By Richard Watson

New from the crew who just don’t know how to stop promoting their dope ‘Brooklynati’ album, Von Pea and the boys have drafted in Keelay & Zaire to re-flip their ‘So Damn Down’ track (which, incidentally, kicks off The Last Skeptik’s HHC Digital mixtape from issue 002, still available here). Now click here to check the new version, and keep reading for an extended version of HHC Digital’s recent bout with the boys…

On ‘Plan B’ you imagine scenarios in which you abandoned your rap careers. Have there ever been times when you seriously considered quitting?
Von Pea: “I used to want to quit all the time! Being a musician and living your life can be difficult as hell. Trying to pay the bills, find and maintain love, raise kids, be a good friend, brother and son and deal with all the shit that comes with living out your dream isn’t easy at all. I love the highs so much, though, that the lows don’t get to me anymore.”
Donwill: “There are definitely times when it has crossed my mind but that would be suicide for me. With anything it’s a lot easier to quit than to keep trying, but with regards to how much time and effort we put into this, I don’t really have a choice but to see this thing through so there’s no need to complain or quit. That’s the worst thing I can do at this point.”
Ilyas: “All the time. It’s like being in an abusive relationship. Hip-hop is like a first love that rarely ever gives love back until you say you’re gonna leave. Then right when you get comfortable she’s back to being a bitch [laughs].”

‘We’re Fly’ begins with the observation “doing the right thing is like the new thing.” Do you feel that – whether because of Obama or for other reasons – there’s a growing sense of responsibility in hip-hop?
V: “Barack absolutely gives a new hope. The night he won, a black dude walked up to me, shook my hand and was like, ‘Does this mean we can stop hating one another now, brother?’ I thought that was crazy. I’ll say this much: rapping about shooting one another is played out.”
I: “I feel people are just waking up in general globally. I feel Barack Obama is a reflection of that rising need for consciousness but I would never say he’s the source of it. A new age and aeon is being born so this is all a result of that new consciousness.”

On the same song Donwill gives props to Todd Shaw. Are you all fans and what are your favourite moments from the Too Short back catalogue?
Von: “‘Promoters pay me 10 Gs just to breathe on the mic!’”
D: “Short Dog is the dude. How could you not respect that guy for what he did and is still doing? As far as favourite songs: ‘Pimp The Hoe’, ‘Don’t Stop Rappin’’, ‘Ain’t Nothing But A Word’, ‘Hard On The Boulevard’… Man, I can name songs for days.”
I: “My favourite is ‘Ain’t Nothing But a Word…’ featuring Ice Cube.”

Speaking of legends, why did early ’90s Brooklynati rappers Hardcore Gentlemen never make it past their debut single?
V: “Honestly, they were too much like Onyx and biting wasn’t allowed.”
D: “Well you know they had a pretty bad drug problem too. Sex addiction, gambling… they were plagued by a bunch of personal issues around that time. They blew up too fast and it messed ’em up. They still hang out in front of Jurx Records try’na get people to buy
their shit. Sometimes I’ll see ’em in Yancey Park in bubble coats in the dead of summer. They are strange guys but they definitely deserve their respect.”
I: “They scored a perfect 10 and hit legendary status with one song. Why risk messing it up?”