Smiff-N-Wessun By: Jared B. Ware

Philaflava.com: First off tell everybody about your new album.

Tek: The new Album is it's title. Smif-N-Wessun self-titled The Album. And it is magic and delicious to the ear, the mind, the body, and the soul. It's Sweden produced, every song is Sweden produced by my production team over there which is Cokehead Cowboys, Collen and Webb, Soul Theory, and Ken Ring and this is Smif-N-Wessun at some of their finest.

PF: Alright so I heard you guys went out to Sweden and actually recorded this album out there what made you want to go out and do that? Go to another country and record?

Tek: I mean it was actually something that we was always going away to record the next album. We was gonna take it to Miami then we was gonna take it to Atlanta or over there. But then as that time it was catching up on us, we had some shows to do over there on that side of town. And we had already been building relationships with Tommy Tee and Ken Ring. And you know during the days off that we had the shows we would go to the studio and kick it around, and you know push came to shove we was like yo let's get serious about it. We here now, we got the crazy production team there. Let's get it in and knock it out.

PF: So it was really like your schedule just put it into place like that for you?

Tek: The most high just made it happen for us. He just put it right into place.

Steele: Yeah, we spoke to them before we went though.

Tek: Yeah cuz we needed to set up the dates and all that.

PF: So what's next for you guys are you headed back on tour? Are you working on more albums?

Steele: All of that. We headed out overseas to Japan at the end of the month. When we get back we headed out to Canada for a couple of dates, yaknawmean, two and a half weeks something like that. Strictly Boot Camp yaknawmean. We got the new mix cd out Hostile Takeover, Tek got the new mix cd out U.G.P. Underground Prince. We're just working putting out these products yaknawmean coming out on Duck Down.

PF: You guys come from one of the most dominant eras of New York hip hop, what's it like for you looking at the game now where it's so spread out and New York isn't really the center of attention like it was in the early and mid-nineties?

Steele: Well it's like an uncle looking at it's nephew knawmean? You look at the game and see well my nephew is growing up and doing his own thing they learn from everything that they see. And we learn from the things that we see, so it's examples that have been set before that have us dealing with the things that's ahead of us right now. You know we don't look at it with no despise, everything that hip hop has got right now came from a small place in the Bronx inspired by Kool Herc, DJ Hollywood, and individuals like Afrika Bambaataa and the entire Zulu Nation. So we look at it alright well it's growing, we got our kids out here and "Supersoak that uhhhh" yaknawmean? We gotta watch what's goin' on, we gotta pay attention, it's about being focused and knowing what your position is. We the Big Uncles yaknawmean. So we're not gonna try to emulate this dude just so we can be popular. You know our popularity comes in being consistent and being sure at where we at in the game and that's what we maintain though and that's why we still able to put out a forth album. You know a decade in the game still with Duck Down and you know Smif-N-Wessun still Tek-N-Steele.

PF: Looking back at your career what was your favorite part?

Tek: When we first got into it. That was... it was so fresh and new to us that we loved everything about it, plus to right now being that we're still fans of this music industry, of this hip hop that we live so it all balances itself out it plays it's part.

Steele: Word.

Tek: Magic.

PF: Talk a little bit about the Rawkus deal. How come that album never came out on Rawkus records?

Steele: Because Rawkus had something that they wanted to do with another bigger company. And at that time we were still rockin' with Duck Down anyway, our family, so you know there was no love lost, we just all went our seperate ways.

PF: Yeah and did you guys end up releasing a lot of that material? Or is there still some that's not been released?

Tek: Umm.. There's still some material. We released some of the material on Smif-N-Wessun mixtapes or individual mixtapes. There's still some joints that we did have in the archives. So yeah.

Steele: Yeah go get that Smif-N-Wessun Still Shinin' you can get that on Duckdown.com

PF: How has seeing more parts of the world through tours influenced your outlooks on life?

Tek: Because it gives you a chance to broaden your horizons and broaden what you see. And once that happens you have more to talk about, more to speak about as a speaker in front of millions of people, in front of an audience like a loud noise maker in front of a mic. It allows you to talk about more things that's happening around you, and not only you, but around everybody else no matter where who don't get the opportunity to leave the 'hood, or the block, or the projects, or who can't go on vacation cuz they're working that hard nine-to-five to make them ends meet. And when they hear it through your music they appreciate it that much more.

PF: What's going on with Evil Dee and Walt recently? It seems like they haven't been on like the last few Duck Down releases and people are wondering what's up with them.

Steele: Nah, they was on the Reloaded album. They did "A Hustler's Prayer" off the Reloaded album. Knawmean, they was on The Last Stand album. They still in the picture, but they've become like businessmen now, they run radio companies now knawmean. And they do a lot of things, they got students under them that they do stuff with so. That's why it's all about expansion, constant elevation causes expansion. You know, that's why we went overseas and we did it the way we did it with those producers. But you know we going to Japan at the end of the month and we rockin' with umm... it's gonna be Smif-N-Wessun, Buckshot and Evil Dee so. So all fam-a-fam still you know.

PF: Who do you guys support in the upcoming election?

Tek: Obama!

PF: Obama, both of y'all?

Steele: Yeah, pretty much. We'd like to see him get it.

Tek: Not get it but...

Steele: Yeah, not get it, but win it. We'd like to see him win it.

PF: There were a fair number of references to the Deceps back in the day on Boot Camp projects. Was that just you guys reflecting on Brooklyn and stuff going on around you or you were you guys Decepticonz?

Steele: Yeah, yeah we Decep, we Decepticonz. The 'hood know.

Tek: Yeah every member of Boot Camp is Decepticonz.

