THA ALKAHOLIKS (November 2005) | Interview By:  Rud

      Dubcnn.com had the incredible opportunity to speak with the hip-hop drunkies, Tha Alkaholiks. With their final studio album, "Firewater" being released in January 2006 they are on the road hitting locations worldwide. Unfortunately we did not get the chance to speak with Tash (*he was at the bar - see video!) however we did get the chance to speak extensively with J-Ro & E-Swift. We talked about the new album, the solo albums, drinking, touring, life after Tha Liks, feelings on the rap game and how things have changed over the years and much more! Feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: rud@dubcnn.com


Huge thanks to Tha Alkaholiks & their management for taking time out to talk to us! (Interview was done November 25th 2005)

Questions Asked By : Rud

Filmed By: Chris Guest (With Thanks)

Tha Alkaholiks Gave Dubcnn.com A Video Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview to download: Tha Alkaholiks Video Interview
 

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Dubcnn: Okay, so firstly. Firewater, coming out early 2006? Is there any reason why it's taking quite a while to come down?

J-Ro:
Yeah, there is a few reasons, we came out with the last album in 2001, in the middle of the album when it dropped and we released our biggest selling single, or biggest played single I should say. Best you can, you know ?? records went through a transition, they sold the company pretty much through the middle of that so we were kind of put in a position like, okay, now we've gotta fend for our lives and try to make something happen, you know? So we went and we found another deal. That label pretty much did the same thing, went under and then the next thing you know, we finally got a deal with Cotch and we started working on this album, so you know - It's just been a transition period for us. But in the meantime we've been real busy, we stay on the road, we've been on the road most of the time and have been doing other projects and stuff, so you know, we haven't just been sitting around doing nothing, so you will hear it on the Firewater album in January.

E-Swift
J-Ro did a song with one of his crews from Sweden called ?? and had me collaborate on it, on one song and then there's a guy from the UK named ??, like a crew record, they did a joint, and Dangermouse, but apart from that they all did like one song and I did the rest. Your going to hear it man, it's going way back like 21 and over, I've been hearing the reviews that I've been getting, this is like bringing Hip-Hop really back to when these guys first came out, you know what I mean? And there has been a difference in music from then to now, so we're taking it back to that.

Dubcnn: What's your favourite track on the album?

E-Swift
My favourite track? Man. There's so many of them dog. Probably "Party Your Ass Off", that's one of my joints.

J-Ro:
Right now I like that jam, Chaos. That's like an Alkaholik jam to me. I know there's going to be something, one of the songs is going to hit me a certain way and a certain situation is going to happen or whatever, so I'm still kind of vibing on the album myself. They're all my favourite.

Dubcnn: So the solo albums, obviously there's been alot of talk about when ones going to come out for Tash, with "Rap Life", we've been waiting on something from yourselves. Is there any progress on that?

J-Ro:
Yeah, I mean this being the final album for Tha Alkaholikz, we all have projects that we have in the works and stuff. I have an album coming out, that is just going to be released in Europe actually called "Rare Earth: B-Boy Funk Volume 2", so E-Swift is doing a lot of stuff. Tash, he's got "Rap Life Part 2: Expensive Habits", that's going to really kill the game. So we're really just spreading out, you'll hear more music from us than you ever did now, 'cause were still going to be working together and still going to be having projects. We're going to be releasing new artists, like I said - Stylistic Jones, we've got Bishop Lamont on the album, King-T and thats it, you know? We've got the ones who started it and the ones who are about to take it, take it to the next level, so that's how we're leaving the game as far as Tha Alkaholiks.

Dubcnn: Okay, so this is that last group album by choice?

