Interview with Project Born
By David Friedman
From Murder Dog Vol 14 #2
For more information on Project Born, visit www.myspace.com/ProjectBorn1
You’re getting ready to release your sixth official studio album and it’s called “Born Dead 2,” the sequel to your original “Born Dead” EP that came out on Psychopathic Records back in 1995. What was your focus going into the studio and making an album that’s the second volume of such a memorable album – one that’s loved by many old-school Juggalos?
Half Pint: It’s kind of like the first album, but we’re not trying to make another ‘Born Dead.’ It’s just going on and showing the maturity we’ve got with it, you know?
Frank Nitty: This is the original Project Born, doing their thing. So we just go by our regular day, go to the studio, put good music together in there and come out.
Half Pint: It’s gonna be something for the fans to look forward to, though. When they hear it, they’re gonna know that it’s got that same ‘Born Dead’ feel. But it’s gonna be totally different from that first one.
Frank Nitty: It’s gonna blow the first one out the water. It’s not even really to be compared.
What makes this album “Born Dead 2” rather than just the next Project Born studio album? Why give it a name that makes it a continuation of your best-known album?
Frank Nitty: Because we really didn’t get to finish that. It’s really putting an ending to that. With that album, it was the beginning of something. But we didn’t really get to put our stamp on it like we wanted to. It was kind of a rush job – something we got to put together with six songs.
Half Pint: But then you had ICP, Esham on the first one. So we’re gonna hold this one on our own, though, and let them know that we can do this one on our own. We don’t need that weight like that, you know?
When the original “Born Dead” EP came out, you were recording for a label, Psychopathic Records, that was known for horrorcore music. Did you go back to horrorcore entirely for “Born Dead 2?”
Half Pint: It’s gonna be real different. It’s got a lot of not really the horror stuff, but they’re gonna get a pretty good idea of where we’re trying to come from. We didn’t want to try and make it too horrorcore and stuff like that to scare people. This record is gonna be for everybody – not just people who listen to the horrorcore. It’s gonna be the gangsta combined with the hip-hop and everything else we’re gonna bring to the table on it.
Frank Nitty: It’s gonna blaze. It’s gonna be a mix of a little bit of everything.
So far this has been a top-secret project, with little known about individual songs. Can you tell me about some of the tracks fans can look forward to?
Lil Polk: A couple of them we just did the same titles as the first one, but we did them ‘Part 2.’ So we have ‘Go To War (Part 2)’ and ‘From The Get Go (Part 2).’ Basically, that’s still going on, what we’re seeing right now. They’re follow-ups.
Frank Nitty: Most of the songs we’ve got, they came with choruses and most of the things we did we put our vocals to them and then put titles to them and put it all together. So until we get it all put together, we won’t really know exactly the expression on it.
Half Pint: We’re gonna have a lot of rock things on it, more heavier guitars. It’s sort of like the first one, but it’s gonna be a mixture of it with more heavier guitars, heavier themes on there – just without ICP and Esham, you know?
When you say that ICP and Esham won’t be on the album, it’s almost like you’re proud of that fact. Are you happy that they’re out of the picture?
Half Pint: It’s a very good thing because I don’t want the record to be just all about them. We want to let them know that we’re gonna hold this up on our own.
You’ve had some excellent underground releases over the years, including 1996’s “Crap Or Natural” LP, 2000’s “Jack The Reaper,” 2002’s “The Rent Is Due” and 2003’s “Ghetto Celebs.” For fans who haven’t kept up, how would you describe what each of the three of you bring to the table?
Half Pint: It’s just being real, man. And we’ve been keeping it together. Like I said, we grew up together. We got the chemistry working back like it used to be, so it’s not like we’re just throwing something together. This has been thought out for years. So it’s not like this is commercial or it’s a gimmick or something like that. It’s gonna be real music over the top of some real beats, with the guitars and stuff like that. So it’ll sound good.
Frank Nitty: It’s like typical Project Born, what we always do. We always make good music people like. So it’s like another day at the office.
How would you describe the Project Born sound and style to fans from other states who think of Flint and think of the Dayton Family or MC Breed but may not have heard of your group yet for whatever reason?
Frank Nitty: We really ain’t locked into one thing. We’re open to doing all kinds of music because that’s just what we do. And we can do any kind of music – underground, overground, just about any kind of music we can really get out there and do. But people who don’t know us, we just make good music, period. We don’t like to fit it in any category. It’s just good music that everybody can listen to, whatever your preference is.
Half Pint: It’s not really a category you can put it in. We’re just being us.
Could you compare the material you’re working on for “Born Dead 2” to the songs you’re working on for the following Project Born album, “Once Upon A Time In The Projects?”
Half Pint: That record right there, that’s gonna smash the whole industry. That ‘Once Upon A Time In The Projects,’ man, that’s ridiculous.
