Since his initial debut on Cappadonna’s The Pillage, Soloman Childs has been keeping fans in awe. With his clever word play and menacing rhymes the Staten Island bred MC is already proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. After rocking with the most talented squad in the game, Wu-Tang affiliate Soloman Childs gives fans no doubt that with the release of his debut solo album My Motion Picture, Hip-Hop is in for a rude awakening. Like his Wu predecessors, Soloman comes straight from the streets of Shaolin and at 24 years old, he has already accomplished the credibility of a veteran MC, from his recent collaboration with Ghostface on the Theodore Unit Project 718 to his guest spot with Ghostface on Krumbsnatcha’s last project, Soloman has always kept it thorough. AllHipHop.com got a chance to sit down with the god at the Wu-Tang Studios to discuss his new album, his purpose, and the future of the Wu-Tang Clan from a family member himself.
AllHipHop.com: A lot of people don’t know that besides being on Cappadonna’s The Pillage, you were also on the Killa Bees album, what would you say has changed between now and then lyrically?
Soloman: The main thing that has changed is I have seen more, I have traveled a lot of places all over the world, read a lot and I have dealt with drama in the hood, so I have elevated. I have elevated not to the highest point that I can go, but now I can step back and really put out stories that are told in great detail to give people a glimpse into my life, that’s why I named the album My Motion Picture, because now fans finally get a chance to see and hear me.
AllHipHop.com: I hear that there is a possible collaboration in the works with Shyheim, DJ Mathematics and yourself, although it’s not concrete what can you tell us about the project?
Soloman: I can tell you that it’s going to be fire, straight fire. Math got those beats for years and Shy is a young gunner and although I’m young I bring the veteran element to it, so expect nothing but the best from that project.
AllHipHop.com: With all the collaborations that you have done, including Ghostface’s Theodore Unit Project, are you afraid that fans will expect more from you than you can give?
Soloman: I don’t think so, because I am going to keep giving them real music. I mean I have been rhyming for a long time, so it’s not like I am new to this. I have book bags full of rhymes, I just haven’t been able to lay them all down, but if I had to go back and lay [down] another ten [tracks], it would be nothing to me. Everything I write about is on some true story s**t, if I said it I did it, if I did it I’m going to say it, a lot of people get caught up because they be on that text book flunky s**t, letting what sells dominate who they are and what they put out, but I am on some other s**t, I’m on the real Hip-Hop s**t, because that’s all I know.
AllHipHop.com: You were last on tour with the complete Wu-Tang Clan in 2002, how has the atmosphere as a whole changed since then, obviously the death of Ol’ Dirty Bastard and the departure Cappadonna have had an effect?
Soloman: I don’t feel that anything has changed, I just feel that they have gotten older and they know it’s time for them to pass the torch to a new generation of members that are definitely hungry. I don’t feel that anything has been lost with Wu, because they have so much wisdom and they have passed a long so much that a piece of each member is in all of us who are here to step up.
AllHipHop.com: It’s no secret that Rza executive produces the majority of Wu projects, how do you feel about people saying that the Wu is nothing without beats from Rza, do you feel limited to a certain extent?
Soloman: No, not really. I mean Rza got them beats, but he only has one element of them, there are millions of producers out there with different elements and pitches, that can bring forth their own thing and create something or bring something out of you that you didn’t know you had. So when I hear people say that we are stagnant without Rza’s beats, I just say they are one dimensional and need to expand their horizons as listeners. Because the art that we are creating is expression, but it’s also meant to grow, we can’t get older and just stay in one place.
AllHipHop.com: With all of the solo projects going on, do you think Wu-Tang will remain as a whole or do you think that the current state is permanent?
Soloman: I think that in another five or ten years, Wu-Tang will be a corporation. I think they will be manufacturing tennis rackets and stuff like that. [laughs] But these dudes are like family. It’s no doubt that what Wu-Tang has created in the art of Hip-Hop will forever be a driving force, whether it’s with the original members or the new generation, we will always be a force to fight against. I think that when people see Wu projects with affiliates or members that are just being brought to the fore front, they are a little put off. The best way to explain it is like the old cartoon Voltron, when they tried to re-create it with different robots people were like “what the?, this ain’t Voltron.” And it wasn’t treated the same because they wanted what they were used to, but I am here to let fans know that we aren’t imitations that we are the real thing down with the Wu from day one. Trust me Rza wouldn’t put his name or Wu’s on nothing that wasn’t thorough.
AllHipHop.com: Tell us a little about the album, are there any guest spots?
Soloman: As much as I love working with my brothers and doing music, I really feel that this record is mine, to show the world what I can do. Right now, we are dealing with 18 songs and there is only one guest feature and truthfully, we may take that off because I feel that this album just needs to be me, like on some Nas s**t. I’m tired of hearing albums with all these features that in the end, you don’t know who’s album it is, or people buy your album because of that single you have with somebody else. So with this album, I am really going to do some real old school s**t and just have me rhyming and no features.
AllHipHop.com: For those who don’t know how did you get linked up with the legendary Wu-Tang Clan?
Soloman: Well I am from Brighton projects and Wu really consisted of dudes from Stapleton, but I was one of those dudes who knew everyone from Stapleton and at that time I was wilding out, sticking dudes up and Davaughn used to tell me to slow down and I wasn’t trying to hear it, because I was like ,”He old school, rolling in a Benz while I’m rockin’ a Mongoose.” But they always told me that they would holla at me and one day – we hooked up and that was that.
AllHipHop.com: I hear you are working on a DVD, what’s that about?
Soloman: The DVD is just apart of my motion picture, it’s me going to my hood, talking about things I been through and just allowing listeners to walk in my shoes and really feel what I’m talking about. The Motion Picture DVD will be featured with my album and it should be out around September
AllHipHop.com: I hear that you are looking into acting once your album drops, what type of roles are looking at doing?
Soloman: Well, I know I’m not doing nothing stupid to where people watch one episode and then don’t want to tune in for the rest of the season because it was some bulls**t. I mean when I grew up I wasn’t watching no 7th Heaven or Charmed. I grew up on Facts of Life, Knightrider and A-Team. So when I get in the creative seat to create my sitcom, I am going to take it back even if I have to bite their stuff and bring it up to date, it’s going to be tight. Because think about Knightrider, there was nothing like that black car with the red stripe, even the theme song was hot. So I am definitely going to make that show to take you back to where the hood is still the hood’ but it won’t be poppin’ until the show is over.