[Interview start]
Tattoo ink is the new group assembled by Conejo and his camp. The release will be under Casualty Records. The debut album “the most dangerous” will be available in stores everywhere on Tuesday, September 23. There is a bootleg copy circulating around the underground with some ugly artwork and a couple of missing songs that are found on the real copy, so consumers beware! Reminds us of the frequently run commercials on Spanish television “diga no a la pirateria”. We had a chance to interview the Ink and we questioned them about the new album, what is to come, and even about the “beef” with the Psycho Realm.
Interview questions and answers:
1) who is tattoo ink?
The band consist of Conejo, Bugsy 2 guns, Venom, Bandit, China White, Motiv8, Sporty and Spanks. But on wax, it’s only me(Conejo)and Bugsy. Venom was with it from the start, but the cat is always busted spitting rimes behind bars. What can I say? Another person that’s like a silent partner that I can’t forget to mention is Ernie G. That’s a bad
muthafucker right there!
2) How and why was the group formed?
Me and Bugsy had just did a whole hip-hop-rock album with some other cat Blazeman. We had a band called Wishmast`r. Half of it was hip-hop produced by bandit. It was experimental what you call dope, me and Castro (bugsy) broke out to make our own band. We were at “the gates of hell” (bandits studio back then) just chillen trying to come up with a new group name, then that shit just came out of my mouth like a deadly curse: tattoo ink.
3) Why give the group the name “tattoo ink”?
I think tattoo ink sounds unique, and it sticks. That’s what we wanted: a name that would stick. We were gonna make another hip-hop-rock band. We had no clue we were gonna go the direction it did. Tattoo ink, as a group, sounds gangster, but at the same time it ain’t a stereo typical Chicano rap group. Name na `mean?
4) What is the group about?
Tattoo ink is about the best and the worst-drugs sex and rock & roll. Tattoo ink is about the best ways to get money, the pussy, and do the best dope, as well as the worst kind of money to get. It is about the most scandalous bitches on the planet sitting by your side waiting for you to tell’em who or what’s next (211, 187 etc). And also, about what the fuck happens after all that drug use [abuse]. But most importantly, it’s about L.A.-Street hip-hop scene.
5) What style of music do you come with?
We stay in between-on one side you got the geto ass Chicano
rappers and on the other side you got the picky ass heads. We’ll bust on some funk shit, but we prefer the hardcore tracks. But as far as classifying us, we fall in none of them categories, and, at the same time, we’re all of them.
6) Tell us a little about the new album:
Tattoo ink “the most dangerous” LP plain and simple I think it’s on some other shit. It has all the right ingredients for one to explore and get to know us better. Bandit was in charge of production as always china white dropped in so did motiv8 and box. So who ever is reading this just be open-minded when you fuck with the ink.
7) What artist have you worked with?
All kinds of muthafuckers known and unknown, but some of our favorites: Los Tumbados and Capone of Latino jam. Those were memorable nights at the studio! A new generation of pioneers just vibing.
8) What is next for tattoo ink? Any artist you’ll be working with or are looking forward to working with?
We`ll let the fans decide what’s next for tattoo ink. A proper collabo that I would want to see happen would be the ink and street platoon or the ink and psycho realm. We’re from around the same area. We got a lot in common. That’s nothing but skill right there.
9) Speaking of the Psycho Realm and the Sick Symphonies camp, a while back, word on the street was that your camp and their camp had beef, can you clear this up for us?
Let me tell you about beef. A lot of it gots to do with our own fucken fans putting us against each other, and sometimes we [artists] feed into it. We ain’t crossed those boundaries with them (psycho realm), and neither have they. So if anything, we would rather track some classical shit than to start some classical shit, feel me?
I just ran into crow from street platoon on Sherman Way & Sepulveda the other day, and it was all good with the sick symphonies camp.
10) Everyone has been waiting for a new Conejo album, why did you decide to drop a group album?
You know how it is. Life’s a muthafucken roller coaster, that’s all. The Ink built up a lot of hype cause of the Fallen Angel CD, heads was fiending, bitches was fiending, biters was fiending and the street politics was heavy. So to relive the tension, we seeped it into the streets: The Most Dangerous LP, my shit is just about done (Conejo - Angel of Death album) when I hear it, it reminds me of the movie Crow both on screen and off screen.
