ALMIGHTY interview

Flatline: The Almighty consists of Killah Priest, M-Eighty, Bronze Nazareth, Son One, C-Rayz Walz and 5 Star. Who masterminded this project and said, let's get these particular emcee's together?

M-Eighty: That would be the genius that is M-Eighty. All jokes aside, I was in the studio with Priest and Son One on my birthday last year and had told Priest about my idea for a group that was yet to be titled. Priest and Son were definitely feeling the idea and were shocked when I was telling them who all I wanted as group members of the soon titled “Almighty” and who I would line up as features. Almost 7 months later, Almighty as a group was able to concoct a legendary album and everyone associated with the project left feeling as if the Almighty was that first step in this full circle movement back to the true essence of hip hop.

Flatline: Was it difficult coordinating everyone's schedules to get the album recorded, and on another level, the skills and personality that each member brought to the table?

M-Eighty: Surprisingly it was not difficult to coordinate all the personalities and schedules of everyone. It was a timely process and it did involve a lot of traveling back and forth between LA, Michigan, Chicago, Indianapolis, New York, Virginia, etc but I think all the traveling and hard work is what made the name Almighty resonate with truth.

Flatline: The album, "Original S.I.N." dropped at the end of July. How has the response been, in terms of sales and the live shows that you guys have been doing?

C-Rayz Walz: This is a classic album that will just get better with time. It roped out of literally nowhere. It's way too good to be something that just passed by. It wasn't promoted or supported at all by the label. Babygrande should re-release it with a full fledge tour with all member and guest artists and I guarantee the planet will shake from the force of the Almighty. The best emcee's in the world are on that LP. It is the best group record this year. If you find a better record you can punch me in the mouth. Almighty is the mayweather of hip-hop music. Period.

Flatline: You got some real nice guest spots from Planet Asia, Canibus and Keith Murray. DJ JS-1 from the Rocksteady Crew is also featured. What was it like getting down with these individuals in the studio?

M-Eighty: Due to the extensive amount of traveling I was already doing to coordinate efforts amongst the group members, I was not able to sit in on all the sessions for the features. JS-1 was referred to me by C-Rayz Walz and we would just go back and forth via email and text until he understood exactly what I was looking for on a track and was able to deliver. JS is a sharp dude and I was definitely satisfied with his work at the end of the day. The same goes for Bis and Keith. Canibus, Keith, and I had discussed the concept and the theme behind the Almighty and “Handle the Heights” on several occasions before they each recorded their joints and both of them came off exactly how I had hoped. Had it not been for that constant communication between everyone than I don’t think the track or the album for that matter would have been nearly as cohesive.

Flatline: Bronze Nazareth, after years of putting in work on various projects, you've really come into your own as a dope producer. Besides maybe an obvious influence from early RZA beats, who else inspires you?

Bronze Nazareth: I’m inspired by the greats, Primo, Pete Rock, Prince Paul, etc but I also have a good respect for producers who aren't even in my same style. I really just respect banging music. I love Polow Da Don's "Hero" that he did for Nas, I listen and respect old and new. My inspiration just comes from dope hip hop and skillful music. I can take it from the Bomb Squad, to BCC, to Polow, I just respect good music.

Flatline: To me, Son One really comes through as the underdog who shines brightest on this album. Does the lyrical company you keep help push you to write the best stuff you can?

Son One: Well, being amongst the elite emcee's in this industry you are forced to step your game up. Being a new comer to the game first impression is everything, if you don't come correct on your first showing; many times you're not given a second chance. Plus growing up listening to these artists that have influenced me, it's almost like I want to make them proud.

Flatline: As a group, did you come up with the idea for the album cover? Design-wise, it's sure to be one of the best of the year.

M-Eighty: Appreciate it very much. I was introduced to a designer in Indianapolis named Aaron Scamihorn and I told him the dynamic of the Almighty and what my intentions were for the groups effect upon hip hop in 2008 in the cover art is what he was able to come up with based off the profound way I spoke about how intense and powerful this album would be at this point in time for the hip hop community.

