People Under the Stairs Interview: SXSW 2010

If you've ever wondered what happened to the fun in hip-hop, you must not be aware of People Under the Stairs. People Under the Stairs describe their sound as "classic, funky, party," and say there's really no point to it aside from having fun. Spinner recently caught up with Thes One from People Under the Stairs to talk about how SXSW is just another show for them, how Double K almost fell off the Great Wall of China and what playing shows in Africa is like.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Oh, hmm, well I would say just classic, funky, party. Classic, funky, party. Fun, man. I mean, that's really what we're doing. We respect people that are trying to accomplish other things with their music, but we're just trying to fill that void in hip-hop that's just fun, really no point to it.

Describe your live show.

The live show is just kind of an extension of that, you know, we never really know what's going to happen. Me and Double K just kind of get up on stage and we feel out the crowd. If it's a bunch of dudes with their arms crossed, then we try to give them something like that, but if it's a bunch of people ready to party, we give them what they want, man. We're there to entertain.
How did People Under the Stairs form?

We met many, many years ago in a record store. It's kind of a known story. Now it's been ten years of putting music out, and you know, we're just like-minded dudes.

So, what's the meaning behind the name?

There's not really any meaning. Back then, we kind of felt like we were two dudes that weren't really in the limelight or really linked up or affiliated with any bigger crew. No one ever put us on. So, we were just kind of like the dudes who were fans of music making music in their bedrooms and the name just kind of fit what we were doing.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Oh man, so many, everyone from Miles Davis to Led Zeppelin to Parliament-Funkadelic to Grand Master Flash, Run-DMC, Freestyle Fellowship, the Pharcyde; too many to list man.

Have you been to SXSW before?

We've been, but not on the music side of things. We actually performed during the movie time. So, this is going to be our first official SXSW music show, but you know, I don't know, it's not that big of a deal to us, like it is to other people.

Just another show?

I mean, kind of. There's so much stuff going on, I don't understand how anyone can be excited or get into any one particular show, you know? So, we're excited to do it, we're excited to be a part of it, but it's not like an accomplishment for us or anything like that. It's not like going to Africa was or anything like that.

Tell me about that.

Oh man, that was wild, like last year, we kind of did our secondary countries market, we did China and Brazil and Africa. That was great, because people have kind of gotten jaded here in the States, especially with the internet and all that sort of thing. You get out there and you realize how it used to feel; how people used to feel about music when it was just really exciting to them and they were really passionate about it.

What else is going on for People Under the Stairs right now?

Just working on music, like always. We have a lot of projects in the works and doing more shows and that's pretty much it. I'm trying to be better about getting stuff out. We've been stockpiling a lot of footage and things like that, and I'm trying to get better about putting stuff up on YouTube and being more in touch with the fans.

Other than going to Africa, what are some of your other proudest moments as a hip-hop group?

We were on 'The Simpsons,' on the 20th anniversary special. We've played Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, every major festival that happens in the world; Reading, Leeds. We've performed sold-out shows on every continent, and we've been around for ten years and released seven albums. So, I don't think there's a lot of hip-hop groups specifically that can say they've done all that. We've had a pretty steady career. It feels good man, we couldn't have done it without all our fans.

So what do you attribute all of the success to?

Never really being successful, you know? We're never really like the darling of a certain era or genre, or there wasn't a time when the critics were all over us or the internet was all over us. So, it allowed us to basically be us and not get caught up in trends or hype. It just means that people are comfortable with what we do as us, and that's really been helpful. That, and a strong work ethic. I'll wake up at like six in the morning and start doing work, whether it's music or putting product out or whatever.

What are some of the craziest experiences you've had touring?

(Laughs) We've been through a lot. Double K almost fell off the Great Wall. I don't know man, people should look out for the book coming, 'cause I'm sure we'll have a book pretty soon, but we've had a lot of good times man, a lot of crazy times.

Do you have a lot of good times ahead of you too? Do you plan on sticking around for awhile?

Oh yeah, for sure man. Things are changing in the industry, and the way things are going now, but the fact that we make music is what we do, and we're not going anywhere. What we're finding is, even people that aren't really super into hip-hop, miss having like a Beastie Boys around or having a Run-DMC or the Pharcyde or any of that type of music. So, for a newer generation, hopefully the music that we make for ourselves fills a void for them about having fun and partying. It's not about selling drugs or whatever ... just, it is what it is.




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