I heard you guys were doing an EP each week in July to build anticipation for the album. Whose idea was that?
Budden: Who said that shit? And what week is mine coming out?
Read it somewhere on the Internet. I heard you guys were doing songs each week leading up to the full album.
Budden: That’s not something that the four of us have decided on as a cohesive unit. But we would like to build anticipation for the project. I know as a solo artist I’m willing to do any and everything in my power to try to get people excited and look forward to this project just as much as I am.
Are you guys going to put out a mixtape or something? How do you plan to build anticipation beyond the tour?
Royce: There are other things we can do. I don’t think we need a mixtape, people know what we do. I don’t think we have time to do a mixtape before we leave for the tour.
Crooked: There will be music though. There will be a variety of things to get the pump up, you know what I’m saying? But personally I don’t think we need to do a mixtape. It’s like we are a mixtape.
Budden (to Crooked): Are you gonna put an EP out in July?
Crooked: Yeah, I’m thinking about putting an EP out July 21st, just to kind of circulate through digitally and create awareness. My thing is that when it comes to the West Coast, I have to take special care to inform them about Slaughterhouse. So I’m hiring a publicist out of my own pocket to work the West for Slaughterhouse. I’m dropping things over there, and I’m putting the Slaughterhouse logo on everything from San Diego to Vancouver. That’s just something that I’m doing to further the name of Slaughterhouse, so when we get out there, and we’re in San Bernardino on August 7th or we’re in San Francisco on August 8th, I want niggas going bananas, period. So I’ll to utilize every relationship I got, whether it’s radio, whether it’s cross-street promo, whatever it is, to Slaughterhouse the game. So when we get over there, it’s like, ‘yo, we been waiting on ya’ll.’ So I’m definitely dropping an EP because I know that might awaken some that might still be sleeping. There ain’t too many people sleeping though. When I do individual shows on the West Coast, and I say ‘Ya’ll heard of Slaughterhouse’ (makes cheering noises). They get crazy. There ain’t too many people sleeping, but those who are, I’m trying to get everybody involved.
Budden: Royce, you still doing your shit on the 7th [July]?
Royce: Yeah, I think I’m looking at July 7th for my digital EP. It’s called The Revival.
Budden: I gotta tip-toe around these things because I know with release dates, and fans, I don’t want nobody getting hung up.
Royce: My shit is digital so I don’t think that’s going to matter.
Budden: Yeah, so hopefully I can play catch-up. If Royce does the 7th and Crook does the 21st, then I need to snatch the 28th or the 14th and maybe niggas (turns to Joell) will jump quick and make them do the same thing. Then you’re rumor will be correct.
OK, so when I think of groups or supergroups like you guys coming together or attempting to—groups like the Four Horsemen, Jay-Z, Ja Rule and DMX [as Murder, Inc.], The Firm—why will you guys not fail?
Budden: We’re not even in the same sentence as the Four Horsemen, no disrespect to them, because they never put out a project, an official album.
Royce: They never even got on a label.
Crooked: They never talked to you.
Budden: I mean I get it. I’m clear that the Four Horsemen are up the same alley in terms of four guys who cherish their pen game the same way that we do. But it was short lived, for whatever reason, and it didn’t work out. We don’t let this fail, individually, we won’t. We all treat it the same way we treat our solo careers, and I think that says enough about the perseverance and resilience that each one of us has. We’ve all been through the turmoil and trials and tribulations and went through the gun smoke and came out unscathed.
Joell: I feel like we already won.
Royce: Just look at the results. That’s your answer right there.
Crooked: Yeah, because you know how many people wanted us to get in a group? And you get together with people that’s very talented and you say, ‘Yeah, group project.’ But sometimes it never gets passed that.
Royce: Only thing we actually share in common with those other groups is the actual idea. Look at the results.
Crooked: And the idea’s even a little different than theirs because they didn’t come from the different amount of regions that we do. What people need to understand is that this is very unique. This man [Royce] is Midwest. This man [Joell] is Brooklyn. This man [Budden] is Jersey. I’m Cali. This is unique. You can’t name me—go get any Hip Hop almanac you want to—you name me a four-member group, with the skills that we have, representing the regions that we represent, combining together. Never happened.
Royce: Somebody’s gonna try it again.
Crooked: I’m hearing it right now. You know, the little fly buzzing by my head right now. There are a lot of people trying. But I ain’t mad at though, because when you set a trend and somebody follows… you know.
It seems like you guys use the respect that you have for each other and put it together, and it results in a respect for the group on the same level that you respect your solo careers. Is it accurate to say that that’s a big part of making this happen?
Budden: Well, I’ll take a step further than what you just said. Not only are we students of our own craft and we respect our own craft as well as students of the group, we’re students of the game. We have a mutual respect for Hip Hop. We love it, and I think that helps add to what we’re trying to do. I don’t think any of us here are doing it for financial gain. We’re certainly not doing it to gain this big TMZ pop notoriety. We’re doing this strictly out of love and passion, and the same love for Hip Hop we have for our solo careers, and it carries over into the group, which is why this is a four-headed monster. It’s why this animal is stronger than 95 percent of the other animals out there. Because it’s four bad asses; it’s four lives; it’s four people with totally different experiences; it’s four different hoods; it’s four different everything, just rolled into one. It’s a four-headed monster. That’s the easiest way to put it.
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