Buckshot Teaches Survival Skills By: Scott Boniface Date: Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Was the album Survival Skills a long time coming or was it more a spontaneous idea that began to take shape from there?

It was a long time coming.

What are some things you respect about KRS ONE for both what he’s done for the game, and as a person?

Just the fact that he’s persistent, dedicated and always seems to know what he wants and how to do it. He’s a very smart and conscience person. Kris is just that guy, you know? I’m amazed and obliged to be in his presence and make an album. I think he’s amazing. It’s almost like, to be able to create the material that could hang with Kris is another challenge in itself. They picked the right guy for the job because I don’t care if (no disrespect). It could be Elvis Presley in the booth along with,I don’t care. That’s Right. I love them all but when I get in that booth I’m still a general, and I have to do my job.

I know you have Havoc on Robot and you’ve worked with Marco Polo in the past but who are some other features and producer’s fans can expect on the album?

Black Milk, Ill mind, koptict, 9^th wonder, Moss, a host of other producers.

“It’s just the yellow and the bulls-eye when it comes to shooting the target of that boom bap.”

Did you have a strategy when figuring out who you thought would be right for the project?

Yeah, Everything on the album is a strategy. Everything. Every artist, every MC and every beat is strategically put in place with careful thought and energy. Slug from atmosphere is going to have some New York niggas thinking who the hell is this?  But there may be some people from atmosphere who may not know who Sean Price is. So everybody on this album is a show and see, everyone on this KRS album is a showman. I think that’s how it was strategically done; the whole album was put together to be a show. 

What was it like working with Mary J Blige and Black Milk on “On the Grind”?

Aww, They were incredible man. I can’t even describe..
First Black Milk gave us the track, it was off the chain. We did our thing, the track was amazing. Mary J Blige and I went in the studio to do some work for her. Mary’s cool, Mary got on some gutter shit, Mary’s street, Mary is very street.

What does it take to survive in the rap game, especially today?

Persistence, patients, discipline, obedience, tactics.


I’ve heard KRS say that coming together with you was very fluid in the sense that you both believe in the same sound. Do you want to touch on what that sound is, and how you guys can find common ground when creating it?

We know that originally one of the hardest essences of Hip-Hop was bangin' on tables and bangin' on walls. So when you bang on a table and you bang on a wall with your two hands right? When you bang on two things with your two hands you get what? That boom bap. That is the essence of the drum machine. Before they ever made the drum machine, we had the drum machine by going “ Look watch this, Boom bap, boom bap, boom boom bap bap” They followed that and made a machine out of it. Me and Kris believed in the essence of that same style of boom bap. Even though we may have a lot of different music samples, sounds, instruments on top of it. The essence of it will always be boom bap, it will never be tick tick, it will never be tap tap. It will always be and will always hit your heart from the inside.

In past interviews you’ve spoken a bit about artists finding their own voice and lane especially when talking about auto-tune. Do you want to speak a bit about originality and the current use of the technology?

At this stage, I take great pride in saying were done with that. So how about that? You’re the first on air interview where buckshot is saying were off auto-tune. We’re not even on that no more. We said that, that shit was said, we put a record out about it, it was really just for the moment and we really weren’t planning on campaigning auto-tune.

We don’t have a problem with auto-tune on terror or any of those guys, we’re just saying, if you turn on the radio and go, Oh shit, who’s that? Is that Kanye’s new shit? No.. wait is that Wale? Wait no? Turn it up! Is that the dream? Wait no? Is that? That sounds like Shawn Paul or Bobby Brown on auto-tune!?

You see what I’m saying? If I have to keep saying “who’s that” then that’s a problem. That’s the problem, when I’m steady thinking I’m bumping to Kanye and I’m bumping to some other nigga named Wale. It isn't even your fault, that’s the reason why we put that song out. Don’t be a robot, be yourself.

