Up and coming Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson recently took out time from his busy schedule to chop it up with Sixshot about his outlook on the hip hop industry and his upcoming projects.
What's good man? How's life?
Everything is good man, life is great, and I’m just staying busy and staying out of trouble.
You're from the Midwest. Growing up, did you listen to hip-hop from the East or the West? Was there a preference?
I listened to it all, no matter what. Scarface, Kane, G Rap, NWA, Eazy E, basically everybody from anywhere but I mostly liked that uncut stuff. If it was raw it didn't matter where it came from.
You were extremely close with Proof. Was Proof a big influence on you?
Yeah, he definitely was but mainly from a friendship standpoint though. He was a great guy and he was always smiling and joking. He was very down to earth.
His death was a shame. It was untimely and seemed so senseless. How did his death affect you?
It hurt me a lot. It let me know that no matter what you do, snakes can take it away from you at any given moment.
You've worked with J Dilla. He’s a legend amongst legends. The best of the best look up to that man. What was that like? What kind of a person was he?
It was so incredible working with Dilla! He was a humble guy and it didn't seem like he was the guy that made all that good music. He was just real down to earth and didn't carry an ego.
Many people do but why do you personally consider him the best of all time?
I mean, he sonically changed the game. Even right now you can hear his influence on hip-hop and R&B.
Take us through the creative process of a Guilty Simpson Song from beginning to end. Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. STRONG>
I just need the weed, Henny, and the beat. Sometimes I write without a beat. I don't really structure my rhyme around punch lines, what I do is I take it line by line. A lot of rappers only use the last words on the rhyme to say something of meaning, you know what I mean? I mean the connecting part at the end of each line. However, the first part of these lines ain't saying nothing and it comes out sounding wack. I take the whole verse serious from beginning to end.
You’re all from Detroit. Do you have close personal relationships with Trick Trick, Eminem, and D12?
Trick and D12 yes. As far as Eminem, I don't really know him like that.
I know you have some opinions on the state of hip-hop. What do you feel you are bringing to the table that the game is missing?
There needs to be a lot more focus on lyrics, the art of constructing the rhyme.
With all the ringtone joints out, how important are lyrics to you?
It's definitely critical if you want longevity. If all you want is just a quick check, it's not important at all.
How do you feel about hip-hop overall today? Is it lacking? Is it where it should be?
I think there are a lot of talented people out here but they don't get the attention they deserve. I think hip-hop is misrepresented right now overall.
Touring is big for you and you make sure you perform a lot. Which cities do you enjoy besides Detroit?
I like Amsterdam, L.A, New York, Oslo, and Norway.
Now that your name is bubbling so hard, are a lot of people putting deals on the table?
Yeah everybody wants to talk business now.
What projects can we expect to see from Guilty Simpson in the near future?
Ode to the Ghetto, check for Random Axe, which is myself, Black Milk, and Sean P, Almighty Dreadnaughtz which is my crew, we got GOON Sqwad, and many more things, I make sure I stay busy at all times.
Anything you'd like to say to your fans at Sixshot.com?
1st quarter next year, Ode to the Ghetto, everybody go cop that.
What's good man? How's life?
Everything is good man, life is great, and I’m just staying busy and staying out of trouble.
You're from the Midwest. Growing up, did you listen to hip-hop from the East or the West? Was there a preference?
I listened to it all, no matter what. Scarface, Kane, G Rap, NWA, Eazy E, basically everybody from anywhere but I mostly liked that uncut stuff. If it was raw it didn't matter where it came from.
You were extremely close with Proof. Was Proof a big influence on you?
Yeah, he definitely was but mainly from a friendship standpoint though. He was a great guy and he was always smiling and joking. He was very down to earth.
His death was a shame. It was untimely and seemed so senseless. How did his death affect you?
It hurt me a lot. It let me know that no matter what you do, snakes can take it away from you at any given moment.
You've worked with J Dilla. He’s a legend amongst legends. The best of the best look up to that man. What was that like? What kind of a person was he?
It was so incredible working with Dilla! He was a humble guy and it didn't seem like he was the guy that made all that good music. He was just real down to earth and didn't carry an ego.
Many people do but why do you personally consider him the best of all time?
I mean, he sonically changed the game. Even right now you can hear his influence on hip-hop and R&B.
Take us through the creative process of a Guilty Simpson Song from beginning to end. Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. STRONG>
I just need the weed, Henny, and the beat. Sometimes I write without a beat. I don't really structure my rhyme around punch lines, what I do is I take it line by line. A lot of rappers only use the last words on the rhyme to say something of meaning, you know what I mean? I mean the connecting part at the end of each line. However, the first part of these lines ain't saying nothing and it comes out sounding wack. I take the whole verse serious from beginning to end.
You’re all from Detroit. Do you have close personal relationships with Trick Trick, Eminem, and D12?
Trick and D12 yes. As far as Eminem, I don't really know him like that.
I know you have some opinions on the state of hip-hop. What do you feel you are bringing to the table that the game is missing?
There needs to be a lot more focus on lyrics, the art of constructing the rhyme.
With all the ringtone joints out, how important are lyrics to you?
It's definitely critical if you want longevity. If all you want is just a quick check, it's not important at all.
How do you feel about hip-hop overall today? Is it lacking? Is it where it should be?
I think there are a lot of talented people out here but they don't get the attention they deserve. I think hip-hop is misrepresented right now overall.
Touring is big for you and you make sure you perform a lot. Which cities do you enjoy besides Detroit?
I like Amsterdam, L.A, New York, Oslo, and Norway.
Now that your name is bubbling so hard, are a lot of people putting deals on the table?
Yeah everybody wants to talk business now.
What projects can we expect to see from Guilty Simpson in the near future?
Ode to the Ghetto, check for Random Axe, which is myself, Black Milk, and Sean P, Almighty Dreadnaughtz which is my crew, we got GOON Sqwad, and many more things, I make sure I stay busy at all times.
Anything you'd like to say to your fans at Sixshot.com?
1st quarter next year, Ode to the Ghetto, everybody go cop that.