E-Swift:
Yeah, we've out lasted a lot of groups in rap music and eventually it comes to an end and ?? legacy and leave your mark, so we feel like there is no better time than when everybody is best friends and the music is still banging, we've travelled the world and we all have different project that we want to do and individual things you want to accomplish, so when your in a group its hard to do that, you know? Because every minute of the day your dedicated to other people. That's just how we are, unless your a half-assed group - but throughout history we never came across as a half-assed group, we always stuck together. Even when Tash was doing his shit, I was producing most of the album and J-Ro was coming in and you know - it was evident that we were inseparable, so we just want to go out on top man, it's pretty much like hit ya'll with a banger and just do our thing and that's what's up.

Dubcnn: So, is the release date for the new album final?

J-Ro:
Late January, it's ready to go.

Dubcnn: Singles?

E-Swift:
The full song is out right now, Turn It Up is out right now.

Dubcnn: What about a video?

Actually we just shot the video, Yeah, in Europe while we've been on tour. We've been shooting on planes, trains. It's hot.

Dubcnn: And your going to send to all the outlets?

Yeah, yeah. Ya'll have it.

Dubcnn: Have you settled on Waxploitation and the new label, how have things worked out, is everything as you hoped?


E-Swift:
Oh yeah, it's our own company, it's our own thing and you've got to love that, we call the shots and you've got to love that.


J-Ro:
And we've still got Likwit Entertainment, we're still going to be having a lot of stuff going on, so just the merge with Waxploitation and KOCH, it's all good man, it's all working out, it's all working out for us in the best way. That's kind of what we needed was a little, I wouldn't say guidance but we have our own path that we want to take, someone who could just roll us down that path.

E-Swift:
Organisation has been the key, that's the key to a whole ?? of games, having a plan and just being organised.

J-Ro:
We've been doing it ourselves up until now, just us - doing it as a unit, us three plus our road manager. Anthony Andrews for all ya'll out there, get with him if ya'll want to get in the game, do some shows, travel the world - get with Likwit Entertainment, get at us, we do booking, we do tours and all that stuff. We're world wide man!

Dubcnn: So the album is getting world-wide distribution?

E-Swift:
Yeah, oh yeah. It's going to be all over the planet man! Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, on the sun *laughs* Firewater baby!

Dubcnn: So speaking of Likwit Entertainment, who is part of the crew now officially?

J-Ro:
Likwit crew, it's the same as - everybody knows that it started off with King-T and Tha Likz, you know what I'm sayin? Then we brought in Xzibit, we brought in Defari, Agony, we brought in the ??, Dilated People's got down with us, it's just been a progression of things. Now we've just got Stylistic Jones coming in next and we're just trying to find that next generation of people.

Dubcnn: You speak about ?? and obviously about how you introduced Xzibit and Defari, how is everything right now between you and the two parties?

E-Swift:
Oh, it's great man, everybody is doing they thing, you know - Xzibit, movies out you know what I mean? Pimpin' rides, making moves everywhere, all over the place, that's my brother man. And you know, the whole Strong-Arm-Steady movement, they're working on the album right now, so that's cool. It's a big ass family man, we deep!

Dubcnn: Also, you we're going to do a collaboration project with The Doggpound, a while ago?

E-Swift:
Yeah, right now they're working on their Doggpound album, so that's not going to come till next year.

Dubcnn: The fans are hyped for that, really really hyped.

J-Ro:
They hyped and it's still coming! It's still coming. We didn't even know that it got to that point, like you said where we go and they said, what's up with DNA, what's up with The Vapors, then we're like, did ya'll know about that shit?

E-Swift:
It's like you get an idea or brainstorm to do something, and sometimes you speak on it before it's done, then the people want it. I mean, we're still doing it but sometimes it takes a little time. But now we know we've got to do it, just like we've got to do a Likwit Crew album, which we've been wanting to do for years, but we've been saving it.

J-Ro:
Now we're really at a time to do it. Ya'll don't know what it's like being Tha Alkaholiks man, you wake up in the morning man and it's crazy, like "Ooh, that show last night was incredible!"

E-Swift:
If we don't stop fuckin' touring and making albums, we're probably going to kill ourselves *laughs* Do you see how much partying we're doing on these records man?

