First I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us here down in Africa. How you doing man!

No doubt, glad y'all are feelin' me way out there. I'm doing good, real good, you know hustlin', mobbin' getting my mail, boss ballin...

For those people out there who still got their heads in the sand like ostriches, can you tell us where you from and where you at mentally?

Yo, you ever had ostrich before? It's like a real bad steak, I ain't never gonna get that shit again, feel me? But as far as where I'm from.... I was born in raised in Tampa, Florida and that's what I represent but I live in New York City now. Mentally? I'm focused, I'm always focused and I'm a real muthafuckin' nigga, no question about it.

The first time I heard about you was on the brilliant Cunninglinguist album 'Will Rap For Food'. On there you provide the track 'So Live' and you also appeared on that underground classic track '616 Rewind'. You have also produced for many other dope peoples. What criteria are you putting out there for people looking for beats?

Word, glad you liked that shit but as far as beats go I don't really fuck with them that much. I did a lot of shit in the past but I'm not a producer by any means. The only criteria I have for people looking for beats from me is have the right amount of paper cause that's what it's gonna take to actually make me sit down and make a beat. I could really give a fuck about beats completely but send me a check and we'll see what happens...

What's more important to you, doing the beats or emceeing?

I'm an emcee who happens to make beats occasionally, so I'd rather spit than fuck with a beat any day.

Do you battle often? If so what was the most memorable battle for you?

I've never battled in my life and I will never ever do that shit. I mean a lot of my niggas have battled and battle but that shit ain't me. I don't believe in the rules of hip hop or none of that, to me this shit is just music and having fun with it... I like to fuck with it and all but it ain't some kind of religion to me. If you got a problem with me or you wanna handle some shit like that, then get at me but I ain't gonna battle or talk about you on a record...

What can you tell us about Bronx Science Recordings?

It's dead and one of the guys that used to own that shit is a faggot. I should've gone up in there with my niggas a long time ago with nines and gauges, but that shit is through now anyway. 

If I read your bio I can see that you have done such a lot of shit. You must be busy all the time man. What do you do to relax?

I go to Jersey, like out in the woods and shoot shit. I got an AR-15, 3 different glocks, an UZI... some other shit... this little .22 pistol, that shit is fun just to fuck with it, it doesn't have any kickback or anything it's like a toy almost but it would rip through someone's chest if allowed. 

What albums you listening to right now? 

C-Bo "West Coast Mafia", Little Bruce "Give It To Me Baby", Dru Down "Gangsta Pimpin", and X-Raided "X-Ology"...

What's happening in the land of the Demigodz?

Everybody doin' their own thing, you know? Apathy's on Atlantic Records now, Rise finished his album, Louis Logic's shit comin' out in April I think, 7L & Esoteric got new shit droppin soon... Fudge is chillin... Open Mic be doin' his thing with the graphics.. maybe we might do a new collaborative 12" or something this year.. You know we just do shit to do shit, we don't take this shit serious... www.demigodz.com coming soon, will keep the fans posted on what's goin on, so stay tuned....

You live in New York, when did you move from Tampa? Do you ever see legends like .e.g Big Daddy Kane or Afrika Bambaata?

I moved to NYC in '99... It's cool, I don't really give a fuck about it. I'm here to handle B.I. and that's it, smell me? I'm connected here though so it's good to run with wild niggas up here but my fam, like from childhood fam is in Tampa. As far as seeing cats, yeah, I seen a lot of "legends" and I know a few of them personally just from being in the industry and politickin with cats. It's cool, maybe I take it for granted but I don't ever get star struck. Probably people from overseas or from some country ass place here might bug out... Last night me and Apathy was at Pete Rock's house fuckin' with beats... sometimes shit be like that... hip hop is a crazy thing.

What do you think of rap coming from the dirty south?

I love it. Trick Daddy, Ludacris, Field Mob, Jim Crow... Rated R and all my niggas at 2-4-1 Records.... for real, watch out for Rated R, he just got a deal with Universal...

What's your most memorable moment in hip hop?

Probably hearing Fat Boys for the first time as a little shorty... and rolling with King Sun and watching him knock out some whiteboy with one punch in Manhattan a couple years ago. 

What frustrates you about this music bizness?

I don't know... a lot of shit used to frustrate me, but not anymore, I just have fun with this shit. I can't complain, I'm livin off of it and doin' what I like to do... Most of this shit is a joke to me... a lot of rappers are big jokes to me, I have a lot of fun with it, you know? 

If somebody burns your whole album and puts it's all over the internet, and you happen to just meet him/her one day, what will you do?

