Hip Hop’s looking good from the outside, how’s it look from where your
standing?
Psychlone- Right now, it seems like a lot of the artists on the underground
scene are more or less starting to sound the same to me. There are a few I
really enjoy listening to like Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, and the
Cunninlynguists, but for the most part a lot of the artists I’ve heard lately
seem to have little or no rhythm, flow, or mic presence. They may possess
abstract lyrics but frankly I’m bored to tears listening to them. Bring back
the late eighties-early nineties era please! I think one of the things that
makes us unique is that we don’t sound like anyone else that’s putting out
music right now.
When you begin to forge lyrical gems, what techniques do you use?
Rekks- I try to write wherever I can, be it on the bus, the toilet, weddings,
funerals, etc. However, I do prefer to write to a beat but many times a 2
liner will just pop into my head out of nowhere and I’ll just go with it and
develop it. I also write better without a topic in mind, I just let the ink
flow in whatever direction my brain is headed.
Psychlone- I usually prefer to write to a beat in total solitude. I find
myself churning out my best lyrics when I have a topic in mind although at
times writing with Rekks can be quite an adrenaline rush as we each try to
outdo each other’s last line. Of course I always get the better of him, ha ha.
Tell us how you two met up, and if there was an instant chemistry?
Psychlone- We actually went to the same high school, Rekks was a year ahead
of me and we had mutual friends but we never really hung out. Then I ran into
him at Radford University in the fall of 1989 one day with my roommate,
Jamal. He had a box of donuts and offered Jamal one but when I asked him for
one he refused, ha. I thought he was a real asshole until we were at this
dance club called the Bus Stop and he spit me some rhyme which by today’s
standards would be really wack. One of the lines went something like, “I’m a
gun you down boy sift you like sugar” ha ha ha. Anyway, I thought it was cool
that he had the balls to just walk up to me and risk embarrassment and we’ve
been best friends ever since. While I was a fan of hip-hop culture and rap
music in general, Rekks inspired me to start writing. For that I’ll always be
grateful to him.
What’s the science behind your name? Or Is there any?
Rekks- We’ve actually gone through quite a few names in the twelve year
period that we’ve been rocking together, some good, some well….. you can be
the judge. 2wice Nice was our first name, we even had T-shirts made! Then we
changed to Ruthless Ivory Players, Deep Root Disciples, Primitive Elements,
and finally about two years ago we decided to alter the name for good to
Solid Entity. I actually came up with the name during a phone conversation
with Psych. There are actually two meanings behind the name. The first is
that our group persona is very solid but at the same time it can’t be labeled
as one single entity that can be defined. This works to our benefit allowing
us to adapt to different styles. Also, the two of us together are each forces
to be reckoned with but together we stand as one solid entity.
What do you think of Mainstream Hip Hop?
Both- We look at mainstream hip-hop for what is, we don’t have a hatred for
it like a lot of people seem to. While we don’t necessarily feel a lot of the
artists, we’re not going to knock someone else for doing their thing. The
important thing is that you stay true to yourself and don’t sacrifice your
integrity and creativity by being signed. If staying true to yourself means
that you need to dance, flash gold and ice, and push a Bentley fine. That’s
not us and it never will be but it’s cool. One of the mainstream artists
we’re both really feeling right now though is Ludacris.
What inspired you to become a hip hop artist?
Rekks- I was actually into heavy metal music when I was in high school, but
one day Specs and his group, the Chaotic Tribe invited me over to their house
to watch them rhyme and scratch. From that minute I was hooked and I knew
that I had found the pot at the end of the rainbow. I can’t imagine life
without music and I can’t really envision myself doing anything but music.
Psych- Well back in the day, I used to breakdance and beatbox, not very well
I might add, but damn you should see my body wave! Anyway that naturally got
me into listening to rap music around 1983. I grew up on Run-DMC, Whodini,
The Fat Boys, and UTFO. I never thought I would actually start rhyming until
I met Rekks, and I’m glad I did because it’s one of the few things in life
that I truly have a passion for.
What other hip hop groups do you listen to?
Rekks- 2Pac, Nas, Eric B and Rakim, Shyne, Ludacris, Biggie, The Liks,
Beatnuts, Kool G. Rap, 1st album Cappadonna, The Genius, Everlast and House
of Pain, Casual, and Heltah Skeltah are just a few.
Psychlone- Hmm let’s see. I’ve been a longtime fan of Hieroglyphics, Saafir,
Pharaoh Monche, Rakim, Kane, G Rap, PE, BDP, NWA, and Scarface but right now
I find myself bumping MOP a lot. They have an intensity that just can’t be
matched and I appreciate the rawness.
Do you have a history as a “netcee”, rhyming on text postboards, etc? If so,
please tell us about it, the people you’ve met, etc.
Rekks: Netceeing is cool, I don’t have a problem with it, it’s just not
something that I’ve ever personally been involved with.