Dubcnn: You mentioned about the Likwit Crew album, it is in the works then?

E-Swift:
Yeah

Dubcnn: All these questions are asked by the fans and I get inundated by the emails, so..

E-Swift:
Yeah, trust me man, we already know what they want. We're working on it, it's like so much shit is coming. Once you free yourself of something that is so powerful as Tha Alkaholiks, like - we do alot of work, it's so demanding of our time that we don't have time to do all these records, so this is just how it is.

J-Ro:
I aught to tell all my family members man, that I'm a fire-man, you know? They're playing on me being there for a birthday party or something, I'm like - I can't guarantee nothing, when that bell rings, I got to slide down the poll, hop in the red truck and grab my spotted dog, you know? That's it, there's no other way of doing it, I made a commitment a long time ago to do this, so it's not like I have an option to say "I don't want to go in to work today", all you know that I'm there - It's nothing, so now we all have time to just focus on some other stuff.

E-Swift:
Just breath a little bit man, enjoy life! Go ride on the road-side, go fishing *laugh*

Dubcnn: Is that what your really looking forward to, there's a question later on about how your giving up as Tha Alkaholiks as a group from the putting albums together perspective, but I suppose it's just to enjoy life and do all the things you've been too busy to do?

E-Swift:
Yeah man, because we love making music, and we're always going to make music, we're always going to have a product out, we're always going to be doing interviews, you guys want to see us over and over again, because all of our projects are that good. It's not like we're just saying fuck it and fuck the rap, i'll do this little bit, that's our lifestyle, you know we're MC's, DJ's and Producers at heart, so you know - we're never going to get tired, so I don't want everybody to get the idea that we're just going to lay back and count sheep, you know what I'm sayin? Because we've got a lot of work to do. We're young man and we've got a lot of shit to get out of our chest. That's what's up.
Dubcnn: King T had an album due out on Ruthless Records, do you know the status of that at all, have you been working with him on it or is it going to come out?

E-Swift:
It's a wrap, that album is not coming out, it's not happening. He's starting a whole new album, starting fresh. That albums a wrap, it's not coming out.

Dubcnn:  What's the situation there, or is it just the way things worked out?

E-Swift:
I don't even know if Ruthless is releasing any records right now.

Dubcnn: As you said, they were putting together another compilation?

E-Swift:
Yeah, but that album will be so old that nah, it's not happening.


Dubcnn: Ras-Kass, just a random question that somebody asked - Apparently last year in an interview he asked, why was I not asked to be in the Likwit Crew and all the fans have been wanting to know why?

*laugh* Ras - You know!

J-Ro:
Ras is our boy, you know? He's in the Likwit Crew like that. *laugh*

E-Swift:
He started off with me and King T, in our crew!

J-Ro:
That's our boy, man. We go back to like, '89, me and Ras so that's like our brother and at one point we did say that we want you to be in the Likwit Crew, we were actually recruiting. This whole thing was like, L.A. is so cliqued up. I remember we had this conversation, we said that L.A. is so cliqued up and that he don't really want to be a part of a clique, he's down for us, he's got love for us, but he wants to make everybody in L.A. start to work together more and we're definitely with all that too, we know that L.A. needs that, because we know that not everybody in L.A. works together, it's more like - I'm doing this thing, I'm from this neighbourhood, I'm from Compton, I'm from Long beach, you know - like that, so that's why it was such a big thing with Dre and Snoop working with each other because they are from two rival neighbourhoods and shit.

E-Swift:
But if you wanna start shouting out that I'm from The Likwit Crew, then do that shit, hell yeah!

Dubcnn: You heard about the Western peace conference that Snoop put on, we're you there, how did it turn out?

Yeah, it was dope.

J-Ro:
It was dope, it was one of the tightest thing I have ever seen in L.A. It reminds me of back in the 80's where actually groups in L.A. actually did get together and come to the united nations while they were ?? and stuff. But it was dope, everybody in one place, it was for a good cause. Good words were spoken, a lot of knowledge was thrown out to people and stuff and it was dope.

