Str8HipHip

SHH: So how did you two hook up and become a group?

Solar: We were introduced by a mutual friend over six and a half years ago and we hit it off.  I was beyond the music… We just started hanging and getting our swerve on and tearing up the clubs in New York and so forth on some “Brooklyn ish.” 

Guru: It was way beyond the music and it was at a time when I was really frustrated with these executive and A&R cats trying stifle my creativity and it was just full of crap. I was expressing a lot of that frustration to the God (Guru) and one night in particular I was really complaining a lot and Solar was trying to have a good time… So he was like, “listen bro… I’m trying to holler at something over here, but listen… If it’s that bad then start your own label. You’re an icon. You can do that.” So that stuck in my mind and I called him back a couple of days later and was like, “I want to do this label thing with you.” And he was like “I told ‘you’ to do a label.” Then we talked about and we came to the conclusion that it was important and that New York had to be represented the right way.  So we started our label in late 2004 and put out our first joint Guru Version 7.0:  The Street Scriptures 2005 on a small distribution network and did well. That record was slept on.  

SHH: Guru, didn’t you have your own label way back in ‘95-‘96 when you released records under “Baldhead Slick” on IllKid Records?

Guru: Illkid wasn’t like a real label… That was more like my “training ground” and it was a chance for me to get a couple of artists that I was working with at the time some shine with other labels.

Solar: How did you hear about IllKid Records?

SHH: I’m a big fan and had a lot of the records from the mid and late 90’s in my collection.

Solar: Ok I was just curious because a lot of people don’t even know about the records like that.

Guru: So boom!  Anyway ...The Street Scriptures. The first 7 Grand record made it to be one of the top selling independent records in the world that year (2005) and it enabled us to tour and people started asking us, “Yo Guru… When you going to do another Jazzamatazz?” So Solar and I started talking about going back into the lab and cooking up another Jazzamatazz. Then the success of ...The Street Scriptures enabled us to get an even bigger distribution situation with Jazzamatazz 4, which came out July 2007 and we’re dropping the Time Bomb Mixtape which comes out the 19th of February (2008). I just want to say this… That in the couple of years that we were hanging… Solar never played me no beats or ever tried to put no production on m. We were friends and then when we decided to start the label he took me to his label and played me some joints and I was blown away and the chemistry was bananas. I he had the exact sound I was looking for, because I wanted a sound for the “future of Guru.”

SHH: So Solar… How would you describe your production style?

Solar: I would say… It varies… So I would say it’s diverse.

SHH: So you can get into the mainstream, the underground, R&B or whatever?

Solar: I mean for lack of e better term….

SHH: I mean then, what style of production do you prefer?

Solar: Well “underground” doesn’t say anything anymore. It doesn’t say anything descriptive at all. It’s like calling the South music Hip Hop… It’s wrong… It’s gotten so far removed from what Hip Hop is that it should have its own separate category, till they decided to rejoin (If they decided to rejoin). So my production style is diverse meaning that I can approach it from any angle.  I can do some dirty south productions, but I choose not to… I like more intense, more elaborate, more orchestrated musically sounding production, but at the same time, if you listen to the …Time Bomb, you can arguably say it fits into the “underground, but  if you listen to the bang and sonic quality of the production that it’s way past that.  I will hold up against anything any top level producer can do right now from anywhere.

SHH: So how do you both feel about today’s brand of Hip Hop since this is a more natural sound you’re going with on Jazzamatazz and your other work?

Solar: We want people to understand that 7 Grand is a movement and that we understand what these cats are putting down in the South and Guru  & Solar aren’t going to call these guys any names we’re not going to put their music down to the young heads out there that enjoy their music. That’s fine… If you listen to the …Time Bomb you’ll hear young spitters that are lyricists and the same age as these cats and the same generation and they’re not rapping about getting a million dollars and not talking about big butts and chains and Maybachs and Lamborghini’s . These guys are rapping about, what it’s like being young in the culture and what is the world looking like, what is the environment looking like, what is the culture looking like…. This is their future in trying to be part of this Hip Hop thing and not rapping about nonsense and showing that they have an intelligence and an articulateness and a lyrical ability…. So 7 Grand embraces those intelligent young people that want to come to us. We love them and tell them to, “come with us beloved, we’re there for you.”  I’m not going to brag about how many big butts I got or how delicious my girls butt taste. I’m not going to tell you about my Lamborghini’s and Rolls Royce’s. What I’m going to tell you is that 7 Grand and Solar is here to bring Hip Hop to the next level.