Flatline: What has the response been from females who have heard or seen you perform "Soul Position"? It's very much in the same vein as "Ice Cream" or "Killa Lipstick".

5-Star: Females love the song! Every good group drops a hot joint for the ladies. Tribe has “Electric Relaxation,” The Roots have “Silent Treatment,” EPMD has “Jane,” the list goes on and on. So when Eighty came at me with the title “Soul Position” and told about C-Rayz on the hook I knew it would be classic and the response from the Ladies is incredible!! They really feeling it.

Flatline: Anyone wanna speak on the upcoming election, any thoughts on the candidates?

Son One: Wow! Even though I am not very political and don't follow politics much, I know that this country needs change. Obama stands for change and if this country is to progress and get better as a nation then changes must be made. Though I can't speak much about McCain I know he shares a lot of the same interests and ideas of the current administration. This country is in no condition to deal with another four years of Bush. What other way to start change then to put the first black president in office. GO VOTE SON!

Bronze Nazareth: Obama '08 obviously! McCain is another puppet, and I don't even know where to start with Palin....

Flatline: M-Eighty, do you want to let our readers in on what you have planned for 2009?

M-Eighty: So much work in 2009 that I have moved my office into my apartment. I will be handling A&R administration for both Bronze Nazareth’s “School for the Blindman” and The Wisemen “Wisemen Arrived” albums via Babygrande Records, executive producing Almighty’s follow-up to “Original S.I.N” via Babygrande Records and A&R’ing several releases for Ken Stumbo’s and Noah Hartkoph’s new hip hop label Criminal Records Music Group based out of Washington including Sunz of Man member 60 Second Assassin, a collaborative effort between Keith Murray and Canibus, C-Rayz Walz, Son One, Kevlaar 7, and more. After all the albums are made and the tours are wrapped up then hip hop heads will be able to rejoice in what I believe to be one of the most innovative inventions of our time, “SPITBOXX”, but that is for another interview at another time.

Flatline: As I listen to the Almighty album, Wu-Tang could break up tomorrow and never make another album, but the statement holds true - "Wu-Tang Forever". I think, as a group, you guys really put in some good work on this joint that will help keep the legacy alive. What's next?

Killah Priest: No doubt. I just wrapped up “Beautiful Minds” with Chief Kamachi and am working on “Behind the Stained Glass Part 2” amongst many other things. Big up to all my G-ciples and everyone who showed me love on the road with GZA. M-Eighty is definitely a solid dude and he knows I’m gonna rep whatever project he believes in because I know he’s always believed in me.

Bronze Nazareth: Just making sure we’re working up to our potential and exceeding all expectations to make sure that mouths get fed and heads stay open.

M-Eighty: Keeping it 100, knocking negative out the box, and thanking adonai everyday for keeping me blessed. Almighty for now and forever, Peace.

EVERLAST interview

Flatline: I want to know what keeps you going. Going from The Syndicate, to House Of Pain, to your solo career. What keeps you motivated musically?

Everlast: I don't know, it's hard to say. Sometimes I'm not motivated at all. Like the last couple of years, I didn't feel like doing anything so I didn't...but it helps to have the luxury of being able to do that. But just the music...in general, I like making music.

Flatline: Is it a better situation now that you're on a different label, allowing you the creative freedom to do what you want, when you want to do it?

Everlast: Yeah, I mean, it's pretty much my label. My publishing company is a partner with me and my managers, we started this distribution company...and it's small right now, but we'll see what happens. I'm happy with it. You know, I've never had anybody tell me what kind of music to make since my first album with Warner Bros. It was like they got involved with that and, you know, I didn't really like about half that record...about half that record I really like a lot, even though it was twenty years ago...

Flatline: Like, Syndicate Soldier?

Everlast: Yeah, sure...

Flatline: I Got The Knack?

Everlast: No, see, I Got The Knack, that was one of them songs where...I don't ever go around blaming people for like, oh they made me do this, they made me do that...but at that time, think about it - Wild Thing by Tone-Loc was the hot rap record. Gibson guitar, bass sample...My Sharona...I Got The Knack from My Sharona?? It was like, it wasn't even that thought out when you think about it. You can tell it was just kinda done to be done. Of course, the record people and the higher ups got those records made. Those are the ones they wanted made when I wanted a more credible stance, you know? But even then, rap was new in the game. There were very few people selling records in hip hop at that moment.

