An Interview w/ Saafir of Hobo Junction
by Mark Pollard
October 1998


You’re a businessman, you have a career as an actor, lyricist, song-writer and producer and you have your own label Hobo Junction. What’s your priority?

My priority is to make as much money as possible without selling myself out for the money.

What else is there for you to explore?

Martial Arts.

Do you train right now?

Yeh, Shaolin.

You’ve also done a film recently. Can you give us some information about that?

It was called Fishes Out of Water. It’s basically a comedy slash drama slash action. It’s real funny, real silly in essence.

How did you get into all the films?

I used to live with 2Pac back in the day. I started in Digital Underground. That’s how I got introduced to the industry, through Digital Underground. Me and Tupac used to live together and the Hugh’s Brothers were doing a movie called Menace to Society. They were doing a movie but I didn’t know about it and Tupac was shooting a video for Brenda’s Got a Baby and they shot that video. And after the video, Tupac kinda went his own way and they was just out here all stuck. So I just went to their hotel and kicked it with them…after that they was like, “Yo, we like you. Can you act?” I’m like, “Hell yeah I can act. I act every day in front of the police.” And they was like, “Well we’re gonna send you the script for the movie…” Just a bit of luck. I was homeless at the time.

On the Tupac and Biggie thing, what do you mean when you say that there are political powers behind their murders?

I don’t mean nothing by it. Because the song, if you listen to the lyrics thoroughly, the song is just a creative input on what if this was the scenario. It’s not a theory or anything of a serious nature. I’m basically saying that it could happen. The government could have a hitlist if rappers start balling making major money, like millions, like more than 300 rappers with more than 5 million dollars on them and people will start to unite really audaciously behind hip hop then it could happen. I say, you know who is the first and second MC so I gotta keep practising my aim. I’m basically saying that I don’t know who killed them but it could be the government. It’s just an opinion.

Does it make you more wary about how you handle yourself?

No, because it was just a creative stab at hip hop. I’m not seriously tripping off others.

How did you set up Hobo Records?

Well the Hobo Junction is my crew. We used to be called Children of Destiny back in ’87, ’86. Then one of my real close friends died…me, him, and this other kid called Pope the Martian renamed the crew Hobo Junction. And then we jus had Hobo Records coz it sounded right.

How is the label going as far as direction and where you want to take it?

It’s going slow but it’s going. And we just basically focusing on underground projects now…I wanna make it really prominent, like a Def Jam without the radio shit.

What’s the history behind Golden State Warriors?

It’s not called the Golden State Warriors now, it’s called the Golden State Project. And basically it was just Ras Kass and Xzibit…the chemistry was good and so they wanted to start a group and they was like “Who you think should be the third?” So they called me.

Your rhyme patterns are quite distinct- on-beat, off-beat. Is this just a way to be different or does it have its own meaning within the music?

The rhyme pattern is basically how I am feeling. I don’t really have a pattern; that’s my rhyme pattern. My rhyme pattern is however I feel it and I don’t ever feel the same every day. So it’s gonna seem that I got a lot of styles but I don’t. I just have a lot of emotion.

Has anything changed between Boxcar Sessions and The Hitlist?

Production-wise it is a little bit more universal…as opposed to the first one which was strictly underground hip hop the whole record. I wasn’t trying to get radio play. I was just trying to be a monster. But this time I’m trying to get a bit more universal because I’m the foreman for an entire click. And in order to be successful in hip hop- the way you can do your own thing creatively and still maintain and survive in this scandalous industry, you have to have money…so the whole thing is to find that universal tight rope, to walk it without falling off and without crossing over and compromising your creativity.

So are you saying it’s become more mainstream?

No. I’m saying it’s become a little more universal. None of my shit is mainstream.

Why has The Hitlist been delayed?

Because I didn’t want to drop in the fourth quarter with a lot of other rappers and get mixed in the shuffle of labels just trying to throw shit out there to see what sticks. So I thought it would be wiser to wait for the new year with a new bunch of rappers, new marketing plan and new ambition.

I know you’re gonna be really sick of this question. Can you go into details about what happened with Hieroglyphics?

Basically, Casual…. I was in the studio doing a song called Hype Shit and I wanted him to be on the record, being that he had me on his record before I got my deal on a song called That Bullshit… So when I called him to get on the song he had me in the studio ‘til five in the morning and I was in there from eight o’clock at night. I was waiting on this man for over seven hours to come to the studio to lay a verse on the track. And then the next day, I called him and I went to see him and I said, “Why you didn’t call me back? Why you just leave me there?” He said, “You going out. You going out like a punk. You putting too much on that.” Like I was the shit. My first initial impulse was just to knock him out. But I knew he would heal from the beating but you don’t heal from somebody taking your career.

How did you take his career?

We battled on stage and on the radio.

Are you a bit sick of it all?

Nah, I mean. I never really paid attention to it. I had a real reason to battle him. I wasn’t trying to come off his name. I wasn’t on no hip hop shit. I just thought that was the most peaceful way to deal with it and still get my point across. You know so all the hype and hoopla behind it, I didn’t really pay attention to it.

So, when it comes to freestyling do you think it is an essential part of an MC’s artillery?

I think it is a strategic part of a good MC’s artillery but I don’t think freestyling is an intricate part of a good MC. I think that’s more like the slam dunk championships in a basketball game.

What does make a good MC then?

Persistence, practice and dedication

Smart Bomb is a mad track on The Hitlist. Is that just an ode to the Playstation?

Well, I did the entire album in two weeks

Including writing the lyrics or just recording?

Writing the lyrics and recording…I mean I didn’t have choice. If I didn’t do it then I wasn’t coming out. Let me tell u man. Record labels ain’t shit, dog. Record labels are like the Mafia to the public. That’s how record labels are to MC’s. They’re scandalous duke. I did the whole Hitlist in two weeks coz if I didn’t they wasn’t going to let me come out. The reason I put Smart Bomb was just to let the masses know that I’m still underground. I’m still tight. But I gotta make this money. That’s why I did that. I knew it was real witty and I knew it would just have the underground heads gone. That was kind of a strategic chess move right there. Like I threw that out there to let em know I’m still here with y’all but I’m doing this too so respect me.

Given that you recorded the album in 2 weeks are you happy with it?

Yeh I’m real happy with it. I shot for a certain direction and a certain feel and I accomplished it. When you hear the record, look at it like a Shaft movie. Coz the Hitlist is a movie… in the feel of the Mac, Shaft in Africa…I grew up on these cats but its not no player pimp bullshit. Its some lyrical, hip hop, hard, street wise, dope shit.

What do you like about Shock G’s production?

It’s eccentric. It’s real different. It’s unique.

What else have you got coming up?

I got a Hobo Junction album, the whole click. We got an album coming out called the Banging Theory. We all dressed like astronauts on the cover…that’s gonna be coming early-mid next year. The Golden State Project, me, Rass Kass and Xzhibit that’s gonna be coming out mid next year. I got a clothing line coming out called Polly Wear…I have a movie coming out called Dilemma…

Closing comments:

For those of you who don’t know what real, true, sick underground hip hop is, don’t buy my album coz you won’t understand my direction. Go buy somebody else’s album who’s pretending to be the richest rapper in the world. Coz that’s a fantasy I don’t need. Kind of a deep statement. I’ll let u decipher it.
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