Brooklyn fivesome Pitch Black has been kept in the dark for far too long. Forming in 1994, the Hip-Hop group, consisting of MC’s D.G., Fast, Devious, G.O.D., and Zakee, released a slew of underground projects before the long-awaited release of their 2004 debut album, Pitch Black Law.
Despite keeping it gully on the lead single, “It’s All Real,” pitting the boys against a DJ Premier backdrop, and guest looks from Foxy Brown and Busta Rhymes throughout the rest of the album, Pitch Black Law proved to be a rather lenient attempt at getting the P.B. name out into the Hip-Hop community. Instead of bursting onto the scene compliments of Primo, the five MC’s fizzled outside of New York City and fought to spread the darkness of their sound throughout the streets of many other cities.
Flash forward to 2005 with another Primo and Styles P-assisted mixtape banger, “Nice,” making the rounds on the circuit, and G.O.D. of Pitch Black, with the assistance of Fast and D.G. playing the background, took the time to sit down with AllHipHop and shed some light on Pitch Black possibly leaving the Universal label, the group remaking a Hip-Hop classic, and Pitch Black’s newest job: replying to fan mail!
AllHipHop.com: What happened with Universal?
G.O.D.: Well, what happened was Kedar Massenburg, you know, when he was CEO [of Universal], he signed us basically. And when he got fired from his job at Universal, they bring in a new CEO, and everything changes. Everything gets topsy-turvy for a minute. So, right now, we renegotiating something right now where we may stay with Universal, we may not. We’re trying to work it out right now. That’s really what’s going on.
AllHipHop.com: So you guys haven’t officially left?
G.O.D.: Nah.
AllHipHop.com: Okay. Well, you know, with that in mind, how do you feel like Universal handled the release of Pitch Black Law for you guys?
G.O.D.: It was hard for us to break through that and really get the support system and the tour support and the promotional support that we needed. But that’s why we renegotiating right now. We in talks with them right now to try and straighten everything out to make sure that, when we come again, we priority.
AllHipHop.com: So what do you guys think could have been done better the first time around for you?
Fast: Money!
G.O.D.: Well, money is always a situation. I think that more money could have been put behind the project. Without the money there, it’ll really be hard to make everything blow up. So, right now, we need somebody to put, not only the machine behind us, but that money. The money is very important as far as reaching all across the country and internationally.
AllHipHop.com: And what about for you guys personally? You guys formed in 1994, so you guys had basically waited ten years for that album to come out. Was that exactly what you guys had envisioned?
G.O.D.: I mean, it’s bittersweet. Because, it’s sweet in a sense that you finally got to that point where you signed with a major label and you finally got your album. That’s the sweet part about it. But then the bitter part about it is that, like you said, it took so long and then the proper promotion and marketing wasn’t behind it. So, it’s like, we was happy to be out, but then at the same time, the push wasn’t all the way there. But we soldiers, in the game and in life, period. So, it’s like, you can’t keep strong dudes down forever. The challenge is there, the strength is there, the spirit is there, so we just here to let everybody know that we ain’t finished and we going to be hitting y’all very soon!
AllHipHop.com: Why do you think, or better yet, is that how you guys see how? Why do you think that the album didn’t extend out further than it did? Why do you think more people didn’t catch on to the Pitch Black hype?
G.O.D.: I mean I guess maybe the sound wasn’t what everybody was doing at the time. We really was sticking to our roots as far as doing this Hip-Hop s**t. So, we was doing basically what come naturally to us, because we ain’t doing it, we are it! We born into this s**t, so the music is part of us. We was just doing what come naturally, as opposed to making an album that’s phony or plastic or just premanufactured. But that’s all good, because everything go in cycles. People get tired of us, and then they gotta turn back to the real s###. So, if people want that real s###, they gonna have to f### with Pitch Black! We got some more of that crazy flavor coming to you in a minute. We got some new joints with Primo, working with Alchemist, working with a bunch of people…
D.G.: We working with Marley Marl!
G.O.D.: Like Marley Marl. We just did the “Symphony” over with Marley Marl!
AllHipHop.com: Yeah. Can you guys talk a little bit more about that? How did that idea come about?
G.O.D.: Well, we was talking about doing that for a long time, and when we finally met Marley Marl, we just basically made it happen. We did a song already with him called “What You Gonna Do” that’s probably gonna be on the upcoming album. And then, we just had to kind of nag him, just be on his back a little bit to do the “Symphony” joint. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to do it, but we finally knocked it out and it came out beautiful.
AllHipHop.com: And did Marley actually get on the record with you five?
G.O.D.: Definitely, definitely.
AllHipHop.com: How did Premier come into the fold?
G.O.D.: Well, you know, when we first started, we was working with a producer by the name of Rich Black, formerly of the Beatminerz. Basically, we used to work out of D&D Studios, which is like Primo’s home. So, when we used to be in one studio room, he used to be in the other studio room. So we was always like, “Damn, we want to get up in there and f**k with Premier.” So eventually, we slipped him a tape of some freestyles we had been doing, and he had heard the underground singles that we was coming out with and all that. So he agreed to sit down with us and just work on the joint. So we finally sat down with Primo or whatever, and we just clicked. And then we did the joint, “It’s All Real.” And then we been working ever since!
AllHipHop.com: And then, just you guys being in a group of five, is there anytime that that gets difficult for Pitch Black as a unit? Money getting split five ways, ideas coming from five different places.
G.O.D: It is tough at times, because if we got five members, then we know that different individuals have different opinions on everything. So everything between the group is a compromise. But we been together so long that we developed a vibe that is just a Pitch Black vibe that goes beyond each individual thing.
AllHipHop.com: What about as far as the mixtape game? Do you guys, obviously we already talked about the one joint, “Nice,” but are you guys approaching that at all?
G.O.D.: Definitely. We coming out with a Pitch Black mixtape called “Audio Crack.” That’s almost finished. And then I got the G.O.D. solo mixtape coming out called “Amen.” So then, after that, you got a choice between a group joint and solo joints after that. Devious is working on his mixtape. So, you know, it’s just gonna go on and on and on.
AllHipHop.com: What do you think it’s going to take to get Pitch Black either to the top of the charts?
G.O.D.: Well, I mean, it would be beautiful to reach the top of the charts. But we always try to do this s**t for the love first. That’s the thing that keeps us going.
AllHipHop.com: With some new websites, are you guys finding the Internet to be a good way to reach old fans and new fans?
G.O.D.: Definitely! That’s a big thing! I recently just got a computer in my crib, and up until then, I didn’t really realize all the love that was going on on the Internet. That woke me up! It woke me up like, “Damn, man, I really got to reach out to all these fans and let them know that we here and we gonna keep coming with that s**t for them.” People really want to know what’s going on, so it’s really a good way to reach everybody. I got people calling me from Japan, all over the place. So, it’s a beautiful way to reach out to the world.
AllHipHop.com: I saw you, in particular, responding to people on there. Is that something that Pitch Black fans can expect you to keep up with?
G.O.D.: Yeah, most definitely. And, you know, I wrote the fans a big letter on the web site to let them know like, “Yo, I wasn’t on top of it before, but I’m gonna get on top of it now.” So when they call, I’m gonna be able to answer them letters!
Visit www.PitchBlackOnline.com
