The Hype Magazine Interviews The Lords Of The Underground
After a nearly thirteen year hiatus y’all are finally back to making music again — That being said, what all exactly had / have you all been up to, both personally and professionally speaking, over the course of the past decade plus?
During the past decade plus, we’ve been touring a lot and we all did solo projects. We dropped ‘House of Lords’ in 2007, then we toured Europe. In 2010, DoItAll dropped his solo project called ‘American Du.’ In 2012, I dropped my project called ‘The Plain Dealer,’ and we toured the world. In 2014, we connected back up with Marley Marl and dropped ‘LOTUG 20’…and in 2017, Mr. Funke dropped his album and we toured Europe again. You can go to all the musical outlets online and support this music because we do it for y’all!
Let’s discuss this brand new group LP ‘So Legendary,’ produced in its entirety by Snowgoons — Although self-explanatory, still tell me, conceptually, what this title represents both to and for you all?
The title ‘So Legendary’ pretty much speaks for itself when you’ve been doing something over 30 years and still doing it; it becomes of legendary status, or as we say, a Lord – when you master your craft – when you see young fans at these sold out shows in Europe, and they sing all the lyrics. It’s amazing to see!
The set’s lead single is entitled “Insomniac”— Tell me about this track…
I believe “Insomniac” embodies the feeling of this new album of Boom Bap beats with soothing and energetic loops provided by the Snowgoons.
Then y’all dropped its follow-up entry / video, “What’s Up,” featuring Onyx — How did this song even come to fruition?
The song “What’s Up” was inspired by ’90’s energy! We never did a song with Onyx, and since we were both on tour and in Germany it made sense to do it…and were happy with the results, aren’t you? I can’t wait to perform this live for the fans; it’s a pure adrenaline rush!
How does ‘So Legendary’ either differ and / or compare to previous LOTUG efforts?
‘So Legendary’ is different from our previous albums because of where we’re at in our lives right now, and rap is still the CNN of Hip Hop and your surroundings so DoItAll & Mr. Funke take you on a musical soundtrack on this album. I’m married with two kids; you might have heard of my daughter, DJ GLO, she’s a DJ / MC and actress, and my son is 12. I try to spend as much time with them as I can. This album is Boom Bap and I love it!
‘So Legendary’ is a Goon MuSick project — What particular string of events actually led to this inking?
What led to this linking was my man Carlos (Wind) from Latfro Agency in Germany. He actually suggested it. I’ve always wanted to do something with the Goons. I moved to Paris, France, in 2000, and frequently deejaying in Germany and Switzerland I would run into Manuu [Rückert] and he would always say we need to something with Lords…and we finally got everybody on board and made it happen.
How has not only the industry itself, but even more-so you all as individuals, either changed and / or evolved since your whole inception into music?
The industry has changed a lot since the ’90’s, which is normal. If it stayed the same, it wouldn’t be as big as it is. Hip Hop is still helping the young black and Latino youth out of the ‘hood, and that’s a good thing. Anything that can keep a young man or woman out of the streets and making money and becoming independent is a beautiful thing, but it can be very dangerous if you’re not ready for it.
Longevity, what do you all attribute yours to?
Longevity…I would say it’s all in the person and not giving up what your passion is, and it’s not easy trust me. Dropping classic music is the key to longevity though, because without it where would we be? I also believe in keeping healthy relationships in the industry.
On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of Hip Hop?
The state of Hip Hop now is thriving. I may not like everything that they’re doing nowadays, but I get it. We had our turn already, now it’s theirs…and I don’t think we fit in their kind of Hip Hop because we do HIP HOP! If u see what i mean?! We have always done what we felt; whatever comes out our hearts in the studio, that’s what we lay down.
Do you all have any other outside / additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?
Yes, I have other things that I want to do in life. I want to start a DJ / production school, and also concentrate on my label, Premium Records, and get some young talent.
What do you all want people to get from your music?
What do we want people to get from our music is Truth! You’re not gonna hear them rappin’ about guns or killing people or smacking hoes *Jazz laughs* And I’m not mad at the artists that do that, but for us we stand for something a lil more uplifting. I want to see smiling faces and heads boppin’ when they hear a Lords’ song.
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