SWIF-N-WESSUN TALKS "THE ALL" WITH MIC HANDZ

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK | SWIF-N-WESSUN

INTERVIEW: CHRISTOPHER “MIC HANDZ” ROGERS [@MICHANDZ]

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTO ROB AKA KILTDAGRAM [@PHOTOROBNYC]

APPROACHING THE PRESS EVENT AT A SWANK HOTEL VENUE IN THE BUSHWICK SECTION OF BUCKTOWN (BROOKLYN, NEW YORK) THE ENERGY WAS ALL OVER THE AVENUE. THE BOOTCAMP CLIK WAS IN THE AREA AND THE TEAM THAT BROUGHT YOU THE CLASSIC ALBUM "DA SHININ’" HAD THE ENTIRE AIR CHARGED WITH ANTICIPATION. 20 PLUS YEARS IN THE GAME AND OVER 6 PROJECTS STRONG AND COUNTLESS FEATURES AND LIVE PERFORMANCES LATER ITS CLEAR THAT SMIF-N-WESSUN CAN STILL GET THEIR FANS TO FEEL LIKE CHILDREN ON CHRISTMAS MORNING WHEN OPENING THE PACKAGING OF THIS NEW ALBUM. THE ANTICIPATION AND THE RELEASE OF THE TWO LEAD SINGLES HAS VISIONS OF EVERYTHING DANCING IN THEIR HEADS. EVERY PROJECT THEY HAVE EVER RELEASED HAS TOUCHED THEIR FAN BASE WORLDWIDE BUT THIS ONE, THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT, THIS ONE HAS NOT ONLY THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF 9TH WONDER BUT THE ENTIRE SOUL COUNCIL. THIS ONE HERE... VALIDATED MAGAZINE SAT DOWN WITH STEELE AND TEK AND FOUND OUT EXACTLY WHAT IT TOOK TO GIVE THIS PROJECT THEIR ALL.


VALIDATED: ALRIGHT, WHAT’S GOING ON? WE ARE SITTING HERE WITH SMIF-N-WESSUN AT "THE ALL" ALBUM RELEASE PARTY... LISTENING SESSION! I MEAN LISTENING SESSION.

SMIF-N-WESSUN: (IN UNISON) LISTENING SESSION. LISTENING SESSION.

VALIDATED: FIRST OF ALL IT WAS A BLESSING TO GET TO HEAR PARTS OF THIS INCREDIBLE PROJECT AS THE JOURNEY WAS HAPPENING. HOW DID THE COLLABORATION HAPPEN TO COME ABOUT?

SMIF-N-WESSUN: IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN. FOR SMIF-N-WESSUN, IT’S OUR 7TH PHYSICAL RELEASE. I CAN’T EVEN SAY ALBUM RELEASE, IT’S STILL RED TAPE AND WHATEVER. ANYWAY, IT’S OUR 7TH RELEASE. TO US IT’S THE GOD ALBUM, AND IT CAME ABOUT BECAUSE IT NEEDED TO HAPPEN FIRST AND FOREMOST. SEE, WE HAVE TEAMMATES THAT LIKE REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE THAT WE’RE ALREADY IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH. AND 9TH WONDER HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THOSE CATS IN LINE. DRU HA REACHED OUT TO HIM. DRU HA REACHED OUT TO US. DRU SAID “YO, Y’ALL READY TO BUST A MOVE?” AND WE LIKE "WHEN?" AND DRU’S LIKE “FRIDAY!”... AIGHT, IT WAS LIKE THURSDAY. LOL

VALIDATED: WOW, CRAZY.

SMIF-N-WESSUN: SO IT’S LIKE, ALRIGHT WE NEED TO MAKE A DECISION. WE ALREADY IN LINE, AND THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. THIS IS HOW IT COMES ABOUT. WE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO BE CREATING. THIS IS JUST A BLESSING.

VALIDATED: OKAY, SO TEK HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT THIS PROJECT DIFFERS FROM ALL THE OTHER SMIF-N-WESSUN PROJECTS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED?

TEK: HOW DOES THIS DIFFER? IT DIFFERS CAUSE THIS ONE INCOMPASES EVERY PROJECT THAT WE DID TO DATE. THIS IS US REINVENTING OURSELVES AND WHAT WE WRITE. THIS HERE IS "THE ALL".

