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F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants + Second State = SOULdado
What does Souldado mean and why did you guys pick this name for the group?
Souldado is basically our unique spelling of the Spanish word "Soldado", which means "Soldier". We chose it because that's who our group is really repping for... The Souldados! Whether being a soldier for your hood, your country, or your family... We're repping for the people in the trenches, not the Generals, not the Captains, not the so called Leaders but the people who get their hands dirty, the people that put their life on the line for their beliefs and to protect their way of life... Los Souldados!!!!
Now that Souldado is made up by members of both Filthee Immigrants and Second State, how does that affect the other two groups and how different is this group from the other two?
It pretty much means that neither Site or myself are any longer members of either of those two groups anymore. I can't personally speak for the other members of our previous groups, but as far as Site and myself are concerned, we are giving 100 percent of our effort to our new project and the future of those two groups lays in the hands of the remaining members.
Souldado is very different from F.I. and Second State in many ways. First off our material is about 85 percent in Spanish, and where our other groups had two MC's in each group, this group is centered around one MC and one DJ... We're more like a Spanish Gangstarr, or Erick B & Rakim, or even Snoop & Dre rather than a RUN DMC or Beastie Boys type of group. There's basically a whole new sound and style that we've developed for Souldado, the Gente are just gonna have to go check it our for themselves.
How did you did Rif and Site Raw first meet?
Well for those that haven't figured it out yet, Site used to be a member of the group Second State, and I was a member of the group F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants, and we first met when our groups started doing shows together and hanging out a lot around eight years ago. Eventually we brought Second State out on tour with F.I. and Guru of Gangstarr, and on that tour Site, Dutch (of F.I.) and myself shared rooms every night and just started to entertain idea of doing projects outside of our currents groups... That basically lead to Site and I forming Souldado.
Without Radio or any major media outlet supporting Spanish Hip Hop, how do you plan to break out into
the scene?
En las calles!!! LOL! We know that we are sort of exploring uncharted territory as far as being a Spanish Hip-Hop group that is making music for the streets, and we know that conventional methods of getting our music to the people might not work the same in this scenario, so we are testing our market in many different ways.
We just wrapped up our first mix tape called "Amores Perros Vol. 1" of which we're pressing a few thousand to flood Los Angeles and California with. At the same time we make a big point of trying to get out to Spanish speaking countries as often as possible as well as stay connected with our people around the U.S.
We just got back from doing some promotions with Royal Elastic's Shoes out in Mexico City, and we will be hitting Japan and Spain later in 2008, so we're not waiting around for any particular outlet to "break" us, we are just going straight to the people in their environment and hitting them with the music... We gave away over like 400 mix tapes when we went to Mexico City!!! We ain't trying to "sell" that shit to our people, we feel that our music is important enough to straight GIVE it to them! If Latino people feel you, they will support you so we're just being true to ourselves and people seem to feel that from the music!
Site and I both make money on our own right now, so we're not desperate for Souldado to blow up, so we're not forced to do things out of our character in order to succeed... That's why we can give our music away and not trip on being signed to a label or not.
Why hasn't there been a full Second State album yet and why not release a Second State project first?
I can't really speak for Second State because I'm not a member of the group, but I can say that it is a lot tougher to get a project started and finished than people think it is. That being said, I'm not sure if any new music will be made by them, and the fact that the first album never got finished... Souldado will most definitely be dropping before anything else is heard from Second State or F.I.L.T.H.E.E. Immigrants.
Are you working with on any other projects?
I am part of a production team with my partner Cook Book of the group L.A. Symphony called "Million Watts" and we have a ton of beats being placed in 2008. We have tracks on Pigeon John's next album as well as a
couple HEATERS that we did for Omar Cruz that we are seriously hoping make it to his final release! Other than that, it just all about Souldado!!!
With different labels interested in the Latino market, would you consider working along side a label to help produce and develop new talent?
