ThaFormula.com - In 2005 you dropped the album "Who's Hard," how did that end up doing for you?

Big Shug - "Who's Hard" could have did better with better help from the label, but the guy that put the record out was more interested in making quotas for his distribution deals then putting the artist out there. The thing that it did do though is it set the table for this album because it did get in a lot of places and I was able to travel and tour. I also was able to notice how many places just didn't have it so at every show I would be selling crazy albums. So it did set the table. I did go to Asia, Singapore, Europe, East Coast, West Coast and my shit was all over the place. So on that note it was good. But like I said, the machine was corny and I find that out after the fact. Also, I sold a whole bunch of the mix tapes, "Never Say Die" before it and the guy had struck a deal with that unbeknownst to us so he was just about trying to make his dollars and putting himself in certain positions. I was surprised in a way because he sounded more confident of how he was gonna do stuff but then his staff was corny. He was firing people like every week so I seen that it was a lot of bullshit.

ThaFormula.com - As far as the touring, reviews and respect, were you happy on the part?

Big Shug - Not totally. I did get a lot of reviews and I had a lot of interviews and a lot of pub, but there was a few joints on that album that was like 8 to 10 years old. So I still knew I had more newness and more readiness to present to the world, but things had to come out like that because Premier was spear heading it and then some of the songs were just for when my album came out. It's funny because I got a lot of good reviews on some of the older songs and then people had certain comments o about talking about sounding old school on certain things. It really didn't bother me because I knew that they had no idea that some songs were 8 to 10 years old. But with Premier it's like timeless with the music so that's why they were able to still bang them.

ThaFormula.com - Now it is 2007 and in your eyes how much has Hip-Hop changed just in the past 2 years alone?

Big Shug - From that point it's not really a whole lot different because it still was simple pop orientated songs on the radio. Still the same top 40 games, the independent boom is still strong and it's probably a million more rappers so its not really that much different. The thing is people just have to go back to the core right now. It's almost like when LL made that song "Mama Said Knock You Out." He got caught up in this ego and caught up in the times where he really had to go back to the core of his music and that's what worked and that's the same thing with the industry. Everything can't be just as simple as a catchy hook and simple lyrics and a beat. There is a lot more to offer in this game.

ThaFormula.com - How much has the radio show you and Premier have on Sirius Radio benefited you and how did that come about for you?

Big Shug - Well basically it benefits us because it gives us a worldwide platform being that it's broadcasted worldwide. That's number one and I am already internationally known from my affiliation with Gangstarr. So it's a benefit because I get to play songs and people get to hear more Big Shug. It came about because Premier had this show for more than a year where he was pre-taping it and it was just music. They said they wanted to go live with it, but when they wanted him to go live he said I have this dude in the camp that his personality is out there and everybody loves the way Shug does his thing on that level too and we need to bring him on. At first they were skeptical because they just wanted him to do it, but then once I did my first show with him, they were like it's a thousand times better. No disrespect to Premier but it was 1000 times better with me on it, so therefore here we go.

ThaFormula.com - What surprises have you guys faced with Satellite Radio that you guys may not have been up on?

Big Shug - Well it's probably a little bigger than I thought because whenever I'm up there the phones light up like crazy. So many people that are grateful for us having this show. A lot of people wanna talk to Premier and myself. It's been great and it's gets better every week. The other day we had Pharoahe (Monch) and Talib (Kweli) on the show and then at the end we all freestyled. Now at another venue or another situation, you might not see Shug freestyling with Pharoahe and Talib because they are known as lyricists in that regard. But when people heard me that gave them that newfound respect that they didn't know because a lot of people in the industry over the years know that I'm tight with my freestyle you know. From Busta Rhymes, EPMD, G-Unit dudes like M.O.P. and all those guys know. The masses might not know, but what happened at the show made them able to see. It was showing people what time it was. So that type of shit might not have happened without the radio show.

ThaFormula.com - So after your situation with "Who's Hard," were you a bit discouraged?

Big Shug - I probably was a bit discouraged but I was like "that dude was bullshit." If I wasn't thinking I probably would have slapped the shit out of him just on GP alone but then I realized that you have to go back to the core, so I went back in and started recording 2 or 3 songs a week after I got a ton of beats from my man Moss and I took maybe 6 months or so and then once I put it together we shopped it and we got some interest. The Baby Grande situation seemed like the best one at this time and so be it. So I just went back to work man. This album is totally directed and executive produced by Shug so this is gonna represent what I truly am as a whole.

