CELLSKI

Cellski

has appeared on over 100 albums & has been behind the scenes for a lot of stuff that's going on in the Bay Area Hip Hop community in the last 10 years. He has done production for & rapped with such artists as Master P, Yukmouth, E-40, RBL Posse, Cougnut, Killa Tay, Luni Coleone, San Quinn, Lil Flip & many more. Cellski produced the hit single " Bounce to This" by RBL Posse. Cellski produced a lot of Master P's " West Coast Bad Boys" 1&2. Cellski has dropped 4 solo albums & 2 EPs with sales totaling over 150,000 (soundscan 70,000) with no real distribution. Cellski is a legend in the Bay Area under the guidance of his late homeboy Cougnut of I.M.P. Cellski stands to carry on the legacy.at this years bay area rap scene awards they awarded cellski mixtape king of the bay.cellski new album mr.predicter chapter 2 will surely get cellski the national attention and deal he deserves.



INTERVIEW FOR MURDER DOG



Cellski

Interview by Spirit Snake



Whats the Hyphy movement to you?



Cellski: Its whats happening in the Bay Area right now. Theres a bunch of artists getting on the radio, like The Team, Mistah FAB, Keak Da Sneak, Frontline, E-A-Ski, Hood Starz, San Quinn, Ya Boy, Messy Marv, Turf Talk, Jacka, Mob Figaz, and us Killa Squad. Them is the cats thats gonna break out of this regionall of us as a force. Like how in Atlanta they had Youngbloodz and Lil Jon and Ying Yang, then they keep coming out. Thats how I feel the Bay is. It just takes one person to bubble and then theyll come get the next person and the next person.



The music in the Bay has changed. People are still talking about the streets, but the beats are different.



Cellski: More up tempo. Thats why its hot on the radio. I can honestly say that Rick Rock established that sound. Then Droop-E come behind him, Trackademics, and my boy Trax too. They all have that Hyphy sound. Its a different sound. Its different from what I was used to doing. I had to adapt to it. I can make up tempo songs, but mine wont sound nothing like their music. I have my own style. When you listen to Killa Keises album you got some Hyphy songs on there, but it aint what youre used to hearing. We got our own style. Weve adapted to whats going on, but we also keep it original. Im not no copy cat. Whatever I do, its original and from the heart. Im tryin to keep the same format for me. There might be a couple of Hyphy up tempo songs, cause Rick Rock promised hes gonna give me a beat for my album. We have a movement, and Im part of the movement.



Hyphy is more than just the music. Its a cultural movement.



Cellski: Right. Dread locks and scrapers, smokin purple. Thats what we do in the Bay. Thats what were known for.



Cellski: Inner City Music, we got everything. Samples, Hyphy, whatever you want we can make it. We got nothing but quality music.



Youve been keeping the standard up for many years, but you never really got the recognition you deserved.



Cellski: Once they stopped focusing on this region they stopped focusing on all of us. What I had to do was establish my name, keep my name goin. I started the mixtape shit out here. You know they gave me the "Bay Area Mixtape King" award at the Bay Area Rap Awards. I brought the mixtape game out here 4 years ago when niggaz wasnt even trippin on mixtapes. Wasnt no 50 Cent mixtapes. Now everywhere you go its mixtape mania. Everybody got a fuckin mixtape. One thing I brought to the Bay was the mixtape game and thats something people do recognize me for. Thats brought my name back out there. Then I was fuckin with Lil Flip real tough for a while. I was there when TI was on stage at the Bash. Im the nigga that ran on stage and shit when TI was up there with his goons. Bun B came up the truck and told us, "If I was you Id get up outa here." We only 5-6 deep; this nigga TI up there with 40-50 niggaz on stage. I dont fuck with Flip no more, but Im tellin you I been through a lot.



What about another solo album from Cellski?



Cellski: My album will be out February 6, 2006. Mr. Predictor Chapter 2. I probably sold 70,000 of Mr. Predictor Chapter 1. Its still selling. On my new one I got David Banner, Twista, E-40, San Quinn. I got beats from Young Seers, Droop-E, Rick Rock, but I did the majority of the album. I might get something from Plain Skills out of Dallas. I got folks in every town now. I travel a lot. I done seen it all. I been through the South from Jackson Mississippi to towns in Texas you aint never heard of. Everywhere I go Im networking.



INTERVIEW FROM MURDER DOG



MY MUTHAFUCKIN SELF