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During the 17th century, the people of Cognac, the Cognaçais, began the process of double distillation, which allowed the concentrated alcohol to travel in the safer and the more economical conditions. It is only by coincidence then, I assume, that a duo that had to travel miles to meet each other would title themselves after one of the finest cognac's in the world. I'm quite a fan of both but the fumes that exude from these speakers will ultimately make one more legendary. As well with the state of commercial radio I'm awfully glad there is something that will make it all go away instantly. Following in the steps of their predecessors the duo of Buff 1 and DJ Rhettmatic are bound to make a splash in the world and I hope to buy you all the first round. Enter Crown Royale...illRoots.com: Tell me how this marriage, for lack of better words, came about?
DJ Rhettmatic: Basically half of the guys from A-Side moved to Los Angeles. The people to come over from Detroit first were DJ Haircut, which everyone now knows him as Mayor Hawthorne, Jackson, and a few others. I would end up meeting them at a couple places and ironically we pretty much have a good group Detroit constituents living in L.A. now. Anyways, I met those guys and I didn't recognize or realize that they were part of the Athletic Mic League and I was pretty familiar with some of their stuff. I met Buff through them when Buff and 14KT from Labtechs would come down and visit and hang out. Houseshoes also made the connection as well. I went up to Jackson and Haircut to get them to listen to some beats and see about getting some work and Jackson and Haircut came up to me a couple weeks later and said "Hey man we'd like you to do all the production for an album with Buff 1". So I was like "Word" alot of people don't know that I do production. Everybody knows me as being a turntablist from the Beat Junkies. So I did production before this with my other group "The Visionary's". I've been producing but I never took it really "serious". When they approached me about that I was really excited because I haven't produced a whole album in a long time. Buff is a great lyricist and getting to know him personally and just to know that he's a real down to earth cat and then watching him perform made me realize that he is the complete package.
Buff: That's pretty much it, I don't know if Jackson and Haircut talked about it at some point and then approached me and Rhett separately or what but I was having the conversation with Jackson and I had just done my first two solo albums away from the Athletic Mic League. I was at a point where I wasn't sure what the next incarnation was going to be. It just so happened that while I was at this crossroads that they received these beats from Rhett and I was trying to go back and forth between the crib and LA to make connections out there to raise awareness. They were like "Yo Rhett got some beats check'em out" and it turned out to be the perfect combination.

iR: For a first listener what can we expect from your upcoming project?
Buff: I would say definitely energy. One of the main things I wanted to get across with this project was how our songs would translate to live performances. Alot of times people have these concept albums and they have this deep long start up on the direction of the project. We really didn't approach it like that, we approached it more so as "Lets have fun, and be true to who we are and the background that we come from musically and try just make good Hip-Hop music". I'm always trying to touch on various topics and things that can ,hopefully, touch on peoples lives in a positive way. For the most part it was fun, not that working on my solo projects previously wasn't fun. Yet with those solo efforts I wanted a concept so this is just like Rhett threw me a beat and laid down what I felt real quick. Definitely you will feel energy and fun when I'm on the mic and when Rhett's on the tables.
Rhett: To add onto that people that haven't seen Buff, he is a great performer. We've only performed twice but the response has been great. Also times I've went to this guys show and he could rock literally 30 people or 5 people or 500 people. For me I'm lucky to come from a generation where you had to have the entire package and one element that is essential was your live show. What I love about Buff is that he's a constant emcee. Besides a writer and performer Buff 1 is a master of ceremonies, he brings people and if they don't know who is prior to his shows they will know afterwards. From my background there isn't that many emcees that do that nowadays and I was lucky to learn from the best like Jazzy Jeff or Cash Money or Jam Master Jay. I've been lucky enough to spin for Grandmaster Caz and Prince Whipper Whip. I consider Buff a complete package and he can hang with the best of them.
iR: Rhett you were with The Visionary's back in 95'?
Rhett: I'd say we started around 93' or 94'.

iR: So this would be your first project since your work with them and you dropped what 4 or 5 albums?
Rhett: We dropped 4 albums.

iR: So this would be your first full length project outside of that them?
Rhett: I had my own project you know with the Beat Junkies but this is my first project, yes, from outside the camp per se.
iR: Out of all the cuts that you have currently what is one or two songs that you feel will make the biggest impact this year and why?
Rhett: Our first one that we ever recorded was "Get It Up". I remember making that beat on New Years Day not this year but last year. When I gave it to Buff he sent it back maybe 2 weeks later all finished, and I was like "Oh shit its going down". When he came to Los Angeles to start recording he was like "One Take Jake".
Buff: Thats what they call me "Buff One Take" [Laughs].
iR: [Laughs] So there is so many great emcees from the Detroit area, give me some folks that we should know about if we think about this area?
Buff: Well I'm from Ann Arbor, Michigan which is about 30 miles West of Detroit.

iR: Invincible is from out there right?
Buff: Right exactly, but I am glad you asked this question brother. One cat that definitely doesn't get alot of shine but everyone around here knows about him is Fat Ray.
Rhett: He did the album with Black Milk.
iR: Yep The Set Up was dope.
Buff: Right and actually I believed Fat Beats put that out, but Fat Ray is ridiculous. As far as a writer, freestylin' off the top he ill. Also another guy that you may have heard of recently is Danny Brown.

