The Family Business:
Sticky Green & Shea Marie Interview
Jane-Finch.com
Excusive
Conducted by Mikey Thomas on March
28, 2011
 Sticky Green is mostly
famous for being a part of what many consider as the Foundation for
street rappers with street life rap (Street Trouble Reveal
Erratic Emotions Through Living In &*&$#. Environments Rhymes
Are Potent.) in Canada called The Smugglaz (Street Majesty
Universal Ghetto Government Living Allegories Zeugma).
As a teenager
Sticky Green along with his real life cousin Benny Blacc entered
Toronto rap scene at the beginning of the millennium with the
classic “Street Rapper” single/video which garnered mainstream
press and national exposure that was previously unheard of for
Jane-Finch hardcore rap.
In the year 2001,
the duo was featured on CBC National News’ award winning prime
time news program The National. The documentary created a
discussion in the media about street life and street rappers in
terms of their cultural impact and their effect on society. The
program included guest appearances by legendary pioneering hip
hop artist Doug E. Fresh and Juno Award winning artist Infinite
from Canadian pioneer rap group Ghetto Concept.
 The founding
members of the movement returned from a brief hiatus in
2004-2005 with the song 45th Dumpin which again
garnered underground buzz as it became one of the original diss
songs in Toronto history on a mainstream level against other
prominent artists at the time. The group would end up touring to
other cities in Canada after being signed to one of Canada’s
premiere talent agencies led by Chris Mckee in 2006. The tandem
has shared the same stage as legendary rap groups such as
Naughty By Nature and Mobb Deep.
In 2008, The
Smugglaz licensed their single "Jane & Finchin" for the
Paramount Vantage/MTV Films "How She Move" movie (available on
itunes). The movie was loosely based on Jane-Finch although it
was later altered by the movie production powerhouse to be about
Brooklyn, New York, so that it would supposedly be more
adaptable for American audiences.
Jane & Finchin was
a song created by the group as the anthem for the neighbourhood
in the year 2005 in what was dubbed by the media as the summer
of the gun. That same year the group was also documented by The
Toronto Sun in a newspaper cover story in September with a cover
story in one of Toronto and Canada's biggest newsprint media The
Toronto Sun entitled "Life and Death in Jane-Finch: Local Voices
of Hip Hop".
Long time Toronto
hip hop historian Mikey Thomas sat down with Sticky Green to ask
him about the legacy of the group, Toronto urban music, how the
street life and music scene intermingle with each other, and
what is in store for the future.
 Questions
Mikey Thomas:
Well I guess we can start right from the beginning of how this
whole thing started.
Sticky Green:
Yeah let’s
start from the “Foundation” of all of this I guess. Well, I
always was into music before anything else and always heard it
in my household as my father was a calypso/soca singer. He
actually was nominated in 1983 for Soca song of the year and I
believe it was one of the early awards that were added to the
award show for urban music in Canada.
We would always
have parties over the weekend and have music blasting out into
the neighbourhood in Chalkfarm as that is where I lived before
moving to Jane-Finch although I was even in Jane-Finch during
those times as I use to visit my cousin Benny Blacc all the
time.
Mikey Thomas:
So is that where the two of started to become a
group?
Sticky Green:
Actually no.
When I use to visit him during those times it wasn’t about the
music. It was just about doing things normal kids do like
running around goofing off in the neighbourhood. His father had
a basement studio and we would just play all types of music and
chill late at nights during those summer break months and
weekends at different time periods.
 Mikey Thomas:
So, where and when did you start rapping?
Sticky Green:
I actually
didn’t tell my cousin I rapped. I use to rap with my friends
from around the neighbourhood and other places, while I lived in
Chalkfarm. Guys like Kwesro (Rohan Whittingham) of Nefarious I
would see and try to emulate as he was one of the first Toronto
guys I actually saw that could freestyle off the top of his head
for long period of times where it made sense and entertained me.
He was older of course, but he was an early inspiration. I later
rapped in a group called Black Plague which included guys like
Mayhem Morearty.
It was a couple of
years after that I say when I was around like 14 I began rapping
with my cousin. I was in ciphers in Jane-Finch one time and just
felt I could do as Kwesro and jumped in rapping surprising some
of the older heads up in Finch. I remember one of my first shows
ever in Scarborough with Benny Blacc had Ghetto Concept and K-OS
on the bill and I was nervous. After I performed I clearly
remember Infinite telling me to continue rapping because I get
older he could see the potential with more experience with life
and performance.
