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2/27/2006 El da Sensei – The Unusual (Behind the Science) Crowd Pleasa – This is the one that you had to say some good shit. You couldn’t let this beat go. The Unusual – This was one of the first songs I recorded. My man Fusion sent me the beat. When I heard this, it really got me in the direction for the rest of the album. It sounded like a party beat but I wanted to try something different. Hold On – This was a song that I had recorded earlier. I didn’t like the beat on the first version. Illmind gave me a new beat and it was a perfect fit. Gunblast – Wow. I think this speaks for itself. Out here, on my street, the whole block is shut down. It’s been like that for a year. This area is known for gangs. The majority of them are about 19. To see that, I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking about. I don’t want to preach anything, but I’m an older dude and I’m going to tell it how I see it. Blow Shit Up – This is a tribute song to my brother. He was in Iraq when I wrote this song. He happened to get hurt, but he’s all right now. A grenade blew up over his head and the shrapnel hit him. Once I found out he was ok, I didn’t hesitate to do the song. I was mad at the time. This beat sounds like an army anthem. No Matter feat. Sean Price – The Sean Price joint! I met him up in the city and we went to the studio. That took me back to doing stuff with Tame. It was like a night and day thing, opposites attract. I love dude as an MC because of his voice and the way he puts everything together. We wrote the song right there in the studio. Natural Feel Good – When I listened to that track, I first wanted to calm myself down and let cats know that I still want to do these types of songs, but still keep it in-between. There has to be some sort of balance. You can kick anything over this beat, but you have to kick the right shit. Frequency told me the story behind the sample. He was listening to the radio, heard the song, and pulled into the mall and bought the CD right then and then made the beat. He flipped it. These are the songs that we need to get us in the club. Even if you don’t dance, you’re going to want to dance to this. What's My Name? – A lot of cats aren’t going to know what that beat is. It’s from one of Just Ice’s early albums. He sent me the beat. I knew what it was, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was walking down the street and I heard the song coming out of someone’s car. Even though it sounds old-school, it sounds new to me. I want to see if cats really know what that beat is and the history behind that. Live In The Flesh – This is another strong song from Fusion. Check the bassline on this one. Lights, Camera, Action! – J.Rawls is one of my designated producers. He knows what I like. When I heard this, it took me back to the 90’s. It has that melody to it. I didn’t want to waste this beat. I wanted to celebrate on this one. That's How It Goes – There are live instruments on this. I think this is the only song on the record that I can hear next to a Pharell song. I wrote this so that it could go in any direction. Why go in any direction that cats expect to see me go in. I don’t want to make just headphone music. This is a chance for me to show a different side. Up In Da Spot! – We’ve been to all these parties, we’ve seen all these people, and it’s the same thing every time. It’s always, “You’re still doing it.” The same people say the same things. They think I’m supposed to be looking bummy and all that. This is to let them know that I’m here and I have arrived. Rock It Out! – This is a big song because there is so much going on with the track. I wanted to put different ad-libs in it to bring the song out more. The drums sound like a marching band. I was pretty much following that. This is a full beat and I wanted to fill it up with the lyrics. This is kind of like the first Artifacts album, but bigger. Nuttin To Lose feat. O.C. – Like Sean, I know O has a lot to get off his chest. There are live instruments on this also. O was on the road in Atlanta when he recorded this. I know he was probably tired, but he sent it to me and when I heard it, I was like, “Damn. That’s what’s up.” I knew he wouldn’t let me down. The message is that we’ve been in this shit for so long, but we’re still the best. We really don’t have anything to lose. Course Of My Life – This sums up what I’ve been doing in the last couple of years and me as a regular cat, that if you keep your game up, you can bust off anywhere. I think this is the best music I’ve done as a solo artist. I’m really, really looking at this record as a stepping stone for myself. I hope everybody can follow and not go one way to have one style. You don’t know who’s going to pick your album up, so I really wanted to come different. I wanted to come bigger even if I was on a smaller budget. That’s what I love about the record, how big and professional it sounds. - Read El Da Sensei's interview here

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