KING BHOB

The last time Ruck (a.k.a. Sean Price) and Rock (a.k.a. Rockness Monstah) released a full album together as Heltah Skeltah, the world was different.

The Twin Towers were still standing. CD was the most popular music format. Only chicks wore skinny jeans. And people may have scoffed at the notion of a Black man occupying the Oval Office. It was 1998 when Heltah Skeltah dropped Magnum Force, an album which produced the hit single “I Ain’t Havin’ That.”

Although the times have changed, the duo of Ruck and Rock are still making potent, adamantium-hard music. Heltah Skeltah’s new album, D.I.R.T. (Da Incredible Rap Team), will be released by Duck Down Records on September 30th. That’s not to say that Ruck and Rock haven’t been keeping themselves busy since Magnum Force. Both emcees have been featured heavily on compilation albums and various projects released by their crew, the mighty Boot Camp Clik. Sean Price has earned a massive, die-hard following with his exceptional solo releases. Rock, who’s facing charges for an alleged attempted murder, recently locked the streets down with his latest mixtape, Shell Shocked. As the Hip-Hop nation becomes increasingly glitzy, the time is right for Heltah Skeltah to haul it back into the gutter.



TSS: How long have you guys been working on D.I.R.T.?

Sean Price: A couple of months.

TSS: What are you looking to accomplish with this new album?

Rock: First of all, we love Heltah Skeltah. We are Heltah Skeltah forever. It’s always fun to do a Heltah Skeltah project. We’re gonna always want to do one. We’re just also solo artists and we were trying to get that established. It just feels like it’s time…time permitted it. We be around each other but we be on our own missions or whatever. But now it seems like the time to reintroduce niggas to that shit right there. We ain’t expecting to take over the world, even though we are. We just trying to spread the gospel and get it out there. Because it don’t stop here, we’re working on other projects right now. Re-familiarize niggas with it.

TSS: It’s been about ten years since your last album together. Did ya’ll approach the making of this album any different than the others?

Sean: Not really. We found a dope beat and tore it down. That’s how it always go.

TSS: You both have a lot of new fans with all of the recent projects that you’ve done. For those who may not be familiar with ya’ll as a group, what do you bring to the table together?

Rock: Basically, me and my boy, we’re from that school of thought when rappers used to rhyme to impress you with the rhyme, not with what they’ve got and this, that and the third. You know, we like nice things; cars and all of that. But that’s not what we’re trying to impress you with. We’re trying to impress you with the rhyme, you understand? What we do is, we basically body every beat we hear. We get a beat that we like and we just body it. We disrespectinize and say the hardest, toughest, most disrespectful shit and combine it with the best flow in the world and that’s what we give niggas. Me and son, basically together we give you the yin and yang so we don’t leave no stone unturned. Whatever I don’t touch, he touch…you understand what I’m sayin’?

TSS: Being that it’s been nearly a decade since you’ve recorded an album together, do you feel that this is a debut album to a degree?

Sean: No, definitely not. I don’t feel like it’s a debut album but we do need to reintroduce ourselves, na’mean? I’ve solidified myself as a solo artist but I’m part of a group, so it’s time to introduce that, na’mean? Then we can carry on…Rock got his solo joint he wants to do. It’s a set-up.

Rock: We want everything we do to be poppin’.

Sean: Monkey Barz and Jesus Price Supastar set this up. It’s going to set up Rock’s solo album, Monstah Music, and his other endeavors.

TSS: Who are some of the people you worked with on D.I.R.T.?

Rock: Rapper-wise it’s all family. We got Smif-N-Wessun, Buckshot, Representativez, Rustee Juxxx…you know, Boot Camp. That’s all what it is right there.

Sean: On the production, we got Khrysis, Stu Bangas, my man Tim from the Triad, Evidence from Dilated Peoples and others.

TSS: Rock, how’s things been going with your case, man? Has it affected your career thus far?