VALIDATED: GOT IT. SO WORKING ON THIS PROJECT WAS SOLELY DONE WITH 9TH WONDER AND THE SOUL COUNCIL? WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE BECAUSE THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE TEAM?

SMIF-N-WESSUN: PHEWW!

VALIDATED: I KNOW THAT ALL OF THEM HAVE THEIR STRONG POINTS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD.

STEELE: THAT’S A HUNDRED PERCENT.

VALIDATED: YOU GUYS DID ALL THIS ON LOCATION IN NORTH CAROLINA, CORRECT?

SWIF-N-WESSUN: ON LOCATION... FACTS!

VALIDATED: SO WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? JUST STEPPING INTO THEIR ENVIRONMENT?  WORKING ON THEIR TERMS, THEIR TURF, AND BRINGING WHAT YOU GUYS BRING TO THE TABLE?

STEELE: IF I CAN SPEAK ON THAT, RIGHT NOW? MAN, IT WAS AMAZING. IT WAS LIBERATING. IT’S INSPIRATIONAL. YOU KNOW, FOR ME PERSONALLY IT REMINDS ME HOW DOPE I AM. HOW I’M MARRIED TO THIS SITUATION AND WE GOING ON 24, 25 YEARS OF DOING THIS. LIKE WHAT, ARE YOU SERIOUS? (STEELE THINKS TO HIMSELF.) IF YOU ARE, THEN YOU ARE GOING TO BE AROUND SOME SERIOUS FOLKS. WHEN YOU STEP INTO THESE PEOPLE’S ROOMS, THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST JOKE MAKING M************ AND NOW YOU SERIOUS. BUT THESE GUYS ARE CRACKING JOKES AND SNAPPING ON EVERYBODY. YOUR LIKE AIGHT, WHAT HAVE WE DONE? AH, SOMETIMES YOU FORGET. GOING IN THERE IT WAS A RENEWAL, SO TO SPEAK. GETS YOU BACK IN LINE TO WHO YOU ARE AND THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO. THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE HAD AS SOON AS WE TOUCHED DOWN. WHEN WE TOUCHED DOWN, WHEN WE TOUCHDOWN IN THE AIRPORT AND 9TH WONDER IS HELPING YOU PICKUP YOUR LUGGAGE, YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD TRIP.

VALIDATED: GOT IT. SO, THE SINGLES THAT HAVE DROPPED?

SMIF-N-WESSUN: "LET IT GO", "TESTIFY".

VALIDATED: WITH THAT SAID, WHAT WAS THE CREATIVE VIBE AND ENERGY IN THE ROOM WHEN CREATING THE SONG "LET’S GO"?

STEELE: LAWD A MERCY. AFTER HAVING THE FLYING BISCUIT... I THINK THE FLYING BISCUIT GOT SOMETHING IN IT. IT’S LIKE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU NEVER HAD THE FLYING BISCUIT BEFORE. LOL WE GO TO THIS SPOT WITH CRISIS, AND CRISIS WALKED WITH US THROUGH OUR STUFF. WE JUST WANNA CREATE SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, MMMMM... YOU GOTTA COME WITH THAT I’M BACK SONG WITHOUT SAYING I’M BACK. YOU GOTTA COME WITH THAT ENERGETIC SONG LIKE "ALRIGHT, THESE GUYS COOL, I WANNA ROCK WITH THEM. YEAH, LET’S DO IT." LIKE WE AIN’T WANNA GET INTO A WHOLE BUNCH OF PREACHY STUFF AND WE BEEN DOWN ALL THIS TIME. AND WE BACK BLUP, BLAP, BLUP. IT’S LIKE I DO NOT SAY "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH." LOL

VALIDATED: AH, OKAY.

STEELE: YA NA’MEAN. IT’S LIKE WE KNOW WE NEEDED SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE THAT WOULD BREAK THE PEOPLE OR GET THE PULSE PULSATING... AND LEGEND AND OUR GREAT HOMIE, SEAN PRICE SAID, “MAANNN, JUST RAP BRO! YOU HOLDING THAT S*** BRO. LET THAT S*** OUT!" YA NA’MEAN, IF YOU THAT GOOD AT IT... GET TO IT! ...AND IT’S LIKE YO IT’S SIMPLE BUT SOMETIMES THE SIMPLICITY IN THE LESSONS IS WHAT ALLOW US TO EVOLVE.

SMIF-N-WESSUN: TESTIFY!

VALIDATED: TESTIFY... SO  "TESTIFY" WAS PRODUCED BY CRISIS, RIGHT?