11) Let’s talk radio. Do you make radio or mainstream music?
We made tattoo ink for the radio, for prison, for whatever. But as far as we’re concerned, we’re not a mainstream band. Question for you, what the fuck is wrong with mainstream? A lot of shit out there is dope no matter where it comes from.
12) Is your music played on the radio? Why or why not?
When you say radio, pocos pero locos comes to mind. They play Conejo and tattoo ink shit. Khoolaid is my baby, Johnny Cuervo and E-Dubb, they’re our accomplices. If they don’t play your shit, your not built for their format. Get with the program or your shit is whack and wasn’t produced or mixed right. There’s a couple of other shows out there. Fuck with them different DJ`s, different tastes and different listiners. These shows are representing for rabbs and the ink, so we gonna ride with them.
13) What is your view(s) on the very few radio shows that focus on ”Latin hip-hop”?
We think it’s dope what they’re doing. We need at least one in every state, Latin hip-hop, Chicano rap we feeling that whole concept g.
14) Do you think these shows do everything possible to bring the artists, especially new artists, to the peoples’ attention?
As long as you do your part and not just drop off a punk ass burned cd, thinking they gonna play your shit. Stay on them - do shows - do dropps for them - promote and get known - stalk the net - slang your material, stack some chips along the way. Make it interesting for yourself cause no one is gonna do it for you. Especially if you’re new and no one knows you!
15) Are there any groups out there who you recognize to have skills and what it takes to make it?
It takes alot to make it. A lot of hard work and determination, there’s just so many groups out there for me to name, some friend some foe`, but regardless it pays off when you work hard. I think who ever is out there pushing already made it: you going down in history.
16) Where can people pick up the album?
Same place you buy crack cocaine at! At all the same places any other Chicano rap Latin hip-hop band would be sold. The consumers out here knows where [to go] when they need a fix.
17) Any shout outs?
Shot out to Musica Assecina, Frank V and Southland, hey what kind of fucken interview is this? 50 questions about Conejo- what you think fool it’s tattoo ink. (ha, ha, ha)
Tattoo ink is the new group assembled by Conejo and his camp. The release will be under Casualty Records. The debut album “the most dangerous” will be available in stores everywhere on Tuesday, September 23. There is a bootleg copy circulating around the underground with some ugly artwork and a couple of missing songs that are found on the real copy, so consumers beware! Reminds us of the frequently run commercials on Spanish television “diga no a la pirateria”. We had a chance to interview the Ink and we questioned them about the new album, what is to come, and even about the “beef” with the Psycho Realm.
Interview questions and answers:
1) who is tattoo ink?
The band consist of Conejo, Bugsy 2 guns, Venom, Bandit, China White, Motiv8, Sporty and Spanks. But on wax, it’s only me(Conejo)and Bugsy. Venom was with it from the start, but the cat is always busted spitting rimes behind bars. What can I say? Another person that’s like a silent partner that I can’t forget to mention is Ernie G. That’s a bad
muthafucker right there!
2) How and why was the group formed?
Me and Bugsy had just did a whole hip-hop-rock album with some other cat Blazeman. We had a band called Wishmast`r. Half of it was hip-hop produced by bandit. It was experimental what you call dope, me and Castro (bugsy) broke out to make our own band. We were at “the gates of hell” (bandits studio back then) just chillen trying to come up with a new group name, then that shit just came out of my mouth like a deadly curse: tattoo ink.
3) Why give the group the name “tattoo ink”?
I think tattoo ink sounds unique, and it sticks. That’s what we wanted: a name that would stick. We were gonna make another hip-hop-rock band. We had no clue we were gonna go the direction it did. Tattoo ink, as a group, sounds gangster, but at the same time it ain’t a stereo typical Chicano rap group. Name na `mean?
4) What is the group about?
Tattoo ink is about the best and the worst-drugs sex and rock & roll. Tattoo ink is about the best ways to get money, the pussy, and do the best dope, as well as the worst kind of money to get. It is about the most scandalous bitches on the planet sitting by your side waiting for you to tell’em who or what’s next (211, 187 etc). And also, about what the fuck happens after all that drug use [abuse]. But most importantly, it’s about L.A.-Street hip-hop scene.