Mikey Thomas:
So when did the Smugglaz become a group?
Sticky Green:
I would have to say it was around the time “GR81” died in Benny
Blacc’s basement. I remember us staying in the basement studio
and just playing music to ease the pain and we just said we
should start rapping together. I guess that’s where the “family
business” started. His father was also heavy into music doing
reggae records and I always heard from my father how back in the
West Indies he would perform on stage with guys like Chubbie
Checker and so on back in the day.
I would also like
to say R.I.P. to our first producer Steve who passed away a few
months ago. He showed us a lot of things and I’ll always be
grateful for him taking me aside as a hard head teenager to show
me the difference in being a rap artist and being a person who
just raps. I say it was around 1995-1996 where we really started
to get serious or as serious as a kid just entering High School
can be and do real studio work with before meeting up with
Apple and Top Secret Records. We would eventually get signed to
Alchemy Records which use to be located downtown on lakeshore
where The Toronto Star building is now located I believe.
 Mikey Thomas:
What would you say was the difference in the rap
game in Toronto back then and now and are there any
similarities?
Sticky Green:
Well the first big difference is what I referred to earlier
which was studio time. Today it is a lot easier to make music as
late as perhaps around 2002 in Toronto you had to pay for studio
time or someone had to pay the studio time for artists to make
the music. That somewhat weeded out who was serious and who was
not as time is money as they say. Even as a 14 year old I was
trained to know that studio time is precious although I have
worked with one of Canada’s best producers in Fonz for Dramatic
Tracks and some see that as an advantage from jump.
Another difference
is music videos. It was a much bigger deal around 2000 when a
video was done. It was like a community event which now it isn’t
exactly that anymore because of how technology made it easier
for people to create quality videos. We never really seen too
many of us in the neighbourhood on television in that time
frame, so when a video was being shot the whole community would
come out knowing it was a chance to see themselves on MuchMusic.
The standards were much more strict then as well as for content
and quality.
A similarity I see
today is how the scene although bigger is still pushed to the
underground for the most part. Rapcity has been brought back
which is great, but then we lose some college radio on the other
hand. It kind of balances itself out in terms of lack of
exposure which breeds the crabs in a bucket mentality on the
scene as only a few really get the spots where the masses can
see them. Although things like MuchVibe are around which is also
great, but then we don’t have things such as X-Tendamix on
Saturday Nights and Soul in the City for those who love R and
B/Soul. It makes us lose out on that timeless music.
Mikey Thomas:
CBC National News documented your debut single as
The Smugglaz called “Streeet Rappers”. To some people in the
media they believed the documentary portrayed Jane-Finch and The
Smugglaz in a bad light. For the first time ever can you speak
about your true feelings on the time frame and the media who
covered the song?
Sticky Green:
Yeah sure, I
say it was a blessing and a curse at the same time. This is show
business and I’ve always knew that even though the type of music
we did the show business aspect had to be kept real as possible
which was the attraction to our music. Certain things I did in
that documentary if I didn’t do there would perhaps be no
documentary because that outlet wanted dramatic and traumatic
situations to increase their ratings in prime time. They saw and
heard of me through the newspapers the two times I got shot and
knew I was apart of The Smugglaz rap crew. They saw a great
opportunity to try to do an expose of the streets, while at the
same time knowing they could hit the important youth hip hop
market for the CBC to increase viewership and the demographics
for that program and channel.
CBC National News
wanted to show how we were making things negative for the
communities with the impact our songs were having on the
streets. The fact of the matter was we were just illustrating in
stories what life in some of these neighbourhoods were really
seeing on a day to day basis. It was ugly to them and not
believable to some people which I think our lifestyle pretty
much covered the credibility aspect that other rappers at the
time were shying away from.
We knew the
formula of how to have the safe personality to not scare away
the non hip hop fans who would not understand the story telling
in the music. The guys who came before us such as The Dream
Warriors were excellent at doing the opposite of what we were
trying to do. Ghetto Concept was another pioneering group we
learned from, but I knew at the time it was a bit too gutter for
Toronto. At the same time I knew and our team knew that would be
the appeal because it was different and thinking outside the
box. We just amped the urban life in Toronto more than our
predecessors did and it was a gamble no doubt.
Mikey Thomas:
Do you feel that approach hurt you more than helped you in the
music scene?
