APPROVED FOR MASS CONSUMPTION

As I walk into my editor's office about ten minutes late for my interview (yet hours ahead on my schedule) I instantly notice two distinctly different people sitting in front of me. On first impressions, King Beef's commanding presence is in sharp contrast to Esinchill's noticeably smaller demeanor. Fittingly, one engulfs the room while the other sits a bit more quietly, yet each manage to hold their own, as well as compliment one another, when speaking upon their craft and their desire to shift the direction of today's current musical trends. Their joint effort, Choice Cuts was just released on RCeason records and both men are equally eager to let the rest of the world finally hear the fruits of their labor.

Meathooks: So, what brought you guys together for this project?

King Beef: Initially, we just recorded a couple of songs together. Back then, we'd be just rhyming, not necessarily with each other, but in the same circles and then Esinchill went ahead and did his album. After that, he called me and asked me to go to Reno to do some music with him. I was like "yeah, let's do it". So, we went ahead and did it, came back, people loved them so we decided to go and do a couple more. Every time we would go to Reno the songs kept getting better and better and that eventually led to us making this album. Once we were focused on exactly what it was we wanted, man, it was just a beautiful thang.

Esinchill: Yeah, but making the album was a journey. The process was fun but at the same time it was sluggish. It took us longer than we would've liked since we had to go to up to Reno a lot to hook up with C-D, the main producer of the album. So we traveled a lot going back and forth.

M: How would you describe Choice Cuts?

E: [Musically] C-D introduced us to the sound that eventually took over the album. It's like Hip Hop mood music…

KB: The beats are really melodic [and] the sounds that we use are completely different from what you normally hear…

E: As well as the content.

KB: Yeah, but not that it's so far left field that you can't relate to it. It's just that breath of fresh air that people didn't even know they needed. I think that's big difference from what's out there and our album. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's some good music out there, but I don't think that a lot of these cats are taking the time or putting thought into their records. Mostly, it's just a bunch of fillers.

M: Now how about on Bay Area radio stations?

KB: There seems to be this drivin' force right now. If it ain't Hyphie, they don't really wanna have nothin' to do with it. That's if it's from the Bay. Now, they'll listen to anybody else's new type of sound from anywhere else, but folks from their own backyard they be like, "Naw, all we want is Hyphie".

E: You know, that sucks, but I know what I'm dealing with and what I'm up against. It's just another hurdle that I got to get past. I wish the powers that be could be a little more receptive to it, but the streets are talking. Everywhere we go, people hear it and they feel it.

Ron Campbell: (Ron joined us half way through) I think what it boils down to is that not everybody is ready for this vision. There are people that need to be led. So, once those people who are visionaries have proven themselves to be such, and everyone's like "okay, this is the hype", that's when those people will follow. It's just the nature of things. Unfortunately, I remember years ago, the Bay Area use to be a catalyst, and in certain ways it still is, but now you got like six or seven kids on the corner all in white t-shirts, blue jeans, Nikes and dreads. I mean, what happen to "I wanna be different"?

E: Individuality?

KB: And unfortunately, the youngsters who are so impressionable are soaking up all the Hyphie and now they wanna be hyphie. I mean, that's all they want to hear, but folks who are a little bit older and a little more mature are sick of that shit. Now, I'm not saying you have to be in your 30's or your 40's or somethin' to wanna hear something different, but the youngsters are going to hear whatever is on the radio. You put hyphie on there, they're going to wanna hear hyphie. You put some Kweli on there, then they're going to wanna hear some Kweli.

RC: Although, there's always a silver lining. All there has to be is the exposure. I mean, really, if you expose something good to someone, they'll absorb it.