There’s a time and a place for everything. Sheek Louch knows this age-old
adage very well.
As one third of seminal group The LOX, Sheek
was a wild boy when the Yonkers trio originally linked up with Puffy in 1997.
Even after the Bad Boy Records era, it seemed like drama would precede the crew
everywhere it went. Rap beef, trouble with the law, the inevitable contractual
problems; you name it.
But now as a CEO of D-Block Records, a father and a man of
certain age, Sheek moves differently. Continuing to develop
his brand, and keeping the food on the table, Sheek
keeps things pushing with his recently released Extinction (Last Of A Dying
Breed
) mixtape.
Learn how Mr. Walk With Me plans continuing to survive the
times.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve
been in the game for ten plus years. Obviously you’ve matured a lot since then,
how is the Sheek of 1998 different from the Sheek I am speaking to now?
Sheek Louch: You
know back then it was more listening to what another person had to say and
following their lead. At the time it was Diddy, management which was Dee and
Wah from Ruff Ryders. I was just playing the back whenever people were in the
front; I’m a boss now. That comes from age and years in the game.
24 HOURS TO LIVE – MASE, The Lox, Black Rob, and DMX
AllHipHop.com:
Obviously you were a lot wilder back in those times, whatmade you slow down?
Sheek Louch: It’s
just showing growth. It’s also traveling and seeing different things outside
the hood and seeing it’s okay to do a song like that [and] this. And it’s okay
to do a song with homey from the south; then you start seeing your fans change
and get older and wiser with you. So you have to cater to that aspect of your
fan base as well.
AllHipHop.com: With
that aforementioned growth are you now more careful on how hard you go
considering the listeners are so young? Are you catching ten bodies on record
rather than twenty?
Sheek Louch: Yeah
you’re right. You got to tone that down of course a hundred percent because
kids are listening. But at the same time it is entertainment. At the end of the
day these kids should know just because you see or hear me saying that s**t or
telling you what I’ve been through or what a homey of mine been through that
doesn’t mean you got to go try to do it. Like when you finish watching one of
these movies that came out on Friday, you don’t try to do the same s**t, it’s a
movie. At the end of the movie they go, Cut.
AllHipHop.com: Your
partner Jadakiss said, “Why do rappers lie in 80 percent of their rhymes”. How
much do you lie in your songs?
Sheek Louch: Like
I can only speak for myself. A lot of people have read about the things we have
did and gotten into and how we handled certain beefs. So you already know what
it is with us to act all crazy and be something that I’m not. So that’s where
everyone should go with it. It’s a journey as well. It isn’t a walk in the
park. These new guys talking all hard, people are
going to test them to see what’s what.
Mighty D Block / 2 Gunz Up – Sheek Louch ft Jadakiss
AllHipHop.com: Someone like a Russell Simmons will go on television and
defend Hip-Hop by saying rappers are just reporting on an ugly truth. Don’t you
think that’s an easy escape from the fact that Rap is having an obvious
negative effect on our community?
Sheek Louch: I
don’t know. I think it depends on you. With Russell, dog everyone isn’t making
that s**t up. Some dudes are not making up their charges or whatever they went
through last week so they spitting that. But a lot of these kids haven’t
traveled so that’s all they see because that’s what they are around. If he only
talks about McDonalds, that’s what he probably eats everyday. That’s how I just
feel about it. Maybe when that guy goes on the road and starts seeing different
things, and trying different restaurants maybe his s**t will broaden. If he
hears that noise outside of his window everyday, chances are that’s what he is
going to spit about.
AllHipHop.com: Do
you think the Hip-Hop lie encourages the youth to violent behavior?
Sheek Louch: Not
the actual kids, these kids are computer geniuses now. But as far as directly
encouraging no, but as far as these new rappers it might make them feel like
they have to ice grill. It forces them to not say what up to their favorite
rapper they grew up on; basically they have to act extra tough. You don’t have
to do all that. Wild Out – LOX
AllHipHop.com: You
ever went back to some of past music and ever felt in a way because you went
too hard?
Sheek Louch: Nah,
the only thing was when we first got away from Diddy, now that I think about it
we could have handled that better. Because it was just business, it was like
every song was about Diddy back then. But that’s how I felt at the time based
on what I just went through with him. But now that I’m older, it’s totally
different because we can sit and talk to Diddy with no problem. But at the time
that’s what I had to talk about.
AllHipHop.com: I
could imagine how tough being the third man in a group with Styles P. and
Jadakiss could be.
Sheek Louch: Yeah
that was tough, it was a journey. But right now I’m hot. But before all you
heard was ‘Kiss and Styles. At first I wasn’t even going to do a solo album. I
just bought a studio and that’s how I went about s**t. But to gain those fans
that were rightfully mine as well, I had to drop those songs “Mighty D-Block (2
Guns Up)”, and the “Kiss Your Ass Goodbye”. That was a journey in getting
people to go over into my side, definitely. To see “Good Love” do so well, that
felt great. I feel like I’m in my place and I’m still grinding.
Sheek Louch “Good Love” Video
AllHipHop.com: What’s
the update on that J-Hood situation?
Sheek Louch: It’s
over as far as us; we don’t want to deal with it. He did his thing and he’s
still running his mouth. I think all he has is diss records because if he was
smart, he would have put out some good music with all the hype going around
everything. The contract is done though, he can do him. He’s good to go.
AllHipHop.com: Are
we ever going to get that Lox Live Suffer
Celebrate
?
Sheek Louch: Definitely, it’s just that
everyone is running around with their solo albums. But
that’s coming. We got my mixtape Extinction
(Last Of A Dying Breed) out, we got the D-Block compilation No Security coming in February and then
I’m going to set up for my new album in the summer. So we doing us.
