Yonkers own Sean Jacobs, better known as Sheek Louch, has always prided himself as being one of the streetest MCs in the game. Though he and his partners from the Lox have yet to sell millions and millions of records, the streets still stand at attention whenever they speak. To some, Platinum in the streets can mean as much as a plaque. But after being in the Rap game for so many years, Sheeks focus on the business end of it is clearer. He knows that certain moves need to be made in order to ensure further longevity in a rappers career.
Things always have a tendency to change after taxes are taken. Checks get smaller, things are more expensive, you might feel like you arent making that pocket change that you think you should be making for yourself. Sheek has a new album coming out in September, After Taxes, and he promises that we get a closer look inside the mind of one of D-Blocks head businessmen.
AllHipHop.com breaks the quietest Warlock away from his brothers, to get a stronger sense of his identity. Everything from rhyme-patterns, labels, and fashion codes are discussed. We like to get the beef in the backseat, but for you carnivorous cats Sheek states whether his issues with 50 will affect his relationship with Havoc.
AllHipHop.com: You are definitely the most low-key member of the Lox are we going to get more insight into you on this album?
Sheek Louch: Yeah, this time Im telling you where Ive been, what Ive been doing. I think on this album I stepped it up, lyrically. I thought I was on my A-game last album, but on this one Im killin s**t. There are certain things in my life I speak on. I just had a baby boy.
AllHipHop.com: Congratulations
Sheek Louch: Thank you. Theres a bunch of stuff I reflect on in this album. With these collabos, I really feel like we compliment each other. But Ive really been behind the scenes with a lot of the business side of it and all. But right now Im really just tryin to mash em with this new album.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of collaborations, whats your favorite in your career?
Sheek Louch: I liked the one with DMX, N****s Done Started Something. I like a lot of the mixtape s**t like Lox Chest to Chest on DJ Clue back then; stuff like that is more my favorite stuff more then the album.
AllHipHop.com: Is there anyone out thereliving or notthat you havent gotten a chance to work with that you would have or would really like to work with?
Sheek Louch: Ive worked with Big before but I wish I had had the chance to go on stage with him. Wed done a lot of stuff but weve never rocked an arena. I definitely wish Id had the chance to do that, definitely. Who else am I feelin right now its no gangsta s**t, but I like John Legend right now, I think hes original.
AllHipHop.com: There were rumors of a return to Bad Boy, then Roc-A-Fella, what is the state of The Lox?
Sheek Louch: Right now, were in negotiations. Right now, Jay-Zs trying to buy the Lox from Interscope. Hes trying to get the Styles Project, Kiss project, the Lox as a group. My stuff is over at D-Block besides the Lox, so hes trying to get that. So I think thats almost in closing, were gonna make that happen. So the lineup is my album in September, a D-Block compilation coming for Christmas, J-Hood is coming in February. Once everything is said and done with the Lox deal, thats when well hit the streets with it. Its called Live, Suffer, Celebrate, the new Lox album.
AllHipHop.com: What is the glue that holds the three of yall together?
Sheek Louch: I think out respect for each other. Like when I hear his s**thow we go about it is like, I could be on a song with Kiss, but Im tryin to finish him. Styles is tryin to finish Kiss, hes tryin to finish me. But not in the beef term were all against everybody else. So thats how we stay on point as far as our lyrics. I pretty much know what theyre writing about without them being there, and somehow, with our different styles, we compliment each other and it works.
AllHipHop.com: So you would call it a friendly competition?
Sheek Louch: Hell yeah.
AllHipHop.com: You say you guys like to finish each others lines I know Jada and Styles like to finish each others sentences, they like alternating bars; how did that come about and why dont you get down on that?
Sheek Louch: They did that back then, thats some old s**t that just sounded so good I dont need to get involved with that. Why stretch it out with three people?
AllHipHop.com: Im saying like once in a while you and Jada, you and Styles
Sheek Louch: Switch it up you mean?
