Regardless of any current trend in Hip-Hop, Styles P continues to remain one of the street's most provocatively blunt and respected lyricists over time. His career and personal life has seen many changes since 1998. He went from being a Bad Boy to being a Ruff Ryder, from getting jiggy to getting high, from enjoying the freedom of independent artist to facing time incarcerated. Styles has definitely stood the test of time and is gearing up for the coming holiday season.
After four years since his debut solo album A Gangster and a Gentleman, Styles will be releasing his highly-anticipated sophomore LP Time is Money on December 19th. And this time around, he is taking a new approach to his project- by not approaching it at all. Time was created both for himself and for loyal fans, leaving The Ghost to abandon the mainstream and investing his time in enjoying life. While taking a break from traveling the world and enjoying freedom, Styles reflected to AllHipHop about the Kramer incident, the n-word, politics and Hip-Hop. Here are his two cents: feel free to keep the change.
AllHipHop.com: What did you think of the Kramer incident?
Styles P: Wow. Somebody should have beat the s**t out of him! Somebody should have hung his ass and put a fork up his f**kin' ass! F**kin' devil.
AllHipHop.com: Immediately following, there has been the N-word controversy. The Black Community has chastised [Michael Richards] for the word while we use the word amongst each other. Even in rap music, we use the word frequently. There's an undeniable double standard…
Styles P: That's totally f**king insane to say. When somebody from the hood is calling you ["n***a"], there is no emotional attachment. He's not trying to degrade you or disgrace you or anything- he's saying it out of love. So when someone other then that calls you that, it takes it to another level. I think from us using it with each other it's kinda turning a negative into a positive. For them to still use it, it's a negative-negative. When we use it, it's a loving and endearing term. No matter where the word came from, it's [about] the context of what we use it now. The word came from somewhere but the word hot originally meant something was hot, but hot means something is cool now. It's alright to switch those words around, but it's not correct to switch ["n***a"] around.
AllHipHop.com: Last month we've had an extremely vocal midterm election. If you were given the chance to vote, would have voted?
Styles P: Do you really think it would count? I just watched a National Geographic [Channel] special on the voting machines. I seen how they switched the whole s**t around. Not just on paper, inside the computer. To tell you the truth, honestly, I wouldn't [vote]. Whoever is running…when it was Bush versus Kerry, what would have been the use? They're all in the same secret society, anyway. There's another government besides the government. I don't think it's ever what the people want. Let me ask you something, you ever think there'd be a woman president?
AllHipHop.com: I think Hillary [Rodham] has a strong chance. I also wouldn't count out the Illinois Senator, Barak Obama.
Styles P: I think if either one of 'em would win, they'd get killed. [Barak] definitely wouldn't stand a chance- he's Black. [Editor's note: Barak Obama is of multi-racial ethnicity] He might as well hang it up. I think the closest Black person that could have won would have been Colin Powell. You've seen what he did- he gracefully bowed out.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of being Black, "I'm Black" wasn't as accepted as much it could have been. Both mainstream and by fans. How do you feel about that?
Styles P: It's f**ked up. You try to help the hood, drop a little jewel. I think the state of mind in Hip-Hop, and the world itself, is f**ked up. I'm Black, I just been in jail, I'm an entertainer – so I see what's going on. I tried to drop a jewel for the young boys on what it is. Usually, I try to sneak the jewels in; that time, I was just trying to be blatantly out right with it. Nah, but I still think it's something that needs to be done… years down the line, it might kick in and be useful. You have to use sneak techniques. If you don't- its not gonna work. They showed me that firsthand.
AllHipHop.com: The response was definitely surprising considering the success of [Jadakiss's] "Why"…
Styles P: Hip-Hop has its ups and downs. You ask me, it's definitely at its downtime. The music ain't great right now, man. There's a lot of boosting stars without the work to back it up. This is an industry now with one hit [and] you're it. Back in the days- from KRS-One's days all the way to Wu days and B.I.G days- you had to be really spitting or you were nowhere. Back in the days, if you made songs that were too big or too pop you were a crossover. All that s**t's over. You might get a bunch of good music, but you'll never get to hear it. You gotta go search for that s**t. If you don't do that, you can forget about it.
AllHipHop.com: We recently lost the great Gerald Levert, who appears on your album. How was it working with him?
Styles P: I actually didn't do the song with him. I had met Levert a couple of times and Scott Storch hooked it up. [Storch] called me when he was in the studio. The song's crazy though. God bless him.
Monday 11 December 2006
Tuesday 5 December 2006
[Interview] Styles P Interview with Format magazine
Within the hip-hop industry either you are conscious, or you aren't. It's very black and white, with little room for gray area unless you are a Pharrell or Kanye West. As much as Styles P is a quote un quote, hardcore rapper, he can also be very quote un quote, conscious. Dealing with loss of his brother, brushes with death himself, his album, and constantly getting pushed around due to other artists, it's a wonder that Styles P has yet to call it quits or jump off a cliff.
