S1 & El Da Sensei

El Da Sensei: One the right side of the tracks



New Jerues or New Jersey to you outsiders, has birthed many legendary hip hop acts from Queen Latifah to Naughty By Nature to The Artifacts. Still carrying the touch for Dirty Jersey is El Da Sensei one half of the Artifacts. Although the group is no longer together that still hasn't stopped El from creating the same brand of head nodding hip hop that made his group so successful in the 90's...With a new album The Unusual, El is here to set the record straight for all his fans and critics that when the boy comes he comes correct...S1 the mutha fuckin man recently caught up with Da Sensei and this what he ahd to say:

ES: Was goin on ya whas the deal.

S1: Chillin chillin ya know what I'm sayin your a hard cat to get in touch wit I been chasin ya down for a minute but it's all good its worth the wait. There's a lot of things I want to get into the new album, your second solo joint, your new joints I wan tto g et into that. But lets start a lil foundation originally from the Artifacts, came out strong the New Jersey explosion, Redman, Naughty by Nature, Lords of the Underground Queen Latifah talk to us man, how was it coming into the game with all your peoples surrounding you like that at that time with all that strength?

ES: At the time I would say, Naughty, Iwent to school with thwem, Redman was a close friend of mine. Being in school with them at the beginning and the growth and change, OPP came out, that's when I first really met tame, everybody was lookin at me like aight was goin on, what yall doin? Seein that and the success they had I was like aight man I gotta do somethin we are like the last dudes out here really that anyone knew about so we had to come out wit sumthin. So we went to Stretch & Bobbito show, back on 89.9, and we jumped on there for like 10 mins straight just rhymin and we stood there for the rest of tha night and next thing ya know they had contacted my man Reef at Big beats they stepped to us like yo, first of all I think this comin from Jersey, everyone thought we was from NY, the way we sounded. A lot of cats thought we was from Brooklyn, coz I got Polo all up in my closet. He and all the records from Jersey, one known fact, every Jersey MC or group came out of Jersey got a hit record at one time or another.

S1: You dropped your first shit, “Between a rock and a Hard Place”, that shit was on the money, I remember groovin to that shit. I am originally from New Jerus so I was livin that shit, like you was singin. Ya feel me Your second album,the art of facts, that shit was in my tape deck for like 6 mos straight. Talk to us man the 1st album the 2nd album, everything was kind of crossed ya know talk to us B

ES: The first album, When we did the first single, “Wrong side of tha tracks”, I don't think we realized what we was doin.We wasn't tryin to make a song for the radio, we were pretty much like all the stuff that was built up inside, all the years we went through, we were just gonna put it out first. With th sound of the record, ya listen to tha records now it;s kinda similar. Then we came with the 2nd, I think we was a little far ahead workin with SeanJay period, the beats when ya hear the track he was puttin out when we had did with him Baby Paul from the Beat Miners, Mr. Wall, VIC from Beatnuts, ya know we been workin wit Buckwild and Tray and Redman. We always kept different producers, so I think the sound was always fresh. But once we got to the second album, we got burned out with tryin to keep up with the label. Makin sure that everything was going right with the album. Tryin to tour we was always on the road, once we got home, it was always difficult workin with the label. With all the stuff Tame was goin through, I just think that he just wanted to go out on his own. The 2nd album could've been somethin, but a lot of stuff had happened. I can tell you one thing, if you listen to that album, you can hear from certain songs what he was sayin, pretty much what was going to happen. As far somethin with like the break up. I paid attention to it but I didnt think it was gonna happen the way it did. In the long run it pretty much worked out for both of us, homeboy goin the path he want to go, I wanna do me and I don't have to argue with none of that.

S1: Talk to us about over seas man, all the legends that come through Legacy they do a lot of performin over seas, it's a different response, a different audience, talk to us about that tha love and all that other shit yo

ES: Well, shit is out there like how it used to be out here. And over there, on purpose, they don't wanna hear nuttin that gotta do with the radio. Whether ya know it or not, it is like a whole another land for us to go to, when I say us I mean MC's like me, that really still do the real music ya know you get to work over there. Stay there a month do a tour all over, ya come back home and your creamin. Coz these cats really want to see us, they only thing they seen from us is the videos, tapes, and records and CDs. They know that there is a promoter in that town that keep going back and forth to NY, got ties to certain dudes, they are gonna bring them out there. And the appreciation level is like quadruple, what you would think. Everybody is into it they know all your lyrics, cats comin up to me with damn near crates of all my records that I did to sign. It is totally different. I would say in the west coast is kinda like being there too, coz cats really appreciate it. Plus the age range is really different, so those dudes really understand that when I am doin a record the unusual like now, they hear that I';m tryin to keep it on some shit like yo whether ya know it or not, niggaz still gotta rhyme, and ya gotta have good beats to rhyme the way your supposed to

S1: Ya know what it is too yo, real recognizes real, once you make that connection. Everything else falls by the waist, niggaz know where you come from, the music is dope your feelin your shit, it's a wrap. Now Relax, Relate and Release, set us up for the unusual, how was that your first solo joint, you done a lot of touring, now your ready to come out fresh, face first, whas' up?

ES: Well, Relax, Relate, and Release was what it was for me, I worked with what I had as far as everything like the whole situation. It wasn't too bad but it just didn't work out in a sense of like puttin tha shit out all over , me and dude kinda fell out and ya know that was that. I learned from the situation by sayin the next record I am gonna do I am not tryin to do nuttin anybody else want to do. Because it was just whole new atmosphere, I am just gonna try doin my best. So with what was goin on , just fuck it, it was gonna be what it is. Now with this record the Unusual, when you hear it it's pretty much me throughout the whole record it was my attitude...I knew I had some good joints on the last record, but for me to perform the songs I needed to perfom I needed the energy and thats what I made sure on this record uptemo shit...I had the dudes necessary to get that sound and make it what it is...

S1: Alright, alright thats definitely wassup...Well I'll tell you what yo...I'll tell you why this album is going to be the shit we keep some of the same company...OC, Sean Price and Jake One have all come thru Legacy, I can give them all a Legacy stamp of approval..With that said tha should kinda give people and idea where your coming from...What is your intention? Where are you coming from? What's your statement?

ES: Well definitely you know it's time to bring the MC back...When I make my ryhmes I wanna make them sound like when I frst heard Chubb Rock, when I first heard Special Ed, when I first heard Buckshot like dudes I know what it was gonna be like when I first heard them...This record I wanted to bring that attitude back...And to show dudes like yo when can still try to sell these records the way we supposed to but lets me truthful with ourselves...The first single The Crowd Pleaser produced by man Illmind another Jersey product and dude is definitely off the chain right now...My man Frequency is on the B-side with Natural Feel another new cat, just a dose of what the album gonna be like...You can pick this record up anywhere Best Buy, Coconuts any store you gonna catch it any internet store, its on there...Fatbeats.com pick it up from there thats the label that we on...

S1: Last but not least...Any words of wisdom you wanna pass on any words of advice, any jewels that you can drop em...

ES: Well take pride in what you puttin out first, catz only know you from whatever you last put out...So make sure every record you put out is gonna be fire...Keep the damn culture intact whatever what you doing with it like dudes take it real serious you don't know who's gonna hear these cd's when you put em out there so make sure you represent yourselves to the fullest...And pick this record up, its something good for your life right now...If you wanna smoke a different kind of bud thats the cd to listen to...

Legacymag.Net Exclusive
Interviewed by S1 for LegacyMag.Net
LEGACY Exclusivez

LegacyMag.Net Nothing But the Best!!!! That'z our WERD!!!!!