Some Hip-Hop fans mayve thought that Sean Price was forever Rocks wingman in Heltah Skeltah. Though he lacked the baritone delivery that sounded sweet on hooks, Seans 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 Prices personality cant be misplaced. The man who wears the title of Best rapper in Boot Camp is also a loving and devoted father, who hates the neighbors kids. Hes a loving husband, who can admit embarrassing sexcapades from his youth. Hes above talking about Gucci Mane and Young Jeezys 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 its been out a minute?
Sean Price: Its a good feeling. Im happy with the album. Am I happy with the sales? No, not really. Its independent, so Im not really tripping. I honestly believe that if my s**t was on the major, Id 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: Ive got the little magazine ads, not The Source by any means, but theyre out there. Could it be more? Yes. Do you know what it is with me? Nobody believed me. Everyone was sucking Rocks d**k, thinking that hes the man. I cant 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 well see what happens the next time. I dont mind having to prove it because Im f**king nice.
AllHipHop.com: So, you and Rock arent cool anymore?
Sean Price: Me and Rock are real cool, but Im f**king nice. Yeah, were 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 wasnt with any of the producers. They sent me a grip of CDs and I made it happen. I didnt have anyone in there. I dont need a crowd of cats. I dont 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. Im not with all of that extra s**t. I dont live that Hip-Hop entourage, a bunch of corny mother f**kers. Im a regular dude man. Brownsville man, you know what I mean? Im in the hood all the time. You couldnt call me and ask me for another rappers phone number. I dont have it.
AllHipHop.com: On Monkey Barz, you said, Sean Price, the brokest rapper that you will ever know. It doesnt seem like youre broke to me. It seems like youre doing a lot of stuff. Do you think that Redman has a good running with you as the brokest rapper?
Sean Price: Redman? I dont know about the Gods 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. Meths my friend. And Red, I havent 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, aint nothing changed, Im just starting to get rewarded for the stuff that I do. Hopefully I can spend it as fast I get it, but Ive been getting it lately. You want to be rewarded for your craft. Its definitely paying off. Some of those joints I do for free. Its 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 wont 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 cant explain how I feel. I couldnt 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: Im the best at that rapping thing. Theyll tell you that too. Its not like Im trying to have s**t over my friends. I wouldnt say it unless they said it first. Im not cocky like that. Buck says it. Steele calls me, “the President.” As long as they say it, Im gonna always pop that Boot Camp s**t. Lets not forget that they were my teachers though. If you are a good student, eventually youre gonna get nice anyway. They call me the best and I am.
AllHipHop.com: Whats 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 dont think about it. That s** aint got nothing to do with me, Boot Camp or Elijah Price. So I dont 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 pops off. Little kids see that stuff and think thats whats up.
Sean Price: My son is ten-years-old and he doesnt care about any of that stuff. He likes his dad because its his dad, but he cares nothing about that. I dont know what others do with their kids, but mine doesnt know anything about Gucci Maine shooting at cats. My kid is great. Hes excellent in school and doesnt get in trouble. He doesnt emulate stupid Hip-Hop s**t. People need to watch their kids. My son is on the honor roll. Hes a mathematician. Hes great in school. Hes a great kid and Im glad to be his father. I dont 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 dont get involved, I hate that in interviews. I hate when cats ask me about what I think of others cats. Dont ask me about that. If they dont say Sean Price, then its not important. I dont give a f**k.
AllHipHop.com: Its 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, Im 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 60s. I forgot the name of it, but it wasnt tat popular. But it was a little Bee-Bop. She could sing. [Steeles] grandmother lived in Brownsville projects. He joined the center across from my grandmothers 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. Thats 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 arent role models but what about you?
Sean Price: Yeah, thats 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 cant front tough, I hate kids. If its your own, thats 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 wasnt about one woman in particular, but rather a bunch. People usually say stuff like, You know words cant express how I feel… They usually something romantic afterwards. Words cant express how I feel, so I want to punch your f**king head off. Thats why on the track, I started whistling. Ive 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. Ive 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 wont admit it. I just kept it funky. I love you, I hate you. I hate you I love you. What ever it is, lets 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, its about that kid. Im 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. Ive been working on being a good father. For the past five years, Ive really been working on being in my sons life. Hes ten now. I was always in his life, but I was lame. Now, Im in there. In the hood my nickname is Ill-Cosby.
AllHipHop.com: Thats good because there are too many fathers out there that either dont care or catch themselves too late.
San Price: Yeah, I have to give credit to my sons 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 dont want to hear it, but you really do. Shes really telling the truth. Sometimes the truth really hurts.
AllHipHop.com: Thats good to hear because not only in the Hip-Hop community, but in the Black community as well, theres too much of that.
Sean Price: All I have to say to that is to wear a condom. I dont want to sound like a public service announcement or anything, but its 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. Catll 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 dont want to even go into the details. Its 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.