And now to show and prove, lets see people like Jay-Z or anyone else, let’s see them follow the next step that were going through which is survival skills. Anybody you hear talking about survival skills, or you have to have skills to survive. Once you start hearing that, you’ll know it came from us and you can start laughing. You can start peeping the followers already. Once you start hearing “yeah, survivor, survival skills!” you’re going to be like ah man, here we go again. See? We came out and started dissing those people who are copying auto-tune and this and the third. And then we had other MC’s that are so influenced. One of the best MC's said was they couldn’t relate to a 15 year old. I can relate to a 15 year old, because I’m a human. Not because I’m 30 something years old or because I’m this part or that, I’m black, none of that. I can relate to a 15 year old because I’m a human. If that’s too deep for a person to understand because their mind keeps seeing the surface of “well, 15 year olds do this? So if you don’t do that, how can you relate?” then you need to talk to me in a few minutes, a weeks bro. I’m smart enough to run a whole unit, why wouldn’t I be smart enough to know that what you’re saying, why wouldn’t that have gone past my mind? I’m not 15! So how can you relate to em’? Well, I can relate to them this way, and that way and mentally, being human, naturally, spiritually. Because I have an open mind, I can relate to you.

“What you doing lil’ homie? Oh I’m doing this. Okay well why don’t you try this? Oh word? That’s a good idea” Now him and I can relate to each other as apposed to saying “Yo, what you doing lil’ homie you aint supposed to be doing that, you don’t know nothing about… Ahhh shit” Here comes this close-minded motherfucker trying to tell an open minded person on the rise what he can't relate to. The OG’s used to teach me that too, and not directly teach me, I used to learn that, OG’s that always have the young ones around them is because they have open minds. If you always peep the majority of the older dudes that have young people around them on some natural shit, it shows they have open minds.

Who are some of your favorite MC’s in the game right now?

I don’t really have a favourite. I’ve always had favourite artists. But I just don’t have a favourite MC in the game right now. I mean, favourite artist would be a guy like Bilial, that’s my favourite artist in the game as far as right now if your asking me who’s out right now or on the come up or whatever. There hasn’t been somebody who made me feel the way KRS-ONE made me feel on this album in a while. I’ve always been a fan of KRS-ONE but I’m a fan of KRS-ONE after this album.  This new one that he made. I’m a KRS-ONE fan that know all of his lyrics off this album. Even the ones that he forget. I’ll say, you this line, that’s the line. When you can do that, that’s when you’re a fan. I just don’t do that automatically. I don’t just know everybody’s lyrics on every song that come on. You gotta’ be the shit for me to remember you. And I don’t remember a lot of people's shit. In terms of word for word, I may know the choruses, know the theme, know the vibe but I don’t know your shit like “di di di di di di dadi day, all you sucker MC’s…” I don’t know your new shit like that.

KRS-ONE on the survival skills intro he goes “ These small time rappers ain't as dope as us. When you hear rappers in the club, you just hope it’s us, back in the day they used to smoke the dust, but cats kept jumping off the roof too much, so now a days we don’t abuse the dutch, What? Niggas said my feet be planted on the ground. You want that soft pop shit you better book another sound”

When I can tell you shit like that, I’m a fan of it. So it’s not a new MC that I’m a fan of right now but it’s new material from an old MC that I’m a fan of right now. Other MC’s I’ll big em up’ Lil Wayne, Wale, Kidz In the Hall, Kanye you know? All these dudes are fucking nasty at what they do.

I think believe it or not, as disagreeable as “faggot” or whatever the fuck they be saying about Kanye. He’s a fucking incredible artist; you can’t take anything away from that boy when it comes to that. He’s got his own style, his own way of doing shit... but, so did Prince.

I’ve heard a couple dates (August 25^th/ September 15^th) when can fans expect the album to drop?

September 15^th. We pushed it back because we about to drop the single Survival Skills. Were not doing the same viral industry shits, that we created years ago and people fucked up.  We're not just dropping a single and coming right behind with the album. Were doing it the old school way. Were taking it back, were giving you the single, survival skills and then were going to give you the album. When the album comes out were going to release the track with Mary J Blige so the world can hear Mary, KRS-ONE and Buck buckwildin’ in the studio. Talking about how we gonna make it happen.


I happened to see a video on the DuckDown youtube channel with the possible album artwork. You two were helping each other climb a jagged mountainside. Have you decided on an album cover? And why were you feeling that option especially?

For me personally, it was monumental. For me, nothing could describe that. The feeling of actually seeing KRS-ONE rising, climbing to the mountain. He’s been there, he’s been there before. I’m proud to be in that position with him. I feel like the luckiest nigga in the world because here we have a person who came out in the heart of hip hop. He not only survived it till’ today, but he’s made it past all other dudes that were doing it then too. It’s like him telling you “yo, I’m nice nigga, it’s 1989, Imma charge till 2009” mother fuckers were like “bullshit!” He told you, he did! A lot of other MC’s didn’t, they’re shit is played out, they cant flow right, they fat and sloppy from having too much turkey bacon. By Kris pulling me up it’s like word man, its like climbing to the mountaintop. I’ve had in the past a lot of challenges to get to this decision to even grab a hold of Kris. Were both on the same mission.