ThaFormula.com - Let's talk about the "Leg Breakers" track with Big Twin of Infamous Mobb and Sean Price. How did the concept for that track come about for you?

Big Shug - I heard that beat and that beat was just like you got to break shit up you know what I mean and I know part of my persona is hard and heavy. So it was very simple. Plus at a point in my life, that was my lifestyle. Getting my money by force if necessary and I never hesitated so when I make records it's not like I have to sit somewhere and fantasize or smoke some weed to come up with these unrealistic things. Everything I spit is an experience I had for the most part and if it's not all the way correct, it might be like 90 percent of something I did and 10 percent sensationalism because that's what music is anyway. But I don't have to make up stories. I have lived the life man. Everyone thinks their life is a movie, but I put the years in to know that what I have been through and what I have done is definitely some cinematic shit. Those who are true hustlers and might have lived that life can relate to that, the storylines and how it went down. So I was at this awards show in Boston with Premier and Twin was there. I was like "yo, I like that record you did with Alchemist, 'To the Top'" and I told him "we've got to get together and do something." So he got the beat, he liked it and he jumped on it and I jumped on it after him and then Lil Fame was supposed to get on it but he was busy doing other things so we threw the beat to Sean price because I knew him too so he hopped on it and there we have it.

ThaFormula.com - One thing I liked about the track is that the chemistry was great and you really don't get that type of chemistry between artists that often anymore…

Big Shug - Well you know what it is now too is that a lot of times guys will rhyme on tracks and they sound the same. If they don't sound the same then they have the same cadence. So the song Leg Breakers represents 3 dudes with 3 different styles and then that gives you that difference in the record. So I think that is what makes the combination of that stand out. I listen to tons of rappers from Boston and lots of different places and dudes sound the same and then they wonder why they don't have these deals. A lot of them have White boys or Asians behind them that got some loot that just keep putting out these mix tapes and all that stuff but ultimately that dude don't have no deal and isn't internationally known like Shug. The reason being is because I know I sound different and I know I present my shit different. You listen to my album and it's not like the flow is the same on all the records. There is like different shit and that's what I try to do.

ThaFormula.com - How do you feel about working with Moss and why is it that you chose him to produce most of the album?

Big Shug - I had told Dan Green which is one of my managers, that this dude Moss got some good tracks. If I didn't know somebody like Preem (DJ Premier) that I would probably do a whole album with this cat. So that's how that came to fruition. So Moss sent me a bunch of tracks and what happened was when I had a numerous amount of songs done with Moss, I said, "Preem I did these joints for this album and you got to take a listen when you get a chance." As soon as he put it in he probably called me back about 50 times. He was like "yo, this shit is crazy!" He almost might have been caught off guard because I don't think he knew what I was really doing. I just would talk to him and tell him. So he was really impressed and at first I was only gonna get one song from him for the album, but Premier was like "nah you know I got to do 3 at least." So I said alright and we did that but now him and Moss have struck up a friendship. When he heard those beats he felt this cat was ill. But mind you a lot of it has to do with picking of the beat too because that dude makes tons of beats and you know all of them ain't great. They good, but some of them might be sounding a little spacey and I joke with him on that. Some shit be spaced out and if I would have picked 30 tracks of them other joints, right now people might be saying, "damn I don't what the hell Shug is trying to do." But I know I picked the best of his shit and even the shit he did on Ghostface, I liked that too. So that's the key and Premier knows that about me, that I'm gonna pick the shit. Like the "Crush" track from years ago, I picked that shit. The "Fuck Around Lay Around" from back then I picked that. So a lot of people don't know the whole stories. Any song me and Preem do, he sits around messing with the samples or playing different shit and then I'll be like "yeah that's it right there" and then we go from there. With Moss, I did all them joints and Preem went crazy over it too but we already were in motion. Because if he was too busy, he wouldn't even have been on the album and that's no disrespect to him cause that's my man, but like I had to move and come out with something. But not the Guru route where I get some clown and just make some silly ass beats. Guru is my man too but that's a situation I don't understand. But he thought he had to do that so hopefully he will come back to earth in a few.

ThaFormula.com - People always wonder why Premier never produces more tracks for people, is Premier really that busy of a guy?

