Silkk the Shocker – Interview

When you were younger, and you were growing up listening to L.L. Cool J, NWA, and Run DMC, did you always want to become a rapper or did you just enjoy the music?

First I thought that it couldn’t happen. I didn’t really know what rapping was or whatever, but it seemed like they were on a whole other level. I just listened to it and I never thought that I would be a rapper. I liked the music and knew a lot about it but I never thought so, especially when I would see L.L. and NWA, it seemed like it was a whole other life that they were living. They seemed like they had it made, until I became a little older and then I realized that you could be whatever you wanted to be.

Then with the success of your brother, Master P, did you realize that you could make a living at it?

Yes, but even since I was younger, as young as he had been doing it, I had been doing it as long as I can remember. It took us a lot longer than people can imagine. I mean, it took us like five years before we even started selling like ten or twenty thousand records. And then, way later, I realized that you can make a career out of it.

What’s it like being with No Limit Records, being such a close part of the biggest rap label going right now?

It feels good, but it definitely feels much better knowing that you are a big old part of it. The best part is knowing that I just didn’t come in when it was big, but the fact that I was down from day one. And that makes it all the better.

How do you compare the new album, Made Man, to your last album, Charge it 2 Da Game?

I feel like I’ve just grown. I’ve seen a lot more stuff and, just like my next album, I hope that I will advance even more by me knowing and seeing a lot more, which allows me to express a lot more.

How did you hook up with the remake of N.W.A.’s “Express Yourself”?

Priority called me and asked me to do it, and I have always liked “Express Yourself” because it says what it means, that you have to express yourself in order to make it. And that was a song when I was growing up that I listened to a lot and it had a big influence on me. Even the video and the song had a lot to do with everything and that’s why I did the song. And when it was finished, they liked it and shot a video for it.

I saw your new video with Mya for the song “Somebody Like Me”. It seemed like the video was a continuation from her video, “Movin’ On”. Was that the case?

It was, in a way. You know what happened was that it was supposed to be a continuation from her video, but the concept got mixed up with another video so we had to change it a little. So that’s why it is kind of similar to it. Actually, it was supposed to start off from her video but then something happened and we couldn’t do it that way, so we had to try and make it so it kind of resembled it. But the ending wasn’t supposed to be like it was though.

Are you and Mya pretty good friends?

She’s a really cool person to work with and we get along. It wasn’t our first choice for her to do the song, but it was like I know her and she is cool, and we don’t have any female singers on our label, so it’s like I just called her and let her do it. And she did and it turned out cool.

Do you have a lot of input as far as the videos go?

I didn’t really at first, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t have it. But now I’m really getting involved. And next, after this Mya song, I think the Jay Z song might be the next video and I think that I’m going to have a lot more input in that. And that goes with everything else that I am going to be doing.

Is that partly due to you starting to get involved with acting?

Yes.

So what do you think is the major difference between acting in movies and acting in videos?

Videos is a long process, but movies is like forever. And you have to keep doing it line for line and it’s a lot harder because you have to rehearse. And videos, you just get in front of the camera and do what you are used to doing, but in acting you have to do characters and sometimes the character might not be you and you have to become that character, and that makes it a little harder than videos.

Back to the music, are you involved with the producing of your albums?

I’m not really into the producing right now. I’m just trying to do movies, and start a couple of companies up right now. And I’m just trying to get my peoples jobs right now. As far as the producing goes, I haven’t really touched that yet. That takes a lot of time to figure out and I don’t really have the time that it takes right now. Producing is tough. I mean, you have to learn everything about the equipment, and what should go where, and right now I don’t have that kind of time.

Are you as involved as your brother when it comes to discovering new talent?

Yes. Right now, I’ve got some people that I am looking at right now. I feel like I would start my own label up but it would make no sense. No Limit is like me anyway because I have been there since day one and I have a lot of input in it, but I am looking at people who I know are talented and I can do something with. But our roster is big right now. So if I discovered somebody, even though there might not be enough room to do something with them, I will figure a way out to use them. Even if it is selling it to another label or having Priority distribute it or something like that. I would hate to see good talent go to waste.

Did you find it hard to learn about the business side of music?

I learned it quick because of people that I am around. Even though I am a rapper, I am mostly surrounded with business people, and I learned most about the publishing and the business side from them. And from that I have a better perspective of it than most artists do. This music business is really corrupted and labels really don’t care about artists at all, so you really have to learn the business to know.

Since you have had success, a lot of people look up to you. How do you feel about being a role model?

I think with any success that you will become a role model. I think that myself being young and successful and black and doing what we are doing, we will be role models even if we don’t want the job. So I try to make it where I know a lot of children are listening, so at first I didn’t really care, but now I am being exposed to so many children that are listening to the music. And the kids would tell me how much they liked the music. So, I’m not going to change, but I can cut down on a lot of things which would help me, and create an album that is better and could go much further. We are role models regardless whether we want the job.

So when you are in the studio, are you conscious of that and do you think that you need to make a track for radio or video?

I don’t think that it is ever an MTV, BET, or radio situation. It is just I don’t want my nephews listening to music that’s bad. You have to be conscious about it. I don’t know anything that I can say that kids don’t know already, but you can say things in a way where it is better for everyone. You can say things, but it’s important how you say them.

What do you see yourself doing to bring in the new millennium?

I’m trying to get my money out of the bank though. (laughs) I don’t really know. Some people say that it is going to be the end of the world, but I don’t know about that. But I know it’s going to be trouble because you have to deal with the computers, and the people who are going to be looting because they think that everything is shutting down. It might get wild if the computers do shut down. I hope everything goes all right though. If not, it’s going to be mayhem.

+ sam conjerti