Operation Black Steele - General Steele Interview With Jeff (Wisdom) Barreau
Smiff-N-Wessun. Cocoa Brovas. No matter what moniker you know them by, if youre into that classic East Coast boom bap, Tek & Steele have no doubt invaded your speakers for more than a decade now. Considered by many to be one of the best east coast duos of all time, these guys set the foundation for groups like CNN, Mobb Deep, and Clipse. For part II of our Boot Camp Click series, we caught up with General Steele, one half of the legendary duo, to discuss his new mixtape and whats next for the BCC movement.
Jeff Wisdom: How you doing ST?
Steele: I'm aight bruh and yourself?
Chilling god. How do you feel about the response to the most recent Smiff-N-Wessun album "Reloaded"? A lot of people feel that's its right up there with "Dah Shining", do you agree?
Steele: Oh yeah? I ain't really hear that you know. People saying that? That's good though. We really put our work in last album, you knah mean? So having the people like it, its a blessing, that's what we do it for.
What were your personal favorite tracks off the album?
Steele: Damn...lemme see...I really liked "War", and "Warrior's Heart".
Word, I felt you, Tek, and Dead Prez had mega chemistry on "Warrior's Heart", can we expect more collabs with Dead Prez? Maybe even a full album?
Steele: That's definitely a possibility. In fact we're about to do a concert with them real soon. Me personally I love n***az that make music about something. Dead Prez, The Outlawz, its a couple of groups that really talk about shit in they music and I love that.
Smiff-N-Wessun has worked with a lot of artists over the years. Even this last album you worked with Dead Prez, Toney Touch, Talib Kweli...any gods you want to collab with but never got the chance to?
Steele: There's so many man....I don't know, there's so many.
Some of my favorite tracks y'all did back in the day were those rap/reggae mash ups. Of course you had "Sound Bwoy Buriel". I remember you guys doing tracks with Buju....with Bounty Killa...can we expect any more tracks like that from y'all? Maybe even something with this dude Movado?
Steele: Actually we were just talking with Movado the other day, trying to do some things with him. We really trying to make that happen cause the bwoy hot right now, sound tuff fi real. We don't want to force something like that though. A lot of people go in the studio and get this wack sounding reggae beat and they like "yeah, this is our dancehall track", and the shit end up sounding corny. We got songs liked that for the next album, but trust its going to be the real thing.
Now a lot of the rappers play these stereotypical roles to sell records, especially nowadays. They either in the "trap", or a pimp, or some kind of 2pac mega thug. Smiff-N-Wessun never really seemed to get into playing a role like that though. How did y'all manage to keep it so real for all these years?
Steele: Some of these n***az say anything to sell a record, shit they never been through. Its hip-hop but you gotta keep it real, hip-hop do be fucking a lot of shit up. These n***az spitting this make believe shit and the kids can't really separate what's real and what's bullshit, cause that's all they see on TV all day, you know what I'm saying?
So you feel rappers need to be more accountable in what they say? Set better examples?
Steele: Yeah man, cause even if you did live that life you don't want your kids to do the same shit. That way we'll stay fucked up in the game. You gotta let them know about the bad side of that life too. Fuck that make believe shit.
Are you the conscious rapper out the group?
Steele: Yeah I'm the Huey P of the BCC. Nah, I mean, I ain't trying to be a preacher and shit, but you gotta talk about shit in your rhymes.
Now you've hosted Boot Camp TV for Brooklyn cable television for years now, this year it's on sandbox so everyone can see it, can you tell us more about what you're planning for the show?
Steele: Yes, basically we trying to highlight artists that don't get the airplay and exposure, that people need to know about. People always complaining that the big stations never do anything with the real MCs, the underground n***az, but if you got the resources then fuck it, make your own station...make your own outlet. So that's what Boot Camp TV is all about.
Who are some of these artists you were referring to that people need to know about?
Steele: Its a lot man. People like Immortal Technique, Dead Prez...its a lot we trying to let people know about.
So what's next for Smiff-N-Wessun? When can we expect the next album? Solo albums?
Steele: The next album, I'm gon say, November. We may have to move it back but it should be out be end of this year. I don't really know about solo albums, both me and Tek working on some shit. Should start hearing about it next year. I got a new street mixtape out right now though, "Hotstyle Takeover".
What can we expect from that mixtape?
Steele: You going to hear me on a lot of shit you ain't used to hearing me on. I used a lot of beats from artists I'm feeling in the game right now. I used that Jay-Z "Takeover" beat, that Styles P beat, Its crazy man....out in stores or www.duckdown.com right now.