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Interview
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It seems Wu-Tang
fans can never get enough of The RZA presents Wu-Tang Killa
Bees: The Swarm compilation and the artists that contributed to
make this album a timeless classic. The project helped to
initiate some of the finest breed of hip-hop artists that the
game have ever seen, being under the Wu canopy at that time
meant a couple of things, an instant access to a loyal fan-base
and respect from the industry (peers and fans alike) as being
under Wu was a strong indication of ones high lyrical skills and
gift on the mic. There was no downside then to being an
affiliate, however just recently, formal associates have
expressed the need to be viewed independent of the Wu motif as
they felt pigeon-holed and have not had any form of dealings
with the Wu or its members for a period of time, Some still
claim and maintain this alliance while others had fallen out
over business or personal reasons and the rest have simply moved
onto other things. The Swarm compilation had guest of artists
from Wu-Tang Clan members to the likes of Black Knights,
Northstar, Killarmy, La The Darkman, Wu-Syndicates, Streetlife,
Remedy, Royal Fam, Da Beggaz Clan, Sunz Of Man, Darkim Be Allah,
Shyheim, Tekitha, Ruthless Bastards and so on and so forth.
Unlike today where everyone wants to claim the “W” with little
or nothing to do with the Wu or even anything new to offer,
every artist on the Swarm brought something unique to the table
and helped to elevate the Wu sound and movement that has enabled
it to remain the legacy that it is today.
Ruthless Bastards was one of that collective, consisting
Apocalipps, Beno, Iron Mic, Sha Gotti, and Truck, the group also
hailing from Staten Island had its own brand of hip-hop and was
already established before joining forces with the Wu. With a
production team and management behind them the group completed
albums during 1997-2000 period that have never seen the light of
the day, Bastards decided to go their own route and have
constantly been releasing mix-tapes as a group and solo artists
independently to date. The group has had it’s a rough ride but
have managed to stick together and even increased in number due
to some of its members being incarcerated, Apocalipps has
remained the most recognisable member of the group, with a
planned official overdue debut in works and a solo promising
solo project from Lipps, Wu-International caught up with
Ruthless front man to find out why its taken the group so long
to release an album, their Wu days and relationship with the
Clan members, music and life. Unfortunately similar to some of
his partners in the group, Apocalipps is currently locked up at
the time of publishing this interview which was conducted almost
a year ago and Wu-Int felt the time was right to make public
this interview as an appreciation to Lipps, his music and as a
note for the fans to continue to support Lipps and the Ruthless
Bastards. Groups like this don’t exist any more in hip-hop! |
I like to say thanks first and foremost for
taking the time to answer these questions, highly
appreciated, and will also point out that nothing will be
altered, edited or changed when this is published online.
Wu-International: Peace Lips, how are you?
Apocalipps:
Peace.
PEACE IM MAINTANING
Wu-International:
The fans get confused with the full list of the members of
Ruthless, mainly due to name changes from when you first
came out, please give the full line up of Ruthless Bastards
and the current status of the group.
Apocalipps: Ruthless Bastards still consist of
the same members, Apocalipps, Iron Mic, (formally known as
Infared), Truck, Blizzard, Beno and Sha Gotti. He current
status of the group now, we are working on a new album to be
released this summer. We’ve recruited some new talent to the
group due t the incarcerated members. Sha Gotti and Truck
are currently serving time until next year. The new members
are bless and P. Live
Wu-International:
Please give us a brief history of Ruthless Bastards, how did
the group come about and how long ago was it formed?
Apocalipps:
Ruthless Bastards started as a brotherhood. Growing up on
Staten Island (Shaolin) in the early 90’s most of the kids
in the ghetto was fatherless. In my neighbourhood it was
like 30 of us and we were wild for no reason. A few of us
had potential on the mic, so at that point we decided to
turn something negative into positive. All of our ruthless
bastard brothers were behind us so we kept our street name,
that’s how the Ruthless Bastards were born.
Wu-International: Most people see you as the
main head or leader of Ruthless, is this so?
Apocalipps: I guess you can say that. Every
group has a main head or a leader; in Ruthless I’m the “go
to man”. Not to put any other members down, they are all
leaders in their own way you know. I just set the plays,
keep everyone in their zone and on their grind-every group
in he world needs an Apocalipps, lol.
Wu-International: Ruthless has managed to
secure a cult following as a group especially within the Wu
fans since your contribution on “The Swarm” compilation as
well as numerous indie mixtapes without an album out. When
can the fans expect a full-length album from Ruthless?
Apocalipps: Spring 08, Corner Store Stickup,
hosted by Whoo kid and this summer 08, the Album is
retarded, fans gonna love it.
Wu-International:
Why do you call yourselves Ruthless Bastards, what is behind
the name?
Apocalipps:
We are all “Ruthless Bastards” with a “Ruthless” rap style.
Wu-International: Thanks, the group was listed as
Wu-Tang Killa Beez on “The Swarm” project, how did you get
involved with this project and got signed to Wu-Tang
records?