Dubcnn: Because obviously there is a lot of stories, some people say it was great, some people say it wasn't enough, is there plans for another, do you know?

E-Swift:
There has to be, That's not one meeting to end all the problems, you know what I mean? And they said that this is just the beginning and you've got to start somewhere and it's up to everybody to take what they've got from that and do something individually to make everything better, but I think it was real positive, you know? It was just the start, we've got a long way to go - That calls for the Eastcoast too, they're asking like the Westcoast is the only place that's got problems. Shit, Eastcoast got problems - only people that I see right now that are getting along, and when they do have beef its squashed this quick. It's the South, they're mashing together, that's why they are dominating music right now. And if everybody takes their pride for their side, like, look how they do it down there, if you think about it like the down South people, when we go down South, they are real hot - they great you, they cook for you and it's been like that since day one. Down South people are peaceful people, so if we started doing it like them and kind of doing it more together then I think it would be great for Hip-Hop in general, you know what I mean? Because right now there is some bullshit that is going on.

Dubcnn: As far as your concerned, is this what's needed for everybody is the only way to progress then?

E-Swift:
Yeah, but that never happens. *laughs*

J-Ro:
I think corporate America feels safe with the South right now. They had a lot of problems with the Eastcoast / Westcoast beef and the Westcoast's gangsta mentality, a lot of violence was happening. When you've got a corporate setting , you pretty much get this gang mentality that comes in to that setting. That's like, let's slow this down a little, don't play that too much on MTV or the radio, that's when the South started coming up, it was their time, you know what I'm sayin', it was definitely their time, because like I said - the South is ??, they're just out partying and getting crunked, sipping on sizzurp and all that, so it's all good - gold teeth, you know what I mean, keep it poppin'. We all from the South, all black people in America are from the South anyway. So it's just going back three sixty, like where the Blues started from and we're going all the way back to the roots.

Dubcnn: Just quickly going back to the albums and labels and all that - What's the difference in making an album on an independent label and on a major label? Do you feel that's a difference or just the same?

E-Swift:
Our approach has always been music first, politics and label shit second. We never had A&R sitting there looking over our shoulder because we had our own sound, we had our in-house producer and a group of guys who write music together, so it was the same process. If anything, if your going to an independent situation like we're in now your more relaxed, even though we're always relaxed when we're making our music - we never felt pressure even when we did our second album, that might have been the most pressure because the first album was a just a classic so quick, it was like fuck, how do we follow this up. But it's the same shit man, same shit.

Dubcnn: So speaking about how it was a lot of pressure to make your second album, since then - All the albums together, including "Firewater", what do you feel individually is your favourite personally, and what gives you the most satisfaction to go back and listen to?

E-Swift:
Well I've been saying "21 And Over", but I think I'm about to say "Firewater", man. Because really, the process to make the album to get from where we started from and where we're at now was a lot of work but the end product was great, so I'm going with that.

J-Ro:
I'll roll with that, I mean - It's been like coast to coast for me because "21 And Over" to me is a classic Alkaholik album, but to me personally, after we did that album and went out on the road and shit and we were actually able to come back and actually just start an album from scratch. Because the first album, some of them songs were songs we had for a while, so when it was time to do that album we had at least five or six songs already. So that was real quick, we made it happen and then the next album it was like, okay we've gotta really think about what we're doing now and make this shit happen, and when we got the response we were like, damn - we're really in the game

E-Swift:
*laugh* For real!

J-Ro:
But the "Firewater" album man, definitely. Like we said, it's all memories. I'm not thinking of this album, I'm thinking of all the albums throughout our whole career, so

Dubcnn: So it ties it all together?

J-Ro:
Yeah, for real - it sums it up.

Dubcnn: So let's talk drinks, alchohol - personally, what are your favourite drinks?

