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Likeblood Chops It Up

Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tags: Dre Strong , Likeblood , Mbea Da 1 , Yung E

The nation’s capitol is bubbling with Hip-Hop talent, and rap group Likeblood is flowing thicker than Formula 50 Vitamin Water right now with their new smash hit record “Money Over Here” featuring Bobby Valentino, a single which is currently making a lot of ruckus over at MTV Jams.

Riding the wave of their new video the fellas of LikeBlood have managed to land starring roles in the new film Jazz in the Diamond District along with Wood Harris and Clifton Powell. Likeblood is kicking up dust and preparing to surf the crimson wave of success.

Hip Hop Ruckus was able to catch up with the trio for an exclusive interview. The fellas spoke about their new video, their label situation and their upcoming album among other topics. Read up – it’s food for thought.

HHR: You recently released the music video for “Money Over Here” in which Bobby Valentino also appears. With four males and more than a handful of competing video girls, was there anything interesting that happened behind the scenes of the “Money Over Here” video?
Mbea Da 1: What happens at Ibiza [Nightclub] stays at Ibiza (laughs).

HHR: Ah, what a cop out! Who produced the music video for “Money Over Here”?
Dre Strong: Our record label, Soblu Music Group, also has a production company, Soblu Productions, and we do all our videos through them. Lindsey Christian and Erica Chamblee who did the film we starred in last year “Jazz in the Diamond District” directed the “Money Over Here” video. So the video was all done in-house.

HHR: With so many rap videos centered around fame, women, and money, do you ever feel the public’s interest in that era has kind of died down, or do you think it can never get old?
Yung E: I feel like, in a way, it’s died down, but in a way, it’s become a staple. People are starting to stray away from it but you always got to make sure the club has something they can party to. There are classic songs about getting money; you just have to be diverse enough in your music not to stick to that one topic.

HHR: Good Point. Apart from the music, you’ve also delved into acting, recently starring in the film “Jazz in the Diamond District” along with Wood Harris and Clifton Powell. Please go into more detail about this project.
Yung E: The film is about a singer who drops out of college and moves home to DC. She joins a Go-go band in the movie and we play the band along with UCB, a band from DC. That’s how we got involved in making the music for the movie and we ended up converting some of our original songs to Go-go songs.
Dre Strong: It was great working with such veteran actors. I learned a lot doing that project. Most of my scenes were with Wood and I felt totally comfortable and we all built a friendship with him to where we all still chill and are cool today. Clifton is from D.C. so he was just cool off the break. He is hilarious.
Mbea Da 1: Clifton came and did our “Red Carpet” video too. He was crazy in that joint [laughs]. Ya’ll should check that out.

HHR: You also have several songs on the film’s soundtrack, which was co-produced by producer Chucky Thompson, who has worked on material for artists like Notorious BIG, Mary J Blige, Nas and Faith Evans. Which songs of yours are on this soundtrack? Did you write these songs specifically for the film, or were they chosen from your previously recorded songs?
Yung E: It was cool working with Chucky Thompson on the soundtrack. We had certain songs that Soblu picked up from our catalog and we remixed them as Go-go tracks for the soundtrack. Then we also did some original songs for the soundtrack. “Red Carpet” was our main single off that, featuring our label-mate, Chris.

HHR: Your first song released from the soundtrack is called “Red Carpet.” What has the public’s response been like so far on this song?
Mbea Da 1: The response to “Red Carpet” was good. The video premiered as “New Joint of the Day” on 106 & Park so we really got a lot of visibility from that. The whole soundtrack project was cool. You can check out the “Red Carpet” video and the “Jazz in the Diamond District” soundtrack on iTunes.

HHR: You’ve also been featured on BET 106 & Park, MTV Jams, Music Choice and Fuse. What do you think when you hear or see yourselves in these huge media outlets?
Dre Strong: Just that it’s been a long time coming.
Yung E: Everything that happens like that, or every time I see myself on TV, it makes me want to work harder.

HHR: Going back to your single “Money Over Here”, you’ve said the song is about the grind needed to maintain success – how do you feel about people who grind, in any type of job, without ever coming into a lot of success or money?
Dre Strong: I feel like as long as you are doing what you love to do and you are getting’ by, you are able to pay for your bills and stuff, then it is good enough. That is success to me. People measure success on other people’s terms instead of figuring out their own terms. Everyone wants to be crazy successful, but you will always have those that make billions and those that make G’s.

HHR: How does someone maintain their swag if their broke? Moreover, do you think in this day in age it requires a large cash flow to earn people’s respect?
Dre Strong: Unfortunately, yes and no. If you’re doing it without money, then it’s going to take a lot longer. It’s not impossible, it’s just going to take a hell of a lot longer. Marketing is everything and it usually costs. You could be the tightest rapper, but if you are only rapping for yourself, it doesn’t matter. So it really takes money to make money.

HHR: Speaking on a man’s character, what makes for a “real man” in your eyes? What do you view as weakness in a man? What do you view as strength in a man?
Mbea Da 1: Strength in a man is standing firm and standing by his word. If you say you are going to do something, you do it – and taking care of your damn kids.
Dre Strong: I agree with that. I will also add on to that, that it’s also about making new paths. It’s easy to follow a path the next dude made for you, but when you got to make your own route and when you have to catch your own falls and get back up, that shows strength. I would say two of the many things that make a man are being able to pave your own way and how well you recover when you fall.

