 INTERVIEWRANDOM THOUGHTS MAGAZINE, 2003 Much love to Dan Johns, founder; Rhonda Gayle Turner, interviewer Is your first album NATTY STRONG doing what you expected it to do? Extraordinaire the Great: It has exceeded our expectations. Man, before we put this album together we were satisfied doing songs for our folk to bump and then shopping to the labels. The independent game scared us because the market seems so one-sided if you're not doing a straight gangter album. We do Southern Hip-Hop and try to expand on what's expected from that genre. To be received like we have been let us know folk respond to good music. Speaking of NATTY STRONG, what exactly does that mean? B-Lo the Failure: It comes from this old saying we grew up on around our way: "It's on like Natty Strong!" We just tried to come with a title that would leave people guessing what to expect. Made it easier for us to do whatever the hell we felt would be tight. Where did the name of the group BLACK FOLK INC come from? E: We wanted to make a little statement with our name. We had to put something out there that meant something. We had the name then added the Inc. [Incorporated] to make it official, that we are like a company. B: Simply put, Black Folk Incorporated means "black folk who stay about their business." What's the one main thing you want people to know about BLACK FOLK INC? B: If this ended tommorow, how would we wanna be remembered in this game? (B-Lo thinks aloud) I would want people to know we were creative – true MCs in the game. When people listen to an album, they get a feel for the artist. What's your favorite song on the album NATTY STRONG and why? B: Man, Dem Old School Beats just showed folks that those hard beats that are bumping nowadays ain't nothing but an extension of what groups like Run-DMC were doing like 15-20 years ago. E: I'm digging joints like Slum, Wonder Why, and Gone On because we did those songs for us. We weren't really studing whether people were gonna feel them or not. We followed our nuts on those songs. Well it really paid off! The cuts on the album are kicking – nice transitition between the hits. The bass on I've Got a Feeling is off the chain. I especially like that little interlude between Down Here and Ooh Child, but what up with such explicit lyrics? B: It's an explicit world baby, anything else would be fake. If you want fake hip-hop, there is plenty of it out there to choose from. What does "keeping it real" mean to you? B: (B-Lo looked at me while taking a drag on a Newport) I just told you. (then he winks his eye at me) E: Yeah. It's just alot of stuff that is fake. When I listen to jams, I try to listen for people's motives in doing the song and that's not what it's about. With us, "keeping it real" is just doing whatever music moves us. We try to just do what MCs are supposed to do – move the crowd and try to be the best. We talk alot shit because that is a major part of being an MC. But we also think that when we do drop down and get real and personal on songs like Gone On and Wonder Why, it adds more depth to it. We really try to sneak little blingers in most of our songs, though. Even the crunk songs like Trickbeat and Metabolife have underlying meanings to them. Are you planning to sign with some "big" record label, or do you believe that BLOCKLIFE RECORDS can "take you there" in this industry? B: BlockLife can get us there. We have such a tight knit family that even if it came down to that, Big Block would let us make that decision. E: It's about that leverage in the independent game. Run-DMC weren't on Def Jam but them signing to another label made it possible for Russell [Simmons] to eat. He used the power of what did for them to get his label going. We are just trying to break down some doors for our UNIT. Is it just the two of you? B: We also have an unofficial member, DJ Con Man who did a majority of the scratches on our album. How has the music industry changed since you started in this business? E: Back when we were coming up, we would go to the store and buy any and everything hip hop. It was new and fresh and all a part of one big culture. But around the late 80's/early 90's, I noticed that people who loved N.W.A. would hate De La Soul and vice versa. I was always a fan of the diversity that hip-hop music showcased, but after this, people started branching off and choosing sides. B: We used to bump everything from MC Shy D. to Big Daddy Kane; from Too Short to A Tribe Called Quest. E: Black Folk Inc. were also fans of Vanilla "Ice-Ice" Baby! (The guys look at each other and laugh hysterically. I didn't get the joke myself, but anyway...) What's the inspiration behind it all? E: To try to bring back that element of surprise to the music. B: You gonna love us!! What about album 2? When can we expect it out? B: I'mma kick your ass – you nosy as hell, ain't you?! (laughs) It's damn near gonna be a double album but we are going to let this NATTY STRONG album continue to do its thing. What's the 2nd album going to have that NATTY STRONG didn't? E: Just more diversity and pushing the limits of what is expected on rap albums. We want to play with the formulas a little and see what we come up with. Hit different angles and challenge ourselves even more with the styles we put out there. The hit Metabolife – what's that all about? B & E: (in harmony) Sex!! E: It's also a positive song in its own twisted way because it's a song about our love for them "thick" girls. That's how we came with the whole "body, body" concept in the hook. You were just recently featured on the Home Grown Cypher with "Your Momma's Brother" – Uncle BuddaRat as he is best known here in Pee Dee on WYNN-FM 106.3. How did it go and what did you think of the show? E: The whole vibe was real positive. We ended up meeting some influential folk in y'alls parts including DJ Encore and Dan Johns. Budda Rat was real responsive to what we were doing and that was definitely appreciated. Dude showed us nothing but love and it's going to come back to him that way. B: We were also shown some major love from Paul Davis and the South Carolina Record Pool who let us come out and do a showcase at one of their recent pool meetings in Columbia. Big up to my nigga Bernie Blac! Dude is sick with it! In closing, what does BLACK FOLK INC want to do to this industry? E: Do what we can to break down the barriers that keep the rap game segmented. B: Shock the world and show another aspect to Southern Hip-Hop.
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