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Flo Mob was one of the few hip hop acts to grace the stage at SXSW, Austin's huge gathering for the (mostly rock) music industry. And of the few there were, Flo Mob was the only good one. In fact, their infectious energy and rump-shakin' beats just about made up for the pitiful absence of hip hop from this enormous, supposedly cutting-edge, industry event. We just had to find out more, so we leaned back in our recliners, turned on the game, had a bud, and shouted, "Whazzzzzuuuppp!!!" Apparently we were loud, cuz they heard us in Austin, and after all the "Whazzzzzuuupppp!!!!"s died down, we got them to spill their guts about what Flo Mob is all about.
Sonicpress : Flo Mob gives off tremendous energy from the stage, it looked like 15, maybe 20 of you all doing synchronized moves, and really working together as a group. It really is a Mob! Are all those people in the band? How is it - working together with such a large group of people? Flo Mob : (as you can see, they like to shout) EVERYONE ON STAGE WITH US IS PART OF THE FLO MOB FAMILY. WE MOB EVERYWHERE WE GO! WE HAVE 10 -11 FUTURE RAPPERS, 1 SINGER, AND A 3 MAN PROMOTIONAL TEAM. WE HAVE ALL KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR AT LEAST 6 YEARS, WITH SOME OF US THAT HAVE BEEN DOWN FOR AT LEAST 13 YRS. IT'S THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD - ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO YOU'VE BEEN DOWN WITH FOR SO LONG. THEY'VE SEEN ALL THE RAIN, PAIN AND GAINS! WE WANT TO SIT ON TOP OF THE WORLD TOGETHER. Sonicpress : Who choreographs your dance moves -- you got Paula Abdul or some shit? Flo Mob : I WOULDN'T EVEN SAY WE HAVE DANCE MOVES. WE JUST WANT TO DO MORE THAN THE AVERAGE MC. WE GOT TIRED OF GOING TO SHOWS WHERE THE MC JUST STANDS THERE RAPPING. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE MUSIC IN THE CAR! WHEN YOU COME TO A SHOW, YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. YOU'RE SPENDING YA HARD EARNED BANKROLL. THE MC HAS TO STAND OUT, OR YOU WON'T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN ALL OF US. WE'LL TAKE YOU BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL WITH IT, OR WE'LL HIT YOU OFF WITH SOME OF THE NEW HOT SHIT. IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER, AS LONG AS WE ALL HAVE A GOOD TIME. Sonicpress : Flo Mob started a record company, right? Tell me about how that got started, and what difficulties/advantages you have in your dual role, as both artist and label. Flo Mob : FLO MOB RECORDS STARTED AFTER WE DECIDED WE WANTED TO TAKE CONTROL OF OUR OWN DESTINY. WE HAD A KNOCKOUT, DRAG-OUT INTERNAL MEETING THAT BROUGHT A LOT OF ISSUES TO THE TABLE. THIS MEETING WAS THE SPARK THAT REALLY STARTED IT ALL. AFTER WE WENT AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS FOR 3 HRS, TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM DEDICATION TO BUSINESS EDUCATION TO MOB ELEVATION, WE WALKED OUTSIDE, JUMPED INTO OUR CARS, AND "THA WOOD!" WAS PLAYING OVER THE AIRWAVES ON KAZI 88.7 FM, SO YOU KNOW WE TOOK IT AS A SIGN. THEN 10 MINUTES LATER, THE DJ CALLED US FROM THE STATION AND SAID THE PHONES LIT UP AS SOON AS THEY PLAYED IT. AND THE REST WAS DESTINY, IN THE FORM OF FLO MOB RECORDS. THERE ARE SO MANY PROS AND CONS ABOUT OWNING, AND BEING AN ARTIST ON, A LABEL. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S WAY MORE WORK THAN A 9 TO 5. YOU CAN'T BULLSHIT AROUND - THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO DO - PROMOTE, WRITE NEW MATERIAL, BOOK SHOWS, DOING INTERVIEWS FOR MAGAZINES, THE LIST IS NEVERENDING. BUT YOU DO HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON WITH YOUR RECORD, AND YOU DEFINITELY LEARN SOME OF THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE. Sonicpress : I would describe your sound as upbeat, mostly positive. Some of the heavier, more negative rap has recently surged in popularity again, with acts such as Ruff Ryders, Eminem, and the Cash Money