Frank Nitty: What separates both albums is ‘Born Dead’ is gonna be more underground, more of whatever we want to say, more whatever we want to do. It’s gonna be more of a no-holds-barred album.
Half Pint: ‘Once Upon A Time In The Projects’ is gonna be more mainstream because you have to do that in this day, you know, to try to get the radio play. But the ‘Born Dead’ is totally for the people who bought the original ‘Born Dead.’ This record is gonna be focused and directed toward them.
Frank Nitty: It’s like a Juggalo-type album. ‘Born Dead 2,’ the people who got us started, the people who represented from day one, it’s really a dedication album to them. It’s what they want to hear.
Half Pint: The fans, man, we really appreciate them showing us the support. And this one is gonna be directly for them. You can get a lot of information off the Web site too (www.myspace.com/ProjectBorn1). It’s got sneak previews of some songs, just to get an idea of where we’re going with it. We always try to check the Web site to see what the fans are thinking and what they want. We try to interact with them.
In the past several months, you’ve released three mix CDs as well – “Forever In The Jects, Vol 1,” “Forever In The Jects: The Hits, Vol. 2,” and “Mob Mix.” What got you into the mix CD game finally?
Frank Nitty: I guess it got bigger with times and it was a good promotional thing since we hadn’t dropped an album in a while. So it’s like a couple mix CDs and then the album’s gotta come. Then it was time for us to do the groundwork of these albums. The mix CDs would just hold people to hear us because they hadn’t heard nothing new from us in a while. The mix CDs took up a little time and these albums are about to take up the rest.
Project Born has already kicked off the “Glove Love Tour,” which is a series of concert appearances throughout Michigan, right?
Lil Polk: We’re starting in Michigan right now – all of the cities and the surrounding areas in Michigan. Then we’re going to take it out, slowly but surely, to the surrounding states and down South. We’re starting to do different shows (in other states) now as a matter of fact.
Half Pint: We’ll be in a town in a city near you. We’re coming to Connecticut, everywhere, man. If they want to see us in their town, hit us up on the Web site so we can know where they’re at and where we need to come to. And we’ll come there.
Frank Nitty: We do everything from ‘Born Dead’ up to ‘Ghetto Celebs.’ We do a bunch of old, a bunch of new. We just do what everybody wants.
Half Pint: Sometimes we even do shows where we’re supposed to do 10 songs and we’ll end up doing 20 or 30 songs because the fans are so interactive with it, you just want to keep it going on. And they’ll be so hyped and positive, that makes me not want to stop.
Are you releasing your next two albums on Project Boy Entertainment?
Frank Nitty: Yes, sir. Project Boy Entertainment is the label. It’s what we’re under right now, our individual label. We’re doing our thing independent. We hope to get a deal, but if it don’t happen, we’ll do it on our own like whatever.
What has changed in your lives since your last album came out roughly four years ago?
Half Pint: We’re hustling as usual. We’re still grinding. We’re from the hood. We’re from the streets. So as far as the music thing goes, everything you’ve got is a hustle. So it’s all about just hustling, man, and trying to keep maintaining.
You’ve been in talks with various labels and distributors regarding deals, but you’re not about to sign any old contract. What are your thoughts on the situation so far?
Half Pint: It’s time for these labels to come on in and give us what they’re gonna give us because we’ve worked harder than probably 90 percent of these rappers that’s in this game. Some of these rappers just get a deal and then they’ve got all the love from the people. They know we’ve been working real hard at this shit, at trying to make this shit really happen. And some of them just getting a deal thrown at their face on a silver platter. We’ve been footworking and grinding. That’s what makes a difference. And that’s what’s gonna makes these records be better than anything we ever did. Because when you hustle for it, you appreciate it more – instead of just somebody handing it to you.
As far as your back catalog, which sells for good money on eBay, when will that become available again?
Lil Polk: You know what, yesterday I was just talking to a guy at a label out in California and they were asking us about the back catalog, what we were gonna do. Right now, we’ve been asked about that and a couple labels are interested in doing that. But right now our main focus is these two (new) albums right here. Once they do their thing, the back catalog will come right behind it.
How would you compare the two new albums – “Born Dead 2” and “Once Upon A Time In The Projects” to your past albums?
Lil Polk: You’re gonna be able to hear the maturity in these past few years. We’ve seen more, been through more. And the production, everything is 110 percent better, man. I’m not taking anything from the older albums, but ‘Born Dead’ was done back in ’95. Now you’ll hear the maturity in it. It’s one of the best groups.
Frank Nitty: Every time we do an album, we always get better than the last one, then get better than the last one. We just make better music. To me, all our albums get better as we go on. That’s rare for a lot of people. A lot of people, their albums don’t get better. They might have one album that’s good and their next album might not be as hot.
