Who: Halifax’s one-man hip hop wrecking crew.
Where: Over the phone from the offices of Halifax’s Murderecords.
When: 25 August 1995

Boognish: How did you get involved in hip hop?

Rich: Well, let me see. I started off breakdancing. You know, there’s four so-called elements of hip hop culture: graffiti art, which was probably the first one developed, then breakdancing, and DJing and MCing. I started off as a breakdancer. And I had this partner, like way back, like in the first couple of years in the 80s and we worked out our first routine to “Scorpio” off the first Grandmaster Flash album, which I bought the week it hit the shelves, basically. So, we used to go to the rollerskatin’ rink not far from where I used to live and we used to go out there on the weekends and breakdance and stuff like that. And that got me turned onto the music. It was like my first exposure to it. This is back, like in 1981/1982. That was my first involvement with it. And then I started toying around with DJing and stuff like that. And that sort of set me off in the direction of trying to produce and stuff like that. And so I started trying to hook myself up with beats and stuff like that. And then when I got into junior high school, like in grade seven, I started writing rhymes. And then basically it just kinda went from there. I made my first song – full song – in about 1985, and then went into the studio for the first time in ’88. And uh, blah, blah, blah.

Boognish: So you’ve been at it for a while then.

Rich: Well, I’ve been writing stuff for a while. Like, the first time I was played on the radio or whatever, like the first time anybody else mighta heard me before probably would have been in ’88.

Boognish: You have three different personas. How did each come about?

Rich: Well, two new ones have been added probably since you last heard. Uhm, just to go through it, the first to emerge would have been DJ Critical, for what’s currently happening anyway cuz there were some personas that have died, like wayback or whatever. But DJ Critical got started on the radio doing a hip hop radio show on CKDU out here back in like 1989, I think. Since his thing was cuttin’ and scratchin’ and stuff, he had to be part of the thing and had to maintain that identity cuz I already built a reputation as a DJ under that name and so on. And then before any release came out under the name Stinkin’ Rich, all the music had to have been produced and so on. And all the groundwork had to be laid, and all that was done by Buck 65. So Buck 65 basically handles the production and goes out and finds the beats and stuff like that, and is also registered with the Zulu Nation, and stuff like that. And then Stinkin’ Rich is like the MC and, you know, writes the rhymes and so on. And since, the new personalities that have been added have been Achilles and Uncle Climax.

Boognish: Okay, where are those from?

Rich: Well, just recently I’ve sorta like taken to sorta broaden my horizons as far as what my influences have been. And a lot of them have come from literature and stuff like that. And so, when I sorta take parts of my personality that have been influenced by sorta big things like that, philosophical things and so on, then all that has basically led to the Achilles thing. Basically, it’s like any sort of given behaviour that I exhibit or whatever can be sorta pushed off in the direction of any of these personalities or whatever, and the rest don’t have to take responsibility for it. And as far as Uncle Climax goes, uhm I don’t know, Uncle Climax is just the dirty old man or something, I guess. Him and Stinkin’ Rich get along pretty good.

Boognish: Redman has a song called “Redman vs Reggie Noble.” Can we expect to see something similare from the Stinkin’ Rich camp?

Rich: Well, it’s hard to say. We’re all getting along pretty good right now. If one of us develops beef with one of the others, it could happen. I’d probably be more likely to do that sort of thing as a battle more so as a one-man posse test. But you never know because lately the media and other outside forces have been trying to force us apart and stuff. So, they might, you know, stoke the coals a little bit and turn us on one another.

Boognish: I’m sure it would make a great record.

Rich: Well, you never know. It could happen soon. So, you’ll be the first to hear it.

Boognish: Where does the name Buck 65 come from?

Rich: Okay, for some reason when I was born practically, my dad just started calling me Buck and now my entire family and most the people close to my family call me that; kinda always have. And I weigh a hundred and sixty-five pounds, basically. It’s a pretty lame origin or whatever. I wish it was something cooler, but it’s all it is. I like how it sounds mostly.

Boognish: Murderecords is not really known for rap. How did you hook up with them?