Paniero understands that music is a business. He also understands that his music speaks for itself and it speaks to people. With an album release of December 19th and a clothing line in the works with a concept he calls and "fly and rugged," P has learned to take life one day at a time.
Appearing very introverted, P knows hip-hop is, in his own words is "F'd up right now," and if hip-hop is a microcosm of society, well you get the rest. In the midst of all these dealings, whether conscious or hardcore, Styles P is his name and it is what it is.
Format: It's been a while since the passing of your brother, how are you coping with that on a daily basis?
Styles: Everybody in the world is going to die but I'm definitely going to see him again.
Format: What's the biggest thing you took away from the whole Diddy-BadBoy situation?
Styles: It's a business.
Format: Can you elaborate on that?
Styles: I mean coming in as a young boy you have to stay on top of your shit, you have to know where your money is going, you have to know all kinds of shit, you just ain't a rapper anymore.
Format: Why do you feel you always run into problems when it's time to release your album?
Styles: Politics, politics it's a business man.
Format: So do you think hip-hop is more about the politics and financial and less about the art?
Styles: I think hip-hop is fucked up right now, and it's definitely about more politics (coughs). It's a big business and a big industry and big politics.
Format: Where do you think that stems from?
Styles: Money, there is money to be made and that is very huge.
Format: You were recently quoted in a magazine as saying you were doing Gangsta Grillz Mixtape because you needed love from the South as well. How do you feel about the South's movement?
Styles: It's good. It's a cycle and they stick together with it, so its unity. I mean, they were bound to come out on top, when you have a bunch of people sticking together doing what they do.
Format: Lyrically, who do you think are some of the illest artists out there?
Styles: Black Thought, Siegel, Fab, umm, I'm high right now.
Format: Yeah you're over there coughing a little bit. So what can we expect from this album Time is Money?
Styles: Straight dope good lyrics and good songs.
Format: What kinds of issues are you talking about on the album? You're labeled as a conscious artist. Do you have a problem with that term?
Styles: I have a lot of labels (laughs), I don't know which one I am the most, I'm still trying to figure out myself.
Format: So it's also a process for you?
Styles: Yeah man I do a little of everything, I go off of feeling. However I feel for the day that's how it comes out. If I want to be conscious, I'm going to be conscious, if I'm going to be hardcore, I'm going to be hardcore.
Format: Where would you say you are right now compared to when you got released from prison?
Styles: More mature, more level headed. I used act then think. Now I think then act. Anytime I've been in [prison] it can switch my view you know.
Format: Who do you have on production for this album?
Styles: Me, Scott Storch, Havoc, Ruff Ryders, Lil' Jon and a couple others.
Format: Do you feel that hip-hop has let you down when it comes to dealing with the business side of it?
Styles: Yes and no. It depends on what day you ask me, some days I feel like yeah and some days I have to appreciate shit. There are homeless people and starving people so, it depends on how humble I am that day. Humble days I'm alright and some days I'm not.
Format: What has been one of your most humbling experiences?
Styles: Jail, shit jail, and a couple of brushes with death here and there. That makes you real humble.
Format: Do you feel like hip-hop could do more than what it's doing for the community, do you feel like its' fallen short?
Styles: Yeah of course listen to the music. I think people look at the industry and hip-hop as one entity and they are two separate entities. Hip-hop is art, culture, music, how you dress, walk, talk, kick it with your boys, where you live, what you get into, and how things are culturally motivated. Industry is a good beat, good hit radio single, marketing big promotion, and they are totally different worlds.
Format: Last week we lost some big voices in 60 Minutes reporter Ed Bradley and singer Gerald Levert, who I heard is on your album. What was going on in your mind when you heard of his passing?
Styles: It's sad and it's fucked up, but the reality is that shit happens everyday everywhere. So, you send your prayers to that person and wish for the best, but really he is in a better place than we are. You're just sad because you're a human and you're trained to be sad. Death is supposed to be a celebration of life because he is with the Big Guy upstairs you know. It's sad that we can't hear his voice and see his talent anymore.
Format: What is the biggest misconception people have about Styles P?
Styles: There are so many different views of me I don't really know (laughs). Some people think of me as a conscious artist, some people look at me as the hardest artist, so I don't know. It depends on how people view me, but I'm 180/180 man.
Format: What is the one thing you want people or the hip-hop community to know about Styles P?
Styles: Oh they do, and that's that I'm the hardest rapper and I put in the hardest work. I want them to know, they know.
Format: Any tour dates expected or promotional concerts?