HHR: Do you find yourselves sometimes having to work extra hard to achieve or maintain a cohesive sound within the group?
Dre Strong: I wouldn’t describe it like that as far as “cohesive,” but I would say that they make me elevate my game. I feel like I need to come on point with my lyrics because I know their lyrics are going to be hot. It’s almost like a friendly competition. So it just makes us better.
Mbea Da 1: I’m getting tired of these two burning me up on tracks.
Yung E: When we say its family, that’s what we mean. So sometimes we bump heads. But we know each other really well and we generally know what each person is bringing to the table. It’s not always simple, but we make it work.

HHR: Bands and music groups often disband or break up after a period of time, but what do you do in order to maintain your tight bond? What kind of sacrifices would you make for the Likeblood career?
Mbea: We each make sacrifices now – whether its time with family or whatever. I have a six-year-old daughter, and I miss a lot that happens in her life and I want to make sure she is raised right. But you also have to support your family. So you just have to do what it takes. Even with me on parole, I have to do a lot of extra just to travel and move around freely, but you have to make it work.
Dre Strong: I feel like we sacrifice any other path of life that we could have gone down to do music. To go into this industry, you really have to be crazy because millions of people are trying to do this and failing, all the time. So the career is risky and that’s a sacrifice. We put everything that we got into this. And so we are sacrificing our lives, basically.
Yung E: But we are family. We just talk it out and work through the issues.

HHR: Would you support each other if one of you decided to branch out and pursue a solo career in the future?
Dre Strong: We already plan to do solo albums. So we don’t look at that as a detriment to Likeblood. We think it’s good. It only supports the movement and the brand.

HHR: Tell us about your current record label situation.
Yung E: We are signed to Soblu Music Group, which is an independent label in DC. We got with them on their first film project “Jazz in the Diamond District” back in ’06, and then in ‘07 we officially signed with them.

HHR: Other than your rapping and lyrical contributions, what is each of your other jobs within the group?
Dre Strong: We always talk about other ways, outside of music, to make money. We are also about to start directing videos. 

HHR: You’ve stated that, as a group, you “want to prove we can stand with the best and make quality records.” Who would you consider to be “the best”, both in the past and in the present?
Yung E: My top five rappers are Pac, Biggie, Nas, Scarface and Andre 3000. In no particular order. I think Lil Wayne, T.I., Jeezy, Kanye and 50 Cent are killing the game right now and so you have to be able to stand with them also.
Dre Strong: A lot of people think that quantity makes you the best. In this industry, if you take like a year or two off, that’s like a lifetime. But I feel like it’s about the quality. I also don’t look at records sales. I look more at the originality and just whether I like the music. Just because you are popular, doesn’t make you the best. And on our mixtapes, we let people hear how we match up with the people at the top of the game. Go grab those “WLBR: Likeblood Radio” mixtapes at Likeblood.com. You’ll see what we mean.

HHR: What projects or collabs do you have going on right now?
Yung E: The album is coming – “#DaBiness” – Scheduled to drop in May. “Money Over Here” with Bobby V is the first single off that album. The title basically has two meanings. We’re talking about our experiences so far in this business, and in life. It has a lot to do with the music business and entertainment and our careers to this point, but also just the story of our lives and how we got to where we are.
Dre Strong: We are also just giving you the business with the album (laughs). The tracks are fire. We also just dropped a promotional EP called “We All Alone: 3010”. You can grab that at www.likeblood.com/dabiness. It’s a free download; something for the streets. “We’re All Alone” was actually the title of the first album we ever recorded back in 2001. This EP is a reincarnation of that album.
Mbea Da 1: And we just finished mixing our next mixtape, “Capital Wasteland.” The entire mixtape is crazy. It’s based on the video game “Fallout 3” and the whole thing is based in D.C. in the year 2277 in post-apocalyptic D.C.
Yung E: The concept for the mixtape is that just like the nuclear war came and destroyed D.C. and just left the capital wasteland, technology has kind of destroyed the music industry in a lot of ways. And so the industry is like a wasteland in a way and we are like the new hope to revive it. Like the Brotherhood of Steel in the game. It’s crazy. We are dropping that one next month.

HHR: How can fans keep up with Likeblood?
Yung E: The best way to keep up with us is to follow us on Twitter (@Likeblood). You can also check us out on our website (www.likeblood.com), join our mailing list, or you can find us on Facebook.
Dre Strong: Also, make sure you check out our videos on youtube.com/likebloodsworld. We have a web series that we are doing in promotion for our album called “#DaBiness TV”. You can catch all the episodes there. Season 2 is us on the Raekwon tour. We are putting those out now.

HHR: Any final thoughts?
Mbea Da 1: Whatever you dream, first visualize yourself obtaining it, then go get it.
Dre Strong: We have a lot of underground videos coming out, too. Look out for that “Work It Out” video and that “202 Boyz” video coming real soon off the “We All Alone: 3010” EP. 

Likeblood “Money Over Here”

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