Post by Adam B on Jul 19, 2005 10:05:01 GMT -5
The Pharcyde Interview
by Adam Bernard
Adam Bernard: The team's been cut over the years so how is it that on "Humboldt Beginnings" you still have that Pharcyde sound?
Booty Brown: The Pharcyde... some people don't feel we have a Pharcyde now. The smart people know the Pharcyde sound changes when we change.
Imani: When you get affected by the first album they make you feel like that's the only sound.
AB: What are your thoughts on losing members over the years?
I: I don't have no problems with losing members cuz your best friend in the fifth grade probably isn't your best friend now. You don't want to lose your best friends and it wasn't cool with Tre. With Fat Lip it was cool cuz he was a solo artist we knew he was gonna do a record. Tre didn't sit well with me, that wasn't how it was supposed to be as far as I'm concerned. It is what it is. We didn't kick nobody out. This town just wasn't big enough for the four of us.
AB: Erick Sermon, Brand Nubian, The Pharcyde all released album in 2004, how do ya'll legends make sure to stay relevant?
BB: Just gotta keep music out there. Everybody's not going to be into it, but you're gonna gain some fans. Basically it's the music, it's nothing more or less. As long as you're doing music somebody is gonna get into it. Kool Keith's reinvented himself I don't know how many times.
AB: So is Cali gonna make a comeback or what?
BB: I don't know man.
I: It's not. I say we got people out here but as far as how it goes it's not that many people and in California I don't think people can see success at the same time, we can only have a couple. It's not like an NY thing where we can flatten the market. For us it's spots. Black Eyed Peas is out now, when they're done we can have someone else.
AB: Why did you title the album "Humboldt Beginnings?" What's the concept behind the album?
BB: It's a concept album as far as a one subject kinda thing and we just go around that subject as far as possible. This is kinda like gettin into the stuff that's more or less different avenues of weed, if that's how you wanna put it.
I: The record ain't for weed smokers only, though, it's an album. There's not gonna be one song that defines the record, the record defines the record. You gotta sit back and hear where we're comin from from all different aspects.
BB: You don't have to be high, you don't have to smoke to get into. "Bizarre Ride" you gotta get high to get into, this record, sonically is acceptable to play anywhere.
I: Like in the club. People sometimes wonder why don't we hear certain records in the club, like "why don't we hear it if the DJ's love it?" Then we hear it in the club and we're like "oh sh*t that's why we don't hear it in the club, it's headphone music," but with this album you can listen to it loud.
AB: Other than the lineup, what was different about recording this album than previous albums?
I: To me what was different was that it was at our leisure, there wasn't no record company big wigs, or A&R's involved in it. Nobody saying "we don't like that song, do somethin else." We could work at our own pace, talk about what we wanna talk about, change verses, record it a thousand times if we want. So if people don't like it we did everything we could to make it fresh.
AB: I've heard the album, I know about Humboldt's claim to fame, is the weed really that good there?
I: California has some of the best weed in the world.
AB: Better than Amsterdam?
I: Amsterdam is cool cuz Amsterdam is Amsterdam, you got nobody breathin down your back. In LA there's always time and demand and neighbors, but for our situation we have the best herb, we have the best weather, we have the best everything in California. You can tell I was born and rased in California.
AB: Have ya'll become coinsures???
I: Coinsures of the finest herbals and precious herbs, that is the title. I mean I'm 33 this year, Brown 34, and after ten years you're a pro. I don't smoke, I blaze. Smokers smoke packs of cigarettes and sh*t, I blaze and it's a hobby, I don't smoke cuz it's cool, I smoke cuz I'm real wired up and sh*t. When I smoke I'm chillin. Without it the blood go through my veins fast. I mean you still gotta deal with the short term memory and the bad parts of smokin but it helps me relax and not f**k somebody up, it helps me turn the other cheek. I never think "I'ma smoke this and make a song."
AB: So you never use it as a performance enhancing drug?
I: Hell naw, the first time we smoked weed in the studio we couldn't do sh*t. We were smoked up we just said f**k it. That was with Brand New Heavies, Soul Flower was the song.
AB: What's your favorite way to smoke it? Joints? Blunts? Bowls? Bongs?
I: All that, yeah. We kinda knew a whole lotta people were gonna ask us questions. We smoke weed, let's just not dwell on it. Dave Chappelle said he smoked so much weed he had to make a movie about it. We smoked so much we had to make a record about it.
AB: So technically you're done with it?
