SplatterTribe:
That's something that is earned.
Fishscales:
Yeah and it's something that keeps you goin when you don't
have a single out. We don't have a hot single on the radio but people still say,
yo I gotta see the Nappy Roots when they come. That's deeper than being hot.
That's like being embedded in peoples hearts, man.
SplatterTribe:
Nappy Roots was a 6 man group and then somewhere down the line R.
Prophet fell out of the group making it a 5 man group, what was the
circumstances that led to him leaving Nappy Roots?
Fishscales:
Well, he felt we should move in a different direction. he felt
like it was time for his sol, which is cool. We opened the doors for him to do a
solo project, but he felt like that was the total direction that everybody
needed to move in. And we give him time for that (his solo), but we kind of get
to much time where everybody else is not doin nothin'. So we continued to work
as Nappy Roots and produce music and he wasn't getting involved. We actually he
wasn't recording with us because he was focused on his solo career. It created a
separation and it was best for him to continue (with) his solo career and Nappy
Roots to continue doing what we was doing. The sound he was wanting to create
was a more urban sound. If you here any of his music, it is more urban. He's a
more urban person. He's from Oakland, Kentucky and we create a more rural sound
because we're from rural America.
SplatterTribe:
So are you guys still on speaking terms?
Fishscales:
Yeah, we do whenever I see him out. I see him in Louisville
every time I come in. We brothers man, we made millions of dollars together. So
we always gonna be brothers, you know, but it's just musically we're not working
together (anymore).
SplatterTribe:
I know you guys have done a couple of USO tours and you spoke a
little about going to Kuwait and Iraq the last time we spoke, what was that
whole experience like?
Fishscales:
Well, we all seen a lot. We went to Kuwait in 2003, Kuwait and
Bagdad, we went over there. I think last time me and you talked, we was getting
ready to go to Italy.
SplatterTribe: How did that
go?
Fishscales:
Yeah, we went to Italy. Man, Italy is crazy. Like it's one
of the craziest things I think. You know, it's like, people look like us. They
dress like us over there. But uhm......what's the word I should use ...... I
don't know. I want to say that I really got into the nightlife out there. Yeah,
they six hours ahead of us. So when it's night time over there it's like day
time to me. I was goin' out partyin' at 2:00 in the night and people was just
start going to the clubs at 2:00. I don't know why party so late. Man, it was an
amazing experience for me. Just to be in Italy. The woman was beautiful man. The
drinks were fluent. It was a great time, man.
SplatterTribe: Was that
the first time you were over there?
Fishscales:
Yeah, the first time going to Italy. Cecily was one of the
most beautiful places I've seen.
SplatterTribe:
Do you take the time to sight see when you're out in other places?
Fishscales:
Not like I should. Like I should get out with my camera during the day, but it be rainy over there alot. Like where we were, it was real wet. So I always just seen the nightlife. I went to a strip club one time. It was..I think...oh, they was Romanian chicks.
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photo: Hannibal Mathews
Photography
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Skinny Deville & Fishscales |
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SplatterTribe:
So was the strip clubs different from those over here?
Fishscales:
Yo, this is what they do over there. You don't spend no
money while you're in the club. They give you a card and it's like a price tab.
Everything you do they tab it. They punch your card. So by the end of the night,
you walking out and just hand the people the card. They have a big dude waiting
at the door so you don't play no games. They might tell you, you owe 200 and sum
dollars. It was like that, but it was fun man. It was real fun.
SplatterTribe:
How much performing did you do over there?
|
Fishscales:
I think we did four shows. It was cool. It really wasn't
an Italian crowd. it was more like the army people. I can't
really say how the Italians would've responded. It was a USO
tour. We've got a good relationship with USO.
SplatterTribe:
So does the USO come to you and ask or do you go to them?
Fishscales:
Yeah, the first time we did it, they come to us because
they did a vote. (It was) like who would you want to see and
we came up number 2 on their list behind Jay Z and
Jay Z wasn't goin' over sees to perform during that time. He
wasn't goin' to Bagdad in the middle of the war. We less
important in Hip Hop than him so we like, "Man, we gonna
take this opportunity and do it."
SplatterTribe:
Did you ever hesitate about it considering you where going into a
warzone.
Fishscales:
Not really, man because I had my brothers
with me and all of us was like if you goin', I'm goin'.
SplatterTribe:
Did you have any scary situations in Kuwait or Bagdad?
Fishscales:
The scariest situation was when we flew to
Bagdad, you know, they was still fightin' over there and we
did a Military landing. We was on one of them....I don't
know, I forget the name of them planes, you know, where you
jump out of them planes. We did a Military landing where you
come down swooping in a circle. You're circling down to
avoid getting shot at. We did that Military landing and
that's the worst motion sickness I ever had in my life. It
was the worst, man, but once I landed, they opened the door
and we seen 4000 troops in the middle of the desert at the
Saddam International Airport and the energy was
crazy.
SplatterTribe: How long
where you guys there?
Fishscales:
Well, for Bagdad, we got in and got back out. They wouldn't
let us stay there because the soldiers where sleeping in the
airport. We only stayed probably an hour and a half. I seen
a kid from my high school, when we was leaving a guy, he
came knocking at the window like, "Yo, I'm from Baldwin High
School." You know, I kind of remembered him but that was
crazy man.
SplatterTribe:
So is it possible you guys will be doing more USO tours?
Fishscales:
Yeah, yeah I think we will man. You know, they like
positive music and the soldiers really draw to our music. So
Lord willin' we will.
SplatterTribe:
I've noticed you guys work with an organization called WALI, what is
it and why does it mean so much to Nappy Roots?