SMIF-N-WESSUN: YES, YES.

VALIDATED: WHAT IS A BIT OF THE BACKGROUND ON THAT PARTICULAR SONG?

(STEELE LOOKS AT TEK)

STEELE: YOU WANT TO ADD ON TO THAT? LOL

TEK: I MEAN, EVERY SONG WAS JUST LIKE CHOPPING STONE. LIKE ADDING BUILDING BLOCKS WE HAD. WE WENT IN WITH A FORMAT, A BLUEPRINT. WE CAME UP THE TITLES. WE LISTENED TO THE BEATS AND WENT WITH WHAT MATCHES WITH WHAT. EVERYDAY WAS WORK, WORK, WORK TO COME UP WITH A LOT OF THE SONGS. I AIN’T GONNA HOLD YOU, A LOT OF THE SONGS WAS STEELE, TEK AND 9TH WONDER COMING UP WITH IDEAS. TOGETHER THEY WERE "WE GOTTA DO THIS!". IT'S CERTAIN SONGS LIKE THAT, AND JOINTS WHERE HE WAS BEING MORE THAN A BEAT MAKER. HE WAS PRODUCING A ALBUM, A PROJECT.

VALIDATED: AWESOME!

TEK: ALL AROUND, SO EACH DAY, EACH MORNING WE WOULD ALL SIT AROUND AND COME UP WITH IDEAS ON WHAT WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT, WHAT WE SHOULD COVER, WHAT WE DIDN’T AND WHAT WE DID ALREADY. AIN’T TRYING TO MAKE ANOTHER "DA SHININ". WE AIN’T TRYING TO DO NONE OF THAT... AND THOSE WERE THE BIRTH OF THOSE RECORDS.

SMIF-N-WESSUN: 9TH PROBABLY 'CAUSE HE WASN’T. 9TH WAS, IN HIS MIND HE HAD A FORMULA. HE’S LIKE "YO, I LOVE THE DA SHININ". HE WAS LIKE "I WANT TO DO A DA SHININ PART 2". WE WAS LIKE "NAH, WE NOT DOING THAT". SO NOW YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH US ON WHATEVER YOU'RE SAYING AND THEN IT’S GOING OKAY THE DA SHININ PART 2, THE CONCEPT OF THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT... BUT WHAT WENT INTO DA SHININ?

VALIDATED: SINCE THE RELEASE OF "THE ALL", HOW HAVE THE PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THE ALBUM?

STEELE: SINCE THE RELEASE OF "THE ALL" UHHH... I’LL TAKE A COLIN KAEPERNICK ON THAT ONE. LOL IT HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING TO SAY THE LEAST. UMM, IT HAS BEEN ENLIGHTENING. IT HAS BEEN, AHH, EXTREMELY POWERFUL. YOU KNOW, I HAVEN’T FELT THIS KIND OF RELEASE SINCE THE RELEASE OF THE "DA SHININ".

VALIDATED: SO, "THE ALL" IS SAID TO BE “THE GOD ALBUM”. WITH THAT SAID, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A CREATOR AND A CONTRIBUTOR TO THE TIME CAPSULE OF THE HIP-HOP CULTURE?

STEELE: AIGHT, WELL FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GOD ALBUM LIKE, "G" IS THE SEVENTH LETTER. IF I CAN GET ESOTERIC FOR A SECOND, NOT EVEN TO BE ESOTERIC BUT... PEACE TO GODS OF EARTH. UMMM, GODS... "G" IS THE 7TH LETTER OF THE ALPHABET. LIKE THAT’S A FACT. YOU KNOW IN THE 12 JEWELS, THE 7TH JEWEL IS GOD DEGREE. THAT’S GOD DEGREE. GOD DEGREE IS FOOD. NAH I MEAN... SO, IT’S LIKE WE DEALING WITH FEEDING THE PEOPLE, YA KNOW. WE HAVE CAME THROUGH THIS THING AS WELL, AN THE CULTURE HAS FED US. SO WHAT DO WE GIVE BACK? WE DON’T REGURGITATE NONSENSE, YA KNOW. WE BUILD, 360 DEGREES BACK HOME AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS... THIS CONVERSATION THAT CAN ALLOW US TO CONTINUE, THAT’S AMAZING! SO YEAH IT’S THE GOD ALBUM. THIS THE 7TH PHYSICAL RELEASE FROM TEK AND STEELE. UMMM, THAT’S 7TH ALBUM PHYSICAL RELEASE. THE LAST PHYSICAL RELEASE WE PUT OUT WAS 7 YEARS AGO. SO WHEN YOU DO THE MATH, IT’S LIKE WE CAN’T RUN FROM IT. YOU HAVE TO... YOU GET INVOLVED, IT’S PARENT TO YOU, THIS IS YOU... THIS IS YOUR FOOD. SO IT’S NONSENSE TO NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE TO PEOPLE THAT GAVE US SO MUCH LOVE AND SUPPORTED US FOR SO MANY YEARS, SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE.

