Do you recall a time when Hip-Hop was hip-happening and the genre was far removed from gun clapping like David Cameron bunking the (sadly deceased) N29 bendy bus? One group from the Big Apple were at the forefront, refurbishing the genre with a sense of profundity and wit in abundance, Live’s Christian Adofo headed to a chapping Central London to interview De La Soul’s legendary Plug 1 and Plug 2 aka Deen Whitter and Jacob ‘Poplife’ Barrow about their new project First Serve in the toasty underground confines of a swish restaurant.
How you guys doing? How are you finding the cold?
We been here for a few days…Not too long. It’s f***ing freezing! You know we came from home thinking we gon’ get a little better weather, we knew it rained in London but we didn’t know it’ll be this coooold!
You gotta roll with the punches out here. Deen and Pop. Tell us a little bit about your journey and what brought you together back in school?
Poplife: First Serve just started as us being brothers from the same neighbourhood, becoming friends, loving hip-hop, doing the hip-hop. Then speeding to the present after going through a few trials, we get to Paris and meet 2&4 (Chokolate and Khalid) It’s the normal story of growing up and having to get by and being able to blessed with a local dude from around the way called Ken Du (the drug dealer that helped get their material out) who stayed on top of the business that we needed to get on.
I know with you Deen in particular hanging out in your mum’s basement making a racket. Did you ever think it would escalate to the point where you’re at now?
Deen: It’s a blessing like anything else. When you got a dream wherever it is, whether it’s in your mum’s basement or some street corner rhyming or even in your mind? It feels good to see something come to life and I think that’s the beauty of it. I never thought we’d be in London or Paris or even in a group of some sort. We went abroad, met these two brothers (2&4) who got beats and hooking up to form a team, it got to be something special and something that I feel people will appreciate. A dream from the basement to sitting here and having an interview with you is something which is a dream come true.
How did it feel to be taken under the wing of Ken Du who was helping you two hustle and hone your craft on the streets?
Poplife: Just another childhood friend, who had our back but we grew up together and he just loved what we were trying to do. So he became the person that came along and was almost like a manager for us. Like whoever he knew, he let them know about us and promoted us and told everyone about us. It was a blessing that he was able to get us in touch with Goontime (high end record label) and it just shot to the stars from there.
Growing up in the ‘hood. There are a lot of shady characters about. Would you say finding him as a mentor was a shining light for you guys?
Deen: Ya know, it was definitely an important factor in the career we are trying to embark on. To have people close to you, that care about what you do and support and have faith in what you do is important. You need a strong team, you need a group of people that believe in you and it seems like our team is growing stronger and bigger. I don’t think any band plans out their path but it looks like what we set out to do is happening so far.
I was listening to the self-titled album and one track in particular ‘ Crash Symphony’ details a falling out you guys had along the way. Why did it occur?
D: Dudes get together..you’re gonna have your quarrels…your beef…
P:Biiiittches..
D:Yeah all that…all that plays a part. The money of course, the egos. It’s like anything that happens on any family setup. It’s something that we had to endure to get here and the beef gave us energy to complete what we set out to do. Coming back together and putting our minds at one to record this LP and give people an opportunity to understand what First Serve has been through.
Deen, what was going through your mind when you went back to Queens and your lounging about in your mum’s crib?
D: Shit’s f***ed up…F***ed up when you’re sitting in the crib and ain’t nothing going on!
P:After you get a taste of that life…
D: Yeah. You know you get a little taste of what could be and you sitting at the crib naked.
I’m guessing you ramped the heating up full blast whilst doing that?
D:My mum keeps the lights on, so you know the heating will always be up!
Can’t have you catching pneumonia now can we?
D: [laughs] I was always supportive of my man but there are moments when your not making it happen or seeing the world. So I had to take a step back and when it was time for me to live again, you’re there stronger than ever.
You’ve brought 2&4 onboard as part of the First Serve family, What did these guys from the new school teach you old skool cats?
D: What 2&4 bring to the table is just a feeling of challenging yourself and I think the beats that they present in terms of bringing something new or obscure. It wasn’t like “Y’all should be gettin’ Primo or something” They gave us the insight to say that it don’t gotta be from the crib all the time and see what else is out there for your ears to enjoy. They brought that music to us, they brought that opportunity to us and even the European world, it gave us comfort and confidence to just give it all we got (with the help of Du, Goontime and the rest of the family)
Are there any new particular songs or artists they’ve opened your ears too?
P:Nothin’..they ain’t got nothing on us!
D:In the process of recording this, we never talked about any other artists or music.
P: Yeah,Yeah Yeah..Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
D: The whole record was re-recorded with real musicians, so they ain’t no samples or nothing like that. We brought natural talent in to put some real deal music together.
Your nicknames’ Poplife. Why do have a bubblewrap fetish?
P: As a little kid, I just loved messing with that lil wrap you know.
Didn’t it bug your parents?
P:Yeah definitely my pops, as he used to keep his fragile stuff in them but my Mum called me Pop Pop. Then it got a little less cool as I got older to call me that, so Pop just stuck.
It sounds like First Serve are hoping to reignite more fun and flamboyance into the genre. What’s your opinion on other gangster-type artists in the landscape?
D:Other rappers out there we appreciate you know..We f*** with 50 (Cent)..
P:Two Chains.
D:But we do, what we do and bring our own thang. You call it flamboyant, or storytelling? It’s just what we bring and what’s been real comfortable that when we hit the booth, we have free reign to bring something down to the table and not listen to anything on the radio.
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@CAdofo
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