I would sooner like to work along side a good label to further develop Souldado. I look forward to using a label's budget to work with big producers and shoot big video's, and when we do a good job with that label, I will be very open to developing more talent, but for the time being we're not doing anything that will distract us from Souldado.
What understanding do you have about the Latin Hip-Hop worldwide market and is that something you keep in mind or target?
We understand that the world wide market is not very concerned with hype or trends as they are good music. That's why I think we have an advantage in that market! Our focus is on just creating the best music we can, we would like to see there finally be a Spanish Hip-Hop group that has the credibility of an artist like Nas or Jay-Z, so we just work at that goal every time we hit the lab... Sometimes Nas or Jay-Z come out with a hit, some summers they don't even drop an album, but they never do shit to compromise their positions in Hip Hop, and we won't either.
The Internet is a whole new playing field from traditional media and distribution, how are you adapting to this new medium? and the new methods of online distribution and 'illegal' downloads?
We don't trip on it. We give our shit away!!! LOL!!! The industry is changing, and people need to accept it and adapt to it. The only people that have ever made money off of actual record sales and distribution are the Record Labels themselves... Most of my friends who are signed to major labels tell me that they only make money from their advances, and NEVER seem to recoup... But they DO make money from their publishing, licensing, merchandise, and live shows so as long as you're an entrepreneur, and you have a hot commodity, you shouldn't have trouble making money from your craft. Labels just give you an advantage
to becoming that hot commodity, and they make the most money from actual record sales, so they will be the ones that have to adjust most to the changes, as artists we have more of an opportunity to take advantage of that situation.
What have been some of your most memorable collaborations and their results?
As far as myself I'd have to say working with Tommy Lee on his "Methods of Mayhem" album back in 2000 was one of the dopest experiences in my career. He's a great person and he showed mad love to F.I., plus he taught us a lot about what it takes to survive in the music industry in whole, not just the Hip-Hop industry... He introduced us to a very professional environment and we never accepted anything less after that.
I also had the opportunity of working for Lauren Hill back in 2006 which was dope too! I can't say that I really collaborated with her as much as I just basically worked for her as a beat programmer and engineer, but I got to go to South Africa with her and her band and it was an amazing experience!
Do you guys plan to tour anytime soon?
I don't know about any long term "out on the road" type tours, but we will be doing a lot of one off shows around the U.S. and most Spanish speaking countries throughout 2008. Right now we are pushing our Mix Tape and working on our first album. Once the album is done and ready to drop we will probably be doing some tours, but I always say "If you don't have a record available either online or in stores, there's no reason to tour", and believe me because I've lived on the road for up to eight weeks at a time, and it's not my favorite part of the job! lol
As you know there's a lot of new MCs that listen to your music and others, over and over - trying to develop their own style - what do you recommend to the young producers and artists trying to come up today?
Just DO YOU! Whatever gets you hyped, just stick to it and don't stray. Don't worry about what you think people will think is hot, just do what you like. Your success will be determined by your commitment and persistence. Keep your ear to the street, and be aware of what's hot and what's not, but always be
comfortable with where you fit in to that equation... Understand the industry, but don't feel that you have to conform to it.
If you're a straight "back pack" rapper, and you don't give a shit about the main stream, then do that shit 110 percent!! Just understand that you probably won't sell a ton of records or be on MTV, but if that's not what you're into it for, it shouldn't matter anyway... or if you do want to be part of the
mainstream and be on MTV and the radio, then understand whats required or expected of an artist of that caliber and do THAT shit 110 percent too!!
But the absolute most important part though, is to make sure that you love doing this shit! Because if you get into this industry for the money, the girls, or whatever, but have no love for your craft... You may have a very sad and empty experience in this industry.
Any thing else you would like to add or let anyone reading BrownPride.com know about Souldado?
Just to check us out at myspace.com/souldado , add us and let us know what you think of our music and what we are doing. And I hope that God blesses
all of you.
Interview by Danny / La Union
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