UC: To start things off, tell me about your new album?

Kon Artis: It’s an album that representing Kon Artis as individuals, our growth as individuals, with us being solo artists in a group within a group, we’re trying to step out from under Eminem’s shadow, so to speak….


UC: Is the album complete already, or are you still working on it?

Kon Artis: No, it’s done now.


UC: Who do you have producing on the album?

Kon Artis: We have Eminem, Kanye West did the title track, Hi-Tek, Dre, Red Spyda, and myself……


UC: So there’s definitely a handful of producers on there lending a hand?

Kon Artis: yea…


UC: What outside artists will be featured on Kon Artis’s World?

Kon Artis: Young Zee, he’s an artists that’s signed that we grew up with..


UC: Now he was with Rah Digga at one time right?

Kon Artis: Yep, him, and we got a verse from Bug, who was one of the founding members of Kon Artis, and we got Obie Trice, B-Real from Cypress Hill…..


UC: Now I know you said you all were trying to step from under Eminem’s shadow, is he on every song with this cd?

Kon Artis: No, he’s not on every song, he’s on maybe four or five of them…


UC: And how many tracks are there on the cd?

Kon Artis: Ooh, I think it’s like, 17, it’s a lot of songs


UC: In what way do you feel this new album differs from your previous material?

Kon Artis: It’s a lot of growth in song content, the material is easier to cope with. Everybody can’t cope with poppin pills, you know, we had a lot of hippies and shit, this album, of course we still having fun, we a fun group of people, we don’t really care about what’s going on in the industry, you know, as far as the monotony that’s going on right now, everybody trying the 50 Cent way, or Lil’ Jon, we of course keeping that whole thing of breaking the monotony.


UC: I’m glad you mentioned the content, because with Devil’s Night, you all received a lot of flack for the lyrical content on the album! Has much changed with what you’re rapping about?

Kon Artis: It’s definitely a lot different because with this album, everybody was coming with different concepts. We have a song talking about the demise of a young breed of people where you only expected to live to twenty-one in the hood, we talk about loyalty on the album, definitely a lot of party songs, we have a song called “You’re the one” about how guys usually go for the model type girl, and everybody think that’s the perception, so with kids in high school, that’s what they lookin for, that’s supposed to be the second single.


UC: Why did it take so long for you all to come together on a new album?

Kon Artis: Because, I think it was a building process of Shady Records, and our loyalty to Em, we’ve been there just in support, like I was workin on the Obie Trice album with Em, with 50 Cent I did P.I.M.P., and G-Unit I did Stunt 101, and then I think the movie 8Mile prolonged the process a little longer because Em is in the group, so we all chose to work on these albums together. We had a lot of songs before now, and a lot of the album was basically done, but it was just like Obie had to come out, 50 had to come out, Green Lantern is now signed to Shady Records, it’s like a protocol thing you got to follow with who’s up next to bat. But now it’s like, whoever get done first, because everybody is out and established. So now, you know like, our next album is done already because we went in the studio the first week and the first week, we had this album done, and we just kept going. We been in there for three months. So we got like maybe three or four more albums worth of material.


UC: Do you feel any pressure with the release of this new album to sell a high number with so many artists pushing 3 and 4 hundred thousand in their first week!

Kon Artis: No, because when we first came out, we did like 250, 300,000, and a lot of people don’t know we went platinum twice here, and twice overseas. I think I’m so much into establishing myself as a producer, and we’ve all improved individually, so it’s not so much pressure. We take it all with the best of it. It’s a lot of stuff out right now that we don’t agree with or get into, so I don’t know how we can put ourselves in a category with anyone else,. You know, they play they roll, so we back to play our roll.


UC: What one reason would you give that fans should go out and buy this new LP?

Kon Artis: It’s a breath of fresh air. I think they’re being smothered with a lot of the same stuff. I think when people do their records nowadays, they look for that first song, and like, I go thru that right now, and I have an artist. Young Zee is my artists, and right now he’s got like three or four singles, and I not totally happy with the project yet to bring it to the public yet. A lot of people come out and they got this cute lil 20 year-old kid that’s talking gangsta with his pants down, hanging off his ass and they think, you know, he got one song and that’s gonna establish him as an artist. I think people missing that. If you take that and add it with the label just caring about the one song, then you just got a bunch of singles and not really a good album. Everybody is talking about they different because they wearing they hat to the side, or they wear a cast, but that’s not different. What are you doing that’s different from anybody else?


UC: I noticed that you all are scheduled to perform on this year’s anger management tour! How did that come about, and who else are you performing with on the tour?

Kon Artis: Ooh, I don’t even know. Honestly, I’m in California right now with Dre, so I’m totally out of the loop.


UC: Are you guys planning any other tours?

Kon Artis: It’s a big tour being planned right now with the whole establishment of Shady / Aftermath, they got, Aftermath got Game coming out, who is just incredible, thru G-Unit and Aftermath, then you got Stat Quo who is Shady and Aftermath, of course, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Kon Artis, and Obie, Em is working on his new album right now. We planning the biggest tour ever, like a 6 month tour. So anything else, we just picking up dates. We don’t really wanna do a whole bunch of touring, until that big tour so we don’t tire our whole thing out. When we do shows, we really like to give a show, instead of just saying pay some money so we can make some money.


UC: A lot of artists aren’t giving good shows…

Kon Artis: Hell no, I’m telling you it’s a money-driven industry, and I think everybody is getting into it just for that reason. When we got here, it was just the thought of having a deal and all of that, but when you learn the whole situation and learn about getting fucked over, about contracts, points, royalties, and publishing, it dampens it, but we still have that fire to want to give people something. I wanna give people something with my music, instead of just saying I want a check. We all wanna get paid, but if you come into this game with that on your mind, you not really making a contribution.


UC: More recently, the group was featured on the Barbershop 2 soundtrack! Are there any other features or collaborations coming soon?

Kon Artis: We on Kay-Slay’s album, DJ Clue, we’re trying to lock down the XXX Part 2 soundtrack, we’re really going all out now, mixtapes and everything. You’ll see a lot of appearances on other people’s albums, and I’m producing for so many people right now, and I’m doing a lot of the hooks too, so I’ll be poppin my head up in a lot of places too….


UC: And that’s good to be doing something else in the industry, getting other skills.

Kon Artis: Man, my daddy always told me make sure your ass is covered, so when they come asking, you know you did your part. Why would I sit up under Eminem all day and say I’m his boy, give me some attention and some money cause I can rap, I don’t believe in that, let him do him. I got to go make my own living. And Eminem is one part of it. If I care about music and making music I’m not going to worry about what he done, and wait for him to say here, go do that! That don’t show any growth and that don’t show any manhood at all. Like some niggaz come out and they stay under the person that brought them out, but the intention is to branch off.


UC: Now what lies ahead for the group as far as solos and other avenues like acting?

Kon Artis: I think Kuniva and Bizarre is writing scripts right now, Swifty is doing some acting, I think he’s working on a movie right now, Proof is working on his solo shit, Bizarre is working on solo shit, Me and Kuniva is a group called Brigade, and we have basically our album done, but we waiting til the Kon Artis album is done, and of course, Eminem is working on his new album, but pretty much, we just pushin this album, doing shows, kickin it with the people.