Smif N Wessun
So how long you think you’ll guys stay in the game?
Steele: I think that we got a couple more years as far as recording artists. We gonna do this Smif N Wessun album and we gonna retire Cocoa Brovaz on this album. We have solo projects we want to work on. Every artist should try to expand what they do. Tek has some shit he’s been working on for the longest and I got a couple things I’m working on. I started a company and Tek started a company.
Tek: Our main focus is the Smif N Wessun joint but I got a little joint in the works called El-Amin the Don. El-Amin being my Muslim name since I converted and everything. El-Amin the Don, “I Am The Hood And The Hood Is Me.” Basically everything is gonna be what it is. There ain’t no surprises with what I’m gonna be talking about. It’s gonna be straight real talk to my people.
Steele: My company is called Bucktown USA and I’m doing cinematography. I got a partner who taught me a lot of cinematography. We got a show on public access right now called Bucktown TV. For the first thirteen shows we’re interviewing up and coming artists from Brooklyn, entrepreneurs, activists and just putting that through. We also produced and directed the new DVD for Black Moon called “Behind the Moon” that’s coming out in about two weeks. Also the Smif n Wessun CD we putting out is being done through Bucktown USA. We also deal with artists. Our responsibility expands and we just assume it. We try to help and give them a chance the same way Buckshot gave us a chance. We just gonna grow with the game. It’s nothing to let these young cats come on and get some shine. I’m gonna write. We also working on books. We putting together a book which is basically a book of lyrics. We didn’t come up with a title yet but we gonna put out a book of lyrics of “Dah Shinin,” “Rude Awakening,” and some of the other stuff we did. It’s a lot of different things we got going on but the companies are growing and expanding. Right now I’m working on a project with this book writer, Kevin Powell. He hired Bucktown USA to produce and direct his documentary. He’s doing a documentary on the state of black men in America. He’s going to thirteen different cities to do forums and the day after he has workshops where he has professional men and women speak to the brothers to get them to stand up on their good foot and get it cracking. It’s great that we meet up with these cats and create a bridge. The logo for Bucktown USA is the bridge. We want to be that bridge for someone who wants to get somewhere to that place they are trying to go. We do more of that then rhyming. Rhyming has brought us closer to who we truly are. We activists for the hood. So when we speak and rhyme it’s not like we just busting raps. We having a conversation with the people and we trying to instill in them to do a positive thing for ourselves. At the same time link up with your PNCs, know who your family is and click with them. That’s where the click click click in the night comes from. We have to watch ourselves on the block at night because that’s when the vultures come out.
Just like I told you a brother just got smashed up against the cars but what was so real was just as he’s getting smashed up there was a brother watching it go down as we was watching it and he asked what he do? And we was like nothing he was probably selling cigarettes or some shit. He was like the reason why I’m asking is because I’m a D.A. So through trials and tribulations we link up with people in our community who have power and from that we gotta create a bond. That’s what’s gonna keep us thriving in this industry. We riding for the hood. The rap game is funny because they are following the images they are given but the images are being dictated by the industry and the corporations that think if they put out a certain image kids will spend their dough. The image now is if you want to be a good rapper you have to have been shot at least once or been stabbed. You had to be locked up or go through some type of shit.
That’s what’s killing me with Shyne. Dude’s in jail and they give him his own label. How does that work?
Steele: That’s crazy. White America profits off of a black man’s destruction. If it bleeds it leads. People don’t want to hear about no good stories. They want to hear the dirt. They want to know who got beef with who or who screwing who or how much money son really got, or oh he got a pool etc. Pac had all that shit but it wasn’t no party. And when he died they took his crib and his furniture because all the furniture was leased. As soon as he died there were people in his pockets heavy. They was coming after his shit and it was said when he passed he didn’t have no bread. Imagine that.
The Bullets (stupid questions we ask anyway)
Say you got caught with some weed on you or cocoa or whatever, you doing ya thing who would you use for your representation Condoleezza Rice or Martha Stewart?
Tek: Condoleezza, that bitch was a thoroughbred on the stand. That’s my bitch right there. Condoleezza all the way baby. Fuck Martha she might get me community service. With Condoleezza I know I’m getting off clean.
Steele: I need a good liar. Condalinga could rep me.
Which one would you kiss?
Tek: I definitely have to go with the sister cuz white bitches don’t turn me on. I don’t give a fuck white bitches with asses and bodies I just can’t do the snowflake thing. I have to keep it genetically right.
Say you getting ready to go somewhere with your girl but you need a babysitter and the only people available are Prince and Rasheed Wallace. Which one would you pick to watch your kid?
Tek:
Steele: Rasheed, he could do the damn thing. He got toys and shit.
Tek: Damn, my nigga Rasheed! I gotta go with the god Rasheed. He gets temperamental like me at times. It would be just like daddy is home.
What’s the most memorable gift anyone has ever given you?
Tek: Oh gosh, I had some bomb ass head. But let’s see family is a beautiful thing so I’m gonna have to say the love from my family.
Steele: I got some dope shit. When we was out there with Pac we went to this Aids benefit party and there were nothing but movies stars there. At the end of the night they were giving out these Adida bags and they wouldn’t give us no bags. They seen Pac and they was like here’s a bag and I’m like I need a bag and they like get outta here we don’t know you. So Pac snatched the shit and gave it to me. It was a bunch of different shit in the bag, CDs, t-shirts etc. Pac had a t-shirt and a lighter and I’m like they didn’t give me no shirt and no lighter so he gave me his shit. I got a shirt and a lighter from Tupac that was dope. It’s between that and this cat, who knows a friend of mine, painted a portrait of me. That’s hanging on the wall.
Last question, who’s ass do you want to beat right now in the music business?
Tek: I got a shit list. My shit is too numerous to names.
Steele: I’m going after CEOs and after the CEOs I’m gonna line up all the DJs and smack the shit out of them.
Tek: That’s all I want to do is baby powder slap a couple motherfuckers. When you start hearing niggas talking about that nigga fucked me up you gonna know who their talking about. You probably heard some shit already like he snatched my chain. I didn’t want that nigga’s chain I just wanted to holla at him. I’m gonna fuck somebody up this summer.