Apocalipps: We were signed to a production
contract with the Blaquesmiths. They did business with the
RZA in the past, so when they brought Ruthless Bastards to
the label, other labels like Loud, Rawkus and Priority was
feeling the movement. Wu tang records out bid these other
labels by letting the company (Blaquesmiths
productions/Ruthless Bastards) own the masters. The group
signed during the making of “The Swarm” our album was hot
and that “Bastards” song was buzzing hard as a single, so
RZA decided to put it on the “The Swarm”- to give us
exposure before the groups album drop.
Wu-International: Not much was heard from The
Ruthless in regards to Wu-tang records after The Swarm
project, what happened with your deal and did you complete
an album for the label then?
Apocalipps: Well yeah we did complete an album;
actually our album was 90% done before we signed. I believe
honestly from my heart we had one of the hottest Hip Hop
group albums at that time. Our production was crazy,
Premiere, Buckwild, O.C. Lord Finess, we was ready to go.
The label put out 3 albums before ours and they all flopped.
Wutang lost their distribution with Priority before we got a
chance to drop. After that, we split and went independent.
Wu-International: After that, you had a couple of
hot singles out via Flowmaster recordings on Fat Beats and
Landspeed, What was your situation with Flowmaster
recordings?Apocalipps:
We were still signed to
Blaquesmiths Productions as a group so we did the vinyl
thing to stay in DJ’s crates. Flowmaster released our
Flipside single.
Wu-International: Mike Mcdonald and Rell-Love from
Blaquesmiths have been responsible for the bulk of
your productions, are you still working with them?
Apocalipps:
Nah, everybody
went their own way. Those dudes broke out with all
of the music and money. My peoples still fell
animosity towards them because of royalty issues.
Still to this day no member of Ruthless has received
any royalties from the Swarm or any other
Blaquesmiths productions release. I’m in the process
of taking Mike McDonald to court, there’s a right
and a wrong way of doing things, the wrong way would
be to go to his house and the right way is to save
myself a felony.
Wu-International:
The fans to today
still associate you and the group as being part of
the extended Wu-Tang family tree, how do you feel
about this or rather what is your take on this?
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Apocalipps: It’s cool to an extent. I
mean my niggaz & me ain’t Wu Tang, we was just in a
business situation with them at one time and it kind
have stuck to us. If Wutang supported Ruthless or
financed one of our projects or featured us on their
tours, then it would be all good. But that’s not the
case, everything you hear we did it ourselves. So
when its time to get credit people will assume
Wu-tang was behind it all, but in our case it’s not
true. |
Wu-International: Are you close to any members of the
Clan or known affiliates, if so who?
Apocalipps: Yeah Raekwon is my dude, I fucks
with Ice Water, Remedy, is my dude. I record out of his
studio a lot. King Just, Shyheim, Profess aka Fess Taylor
and Crime Life from TMF
Wu-International:
Thanks, moving on from
the group questions to you, have you always been a solo
artist and was this before Ruthless or after?
Apocalipps: No I started off as a group
member of R.B. I was afraid to spit alone, I needed my crew,
I was shy. What made me a solo artist was when I came up
with a crazy concept or a song and the rest of the group
didn’t like it, so I decided to do it alone and the hood
loved it. I got my solo confidence from my group members
when they felts my solo work was some “Crazy Apocalipps
shit”
Wu-International: Most MC’s have different names or
aliases, what other names do you go by other than Apocalipps?
Apocalipps: Lipps-its my second personality to
Apocalipps.
Wu-International: So what made you decide to
pick up the microphone and start rapping?
Apocalipps: My uncles were big hip-hop heads.
When I was a kid I would sneak into their room and play
their records. I’d get my ass beat but I was hooked, KRS-1
influenced me hard as a kid. He was so smart and articulate
I wanted to be just like him as an MC.
Wu-International: How would you describe your style?
Apocalipps:
My style is like a
narrator. I tell great stories, but I’m a realist so I can
be street at the same time. So you can call me a street
narrator.
Wu-International:
Who are your influences as far as emceeing goes?
Apocalipps:
KRS-1, when I was 7 I
memorized his whole album, I would say his rhymes and ad-lib
my name where his was, LOL.
Wu-International:
You are a solo artist as well as a member of Ruthless
Bastards, are they any other groups you were part of or
currently in apart from Ruthless?
Apocalipps: No, just Ruthless Bastards.
Wu-International: You have put out a number of street
mixtapes in the past, the fans are eager to know when
Apocalipps would drop a full-length album?
Apocalipps: THE FUGITIVE, June 8th
2008 Apocalipps solo albums its gonna change the game,
trust me.
Wu-International: Could you tell us more about
album you are working on as in guest appearances, producers
and title of album?
Apocalipps:
THE FUGITIVE
is hot, probably my hottest project. It features Iron
Mic(Infared), Blizzard and Beno, just my Ruthless niggaz.
Production by Gooch (he’s a beast) Mic Check, Frado the Beat
Man, Concept Beats and myself.
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Wu-International: Do you intend to put your album out
via a major or will do it independently? |
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Apocalipps: Independently, Street Radio Ent.
They got the heat over there and they supported me through
the storm.
