When you learn you are about to interview Sean Price, you have to know what you are in for. As I left the office for the stairwell to hold the interview (no private rooms suitable interviews), I contemplated the many ways this interview could go. The Brownsville, Brooklyn MC who has been killing the game since 1993, is no stranger to tension. If you are any bit familiar with Sean P the person, than it is understood the blunt, direct, honest personality he owns. Yet, as the interview kicked off, I knew it was going to be a good one when he asked If I spelled my name the same way as him. We do.
Settling in on his 18th year in the game, Price has continued to evolve and adapt to the changes in the game, while making it look easy. Other artists like Raekwon have also followed the same trend and for Price it lies in the fact that, “At the end of the day, we can fu*kin rhyme. Aight, no more gimmicks, this that or third, n*ggas can rhyme.” While the lyrical ability of these MC’s has never come to question, it is not only lyrics that keep artists popular and intriguing these days. Having linked with Black Milk & Guilty Simpson to form Random Axe, P has continued to prove he belongs at the helm of the scene in 2011. Read on to see the quirky, honest and opinions of Price, relating to Random axe Boot Camp Clik comparisons, Brooklyn vs. Detroit, and the most ignorant album in the history of hip-hop. Don’t miss this interview, featuring the self proclaimed “Comedy Robbery” rapper.
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Ruby Hornet: So just a couple minutes before I called you, the Chewbacca track hit the net.
Sean Price: Man you just put me on to some sh*t, they just dropped Chewbacca? ooooh, word.
Ruby Hornet: Was that supposed to happen?
Sean Price: Yeah, yeah. Na, I’m not mad, the sh*t is just stupid.
Ruby Hornet: You have a line on that track, “My three vs your four, who crew hotter? Random. Everybody on my team is winners, everybody on your team’s beginners” is that aimed towards anyone?
Sean Price: I mean, I meant that about anybody. I’m just saying three vs. four because it’s three of us, and if its four of ya’ll, we don’t give a fuck. We are going to crush ya’ll. That goes for anybody who got more people in their group than us. You know what I mean, it ain’t a smack going at Slaughterhouse, I love Slaughterhouse, it ain’t that. I love em’, but ain’t nobody better than Sean Price. I don’t give a fu*k, I ain’t taking the silver medal for no one. It not bout them in particular it’s about everybody. But nigg*s think they better than Random Axe, I don’t think so.
Ruby Hornet: How did you link with the Detroit homies Black Milk & Guilty Simpson and decide to form Random Axe?
Sean Price: It was the Cake joint. The sh*t Black did for Lloyd Banks, that sh*t was stupid. Then I got a phone call from some dude, one of Guilty’s people, like “yo we want you to do a song with Guilty Simpson”. I was like ah, cool, but who the fuck is Guilty Simpson. And the dude I was with, around us played us a bunch of Guilty Simpson shit. And I was like yeah. It went from us just doing one song together, to knocking out a whole project.
Ruby Hornet: Can you describe the relationship between cats from Brownsville, and then Midwest folk from Detroit etc. There seems to be a relatable vibe between the two.
Sean Price: Man, ya’ll Detroit and ya’ll Chicago nigg*s, ya’ll are crazy. We ain’t like that out here. We get it poppin out here, but not like that. Ya’ll nigg*s are crazy! Having big automatic weapons an shi*t. We might have a pistol, you feel me, maybe a nine, at the biggest maybe a mac or a tech, ya’ll nigg*s be having Ar-15’s, you know what I mean, Big Johnny Rambo sh*ts in the back of ya’ll rides, we don’t do that out here. We got a bunch of fu*kin projects and a bunch of windows, so when you pull out an AK, yo ass is getting told on. Someone is telling on you. we can’t do all that. Nigg*s get it in, don’t get it twisted, but it ain’t like that. We put it in with small caliber weapons, compared to the sh*t ya’ll be doing.
Ruby Hornet: Guilty Simpson said, he felt the album was a homage to the classic, New York sound. Do you have a similar belief, or do you feel that coming out in 2011 this is ya’ll own sound?
Sean Price: I understand why he said that, you know what I mean it makes sense. I didn’t really think of it that way, but Guilty is a smart n*gga haha, serious though. I just took it as, I’m nice, Guiltys’ nice, Blacks’ nice. Maybe we don’t get the respect due that we should, so fu*k it let’s jump em.
Ruby Hornet: How do you compare working with Dru-Ha (Duck Down CEO) to Hex Murda (Black Milk’s Manager)
Sean Price: Hex Murda is Dru Ha on steroids. Hex is Dru Ha on the roid rage. Like, Dru Ha works out all the time, but if he took steroids while he was working out he would be Hex Murda.
Ruby Hornet: You seem to be the veteran in the group, have been in the game since 1993, similar to Raekwon, Ghostface, and you all have sustained great longevity. How do you feel you have done that? Do you feel it is important to link with newer artists (Guilty & Black)?
Sean Price: First of all the names you said, at the end of the day, we can fu*kin rhyme. Aight, no more gimmicks, this that or third, n*ggas can rhyme. N*ggas pen game is still strong. That’s why we still here. Now, as far as embracing them new n*ggas, some of them get busy some of them don’t, you know what I mean. There’s a bunch I don’t really respect lyrically, but I respect them as a man. But for the most part, if your pimp game sharp, and you stick to what you do, n*ggas gonna respect that. Period. Rae gets busy. Ghost gets busy. I’m the best. You feel me. Ain’t nobody doing what i’m doing. You feel me. Of course your going to like that sh*t. I’m going to be around for a while, as long as I keep doing that.
Ruby Hornet: Can you compare recording with Random Axe today, to recording with BCC & Heltah Skeltah in the past?
Sean Price: No. BCC, we work different, we’ll go camp out somewhere. Go to North Carolina and get hotel rooms, do a bunch of joints and come back home. That’s cool. We really camp out and do songs. I actually like that. But these n*ggas man, I just flew to Detroit, Black played the beat, he said rhyme to that, I rhymed to it, you know what I mean. I sat back and took orders man, and it worked.
Ruby Hornet: Other than Black Milk, some other producers you’ve said you wanted to work with was Nottz. You got Alchemist on the album (Mic Tyson) Are there any others?
Sean Price: Man, whoever got heat man. I got this dude from London, named Beat Butcha on my album man. Wait till you hear the sh*t he got he did some sh*t with Tony Yayo. Beat Muncher is the future, and this dud V-Don from uptown got an ill sound too. He did ‘Large On The Streets’ for Vado. He got some great production too, he’s on the album. I got Evidence from Dilated Peoples, he gave me two crazy bangers. Those might be my favorite joints on the album, he gave me two smackers, word.
Ruby Hornet: I know your a sneakerhead, what are you rocking lately?
Sean Price: Yesterday, I wore my Big Gulp SB’s, with the red, white and green New Jersey Devils hat I was killin’ em yesterday at the Summer Jam. And I had the red polo on, I was bodying them.
Ruby Hornet: Other than preparing the Mic Tyson LP, what else do you have planned for the summer?
Sean Price: I’m working on a mixtape with Statik Selektah I’m working on, and then I got Mic Tyson. I think this is the world’s most ignorant album ever, in the history of Hip-Hop. I’m basically scraping my knuckles on the ground like a caveman on this record, and it sounds beautiful. I get a smile on my face when people hear the songs and go “This mofo, you know better than to say that”, like I love it hahaha. Have you ever seen the cartoon, and the devil and angel on either side of you. For Mic Tyson the devil side is definitely winning. But it makes for good music, as far as music is concerned its winning. I can’t wait to drop it and for you to hear it, it’s so bad.
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