Styles: After this album drops I'll probably do some things with Akon, I'll do the big places with him and the nasty hole in the wall places by myself. I'll do a whole bunch of shit a little bit of everything.
Paniero understands that music is a business. He also understands that his music speaks for itself and it speaks to people. With an album release of December 19th and a clothing line in the works with a concept he calls and "fly and rugged," P has learned to take life one day at a time.
Appearing very introverted, P knows hip-hop is, in his own words is "F'd up right now," and if hip-hop is a microcosm of society, well you get the rest. In the midst of all these dealings, whether conscious or hardcore, Styles P is his name and it is what it is.
Format: It's been a while since the passing of your brother, how are you coping with that on a daily basis?
Styles: Everybody in the world is going to die but I'm definitely going to see him again.
Format: What's the biggest thing you took away from the whole Diddy-BadBoy situation?
Styles: It's a business.
Format: Can you elaborate on that?
Styles: I mean coming in as a young boy you have to stay on top of your shit, you have to know where your money is going, you have to know all kinds of shit, you just ain't a rapper anymore.
Format: Why do you feel you always run into problems when it's time to release your album?
Styles: Politics, politics it's a business man.
Format: So do you think hip-hop is more about the politics and financial and less about the art?
Styles: I think hip-hop is fucked up right now, and it's definitely about more politics (coughs). It's a big business and a big industry and big politics.
Format: Where do you think that stems from?
Styles: Money, there is money to be made and that is very huge.
Format: You were recently quoted in a magazine as saying you were doing Gangsta Grillz Mixtape because you needed love from the South as well. How do you feel about the South's movement?
Styles: It's good. It's a cycle and they stick together with it, so its unity. I mean, they were bound to come out on top, when you have a bunch of people sticking together doing what they do.
Format: Lyrically, who do you think are some of the illest artists out there?
Styles: Black Thought, Siegel, Fab, umm, I'm high right now.
Format: Yeah you're over there coughing a little bit. So what can we expect from this album Time is Money?
Styles: Straight dope good lyrics and good songs.
Format: What kinds of issues are you talking about on the album? You're labeled as a conscious artist. Do you have a problem with that term?
Styles: I have a lot of labels (laughs), I don't know which one I am the most, I'm still trying to figure out myself.
Format: So it's also a process for you?
Styles: Yeah man I do a little of everything, I go off of feeling. However I feel for the day that's how it comes out. If I want to be conscious, I'm going to be conscious, if I'm going to be hardcore, I'm going to be hardcore.
Format: Where would you say you are right now compared to when you got released from prison?
Styles: More mature, more level headed. I used act then think. Now I think then act. Anytime I've been in [prison] it can switch my view you know.
Format: Who do you have on production for this album?
Styles: Me, Scott Storch, Havoc, Ruff Ryders, Lil' Jon and a couple others.
Format: Do you feel that hip-hop has let you down when it comes to dealing with the business side of it?
Styles: Yes and no. It depends on what day you ask me, some days I feel like yeah and some days I have to appreciate shit. There are homeless people and starving people so, it depends on how humble I am that day. Humble days I'm alright and some days I'm not.
Format: What has been one of your most humbling experiences?
Styles: Jail, shit jail, and a couple of brushes with death here and there. That makes you real humble.
Format: Do you feel like hip-hop could do more than what it's doing for the community, do you feel like its' fallen short?
Styles: Yeah of course listen to the music. I think people look at the industry and hip-hop as one entity and they are two separate entities. Hip-hop is art, culture, music, how you dress, walk, talk, kick it with your boys, where you live, what you get into, and how things are culturally motivated. Industry is a good beat, good hit radio single, marketing big promotion, and they are totally different worlds.
Format: Last week we lost some big voices in 60 Minutes reporter Ed Bradley and singer Gerald Levert, who I heard is on your album. What was going on in your mind when you heard of his passing?
Styles: It's sad and it's fucked up, but the reality is that shit happens everyday everywhere. So, you send your prayers to that person and wish for the best, but really he is in a better place than we are. You're just sad because you're a human and you're trained to be sad. Death is supposed to be a celebration of life because he is with the Big Guy upstairs you know. It's sad that we can't hear his voice and see his talent anymore.
Format: What is the biggest misconception people have about Styles P?
Styles: There are so many different views of me I don't really know (laughs). Some people think of me as a conscious artist, some people look at me as the hardest artist, so I don't know. It depends on how people view me, but I'm 180/180 man.
Format: What is the one thing you want people or the hip-hop community to know about Styles P?
Styles: Oh they do, and that's that I'm the hardest rapper and I put in the hardest work. I want them to know, they know.
Format: Any tour dates expected or promotional concerts?
Styles: After this album drops I'll probably do some things with Akon, I'll do the big places with him and the nasty hole in the wall places by myself. I'll do a whole bunch of shit a little bit of everything.
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