The name translates to “10 mo’ [more] brothers buried” or 334 MoBB, a tribute to their fallen friends. This dynamic duo represents the mighty region of Montgomery, Alabama. Flexing on many Southern underground mixtapes, the group has surfaced and signed with Island Def Jam. With that backing, the brothers are in a position to become stars overnight, if they can get that album out. It has been quite a trip, but the brothers believe they can work it out.
In the spirit of the bus boycott, the 334 MoBB looks to move Alabama out of the back of the rap charter line and into the driver’s seat. AllHipHop.com was able to link up with group member Supa Star and Sawed-Off to listen to their overtly strong opinions on the industry, post Civil Rights Montgomery, and how they will affect all of that in 2006.
AllHipHop.com: How has living in Montgomery affected your music; how is that indicated in your music?
Sawed Off: Really man, it’s a lot of trials and tribulations because n***as really ain’t got nothing. So, you going to see us coming from the heart. Basically you will definitely hear the realness and the hunger coming from Alabama. I know people want to stereotype where we from, it’s definitely not n***as riding around on motherf**king horses and cows. We are about to kill the stereotypes. We struggle down there, but who the f**k don’t struggle, that’s everywhere in the world. The gap between the rich and poor is so motherf**kin’ wide everywhere.
AllHipHop.com: Being that 334 MoBB is from Alabama, a state not known for major artists. Do you feel Def Jam is going to promote/market you right?
Sawed Off: Yeah, we had a lot of labels that wanted to sign us. Yeah, I seen how Def Jam has promoted a lot of their artists and I see Def Jam as a powerhouse label. A lot of these motherf**kers put too much in the labels hands to me. N***a, you got to be independent and say I am going to drive to Montgomery, I am going to go to Mississippi, I am going to go to New York, go where I got to go. Overall, I’ve seen what Def Jam has down with a lot of their artists. We feel like that is the best place whether you are from New York, Alabama, wherever; that’s one of the better labels out here right now. To see what they did for Jeezy, Ludacris, and different people; all I can do is have faith, and have faith in my music, and know that we are the best group to come out the South right now, and that’s from Alabama, I feel like we going to shine. I feel like L.A. Reid was very passionate by saying, “Y’all n***as can’t leave the building til y’all sign these contracts.”
AllHipHop.com: Looking at your background, growing in a church environment, how did you all transition from gospel to rap?
Sawed Off: Basically, what happened man, our pops was a minister. It’s like you young, they make you go to church, you might not want to be there, you might fall asleep during the sermon, but you had to be there. You did not have any other choice. What happened was we got in the streets. We rap we sing, we do all this s**t, n***as just grew up. But, I always keep God first in everything I do. To be honest, to get this deal, I went to God, I prayed. I said, you know what, this is something I need God, this is not something I want, this is a need and this is something I need for you to get me.
Supa Star: Put it like this dog, n***as wasn’t getting no f**king allowance, n***as was broke man. N***as was heating up s**t from the stove or the oven.
AllHipHop.com: Since you have been on the scene, rising to the top, I am sure you have interacted with a lot of other rappers. No particular names, because I am not on the kind of stuff; however, I have talked to a lot of guys and they say when they get into the game a lot of people who they thought they could relate to seem real fickle. Have you come across that.
Sawed Off: Our time in the industry has been good and bad. A lot of n***as, they closed doors in our face. A lot of n##### is good, like David Banner one of the realest n***as that I met, that I did a song with. I done seen that n***a go from in a van riding to being on BET. I have realized that in this business, no one really gives a f**k about you. I know what I am, I’m a paycheck to these n***as, and a lot of n***as don’t like it. A lot of n***as don’t like us for the simple fact of I look at this s**t as a business first and foremost, this rap s**t is not guaranteed. Motherf**kers smile, I know how it feel for a lot of these independent n***as that deal with industry n***as, a lot of ‘em won’t even spit on you if you was on fire. I hate to even talk about it – it brings back memories.
