Published: Tuesday - April 18, 2006
Words by Allen Starbury
People Under The Stairs (Photo: Basement Records)
The People Under The Stairs (PUTS) are a duo out of L.A., who formed back in the mid-90's and have been able to solidify a strong underground following. Although they've been away touring the world the past few years, they are back at it again with their latest release, Stepfather.
As the duo -- made up of Thes One and Double K -- unleash their new piece of work onto the world, BallerStatus caught up with them to talk a little about their history, the L.A. hip-hop scene, the typical underground hip-hop fan and what's good with their latest album.
To PUTS, it's about the love, and of course, the money, but they aren't out to sell their souls to get it. In this honest interview, the pair reveals the drawbacks of being underground and how the music is what drives them to continue on.
BallerStatus.com: This is your first full album since 2003, why was there such a long timeframe between albums? What's been going on the past few years?
Thes One: A lot of touring. We've been on the road a lot the past couple years, but you know, it takes time to make the record.
BallerStatus.com: Ok, before getting into the album, let's talk about the group. PUTS has been around for a minute and you guys have built quite a following over the years. What is it about your guys' music that fans are drawn to?
Double K: I think it's just us being original and being who we are. I think a lot of cats out there aren't really bringing forth who they are. It's just something else that they are hearing, that they are trying to duplicate. We're just being ourselves and I think people appreciate that.
Thes One: At the very minimum, I hope that they can relate to it as well, as far as them being their selves too.
BallerStatus.com: For those not too familiar with People Under The Stairs, talk a little about how you guys formed and some of the accomplishments you achieved since your start?
Thes One: Well, we met at a record store back in '95 and we were both making beats or whatever, so we just linked up and...I dunno, since that day, a whole lot has changed. But, at the same time, a whole lot of nothing has changed because most importantly, we've just tried to be young gentlemen to our people, family and friends, make hip-hop music and have a good time. We haven't really tried to be a whole lot more than that.
We've probably done like over 10 world tours, etc, etc etc. But, I don't think any of that is really as important as the music.
Double K: Music brought us together and took us to a lot of places. At the beginning, we never thought we'd be here...stopping one day here and in Australia next, but it has taken us to a lot of places, which we never expected.
BallerStatus.com: You mentioned the world tours, so what kind of love do you get overseas, compared to the love in the U.S.?
Thes One: Oh, we get a ton of love overseas -- enormous. Before we really caught on in the states, Europe was really supporting us for a minute, back in '99 and 2000. Here in the states, cats have a different feel for hip-hop. I think we are fortunate enough to have fans that kind of feel what we are trying to do everywhere, which hopefully, you don't really even have to be a hip-hop dude to really get into it. We've made a record about hip-hop and we've made some hip-hop tracks, but ultimately, we're just trying to make music that's worldwide.
BallerStatus.com: You guys are from L.A. and built a following out here, so how would you say the hip-hop scene in L.A. is currently, compared to other parts of the nation?
Double K: I don't know too much about different parts of the U.S. I think [in L.A.] it's kind of slowed down a little bit, because everybody's doing it. Compared to the scene in, let's say, London or Australia, it's way more hype over there 'cause they're not used to walking down the street and everybody is a rapper, DJ or producer. It's pretty much died down [in L.A.] because there are so many people doing it, so everybody is sticking to themselves.
Back in the day when we formed PUTS, the scene out here was stupid large. We'd go to...we were at a hip-hop jam at least once a week and couldn't wait for that jam to happen. We were collecting flyers for the shows down here. It's definitely different. I can't speak for the younger generation [in L.A.]; I don't know what they're doing.
BallerStatus.com: So, why do you think that is? Why has it died down so dramatically?
Double K: Because I think that the dudes that were making up the scene back then, are on tour right now. Back in the day, you had us, J5, Dilated [Peoples]...just all the cats that were doing it in L.A., we would see everyone at the clubs together. Now, we're all doing our thing out on tour, so the unity ain't like it was. I don't think the kids out here doing it today, really know how to go about making the scene thrive like it used to. I think everybody's too involved in trying to show off and who's the best at this or that. Back in the day, we were just all happy to be together and see someone like KRS-One rock a show for everybody.
Thes One: We were happy with being fans. We're still happy supporting all our favorite artists and checking for new stuff. Now, you have the whole Guitar Center generation who...why would they wanna support their favorite artists when they can make 10 of their own beats that sound like their favorites? I think today people have a different understanding of how they relate to the artists and culture because everyone is doing it, basically. It's like there's not any fans anymore, because the fans are now trying to be the artists as well.
BallerStatus.com: The new album is entitled Stepfather. Talk about the title and what the name itself represents, as far as the overall vibe and subject matter of the album.