“Buck, you on a mission like me? Word, Hold on son. Because we are going to make it past the storm” Kris is going “What’s up buck, welcome to the fight, I’ve been fighting before you got here, It’s a rough fight so prepare for it” Let’s go Kris.

How did you feel about the Rock The Bells tour and is it something you would like to be a part of for years to come?

That’s kind of tricky. I don’t know how to answer that question because you can either love me, hate me, hate to love me or love to hate me. I’m going to say that because I’m privileged to be on the rock the bells tour.

There’s an artist side in me that acknowledges the frackle. The frackle is what I call when you got two different stages and fans don’t know that. Fans don’t know that when they come and pay all that money to see the show. They are not promoting it fully like that. I don’t know man; it’s just something that’s not, I don’t know what the term is, but I don’t like it. Having two different stages going on at the same time with monstrous groups performing.

What happens when you do that is you fuck up because you have certain people performing, and motherfuckers will be saying “ oh shit look, I’m going to go over here cause such-an-such are performing. Then the crowd will be like, let’s go back because so-and-so is performing so it was just bad in the sense of having a crowd go from one end to the other, one end to the other.

I seen Wu-tang, but I missed Buckshot. I missed Buckshot, but I saw Talib. That shit, certain people didn’t pay their money for that. That’s the only thing I don’t like about that but other than that yeah, I’m privileged to be on it, I’m happy to be on the tour and all that but at the same time that’s the bullshit about it. Like, I’m on the pay dues stage, so I’m going to pay dues! Fuck it, I’m going to pay my dues because I’m going to let you know. Yeah I’m paying my dues, but when my dues are paid, I’m coming out like Rocky. When I pay my dues, you can’t tell me nothing. Just like I said on my record Who got the props? "I paid my dues so you can’t tell me nothing” I said that shit for a fucking reason man. Real talk.

When I come through don’t tell me how my attitude is or none of that shit because you got me on the pay dues stage. So you’re saying that Buckshot hasn’t paid his dues yet so put him on the pay dues stage and we are going to have Slaughterhouse on the main stage and these mother fuckers haven’t paid God damn dues if it was mountain dew. They just got here, like I said, until you have that “it” time I agree with one MC I forgot, I think it was 50 that said “ Yo, if you’ve never had that “it” time, then you can’t call yourself a legend, or a classic, or none of that because you’ve never changed the course of history with your presence in the game”

I’m not alive for that reason, but I cant deny that. Like Snoop Dogg, you’re a legend, you’re classic, you changed the course of the hip-hop game. It was going this way and you came out and it started going that way. That’s a change, which didn’t happen with Slaughterhouse, and I’m not even mad at Slaughterhouse. I’m mad at the motherfuckers fake ass Live Nation who’s another corporation who took over everything. Motherfuckers be killing me, You’re all hip-hop artists, you're all gangsters, you're all killers but y’all niggas are scared to say fuck Live Nation, because they own every concert venue in the world and you’re scared you might not get anymore venues. Fuck you Live Naiton, I’ll perform right in front of the venue. Fuck around and cause a riot. Then I’ll have the riot going against Live Nation. What the fuck you think you dealing with man? I’m here to change the world, change corporate America. Fuck corporate America, Period.

Do you have any shows/upcoming events that your fans should check out? And what are some of the ways your fans can keep in touch with you.

Join the Duck Down network. That’s the way the fans can stay in contact with me, that’s the way the fans can be a part of my movement and I can be a part of their movement as far as were all supporting one network. So if they go to duckdown.com, they can click on whatever they want to see. Guess what, if they want to be a part of the system and upload their music and videos, beats, stories, talents, conversations or even your point of views on the Duck Down network then go to myduckdown.com.

I’m getting that it’s all about giving the people the freedom to be a part of this and not trying to keep the old Bush administration mentality of “we're the snobby rulers and you guys are nothing but peasants ass consumers, get over there, pay for your product and play your position” we're not with that. We're changing that.