thaFormula.com - You once said that rappers should know their worth as entertainers, what exactly did you mean by that?

Styles P - It's a dangerous business.  If you don’t watch your paperwork and what’s going on with it you will be up shits creek in a short amount of time.  Then you got publishing and a lot of ins and outs of the game.  If you don’t take the time out to learn it, ain’t nobody gonna take the time out to teach you.  Most likely you will end up getting jerked around.  You got to know that you’re coming into a game that’s a business.

thaFormula.com - For those that don’t know, why is publishing such an important part of the game?

Styles P - Because that's what pays you down the line.  It’s what keeps the checks coming in.

thaFormula.com - Was the first Lox album what you guys really wanted to put out compared to what actually came out?

Styles P - Yeah.  I mean not the whole thing.  I mean we were happy with the results of the album, we just didn’t like the atmosphere.  We just didn’t like the label we was on at the time.  We felt we didn’t fit in.

thaFormula.com - What made you guys decide to go towards the Ruff Ryders direction?

Styles P - They was already our managers so we already knew them and had a relationship with them.

thaFormula.com - And how was that album compared to the first and was that the kind of album you really wanted to drop?

Styles P - Yeah, we were definitely feelin’ it.  It was more street.  We had more creative control over it and it was just more comfortable ‘cause that was already our peoples.

thaFormula.com - So with that said, did that album do what you hoped it would do for you guys?

Styles P - Actually the first one sold better then that one, but we liked the results and how people gravitated to that one more.  So in the end they both worked out cool for us.

thaFormula.com - When you put out your first solo album, how did that feel and how did that turn out for you?

Styles P - It felt great.  I love that album and people loved the album so it was all good to me.  It did more then what I thought it would do.

thaFormula.com - When you were in prison, how would everyone look at the Hip-Hop beef that was going on and why did you decide to name your album “Time is Money?”

Styles P - I don’t think they viewed it as beef and everybody is up on Hip-Hop there because they came from the streets mostly. And as far as beef, I just don’t think they consider that real beef anyway.  As far as the album title name, “Time is Money,” if you play with time, you play with your money so that’s what I named it.

thaFormula.com - So production wise who did you reach out to for this album?

Styles P - Hi-Tek, Scott Storch, Lil Jon, Divine from Ruff Ryders, and a few others.  As far as artists on there I got Talib Kweli, Jagged Edge, Sizzla, Marsha from Floetry and god bless the dead, the great Gerald Levert.

thaFormula.com - So was this a little easier for you to put together then the first album?

Styles P - All the putting together process is pretty much the same as it is now.  I don’t have much difficulty putting it together.  I was just in a more serious state of mind when I was making this particular album.

thaFormula.com - What are some of the things that a new artist should look at before signing to a label?

Styles P - You got to look at the independent labels before you look at signing to a label, that’s what you should look at.

thaFormula.com - Why is that man?

Styles P - Make more money.  More ownership.  

thaFormula.com - Some artists feel that there could be more money on the major side because of the show money?

Styles P - Nah, I don't agree with that.  Because you get 7 dollars off of sellin’ a independent record and you don’t even get a dollar off of selling a major record.  That’s reason enough right there. And if it’s your project you’re still gonna do shows anyway.  They’re gonna book you anyway.

thaFormula.com - But doesn’t your show money go up when your on a major?

Styles P - Your show money goes up depending on your spins and how big your song is.  It don’t got nothing to do with the record label.  The record label doesn’t book your shows, your manager books your shows.  Seven dollars to one dollar is all I can tell you.  I don’t see how it adds up as far as your shows.  The shows got nothing to do with your record sells.  The shows are something totally different from record sells.  It’s got nothing to do with record sales.  It has to do with hot songs and whether you are getting booked or not.

thaFormula.com - How do you feel about Hip-Hop at this moment?

Styles P – Hip-Hop fucking sucks right now.  It will definitely be back around though on the day I drop, December 19th bro.

feedback: info@thaformula.com

Be  sure to join the over 600,000 Industry Heads that have signed up to our exclusive mailing list!!  Click here to join and receive exclusive interviews only available to members. Leave contact info ( name, email address, city, state, and country) at info@thaformula.com.