Some Hip-Hop fans may’ve thought that Sean Price was forever Rock’s wingman in Heltah Skeltah. Though he lacked the baritone delivery that sounded sweet on hooks, Sean’s solo debut, Monkey Barz is proving to be a lead-pony in Duck Down Records’ “Triple Threat Summer” of albums from Buckshot and Smiff-N-Wesson.
Away from his partner, Sean Price’s personality can’t be misplaced. The man who wears the title of “Best rapper in Boot Camp” is also a loving and devoted father, who hates the neighbor’s kids. He’s a loving husband, who can admit embarrassing sexcapades from his youth. He’s above talking about Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy’s squabbles, but considers 9th Wonder and Method Man friends. All these jewels of information come to life as Sean and AllHipHop.com get colorful while looking at an often overlooked Brownsville, Brooklyn ball-buster.
AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about Monkey Barz now that it’s been out a minute?
Sean Price: It’s a good feeling. I’m happy with the album. Am I happy with the sales? No, not really. It’s independent, so I’m not really tripping. I honestly believe that if my s**t was on the major, I’d be the most talked about cat in town. I honestly believe that.
AllHipHop.com: What do you think that you, as an independent artist, or any others can do to increase sales?
Sean Price: I’ve got the little magazine ads, not The Source by any means, but they’re out there. Could it be more? Yes. Do you know what it is with me? Nobody believed me. Everyone was sucking Rock’s d**k, thinking that he’s the man. I can’t do it. When people think of Heltah Skeltah, people think of Rock and the other guy. They on his d**k because of his f**king voice and s**t. Well, the other guy gets f**king busy now. I already proved that to people, so we’ll see what happens the next time. I don’t mind having to prove it because I’m f**king nice.
AllHipHop.com: So, you and Rock aren’t cool anymore?
Sean Price: Me and Rock are real cool, but I’m f**king nice. Yeah, we’re working on an album. Me and Rock are heading to Virginia because we have a few heads doing some joints on the new album.
AllHipHop.com: You have a lot of different producers on the album. How was it working in the studio?
Sean Price: I wasn’t with any of the producers. They sent me a grip of CDs and I made it happen. I didn’t have anyone in there. I don’t need a crowd of cats. I don’t need 10,000 bags of weed and a bunch of Henney. No big entourage, no crowds – it was me, Buckshot, Dru Ha and a few other heads. I’m not with all of that extra s**t. I don’t live that Hip-Hop entourage, a bunch of corny mother f**kers. I’m a regular dude man. Brownsville man, you know what I mean? I’m in the hood all the time. You couldn’t call me and ask me for another rapper’s phone number. I don’t have it.
AllHipHop.com: On “Monkey Barz,” you said, “Sean Price, the brokest rapper that you will ever know.” It doesn’t seem like you’re broke to me. It seems like you’re doing a lot of stuff. Do you think that Redman has a good running with you as the brokest rapper?
Sean Price: Redman? I don’t know about the God’s finances. I know that the God is a funny dude. He probably got a s**t-load of money and happy where he is man. Redman used to be my favorite rapper. Red and Meth used to be my favorite rappers. His stuff sounds a little weird, but I love him like Kung-fu. Meth’s my friend. And Red, I haven’t heard anything from in a while.
AllHipHop.com: Are you getting the feedback that you feel that you deserve?
Sean Price: The feedback is cool. As far as the brokest rapper part, ain’t nothing changed, I’m just starting to get rewarded for the stuff that I do. Hopefully I can spend it as fast I get it, but I’ve been getting it lately. You want to be rewarded for your craft. It’s definitely paying off. Some of those joints I do for free. It’s not always about money, but sometimes I see the bigger picture and do them anyway. A lot of the time its all business, but it won’t seem like it. Cats like 9th [Wonder] are like family.
AllHipHop.com: Were you spewing a mix of emotions when writing Monkey Barz?
San Price: It is what it is. I wrote what I felt. Like the brokest rapper [line]. No one slapped me a five. No one said anything after I walked out of the booth. What do you say after some stuff like that? I write how I feel. Words can’t explain how I feel. I couldn’t just write any bulls**t.
AllHipHop.com: The Boot Camp Click has one of the deepest line-ups in Hip-Hop. People often confuse groups and members. What sets you apart from other members?
Sean Price: I’m the best at that rapping thing. They’ll tell you that too. It’s not like I’m trying to have s**t over my friends. I wouldn’t say it unless they said it first. I’m not cocky like that. Buck says it. Steele calls me, “the President.” As long as they say it, I’m gonna always pop that Boot Camp s**t. Let’s not forget that they were my teachers though. If you are a good student, eventually you’re gonna get nice anyway. They call me the best and I am.
AllHipHop.com: What’s in your CD player right now?
Sean Price: Young Jeezy.
AllHipHop.com: Young Jeezy, what do you think about the beef with him and Gucci Mane?