E-Swift:
Mine, personally, I'd say ?? silver, nice chilled shot of ?? silver.

J-Ro:
I'm a likwit pirate, so I'm down with Captain Morgan's, and for ya'll that check out DubCNN, I want you to get a bottle of Captain Morgan's, look at the bottle and you'll see that it's me, I'm the original Captain Morgan on the bottle, the picture is myself, a lot of people don't know that but it's a rap from Captain Morgan *laugh* Ahoy Matey!

Dubcnn: And out of the group, who is the alchoholic - who drinks the most?

E-Swift:
Oh! Tash, yea *laughs* that's where he's at right now. I don't even compete. I slowed it down man, he's getting ready right now.

Dubcnn: Okay, so 2006 - You've got "Firewater" dropping at the start of the year, are you scheduled to appear on anybody else's albums throughout the year or is it just going to fall into place?

E-Swift:
It just happens man, no-one could ever predict that. We're around so many people that we might be on a whole lot of albums this year, who know's - we might just be on our own shit.

J-Ro:
We're getting a lot of call's right now though, the phone's are blowing up.

E-Swift:
Yeah, get at your boy!


Dubcnn: So your a group that goes back over a decade in the industry. Do you feel that now you get the respect that you deserve or not?

J-Ro:
Yeah, like I said - this tour that we've been on, it shows me that damn, we've got that legendary status now. There we're other groups that we used to look up to, like "The Jungle Brother's" and people like that, they can still go out and do shows to this day because people respect what they did in the past and it wasn't like it was just a ??, you know some rapper's were like double / triple platinum and they can't even fill up a bathroom now *laugh*. It's not surprising, but it's shocking to be in that position now when people are like, man I grew up on the music and I used to be in junior high and to hear people's stories and it's a trip to know that we actually kind of raised a generation of Hip-Hop fans who was a part of that movement, so it's dope.

Dubcnn: The 90's in Hip-Hop was kind of like a pinnacle thing, do you feel like that was the best possible period you could of been present or would you prefer to have been around in the 80's or even coming up now?

E-Swift:
Man, I never thought I could have had the same sort of fans like Chuck D, shit. Stuff like that? Hell nah!

J-Ro:
When we came back, it was kind of like the renaissance, Hip-Hop kind of went through a turn for the worst, at a time when we came out the top MC's at that time was like, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice - you know, a lot of stuff like this started going in that direction. So we came out in rebellion to that, and being down with that, that ain't what Hip-Hop is. People were like, damn that's the best rapper ever in the world! We was like, No. We're going to show you what good rapping is, with beats and all that shit, we our whole thing was taking some old school shit and showing the people what it was all about at that time. And I feel that this album, we're kind of doing the same thing, so it's a trip to me because so much compares from now to the first album and I feel that it could be time for a renaissance right now also because a lot of people are fed up with what's going on in Hip-Hop right now including myself, so what your hearing on this album is what we do and how we're not concerned about all this stuff, we're just going to do our music and teach this new generation what real Hip-Hop is all about, so that's our whole mentality right now.


Dubcnn: Somebody did specifically ask - How do you feel the game has changed since you released things like ?? until now, how has it changed both being in it - both day to day and also lyrically as well, because other things have changed dramatically?

E-Swift:
Well, you know - things change, you know? Lyrically? there's a lot of garbage and I'm not saying everybody who is selling records is garbage with their lyrics, because I mean you've got Ludacris with some beats on the microphone, you know what I'm sayin'? Even more recently you've got Young Jeezy who isn't really from our era that we know of - he's probably not been rapping that long, but he's becoming more lyrical, so he's bringing the hustling game, T.I - cat's like that, but we can go back to Big Daddy Kane and Rakim and you cat's start comparing cat's that are lyrical these days to cat's that were lyrical in those days and we've got a high standard for what lyrical is, you've got a lot of clever cat's, but lyrical that's like back-to-back, oh shit - man, ain't a lot of that going on.

