First off, what's good?

Crayon: Everything. We just finished our album Hunger Music. Its in mastering right now and we guarantee you its a classic but we ain't gonna say too much, just check it out and you be the judge.

When did the Longshots form?

Rock: We got together back in 1999. At first the group had 3 potential members, then four. Everybody wasn't serious so it got trimmed down to two. Since then we've been on the grind.

Why the name "Longshots?"

Rock: Out in Queens we got the Belmont race track, and the longshot in a race is the one with the odds stacked against him, but if he wins, he wins in a major way. Nobody in the industry really wants us there so they making it hard for us to get in. Also a long shot can reach you from a distance, in the projectile sense, no matter where you at. That's the objective of the music we make.

What made you wanna work together?

Crayon: Our love of Hip-Hop at the time we were coming up and the desire we had to be included in that culture and named with the greats. We didn't have the same style or vision at first but we had the same goal and we were dedicated. We've been through mad struggles, son.

Your album, "Hunger Music" is done, how does it feel to have it done?

Crayon: It doesn't feel like anything just yet cause we're constantly recording but once it gets out there it'll probably sink in that we got a real hot joint.

Rock: I don't care about industry feedback. As a Hip-hop head, I can tell you that this album is a banger and that you'll be able to tell it took time to make and that we're a force to be reckoned with. It'll earn its respect in the fields

How would you describe the vibe of the album?

Crayon: The way I listen to it would be totally different than anyone else cause while we was writing and producing these joints people in our camps was killed and babies was born so its real personal but in a nutshell its the most reality based street album in a long time you're gonna hear. Maybe the last.

Rock: The album is real intense. Every topic we address we mean from the heart. When we was first starting out, we were really saying whatever just to get on and sound like everybody else but this album got us in a zone where we felt free to vent on what was happening in our daily lives.

What happened during the course of recording the album?

Crayon: Well it's was a struggle at getting that done. I mean we financed the whole thing, so the money thing was hard, my son was born in the beginning of the album and my daughter was born when it was finished my peoples got murdered, locked up, came home everyday shit you know? So that definitely played a part in the making of this album.

Rock: Basically life happened. We weren't sheltered from life because we didn't have any money like most rappers had to give us the buffer zone and some room to breathe. We broke so the world was really collapsing on us while making it. Stakes was high. We didn't even celebrate when it was done because there's so much more work to do.

The Beat Bandits produced the majority of the album, what made you want to work with them?

Crayon: The fact that they wanted to work with us! At this stage of the game not that many producers trying to hear you out with out having some type of paper behind you they heard one of our records and wanted to fuck with us so that's pretty much how that happened.

What was it like working with them?

Crayon: Dane-ja and metaphysic are dope producers. We learned a lot from them.Plus they doing big things themselves so look out for them.

Rock: There was a camaraderie with the Beat Bandits that we didn't experience nowhere else. Most beat-makers we came in contact with had delusions of grandeur and were ego-trippin even if they had no credentials. Those brothers were real down to earth, man. Southpaw and C-Sharpe too. It was a good experience from that standpoint.

All your songs deal with real-life situations that everyday people can relate to, do you feel like you're taking a risk making music like that when everyone's getting rich off of making up shit?

Crayon: I think about that shit ALL the time...I'm saying I don't know how to fabricate a lifestyle so if we spit it that's us and if it means being underground forever so be it, but its real. I cant knock rappers making up shit I know people being shot shitting in bags and people doing the shooting having nightmares living paranoid and that shits not cool.

Rock: The rap game hasn't seen reality in a while.

Your first singles "First Brick" and "If You With Me," with Ayatollah Funky DL, respectively, why the title "First Brick?"

Rock: The title for the Ayatollah track is basically the 1st Brick we lay down on our journey like bricklayers, nah mean. It was the first track we recorded.

What sound did Ayatollah's music bring out in you?

Rock: We already had a sound. The beat just happened to fit our style. There was a second track off an Ayatollah beat but it was never finished. It's in the vaults somewhere maybe...

Crayon: well I would say Ayatollahs beat developed "the hungry harass you 'til you hang up the phone on me cause I wanna use your beat MC" (laughs).

What other producers are you working with now?

Rock: We've worked with MPC Sharpe and Southpaw of Viper Records. We're also doing a collaboration EP with The White Shadow. He's from Norway. It's like the Foreign Exchange joint that kid from Little Brother did with the Dutch producer [Nicolay]. We got a few more surprise producers too. Stay tuned.

What producers would you like to work with?

C: First of all Dj Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, MF Doom, 9th Wonder, Nottz, Tru Master, the Beatnuts, Q-Tip, LES, Salaam Remi, DJ Scratch, Dave from De la soul, Hi-Tek…

Rock: Also Organized Noize and DJ Quik, NO ID and Yogi from CRU.

You've also worked with Akir, what was it like working with him?

Crayon: Akir is a great dude and a dope emcee we did a joint him called "Thugz Prayer" produced by some crazy ass white kid named 730 you ever heard about him?

Rock: Akir wasn't on no Hollywood tip. Duke got talent. We gonna link up again no doubt.

What are your goals for 2K5?

Crayon: Just to get heard and get our music out there after that we'll take a more aggressive approach to taking over.

What do you want to say to everyone that's sleeping on the Longshots?

Rock: Sleep is the cousin of death!

How can Heads get in contact with you?

www.thelongshots.net or email us at longshottomakeit@hotmail.com

Big shout to the whole Southside Queens and Hollis, Dcdrake, Godz, ENOT, T-Pot, Wag, and MPC Sharpe. My Brooklyn niggaz Spillz and Bottom-ONE.