Big Shug - Yeah for the most part plus he has to have his time too. People tend to say that I'm the only person that really makes him work because I'll come out with joints and people be like "damn that joints hot," but I had tried to get at Premier like 2 months ago trying to do something. Well it's dollars and cents too but also its like I don't know, with us we still have that Gangstarr connection. Like I say on the song "Just Don't Stop" that we are the last 2 standing for Gangstarr respect because years ago it was me Hannibal Staxx, Group Home, Guru, and Jeru. It was a ton of us and now it's just me and Preem. So we are gonna always make records and that's how we even ended up having the show because we are still the ones representing the raw music. It's mad easy for me and him to go in and do songs. Like literally you know? I'll come in there tomorrow and in about an hour he will get something together and then you know I always have rhymes. I know what goes with what and he does too. There will always be records from him. But at the same time in this business as a career you can't really sit around and just be waiting for shit. Years go by and anything can happen. Since I have been in this game there have been tons of rappers that have left. For you to be in a couple of decades or so in this music and still be relevant and people still signing then there is something to be said behind that. Because ain't nobody choke nobody and grabbed nobody by no shirts for them to sign Shug to a record deal. We put the music out there and we got the responses.

ThaFormula.com - On a non-music level, is there any relationship with you guys and Guru at all?

Big Shug - Me and Premier haven't spoken to Guru in about 3 years. Since the day he told me the deal was straight then he was like "I'm out" and I haven't spoken to him since. There will always be a core because I know it has to be affecting him the fact that he was trying to come out with his "Jazzmatazz 4" or whatever but like my buzz and what I'm doing is overshadowing that and I know he hears everything because I know the type of dude he is. Even though he is a little older then me, I'm directly from the streets and he knows that and that's how we connected and that's how I started that group Gangstarr which consisted of me him and my brother DJ'ing and I was the one who wrote all our songs and coordinated our performances back in those times and I represented the street. I was the one who got the respect from the group just on my rep in the street itself, so therefore he was like a little brother dude. He also knew at one time that I was really gonna really get my shine because there is a lot of things on different albums over the years that Gangstarr did that were directly from me but no one knew that. From being in sessions and Guru saying "yo, I'm gonna use that, is that cool?" or "lets do that" or even certain shit they said in shows.

ThaFormula.com - I know times change and things change, but there is still a lot of Gangstarr fans out there that hope to get another Gangstarr album someday. In your eyes what is the main thing stopping that from happening?

Big Shug - It's basically Guru and Solaar because Guru is rolling with him and he knows that if he rolls back with us, it ain't gonna be with no Solaar because him and his boy "Homolaar" they can uh, nah I'm fucking around (laughs). Here is the thing man, I believe Premier and Guru are gonna get back together, maybe not Dap and all the rest of them but I know that Guru and Premier probably will and hence on the next album you will probably here more Shug because we have grown that much more for the world to have expected Big Shug to be with Premier out of the absence. So therefore they noticed that "okay this brothers chemistry is dope with Preem too and Guru and them are classic, but its like this dudes chemistry is there too." So of course the next project they probably do instead of hearing that one verse from Shug you will probably hear 3 songs.

ThaFormula.com - So was Solaar ever part of the team originally?

Big Shug - Nah, that clown was never no part of the team. See what I'm saying? I mean man come on? Print whatever you want man. What happened was is I guess they just got cool and Guru was like "this is my man" and we did a couple of shows with him and it seemed like he was trying to have control over Guru or whatever, and whatever his plan was with the Jedi mind tricks, I guess they worked. But guess what? The music is bullshit and the attitudes are bullshit. I mean everywhere we go you know we hearing about everything. All that "Solaar did this or said that," blah, blah and had to circle the building to make sure everything was tight. You know what I'm saying? Just stupid shit that we never did. Like he could never be a part of us. We ain't got no hate for him, whatever, but he ain't a part of us. Guru did that experiment, guess what, that experiment is wack (Laughs). That experiment did not work son. Find me some good press on anything them dudes did together and I will show you 1000 fans that will say otherwise. And that's just 1000, I could find 100,000.

ThaFormula.com - So to close it out Shug speak on the new album…

Big Shug - For people who love Hip-Hop this is a great album. You've got some soul fullness in this album, you've got the hardness of Big Shug in this album and you got the realness and it's some good music man. It's a good purchase from head to toe and I hope every one goes out to get it because it's out now and I'm gonna keep banging. Listen to us every Friday night on Sirius satellite 12:00 to 2:00 and I'm gonna keep it going.

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