Wu-International: What topics, concepts can fans
expect to hear on the album?
Apocalipps: The
Fugitive concept is about the most wanted MC in the game,
Apocalipps. But the album is real, like a real live chase,
every track takes listeners on a ride, you the listener feel
like the fugitive. This album really defines me as an
artist, the production, the creative concepts, street tales
and life’s struggles. |
Wu-International: Definitely looking forward to an
album from you, why would you say it has taken you or even
your group this long to put out an album?
Apocalipps: Well its hard doing the independent
thing. You can’t trust a lot of people, so you gotta learn
through experience and it takes time. Members get
incarcerated, people change, and it slows things up, but
never stops!
Wu-International: You must have a massive stack
of music from the past that is not even released; will you
be looking to releasing them as side projects, mixtapes or
even as online albums for the fans?
Apocalipps: Yeah for sure, I have over 100
songs recorded; Ruthless can match that, so that’s 200.
That’s not even counting the music that the Wacksmiths
stole. I’m dropping projects all this year, look forward to
it.
Wu-International: Are there any artist you have not
worked with that you would like to work with?
Apocalipps: Yeah
I want to work with any artist that pays. I don’t
discriminate this is business. LOL
Wu-International: How would you say you have grown
lyrically as an artist since you first started out?
Apocalipps:
I have grown a lot
lyrically by listening to my peers and a all of the wack
stuff I hear on the radio. I always try to out do my
competition, that’s why I feel like the BEST lyricist in the
game right now.
Wu-International: Do you think Staten Island has ever
got its shine, or do you think people still overlook it even
though people as yourself, Wu-Tang Clan and more have been
putting in work for a while now?
Apocalipps:
Staten Island always gets
overlooked, even after all the work we have put in. It
sucks, I’ve been in major clubs in NYC and they shout out
every boro but Staten Island, they substitute Jersey for
Shaolin, if you don’t believe me go to any major club in NYC.
Wu-International: The fans have never let go of
Ruthless Bastards since “The Swarm” as we still get emails
to date in regards to you or the group. Are you aware you
have some sort of cult following especially within the Wu
fans even without an album out? How do you also feel about
this?
Apocalipps:
Yes I know we have a cult
fan base since the Swarm. That was our only major release;
just imagine if we had had the chance to really show our
skills on a major level, the game would be ours, we would
have millions of fans, no exaggeration.
Wu-International: How would you say your association
with Wu-Tang has affected your career? Name some advantages
and disadvantages if any that fans may not be aware of?
Apocalipps: It has an advantage because we reach
fans across the world internationally. They are big over
seas. The disadvantage is Wu—Tang does not fund or support
our music, but they still get all the credit in a way, but I
guess its all good.
Wu-International: Right now there is news of internal
beef within some of the Clan members as well as previous
associates taking shots at them publicly via songs or
interviews, what’s your view on all of this?
Apocalipps: Well I have my own beef with
some of them. The 1st song on the Fugitive album is called 5
Years. I explain everything in that song, things I choose
not to say in this interview. In fact that song caused Trife
(TMF) Jo Jo Pella and Meth to make dis songs in retaliation
to my song. I did not even drop my album yet, but my song
was played on KAY Slay show and them niggaz was scared,
“silly humans” those was just warning shots.
Wu-International: Right now there is a project RZA
and Remedy are putting together called “Return Of The Swarm”
and the fans have called for the original or first artists
on that project to be included again, would that be
something you would be interested to do if asked?
Apocalipps:
Remedy is my dude, I was
told about the project, yeah it can happen, now that the
wacksmiths are out of the picture, business should be better
on this one.
Wu-International: Thanks, so what do you
get up to normally apart from the music thing?
Apocalipps:
I’m currently in the
process of getting my book published. I am an author and a
writer, if I’m not in the studio; I’m on the lap-top
finishing off my novel.
Wu-International: So what’s next on the menu for
Lips, Ruthless Bastards in 2008 and beyond?
Apocalipps: What’s next for Ruthless is the
album; Iron Mic got his solo project coming this summer.
Trucks album is in stores now, “Hurt, Hunger Pain” Hungrey
Men Ent. Apocalipps got the “Fugitive” up next “Lyrically
Armed and Dangerous” and “Satalite Takeover” 2 novels on a
book shelf near you this fall “Hood Prophets” and Air Check”.
Wu-International: Thanks very much for your time; it
is highly appreciated, best wishes on your endeavours,
anything else you might want to add that we missed? Last
words for the fans, shout outs etc?
Apocalipps: I like to thank you guys for giving
me the opportunity to tell my story, Peace Dark 7, To all
the Ruthless and Apocalipps fans worldwide stay with us, we
got y’all; powerful music is all we produce. Shout out to
everyone that’s ever supported me the list is too long.
Check my myspace.com/Apocalipps for that Fugitive album,
June 8th, also check me on you tube; I got crazy shit to
see. Oh and to my agent for making this interview go down, I
love you, One.
Catch up with Apocalipps
at
http://www.myspace.com/apocalipps
<Read Other Interviews> |