By David Friedman
From Murder Dog Vol 14 #2
For more information on Project Born, visit www.myspace.com/ProjectBorn1
You’re getting ready to release your sixth official studio album and it’s called “Born Dead 2,” the sequel to your original “Born Dead” EP that came out on Psychopathic Records back in 1995. What was your focus going into the studio and making an album that’s the second volume of such a memorable album – one that’s loved by many old-school Juggalos?
Half Pint: It’s kind of like the first album, but we’re not trying to make another ‘Born Dead.’ It’s just going on and showing the maturity we’ve got with it, you know?
Frank Nitty: This is the original Project Born, doing their thing. So we just go by our regular day, go to the studio, put good music together in there and come out.
Half Pint: It’s gonna be something for the fans to look forward to, though. When they hear it, they’re gonna know that it’s got that same ‘Born Dead’ feel. But it’s gonna be totally different from that first one.
Frank Nitty: It’s gonna blow the first one out the water. It’s not even really to be compared.
What makes this album “Born Dead 2” rather than just the next Project Born studio album? Why give it a name that makes it a continuation of your best-known album?
Frank Nitty: Because we really didn’t get to finish that. It’s really putting an ending to that. With that album, it was the beginning of something. But we didn’t really get to put our stamp on it like we wanted to. It was kind of a rush job – something we got to put together with six songs.
Half Pint: But then you had ICP, Esham on the first one. So we’re gonna hold this one on our own, though, and let them know that we can do this one on our own. We don’t need that weight like that, you know?
When the original “Born Dead” EP came out, you were recording for a label, Psychopathic Records, that was known for horrorcore music. Did you go back to horrorcore entirely for “Born Dead 2?”
Half Pint: It’s gonna be real different. It’s got a lot of not really the horror stuff, but they’re gonna get a pretty good idea of where we’re trying to come from. We didn’t want to try and make it too horrorcore and stuff like that to scare people. This record is gonna be for everybody – not just people who listen to the horrorcore. It’s gonna be the gangsta combined with the hip-hop and everything else we’re gonna bring to the table on it.
Frank Nitty: It’s gonna blaze. It’s gonna be a mix of a little bit of everything.
So far this has been a top-secret project, with little known about individual songs. Can you tell me about some of the tracks fans can look forward to?
Lil Polk: A couple of them we just did the same titles as the first one, but we did them ‘Part 2.’ So we have ‘Go To War (Part 2)’ and ‘From The Get Go (Part 2).’ Basically, that’s still going on, what we’re seeing right now. They’re follow-ups.
Frank Nitty: Most of the songs we’ve got, they came with choruses and most of the things we did we put our vocals to them and then put titles to them and put it all together. So until we get it all put together, we won’t really know exactly the expression on it.
Half Pint: We’re gonna have a lot of rock things on it, more heavier guitars. It’s sort of like the first one, but it’s gonna be a mixture of it with more heavier guitars, heavier themes on there – just without ICP and Esham, you know?
When you say that ICP and Esham won’t be on the album, it’s almost like you’re proud of that fact. Are you happy that they’re out of the picture?
Half Pint: It’s a very good thing because I don’t want the record to be just all about them. We want to let them know that we’re gonna hold this up on our own.
You’ve had some excellent underground releases over the years, including 1996’s “Crap Or Natural” LP, 2000’s “Jack The Reaper,” 2002’s “The Rent Is Due” and 2003’s “Ghetto Celebs.” For fans who haven’t kept up, how would you describe what each of the three of you bring to the table?
Half Pint: It’s just being real, man. And we’ve been keeping it together. Like I said, we grew up together. We got the chemistry working back like it used to be, so it’s not like we’re just throwing something together. This has been thought out for years. So it’s not like this is commercial or it’s a gimmick or something like that. It’s gonna be real music over the top of some real beats, with the guitars and stuff like that. So it’ll sound good.
Frank Nitty: It’s like typical Project Born, what we always do. We always make good music people like. So it’s like another day at the office.
How would you describe the Project Born sound and style to fans from other states who think of Flint and think of the Dayton Family or MC Breed but may not have heard of your group yet for whatever reason?
Frank Nitty: We really ain’t locked into one thing. We’re open to doing all kinds of music because that’s just what we do. And we can do any kind of music – underground, overground, just about any kind of music we can really get out there and do. But people who don’t know us, we just make good music, period. We don’t like to fit it in any category. It’s just good music that everybody can listen to, whatever your preference is.
Half Pint: It’s not really a category you can put it in. We’re just being us.
Could you compare the material you’re working on for “Born Dead 2” to the songs you’re working on for the following Project Born album, “Once Upon A Time In The Projects?”
Half Pint: That record right there, that’s gonna smash the whole industry. That ‘Once Upon A Time In The Projects,’ man, that’s ridiculous.