crew filling the air waves. Are you worried about this perceived shift away from the upbeat hip-hop, or do you feel there is a place for both in the hearts of the fans? Flo Mob : THAT'S THE THING ABOUT HIP HOP, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT EVERYBODY LIKES, OR WHAT'S IN! IT'S ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT'S GOIN ON AROUND YOU. I FEEL LIKE GOOD MUSIC IS GOOD MUSIC. YOU CAN HAVE A SONG THAT'S HOT IN THE SOUTH, BUT THEY CAN'T FEEL IT IN THE EAST. IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE STYLE YOU GROW UP ON. I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE WILL ACCEPT OUR STYLE BECAUSE IT'S REAL. NOT REAL LIKE HARD-CORE, BUT LIKE REAL LIFE. WE LIKE TO KICK IT AND I THINK PEOPLE WILL FEEL THAT IN OUR MUSIC. Sonicpress : The new Flo Mob album is called, "What you know about that Wood?" Well, nothing really. Can you tell us what Wood you're talking about, and what it is we should know about it? If there is one, what's the theme of this album? Flo Mob : THE WOOD IS: WOODGRAIN, PINE TREES, AND PUTTING WOOD UP IN YA SHORTY! (PINE TREES= FIRE GREEN) IF YOU DON'T LISTEN CLOSELY, YOU MIGHT JUST THINK IT'S ONE OR THE OTHER. BUT WE ARE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT ALL THREE TOGETHER. THE THEME FOR THIS ALBUM IS, "LET'S HAVE A GOOD TIME, AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE OTHER DRAMA SURROUNDING RAP MUSIC. " Sonicpress : I remember some, but not all, of the "rules for playas" from your show. Can you go over those again for us, and can we buy flash cards or a pocket book version or something? Flo Mob : PLAYA RULE # 1-- IF YOU KNOW THE MF TO USE YOU CAN'T LOSE!! (EVERY PLAYA KNOWS THAT THERE ARE RULES TO THE GAME, IF YOU KNOW WHICH ONES TO USE, YOU CAN'T LOSE) PLAYA RULE #2--- STICK TO NUMBER ONE TILL THE JOB IS DONE PLAYA RULE #3---IF YOU AIN'T FUCKING WITH ME, I WON'T BE FUCKING WITH YOU! PLAYA RULE #4--- NEVER BE THE FIRST TO LET GO! Sonicpress : I was lucky to find Flo Mob at SXSW, considering the behemoth industry festival is all about the white boy blues rock. Please tell me SXSW is not representative of Austin in general. Is there a hip-hop scene in Austin? Do you want to give some shout-outs to some other up and coming hip-hop acts? Flo Mob : AUSTIN IS A DIVIDED CITY WHEN IT COMES TO HIP HOP/RAP. ON ONE SIDE OF IH-35 YOU HAVE THE "EAST COAST" FANS, AND ON THE OTHER SIDE YOU HAVE WHAT REPRESENTS THE SOUTH. THIS SIDE NEVER GETS SEEN DURING SXSW. SXSW IS RUN BY THE EAST COAST FANS. THIS CLOSES THE DOOR FOR THE OTHER SIDE. NO ONE FROM THIS SIDE HAS RESPECT FOR SXSW. DO NOT JUDGE AUSTIN BASED ON SXSW! WE HAVE SOME SUPA-TIGHT UNDERGROUND MC'S LIKE: MC FATAL - SAM HUSTON BOYS - N.O.O.K. LIL' BLACK - SMACKOLA - BIG SCAR WIZ-1 - MISTA JAY - ROLEX RENINELLI BEZZELTEEN - TEE-DUBB - EARL GOLDEN TARIANO CHECK FOR FLO MOB IN SHINE IN THE BLAZE MARCH AND APRIL 2000 ISSUES HEAR SAMPLES OF FLO MOB ON AMAZON.COM AND THEORCHARD.COM Get Flo Mob gear at http://www.cafepress.com/flomob/. Check the new Flo Mob web site here. R.I.P. STEVEN BERNARD SCOTT Check the resonance page for mp3s from Flo Mob. note from Sonicpress.com : Flo Mob lost an uncle on March 30, 2000. Steven Bernard Scott's life came to a tragic close while in police custody. His family has hired an attorney to investigate the circumstances of Steven's death, and the police department's internal affairs division has launched an investigation too. At this time, very little is known about the particulars of the incident leading up to Steven's death. According to Flo Mob, "They (the police) are saying that they followed procedure, but witnesses say they heard him say, ' I'm down!, ya'll got me! ' He was cornered by 8 police and at least two dogs, pepper sprayed, beat, and bit. my family is going in circles trying to get justice for him." A San Francisco native, Mr. Scott was buried recently in Louisiana. STAY UP, WAY UP! MOB LOVE! |
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