Sean Price Interview

The first two bars of Sean Price’s 2005 break through solo album, Monkey Barz open like this: “I’m better with mine / Sean Price remember this time / I’m all that / Jaw tapped, Pa / Gregory Hines”

Not only would Monkey Barz go on to propel the Emcee-formerly-known-as Ruck to heights unseen as a solo artist, earn him an Independent Artist of the Year award from Allhiphop.com, garner the most critical praise out of Duck Down’s “Triple Threat Campaign” label assault (along with Buckshot & 9th Wonder’s Chemistry and Smif-N-Wessun’s Smif-N-Wessun: Reloaded) and become the foundation of the newfound lyrical respect he’s owned for the second half of last decade — but the style noted above has been bootlegged by the biggest names in today’s industry: Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake and every one else that’s hopped on their misappropriated bandwagon.

The irony is, as Money Miz notes in this article on HipHopAndBS.com, Sean P is seldom credited for pioneering right now’s most popular style. BrooklynBodega.com asked Sean Price about his rhyme style, whether he expected Monkey Barz to be a success following Magnum Force and whether he’s really retiring after the release of his upcoming projects.

BB: How did the self-proclaimed “Brokest Rapper You Know” handle the brokest city in America? I know you traveled up there for the Random Axe recording sessions. What did you think of Detroit?

SP: Detroit is love, man! Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Hexmurda, Trick Trick — they made it really hospitable, a lot of hospitality for the God. I appreciate it, man. I didn’t do nothing. I didn’t party. We did 16 songs in, what, a week. Six days. Fourteen songs.

BB: There were six years between Magnum Force and Monkey Barz. Did you ever doubt yourself right before the release of Monkey Barz? Did you expect that to be the catalyst for a live five years you’ve had since then?

SP: I was so used to doing bullshit numbers that it didn’t matter. That’s why this one, if Monkey Barz did bullshit, I wouldn’t have cared because I knew I got busy on there! Maybe I might’ve compromised myself on [Magnum Force] listening to people or whatever — it’s still my fault because I did it — but this time it was all me. All me. So even if they were like “Your shit is the worst I ever heard”, not to me.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW @ WWW.BROOKLYNBODEGA.COM

Duck Down Records to Celebrate 15th Anniversary At BHF10

Brooklyn Bodega, producers of the 6th Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival (BHF), announced that this year’s main day will feature Duck Down Records’ fifteenth anniversary celebration with special performances by Buckshot, Evil D and Smif-N-Wessun.

Founded in 1995, Duck Down Records — home to Hip Hop collective Boot Camp Clik — has become a true Brooklyn institution. Brooklyn Bodega is proud to celebrate this milestone by a locally owned independent record label that has sold over 3,000,000 albums to date in an era where most labels struggle to break even. From Black Moon’s (Evil D and Buckshot ) “Enta Da Stage” to Smif-N-Wessun’s classic “Dah Shinin” to Sean Price’s “Monkey Barz” — Duck Down has been the definition of consistency in an industry rife with exhilarating highs and devastating lows.

“I am proud to say Duck Down has been involved with us since the Festival’s beginning at the Brooklyn Brewery Yard in Williamsburg. This label has supported our mission of delivering positive Hip-Hop music to the masses since Buckshot rocked with Little Brother in 2005, Sean Price took the stage in 2007 and Smif-N-Wessun rocked the Festival last year. Congratulations to Dru, Noah, Buck and the whole Duck Down Family on 15 years. I look forward to seeing the whole team tear it down this year as they always do.” — Wes Jackson, Executive Director, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival

“Each Summer we look forward to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. It is a perfect event for families of all ages, where the Brooklyn community comes together on the DUMBO waterfront to enjoy live music, good food and cold drinks. For Duck Down, we’ve always felt like family to the Brooklyn Bodega team and are excited to once again have some of our most notorious groups from our roster perform on the main stage. It’s especially fitting this year, as we celebrate our fifteen year anniversary, that the groups who launched Duck Down are representing the label at this event.” – Noah Friedman, Marketing Director, Duck Down Records

On Saturday, Black Moon & Smif-N-Wessun — with DJ Evil Dee of Da Beatminerz controlling the set — will perform a combination of their classic material and newer releases, including Buckshot’s work with 9th Wonder, and Smif-N-Wessun’s latest projects. Brooklyn Bodega Family will also get to hear an exclusive track from Smif-N-Wessun’s highly anticipated album with legendary producer, Pete Rock.

As one of the most important independent Hip-Hop labels, the Duck Down family shares Brooklyn Bodega’s mission to support local talent and businesses. Come out and rock with the best!



READ THE-QUOTABLE'S EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE 2009 BHF HERE.

Something To Think About...

"Rap is really funny...But if you don't see that its funny, it will scare the shit out of you."
- Ice T; Rolling Stone, August 1992

This lady I work with bum-rushed my desk today, militantly declaring that I needed to "delete all the rap music from my iPod because Hip Hop is going down!" She apparently watched Oprah's Hip Hop Townhall last week and feels all the "booty shakin'" and "b*tches" and "hoes" is "out of line" and "has gone too far" and "Hip Hop is to blame and should be shut down!"

"Word?"

Look, "bitches", "n*****", and "nappy-headed hoes" being common-place in today's society is not Hip Hop's fault.

FACT. Simple and plain.

Hip Hop itself is too vast to lump into one bucket. The 4 (primary) elements (B-Boying, Grafitti, DJing, and MCing) aside, rap music alone is too diverse to point a blame laced finger at. The problem is that the most controversial/offensive/destructive forms of rap music dominate the airwaves.

And Hip Hop doesn't control the airwaves. Media companies do.

Remember when there used to be a balance? Remember when Ice Cube, and Digable Planets, and Bone Thugs and A Tribe Called Quest would play back-to-back on your FM dial and it wasn't a big deal - it was the norm? Remember how C. Delores Tucker, Tipper Gore and the rest tried to shut down "Gangsta Rap" back the mid-90s (pioneering the same tactics Rev. Al Sharpton plans to use during his crusade), but failed because - Gangsta Rap included - Hip Hop's message was too apparent, too tangible...too relevant?

Now? There's too many "b*tches" and "hoes" - and subsequently (like Chris Rock said) "its too hard to defend."

There are thousands of different artists out there with thousands of different perspectives who aren't bangin' the on radio, or knockin' on Mtv, or BET. And the reason they aren't is because the industry (media companies, record labels, program directors, and the like) consciously selects what will and will not be heard.

Its not that people (overall) prefer b*tches and hoes and gang culture over their own relateable lives (Kanye and Outkast are testiments to that; both multi-platinum artists with largely positive messages). It is because in the end - like my boy Will says - people like what they know (as long as the beats hot). Everyday-people will continue to say what they want to say. You can't stop a regular cat walking down the Ave from objectifying women and degrading himself. Its a losing battle. But media companies can stop offensive behavior from appearing over public airwaves - just like they stopped Don Imus.

If rap on the radio is truly too vulgar, spin more Lupe Fiasco. If thre are too many b*tches and hoes in different area codes, rock some Little Brother. If there's too much ass-shakin' on the TV station, throw a Sean Price video into the rotation.

My point is, Hip Hop is too broad to pigeon-hole. A variety of options are out there - just like they were in the 80s and 90s. The real question is, why are they no longer on radio, and video?

Just something to think about.

Carry on...