SHH: So Guru, let me ask you this. Do you feel  nowadays you’re doing it more for the music or more so for the money?

Guru: I was never in it for the money. If that was the case, things would be totally different...Things would have went a whole other way.  I’ve always sacrificed eating for the art and struggled for the art. And now it’s more so because of the times we’re living in. These are crucial times because as quick as we got Hip Hop, it can be taken away and it will be done for.

SHH: So let’s talk about the album and mixtape. How did you link up with Doo Wop to do the mixtape for you?

Guru: Doo Wop has been touring with us since the inception of 7 Grand. He’s our 7 Grand in house deejay. He was on the …Street Scriptures. That’s our homie right there. The mixtape is a whole new reinvention of the album. This is something that’s never been done before.

SHH: I see a lot of big names as collaborators on this Jazzamatazz 4. People like Common, Vivian Green, Raheem DeVaughn, Bobby Valentino and so on… How did you guys get the hook up on this pool of mainstream talent for an indie project?

Guru: Looking at this it’s incredible…

Solar: Shoot! You forgot other cats like David Sanborn, Ronny Laws, Bob James and Damian Marley… These are visionaries and they wasn’t interested in this Hip Hop thing that Guru was doing. They came over here for ya’ll (the young cats) because we told them this music was going to be for the young Hip Hop heads. We told them that they needed to be exposed to their music so they can see how great these artists really are. So you know how they got on this album? For you bro and all the people that subscribe to your website- that’s who they were on the tracks for.

Guru: Absolutely.

SHH: So how do you figure you can cater to this new generation with such a gap being prevalent and most of the people getting their music from the internet. How have you refined yourself to fit into that?

Solar: We haven’t refined ourselves. The internet is refining itself to us.

Guru: We’re the original minded. We’re the minds that originate all things so it comes to us, we don’t find it. Instead of being connected with the physical street, we’re now connected with the virtual street.

SHH: Guru, what’s up with you giving out your phone number on MySpace? What’s the deal with that? Are you trying to be more in touch with the fans like more and more artists are trying to do these days?

Guru: We love the fans. We’re not afraid of the fans. They know who we are and we want to know who they are. And what’s the best way for us to communicate and to know what the issues are that are effecting the audience (the heads), what’s better than to give out the number and have them holler? You know? And we respond.

SHH: Has the response been well?

Guru: Yes indeed… And it’s important and all of this is what makes up 7 Grand. This is what has turned a label into a movement. We didn’t create the movement, the people did.

SHH: So how do you feel about rappers form the “Golden Age” of the culture like, KRS-ONE and members of the Wu Tang Clan speaking out against this new generation of rappers and naming names? Would you ever collaborate with an artist like Soulja Boy or 50 Cent if they came to you and said, “I want to work with you... you’re one of my favorites?”

Guru: Shit… I’d tell 50, he’s made some of my favorite joints. I’d tell him to holler at the God cause Solar got some heat for him.

SHH: What about young brothers like Soulja Boy or Flo-Ridah who have these #1 records right now?

Guru: It would fine to sit down and kick it with them. What would you say Lord?

Solar: I’d really like to kick it with them and know what their lyrical abilities are because I only work with lyricists. SO if the hook writers and ring tone dudes got lyrical ability, then yes. I don’t know if these have them or not, unless I was to get with them on some tracks.  I’m not opposed to working with them and I’m not going to call them any names and I’m not going to put down the people that buy their records. I think that people buy their music and it fits their needs and they rock with that. I would just say they need to check out what’s going on with Jazzamatazz 4 and the …Time Bomb.

