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ThaFormula.com - How's the new album looking?

Phil Da Agony - Right now were just working on finishing up a couple of more cuts and we should be finished sometime by the end of the year.  We are looking at releasing it in March.

ThaFormula.com - How did Xzibit get on the project?  How did this come about and change up things?

Phil Da Agony - I mean, it ain't really changing up.  It's just adding on to what we had going.  We are keeping most of the material that we already had and were just adding on to it with more songs.  Were bringing a couple of producers in like Hi - Tek.  Hopefully Bink and Dr. Dre and you know were just trying to make it a bigger album then what it had potentially set out to be.  Were just trying to make it ten times that.  A good way of doing that is just coming to the table with producers and artists that a lot of people are already familiar with.  At the same time, I always believe I can hold my own, but my album is a different type of album.  I talk about different things.  I'm a different type of L.A. cat from what the world really perceives L.A. as being.  As far as being where I am and how old I am and all that shit right now.  

ThaFormula.com - What made you reach out to Xzibit to executive produce your album?

Phil Da Agony - I didn't really reach out to X.  X is one of the first cats to really take me on tour.  The Alkaholiks took me on my first tour back in the early 90's with Xzibit during his first record Speed Of Life all through the states.  It was the X - Men tour, which was Sadat X and Xzibit and that was when the Wild Cowboy album was out.  Remember that album?  That was a hot album.

ThaFormula.com - Wow! How was that tour man?

Phil Da Agony - That was a great tour.  I got a chance and an opportunity to meet and do a lot of performances.  It was tight.  I met a lot of influential people like Krs and shit like that.  He actually wrote a book, a lot of people don't know.  It's called The Science of Rap and at the time he had just published it and gave us all copies of it.  I read it while I was on tour and it was kind of like a rap guide and it was dope.  I performed at the Apollo back in 95 and shit.  I used to watch it on T.V. before that. Then I looked at the roof of The Apollo and said, damn they need some home improvement, and they need to fix the ceilings up.  It was all love though cause all great talent runs through the Apollo at some point I guess.  

ThaFormula.com - So did you bring Xzibit in so you can get guys like Hi-Tek and Dre?

Phil Da Agony - Nah, actually Hi-Tek and me got the same management so we hooked up on some other shit.  Actually I was introduced to him back in the day from Talib originally.  Talib is a good friend of mine who is also on the album.  I mean these are people I reached out to myself.  I got Ras on the same song as Talib, and that's an ill song on some lyricist shit.  I got Kurupt on the album.  I been have Kurupt on the album.  This wasn't stuff I had X reach out and do.  I respect his formula on how he puts an album together, especially his last one and a lot of his business moves.  That's why I brought him on board.   It was more kind of like to just check shit out on some, I'm still doing my Kobe-Shaq shit, but you just Phil Jackson right quick.  Every time Likwit Crew comes out, we always put each other on each other's albums.  From new artists, to you know King Tee, myself, Defari, or whoever it may be.  

ThaFormula.com - How is The Likwit Crew album looking.  Do you see that as something that will be possible?

Phil Da Agony - With The Likwit Album we have got to find the best deal.  Everybody has offered us as individuals Likwit Crew deals, and a lot of times we weren't interested, and sometimes we might have been.  But we need to sit down at a long table with like maybe 25 chairs and discuss a real Likwit Crew album because that's how many influential heads it will have to do with.

ThaFormula.com - So is it the money thing?

Phil Da Agony - No, it's not really the money thing.  It's just an understanding thing.  It's about understanding the whole picture and what it's about.  We have got offered deals for good money and we have got offered deals for regular original deal money, but we wanna find the right deal and the right time to come out with the Likwit Crew album.

ThaFormula.com - Can you break down for me the guests and producers on your album?

Phil Da Agony - Mainly I got Barber Shop on production.  That's my family where I came out of.  I got Joey Chavez, Evidence did a joint, and I still got about 5 more joints to record.  It could be anywhere from a producer like Mike City to myself producing something or E - Swift of course.  Mc's? I got Talib, Kurupt, Xzibit, Defari, King Tee, Ras Kass, but like I said, whatever can happen between here and the end of the album.  

ThaFormula.com - Is the album title still gonna be The Body Of Christ?

Phil Da Agony - Actually I changed it to Philharmonics.  That's the new album title.

ThaFormula.com - Are you planning on using The Body Of Christ some other time?

Phil Da Agony - Definitely a concept that I'm gonna bring to the table. Not at this time, but I'm still working on that album.  When I started recording most of the new stuff and doing the rest of the album like from where I am now, it was just more like a Philharmonics album.  It was just more fast paced, and the music sounded harmonical on some hip hop shit, but the instruments and sounds that were going through it was definitely on some Philharmonics shit.

ThaFormula.com - Did having Xzibit come in on the project open you eyes to a few things you might not have known about?

Phil Da Agony - A lot of things I've know about from just being around and checkin shit out, but one thing about X is that he's real picky on his beat selections, so I think these last beats we pick for songs that we rhyme on will be like something that the majority will be on a lot more.  He puts a lot of hot beats on, and he's got a really good ear for that.

ThaFormula.com - How did you feel about the Freddie Foxxx show you did?

Phil Da Agony - It went real cool.  I did my thang.  I came out and did "Kronkite", which was a song I had with my people overseas in London.  I also did "Clear The Lane" and I brought Defari out and I did a little freestyle session with my man Krondon who is also on the album.  We wrapped it up with "Watch Out", which is my latest single I just put out like last month.  Truthfully, I got an infection in my tooth. My jaw is swollen and I feel like I got a golf sized tooth.  I look like Marlon Brando in Godfather 1.  You can print all this shit too, word up.  I'm just waiting for the swelling to go down.  That's part of all feeling the agony though.  So I was feeling that shit a little bit at the show, but other then that I was feeling good.  I got a chance to chop it up with Pete Rock and I was just at Pete's house like 2 months prior listening to beats and shit for the album.

ThaFormula.com - So are you gonna have Pete on the album?

Phil Da Agony - Yeah, I think I might have Pete on the album.  I wanted to get with him before he left.  If he gets a chance to read this article tell Pete my bad.  I'm gonna definitely call him up and we gonna go through these beats, cause he gave me a hot CD of beats that's ridiculous. But other then that, I felt that the mics could have been a little bit better. But other then that it was all good.  How did you feel about the show?

ThaFormula.com - I thought the sound was pretty bad.

Phil Da Agony - You thought the sound was fucked up right? Other then that everything is everything.  It's always a struggle with that.  When I really do get in a place where the sound is right, it's an awesome event.  I mean I can even feel the energy between me and the people that are in there.  I did a show at Elements one time that was incredible.  It was one of the best shows I ever did.  That's important though.  It's important that the people know that it don't be the artists lots of times.  It be that fucked up sound, but fuck it, you got to do your thing anyways.  You got to shine regardless. 

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