Rich: Well, let me see. Back before I was doing Stinkin’ Rich stuff, [Chris] Murphy used to come and see some of my shows and stuff like that, like when I was working with this other group and stuff. And he always kinda dug, you know, what was going on and stuff, and also recognized the fact that I worked really hard. And when the group I was with split up, he sorta continued in his interest of what I was doing. And it probably didn’t hurt that the very first Stinkin’ Rich show that I ever did was a tribute-to-KISS night. And I was doing covers of KISS songs and he’s a KISS fan, so maybe he was just thinking that I’d be doing KISS songs, like all the time. Maybe I’ve disappointed him in that way. I’m not sure, maybe I tricked him, but you know, basically he took an interest in what I was doing and recognized the fact that I worked hard and stuff like that. And also, proably maybe more on a self-serving sorta side, although I doubt this is any real motivation, Murder has, you know, looked to diversify as a label so it’s not just sorta looked at as a label that has bands that sound like Sloan on it, you know what I mean? Because, for most people, if they know anything about Murder, they know it’s Sloan’s label. So, in addition to myself and Hip Club Groove, they have Al Tuck, right, he does sorta country-blues inspired stuff, and the Local Rabbits kinda do a lot of blues kinda stuff. And I don’t know, they may want to diversify even more. But basically, they just want to keep things diverse or whatever, and just help out hard-working people. Basically, that’s the story as far as that goes.

Boognish: Is there any particular reason you chose to perform “Detroit Rock City” at the KISS tribute?

Rich: When I was a kid I was really into KISS. I don’t know how into their music I was. It’s probably just cuz I was so young and whatever, just kinda attracted by the spectacle and stuff like that, you know. I had, like… The basement of my house when I was a kid was like a shrine to KISS. It was covered in KISS posters and I did have all their albums and stuff like that, and I still got a Paul Stanley doll and I had a puzzle that was the Destroyer album cover and blah, blah, blah. Like, all this stuff, you know. And I was some member of KISS every year for Halloween. So I thought, you know, I was into KISS, I can do this. So, when I thought what songs am I going to cover, I had to find a song that could sorta be translated into hip hop form, especially as far as lyrics went. And the lyrics to “Detroit Rock City” rhymed kinda. So, you can rap them, basically. So I thought that would be one of them. So, I made the song two verses and I just rapped all the lyrics for the whole song in one verse – I just sort of rifled through them – and then I wrote my own second verse that was sorta like on the same theme as the first, just sorta like a continuation of what was going on. And then I also did “New York Groove” off the Ace Frehley album, just cuz hip hop is a New York groove. And the music was kinda catchy so I sampled that. I might have done something else, and then I wrote a song especially for that night called “Kiss My Ass,” which I did long before that compilation of the same name came out.

Boognish: Are we ever gonna see any of those songs?

Rich: No, not a chance (laughs). I’ve done little things like that before where, like, I do a quirky little thing or whatever that I figure people will dig in one way or the other. Like, I covered “Sugar Cane” by Hardship Post at a show once and a few other things and people are like, “You should record that, man.” You don’t exactly get it. If I was to record that and release it then, I don’t know, it’s potentially a dangerous sorta thing. I mean, who wants to be known as The KISS Rapper, or whatever, you know?

Boognish: How did you get involved with Hip Club Groove?

Well, our first exposure to one another was when they came to the city – to Halifax – to record after they won a talent contest or something like that. That was their prize. So, when they were finished recording, they came up to the radio station cuz I had this radio show – I still have this radio show – they’ve been running it for five, almost six years now. They figured if they wanted to get some exposure in the hip hop scene in Halifax, the first place to go to do that would be on my show. So, they came up with their cassette and asked me to play a song or whatever. So, they walked in and they were these, like, kinda cocky kids that I instantly didn’t like when they first came in; but I played their song and it was pretty cool. And then they started sorta hangin’ around more and more and, you know, basically after just sorta seeing them around we got to talking and I got to see what they were all about. Stuff like that. They came from another place, from like the sticks or whatever. Like, they were hicks. But the more I hung around with them and stuff, I found out that they were really true to what they were doing; found out that we had lots in common. And we all became pretty good friends pretty fast. So, you know, we hung out, we did shows together and stuff like that, long before we both got involved with Murder. Luckily, I guess, we both got involved with Murder which has allowed us to do a lot of shows together and hang out more. And just about every day, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the music, we hang out quite a bit, although usually on most of our free time we’re usually working on our music in one way or another. Even if we’re just hanging out freestyling or something like that. Or working on projects. We’re working on a new release that we’re all doing together: Hip Club, myself, Sixtoo (who used to be a member of Hip Club a long time ago) and our friend Gordski. We’re putting together a compilation that we’re just going to release on our own, like without Murder or whatever. It’s going to be four new songs from each of us and then a few extra songs where we collaborate, posse cuts or whatever. So, we’ve been working on some collaborative stuff, not just as far as this album goes but actual songs and stuff. So we’ve been hanging out a lot.

