BOOT CAMP CLIK  (August 2006) | Interview By: Yash

   

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Interview was done in July 2006

Questions Asked By: Yash

Boot Camp Clik Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio Here
 

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Dubcnn: Dubcnn: How did you guys first come together and form Bootcamp Clik?

Buckshot: Well that was formed through ST, through Smif N Wessun. Smif N Wessun was responsible for forming Bootcamp Clik. That was formed around 1995


Dubcnn: When did you feel like, damn we're really going to make this work, like how we're going to make money of what we love to do?

Buckshot: I can't say that there was a time that I ever knew we was going to make money because that was never my objective but I knew we were going to make money because we were doing this for a living.


Dubcnn: You know there is new artists coming out, is there someone who has impressed you out of these new artists?

Buckshot: Some of these new artists out, I give credit to whoever is doing their thing, Lil' Wayne, Jeezy, you know I give credit to anybody doing their thing, I'm not one of those people who is taking credit for people doing their thing, I'm the type of artist who has always been involved in creativity and I've always been involved in what's going on because hip hop and rap is all about invention, it's like science and that's what it's about and as long as hip hop is about invention, you either have to invent or re-invent, if you invented something you have to re-invent something else. You can't re-invent a wheel, you know what i'm trying to tell you, you can re-invent a new form of rim.


Dubcnn: Do you think Hip Hop is too commercialised right now?

Buckshot: What people never liked, I can understand people's uncomfort, people's discomfort. I can understand people's discomfort with the change of the commercial sense of hip hop because people feel it's too commercial, there was one time hip hop was only around like Biggie says "I remember every Saturday Rap Attack was the Mr Magic, Marley Marl" that was show that was on every Saturday, there was a point in time when hip hop was only on every weekend and now it's on every day. That's the growth of life, you can't stop the growth of something, i'm not mad at the growth of hip hop and if the growth of hip hop signifies the commercialism of hip hop then i'm not mad at the commercialism of it but if the commercialism signifies I would say the death of purity in people doing it because it's something that is fun then no I don't like commercialism but I don't think that people have gotten me.

No matter what I believe people from other countries and people from other states, I think people still have the purity in their heart of hip hop, I just don't think the people that see it that way agree, I don' think the people from the same generation or the same genre see it that way, I don't think they agree, I think those people are in the places of power right now, I don't think those people have the opportunity to speak their mind I think eventually once all of the people that feel hip hop isn't where it needs to be, once their out of the position they gotta watch out because they could be on their way out and the new people that's really coming up are going to be in their way and then there is going to be nobody that will be able to speak on the commercialism, we got to be able to create some type of format for this because we can't keep saying it ain't the way it was and it's too commercial because we got to understand what commercial is?

If Bootcamp sells a million records are we commercial? are we commercial because of the records? because if we sell a million records that makes us commercial fuck it Huh there's 11 million people in New York City and there is no way I wouldn't be able to sell, I shouldn't??? be able to sell to a quarter of New York City which is more than a million people.


Dubcnn: What do you think is missing from Hip Hop right now because you know that people that are speaking about political stuff ain't getting heard or getting played on radio or stuff like that?

Buckshot: They never was, they never really was, there was a time in hip hop when political activism I guess was the shit and it was cool to do so but I think was because of the media, the movies and all across the board we were moving towards a more political act. I think all across the board, in the
streets of everywhere, everybody was self-conscious and so self aware, they were self aware of their black culture, of their Jewish culture, of their white culture.


Dubcnn: Can you tell us about the new album you guys are doing, "The Last Stand"? Who's handling the production and who's featured on there?

Buckshot: The new album is going to be crazy, it's going to be mad bananas, it's really going to be off the chain, it's a good album and it's an album that shows that we stand and are standing the test of time through the fact that we are breaking the mold, the groups that can't stand the test of time, we've already past standing the test of time like we been out since '92 and it's 2006 going on 2007 and we have been one of those groups that haven't really crossed the line so we're at that point where we're going to cross that line, push us across that line or something but we are not going to go away and make wack music, we're not making wack music so it's like something has to happen


Dubcnn: And you guys have released like over 19 albums and what keeps you guys motivated to keep pushing?

Buckshot: The fact that we don't make garbage and the fact we don't make bullshit and we keep an audience, that's all it is, sure we may not have the same niggas on the corner and everything but we've moved on to an audience that has broadened our horizon, you know we're doing shows, we're international champions, we stay overseas more than half the hip hop groups out there.


Dubcnn: Yeah you were in Denmark right? Like last month?

Buckshot: That's one of the country's we were at, we did over 14 countries, we stayed overseas, if you look at our tour dates, we stay overseas. There is very little groups that stay over like groups like us.


