by Dale Coachman
If you were wondering where the Boot Camp Clik has been the answer is very simple and evident in the music, the studio. Known for getting caught up in label and distribution ordeals, the Camp is back on Duckdown records making hip-hop music independently and always for the people.
MVRemix: What has kept you together for 13 years?
Steele: God first and foremost because we are all spiritual individuals which all makes us humble at some point and before we all started rhymin’ we knew each other. Louisville, Rock, and DJ Logic all lived in the same building. Me and Top Dog are brothers and we lived across the street in the same building. Me and Tek went to school together and I met Buck through his sister and Buck was the last one that joined but what is funny was he went to the same public school that my brother went to. Starang lived around the corner from us, and Ruck lived around the corner from my grandmother, so we all kinda knew each before so I think that played a big part.
MVRemix: Ya’ll just came off a European tour how was that?
Steele: We actually bumped into Percee P. and RA on the tour but they were doing something different, but the tour was nice, it was real dope.
MVRemix: Tek and Steele came out with the X-Files what kind of response have ya’ll been getting, in addition is there an album coming from Smif and Wessun?
Steele: We gonna put that out in ’07. Ruck got his shit comin’ out this year, and we are gonna work this Boot Camp album cause when the Boot Camp album comes out we’re gonna be on tour, and we got like a 35 city tour that’s comin’ up and the album comes out July 18th. So we are already gonna be on the road which is beautiful and when the album drops we come back to New York and we got a show with Mobb Deep, so it’s gonna be crazy. Also me and Tek we put that out because we have been sitting on that stuff for a while a lot of that stuff was music that was recorded when we were with Rawkus, which was fucked up for us ‘cause people was like where ya’ll been? This is where we’ve been, makin’ songs, but we were in a bad position and couldn’t put them out, but it doesn’t stop the music and we were reaching out to the fans.
MVRemix: What have ya’ll learned from that because ya’ll always seem to run into the label problem?
Steele: That’s another thing that kept us together because from the gate we were with Def Jam and a lot of cats that came out with us ain’t makin’ no music right now, don’t have the same management, and don’t have the same homies, and whose group isn’t even together. Then its like the ones who have the potential to move on they either sell they soul sort of speak, like I was watching Cocaine City and Ice Cube was like, “If you ballin’ make your own records don’t sell your rights away make your own shit.” When we fuckin’ with Duckdown that’s what we doin’. We’re makin’ our own stuff. Always work never fall into a depression state never stop doing what you’re doing or what is making you money.
MVRemix: Ghostface was talking about people in New York not standing for anything and ironically ya’ll are comin out with this album The Last Stand what message are ya’ll sending with this album?
Tek: Well our message has always been a message of self determination. When you are determined within yourself and you got a good team around you can accomplish anything, like this is for the common folk, to realize that cats that are under us like you don’t have to be a superhero just be good at what you do. Rap with a passion like what Martin Luther King said, “If you’re gonna sweep floors be the best floor sweeper in your heart.” so for us like every time we together it’s a party so for us just havin’ the determination to keep movin’ forward. We kinda letting people know we’re not gonna stop until we’re dead. So this is our chance to say we are gonna stand up for everything we fuck wit and nobody is going to kill our spirits our hearts.
MVRemix: As far as the producers you have 9th Wonder, Pete Rock, Beatminerz and others, how did ya’ll hook up with 9th because I know he did Chemistry with Buck, how did ya’ll first get connected with 9th and Little Brother?
Tek: Before we did the Boot Camp album Dru-Ha had met 9th and he expressed how much he liked the camp and I had a cd out where I had instrumentals on the CD ,and Dru had sent that cd to 9th which he remixed them and Dru fell in love with them. Dru kept in touch with 9th so they set something up and Dru brung the guys down to work with 9th and he let us fuck with his producers and we stayed there for like a week it was real cool.
MVRemix: You’re comin out with Jesus Price Superstar can we expect the same as Monkey Bars or can we expect something totally different?
Sean Price: If ain’t broke don’t try to fix its like Jesus Price is like Monkey Bars on steroids.
MVRemix: Nas is coming out with his album Hip-Hop is Dead do you feel like it is dead or was dead along time ago and what are you trying to do to bring that back?
Sean Price: Hip-hop ain’t dead. People rap about what they want to rap about and the masses choose to listen to. What am I doin? Monkey Bars and Jesus Price, I’m the savior of real hip-hop and I’m goin’ through the slums spreading the gospel of real hip-hop. I’m not on no religious shit and follow me because I’m a lead you the right way.
MVRemix: Do you have any guest appearances on the album?
Sean Price: Buckshot, Rock, Phonte from Little Brother and Sean Don from the Justus League.
MVRemix: How was it working with Phonte?
Sean Price: Oh that shit was crazy, son is nice. Actually when he spit his verse I had to go home and write mine, real talk.
MVRemix: Who came up with the idea to bring the Camp back together for another album?
Sean Price: It was obvious that was the next thing to do, we did the triple threat with my album Buckshot and 9th Wonder and the Smif & Wessun album so the next line album is the Boot Camp album, my solo album and Heltah Skeltah.