Sticky Green:
In hindsight
no, but at the time yeah some industry executives in real high
places told us in meetings we had hot music that they knew the
block was feeling, but they didn’t want to “touch it with a 10
foot pole” because of the content of the music. They felt the
media and sponsors behind them would boycott us. I say hindsight
because eventually our kind of rap became all the rage across
the border when 50 Cent hit the scene and Toronto underground
started to bubble up with our style of rap in 2004. We went
through a few problems and wasn’t out until that year where we
came back on the scene with the song 45TH Dumpin
which was all about going after the media and those who embraced
it.
Mikey Thomas:
Yes, that song is what many consider a Foundation
for rap battles in the city on a high mainstream level as it
included verbal trash talk against the likes of guys like
Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, and Choclair of The Circle fame.
What was the thought process of that song and what do you think
today of the song’s impact?
Sticky Green:
Well, first I want to say our mindset at the time was basically
what I brought up earlier about the executives not “wanting to
touch us with a ten foot pole” (their words not mine). You got
to remember when I did that song I was still a teenager and I
did not understand the mentality of why business men thought
that way. All I saw it as was the songs were hot and people were
feeling it, so what was the problem in not signing us to a
better deal (as the deal with Alchemy was not the best of terms
to speak nicely of it).
So, when Benny
Blacc came out of jail and the underground scene was bubbling
with street rap people looked to us to be the ones to help push
it to the mainstream level as other acts in the city did such as
Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates, and Choclair. So the way we saw
it we would just come out gangbusters (pardon the pun) and do it
for those we represented. I never saw it being a multi-year rap
battle though. I eventually understood more of the business side
of things and saw that those guys weren’t the main problems of
why the industry was not co-signing us although we were buzzing
just as much as the other top acts if not more.
We eventually
squashed the beef with all those artists as we understand that
the top dogs all need to help progress this industry up here.
However, it still doesn’t take away the competitive spirit we
brought to the rap game that others were afraid to do on that
level. We were confident enough our talent would outweigh any
possible backlash or blackball. The people like what they like,
so as long as we had the streets buzzing our name would be
alive.
Mikey Thomas:
Were there any artists outside of the Jane-Finch
area that was inspirational to you?
Sticky Green:
First, Kwesro from Nefarious fame died in March 1999 due to
unknown reasons after going to sleep. That was one guy who
always pushed me to be more lyrical although he always loved my
voice, passion, story telling and content. He always knew I was
no holds barred with my content, but he felt that it would make
people overlook my musicianship in terms of my delivery and
different styles. In some ways he was correct. He died months
before we did Street Rappers although he did see us on
television for Norpo which was Rocstone’s video where we did a
guest cameo and the time I had a record deal with Alchemy
Records which was big at the time for a guy just entering High
School. I always told Kwesro he should have done a video to let
Canada put a face to the lyrical monster (lol).
Mikey Thomas:
Well the industry ended up working with you guys eventually as
you got signed to Chris Mckee’s Talent Agency in 2006 that
houses some of the top acts for hip hop not just in Canada, but
across the border as well. Speak on that time frame.
Sticky Green:
I would like to thank Chris Mckee first
and foremost for giving us the chance to tour and helping us get
onto the soundtrack for How She Move. I remember clearly it was
through this website (www.jane-finch.com)
that he was able to get our contacts. It was a good time and
different time as we were seeing industry love from some of the
same people (executives and top artists) who we thought were
turning us down from earlier in the decade because of our
content. We realized they were just being business in terms of
protecting their positive industry image and nothing personal as
they were fans of our music too as we eventually found
out.
Mikey Thomas:
How do you feel about the current Canadian hip
hop scene?
Sticky Green:
I love how
some of our talent is finally getting recognized as some of the
best in the world. Not only from an artist side with the likes
of Drake, but also our producers who are doing work for some of
the biggest names in the history of hip hop such as Boi-1da did
for Eminem.
It’s always good
to cross borders to get more exposure, but it’s also good to
nurture the home scene to help make it bigger and better. A lot
of our history is swept under the rug for whatever reason, but
if we can embrace that our hip hop culture has in fact made an
impact on hip hop in general we could walk around with a little
more pride in our artists.