Dubcnn: What's the best thing about performing overseas?

Buckshot: The best thing about overseas?


Dubcnn: Yeah

Buckshot: It's a vast vibe, it's open, the people are very accepting to the hip hop, it's like breaking a new market, breaking a new field, opening a new ground, tearing down new trees and at the same time nobody can really fuck with us like that, the thing about overseas is we are like platinum over there .


Dubcnn: Yeah they feel you more, the people over here are more into underground.

Buckshot: Over there, no they're more into underground, they're into commercial shit over there too but I don't know it's like the white people, the Chinese people, the black people, the African people, it's so many different countries over there that's what makes it different. They're is so many different
countries overseas it's like over here everything is one country but over there..


Dubcnn: There's more cultures

Buckshot: Yeah more cultures and everybody is all in one.


Dubcnn: You know what, I got an unreleased album from 2Pac called "One Nation" and you guys are on most of the songs. Do you know who has the rights to that album?

Buckshot: Only 2Pac.


Dubcnn: How was it working with 'Pac on that project?

Buckshot: Very, very spiritual.


Dubcnn: Do you have any crazy memories you can share with us when you were in the studio with 'Pac?

Buckshot: I think my biggest, my best memory was the very very first night that I got there. I was actually drunk and I fell out on the bed. My bed that I chose to sleep in for the rest of my stay at the house, at 'Pac's house, because me and the crew we lived with 'Pac so my bed, how I chose my bed for the rest of the stay was, when I first got to 'Pac's house I was so drunk that I just busted in his house and I saw the first available bed and I fell on it and I just fell out and I almost hurled and 'Pac cleaned the room and he just looked at me and started laughing and I said I'm sorry and I must
have apologised about 10 times. I was like "I'm sorry 'Pac, I'm sorry, I'm Sorry" and he was just laughing and laughing. That was probably one of my most ill experiences because that had never really happened to me, I'm not a drinker, I'm not used to drinking and I felt so hyped at the beginning of the night but at that I was Huh


Dubcnn: Did you record it in LA? Where were you staying at?

Buckshot: We recorded it at the Deathrow studio.


Dubcnn: Ok, How long did that project take? Do you remember?

Buckshot: About 2 and a half weeks.


Dubcnn: Damn, so you was fast working on that stuff.

Buckshot: Fast, yeah.


Dubcnn: Do you think George Bush had anything with the attacks on 9/11?

Buckshot: I don't know.


Dubcnn: There are a lot of DVD's and stuff, have you seen them? About the truth about 9/11 and stuff?

Buckshot: Yeah, of course that's what I'm saying I don't know if he had anything to do with the problematic situation of it but the specifics of it are like we already know that that nigga is ultimately Huh, there was no mystery behind what he knew or what the motivation was behind the whole order on the world or what their plan is or shit. 9/11 is a small example of the sacrifices that people are willing to make.


Dubcnn: Back to the album, do you guys have anything to do with the production of the album? Do you get involved with the production?

Buckshot: Nah, we don't get involved with the production.


Dubcnn: Who's producing on the new album then?

Buckshot: Pete Rock, Large Professor, Beat Minerz, Huh, Ill mind, Marco Polo, we put together a hip hop dream team.


Dubcnn: Do you have anyone from overseas doing any production?

Buckshot: Not on this album. Not on the Boot Camp album, we sort of like put together a hip hop dream team if you will because we knew with this album we weren't playing around, we weren't pulling no punches, wasn't experimenting, it's like a basketball game we knew what we came to do, we knew what we were determined to do and we knew what our goal was and I think we accomplished our goal, music wise, vibe wise and energy wise. I think we accomplished what we set out to accomplish.


Dubcnn: You know when you pick a beat for the album, what do you listen for?

Buckshot: Fire.


Dubcnn: You don't care who's producing it?, if you're feeling it you're feeling it right?

Buckshot: That's it, you know I don't care who's produced it, it's all about if the shit is hot then it's hot. That's the bottom line.


Dubcnn: How can people send you beats/production and stuff like that?

Buckshot: They can send it to me on MySpace.


Dubcnn: If an independent artist wanted to do a collaboration with you, how would they approach you and how much would you charge?

Buckshot: I would say get at me on MySpace and I'll work it out. I don't know it depends on the artist. I got to listen to them and hear them. We got to listen to them and check them out.


Dubcnn: If you're feeling it, it's cheaper right?

Buckshot: I'm not doing nothing with anyone I'm not feeling, no matter how much money you have, straight up, I don't give a fuck, I'm not one of those artists, that's why I'm not at every club, I'm not out on mad tracks, I'm not over here, this shit don't mean shit to me like, it's for the love but I love the grind, the bottom line is I'm a real dude, that's the truth, that's really what the truth is.