Boognish: Have Gordski and Sixtoo ever released anything before this?

Rich: Sixtoo was on the first couple Hip Club releases that were done before Murder or whatever. And while they were recording for their Murder release, Sixtoo was still with them but then they had to make some changes and stuff for the release when he left. But on the vinyl of their album, on the last song, he’s on there. So, that’s from one of the original recordings when he was still a member. And since, he’s released three albums, I think, Sixtoo has just on his own. And he just released one. He had the release party for it Wednesday and the album is excellent. Like, in my ten plus years of listening to hip hop music, this is honestly one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard. And he did it all himself, you know, the production, the recording, the rhymes, the scrathces, the art work. Like, you name it, from top to bottom, he did it all himself.

Boognish: Most of the hip hop from the east coast doesn’t make it here.

Rich: Yeah, which is unfortunate. But, you know, I guess that’s sorta the point with this compilation we’re working on, to help out with that a little bit. There’s more to the hip hop scene in Halifax than Hip Club and myself and stuff. Like, there’s a whole lotta other stuff going on here, just unfortunately not everybody is as outgoing as we are, and quite honestly don’t have all the connections that Hip Club and I have. I mean, it’s not an easy thing to get your stuff across the country or whatever. And there’s a lot of good hip hop here that doesn’t get the exposure that it should, but hopefully that’ll change soon because there’s been a lot of interest in what’s been going on here as far as the hip hop scene goes. But, hopefully with this compilation and with other upcoming things then other artists like Sixtoo and Gordski, and sort of a new group on the scene – although each of the members have been around for a really long time – call themselves the Mass Transit MCs, hopefully they’ll be getting some more exposure. They performed at Sixtoo’s release party on Friday, I think. And there’s a lot of other people doing their thing here. So hopefully they’ll be getting wider exposure in the next little while.

Boognish: What influences your music?

Rich: Stuff that is not, like, music is more of an influence on what I do than anything else. Like books and baseball and fashion and, uh, poverty and stuff like that. Especially books and films and psychology and biology, and stuff like that, you know. Stuff I study or read about often become my biggest influences. So that more so than the music would be my biggest influences.

Boognish: Currently, what are you listening to?

Rich: Well, let me see. Sixtoo, I think I listen to a lot. His new album’s called 4 Elements, and now you know what those four elements are. Well, if you didn’t know before. I listen to the Six Finger [Satellite] album some. You know, Severe Exposure, their new one. That’s really cool. And, uhm, let me think. Usually when I’m listening to music in my free time, it’s usually jazz and stuff, you know. The last couple of albums I probably listened to as far as jazz goes would be, like: Songs of Innocence by David Axlerod, and Marching On by the Heath Brothers, and Bad Luck Is All I Have by Eddie Harris, and anything by Les McCan. All that kinda stuff. Just sorta that weird sorta mix between funky-psychedelic-groovy jazz and from that era – late-sixties, early-seventies. That’s mostly what I’ve been listening to. I fell asleep listening to the Ol’ Dirty Bastard last night, though.

Boogish: That’s a great album.

Rich: Yeah, yeah. Let me think of the last hip hop thing I bought. Uhm, Mad Skillz. That’s the last thing I bought and that’s freakin’ me out right now. And the new KRS-One is really, really good. I’m thinking of stuff I’ve been playing on the radio show. The new Special Ed album is, like, really cool, and I mostly like New York City hip hop, but there’s this group from out west called The Bums which are really cool. And, uhm, let me think. I don’t know, I kinda like most of what’s going on with the Wu-Tang and everything, all the solo stuff that’s been coming out from the Wu-Tang people; that new Raekwon album and stuff like that. That new Mobb Deep album is pretty cool, with Jeru the Damaja on it, all that kind of stuff, you know. What’s number one on my chart right now? Mad Skillz, I guess. So, I still listen to a lot of hip hop, of course.