Flatline: As far back as I can recall, I don't remember ever hearing the reason why you left The Syndicate.

Everlast: It was just business, it was just business. I got hip quick to record contracts and, you know, maybe being signed to something through...although, Ice-T to this day, I just seen him not too long ago and I let him know, hey, thanks for opening the door for me and all that. I just realized it's better to be signed straight to a record company than being signed to a record company through somebody else. I learned a lot about publishing and I wasn't in control of my publishing then. So it was a bunch of stuff like that. Probably, when I left, I was like fuck this...but on the same note, I couldn't have told you that's what I was going to wind up doing for a living. Like I said, it wasn't like tons of people were making money at it. More than leaving The Syndicate, I was leaving Warner Bros. and I pissed off a lot of people there. There was a while where I couldn't send an Everlast demo anywhere because this little word had gotten out amongst a certain group of powerful people, that this guy is trouble, he's all this, that and the other. So that's kinda when House Of Pain came into play. Me and Danny - a friend of mine for a long time, Lethal was already with me from the Syndicate days. Me and Danny had an Irish kinship and a b-boy kinship. He had the name and the fuckin' look and all the graphics and it just all clicked up.

Flatline: It was like a House Of Pain brand almost...

Everlast: Yeah, and then, a lot of people don't know this - we were a live band. We were a hip hop group but we were a live band. Then, me and Muggs, who I had already known cause 7A3 was almost in The Syndicate...I bumped into him again and heard the Cypress album about eight or nine months before it came out. I was like, oh shit, y'all are gonna kill'em dog, no one even knows this is coming. Then me and B-Real started hanging out and started rhyming together. B-Real was the one that told Muggs, you better fuckin' snatch him up. The rest just kinda went down. Jump Around was made in fuckin' Muggs driveway...not even his driveway, his aunt's driveway. That's where I wrote that shit.

Flatline: That's crazy. I saw you with House Of Pain when you had Rage Against The Machine opening up for you guys...

Everlast: Right? When nobody else would take them out cause they were scared of them.

Flatline: Yeah, right before their first album dropped. I want to know, at what point did you decide to pick up a guitar and switch up your style a little bit?

Everlast: Well, I had always had guitar around me man, even before House Of Pain and all that. There's a few House Of Pain songs where I played a little piece and then we looped it up, things like that. I just kinda played to relax. When I didn't wanna think about anything else, I just strum on a guitar. When I quit House Of Pain, honestly, I didn't think I was gonna make music anymore. I was just really bummed out about leaving House Of Pain. It was a bad situation. Danny doesn't make no bones about it now but he had developed quite a serious drug problem. We just had to go our separate ways but luckily that's all changed recently, in the last few years. It was my buddy Dante Ross who called me and was just like, what are you doing? Come to New York man, let's make some music. I was like, man, I don't even know what's up with my record deal...I didn't know if I had a record deal, I wasn't House Of Pain no more. Then he was like, fuck all that, just come out here and make music. So I went there and started making a hip hop record. Like, on Whitey Ford Sings The Blues, all the straight hip hop songs got done first, those were done. We were just working on that and I was playing guitar at night.

Flatline: So, did Dante encourage you in that area or what happened?

Everlast, No, Dante heard me playing What It's Like on his couch. I was sleeping on his couch, just bummin' it around, doin' whatever...not cause I had to, just cause I wanted to. Fuck the hotel and all that, let's get down and dirty basics kinda thing. He heard me playing What It's Like and he was like, what the fuck is that? I was like, it's just a song I wrote. Basically, he was like, we're recording that tomorrow. I was like, alright cool, you know? I think at first I might have been like, I don't know what we're gonna do with it but, sure, I'll record it, what the fuck? And that's how the whole thing kinda happened...

Flatline: And you go on to sell 3 million...

Everlast: Yeah, you know...go figure.