VALIDATED: SO, THERE IS A BUFFET OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON THIS ALBUM.
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE FROM IT?

STEELE: I THINK "THE ALL" INCOMPASSES THINGS THAT, THAT WE KNOW AND ALSO INCOMPASSES THINGS THAT WE DON’T KNOW. YOU KNOW, SO OUR BUILD IS A CONTENTION UPON OUR WILLINGNESS TO WANT TO BUILD. I WANT PEOPLE TO WANT TO BUILD. I WANT PEOPLE TO LIKE, IF YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING RIGHT NOW DON’T FEEL NO WAY. TALK TO SOMEBODY YOU LIKE KICKIN’ IT WITH. YOU KNOW IT MIGHT BE A CRACKHEAD ON YOUR BLOCK THAT GIVES YOU SOME GEMS. IT MIGHT BE A DOPE FIEND ON YOUR BLOCK GIVING YOU SOME GEMS. UMM, IT MIGHT BE YOUR MAMA. IT MIGHT BE YOUR AUNTIE. IF ANYONE OF YOU GOT A MOTHER OR FATHER IN YOUR LIFE HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THEM 'CAUSE I’M SURE THEY GOT SOME GEMS. IT’S A BUNCH OF US THAT DON’T HAVE THOSE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES AND WE CREATE DIFFERENT VERSIONS TO EXPRESS OUR EXPERIENCES. YOU KNOW, IT’S LIKE I WANNA BE, I WANT YOU TO ALWAYS WANNA BUILD 'CAUSE BUILDING IS HEALING.

VALIDATED: ALRIGHT SO IN THE OPENING SONG, YOU MENTIONED “VIEWING THIS GAME FROM THIS ALTITUDE”... WHAT DOES THE GAME LOOK LIKE FROM THERE?

STEELE: AWESOME, YOU SEE THIS GUY? WHAT DOES THE GAME LOOKS LIKE FROM THAT ALTITUDE? BIG UP TO MY HOMIE BUCKSHOT. UMM, I CALL BUCKSHOT THE SPACE CADET. LIKE BEFORE... YOU KNOW, AFTER "DA SHININ", PRIOR TO DOING A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, WE WOULD LITERALLY STAND ON FRANKLIN AVE AND UNION STREET IN BROOKLYN AND BUILD ALL NIGHT LONG. (F A P SALUTE!) ...AND IN MY MIND I’M LIKE "YO HIS MOMS AND POPS IS UPSTAIRS", AND WE NEVER WENT INTO THE CRIB. LOL SO IT’S LIKE, SO EASY. THEY WERE PROBABLY COOKING CHICKEN, AND ALL KINDS A THINGS. WE JUST NEVER WENT INTO THE HOUSE... WE WERE UNDER THE MOON, BUILDING. YOU KNOW IT’S LIKE, WHEN YOU GOTTA... WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR POSITION... IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE ELSE THAT’S ON YOUR TEAM THAT LOOKS AT IT FROM ANOTHER VANTAGE POINT, LIKE SALUTE THEM. WORD, 'CAUSE YOU CAN NEVER LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. 'CAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOUR HEAD PLUCKED OFF. WORD! I’M JUST ENJOYING THE VIEW FROM THIS ALTITUDE. I GOTTA LOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS THAT HELP ME SURVIVE, AND I’M GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I AIN’T DO THIS BY MYSELF. THAT’S A FACT! YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING. TEK AND STEELE DID NOT DO THIS BY THEMSELF. THE REASON WHY WE BUILDING WITH YOU TODAY IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE THAT LOVE US PROBABLY SOMETIMES MORE THAN WE LOVE OURSELVES... AND THAT’S THE ALTITUDE WE LOOKING AT. A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT BY THE CLOUDS, THROUGH THE CLOUDS, AND IT’S GORGEOUS. WE GOT WORK TO DO STILL.

