These are only the questions asked by WORDSnTUNES, many more questions were asked.
A group of white kids getting involved in Hip Hop and gaining your acclaim is definitely a rarity. Besides Eminem there haven’t been many others. Do you feel more special because if this or disappointed that more other white kids didn’t follow in your footsteps?
What about Snow? (everyone laughs) Vanilla Ice? Marky Mark? There was a period when that underwear campaign was a big hit. Do we feel challenged because he acted too?
You mean do we feel like special white people? I don’t mean to call you out or anything but we always seem to be asked by journalists from other countries about being white rappers. For some reason it’s a real focus in Europe and South America. I think what’s more important is people are just making music. It doesn’t matter what color they are. Some people are making music that’s good and some don’t. Color is not a big factor. Just throwing it out there.
Beastie Boys were always lyrics heavy. Now Hip Hop music is ruled by the Southern music and that is not focusing on lyrics as much as the beats. What are your thoughts on that?
You mean Dirty South is mostly coming out with party records? No, I mean Dirty South knows how to party. What can you say? There is no shame in that.
But you were able to integrate great lyricism into your party music also. Now producers like Manny Fresh and Timbaland are running a very different game.
That’s cool too. It’s just another wing of Hip Hop. It’s cool that Hip Hop takes many different forms and represents many different cultures and different places. There is a bit of a different vibe down there. New York was always the dominant Hip Hop place, so the fact that we’re actually in the place and time where music comes out that’s kind of relevant to where everybody is at… it’s not like anyone in New York made a Manny Fresh beat or a Chopped and Screwed beat. And it’s cool that this style became so popular in New York, because New York can be very snobby.
So, is it a shortcut that Hot 97 mostly spins just party records?
No, it’s cool and there are some good records too. Musically to me a lot of great beats came out of the South.