Boognish: You have probably the most interesting hip hop stage show. What influences you to perform on stage like that?

Rich: Well, basically, it’s kinda weird because a lot of people see it or whatever and figure that a whole lot more thought went into it than actually has. It’s bascially, like when I first went solo, I figured, generally speaking, it’s gonna be like one person on stage not playing any sorta instrument or anything, how am I going to keep people’s interest; especially considering that, unfortunately, at this stage of my career a lot of times I’m going to be performing for audiences that aren’t strictly hip hop audiences. And, being that I have a real purist approach to the music and stuff like that, it could only have a real strong appeal to other purists, and I often don’t perform for other purists. So, when I first started to perform on my own I just gotta give people something to look at so I just used to use a lot of props or I would come up with a little theme or something like that and go with it. And it just worked, like from the beginning. And it just sorta snowballed from there to the point now where there’s usually a big huge production or spectacle to my show, and you know, that would again get its inspiration from different stuff. Like, anything from something I would read about or see on tv to, like, just walking down the street and seeing crap on the sidewalk or something. Whatever. I get an idea and if I see something that I figure would fit on a stage then I do it. And it sorta started off like that, like for me to give my audience something to keep them interested, but it’s become a fun sorta thing and it’s like a real kinda challenge for me to come up with something new and exciting for every show I do. Some people have called it performance art, or whatever, which I’ve never really thought of it in those terms or anything like that. But, you know, if people want to call it that, it’s fine by me, I suppose. I think it is unfortunate that it is limited to me and maybe a few others who have more theatre in their live show because most shows I go because, like, I’m into the artist or whatever, but then go and be bored for however long.

Boognish: Any plans for you to perform in Toronto again soon?

Rich: Yeah. When I was in Toronto the last Sunday I was there I talked to Jonathon Ramos at Lee’s Palace about coming down to do that thing they have on Sundays there sometime soon. And there’s a possibility of going out and doing shows again sometime this fall or something. [To someone on the other end:] Isn’t that right, we might go away in October? [to me:] I’m getting the finger, I guess not. Late October, early November [will] probably be the next time we’re out in that neighbourhood. So, expect big things as far as the spectacle of the show goes. That keeps getting bigger and bigger. And then, as far as the music goes, that just keeps getting better and better everyday, too. I almost did a show about a month ago or so with no music in it. I think I’m getting a little more and more, well, I don’t know what the word is, but I almost did that, I almost did a show with no music, like a whole performance, like, with no music. I came close. There was very little music in it and at one point it was one of the coolest things in my whole career. There was a room full of people – chock fulll of people – all of whom paid, like, five bucks to see me and a friend of mine dance to “Babies Got the Rabies” by Six Finger Satellite. I was just dancin’ with no socks on. Like, I gave them a little more than that, but I basically left the show thinking, “Wow, there was a room full of people watching me dance to Six Finger.” Like, it wasn’t even my music, I wasn’t doing nothing. All I was doing was dancing… I was dancing goofy.

Boognish: That is awesome.

Rich: Yeah, it was pretty awesome. So, I thought of some day making my show a short play. You know, a short musical play. Uhm, there’s more and more acting going on in the show, so I don’t know. For the Pop Explosion Tour I got my biggest show I ever planned. That’ll be cool. It’d be cool if you could see it, it might wreck it for some people.

Boognish: If you could be any superhero, who would you be?

Rich: Well, I am a superhero already, but if I could be any other superhero? Hmmm, let me see… My first favourite superhero was Spiderman. And I have a lot of Spiderman comics and stuff like that. Let me think. There’s other superheroes that have cooler powers than Spiderman, although he’s pretty cool. There’s probably other superheroes that could kick his ass, maybe. I don’t know if they could or not. Probably Spiderman if I was a superhero that already exists. But, Stinkin’ Rich is definitely a superhero. DJ Critical is a hero, I don’t know if he’s a superhero. Uncle Climax is definitely like a Robert Crumb sorta superhero. Not exactly a Marvel Comics kind of hero, he’s kind of like an 8-Ball Comics superhero or something. But yeah, you know, I got plenty of superpowers right now and stuff. So, you know, I’m kinda living that super life already, no problem…