The Fighting 44s

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Why did you choose to call yourselves the Decyplz? Who/ what do you see yourselves being disciples of?

S: I think we chose the name Decyplz cause it pretty much summed up who we are and what we’re trying to do. No matter what it is in life you gotta embrace and contribute to show love for the things you care about. In terms of hip hop, we’re not here to change the game, we’re just here to keep it moving and add our two cents along the way. I think that’s what decyplizm is all about: taking what you can from something and help spread it to others in your own little way.

m: Decyplz of Christ … Decyplz of Music …

S: Nicely put…

m: To sum up the goals for Decyplz, I guess we’re just trying to pump out dope music and preach a positive message to the youth. We consider music a powerful thing, and some artists today are taking it for granted by promoting a lifestyle that (in our minds) is corrupting society. Especially as Asian American artists, we want to stay true to our roots and elevate the values of our culture.

Is there any significance behind the names m[ ]ndless and St. Eve?

S: When we actually sat down and talked about the album title, we knew we wanted something that summed up every single track as well as captured the message we tried to give. Middle Ground seemed to work best. I think in this day and age, people are becoming more captivated by what they don’t have rather then being grateful for the shit in front of them. Middle Ground is that balance you need in life: Good vs. Evil, Full vs. Empty, Laughter vs. Anger, etc… That point where you’re content and not asking for too much and not given too little. Making the most of what you got before it’s gone.

Hip Hop wise, I think we wanted to put out an album that wasn’t gonna be automatically characterized as mainstream or underground. I think our main focus was just to put out tracks that related to directly to us. I think people have this misconception that underground music is too serious and mainstream music is too fake. So we came together and just recorded tracks that we felt sounded good to our own ears and hopefully in a sound that everyone could relate to.

m: Word.

In your first track, “One Two One Two,” you mention that you want to bring together and use everything you’ve ever learned, from “the insignificant to my parents’ every word.” What sorts of significant themes and knowledge come together for you on this album?

S: I think with this album and even in life you not only learn from the big events, but also the tiny ones. Everything that happens plays some role in what you do and who you become and because of that everything becomes significant. Lyrically, I tried to just release the shit that was running through my head at the time regardless of how stupid or how important it seemed. I went from talking about some chick that screwed me over in “How it used to be” to questioning the path I’m taking in “Once in a Lifetime”. I think it’s important to spread it out so people understand that I’m just like anyone else. I got my ups and downs and I try to show it by hitting themes that everyone can relate to.

How do you guys get along with your folks? Are they supportive of what you do?

S: Here come the personal questions. Haha. Naw, me and my folks are cool. Well me and my moms are cool. My pops took off when I was high school and I haven’t really seen him since. I think I was raised up just like any other Asian family: respecting my elders, doing my studies, and doing what I can to make them happy. I’ll admit that when I was a kid I was scared as hell whenever my mom got pissed, but we got a good relationship now. I can joke around her and I think we both understand where’s we’re both coming from.

As far as this music thing goes, I think my mom is supportive enough. Of course she thinks I’m just doing this for fun and that my day job is gonna lead me to success, but I don’t blame her. You’ll never catch her telling me to only focus on this hip hop stuff. She doesn’t even know what hip hop means. But yeah, she doesn’t really take my music seriously, but it doesn’t bother cause she’s just looking out and wants the best for me. But in the end, she knows it’s my decision to make and if I’m happy then she is.

m: I love my fam… they support me cuz they recognize the skills!!! Haha… jk man. My mom actually works in the Asian media sector so she helps out a lot. My dad has always been supportive in all that I do. I respect them both for all they’ve done for me.

How have they influenced your outlooks and work ethic?

m: They definitely raised me right… the traditional Chinese family way. We don’t mess around sucka!

S: My parents have strongly influenced my outlook and work ethic. Shit, look at me right now, I’m still working my 8 to 5 and making sure I can pay my bills. I think they’ve instilled that fear of failure in me and that’s why I feel a need to always have that back up plan. If I had it my way I would stop everything I’m doing and just pump out tracks, but I think cause of my parents I still got that fear in the back of my head.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 at 1:51 am and is filed under Exclusives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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