually hits. That's your baby coming into the world and you're definitely going to be nervous about how the world will receive it. When the response is great and people embrace it positively, it feels good and it makes you want to do it again. Cappadonna told me he was going to experiment with some southern tracks and go outside of the dusty samples and hard drums that Wu-Tang is known for. Do you see yourself going outside the box as well? Anything that I would do, I would love to be able to bring my element as a part of it. If I was working with whoever I could be working with, I would love for that person to know me as an artist, as a creator, as a producer and as a lover of music, period. I want him to know how it should be because he knows my style and how I would like it. That's two people that would be working together. If I'm working with someone, I would obviously admire their talent whether they were a producer or emcee or whatever. I would know he would be thinking of me like what I need. It would just be crazy. I think I could work with anybody really. I think the response would just be crazy whoever I work with. It could be some crazy shit. I just know it would be crazy. Do you get the respect you deserve in the industry and from the fans? You know really, I don't even look at it like that. I think if you just make good music that is respected by the people who love the type of music and respect what you're doing, I think that's a blessing in itself. You may not be embraced by everybody. Jesus wasn't embraced by everybody. Everything is not for everybody, so I'm not really going to look for everybody to embrace everything. For the people who do embrace it, respect it and love it and love that hip-hop sound, I guess that's who I'm doing it for. You've been around for a minute. Do you primarily cater to your old fans or reach out for new ones? As a child, it's the shit you're parents were playing that got you intrigued to the music. You might say, "Damn, that was some grown shit." The grown-ups might have thought we wouldn't have understood what the music was about, but as children, we were dancing to that shit because we loved that shit. If it's banging music, it's going to be banging to all ages and you won't even have to worry about it and catering to a certain age group. If it's a banger, it's going to be a banger to all ages. Has the new Wu album been started? Yeah. That's always in the making. Brothers are always doing something together. When things come together, it's more beautiful when it comes together just naturally without having to even think about making an album. Let's just go to the studio and do what we do because we love to be around each other. Let's just do what we do, go to the studio and make this good music and have a good time and be amongst each other, enjoy each other's company, eat some food and play some chess. You'll have ten albums before you fucking know it. You've got to feel good. You've got to feel good about what you do. Once you feel good about what you do, all the other shit will fall into place and you'll have ten albums out before you know it, especially with eight people coming in and out. It's a good thing that the chemistry is still there and we're still working together. It might take a few weeks for a track to get made, but a hundred games of chess were played in between, and that's beautiful and it was well-worth the wait. It wasn't the track, it was about the love of my brother. Who's the best chess player in the Wu? That's hard to say right now. I had to step away from the ring for awhile. I'm like a boxer. I whipped so much ass that I have to step away from the sport so I can enjoy it again. It happens to all great fighters. I think GZA and RZA might claim to hold the title right now. They're doing their thing, but anytime I choose to step into the ring, they know what's going to happen. Do you play online? Nah, I don't really battle people online. Those brothers might do that, but I want to see you. Let me see what's going on. I don't know if you're reading a book while you're playing me or what the fuck is going on. You might have something else besides you. You might have Bobby Fisher in your corner online. I don't know who you're fucking with online. Is the game ready for a Wu-Tang album? It's not about what the game is ready for. The game is never ready for Wu-Tang if you think about it. They better get ready because it's coming regardless. You're not ready for the tsunami but when it's happening, it's happening. There are some things you can't prepare for. It's been a minute since Iron Flag dropped. Has this time off from a Wu-Tang album been good or bad? Wu-Tang albums were always classic. Can you tell me how many Wu-Tang albums there are? Four. That's the misconception because I count about fifty because the participation of everybody on the album is considered a Wu-Tang album. Look at Made in Brooklyn, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Return to the 36 Chambers, Ironman, Supreme Clientele, or Legend of the Liquid Sword. Those are all Wu-Tang albums. They may not be labeled Wu-Tang, but they are. Supreme Clientele may not be a Wu-Tang album, but it's Ghostface's chamber. I count about fifty albums. Do the affiliates' albums also count? Yeah. Those are like the offspring. Those are the offspring right there. Those are the seeds. You have to count them because they played a part too. You have to count Killarmy and Sunz of Man. You know where the tree is but you also have the fruit. You have to definitely acknowledge it. How do you feel when you see other groups biting what Wu-Tang started? I don't feel any way. Somebody has to lay the blueprint for someone to follow. Some MC was doing it way before I thought of grabbing a mic. Someone's sung way before people today sung. You can't really get into that. The word "biting" is really an MC term because an MC takes his lyrics personal and it reflects on who he is as a person. It's his art and you don't want to hear someone from across town spitting the same thing when it's not really his. That's where the term "biting" comes from. But to do something where you really enlighten someone, and that means you were really able to teach someone, I wouldn't really consider that biting because that's what we're supposed to be doing anyway. The people who caught it can better their families. It's like Dr. J can't be mad at Lebron right now, but we needed Dr. J for there to be a Lebron. What do you want people to think when they see a Masta Killa album or does how people perceive you not matter to you? It matters. To a certain degree, everything matters. I want people to appreciate my art-form of music and that's enough for me. Those who love that art-from of music, the songs they might feel, there's something about it. I can't really put it into words. If you're feeling that and I'm giving you what you need, then that's therapy. Like I said, I know everything is not for everybody. You're also working with PETA. How do you feel about fur season coming up? I don't use furs, but at the same time, I'm looking at it at a level of how I eat more so than what I wear. I don't think you should destroy anything just for the glorification of having it. I think if it's a matter of survival, I think certain things might be necessary, but to do certain things for the glorification of luxury, I wouldn't suggest that to anyone or against anything. My direction with PETA is that I've been a vegetarian for the past eleven years. That's how I eat. Pooh from Little Brother was vegetarian until he had trouble on the road trying to eat. Have you ever had those problems? Nah, there's never any problems, man. There's always something to eat. There's always a way. What are your plans for the rest of the summer? Man, hard work. Hard work. I'm letting people know about Made in Brooklyn and seeing the response when I'm performing it. I'm enjoying it most of all. When we did the house parties and block parties, it was enjoyment. People danced and played music and it was about enjoyment. I'm definitely going to start enjoying it and see how the people receive it. Have you started thinking about your next project? Of course. Of course. It never stops. When I see the response to this pot of stew, I'll know if I have to add a green pepper or a red pepper and we'll take it from there. (laughs) I want to see how this stew tastes first. I might not have to add anything or they might say, "Hey, we need a glass of Kool-Aid with the next meal." What advice do you have for young MC's? Your talent will never be the problem. Strive to know in this business what you want from the business so when you get involved in this business, you won't be twisted by the business. You have to perfect your craft. Study and understand what you want to do business-wise and I think you will be more successful. What do you want to say to everybody? To everyone who read this interview, I hope it's well-taken and it's well-nourishing. I hope Made in Brooklyn is well-received. You know how we keep it, straight to the point, direct and righteous. You can go get Made in Brooklyn August 8th.

By Brian Kayser

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