Sean Price: I don’t think about it. That s** ain’t got nothing to do with me, Boot Camp or Elijah Price. So I don’t give a f**k. Ya live longer if you mind your own f**king business. Know what I mean?
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, but the Hip-Hop, stuff like that is what pop’s off. Little kids see that stuff and think that’s what’s up.
Sean Price: My son is ten-years-old and he doesn’t care about any of that stuff. He likes his dad because it’s his dad, but he cares nothing about that. I don’t know what others do with their kids, but mine doesn’t know anything about Gucci Maine shooting at cats. My kid is great. He’s excellent in school and doesn’t get in trouble. He doesn’t emulate stupid Hip-Hop s**t. People need to watch their kids. My son is on the honor roll. He’s a mathematician. He’s great in school. He’s a great kid and I’m glad to be his father. I don’t get any of that extra bulls**t. We live in the hood. People need to watch their kids. As far as that Gucci Maine s**t, I don’t get involved, I hate that in interviews. I hate when cats ask me about what I think of others cats. Don’t ask me about that. If they don’t say Sean Price, then it’s not important. I don’t give a f**k.
AllHipHop.com: It’s not a comparison but Ghost face refers t himself as a “soul baby.” You have a lot of those kinds of beats on your new album. Do you thin of yourself as a “soul baby?”
Sean Price: Yeah, I’m defiantly a soul baby. My moms she used to own a record store in east New York. I was into all of that s**t. She used to have a singing group in the 60’s. I forgot the name of it, but it wasn’t tat popular. But it was a little Bee-Bop. She could sing. [Steele’s] grandmother lived in Brownsville projects. He joined the center across from my grandmother’s crib. It was called the Brownsville Heritage House. They taught you about African culture and how the Black man is God. We used to do Swahili and all kinds of African drum stuff. I took the martial arts a little bit. We had music class and dance class. That’s where got all of the extra stuff. I met Evelyn “Champagne” King. She and a bunch of others, including Thelonius Monk were around.
AllHipHop.com: Since you were inspired by all of these people, do you feel a need to give back? A lot of heads say that they aren’t role models but what about you?
Sean Price: Yeah, that’s my nickname. I wish that I could open a center a reach out to the kids. That was very important in my come-up. I can’t front tough, I hate kids. If it’s your own, that’s one thing but they get in my nerves. I hate to sound cruel, but I hate little kids.
AllHipHop.com: Was the track, “I Love You,” about a woman or your relationship with Hip-Hop or Duck Down?
Sean Price: I was talking about a woman. The first verse just wasn’t about one woman in particular, but rather a bunch. People usually say stuff like, “You know words can’t express how I feel…” They usually something romantic afterwards. “Words can’t express how I feel, so I want to punch your f**king head off.” That’s why on the track, I started whistling. I’ve had some relationships like that in my past. Some really sad and disgusting b*tches. I used to get with this one b*tch – while I was f**king her; she was drinking a 40 of [Olde English] When she woke up, it had been in the windowsill all night; took a p### and drank the rest. I’ve had some disgusting b*tches in my life, man and I just wanted to put all of that out there on wax. The messed up part is that I used to love some of those b*tches. I wanted it to be a love song, but not a punk one. I wanted to keep it on the real. A lot of cats have been in love with b*tches like that, but they just won’t admit it. I just kept it funky. “I love you, I hate you. I hate you I love you. What ever it is, let’s do it on the sprit of the kids.” The two of you can go through some real stuff, but if you have a seed involved, it’s about that kid. I’m not gonna front like I have a chain that says “Number 1 Dad!” I used to be a f**ked up father also. I caught myself before it got to monotonous. I’ve been working on being a good father. For the past five years, I’ve really been working on being in my son’s life. He’s ten now. I was always in his life, but I was lame. Now, I’m in there. In the hood my nickname is “Ill-Cosby.”
AllHipHop.com: That’s good because there are too many fathers out there that either don’t care or catch themselves too late.
San Price: Yeah, I have to give credit to my son’s mother. She really showed me what was up. She got in my ear about that s**t. She really held it down and still does. Definitely, respect to her for telling me to step up and be a man. She was about that. I really needed to hear it too. You don’t want to hear it, but you really do. She’s really telling the truth. Sometimes the truth really hurts.
AllHipHop.com: That’s good to hear because not only in the Hip-Hop community, but in the Black community as well, there’s too much of that.
Sean Price: All I have to say to that is to wear a condom. I don’t want to sound like a public service announcement or anything, but it’s true. We f**k with these dumb b###### raw and splash up in them. We be the first cats to go. I know because was one of them. Cat’ll be like, “Get rid of that s**t. Go to the chop shop.” Really cold-blooded. Recently, me and my wife were at the crib watching an abortion on TV. I saw it go down, and it made me sick. I don’t want to even go into the details. It’s f**ked up. I believe if every man saw that, they would never tell a woman to have an abortion. [They would] apologize a hundred times. That s**t is disgusting.