I can't see me sayin I'm done with it cuz I have a ten and seven year old son and they stress me out.
AB: One last weed-related question, why do you think the government won't just legalize it?
I: No taxes. There's no way to make money, it's like tomatoes. Unless they came up with a product like we got the special fertilizer that'll help you make the bomb.
BB: It was legal, then it wasn't legal, now it's some big deal.
I: If it's not legal the government is makin money off it somehow, and if it's legal then it's gonna be free and we're gonna be missin out on a lotta dough.
BB: But it ain't been legal since the 30's or 40's, muthaf**kas been smokin that sh*t like it's goin outta style. It's the number one cash crop and it's illegal.
I: I think we should find out how much Philly Blunt and Swisha Sweet have made since 1970.
BB: You know it's just a constant incline.
AB: Ya'll are veterans in the game, what are some of the biggest mistakes you see young rappers making today?
BB: Where do I start, ain't nobody really doin nothin right, the people that's doin it right you can probably count on one hand. They're lettin somebody else run their world for them. How can you complain when you just give your life to somebody. I can't say "they," when I was a young rapper singing. I was just like gimme something to sign, just gimme the money.
I: I don't think you can really say because it's like now not bein in high school when you think of HS you think "man there were all kinds of girls at my HS" and now your brain is geared towards girls "if I had my knowledge about girls back then that I do now I'd be killin."
BB: They're being young, and when you're young you do silly things, and ignorant things, because you lack knowledge.
I: You gotta find your own position, you own niche. It's a part of knowledge.
AB: Do you ever see any of yourselves in them?
BB: Just being young and hyped, everybody's guilty when they're young of being young.
I: A lot of people base it on their backgrounds. If you come from a family wit both parents and a nice house you're not gonna make the same decisions as someone who grew up in the ghetto with just a mom or just came outta prison, because one person is used to money and can look at how his father ran his biz while the person in the hood may not know anyone with a checking account.
B: They know the drug dealers who get money then buy a car.
I: If you take a person with no money of course they're gonna do something foolish.
AB: Last question, how would the world be different if we all just grooved with The Pharcyde?
BB: I can't say it would be better, only way it would be different is that we're pretty open minded, maybe that would open up the closed minded people, let 'em see the other side of the coin sometimes, see that it's not all one way, see what we can all add to the world.
by Adam Bernard
Adam Bernard: The team's been cut over the years so how is it that on "Humboldt Beginnings" you still have that Pharcyde sound?
Booty Brown: The Pharcyde... some people don't feel we have a Pharcyde now. The smart people know the Pharcyde sound changes when we change.
Imani: When you get affected by the first album they make you feel like that's the only sound.
AB: What are your thoughts on losing members over the years?
I: I don't have no problems with losing members cuz your best friend in the fifth grade probably isn't your best friend now. You don't want to lose your best friends and it wasn't cool with Tre. With Fat Lip it was cool cuz he was a solo artist we knew he was gonna do a record. Tre didn't sit well with me, that wasn't how it was supposed to be as far as I'm concerned. It is what it is. We didn't kick nobody out. This town just wasn't big enough for the four of us.
AB: Erick Sermon, Brand Nubian, The Pharcyde all released album in 2004, how do ya'll legends make sure to stay relevant?
BB: Just gotta keep music out there. Everybody's not going to be into it, but you're gonna gain some fans. Basically it's the music, it's nothing more or less. As long as you're doing music somebody is gonna get into it. Kool Keith's reinvented himself I don't know how many times.
AB: So is Cali gonna make a comeback or what?
BB: I don't know man.
I: It's not. I say we got people out here but as far as how it goes it's not that many people and in California I don't think people can see success at the same time, we can only have a couple. It's not like an NY thing where we can flatten the market. For us it's spots. Black Eyed Peas is out now, when they're done we can have someone else.
AB: Why did you title the album "Humboldt Beginnings?" What's the concept behind the album?
BB: It's a concept album as far as a one subject kinda thing and we just go around that subject as far as possible. This is kinda like gettin into the stuff that's more or less different avenues of weed, if that's how you wanna put it.
I: The record ain't for weed smokers only, though, it's an album. There's not gonna be one song that defines the record, the record defines the record. You gotta sit back and hear where we're comin from from all different aspects.
BB: You don't have to be high, you don't have to smoke to get into. "Bizarre Ride" you gotta get high to get into, this record, sonically is acceptable to play anywhere.