5) What style of music do you come with?
We stay in between-on one side you got the geto ass Chicano
rappers and on the other side you got the picky ass heads. We’ll bust on some funk shit, but we prefer the hardcore tracks. But as far as classifying us, we fall in none of them categories, and, at the same time, we’re all of them.
6) Tell us a little about the new album:
Tattoo ink “the most dangerous” LP plain and simple I think it’s on some other shit. It has all the right ingredients for one to explore and get to know us better. Bandit was in charge of production as always china white dropped in so did motiv8 and box. So who ever is reading this just be open-minded when you fuck with the ink.
7) What artist have you worked with?
All kinds of muthafuckers known and unknown, but some of our favorites: Los Tumbados and Capone of Latino jam. Those were memorable nights at the studio! A new generation of pioneers just vibing.
8) What is next for tattoo ink? Any artist you’ll be working with or are looking forward to working with?
We`ll let the fans decide what’s next for tattoo ink. A proper collabo that I would want to see happen would be the ink and street platoon or the ink and psycho realm. We’re from around the same area. We got a lot in common. That’s nothing but skill right there.
9) Speaking of the Psycho Realm and the Sick Symphonies camp, a while back, word on the street was that your camp and their camp had beef, can you clear this up for us?
Let me tell you about beef. A lot of it gots to do with our own fucken fans putting us against each other, and sometimes we [artists] feed into it. We ain’t crossed those boundaries with them (psycho realm), and neither have they. So if anything, we would rather track some classical shit than to start some classical shit, feel me?
I just ran into crow from street platoon on Sherman Way & Sepulveda the other day, and it was all good with the sick symphonies camp.
10) Everyone has been waiting for a new Conejo album, why did you decide to drop a group album?
You know how it is. Life’s a muthafucken roller coaster, that’s all. The Ink built up a lot of hype cause of the Fallen Angel CD, heads was fiending, bitches was fiending, biters was fiending and the street politics was heavy. So to relive the tension, we seeped it into the streets: The Most Dangerous LP, my shit is just about done (Conejo - Angel of Death album) when I hear it, it reminds me of the movie Crow both on screen and off screen.
11) Let’s talk radio. Do you make radio or mainstream music?
We made tattoo ink for the radio, for prison, for whatever. But as far as we’re concerned, we’re not a mainstream band. Question for you, what the fuck is wrong with mainstream? A lot of shit out there is dope no matter where it comes from.
12) Is your music played on the radio? Why or why not?
When you say radio, pocos pero locos comes to mind. They play Conejo and tattoo ink shit. Khoolaid is my baby, Johnny Cuervo and E-Dubb, they’re our accomplices. If they don’t play your shit, your not built for their format. Get with the program or your shit is whack and wasn’t produced or mixed right. There’s a couple of other shows out there. Fuck with them different DJ`s, different tastes and different listiners. These shows are representing for rabbs and the ink, so we gonna ride with them.
13) What is your view(s) on the very few radio shows that focus on ”Latin hip-hop”?
We think it’s dope what they’re doing. We need at least one in every state, Latin hip-hop, Chicano rap we feeling that whole concept g.
14) Do you think these shows do everything possible to bring the artists, especially new artists, to the peoples’ attention?
As long as you do your part and not just drop off a punk ass burned cd, thinking they gonna play your shit. Stay on them - do shows - do dropps for them - promote and get known - stalk the net - slang your material, stack some chips along the way. Make it interesting for yourself cause no one is gonna do it for you. Especially if you’re new and no one knows you!
15) Are there any groups out there who you recognize to have skills and what it takes to make it?
It takes alot to make it. A lot of hard work and determination, there’s just so many groups out there for me to name, some friend some foe`, but regardless it pays off when you work hard. I think who ever is out there pushing already made it: you going down in history.
16) Where can people pick up the album?
Same place you buy crack cocaine at! At all the same places any other Chicano rap Latin hip-hop band would be sold. The consumers out here knows where [to go] when they need a fix.
17) Any shout outs?
Shot out to Musica Assecina, Frank V and Southland, hey what kind of fucken interview is this? 50 questions about Conejo- what you think fool it’s tattoo ink. (ha, ha, ha)