Psych: There was a point in the mid to late nineties where I stopped rhyming
for a little while due to various personal reasons. I started posting text
rhymes at the old AOL MMC boards. I thought it was kind of stupid at first
but before you knew it I was hooked. I joined my first online crew called the
Roman Legion and we ruled those boards for a bit before things started
getting stale. I then signed up for the first March Madness text tourney and
made it to the Elite Eight where I lost to Deacon the Villain. This fueled
my desire for battling and I entered the Last Dynasty Temple Tourney Three
text tourney which I managed to win defeating Hell Dwella in the finals. I
then migrated to Sethro’s which at the time was the best site on the Net for
posting lyrics. I met a lot of cool people there like JLC, Radius, E2, Trap,
The Rose/Comedian, Anu, Epidemic, Ebroheem, EbbnFlow, Aloe, Zexec, Kno, 100
Proof, the list goes on and on. I joined Mpire for a while but regretfully I
never really did much with it except use it as part of my signature. Probably
the funniest thing that happened to me online was after winning TT3, I
challenged the previous winner Jugga The Bully to an audio battle. I ended up
rhyming over a GZA beat and Jugga never answered back, but I had some dope,
humorous lines in there and I still think I could have taken the fat bastard.
No offense Jugz, ha.
How would you describe your music?
Rekks: Free and raw with a heavy emphasis on flow. I would say dark, poetic,
and versatile are three other adjectives that would describe our music.
Psychlone: I would agree with Rekks but would like to add that while we’ll
always love to drop battle raps over instrumentals we can get very personal
with our lyrics when we want to. Many of the songs from our album are things
that we wanted to get off of our chest and express that are very true to life
and easy to identify with.
How would you describe yourself?
Rekks: I’m a very open minded person but I have my own views on life that I
stay true to no matter what other people think. My sense of humor is
definitely nuts but I’m as serious as anyone when it comes to producing or
rhyming.
Psychlone: I’m kind of a loner, I have few friends but the ones I do are very
close to me and I consider them family. I have a lot of interests in life and
consider myself a well-rounded person. I have a master’s degree in business
and plan to use that to my advantage when dealing with record companies in
the future so be warned entertainment lawyers!
What are your future musical plans?
Rekks: I would like to produce and work with other solo artists and groups in
hopes of building an empire of extremely talented people. I would like to
make Red Potion a label that is more recognizable in the near future. I’m
constantly making beats and writing, also we just wrapped up a new song for a
compilation that should be dropping in the next couple of months
Psychlone: Right now I’m working with an associate of mine named Pendulumz, a
very talented MC from Harrisburg, VA, on an EP. I would like to start
recording some solo material soon as well as begin working on the follow up
to Worth the Weight.
Out of the songs you’ve created, what is your personal favorite, and why?
Rekks: Probably Introspection because we just killed that track with the
flow alone. Some of my other personal favorites though are: Mic Surgery,
Worth the Weight, and a song called Takin’ Over which we released on the
Internet a while ago.
Psychlone: My favorite is Crazy in the Clutch, not specifically because of
the lyrics or the flow
but more the attitude behind the song. Other favorites of mine are
Introspection and an old demo song that we did with Specs called “Why do
Dem?” Very dope.
Where can fans listen to some of your music?
Psychlone: To hear snippets of all the tracks on the album go to
https://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=13966CD
Also you can hear a song produced by DJ KNO entitled, Wet Your Appetite, at
https://www.mp3.com/solidentity and a song with Pendulumz called,
Scatterbrains, at https://www.soundclick.com/solidentity
Have you ever rocked events, if so, what was your favorite event you rocked?
Rekks: We’ve performed on quite a few occasions in the Washington DC area but
our favorite show was probably at the Lizard Lounge in Alexandria, VA. We
were in a group with Specs at the time and just killed it for an hour it was
great. We’re actually in the process of trying to line up some shows now so
if there any promoters out there who would like us to book us please contact
us at [email protected].
How long have you been rhyming? How do you see hip hop, and you? Do you see
Hip Hop as a religion, art, culture, a career, job, or just a hobby?
Rekks: 1985 was the year I wrote my first rhyme. I see Solid Entity as an
underground group with passion that may not be liked by everybody but doesn’t
really give a fuck. I see hip-hop as an art and a culture primarily,
definitely not a hobby or a job.
Psychlone: In 1989 I christened my notepad with ink. I see Solid Entity as a
group that does what they want, that doesn’t try and fit in with the latest
fad or gimmick. I also see hip-hop as an art and culture. A career would be
nice but I’ll always be writing and rhyming for myself regardless of whether
I’m signed or not. If we were signed to major label I would still like to
make and release strictly underground albums on our own label.
Do you have any hip hop quotables that you live by? Any song lyrics ever
touched you?
