By Ernie Butler
July 23rd, 2018
As part of Heineken’s Greenroom Series, a group of lucky fans and media were treated to a sit-down interview of the legendary Styles P of LOX/D Block fame by Brooklyn emcee and burgeoning media personality Torae. DJ Soul spun classic 90s record throughout the night and during lulls between the interview and the later performances.
During the interview, Styles P spoke of growth and maturity during the 16 years since his debut A Gangster and a Gentleman. On his mindset regarding his first album, he noted:
I wanted it to be me. When you’re in a group, it’s easy but more difficult. It’s easier because you have less work to do, but the work has to be sincerely on point because you have less work to do…When I was making A Gangster and a Gentleman it was important to me to let people know I was a gentleman as well as a gangster. That was my main thing.
Styles P continued to discuss his dedication to the craft and the focus it takes to deliver art and how honing your skill is a form of possession to the art. The fans care about you, but really their love is dependent on the art you produce and Ghost talks the difficulty with not only putting in the work but detaching yourself from it when you aren’t in go mode. He was thankful to the fans and expressed the humility necessary to maintain consistency when you are no longer the flavor of the month.
Torae, an emcee himself, was the perfect foil for Styles P, with an honesty and an intimacy with being a rapper and facing the struggle to remain relevant. The get to the meat of Styles’ history with his brief stints in jail, and the separation from his family, freedom and the culture at large.
The Ghost shared his opinion on the Drake and Pusha T beef and explained why he thought it was perfect for the art, with the opinion that artists need to go at each other to keep each other sharp. He hedged the point of drawing the line is drawn between just rhyming and ultimately going too far and messing with your income. “Don’t fuck with the bag!”
The conversation was followed by a performance featuring up and coming artists, and the Ghost, himself, featuring all of Styles P’s classic hits, much to the delight of the capacity crowd. Aside from the Supreme wear and OVO hats, you would think the crowd was straight late 90s and early 2000s by their reception. Yes, it is seemingly impossible to prevent random weed smoke at a Styles show (or any 90’s show for that matter, *cough).
On the news front, Styles confirmed that the LOX is coming through by the end of the year with new work and a tour, so stay tuned.