VALIDATED: OKAY, WITH THAT SAID... THE LETTER SONG, "LETTER 4 U"... LOVE IS THE MESSAGE. WHEN YOU SPEAK AND SAY THAT "TEK AND STEELE DIDN’T DO IT BY THEMSELVES", YOU GUYS PAID HOMAGE AND NOTED A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT ON THAT RECORD. ELABORATE ON THAT RECORD JUST A LITTLE BIT.

STEELE: YOU KNOW ME PERSONALLY, BRO. YOU KNOW I COULD... I TEND TO BE A CHALLENGING PERSON TO BE AROUND AT TIMES. I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH TEK AND CRISIS. I SAID "YO I HAVE A CORNY ASS IDEA. I WANNA ADDRESS ALL THE PEOPLE WHO I LOVE. I WANNA START MY VERSE THE SAME WAY EVERY TIME." CRISIS IS LIKE "OK, I’M WAITING FOR THE CORNY PART. WHERE’S THE CORNY PART AT?"

VALIDATED: NICE

STEELE: COSIGN THAT. BUT BEFORE I DID THAT I CALLED MY WISDOM, I CALLED CYNICAL LIKE "YO WHAT’S THE NAME OF THAT BOOK. WHAT’S THE NAME OF THAT BOOK BY, THAT BOOK BY TAS TAS TA-NEH UMM UMM. I WANNA GET HIS NAME RIGHT. (TA-NEHISI COATES) WHEN HE WROTE THIS BOOK TO HIS SON... AND CYN PUT THAT TO ME. SO I WAS LIKE, I WANT TO SPEAK TO MY LOVE ONES. I CALLED HER, BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED RHYMING. I SAID, "YO WHAT’S THE NAME OF THAT BOOK BABE?" I’M LIKE "YO, HOW WE WANNA DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT..." AND SHE WAS DAT DAT DAT DAH. TEK WAS LIKE "YEAH, WE COULD DO THAT, BUT WE GOTTA TALK TO EVERYBODY". SO WE JUST STARTED BUILDING.

VALIDATED: AWESOME. ALRIGHT, "OCEAN DRIVE". IT HAS HUGE RADIO POTENTIAL, I SEEN DJ ENUFF GOING HAM WITH THAT.

STEELE: YO, BIG UP DJ ENUFF THE BROOKLYN HOMEBOY.

VALIDATED: HOW DID THAT RECORD COME ABOUT? WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH MUSIQ SOULCHILD AND RAPSODY?

STEELE: TEK’S PROBABLY NOT GONNA LIKE THIS ANSWER, BUT TEK, I THINK HE IN HIS MIND, WANTED TO DO A SONG LIKE THAT. WE DIDN’T PARTICULARLY BUILD ON IT BUT HE WAS LIKE "YO, I WANT TO DO A SONG LIKE THIS". SO I’M LIKE AIGHT. SO, TEK YOU KNOW I DON’T DO GIRL RAPS, YA KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING. IT’S NOT MY... LOL I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN LIKE THAT. I HAVE LIKE A BAD RAP SHEET WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO DO GIRL RAPS. SO, HE WAS LIKE "YO, THIS AIN’T NO GIRL RAP..." WHATEVER, WHOOP... AND HE’S LIKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS. UMM AND HE HAD THIS, THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH HIS DESIGN LIKE YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS. AND I’M LIKE "WOW OKAY". SO I GET TO TALK HONESTLY ABOUT THE LADY WHO I’M INVOLVED WITH, THE LADY WHO HAS BEEN VERY POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL IN MY LIFE. LIKE THIS MY LIFE LINE. WE ALL HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY, HOW YOU SAY POWERFUL IN OUR LIVES. YA NA’MEAN. THEY DON’T GET THE CREDIT BUT THIS WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND. UMM, AND YEAH I SALUTE SMOKEY LAH (TEK) FOR JUST BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO GO "MAN, WE TALKING ABOUT OUR QUEENS." LIKE WE TALKING ABOUT OUR WISDOM. AND AS FAR AS MUSIQ... BIG UP TO CYNICAL, AGAIN. MOCHA STYLEZ... AHHH, MOCHA STYLEZ HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME. SHE HAS BEEN AROUND US FOR AWHILE AN SHE’S VERY EFFICIENT. A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN. AGAIN BEHIND EVERY CRAZY BLACK MAN IS A BEAUTIFUL LADY THERE. SO, THESE WOMEN WERE LIKE "AIGHT, WE GONNA SUPPORT THAT VIBE." AND AS FAR AS RAPSODY, THAT’S APART OF THE TEAM... THE JAMILA TEAM. WE JUST NEEDED THAT, WE JUST THOUGHT LIKE ALL THIS, IT’S US TALKING ABOUT OUR LADIES AND ALL OF THAT. I’M LIKE YO, WHAT’S BETTER THAN IF WE GET A FLY LADY TO TALK ABOUT HER MAN ON THAT, FOR HER WHOOOO! SHE SPITS BODIES, WHY NOT? I LIKE WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER.