Flatline: In my collection I have a ton of House Of Pain remixes. There was almost an albums worth of remixes between the debut and Same As It Ever Was. Was that a group decision to remix and re-work the material or was that more of a label idea?

Everlast: No, cause it was people we all liked. Butch Vig - the label don't think that far ahead dude, know what I mean? That was Danny Boy and me, being fans of "grunge" music and knowing a lot about Sub Pop and the history of that and being like, who would be a good guy...oh, Butch Vig...and him wanting to do it! Diamond D, Pete Rock, those were no-brainers. It was like, hell yeah, Pete Rock, let's have him do a remix, let's have Diamond D do a remix, let's have Lethal do his own remix. It's like whatever's whatever.

Flatline: Salaam Remi did some...

Everlast: Yeah, I remember Salaam, he did a couple. He would always submit remixes for every song. So I'm sure there's remixes I haven't ever heard.

Flatline: That's nuts...

Everlast: Yeah, I'm not the best when it comes to cataloguing or collecting my shit. You know, I'm better at collecting sneakers and shit like that, know what I mean? I don't even have any of my own albums man, it's kinda crazy. On my iPod I don't even have them all. I gotta get them from my keyboard player, he's got them all. I ain't heard some of the House Of Pain stuff in years...

Flatline: I still listen to Same As It Ever Was...

Everlast: That's a good record man...I look back on it...

Flatline: That's the best record you guys did...

Everlast: Yeah. As a group, yeah...

Flatline: And some of Muggs best production is on that record.

Everlast: Yeah, Lethal too. Muggs and Lethal together were good on that record.

Flatline: Same thing when they worked together on the first Funkdoobiest album. That was a great record!

Everlast: Yeah, yeah. I don't know how that one didn't work, how that one didn't blow. It's crazy.

Flatline: I was curious to know if your brush with death brought about a fascination with it. The topic comes up on all of your albums.

Everlast: Well, I wrote a bunch of stuff on Whitey Ford before it even happened, that was about death. But, you know, subconsciously maybe my body was telling my mind things that I didn't know about, you know what I mean? But yeah, I've always been fascinated with death man, now more than ever, cause I'll never be afraid of it really...

Flatline: Because you came that close?

Everlast: Yeah, I mean, I was on my death bed as far as I was concerned. I still trip right now and think, how the fuck am I alive? That's the thing, like I compare it to the world's scariest roller-coaster. It's only gonna be scary that one time. I'm not saying I want death, or I welcome it like I'm looking forward to it. I enjoy my life and I understand what my life is worth. The whole horror of your death - I've kinda run that route already. I have that advantage in a weird way, over maybe somebody who's still got that fear in them. I'm sure there's things I'm still afraid of in certain ways but death really ain't one of them. I don't know if you ever seen that movie Ghost Dog...

Flatline: Yeah, Forest Whitaker, and RZA did the soundtrack...

Everlast: Yeah...they talk about in there, a real samurai reflects on his death every day. That way, when it comes, it ain't a surprise. In a weird same kind of mentality, that's why I do it. I'm ready when it comes. You know, when it comes, it comes. I learned there's nothing that's gonna stop it. We are all mortal. The most invincible of us can be taken down by something the size of the head of a pin.

Flatline: I love your cover of Children's Story that you did with Rahzel. Did you ever get any feedback from Slick Rick on that?

Everlast: No, I would love to have known what Slick Rick thought of that. I know for a fact that he plays Jump Around in his show every night. My buddy Stash sent me a video of it and he's comparing old school and new school. He's like, this is old school and he plays something and he plays something else. Then he says, and this is when Irish people meet black people...boom!...Jump Around comes on. So he must be a fan of it. I'd like to know if he ever heard that and if not, I'd play it for him just to heard what he thinks. I think that's probably one of my best covers just because, if you ask me, it was meant to be a blues song.

Flatline: You've collaborated with a bunch of people on your albums. Is there anyone else you'd still like to work with?

Everlast: Well, ninety percent of the people I've worked with are friends of mine. It's really one of the prerequisites for me. I don't really go, you know, oh that dude's hot, I need to work with him. Most of the things I've done with collaborations have just kind of happened. We were hanging out, in a studio, near a studio, something happened. That's just the way things work with me. I don't plan a lot. It's not in my nature.

