Suga Free - I hooked up with Quik through my man Tony Lane.
ThaFormula.com - How long did it take you to complete your first album "Street Gospel?"
Suga Free - Probably, uh, I think it was about a month or a month and a half.
ThaFormula.com - To many people that album's considered a classic, what were your thoughts when you read your review for it in the Source?
Suga Free - I really didn't care because if you ain't a pimp or a hoe, you ain't really gonna get the message even 5 years from now.
ThaFormula.com - Did you realize your album wasn't gonna sell as good as it should have because your flow and delivery was just ahead of it's time when you dropped?
Suga Free - Yeah, that's ran across my mind, but then again I'm spittin' the pimp game, something that's been down since the cave man days. I mean my delivery is just something natural that comes out my chest. I want the first few words that I bust on a track to either make you laugh or say "God Damn!" I try to make myself do it. New flows are gonna always fuck people up. I'm 32 man and I'm gonna fuck everything up. I don't care what muthafuckas say, I think I'm the best.
ThaFormula.com - What was the first thing Quik said to you when he heard your music?
Suga Free - He said, "how does it feel to be a star?"
ThaFormula.com - Is that really what he said to you?
Suga Free - Yeah and I said "for real man?" and he said, "Nah." Then he said "nah I'm just fuckin with you man!" (laughs).
ThaFormula.com - After you and Quik met, how long before you got into the studio?
Suga Free - Immediately.
ThaFormula.com - And how long after that did you get the label deal with Island?
Suga Free - Shit, uh we recorded 3 songs. We recorded "Fly 4 Life," "On My Way," and we walked in and got a deal with them. They heard the music and said "finish it!" We went back in the studio and finished up the album in about 30 to 45 days. I mean I don't know how we recorded it in such a short period of time. The music was there and my lyrics, man I already had in my head and it fuckin worked. I couldn't believe it you know.
ThaFormula.com - Now this is something that has bothered many people for a long time and I wanted to know if you felt the same way. I notice that so many times Quik will give a dope beat to somebody and they will ruin it with some wack rhymes?
Suga Free - It's like they are taking advantage of my boy's music, you know what I mean? Look ain't nobody gonna ride Quik's beats like me. I mean, it's right there in your face. The "Street Gospel" album is right there in your face. Who is gonna ride them tracks like that? Who's gonna bring a sense of humor across like that man? Nobody! C'mon man, I'm one of the Last of the Mohicans, and I know.
ThaFormula.com - Well, just make sure that you don't let anybody else touch the production on your next LP other then Quik. He needs to do that whole album cause I'm sick of all these new producers ruining albums!
Suga Free - Look, I don't give a fuck if I got to go cut his grass! Quik is doing my whole album, if not people are gonna be waiting a long time for it.
ThaFormula.com - One of the things I have always liked about you Free is that you have never rhymed over a wack beat, which shows me you have a ear for good music man.
Suga Free - Oh, right on man, but you know it's just that I want people to like it. I want and need you to like it. Whether it's the music or something I say, something in there has got to stick or mean something.
ThaFormula.com - Do you ever listen to your album and say to yourself this was a great album?
Suga Free - Hell Yeah, I'll do it right now. I pay attention to little shit like effects and what was cool or why Quik made me work harder on certain songs and stuff like that.
ThaFormula.com - Do you think that the beats he put down on your album are the best beats he has ever done?
Suga Free - Oh No (Laughs). No! No! No! But you got my songs "I'd Rather Give You My Bitch," "Fly 4 life," and "On my way" that's some good music, but compared to what's in this dudes head. Man! I wish I could just get a jack and just plug to the back of his neck and just listen to some shit (Laughs). Put some headphones on and just listen to what goes on in that dudes mind. He's the funkiest dude, I'm tellin' you. He's so tight, he'll bring pop lockin' back.
ThaFormula.com - When the album was done was it both of you choosing the beats or was it you doing the rhymes and Quik choosing the beats?
Suga Free - It was me providing the rhymes and him providing the beats, but you know we kind of worked together on the beats. I'm not much of a producer.
ThaFormula.com - How many tracks were recorded for your album and did all the tracks that were recorded make the album?
Suga Free - Quik pretty much knew what to do. He said, this is gonna be like this, this is gonna be like that and he organized them. He said this is first, this is second, this third, this is that and we went with it man and shit blew up.
ThaFormula.com - So why do you think the beats on your first album are so much different then anything he's ever done?
Suga Free - I don't know man. Probably because he felt me as a real pimp and he wanted everything to be different. I mean he would take equipment out of one room in the house and put it in another room for some certain type of sound he would get know what I mean. He's so particular about what he wants to record and you know everything matters. The lighting and all kinds of shit matters to him. The dude is at the top of his shit.
ThaFormula.com - What exactly was the situation with Island Records?
Suga Free - They let me go with me not owing them anything.
ThaFormula.com - Did you see any money from that first album?
Suga Free - Not really and you know that's something else that I'm not concerned about. Whether it went platinum or where's my plaque, man I don't give a fuck about that shit.
ThaFormula.com - But doesn't it make you mad that you didn't see the amount of money that you should have?
Suga Free - Oh yeah, but it doesn't govern my day. It don't ruin me. I'm just glad for the name and the game that I got and the gift that god blessed me with to a DJ Quik beat.
ThaFormula.com - Did you and Quik have a connection from the very minute you guys met?
Suga Free - Oh hell yeah. The first five minutes it was on and poppin' cause I knew I was fittin' to do some shit that he had never witnessed. That no mortal man has ever sat down and witnessed.