Guru: We just trying to be that balance… The game has no balance right now. We ain’t trying to hate or anything. We just showing you what else is available.

SHH: What do you feel needs to be done to change the current state of the culture?

Guru: Well that’s why people like yourself have to put it out there about movements like 7 Grand and more people in the media have to take responsibility on putting the word out about good music and let the people know. That in itself will bring more attention to what we’re doing because given the right resources we will be the guardians of Hip Hop and take it where it’s suppose to be.

SHH: So moving along… How is touring going for the album? Where have you toured and where are you going to next?

Solar: We just made a run through Colorado Mountains.

Guru: We just did House of Blues in Hollywood with Talib and did club LAX too. Sunday night we shot our new music video for the new single for “Jazzy Ways” in L.A. We leave for Mexico and then we are doing a Sony PlayStation show that’s sold out and then we head out to Europe for three months then we head back to do festivals in the U.S.

SHH: When are you going out to Europe?

Guru: We head out there in March.

SHH: Guru, what’s the whole Gang Starr situation looking like? Are we going to hear anymore albums from Guru & Premier?

Guru: The answer to that is no. That’s not happening. I’m completely immersed in 7 Grand duties and we got a lot of things popping. And to be honest that was then and this is now. It was a great legacy and era, but I’ve moved on from that and I’m happier. I mean, Solar… That’s my mans and we run together. I’ m in business with my man and it couldn’t be any better than this and as a producer I feel my work with him is better and more cutting edge. I feel like I’m making a whole new history and it’s never been done. I think that’s where all the hate comes from because people see us doing something that they could never imagine and probably a lot of other people want to do it, but can’t.

SHH: So is it a personal or creative thing with DJ Premier that has made you stop working with him?

Guru:  It’s a little bit of both, but it’s really not a major issue with me. That was then and this is now. I’ve moved on.

Solar: It’s like the Gang Starr fans and the Gang Starr fans are coming together now. The more intelligent and progressive minded fans have come on board and the ones that don’t dig it, they’ll have to come on board and are free to listen to they own records. There’s a whole generation of new fans that’s signing on to 7 Grand and trying to stop them from having it is evil. No one stopped you from getting Gang Starr. If you try to stop a new generation from accessing us then you become evil.

Guru: There it is… And the real Gang Starr heads are loving it. They’re buying the record and the sales are good compared to a lot of cats.

SHH: Solar as far as the projects go do you hand most of the production?

Solar: I handle all the production. I’ve done 100% of all production on 7 Grand to date and I have a new album coming out. I’ve got four albums to date in a 3 year period.

SHH: So what artists are signed to 7 Grand that you are working with now?

Solar: Well the movement is larger than the artists we have signed to us. The movement has its own life. These are artists that feel that 7 Grand will spark their concerns, their wants, their needs as artists. These artists feel that they’ve been short changed by artists talking about how delicious their girl’s butt tastes and how many rims they got on they Maybachs…. There is a large young black and Latino population that doesn’t want to hear about this nonsense. I don’t care about this nonsense… Lying about drugs you buying and never sold… 7 Grand is legitimate and you can put your faith and confidence in to it and we will invest that right back into the future of the younger generations.

SHH: So what mainstream Hip Hop do you actually listen to?

Solar: See the thing about that is that if it’s a good record, we don’t care if it’s pop or this that and the other.

SHH: Would you ever take 7 Grand to a major and work out a deal?

Solar: No we going to stay independent and always be that way. These major corporations, they’re the ones that stopped making albums and made ringtones. They don’t care about who you and me are. They don’t care about what we are.  The bottom line is we’re independent and love being independent.  The bottom line is that we’re here not to chastise or call any names. We’re not here to say what you listen to is wack and we’re not here to return back return back to the past to make a few haters comfortable. We’re going to press on to the future and if that makes you feel uncomfortable, so be it.

SHH: So is there anything else that you’d like to tell your fans?

Guru: Just hit us up on MySpace and the website at www.myspace.com/guru7grand, www.myspace.com/solar7grand, www.myspace.com/gurusjazzamatazz and you can send mp3’s through the website at www.guru7grand.net.