The Fighting 44s

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“OC’s Finest” is your hardest track in terms of sound and content and is a departure from the rest of the album: the Samoan rapper uses the word “niggas” for the first time in this track. Who are your collaborators here? How do you know them?

S: Hochii and Native Eye are local orange county emcees that we linked up with. We get a lot of people telling us this track is out of place on the album and that it doesn’t seem to fit. I think the reason we decided to put it on there in the first place was cause it kinda showed the different aspects of where we come from. Although I might be this way, these two other guys could be completely different, despite similar surrounding. Not everything is one sided and sometimes you just gotta experience the out of place to fully comprehend the norm.

m: Hochii is a homie from Anaheim and probably one of the best freestyle battle M.C.s out there. He’s doing his own thing and has been in the game for a decade now. Native Eye don’t rap much anymore but who can resist rocking a dope beat? Everyone says the track is out of place… but I think we put it on cuz it’s plain sick. Plus I personally liked how it interrupted the album and made a nice transition into “To The End.”

“To The End” seems to sum up your philosophy or vision behind this album and your lives. You rap about God, seeing beyond limits, lessons learned, pain, struggle, truth, and feeling like you’re alive. Whereas in “Once in a Lifetime” you say “accept the way it is, no time for askin’ why,” here you’re “fiending for that ‘answer,’” of which the Lord will only let you see a little bit. It’s clear that just accepting what is isn’t enough, that you need some clarity of meaning to be able to continue. What meaning have you found?

S: “To the End” is a tough track to explain. There’s not really one specific general theme to it. We basically just threw all of our thoughts, feelings, questions, and frustrations in the brewing pot and let it just mix in together. This album let us explore a lot about ourselves and in the end we came to the conclusion that you take life for what it is. You play the hand you’re dealt and make the most of it. There’s nothing wrong with asking why, but when push comes to shove you have to man up and not waste the time you have left on wondering what ifs. Life is one big experience and people are driven by a purpose, but what separates the leader from the pack is that blind faith. Believing in something with no physical evidence.

m: I have found that a dope beat w/ tight lyrics make a instant classic. But y’all knew that.

The piano has a significant presence in your music. Is this part of a deliberate stylistic choice, or is it what you guys are most comfortable with at the moment? Many of the tracks have a contemplative, chilled out sort of feel; there is a lot of “space” in your music. Was that your aim?

m: Well, I was really into placing melodies over subtle beats when I produced this album and I personally feel that the piano is a great sound for conveying melodies. I chose this route because a majority of the songs on “Middle Ground” were very personal and carried a lot of (St. Eve’s) raw emotions. The melodies helped to establish the mood before St. Eve even starts to drop the heat. It was my aim to create that contemplative, chilled out feel to reflect the themes of the songs. The “space” gives room for St. Eve to release and for the audience to just lay back and relax as we take them on a journey thru “Middle Ground.” The new stuff that we’re working on is a lot more rhythmic and organic. I got a compilation releasing soon and I’m working w/ St. Eve on his solo album so stay tuned for more madness.

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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