iR: You guys did a track together over 14KT's production or no? I can't remember really.
Buff: The beat was actually done by J. Bizness, but he was actually in the Red Bull Big Tune Battle with KT though.
Rhett: Danny Brown was also on the Jay Stay Paid album too.
Buff: Yep and another cat that doesn't get enough attention is my man Magestik Legend, who is down with Subterranious Crew. I would say though cats.
Rhett: I'm glad he said Magestik Legend because the irony in this is that Magestik and Buff were talking about doing a project together before we spoke of doing a project. The irony of this is that both Magestik and I came up with the name being Crown Royale. Before we spoke Magestik wanted to name the group that was him and Buff as Crown Royale and then I wanted to name it the same thing but I didn't know this. The irony that I've always known about Magestik but never met him face to face and so Buff introduced us and we were at Fat Beats and I asked him "What would it take for us to relinquish the name Crown Royale and let us have it. So he's on the album and we always people know that "Magestik Legend was gracious enough to let us have the name."

iR: That's dope, so as far as Los Angeles who are your standout picks for emcees that haven't surfaced yet. There so many good folks. Shout out to Cook Classics while I was in LA with Outasight and 6th Sense I stay at the Hip-Hop Frat House where all the aspiring rappers go to Cook for that heat [Laughs].

Buff: That's the homie! Cook and I did some stuff for that Vimby joint with me, Tiron, and Ayomarie.
Rhett: Cook is a beast. For an upcoming guy he's really putting his work in, even though he's not originally from LA I definitely respect that guy. He's part of the upcoming new generation of cats that are coming around. For me I'm lucky enough, I guess, to be called a veteran in comparison yet I still consider myself as a new jack. Right now at this particular moment its so exciting because all the major labels are shuffling their decks and rearranging themselves. I would say the playing field is pretty much even now but its also more hungry and taking charge of their own destiny. In terms of LA, like you said, there is so many people and I don't want to disrespect someone by leaving them out. I have to say though that I like Diz Gibran, Blu, Shawn Jackson, Bad Lucc from Western Union, Bishop Lamont, Nipsey Hussle, and it goes on. Producer wise in Los Angeles you've got Dibiase, J. Bizness, Exile, Oh No, Swift D. I said this before but LA and Detroit have a deep rooted connections too. You have your Pistons x Lakers but then even deeper the car culture from both cities. Culturally the music and the more recent connections between Dilla and Madlib has really cemented our connection to work together because of those two pioneers. Ever since that happened we've got each others back like a cultural musical exchange. Haircut's signing to Stones Throw as Mayor Hawthorne is another great example as well.

iR: Yea he really came out of nowhere with the Mayor Hawthorne thing but I definitely respect his sound.
Buff: Before we move on I can't forget Marv-Won.
Rhett: Yea he's a Detroit veteran. I'm so glad Michigan is getting their shine now because some of the best emcees and producers have surfaced from there from Black Milk to Guilty Simpson to MC Breed and Slum Village. The same thing with L.A. and all the veterans getting back to work and going back to the essence of music. You've got veterans like Evidence reaching out to young cats like Fashawn. That's another guy I forgot, Fashawn, who is so talented.
iR: There so many emcees from both each respected city we could go on for another 2 hours, but as far as going back to what you were saying about the majors rearranging themselves. I often look at these majors and think how much longer will they be considered "Majors" especially with so many Independent's making great strides with such great talent. Along with the media its very hard to title something "underground" with the inception of the internet which leads me to my next question; Do you feel that the bar or the standard of who is let into Hip-Hop? I like to still think that Hip-Hop is like a fraternity and that you have know your past and still bring something new to the table in order to be accepted in this game.
Buff: Hopefully we never see a day where the bar has been dropped completely and Hip-Hop is just like picking emcees from the bargain bin at a dollar store. From my standpoint I won't let it get to that point. With the internet we put the value of the artist in the hands of the general public and with that you will get every type of artist because whatever you want you can get so its wide open. With the internet we have our downsides where your sales may go down but then you have spots like illRoots and Hip-Hop Official where people find out about the newest artists before they may hit the scene. Overall for an emcee like me its a great thing because they can see my music anywhere in the world. With other mediums not initially grabbing on to a new sound you may get a website or blog like yours that latches on and co-signs a new artist or sound and then that audience of how ever many thousands of people will then get to see and react to that music.
iR: I see what your saying with that and going back to the fact that other mediums such as print and television aren't as open to grasp a new movement there may get to a certain stage that, just like turnover in corporations, there will be turnover in who is facilitating the newest news. Ultimately if somebody who is heading up one of these large media conglomerates happens to be forward thinking enough to see the trends and make a move that we will then see a blog or website move into another media channel as just a form of progression. Once that occurs then you may see a greater impact on where your movement can be noticed at.
Rhett: Well and to add onto that I would say the creme of the crop will rise. Like you said before after a certain level of over saturation the people will notice. It comes back to your ethics and we come from an era where you don't bite whereas today you find it okay to completely bite another persons style. Back then if you were to bite or copy someones style it was a big no-no and those were terms to fight. Its like when Jazzy Jeff came out, if you happened to scratch just like Jazzy Jeff then he could call you out on that. It comes down to being original and realizing that greatness does not come overnight. Its funny how Buff said you can now take things that me and my peers spent 5 years perfecting you can now do in 5 weeks. Experience is something you cannot grander over night its impossible.
iR: So how was this project recorded since we are differentiating between digital and reality?
Buff: I had most of the ideas and songs written in Michigan but my recording situation was sub par so I rerecorded some songs while I was in Los Angeles. So I would have to say it was a half and half type deal where we shipped some songs back and forth and some songs were done right in Los Angeles.

iR: Well thanks for stopping by and come back anytime as we always welcome people back just make sure to wipe your feet.