Steele: Word up. We ran with the Decepticonz and we still Decep.

Tek: I represent Rumblecon, Rumble said A-1 Gangster.

Steele: We not OGs, we A-1

Tek: Stay Soft!

PF: Do you guys think the world will ever see another OGC album?

Tek: Anything's possible. It's in the works, it's in the talks, it's just getting these guys together that's all you know. Moving around recording this album it's hard sometimes. But anything's possible.

PF: If there's anything you guys would've done differently in your career what would it have been?

Tek: (Screams) Nothin!!!

PF: Not a damn thing?

Tek: (Screams) Nothin!!!

Steele: Yeah everything we did made us who we are man. You know and we not sad at who we are and where we at right now. So it's like without lessons you'd just be a stupid motherfucker walking around in the street thinkin' that everything is promised to you. You're not promise tomorrow so we train with the best you know.

PF: Yeah and you guys have a lot to show for what you've done, you've got four albums now, numerous mixtapes, the group albums etc.

Steele: Yeah I'm cool with my family you know what I mean? And you know I have a lot more treasures that I know a lot of homies that may have been on bigger labels that had more benefits in the beginning and who now I see come to us and ask questions about how we did it and how we still doing it. Y'knawmean, I mean cats that we look up to come to us for advice so it's dope cuz you know we pay attention to what's goin' on. That's why I say you gotta stay conscious, it's not always about what you see on television, what you can control with your remote control. Y'knawmean it's about being hands-on, being involved.

PF: How did you guys get the name back like I know you were Cocoa Brovas for awhile, how did that change back?

Tek: Umm, basically we took it man.

Steele: (Laughs)

Tek: We fighting for this man, we fight for everything we get, nobody gives us nothin' so we still in this just makin' it happen.

PF: Alright let me name off a couple rappers and you tell me what you think of them. Lil' Wayne?

Tek: He aiight.

Steele: Yeah he's good, he gets busy.

PF: 50 Cent?

Tek: He aiight.

Steele: Gets busy, get busy.

PF: Styles P?

Steele: Styles?

Tek: Oh, that's our dude.

Steele: Styles, that's family right there. Styles definitely, Styles get busy.

PF: How about the Clipse?

Steele: Clipse?

Tek: Yeah, that's VA family, that's extended family.

Steele: They do they thing, that's a pretty cool group too, I forgot about the Clipse for a minute.

Tek: Oh word?

Steele: I ain't even gonna front, but they umm... they doin' they thing. I like that, I like they chemistry.

PF: Beanie Sigel?

Steele: Ahh, that's the champ right there.

Tek: Yeah, that's the boss.

PF: Soulja Boy?

Steele: Soulja Boy that's (cut off by Tek)

Tek: Yoooo!! Steele: That's the young homey. The young homey is doin' his thing. I like his work ethics man, for real. He ain't let nobody deter him from putting his best foot forward, and that's how you gotta be especially when you're a young homey dealin' with a big game. He's in the major leagues right now. Hopefully he can put out an album and sell some albums. You know like ringtones are good, that's great, that's very popular, but you know this is a history, like a culture is at stake.

PF: Biggie

Steele: Ahhh man.

Tek: Who? Biggie? That's family.

Steele: Come on man... that's family b, that's part of our blueprint man.

PF: Scarface

Steele: Ahhh

Tek: That's a big uncle.

Steele: That's the big unc right there man. The big uncle man.

PF: Dutches or Blunt Wraps?

Steele: Dutches or the Blunt Wraps? What country?

PF: You know the new Bluntville joints they got?

Tek: Yeah, but the Vanilla Dutch smells good.

Steele: Yeah what country?

PF: I don't know you tell me.

Steele: If I was in the states I would pick a dutch over a blunt wrap. If I was in umm... European countries I probably would do the blunt wrap.

PF: Yeah but that's just cuz it's easier to find over there right?

Steele: Exactly. (Everybody laughes) Yeah and sometimes you just get different kinds of marijuana you just want the flavor you might smoke a chocolate or a vanilla spliff when I'm in Amsterdam or something for the different taste of it you know?

PF: How do you guys feel your audience, and maybe the hip hop audience as a whole has changed since you've been in the game?

Steele: Hip hop has changed, hip hop audience has changed in general man. I would like to say that it's uhhh... it's... it's more diverse. It's a lot more diverse yknawmean you have people from a lot of different ethnic backgrounds that are not only coming to hip hop shows, but that are actually involving themselves in the growth and development of hip hop. As far as our fans like are fans are brothers or nephews of people who grew up on our music and just like us they're a little more mature now. They still conscious of what's going on, they still party and enjoy themselves, but they know good music when they hear it.

PF: What do you think was the best Duck Down release?

Tek: The best?

PF: Yes.

Tek: Duck Down Release?

PF: Yes.

Tek: To this date?

PF: To this date.

Steele: Smif-N-Wessun The Album.

PF: Yeah?

Tek and Steele: Yeah!

Steele: Totally. It's a well rounded piece, well rounded structure. We didn't need any babysitters on this we didn't have too many headaches. We didn't give anybody too many headaches. Like a lot of times albums are a little difficult to do sometimes due to just simple distractions. And on this one we just kind of went into the studio and recorded the album, rested, ate food, got up, recorded, rested, ate... yknawmean it wasn't too much of anything else other than that. And it was very focused, we did it in about, we did it in less than a month. We did it in about twenty days. We just recorded thirty five songs, and you know we had to come back home, we kept it movin', kept workin' still grindin' out. So yeah, dedication and hard work that's how we prosper. And a lot of patience.

PF: Aight thanks for the interview

Tek: Thank you!

Steele: Thank you boss.