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Sean Price - Priceless
Interview By: Serge Fleury
 For any true Hip-Hop connoisseur, there's no doubting the time period from 1991-98. That was when some of the greatest songs and MC's came to light. The only events that tarnished this golden era were the senseless deaths of rap icons Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. However this was still an age where stars where born, legends were made, and trends were set. One set of MC's that wrote a chapter during this time was a collective from Brooklyn NY, known as The Boot Camp Clik.
 This super group consisted of five separate acts; Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, The Fab 5, O.G.C. (Originoo Gunn Clappaz), and Heltah Skeltah. Who can forget the classic part in Fab 5's ''LaFlaur LaFlah Eshkoshka'' video when they cut to the scene where Starang Wondah was rhyming in his happy face boxer shorts? This ensemble of lyricists' that often mirrored The Wu Tang Clan, started arguments in everyone's high school lunchroom (including my own) about which squad had more depth and talent. But out of The Boot Camp Clik, there was always one member in particular that stood alone, that person being Ruck of Heltah Skeltah. This underrated wordsmith kept ears at attention with his steady array of punch lines, and his uncanny knack of connecting words that proved to be difficult for other rhyme veterans.
Now performing under his government name instead of the 'Ruck' moniker, Sean Price, the one half of Heltah Skeltah that brought us 'Nocturnal' back in 1996 and 'Magnum Force' in 1998 gears up for his sophomore solo LP ''Jesus Price Superstar'', the follow up to his critically acclaimed debut ''Monkey Barz'' back in 2005. NobodySmiling.com caught up with him to discuss a Heltah Skeltah reunion album, the differences between group projects and solo endeavors, and how Hip-Hop has changed over the the years.
NobodySmiling.com : So were you satisfied on how Monkey Barz was received?
Sean Price : Yeah I mean there's always room for improvement, but I wasn't disappointed or nothing. There was a gap between 'Magnum Force' and 'Monkey Barz' so based on that I expected there to be some skeptics, just because of the gaps between albums. But for the most part I got good reviews, and for the people that gave me f**ked up reviews; (pauses) they liked it too.
NobodySmiling.com : From the start of your career you've always been involved in group efforts, was the transition to solo artist hard? And what made you try it?
Sean Price Naw it wasn't hard at all. I did it out of necessity, the right to be heard, and for finances you know what I mean.
NobodySmiling.com : So can we expect another Heltah Skeltah album?
Sean Price : Yeah definitely, but I wanted to put out two solo albums before I did another Heltah Skeltah album. I wanted to let y’all know I'm back, and second of all, I wanted to let y’all know the first album wasn't a fluke. I wanted to solidify myself as a real solo artist. I didn't want y’all to think that this solo sh*t was temporary until me and Rock get our sh*t together. I'm solo forever baby.
NobodySmiling.com : When you hear Nas say things like Hip-Hop is dead, do you think there's any truth to that?
Sean Price : You know what? When people ask me what I think about that; you know what I tell them? Really, I tell them I don't think Nas heard 'Monkey Barz'. If he heard 'Monkey Barz' he would've retracted that statement. But I love Nas you know, as for Hip-Hop being dead my Hip-Hop is SERIOUS.
NobodySmiling.com : On 'Monkey Barz' you had some production from Khrysis and 9th Wonder; did you guys work again on 'Jesus Price Superstar'?
Sean Price : Oh yeah they did the bulk of the album. Yeah 9th Wonder and Khrysis did most of all the production.
NobodySmiling.com : The Boot Camp Clik have been working with The Justus League a lot lately, the chemistry between the two camps must be really good?
Sean Price : That's exactly what it is, chemistry man. That's my family right there you f**king with them, you f**king with me period. You know what I mean? That's my family, don't say sh*t about 9th or Khrysis, Little Brother, Joe Scudda, my man L.E.G.A.C.Y. just anyone of them; or I'm going to smack the sh*t out of somebody straight up.
NobodySmiling.com : So how did you guys even hook up?
Sean Price : We did a show, and they came through and showed us love. Oh yeah, as a matter of fact when I first met 9th, the first beat he played for me was the 'Heartburn' joint off my 'Monkey Barz' album.
NobodySmiling.com : He played that beat for you? That track was crazy.
Sean Price : No question that sh*t was hot. Then I told him I was coming back down to f**k with that beat. So I came back down and I asked him where the beat was, and he played it again, and that was basically it.
NobodySmiling.com : Did you try anything different on 'Jesus Price Superstar', or did you keep your formula pretty much the same?
Sean Price :Well this album is a little more harder. It's harder than 'Monkey Barz', but it's basically the same type of formula though; grab a beat and tear it down, it ain't that hard.
NobodySmiling.com : Do you think Hip-Hop has changed for the best or the worst since when you first started?
Sean Price : I mean no question it's changed, but for the good or the bad, that's for the individuals to decide. But right now, I just feel like there's a lot of weak sh*t out you know what I mean. Like right now there ain't no real artists' out. I don't see longevity in these mothf**kas, a lot of rappers now are just f**cking bulls**t.
NobodySmiling.com : Do you regret any decisions you've made in your career, would you have done anything different?
Sean Price : There's a lot of things I'd do different man. Like I got arrested, and my parole officer came and got me out during a video shoot. I regret breaking the hand of this guy over at Hot 97.
NobodySmiling.com : Really? I don't remember hearing about that.
Sean Price : Yeah this was back in the day. I went to do an interview with Angie Martinez, but they didn't have me on the schedule downstairs. So I went to call Angie, and I spoke to her, and she said she was coming downstairs to get us. I told the security guard that she had us on hold for a minute and he hung the phone up. Then I said ''what are you doing?''. He was like ''you wasn't on hold''. Then I broke the phone, and his hand was on it too, so I hit his hand. Then they banned me from the station and said they wasn’t playing no more Heltah Skeltah sh*t.
NobodySmiling.com : Do you think it's hard to stay relevant in an industry known for short term memory?
Sean Price : You know what my problem was, I was on some street sh*t. I brought that to the industry, and ni**as started banning me. Then they was telling me to cool out; when I was cooling out they thought I was turning p**sy. That's the sh*t I didn't like. That's a real thin line right there, word.
NobodySmiling.com : Did you ever hit any rough patches in your career where you thought it wasn't worth it to still keep on making music?
Sean Price : Yeah that lapse between 'Magnum Force' and 'Monkey Barz'. I went back to the streets doing whatever, doing a lot of dumb sh*t.
NobodySmiling.com : So what made you come back to the music?
Sean Price : That was just getting monotonous you know what I mean, I was too old to be doing that sh*t. I just had to cut that sh*t out.
NobodySmiling.com : So when does 'Jesus Price Superstar' drop?
Sean Price : It's going to drop on January 30th.
NobodySmiling.com : Well I'll be looking out for it as well as a lot of other people, I'm sure.
Sean Price : Thank you man, I appreciate it, that's what's up.
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