Rock: I mean, yeah… it gave me more shit to write about, you understand? Niggas wasn’t talking about Rockness Monstah a year ago this time, aside from the Heltah Skeltah shit. The year before Shell Shocked came out niggaz wasn’t talking about Rockness Monstah dropping no Boot camp shit. If anything, it’s turned out to be one big publicity stunt. I’m in court and papers still changing; the D.A. is bobbling, juggling shit…slipping and tripping all over the place. I guess it’s not his fault, he don’t know his story’s about to fall apart. It’s looking good, it’s all good. It’s got the people talking so…God willing, I already know, not guilty, know what I’m sayin’? I know I’m menacing but yo, I’m innocent. Not guilty.

TSS: Glad to hear that. Sean, you once referred to yourself as “The Brokest Rapper Alive.” Are you eating any better now?

Sean: I got seventeen dollars in my wallet. I’m doing good, baby.

TSS: (Laughs)

Sean: Nah, I’m all right. I’m definitely doing better than before, ya’ heard?

TSS: Ya’all some real niggas so I got to ask you some real shit. Not to start any trouble but it’s about current events. Ya’ll got any thoughts on the situation that happened with Rick Ross?

Sean: It is what it is; we ain’t got nothing to do with that shit, man. Na’mean?

Rock: We don’t be commenting on nobody’s situation. Really, just because niggas don’t be talking about us, so fuck everybody.

Sean: They ain’t giving niggas no airtime, man. They don’t give us none, fuck ‘em.

Rock: Let me know about the nigga that says, “You know what? Them Heltah Skeltah niggas get busy.” Let me know about that rapper and let me know how I feel about him.

Sean: Yeah, we don’t give a fuck about that.

TSS: Well, let me ask you then… not so much about him. But the fact that his past is even an issue and this fallout happened because of it. Does that say anything to you about Hip-Hop these days?

Sean: It’s all kind of weirdo shit that niggas let pass. So if you ain’t gonna regulate that shit, leave this nigga Rick Ross alone. There’s a whole lot of other weirdo rap shit going on that niggas is letting slide and shit. So get the fuck outta here with that Rick Ross shit. Nobody cares.

TSS: Have either one of you guys ever been tempted to dumb down your lyrics considering the shit that’s selling these days?

Sean: I dumb down my lyrics all the time.

TSS: (Laughs) You’re a pretty solid lyricist. Easy for cats to understand, but you still put thought behind your shit.

Sean: Yeah? Well, thanks ‘cause I thought I was being dumb.

TSS: No doubt. So what’s D.I.R.T. going to add to a catalog that’s already solid?

Sean: We just want to let them know that we’re still here, we’re still a force to be reckoned with. You know?

Rock: We’re just going to display our “incredibility.” Is that a word? Incredibality?

TSS: If you said it, I guess it is now (laughs). You have any parting thoughts for the audience, man? Anything you want to say to all The Smoking Section readers out there?

Rock: I just want to let niggas know to look out for the shit that’s about to pop. We got D.I.R.T. of course. We got Shell Shocked: The DVD about to drop. We got Ruck ‘bout to drop Random Axe with Guilty Simpson and Black Milk. We Ruck ‘bout to drop Mic Tyson, that’s his solo album… M-I-C, like microphone, Tyson. And we got Rock Man about to drop Monstah Music. Whole bunch of other shit… like Kimbo Price.

Sean: Yeah, Kimbo Price, the mixtape.

Rock: That’s like the prelude to muthafuckin’ Mic Tyson. Before he takes it to the professional boxing, he’s going to take it to the street fighting. I might hit ya’all with this mixtape called The Monstah Mash, the prelude to Monstah Music; the monster beats. A little prelude, you know what I’m sayin’? We got little concepts. That’s how we do…concepts. Set you up like that.

TSS: That’s whassup. I heard this rumor about you, Sean so I figure I’ll address it. It’s been said that after you do your next full album, you’re done. You’re going to retire from rap. Is there any truth to that rumor?

Sean: I don’t know, stay tuned. If you don’t hear nothing after Mic Tyson, then I guess I quit. I said it one day but I don’t know. You know I be…I don’t know.

TSS: Well, for our sake I hope you don’t stick to your word on that.

Sean: I hear you.

Rock: That nigga’s telling you that… Yo, don’t listen to this nigga, man. That nigga tells you he’s going to the store, he’ll be right back. Then you don’t see this nigga for three days. Don’t none of that mean nothing.

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