Frank Nitty: What separates both albums is ‘Born Dead’ is gonna be more underground, more of whatever we want to say, more whatever we want to do. It’s gonna be more of a no-holds-barred album.
Half Pint: ‘Once Upon A Time In The Projects’ is gonna be more mainstream because you have to do that in this day, you know, to try to get the radio play. But the ‘Born Dead’ is totally for the people who bought the original ‘Born Dead.’ This record is gonna be focused and directed toward them.
Frank Nitty: It’s like a Juggalo-type album. ‘Born Dead 2,’ the people who got us started, the people who represented from day one, it’s really a dedication album to them. It’s what they want to hear.
Half Pint: The fans, man, we really appreciate them showing us the support. And this one is gonna be directly for them. You can get a lot of information off the Web site too (www.myspace.com/ProjectBorn1). It’s got sneak previews of some songs, just to get an idea of where we’re going with it. We always try to check the Web site to see what the fans are thinking and what they want. We try to interact with them.
In the past several months, you’ve released three mix CDs as well – “Forever In The Jects, Vol 1,” “Forever In The Jects: The Hits, Vol. 2,” and “Mob Mix.” What got you into the mix CD game finally?
Frank Nitty: I guess it got bigger with times and it was a good promotional thing since we hadn’t dropped an album in a while. So it’s like a couple mix CDs and then the album’s gotta come. Then it was time for us to do the groundwork of these albums. The mix CDs would just hold people to hear us because they hadn’t heard nothing new from us in a while. The mix CDs took up a little time and these albums are about to take up the rest.
Project Born has already kicked off the “Glove Love Tour,” which is a series of concert appearances throughout Michigan, right?
Lil Polk: We’re starting in Michigan right now – all of the cities and the surrounding areas in Michigan. Then we’re going to take it out, slowly but surely, to the surrounding states and down South. We’re starting to do different shows (in other states) now as a matter of fact.
Half Pint: We’ll be in a town in a city near you. We’re coming to Connecticut, everywhere, man. If they want to see us in their town, hit us up on the Web site so we can know where they’re at and where we need to come to. And we’ll come there.
Frank Nitty: We do everything from ‘Born Dead’ up to ‘Ghetto Celebs.’ We do a bunch of old, a bunch of new. We just do what everybody wants.
Half Pint: Sometimes we even do shows where we’re supposed to do 10 songs and we’ll end up doing 20 or 30 songs because the fans are so interactive with it, you just want to keep it going on. And they’ll be so hyped and positive, that makes me not want to stop.
Are you releasing your next two albums on Project Boy Entertainment?
Frank Nitty: Yes, sir. Project Boy Entertainment is the label. It’s what we’re under right now, our individual label. We’re doing our thing independent. We hope to get a deal, but if it don’t happen, we’ll do it on our own like whatever.
What has changed in your lives since your last album came out roughly four years ago?
Half Pint: We’re hustling as usual. We’re still grinding. We’re from the hood. We’re from the streets. So as far as the music thing goes, everything you’ve got is a hustle. So it’s all about just hustling, man, and trying to keep maintaining.
You’ve been in talks with various labels and distributors regarding deals, but you’re not about to sign any old contract. What are your thoughts on the situation so far?
Half Pint: It’s time for these labels to come on in and give us what they’re gonna give us because we’ve worked harder than probably 90 percent of these rappers that’s in this game. Some of these rappers just get a deal and then they’ve got all the love from the people. They know we’ve been working real hard at this shit, at trying to make this shit really happen. And some of them just getting a deal thrown at their face on a silver platter. We’ve been footworking and grinding. That’s what makes a difference. And that’s what’s gonna makes these records be better than anything we ever did. Because when you hustle for it, you appreciate it more – instead of just somebody handing it to you.
As far as your back catalog, which sells for good money on eBay, when will that become available again?
Lil Polk: You know what, yesterday I was just talking to a guy at a label out in California and they were asking us about the back catalog, what we were gonna do. Right now, we’ve been asked about that and a couple labels are interested in doing that. But right now our main focus is these two (new) albums right here. Once they do their thing, the back catalog will come right behind it.
How would you compare the two new albums – “Born Dead 2” and “Once Upon A Time In The Projects” to your past albums?
Lil Polk: You’re gonna be able to hear the maturity in these past few years. We’ve seen more, been through more. And the production, everything is 110 percent better, man. I’m not taking anything from the older albums, but ‘Born Dead’ was done back in ’95. Now you’ll hear the maturity in it. It’s one of the best groups.
Frank Nitty: Every time we do an album, we always get better than the last one, then get better than the last one. We just make better music. To me, all our albums get better as we go on. That’s rare for a lot of people. A lot of people, their albums don’t get better. They might have one album that’s good and their next album might not be as hot.