Fishscales:
WALI is an organization that sponsored one of our tours
and we just continue to work with them because they're a
great organization man. What they do is, they have a school,
they build schools that train young boys to be men. It's
really just a good thing. I'm sad to say that I'm not very
familiar with them because we haven't worked with them for
long, but that's the main thing I know. They build them
schools and really teach young boys to be men and we just
try to spread the word. Our relationship just started. It
ain't even a half a year old.
SplatterTribe:
Where are they based out of?
Fishscales:
DC and they in Atlanta too.
SplatterTribe:
Getting back to your label NREG, do you guys have any plans on
releasing other artists as well?
Fishscales:
What we're focusing on now is, of
course, the 40 AKERZ project. It's the first, like solo project. Then
Vito Banger, Big V from Nappy Roots, he's doing a solo album and he's
really focusing on representing Kentucky and Tennessee area, you know Mid-West.
He's got attachments to that and we need that. The 40 Akerz project is more of
an underground project. It so much just focused on Bluegrass like Nappy Roots
is. It's more of underground from coast to coast. Then B. Stille has a
project and he's pickin' up a lot of steam in Louisville with that one. As far
as outside artists, we are looking man, because in 2010, we have our mind set on
putting out an artist outside of Nappy Roots. We have to. We're putting out 3
albums a year, atleast 3 albums a year and all of them just can't be Nappy Roots
projects. NREG will definitely be branching out putting out other artists.
SplatterTribe:
Where all do you guys do your recording at? Do you have your own
studio set up?
Fishscales:
Yeah we have a studio set up but
it aint even set up. Right now, we record out of Street Sounds in Atlanta
and Sol Messiah's studio out of Atlanta. (That's) producers we work with
all the time. We've got a studio in LA. One of our engineers set up our studio
in LA, but we mostly use that for the mixing. We don't do much recording in
Kentucky no more, unfortunately. There just wasn't a good spot for a studio.
SplatterTribe:
So do you do a lot of traveling back and forth to record?
Fishscales:
Yeah, well me and Skinny, as far
as the 40 Akerz project, did like......Well there's 2 studio's here that we can
just work out of anytime we want. So there's not a problem recording. We don't
have to travel a lot. I think B. Stille and Big V, they still record around
Kentucky. You know, it's easy with Pro Tools it's so easy to put our songs
together now. It's not a problem.
SplatterTribe:
Is there any circumstance that could ever come about that would
cause you guys as a group or individually to resign to a major label?
Fishscales:
I doubt it man. I think what we
would look for is....You know if the deal was right, you know, any deal that is
right, you've got to look at. I think from a major label, we're open for
investments. You can invest in our project, but we would like to distribute our
own music and have control over that. If Def Jam came and said, "We've
got a million dollars, we want 40 Akerz" or "we want Nappy Roots", we'd say,
"You can put that million dollars into NREG and we'll tell you what you can get
back out of it. That's the situation I'd like to see more so than Nappy Roots
signing our rights over to a label.
SplatterTribe:
Speaking of new artists, do you think it's wiser for them to try for
the major label or to try and do things on their own? I mean you can sell your
own stuff nowadays and the majors are doing things like the 360 deal, where they
have their hands on everything.
Fishscales:
None of that is bad. The 360 deal
is cool. It depends on what they are giving you up front. If they gonna give you
a million dollars than let them have their hands on whatever they want, but
that's not reasonable. They probably not gonna do that. That's what I tell
people, don't rule out nothin'. Until you see the deal, you don't know what it
is. In my opinion, I think, if you're not rich, if you don't have an investor
who is rich behind you, a major label is not a bad thing. Really all you need to
be successful in this game is money. Money can buy you a lot of stuff in the
music industry. If you don't have money, the labels do. The major labels do. I
would recommend a new artist to yeah, take a major label deal, just don't set on
your ass once you get the deal. You gotta make that label see you as a priority.
You gotta do your work on your own because a lot of artist set on the shelf like
we did for 4 years. If you go out and make yourself hot. You get the radio
playing your records before the label does, they gonna have to follow you. They
gonna have to pick up to your pace.
SplatterTribe:
Has any new artist got your attention right now, either from this
area or abroad?
Fishscales:
Well from that area, Louis Keyz man,
I was with him yesterday. We was hangin' out. He's more on the producer end now,
but I always liked Louis Keyz. he's that nice guy and (has) a nice street cred.
But from that area, I really can't say man, I'm not there that much anymore. I
know a new artist I like is A Leon Craft and Bobby Creek. I like
them two a lot man and they part part of our circle. I would love to sign them
to NREG one day.
SplatterTribe:
Speaking of Bobby Creek, he performs on a 40 Akerz cut doesn't he?
How did that come about?
Fishscales:
Well we've been good friends for a while
because he's also one of the artists who worked with Sol Messiah. Sol Messiah,
he's an extraordinary producer and like a mentor down in Atlanta and he pretty
much puts us all together like A Leon Craft, 40 Akerz, Bobby Creek. He's kind of
like the common ground for us. We all meet up in the the studio....
SplatterTribe:
I must have lost track, but I thought Bobby Creek was with Eminem
and Shady Records.
Fishscales:
Well he's signed to Slim Shady, but
I don't know what Slim is doin with his artists, you know. If the opportunity
ever allow, I'd love to work with Bobby Creek.
SplatterTribe:
Thanks for doing this interview again and the Tribe has got Nappy
Roots backs. Any closing comments?
Fishscales:
I just want to say
nappyroots.com. That's
all my shout outs.
(end)
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