Legendz

He is one of the hardest working men in the game, whose undertakings can be heard in the array of current projects Buckshot has in the works, including the promotion of his new album, The Formula, a succession of Chemistry where the Black Moon member once again partners up with producer and former Little Brother constituent, 9th Wonder. Aside from promoting his new album and managing Duck Down Records, the label he co-founded with Dru-Ha, Buckshot is focused on yet another collaboration album with the newest – and most attention-grabbing addition to the Duck Down roster, KRS One. In the midst of recording, managing and promoting, the potent rapper is scheduling a Duck Down label tour, which is set to features members of its roster including the Boot Camp Click, Kidz in the Hall and KRS One. Nobodysmiling.com caught up with the self-starter and his intriguing self to discuss the meaning of The Formula, the coming together with KRS One, and the similarities between MCing and attracting women.

Nobodysmiling.com : The Formula – what made you go at it again after Chemistry?

Buckshot : That me and 9th work good together from the beginning. And I think that’s what; we had good chemistry together. In a sense, it was just natural to come back to the table and do another one.

Nobodysmiling.com : What is “the formula”?

Buckshot : In a nutshell, the formula is us. I use myself as an example to say I am the formula ‘cause I finally found out the formula to understanding how I harness what I do - harness what I want, but more harness what I do. For the longest, I been doing a lot of different things in the music, in this game, but I didn’t know the formula to harness it and keep it in a form where I could give it to people that would understand it - and keep giving it to them and learn what they wanted.

Nobodysmiling.com : What do they want?

Buckshot : From Buckshot as an individual MC, they just want raw talent. And they want a certain type of criteria at this point in time – because everything changes. And that formula is just beats banging on your door like rent-time; just good beats and melody. Stuff that I do that nobody does; it’s my own individual fingerprint. Somebody can mimic it but they won’t be able to do it because I’ll keep changing it. So that’s what the formula is: the formula is understanding how to harness talents I give to the people.

Nobodysmiling.com : You often say that 9th brings something special out of you. What is that something?

Buckshot : Something that you can’t explain; it’s energy. And certain things are…it’s a product of emotion. Emotion is not something that’s put together. I can say [he] brings out the energy in me to make me go out in different zones; it’s just something that you really can’t explain but it’s his own individual uniqueness. I get different feelings from different producers. When I hear 9th’s music it makes me feel like “OK, do what I gotta do and it’s a good track and I love it”.

Nobodysmiling.com : A lot of Little Brother fans are still not sure how to react to him splitting from the group. Was that ever a concern of yours when deciding to create The Formula?

Buckshot : Ummmmm, no.

Nobodysmiling.com : Are there any other producers that you may be interested in doing a similar type of collaboration with?

Buckshot : Umm…I don’t know because those things happen naturally. Me working with 9th came naturally. It wasn’t like I said “Let’s go do this one produced album”. He just happened to have beats that were phat and he kept bringing them and bringing them, and before you knew it, we had an album. Those type of things I let happen how they happen. But the KRS One album, it’s funny, I was able to do that same criteria but I had different producers; that was hard.

Nobodysmiling.com : I was just about to ask you – KRS One was added to the Duck Down roster. What projects are in the works with him?

Buckshot : We got a Batman and Robin type of album coming out where me and KRS One is…one may have a certain image or understanding about one of us, but when we both get together, there is more problems because we both step our game up cause we’re with each other.

Nobodysmiling.com : When is that being released? Do you have a title?

Buckshot : There is no time for the album and the title is up in the air right now because we’re just blasting off and we’re going in.

Nobodysmiling.com : That’s not the album that’s rumored to have crazy features?

Buckshot : Ummm…no, that’s probably “Self Destruction 2” – and it’s called “Self Construction”. I know Kweli’s on there, Nelly’s on there, The Game is on there...

Nobodysmiling.com : I’m thinking album and I’m thinking Jay-Z, Common, Lupe…

Buckshot : Oh, so it might have been for KRS One’s album right now. I know what you’re talking about now. But Lupe…nah.

Nobodysmiling.com : You sure? [laughing] I don’t know…

Buckshot : What do you mean you don’t know? [pauses] He’s good to you?

Nobodysmiling.com : I’m unbiased for this hour.

Buckshot : I’m bugging, I forget that we’re recording. I speak my opinion no matter…and I think that’s the bad thing about being a rapper. We all are rappers, we all are MCs, we don’t play with this mic s***. It didn’t start because we were all artsy and shooting rainbow colors around each other.

Nobodysmiling.com : [laughing]

Buckshot : It started really over who can control this mic – it’s a method of control. That’s why it’s called an MC.

Nobodysmiling.com : I respect that; and expect you to tell the truth in regards to what you think.