VALIDATED: ALRIGHT, IN CLOSING, MOVING FORWARD WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR SMIF-N-WESSUN?

STEELE: I MEAN, I JUST PRAY THAT WE CAN ALL CREATE. I HAVE NO VISION FOR SMIF-N-WESSUN. I JUST HAVE A VISION FOR ALL OF US. THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO SMIF-N-WESSUN ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SMIF-N-WESSUN THEMSELVES. THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO BOOT CAMP CLIK, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE I THINK ABOUT. YOU KNOW, I MEAN TEK AND STEELE CAN MAKE ANOTHER RAP RECORD. THEY CAN GET ON A FEATURE AND ALL OF THAT BUT WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT IS WHAT THE PEOPLE GET OUT OF THIS CREATIVITY. LIKE TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE JUST AS VALUABLE AS THOSE PEOPLE WHO TALK THAT STUFF IN YA EARS. IF WE CONNECT WITH THAT THEN I THINK WE GOOD. I THINK WE CAN CONTINUE ON 'CAUSE AT SOME POINT YOU GONNA GO BUT, BEFORE YOU GO YOU GOTTA LEAVE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW. WHAT’S YOUR CONTRIBUTION? ...AND I THINK THAT SMIF-N-WESSUN GIVES SOMETHING THAT’S VALUABLE TO THE PEOPLE THAT’S GONNA BE BEHIND US. THEN... YOU KNOW... THAT’S IT. I MEAN, WE’LL NEVER, NEVER DIE. LIKE SEAN PRICE HAS GIVEN US SOME VALUABLE STUFF. TUPAC HAS GIVEN US SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE STUFF... BIG L, BIGGIE. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE GUYS. PHIFE DAWG, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN US SOME VALUABLE STUFF... BOB MARLEY, AND THAT’S JUST TO NAME THE MEN. AND WE START HAVING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE. THE WOMEN, YOU KNOW, WE START TALKING ABOUT RACE AND ALL THESE THINGS. LIKE YO, WE ALL APART OF THE SAME THING. SO, AT SOME POINT LIKE TEK AND STEELE. WE GET TO BE APART OF THIS. (HEAVY SIGH) THAT’S AMAZING, GIVE THANKS. SO THAT’S THE MESSAGE, YOU’RE APART OF SOMETHING GREATER. DON’T EVER FORGET THAT AND DO YOUR BEST.

SMIF-N-WESSUN: Y’ALL CAN’T GET ALL THE STORY. SO GUESS WHAT, WE’RE GONNA GIVE YOU THE SHORT VERSION OF THIS. "THE ALL" IS INCOMPASSING WHAT SOME OF US PERCEIVE, WHAT SOME OF US BEEN THROUGH AND THIS IS OUR VERSION OF PUTTING IT THROUGH. IT’S NO WAY A FORCE FEEDING OF THIS TO PEOPLE. IT’S JUST NO WAY YOU CAN PUT THIS IN THE MICROWAVE AND MAKE IT FAST. YOU HAVE TO EMBRACE THIS. SO WHEN YOU WATCH THIS YOU GONNA ENJOY THIS. I HOPE YOU DO, AS I DO. AIIGHT. 

STEELE: SMIF-N-WESSUN ON THE BORDER LINE! THIS IS MY FUCKING BROTHER BY THE WAY.

(STEELE HUGS MIC HANDZ)

VALIDATED: "THE ALL"...

SMIF-N-WESSUN: IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW. THIS IS FAMILY, YOU FEEL ME? AND THIS IS HOW WE MOVE, ON EVERYTHING I LOVE. EVERYTHING IS WORK. EVERYTHING IS WORK. RIGHT?

VALIDATED: INDEED. THANK YOU.