Flatline: I'm guessing Snoop and you working on "My Medicine" was just you guys messing around in the studio?

Everlast: No, actually...it's kind of a long story. A few years back I gave him some country music. He was like, I like that Johnny Cash shit, what else can I listen to? I told him Patsy Kline and a few other names. Jump a few years later, we're doing a La Coka Nostra show in New York and I get a call from Snoop that he's finishing up a tour and his last night is in Dublin, Ireland and he wants me to come out and do Jump Around. I was like, fuck it, I'm in New York already, I'll go over there. He was backstage listening to Patsy Kline records and all these old country records and I was like, oh shit. He was like, you were the one that put me up on this Everlast. So jump ahead another few months and we're at the Jam Master Jay Awards. We're at this party for Pharrell's BBC clothing line or something and Snoop comes up to me and says, I want you to write me a country song. I said, you want me to write you a country song? He says, I want you to write me a country song. So, it took me a couple months...and it almost didn't happen cause the day I came up with it, I sent it to him and he's like, we gotta get this today...the record's done, it's getting mastered. So it was the last damn cut for his record and he just loved it and he killed it.

Flatline: Were you frustrated at all with the way Def Jam dropped the ball a little bit on White Trash Beautiful? It seemed like it flew under the radar but contained some of your best work at the time.

Everlast: Well, what happened with that was, Lyor Cohen signed me and then a couple months after he signed me, his friend bought Warner Bros. and he left. So I just got caught in a place where...it's an old story in the music business and it's happened millions of times. When a guy like Lyor Cohen leaves, he takes all his people. Then the new guy comes in with his people. Most of them, if they didn't sign you in the record business, no one's gonna stick their neck out for something. So it was unfortunate, you know? It's one of the reasons I'll never do another record deal again.

Flatline: Kill The Emperor off the new album...

Everlast: Oh yeah...

Flatline: It reminds me of when Paris came out with Bush Killa. How did that track come about? You've really got some stuff to say on that record.

Everlast: It just came out cause I was like, what's the craziest shit about...like, you know, actually taking some kind of action. But it actually came from the thought of like, it I was alive in 1936 and I met Hitler before he became Hitler, would I smoke him? Would I just do it? You know what I mean? So that's kinda where the whole concept started from as a baby idea, and then it just turned into what it is.

Flatline: La Coka Nostra.

Everlast: Yeah.

Flatline: Album done? Ready to go?

Everlast: Album is done, barring one guest appearance we're waiting on via pony express, email, fuckin' FedEx. Somehow, we're waiting on this thing to show up. I don't wanna say who it is.

Flatline: You guys gonna tour behind the album?

Everlast: That's the plan, that's the plan. We're talking about maybe doing a whole Soul Assassins festival involving my band, Ill Bill, Psycho Realm...bunch of people.

Flatline: How did the passing of Johnny Cash affect you? Did you ever get a chance to meet with him or work with him before he passed?

Everlast: No, I didn't get to meet him. I did see his last public performance though. I was working on this Big Daddy movie soundtrack and Rick Rubin was overseeing the whole production of the album and I was in New York. He was like, they're doing this big tribute to Johnny Cash on TNT, they're doing it here in New York. All these artists came and performed and then at the end he came out and performed. I was gonna try and meet him afterwards but there was this crush of people and he was already not feeling well. As much as I would have been cool, it would have been frustrating cause I would have rather met him, if I ever got the opportunity, to just sit down and conversate with him. Same thing with Muhammad Ali. I did some work on that Ali movie, some musical work and at the premiere everyone's trying to meet him. I was just like, I don't wanna be in that crowd. If I ever get to meet him, it'll be on some sit down, yo man, you're one of the reasons I do what I do. I love Muhammad Ali, he's like one of my idols. Well, I don't like using the word idol. Hero.

The new album by Everlast - "Love, War, And The Ghost Of Whitey Ford" - available everywhere 9.23.08
Everlast and The Lordz are currently on tour now. Check your local concert listings for a show near you.