Buckshot : He’s [Lupe] good and talented; he’s a talented brother. He’s good at what he does at whatever he does…‘cause I don’t be understanding Lupe. And when I say “I don’t be understanding”, it’s not because my mind is not that complex. He’s not entertaining to me for me to understand that depth of mysticism or what the f*** he’s talking about. So if you’re not coming straight at me and impacting me about everyday s***, real s***, then you’re right, go over there to where people are whatever.

I just personally feel like a lot of times Lupe comes up and just…what do we get for underground? We get Lupe. Like, get the f*** out of here. That shows people are one-track-minded too. And money – Lupe or whatever the hell – he don’t probably even want to be in that category but the people put him in that category. This business will put you where they want to put you at and it’s up to you to shift the weight around that position to get to where you want to be at.

Nobodysmiling.com : Why did Duck Down decide to sign KRS One? How did that come about?

Buckshot : Duck Down is a label so people always say that we “signed KRS One”. I don’t like the term a lot of times with being “signed” to Duck Down because he’s too much of a power figure. We came together.

Nobodysmiling.com : OK. Why did you choose to come together?

Buckshot : Because we know as MCs that people got a lot of problems to deal with when doing what we do. That is in so many different forms. It may be if we do an interview; it may be if we do a show; a performance video – wherever we’re at. Whoever’s in that area got a lot of problems. And the ABC rappers, they’re done this year; they’re done this year. Because the art of being an MC is like attracting a female to what you want because you should respect that like you should respect a female. Never disrespect a female.

And what happens is, a female is more interested in you if you take her from 1 to 9 before you get to 10 as opposed to going straight to 10. So it’s kind of like as an MC, if you just saying “I want money all day, I want this all day, give me my money”, everybody’s saying “Give me my money”, everybody’s saying “I got more than you, I’m more rich than you”…as a female, you don’t want a n**** just pulling down his pants. You’re not saying that you don’t enjoy fine things; but, what you’re saying is “Show me some respect because I’m not just a fine thing.” So it’s like don’t think just because I like walks and I like champagne and I like to cruise down the block so you gonna be like “Here’s some champagne and a car; let’s f***”. ‘Cause you like champagne and you like to cruise so f*** drinking it and f*** cruising. I’m gonna pour it on you and we’re gonna f***.

Nobodysmiling.com : [laughing] That’s a great analogy.

Buckshot : So it’s the same thing with rap music as far as hip-hop music – whatever name, whatever form you want to choose. The art of what made good MCs good MCs is…how can I put this? As an MC we have to intrigue you. Intrigue me with your mind, intrigue me with your style. So what I’m saying is that with this album we’re gonna show and prove how complicated being an MC is. How you have to use your mind in a complex form in order to say all the s*** we’re saying and still get your point across. And the difference is Buckshot is along with KRS One. So you never got a chance to really get to know Buckshot. You’ve never really got a chance to see his personality. So that is where I come in now because for the people who are like “I hear all that s*** about cultural knowledge, y’all are just saying that s*** cause you’re broke”. Here is where I’m not gonna glorify having money verbally; I’m not gonna glorify having fine things verbally; but whatever I do in the art of war – if I’m showing these things, that means I’m not gonna overdo it but I am gonna do it to a certain point where the people who had that excuse won’t have the excuse to say “You’re talking like that ‘cause you don’t have no money; you’re going to the underground backpack because you don’t have no money, ‘cause you’re not successful”. My point is that I got so much paper now, and my business is cracking, you don’t even have that excuse. So why should I?

Nobodysmiling.com : What about the summer label tour? I heard a bit about it.

Buckshot : Wow you hear a lot.

Nobodysmiling.com : I do.

Buckshot : We’re just putting that together. It’s a Duck Down tour. So everybody that’s on Duck Down is gonna be on that tour. Kidz in the Hall, Buckshot, 9th Wonder, Smif-n-Wessun, Bootcamp, KRS One. We’re gonna hit everywhere.

Nobodysmiling.com : Do you know any good jokes?

Buckshot : Any good jokes?

Nobodysmiling.com : Yes.

Buckshot : [laughing] Oh man. I was just thinking of one just now but it didn’t really come naturally…

Nobodysmiling.com : Why was 6 scared of 7?

Buckshot : Because he was afraid he’d get 8?

Nobodysmiling.com : Because 7 ate 9.

Buckshot : Oh yeah. You are so bad. Wow.

Nobodysmiling.com : Find it funny?

Buckshot : Yeah I find that you got it out of those books [laughing].

Nobodysmiling.com : [laughing] Did I miss anything?

Buckshot : Nah. It was kind of different which was good. It wasn’t the typical “Where you guys first started, blah blah blah”. Why be a journalist if you’re gonna repeat what the last person said? That s*** is no different than a f****** rapper that’s going “I wanna be a rapper” so they get the chain, the mic, the girls in a bikini. So I don’t like those interviews…

Nobodysmiling.com : Thanks much.

Buckshot : Thank You.