J-Ro:
That part of the game kind of fizzled out, biting, frontin' - there's a lot of frontin' going on.

E-Swift:
If you we're frontin' back in the day, it was like - Yo, why you frontin'? Ain't nobody funky fresh no more.

Dubcnn: Following that, your saying that nobody is coming out that is funky fresh anymore, Do you feel there is something that is coming that is going to be funky fresh?

J-Ro:
Thats a perfect word, it's fresh! Back in the days, if you were fresh that was your style, I'm fresh because I walked out of the house dressed in clothes that nobody else would be wearing, because I'm fresh! That related to your break dancing style or rap style so you know, that kind of fizzled out. But some people still have got that mentality.

E-Swift:
I heard a ?? song today and the first thing that popped into my head was, damn! that shit is fresh! like that shit is some real fresh, funky shit you know what I'm sayin? It's coming back, these groups just got keep ?? and let the mainstream cat's do what they do, don't compete with them, let them do that because they got that, you know what I mean? That's what we do every time we go to the studio, every song we try and make fresh like damn, and then when we go on stage we are like, what can we do to look fresh? you know? Fresh to death.


Dubcnn: J-Ro, earlier you mentioned about how your now living in Sweden, have you moved completely or are you back and forth?

J-Ro:
Yeah, completely.

Dubcnn: I believe you were on a Danish track called Signature? How was that, is there anymore plans for a collaborations?

J-Ro:
Yeah, actually he produced three songs on my album, he's a dope ass producer - he's got some nice beats, so yeah, we've already done some stuff together and also I've got a couple of artists that I'm working with out there that I've gotta do the production for too.

Dubcnn: Are you going to work with Madness4Real?

J-Ro:
Yeah, we've been with Madness4Real since wayback. We just did a song with a girl named Natasha, she's a reggae artist, I did a song with her also for my new album, real tight - I'm getting my Europe on man, also I'm back to DJ'ing - I'm DJ'ing in a lot of clubs all over Europe, Rome, Grease, Paris, Switzerland. Alot of spots. I've got a club where I'm resident DJ in Malmo, Sweden, so I'm just getting that whole feel back of Hip-Hop, I'm just out to spread the word like the Billy Graham of Hip-Hop, just out spreading the word.

Dubcnn: Your on tour at the moment, you are planning to do a tour after the album comes out next year, a lot of the fans want to know the places that you are trying to cover.

E-Swift:
Man, we travel, we go all over the planet, it's a long farewell from us, I'll tell you that.
Dubcnn: Outside of Hip-Hop your influenced by a lot of other music, is there any genre's or artist's outside of Hip-Hop that you enjoy listening to?

J-Ro:
I like The Gorillaz

E-Swift:
I like The Gorilla's, but there's this one lady, I don't even know her name, I just heard her shit out here - she's from Sweden I think, but I'd say pretty much everything, you know? So much music comes out so fast I like to keep shit on rotation, so I don't stay on one thing too long.

J-Ro:
I'm looking for M.I.A, I'm looking for her, I'm looking for that girl from London, M.I.A, Mia, whatever your name is - I'm looking for you, The Likz collaboration, that's what's up.

Dubcnn: Finally, what's been a high point and a low point for you individually for your whole career and a low point, is there anything you can define?

J-Ro:
Man, my whole career as a whole has been incredible, I don't have one thing that stands out or whatever, but everything as a whole - just all the love we've been getting, we haven't really had too many negative vibes towards our group or our whole movement, so it's pretty much incredible to us that we survived this long with this much positivity in our circle, so the whole career has been tight, we just look at it like that - we don't have no regrets, nothing went disastrously wrong, we had a lot of fun, we met a lot of cool people all over the world, we met a lot of beautiful women and had a lot of different beers from all over. That's worth it in itself, you know? So we've got our education from people who would spend numerous amounts of dollars on these things, we got that for free and we get actually paid to do this.