Rekks: There’s too many to name but if I had to pick one 2 liner it would
have to be from Rakim. “Any stage I’m seen on or mic I fiend on, I stand
alone and need nothin to lean on”. KRS-One’s lyrics have also really touched
me in a lot of ways.
Psychlone: I could go on for days listing quotables but I always loved Big
Daddy Kane’s verse on the Symphony, especially: “I rip many places on regular
basis, and broken down mics were the only traces That I’d been there and
there at the party. The mic had my prints, and on it was a body” Some of
2Pac’s lyrics from his softer side have given me chills before, also Saafir,
Large Professor, NWA, and just about every verse from Pharaoh Monche off of
the Stress album.
Tell us about your recent album, Worth the Weight. Is it the success you
expected?
Both: The primary goal for Worth the Weight was to make Solid Entity stand
out in the world of underground hip-hop. Having gotten support from Boiling
Point Distribution, Hip Hop Infinity, and DaHipHopPlace in particular we feel
that our name is now more recognizable. We both are extremely happy with the
way the CD turned out but we both feel that our best work is yet to come.
How did you hook up with “deeply rooted underground” artists like JLC, and
Specs? In fact, tell us how you met these two artists?
Rekks: As I mentioned earlier, I went to high school with Specs and the rest
of the Chaotic Tribe, he was the person who really influenced me and got me
into rhyming. All three of our styles meshed really well together and we
eventually became a group called the Deep Root Disciples. For various reasons
we ended up going our separate ways but we will always be close and we hope
to work with Specs a lot more in the future.
Psychlone: I ended up meeting JLC online. We actually repped Mpire and the
Internet crew ELITE together so it was inevitable that we would end up
working offline as well. JLC is an outstanding freestyler who is currently
working on an EP and also a compilation album so be on the lookout for him
very soon.
Tell us about the track “Crazy In The Clutch”, concepts behind this very
tight track, etc?
Both: This is our anthem. We basically just wrote whatever came to mind and
just ripped it. The Casual scratch was just the icing on the cake. This too
was actually a demo song but we liked it so much we put it on the album. To
sum up the theme of the song, the feeling that we both get when ripping the
mic is comparable to being temporarily insane. That’s dangerous.
What’s the story with “Armed to the Teeth”?
Psychlone: Ahh, Armed to the Teeth. This was a solo song I did for the album
where most either loved it or hated it. It seems like a lot of people didn’t
catch onto the fact that I was simply doing a parody of horrorcore. I wasn’t
trying to sound like Eminem or anything like that. Not to mention any names
but some of the artists in this genre take themselves a little too seriously
so I thought it would be fun to poke fun at them in a corny type of way. I
like the song personally especially the switchup beat at the end. Anyway, for
those who haven’t heard it yet check it out.
Where can fans purchase a copy of the album Worth the Weight?
Rekks: The CD can be purchased in the online stores at www.hiphophotspot.com,
www.hiphopinfinity.com, www.ughh.com, and www.soundclick.com. Also any store
owners can contact Gene from Boiling Point Distribution at:
[email protected] to order the CD directly from our distributor.
What online resources have been a help in getting your album out there, and
lending their promotional support to your project?
Psychlone: The two biggest resources that have helped promote us have been
DaHipHopPlace.com and HipHopInfinity.com. Gene from Boiling point has also
been very helpful with advertising and promotion. Also, I’d like to thank
Formless for playing our stuff on his radio show, entitled Time Travel. The
show can be heard on live webcast Friday mornings from 12am-3am Eastern time
at https://server.wnur.org/
Any plans for the follow-up album?
Rekks: I’m going to produce some cuts but we do plan on enlisting some
outside production as well. I think what we’re going to do is examine our
best songs and styles from Worth the Weight, and focus that energy into the
direction for the next album. We plan on taking our time with it so it may be
a little while before it’s released.
Do you have any shout outs you would like to make?
Rekks: God, Mom and Dad, sis and little bro (not so little any mo), all my
friends that have have been so supportive, esp Brian, Tower Records, Ray and
Yogi Records in DC, Sumadra, Texas P, Aniekan, DJ Pasha, Apocalypse, JLC,
GRS, and everyone else you know who you are…….and last but not least my
boy Psychloooooooooooone!!!!!!!!!
Psych: Yeah I’d like to thank DaHipHopPlace for interviewing us, and all the
support that they’ve shown so far, my family, Boiling Point Distribution, Jay
Seagraves at Hip Hop Infinity, Pendulumz, Dialekt, Rob Viktum, Formless, DJ
Kno, Deacon, JLC, Specs, DJ Direct, Niko from strictlyug.net for reviewing
our album, Epidemic, Ebroheem, EbbnFlow, The Comedian, PureLyrics, and all
the other DJ’s, store owners, and fans that support what we’re about.
Interview By DaHipHopPlace.Com