Double K: Basically, we have a few interludes on there that is kind of joking about somebody's stepfather bugging them about touching his records or whatever. But, we look at it like, we're the stepfathers of this. You got a whole school of underground hip-hop heads or whatever that people listen to, and you got the big cats with all the bling, ice and 24 inch rims -- that's what everybody's listening to. We're the stepfathers. We're coming in and we're gonna make our point and you're gonna listen to us. It's just like the role of the stepfather; he's coming in and taking somebody else's place, and you ain't really digging him too well. But your momma loves us.
BallerStatus.com: Ok, I've read quotes where you say on this album, you took a really progressive approach and were listening to a lot of classical material prior to recording. Tell us what kind of stuff you were listening to specifically during the making of the album, and why it influenced you to take the album in this direction?
Thes One: Double K, he listens to nothing but Parliament Funkadelic all day long, which is great because that's a good example of some cats that are freeing their mind. And we're trying to apply that same philosophy to hip-hop. Basically, I think with this record -- production-wise and how we approached the record -- we just did a lot of things that we might have been afraid to put out back in the day. Like people would have probably asked us, "Where's the snare drum?" or "Where's the high hat?" We just kind of said, "F--- it. If it's funky and we like it, let's do it." That's a universal feeling right there, "If it's funky and you like it, let's do it and worry about it later."
BallerStatus.com: Was that the intention going in? To trying something new that you didn't do in the past?
Thes One: I don't think it was really our intention. I think we always just do what we do. But, I think, if anything, like being more conscious of how much it doesn't really matter and just making ourselves happy, rapping about topics we might not have rapped about before. We've touched about a lot of hip-hop stuff, so it was like, "Damn, what's going on in our lives? Let's rap about that." We like to eat, so we made a song about that. That's really what I think people dig about what we're trying to do. I mean, I don't have a car with 24 inch rims on it or I don't have 10 bitches, so I'm not gonna write a song about it. And there are 100 other rappers that are rapping about that, who are in the same position as me, but we all like to eat junk food, so let's rap about that.
BallerStatus.com: Yea, so basically, you guys rap about what the average Joe goes though or deals with.
Thes One: Yea, that's what it is. When we get out there on the road, we meet a lot of real cool, real average or what these rappers would look down upon as their fans...we're good with these cats. These are the dudes out here in the streets who are living life, having kids and trying support their families. We feel that.
BallerStatus.com: With the line between underground and mainstream being kinda blurry the past couple years, where does that leave groups like yourself and other quote/unquote popular underground acts?
Thes One: I wish we could get played on the radio alongside everyone else, but the sad fact in America is that major labels run sh--. Radio stations...the DJs don't always get to play what they want to play and we're cool with that. If one of our songs were to get picked up and all of the sudden it's everywhere -- I don't see it happening, but if it did -- I wouldn't be mad. I wouldn't say, "I love the underground, don't play my songs on the radio." I love the radio. I'm happy for anyone who is making it in this f---ed up country. If you are doing your thing, hustling and not trying to hurt nobody, then it's all good -- the hyphy movement, everything. Let's get that money, feed your kids and have fun.
Double K: It's funny 'cause like you were saying, if there was an underground group that blew up and got on the radio, there is some dudes out there that would hate that. There was a point when they wouldn't play hip-hop on the radio and there wasn't no mainstream or underground. Hip-hop was hip-hop and rap music was rap music. Mainstream, back then, was Prince and Michael Jackson. That didn't exist in hip-hop, so right now, we're all for it.
BallerStatus.com: Although underground fans are some of most supportive, they really quick to turn their back on an artist if they become popular in the slightest bit. Dilated Peoples for example, they had a huge hit with Kanye, and a lot of the underground heads felt that they had "sold out." How do you feel about those types of fans, who don't want to see their favorite rappers succeed on a mainstream level?
Thes One: It's ok, as long as you don't switch up your style to it. Like us, we always make our own beats, so if all of the sudden, we were like, "We got a Kanye West track," I would expect some of our fans -- and I wouldn't be mad -- to be like, "Well, there they go. They are trying to do it." I mean, really, if they wanna be mad at that, that's on them. They can say what they want, but if you're actually trying to make a radio hit, you better do that. If one of our normal ass songs -- a Mike and Chris production -- ends up on the radio, of course some kids would talk sh-- 'cause they feel like we owe them something. But, these kids are the same ones that back in the day when Run DMC were doing it, they were selling millions of records and poppin' champagne, but they were 10 times more hip-hop than you're average rapper today.
There is nothing more hip-hop in this world then getting a little bit money, fame and saying "f--- you" to this American system that hates on people trying to do something for themselves. There's no other occupation in America where people are expected to do it for the love.
Double K: Yea, I mean, you can't hate on anyone for getting money. The kids hating on cats for getting money are the kids that have their parents taking care of them 'cause when you get older, you need money to survive. Of course, it's about the music, but it's about money as well. As long as you don't sell your soul to do it, then it's good.
BallerStatus.com: Any last words?
Thes One: Support the album, don't download it, buy it [laughs].
Double K: Yea, it comes with a DVD and all kinds of treats. It's even got good pictures. It's got a picture of my mom, so go get it.
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