Interview w/Sean Price
by: Justin Rizzio

Whether you know him as Ruck from Heltah Skeltah, or just met him now as Sean Price, there is no question that “the brokest rapper you know” is still holding it down. As one of the busiest members of Boot Camp Clik, over the past 3 years Sean P has released mix tapes, two solo albums, and a DVD. Not to mention the latest BCC record and several guest appearances. Most recently, he is wrapping up his tour along with Philly’s own Reef the Lost Cauze and headliners, Jedi Mind Tricks. We caught up with Sean backstage after his performance at the Trocadero Theatre Saturday April 21st, to find out more about Ruck, Sean Price, and the more mature “Jesus Price Superstar”.
Click here to purchase “Jesus Price SuperStar”
duckdown.com


215hiphop: You’ve been opening up for Jedi Mind Tricks on tour and you’ve been featured on several of their records. How did you guys hook up?

Sean Price: Jus Allah. I forgot how the f*ck we met. We started talkin’ to each other and next thing I know, we did the joint. Him and Stoupe came to Brooklyn with a mini studio on their back. That’s when I did the first joint with them.

215: Are there any other Philly artists you’re feeling or would want to work with?

Sean P: Reef, of course. I like Outerspace. I wasn’t familiar with all the groups, but Outerspace is dope.

215: Between Magnum Force and Monkey Barz, you got back into the streets for a minute. What made you decide to come back to music?

Sean P: I just felt it was time. Music was gettin’ garbage, and the sh*t I was doin’ was gettin’ hot. So I needed to come back and do something.

215: For allot of rappers, the easiest route to go these days is to glorify negativity. For someone who has done their share of dirt, instead, you make songs like “Mess You Made”. Was this a conscious decision to focus more on lyrics than to just glorifying street life?

Sean P: I glorify it too. But I tell the truth. I don’t know no drug dealer that made allot of money and stopped, and then did somethin’ else. Every drug dealer I know got a f*cked up story out there. They in jail, they got shot the f*ck up, they bodied someone tryin’ to make money. So I just give you the real, real. I wasn’t a big time drug dealer, but I made my money. And I f*cked my money up. I’m just tryin’ to keep it honest, that’s all.

215: Being that you have always been involved with a group in the past, was it difficult for the last two albums as a solo artist?

Sean P: Not at all. It’s f*ckin’ great! I knew what you were sayin’, and it’s great. I don’t have to share shit with nobody. I do me and I don’t gotta split the bread either.

215: Is their anything you’ve learned over the years that makes Sean P do things differently then Ruck would have done?

Sean P: Oh yeah. I’m more of a man overall. First of all, it started with me takin’ care of my kids. I have kids, but that don’t mean I was always a father. You gotta take care of your kids and everything else will fall into place. That’s why I’m sayin’ I’m a man now.

215: Will we ever see the Heltah Skeltah “D.I.R.T.” album?

Sean P: Workin’ on it right now. We got about 4 joints done. We workin’ on it, it will be out as soon as it’s ready to be. No official date yet, but we’re just tryin’ to make it right.

215: On your DVD, Passion of Price, you show Sean Price the rapper along with Sean Price the “thugged out Bill Cosby” father figure. When it comes to your children, do they ever ask questions about any of your lyrics or misinterpret anything?

Sean P: You know what? I’ll say some wild sh*t, and my son will be like, (covers his mouth with his hand) “oooohhhhhh, he’s crazy”. He knows that sh*t ain’t true though. He asked me a few times about certain lines and I told him what it meant. That’s it.

215: What does he listen to?

Sean P: I’m cool, but he loves Papoose. He thinks Papoose is the sh*t.

215: Boot Camp has always had its loyal followers. With your solo albums, do you see more of the older core audience or younger, newer fans?

Sean P: Both. The ones that love Ruck, that are diehard Ruck fans, they know I’m Sean Price. But some of these Sean Price fans don’t know I used to be Ruck. So it’s a little bit of both.

215: What would be the wildest story you can think of from Boot Camp back in the day?

Sean P: Oh man, there’s so many. I smacked the sh*t out of this kid and he grabbed my knees. I smacked him on the floor with one hand, and then he grabbed my legs. So I uppercut him, POW! And he ran away across the street. That was pretty funny.

215: As Sean Price, will there ever be anymore situations like when you broke a security guard’s hand at Hot97?

Sean P: No more of that. I’m more mature. Truthfully, now that I think about that story, I shouldn’t have been in that situation. My management should’ve been there handlin’ that. So, I know better now. It won’t happen again. As a man, I won’t do that.

215: A little off topic, but, do you really love Knot’s Landing and Falcon Crest?

Sean P: You know what? I love Knot’s Landing! Me and my mom, rest in peace, I used to look forward to watching Knot’s Landing with her. 10 o’clock on CBS, nahmean?! And on Fridays, Dallas would come on. And after Dallas, would be Falcon Crest. I didn’t really like Falcon Crest, but I loved the intro. Like the vineyard and the way they had it, that shit was dope. I wanted a vineyard when I was little ’cause of that sh*t!

215: Getting back on track, what did you think of tonight’s Philly crowd?

Sean P: This is like my second home right here. They show me love. All across the board I get love. Black crowd, white crowd, they both show me love.

215: And tonight was obviously majority white…

Sean P: I’m on tour with Jedi Mind Tricks though. This is their crowd. They did me a favor, introducing me to their crowd. One day it might be a Sean Price show, and they see my crowd. Nahmean? A bunch of sorry lookin’ niggas, nahmean? F*cked up jeans and shit, snot in their nose and all that.

215: What can fans expect from Sean Price in the future?

Sean P: Look out for the new Sean Price album. The name of it is Mic Tyson.

215: When does that drop?

Sean P: When I’m done with it! But I got a mix tape out this summer. It’s called Master P’s. Look out for that too.

215: Any last words for Philly?

Sean P: Philly, I love ya’ll! You see me everyday, I got my P hat on. If it ain’t Pittsburg, it’s Philly. I love ya’ll. Word.

Last 5 posts in Interviews

• Snowgoons Interview - September 30th, 2008
• Wordplay w/Goldie Jawn - September 25th, 2008
• Aesop Rock Interview - August 18th, 2008
• Dilated Peoples Interview - August 13th, 2008
• Wordplay w/Mic Got-It - August 5th, 2008