For instance how
many people know that Jane-Finch rappers original rappers such
as Michie Mee use to battle emcees from America and wipe them
out? That is why I like what our street team has done with
Smugglaztv on YouTube because it has videos that document our
history. In this day and age of technology it is sometimes
better to show than to tell our history because people tend to
believe more when they see the history and the impact it had at
that moment in time. Guys like Maestro Fresh Wes who made the
dream of being a rapper possible for many of this generation and
true Foundation rappers in Jane-Finch like Black I who use to
roll with him gave a lot of people hope that if you love what
you do big things can come out of it. You know the say “Never
Give Up”. Of course, the media would never show that side of us
that inspires people to go out and live their dreams of being a
rapper or entertainer or just anything you can put your mind to.
Right now, we have
extended Smugglaztv on YouTube to include a Timeless Muzik
channel which will document historic entertainers who paved the
way for the music we are allowed to do today. I believe it will
also inspire people to open up the creative envelope for their
music when they see how diverse our music can be instead of just
following what is current on BET. I believe that is what we need
to do up here in Toronto for our music to stand out and make
people look. Thinking outside the box and adding our
multiculturalism with real musical artistry.
There are a lot of
rappers in the city and the country for that matter that are raw
talent just waiting to be found and I believe the increase of
people rapping is stronger now with people seeing their own city
having legitimate rap stars who made it. It has sparked a new
generation. It’s up to the talent to rise to the occasion and if
anything at the end of the day you can say to yourself you gave
it your 100 percent. You only live once.
 Mikey Thomas:
Okay, so what is the future for Sticky Green and The Smugglaz?
Sticky Green:
That’s the
big question I know the streets is asking. I say for those who
love and loved our music The Smugglaz brand will always live on.
There is still music in the vault that has not been publically
released, but that was the first chapter of the family business.
A new chapter is
beginning right now under my Timeless Muzik Entertainment
imprint. I plan to incorporate soul, r and b, reggae, rap, hip
hop into the music I do to create timeless music that those
before me laid down such as Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Bob
Marley, and so on. Do it with a modern twist and with the edge
of what I became known for under The Smugglaz.
I’m working with my baby sister right now
Shea Marie on my new album with new songs and I have to say the
small feedback we are getting with the little snippet leaks has
been encouraging. It is telling me that my game plan for making
a new underground Foundation is going in the right direction.
The first chapter of the family business laid the Foundation for
street rap, but now I want to see more complex musical art in
the songs we create coming out of Toronto. A more diverse type
of underground where your heart and soul is being reflected in
the songs where you get people emotionally stirred. One song
that I know that has done this from my end in the last year has
been the song “Smile” from Party Staat Mixtape. A shout out to
Paul Nguyen of
www.jane-finch.com
Mikey Thomas:
Let the people know of the upcoming projects and
where they can get it from?
Sticky Green:
My album
called “Foundation” is in the works to be released later this
year. Under Timeless Muzik Entertainment I plan on re-releasing
my mixtapes with new versions for those who never heard them
before. The mixtapes are called “The Life of A Stickup Kid: The
Smugglaz Stickup Kidd Era”, “The Facts of Life Mixtape: The
Genesis of Sticky Green Hosted By NBA Nuggets Official DJ Bedz”,
and “Party Staat Mixtape Hosted by Louie Rankin aka Teddy
Bruckshot”.
I’ll be on some
upcoming shows this year as well, so stay tuned. I’m pretty
excited right now about this new era that has begun. When it is
all said and done I believe one way or other the family business
will be known for putting it down for the Jane-Finch community,
the city of Toronto, and for Canada in the hip hop world through
us. As for the soca and reggae scene my father and uncle pretty
much left their mark for Toronto and Jane-Finch there as well.
Thanks for your time and for jane-finch.com for having this
exclusive.
You could check us out on of course
www.jane-finch.com
www.youtube.com/smugglaztv
www.youtube.com/timelessmuzik
http://timeless-muzik-entertainment.blogspot.com
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sticky-green/id334318322
Facebook: tha
smugglaz, smugglaz news group, smugglaz, sticky green, shea
marie
Mikey Thomas:
Any comment from you Shea Marie?
Shea Marie:
I just want to
say finally my big bro actually took my word that I could sing
and is putting me on as part 2 of the family business. I will do
my best to live up to the legacy he started in the first chapter
of the family business which I always wanted to be apart of, but
as they say there is a time and place for everything and right
now that time is Timeless Muzik Entertainment in 2011.
We would like to
thank Sticky Green and Shea Marie for their time in conducting this interview.
- Jane-Finch.com
staff
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