Emerging from a time when West Coast rap went into deep hibernation, Strong Arm Steady has worked over the past seven years to help California not only reclaim its rightful title as the hip-hop capital of the world, but also to redefine its signature sound.  Krondon, Phil Da Agony, and Mitchy Slick, all witnesses to the rise and fall of Death Row, seek to breathe new life into the West Coast rap movement, infusing their creativity, open-mindedness, and musical prowess into the medium and refusing to fall prey to the unfortunate, ubiquitous “gangsta” stereotypes that have come to characterize the scene.  With two albums due out this year–the Madlib-produced In Search of Stoney Jackson and the decidedly more streamlined Arms & Hammers–Strong Arm Steady is set to remind music listeners that SoCal is just as musically vibrant as it was during the pre-Schwarzenegger days.

URB: What are the respective roles of each member of Strong Arm Steady?
KRONDON: There are so many people involved on-stage and behind the scenes.  I see us as a collective of seven team members.  Me and Phil [Da Agony] are the faces of the group and of the movement.  Creatively, Phil brings the will to be the best lyricists we could be.  He sets the bar for the quality of our rhymes and the tone for the depth of lyricism.  He writes with so many layers; that’s what he brings to the group.  We’re not surface writers in any way, and part of that is due to the standards that Phil holds us to. [Mitchy] Slick is the most worldly of the group, and he brings the world into perspective.  He’s sort of the mascot, fitting into the perception that most of the world has of rappers.  Not to sound facetious, but Slick’s our decoy, what people see as a stereotypical rapper, that draws people closer so that they could see how we are.  For instance, Young Jeezy might be someone’s favorite rapper, and that person won’t bring himself to listen to something that doesn’t bear that type of image.  Slick brings that accessibility, image-wise, not lyrically.  He’s going to manipulate our imagery to attract the laymen.  As for my role in Strong Arm Steady, every body needs a head and a heart to operate.  I function as both, along with Phil.

URB: Describe working with Madlib on In Search of Stoney Jackson.  What separates him from the other producers that you’ve worked with?
KRONDON: Working with Madlib was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.  We’ve done big records with Xzibit, and I’ve worked with just about everybody before, from Pete Rock to Outkast to Dr. Dre.  And this was, hands down, the most comfortable, most learning experience.  There was nothing involved but the music–it wasn’t about the label, the money, or ego.  I can’t give all the credit to Madlib though, since J-Rocc was the one that made sure we were able to be creative.  On this particular project, our role was just to rap.

When you enter this industry, you have an idea of how things should look or feel like, and inevitably, you realize that things aren’t never how you expect them to be.  You’re always running into disappointments.  But working with Madlib is everything you’d imagine it to be and then some.  This guy is like the Dr. Dre of independent rap music.  He’s the best at his craft and his genre.  There was an everyday need to meet the bar he set with all the amazing things he’s put out.

This record took about three or four months to record.  Madlib came in and brought 300 beats, exclusively for us.  On this project, our role was just to rap.  We took time everyday during those four months to sit down and just listen to the beats; it was such a joy witnessing his creativity throughout these sessions.  There were so many that we still haven’t heard all of them.  This was also the first time we let the music dictate what we talk about on the entirety of the record.  It was like working with a soul producer, a jazz producer, and a hip-hop producer, all at the same time.  It was like working with Herbie Hancock, Smokey Robinson, and Dr. Dre, but coming from a Stones Throw background.  I felt that throughout the making of this record, the group was able to grow together creatively.  I’m not a fan of making sequels, but with this project, I ask myself, “How can I not?”

URB: Who is Stoney Jackson, and why are you looking for him?
KRONDON: Look, we’re all stoners in the group, Madlib and J-Rocc included.  The album is out on Stones Throw, so that’s an obvious reference.  And if you know Madlib, he’s not shy to let people know that his name is Otis Jackson.  So his nickname is Stoney Jackson.  It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the truth.  In actuality though, Stoney Jackson was a low-level icon in the ‘80s.  He was like the Billy Dee Williams of the ‘80s.  He made the jheri curl popular.  Google the phrase “jheri curl,” and his name and face will come up.  He was in the “Thriller” video and was one of the main guys in Fame.  He was the man off some corny but fly shit.  He was Miami Vice before Miami Vice.  He was the coolest nigga of the ‘80s, and the cover of the album is a psychedelic picture of him.  Also, among Strong Arm, we’ve got our own language and slang.  One of our phrases is “Stone Cold Jackson” or “Stoney Jackson.” When a brother was some cool, suave, smoother player dude, that was his moniker.