AllHipHop.com: Looking at the group 334 MoBB; two biological brothers, what role do each of you play in the collaboration.
Supa Star: Him being my older brother, I kind of play the background a little bit and let him handle his business, him being the older one anyway, he has more feeling [business savvy]. I might tell these n***as, “F**k you.”
Sawed Off: I feel like we compliment each other. My brother he is more of a thugged out n***a: you might catch him you might not, he do what he do. I am 22, he is 19. We are going to reach different demographics of people. You going to have somebody that like the little wild n***a, then you have the people who like the older n***a, who is a street n####, but he is a hustler at the end of the day; which is me.
AllHipHop.com: What can we expect from the album?
Sawed Off: This is going to be the best album of ‘06. What n***as need to do is go back to the drawing board. Don’t have these fans listening to an album when all you got is a single. F**k that! This is going to be an album full of …
Supa Star: Heat, n***a!
Sawed Off: I call it buffet music, you can take a fat b*tch or a skinny b*tch to a buffet. Skinny hoe don’t want meat, well b*tch, get you some vegetables. It’s to the point where everybody can listen to this motherf**ker. We going to hit on being in the streets, the struggle; being in Alabama. I got a song called “The Wicked Church” – n***as ain’t ready for that, it’s really going to cause a lot of controversy because the s**t is real.
AllHipHop.com: What is the long-term goal of 334 MoBB…beyond 2006
Sawed Off: Long-term, I’m just looking forward to be over s**t, over other motherf**kers.
Supa Star: My whole thing man is just to be alive and be like, we did our f**king thing. We finally did it, we finally got here, we finally put the state where it need to be, finally put our mom and pops where they need to be. That’s definitely where we at, we coming to take motherf**kers spots! What ever happened to when a n***a rap and a kid used to sit in their room and want to sound like that n***a. Right now, any kid on the street you can knock on the door, and they sing some of these bulls**t songs on the radio. What ever happened to when they be like how Twista did that, how Crucial Conflict did that? It’s none of that no more, that’s the fun I want to bring back to the game. “You heard how he flip fast on that part, or you see how he do that there?” you need to bring that back to the game.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, so who is your favorite lyricist?
Supa Star: G#######. I like Tupac, Jay –Z; I know that’s our boss, I’m not saying it because of that. The first song off The Dynasty used to get me amped! Pac had that passion, he reminds me of myself. The n***a had some education about himself, he had some knowledge, but he could spit that street s**t. Scarface too.
Sawed Off: The n***a, Biggie. Crucial Conflict they go hard too, them my n***as.
AllHipHop.com: What’s something y’all would like to see erased from the rap game right now?
Sawed Off: I would like to see a lot of these n***as erased; coming out with this garbage s### these n***as been coming out with.
Supa Star: I would erase labels signing everything from a certain region because they feel this might be it. These motherf**kers is losing, n##### is signing singles instead of signing albums.
AllHipHop.com: A lot of people put out garbage, yet a lot of people buy that garbage. So, how do you feel that you speak towards society?
Supa Star: I feel personally n##### in our age group that’s like 19, 18, 22, up to 30 or 40 whatever the f**k that was really around when Biggie and Pac was poppin’ we looking like, “What the f**k is going on?” I used to think about that like, what kind of world do we live in to where a n***a only want to hear this simple as hook and that simple ass verse and to the point where I sit down and think how can I make a dumb enough hook or how can I dumb this verse. So, when a n***a be like, “334 MoBB, they probably did that so they can make a hit.” N***a, you probably right! Like you say, I don’t know what that says about society. I mean, Pac used to teach, B.I.G used to teach. Jay-Z used to teach a n***a how to do this or do that and it’s not here no more. I am really scared of what the f**k is going on. Some of these n***as should be slapped in they f**king mug for saying the s**t that they say.
Sawed-Off: I be thinking like, “How the f**k these n##### get to the position that I’m in by doing this dumb s**t?”