I: Like in the club. People sometimes wonder why don't we hear certain records in the club, like "why don't we hear it if the DJ's love it?" Then we hear it in the club and we're like "oh sh*t that's why we don't hear it in the club, it's headphone music," but with this album you can listen to it loud.
AB: Other than the lineup, what was different about recording this album than previous albums?
I: To me what was different was that it was at our leisure, there wasn't no record company big wigs, or A&R's involved in it. Nobody saying "we don't like that song, do somethin else." We could work at our own pace, talk about what we wanna talk about, change verses, record it a thousand times if we want. So if people don't like it we did everything we could to make it fresh.
AB: I've heard the album, I know about Humboldt's claim to fame, is the weed really that good there?
I: California has some of the best weed in the world.
AB: Better than Amsterdam?
I: Amsterdam is cool cuz Amsterdam is Amsterdam, you got nobody breathin down your back. In LA there's always time and demand and neighbors, but for our situation we have the best herb, we have the best weather, we have the best everything in California. You can tell I was born and rased in California.
AB: Have ya'll become coinsures???
I: Coinsures of the finest herbals and precious herbs, that is the title. I mean I'm 33 this year, Brown 34, and after ten years you're a pro. I don't smoke, I blaze. Smokers smoke packs of cigarettes and sh*t, I blaze and it's a hobby, I don't smoke cuz it's cool, I smoke cuz I'm real wired up and sh*t. When I smoke I'm chillin. Without it the blood go through my veins fast. I mean you still gotta deal with the short term memory and the bad parts of smokin but it helps me relax and not f**k somebody up, it helps me turn the other cheek. I never think "I'ma smoke this and make a song."
AB: So you never use it as a performance enhancing drug?
I: Hell naw, the first time we smoked weed in the studio we couldn't do sh*t. We were smoked up we just said f**k it. That was with Brand New Heavies, Soul Flower was the song.
AB: What's your favorite way to smoke it? Joints? Blunts? Bowls? Bongs?
I: All that, yeah. We kinda knew a whole lotta people were gonna ask us questions. We smoke weed, let's just not dwell on it. Dave Chappelle said he smoked so much weed he had to make a movie about it. We smoked so much we had to make a record about it.
AB: So technically you're done with it?
I can't see me sayin I'm done with it cuz I have a ten and seven year old son and they stress me out.
AB: One last weed-related question, why do you think the government won't just legalize it?
I: No taxes. There's no way to make money, it's like tomatoes. Unless they came up with a product like we got the special fertilizer that'll help you make the bomb.
BB: It was legal, then it wasn't legal, now it's some big deal.
I: If it's not legal the government is makin money off it somehow, and if it's legal then it's gonna be free and we're gonna be missin out on a lotta dough.
BB: But it ain't been legal since the 30's or 40's, muthaf**kas been smokin that sh*t like it's goin outta style. It's the number one cash crop and it's illegal.
I: I think we should find out how much Philly Blunt and Swisha Sweet have made since 1970.
BB: You know it's just a constant incline.
AB: Ya'll are veterans in the game, what are some of the biggest mistakes you see young rappers making today?
BB: Where do I start, ain't nobody really doin nothin right, the people that's doin it right you can probably count on one hand. They're lettin somebody else run their world for them. How can you complain when you just give your life to somebody. I can't say "they," when I was a young rapper singing. I was just like gimme something to sign, just gimme the money.
I: I don't think you can really say because it's like now not bein in high school when you think of HS you think "man there were all kinds of girls at my HS" and now your brain is geared towards girls "if I had my knowledge about girls back then that I do now I'd be killin."
BB: They're being young, and when you're young you do silly things, and ignorant things, because you lack knowledge.
I: You gotta find your own position, you own niche. It's a part of knowledge.
AB: Do you ever see any of yourselves in them?
BB: Just being young and hyped, everybody's guilty when they're young of being young.
I: A lot of people base it on their backgrounds. If you come from a family wit both parents and a nice house you're not gonna make the same decisions as someone who grew up in the ghetto with just a mom or just came outta prison, because one person is used to money and can look at how his father ran his biz while the person in the hood may not know anyone with a checking account.
B: They know the drug dealers who get money then buy a car.
I: If you take a person with no money of course they're gonna do something foolish.
AB: Last question, how would the world be different if we all just grooved with The Pharcyde?
BB: I can't say it would be better, only way it would be different is that we're pretty open minded, maybe that would open up the closed minded people, let 'em see the other side of the coin sometimes, see that it's not all one way, see what we can all add to the world.