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ThaFormula.com - Did this album finally give you guys that breakthrough you had been looking for?

J - Ro - We pretty much happy with the success of all of our albums because when we started off with Loud, it was just a independent label.  Since we came on, we basically just been steadily rising since then.  If we don't hit 1 million or 2 on  hit, it's cool because we are sellin enough records to keep the machine rollin.  What's good is that each album keeps goin up though.  It's not going down.   

ThaFormula.com - Did The Neptunes producin the first single help the album?

E - Swift - It helped in a certain market, you know what I mean.  It helped us get a little more radio play at a time when we needed it.  It helped us, but it wasn't the whole reason why this album was more successful then our past albums.

J - Ro - It also helped us get more naked women on our DVD.

ThaFormula.com - What made you guys reach out to The Neptunes for this album?

J - Ro - They reached out to us actually.  They were long time fans of our music.  They were like, "Yeah, we know all your albums and we always wanted to do some music with you all," so that's how that happened.

ThaFormula.com - Did Xzibit blowin up like he did help you guys also?

J - Ro - Yeah, definitely.  I mean that was always the plan.  That's why we came up with a Likwit Crew in the first place because whoever comes up, that's what's gonna raise all of us up.  So it was cool that Dr. Dre and Snoop saw his talent, the same way we saw it.  That was cool that they spotted that and now he's out of control.    

ThaFormula.com - Do you guys ever look back at a video like King Tee's "I Got It Bad Y'all" and say, those were the greatest days?

E - Swift - I like every year man.  I haven't had one bad year yet.  That was a stepping stone.  That was like the beginning, so you know we appreciate that.  But now is the time when we are really getting to do what we always wanted to do and that's tour more, and keep making albums every year.  We got a few albums coming out next year.  I'm livin for now.  Back then was cool.  For everybody that was like their first video where we got alot of experience and stuff and training.  That was like boot camp.  

ThaFormula.com - How do you feel about the underground scene now.  Do you see what's happening there now or not?

The Liks - Yeah, like our boys man.  Phil Da Agony, Dilated Peoples, and groups like that.  Those are the people that we pretty much, uh, I don't wanna say molded because they always had there own thing.  To be honest with you, we never purposely wanted to be underground.  The Liks were put in that category, but we was never like, "We wanna be underground."  We were all just trying to make hits for real, but with our style.  We weren't trying to copy nobody and come out with there style to make a hit.  We was always trying to make hits.  We were trying to sell records and all that.  We got put in the underground just because of the natural style that we possess.  We loved it though and we got much love for the underground.  So we wanna give it up to all the L.A. underground people that are still keepin it poppin man.  We been in this game since the late 80's, so you know were just really trying to keep it movin anyway we can.  I love when rap takes over the world.  You got pop rap and all that man, I love it.  They told me it was gonna die out.  Now they are going to watch Will Smith in movies and all that.  

ThaFormula.com - Are you or E - Swift doing any solo albums?

E - Swift - I'm doing one right now.  Rappin, producin, engineering and everything.  Im gonna do my own artwork and all that.  I don't know the name of it, but it's gonna have all my Likwit crew on it.  It's gonna be like a Likwit crew album, but more like a E - Swift Likwit Crew album.

ThaFormula.com - How did you hook up with The Kottonmouth Kings Swift?

E - Swift - They were just fans of ours and they just reached out to me to do the remix of one of there tracks and that's all it was.  We done a couple of shows with them.  They are real cool dudes and they are fans of ours so we showed the live back, and I gave them some E - Swift stuff. 

ThaFormula.com - Where do you place a group like Kottonmouth Kings as far as hip hop goes?

J - Ro - They are just kids who grew up listening to hip hop, punk, and everything.  The music they made was the same shit they listen to, so that's what comes out in there songs or whatever.

ThaFormula.com - Are you guys gonna be on the King Tee album?  

E - Swift - Yeah.  U don't know how many tracks were gonna do on it.  We won't know till it's done.

ThaFormula.com - J - Ro, how come you never dropped a solo album?  

J - Ro - I just haven't had one yet.  I'm starting a record label called wolfpack records and I got a few other things crackin.  Just being in the Liks is alot of work there.  So I really wasn't trippin off of making a solo album.  If it really called for it that bad, I'll do it.  But I'm not gonna do it just for me.  If that's what the people want we'll make it happen.   

ThaFormula.com - Tash, what's going on with your solo album.  Is there another one in the works?

Tash - Yeah, were definitely trying to knock it out before the end of January, so it will be out sometime in March or April. 

ThaFormula.com - How did the first album do for you? 

Tash - It did pretty good man.  It opened alot of doors for me.  I mean there is people out there going 7 or 9 million times platinum. If you look at it on that scale, it didn't do shit.  If you look at it as almost Gold scale or shit like that, then it did it's thing.  It didn't go Gold, but I'm still proud of it because it opened the doors I wanted it to open.  We reached alot of fans that I would have never reached if I didn't make that album. 

ThaFormula.com - So what are you looking to change up on this album compared to your last? 

Tash - I mean, we got a formula and were just gonna stick to the script.  Were just gonna keep putting out that Likwit funk.  

ThaFormula.com - Alot of people seemed to have slept on your album.  Why do you think that is?

Tash - Yeah, well people are gonna sleep, but that's why we keep doing it man.  As long as you know we got the opportunity to make music were cool.  Their is alot of groups out there that they don't crack there first hit until there 7th album or 8th album and everything so we kinda old school like that where we don't really trip off of playing ourselves to try to fit in with what's going on.  

ThaFormula.com - Why don't you work with Madlib and the Lootpack anymore?

Tash - I don't know man.  They just went and did there own thing.  I ain't got no problems with that.  I called him alot, but he was working on his thing so it didn't really work out cause we were both busy.  He was doing his thing with his group and we were doing our thing with our group, so it just didn't happen.  I mean I would love to work with him, but he be overseas alot and we be overseas alot, but at different times.  We be on tour alot, they be on tour alot so we ain't really crossed paths yet.

ThaFormula.com - So what ore you working on now?

Tash - I'm doing an album with Kurupt called DNA and that's just gonna be me and Kurupt head up.  Then J - Ro, he got's a thing called The Vapors and that's with everybody.  All the Dogg Pound, a bunch of new artists, and the whole thing.  But the DNA with me and Kurupt stands for Dogg Pound And The Alkoholiks, but it's gonna be me and Kurupt's album head up.

ThaFormula.com - How is that project looking so far?

Tash - I mean we are still working on it right now.  We ain't done yet.  Right now, E - Swift is gonna do alot of it.  We are gonna get Mel Man.  We are gonna get Rick Rock.  Definitely wanna get Fred Wreck on there.  So it's gonna be some West Coast shit for sure, but we just now starting on it, so I can't even speak anymore on it till it's done.  But I can tell you that it's gonna be Cavi though!

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