As long as they bought the shit in the first place, it's whatever. I can't do anything to stop kids from doing that, for the most part it will give muthafuckas a chance to peep out my album and then buy an official copy if they really feelin' it like that and to have all the artwork and all that... or I might gain a lot of fans who downloaded my shit and then want to buy other shit from me like t-shirts or pay to see a show. I ain't really stressin' the MP3 shit as long as nobody fucks with the actual music or sound quality and gets the title right, it's cool....

What will you be doing for the Celph Titled fans this year?

A lot of music. I did a lot of collabos on other people's joints... everyone from Styles of Beyond to J-Zone to Jedi Mind Tricks to 7L & Esoteric.... I'm also droppin a few 12"s this year... so stayed tuned and hopefully www.celphtitled.com will be up this year. I'm doin my thing you know, I'm a lot of how hip hop used to be that's why I vibe a lot well with the cats I do shit with cause we bring that type of flavor... I might try to get into some other shit too... try to do some shit with Yukmouth or C-Bo, that type of shit

And do you tour often? Ever coming to South Africa?

I haven't been on an official tour yet but I been to a few places like Iceland and Sweden. I'd definitely like to come to South Africa... holla at the promoters, hook that shit up, homie...

In your opinion where's the best place to write your rhymes?

At the crib, I can just zone out and focus.

If the devil came to you and said you had only one day to live and he put you in a studio and said you could do any song with anybody you wanted to have, who would you choose?

Honestly, I'd probably put Satan himself on the track with me. That would be way iller to me than any rapper. Just have him talkin some shit on the intro, maybe do the chorus. I mean, I'm kinda down with homeboy so I don't know if I'd only have one day to live, it would be more like one last day on earth and then off to the after party in hell where me, Majik Most, and Lucifer ball outta control, but that cape he's rockin' now will definitely have to go...

What's your favourite food?

Fried platanos

And drink?

Captain Morgan spiced rum... straight no chaser... fuck all that Henny and all that rap shit these kids be endorsing.

What do you use to make beats?

MPC2000XL and a duster cause next time I pull that shit out it's gonna need to be dusted off.

If people want to learn more about Celph Titled on the web where can they go to?

Well, like I said, coming soon is www.demigodz.com and www.celphtitled.com... but I would say just go on google.com and do a search for "celph-titled" and a whole gang of shit will pop up. Also check out www.tampahiphop.com for more info on me as well as the Tampa hip hop scene.

What's the most important thing to Celph Titled?

Punishment. Making sure there are certain things dealt with in a certain manner and that proper punishment is carried out, that's all I'm concerned with, I make it my life.

Best producers?

Pete Rock, Premier, Bosko, Marley Marl, J.J. Brown, Studio Ton, Mike Mosley, Mr. Mixxx, J-Zone, Rick Rock....

Top 10 albums ever!

I can't think of my all time top 10 but off the dome: N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton", C-Bo "The Gas Chamber", Notorious BIG "Ready to Die", Das EFX "Dead Serious", 2 Live Crew "Move Somethin", Eric B. & Rakim "Paid in Full", Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo "Wanted Dead or Alive", Ice Cube "Death Certificate", Fat Boys "Crushin", Biz Markie "Goin' Off", 

Would you ever do a song with Master P?

I'm actually trying to get that to happen.... but I want to bring back the "Mama's Bad Boy" Percy... that gangsta shit, that T.R.U. shit... "Ghetto's Tryna Kill Me", "99 Ways to Die", "Get Away Clean" type shit, that old school No Limit muthafuckin gangsta shit.

What's Krs One like since you've been tight with him?

Nah, I ain't tight with him, I only met him a couple times. I talked to him for a minute at the Wake Up Show with DJ Revolution when I was in L.A. in November, he's cool. He called me back in '98 one time, he heard a beat tape of mine back when I was fuckin' with beats a little more and wanted to buy some shit from me but the shit fell through I guess when his deal with Reprise went sour. I ran my mouth about it at the time and I guess that's why cats think I'm down with Kris like that.

When it comes to performing live, what's your favourite track doing?

This shit me and Louis got called "Diablos"... we been spittin that shit at a few shows, it ain't out yet, the 12" gonna be out in March on Solid Records... it's just some real saw shit...

Thanks man, for talking to us, do you have any last words or shout outs?

Yeah shout out to my nigga Guttamouf and all my niggas from South Jamaica Queens, always holdin it down for me when shit pop off. Also my whole Harlem and Washington Heights killa fam, hold ya head up niggas this year its about us!!! We gonna strong arm the industry, fuck everybody.... Chrome Muthafuckin Depot militia, we an army better yet a navy.

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