AllHipHop.com: Yeah
Sheek Louch: I got some of that goin on, I got some surprises on the album. But that in and out s**ts some s**t they had and it sounds good to me. Im in support of it.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, now one of my favorite lines from you is on Breathe Easy He clappin at you/ you duckin/makin you dance/ you shoulda spent it on some guns instead of Iceberg pants I feel like that kind of clarifies your opinion on things; not the guns and the jeans specifically, but about the whole flashy side of Hip-hop. I feel that explains how you feel about it
Sheek Louch: Thats what Im saying! On After Taxes all that look good, but that aint the real deal, you know what I mean? We white teed out man, white tee, long johns under, jeans, boots thats us. Regardless of it we have millions or multimillions or not, thats our s**t. We aint really mink n****s and all that. I think the same person youre speaking to right now, you meet me later on down the line whether or not I sold 30 milllion records, Ima be that same dude.
AllHipHop.com: Whats in your tape deck right now?
Sheek Louch: I got the first Redman album [Whut? Thee Album,] Im a Redman fan. I got some of my new album in there. Listening to it so I can critique it.
AllHipHop.com: The more you listen to it the more you like it?
Sheek Louch: Yeah, the more I listen the more I like it, the more ideas I get and I want to go back and change this and that.
AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about yourself as far as the work youve done as a businessman, as a third of such a talented trio, and as a sole artist?
Sheek Louch: I think were doin our thing Im definitely business-minded. The first thing I did was buy a studio for us to record in, got these meeting to see how things were going at other labels because I really didnt like the money situation and certain things. Now where Im at now, we went to the independent thing, which is Koch. And Im happy getting eight dollars a record now as opposed to 35 cents before like most artists.
AllHipHop.com: I feel like you guys deserve everything you get. Is there anything youd like to leave me with?
Sheek Louch: Not to sound corny but it sounds like youve really been supporting us, thanks for that go get that After Taxes album, tell the people its hot, a lot of energy, I stepped it up lyrically, creatively and G-Unit got nothing on us, you know what Im saying?
AllHipHop.com: Since you brought it up, let me ask you something, you say you have Havoc on the album; was that all before they signed to G-Unit?
Sheek Louch: Yeah, he did production on it before the G-Unit s**t, but Im not stupid as soon as I heard that they were signing and after he signed the deal I called him immediately to make sure that everything was still a go, and he said, Hell yeah, that has nothing to do with me. His production is his production, if I had his rapping on my album and I didnt have him signed and sealed already it would probably have been a problem, but as far as his beats go, that has nothing to do with it. Even AlchemistI have an Alchemist track on itand thats Eminems DJ now. Same s**t
AllHipHop.com: You know how sometimes people try to act like even if its really not their beef
Sheek Louch: They try to get in and act like theyre mad at us now, outta nowhere. Thats some little b*tch s**t man.
AllHipHop.com: So whats good with a Lox/Nas vs. G-Unit type of battle? I mean, if its gonna happen then lets make it really happen
Sheek Louch: Yeah, G-Unit got nothin on us. Everybody knows theyve got more money then us and all that, but you know thats about it. Besides that, the streets know we shuttin em down, we killin em. They havent really responded back. They know that cant f**k around. If it was somebody else, you know they would have tried to air them out and finish them The Lox is waiting, go ahead and do it. Everything we put out, we mashed them. The s**t that they be putting out, n****s be like That was wack, what was that? People want a little show, give them a show. It probably was good back then if you were gonna use it on him [Ja Rule]. But before, when he was getting on Ja, Ja was this industry dude, out there doin movies, and 50 was the street n****a. WE them street n****s, 50, you lookin real sensitive and b*tch-like right now Youre heated at Kiss and Fat Joe cause they did a song biggin up New York? They didnt nothing about you but youre mad because somebody did something with Ja get the f**k outta here.