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http://www.allhiphop.com/features/?ID=1495
Generalz: Decorated Duo
By Kandyd
For the relatives who call themselves, Generalz, their music and their lives represent every aspect of West Coast living. For Pro Styles the streets was the beat that he marched to, leaving home at the young age of 14 sleeping in the “g-rides” he used to steal. Whereas life in the suburbs for Tee Money was more mischief than malice for the playboy who prefers wearing Vans instead of Chucks. One point of contention for the two however is the appreciation for the value of life, which they live to the fullest as they prepare to release their debut album Luxury Living on the independent label ICCE Records.
As two young minorities who had to take on early leadership roles in their households, the Generalz reflects the rewards of playing your position in life and living to reap the rewards thereof. Although neither have ever laced up the government issued combat boots given to registered soldiers, these two MCs could empathize with the young guns going off to do battle for their country. Watching the CNN news and hearing the anchor read letters of fallen soldiers struck a chord with Pro. The thought of the soldiers who would never see their families again brought to mind the countless number of homies he had lost to the streets. Unfortunately his friends who died on the street never got to say their last goodbyes and as someone who survived the mayhem of street life it really hit home.
AllHipHop.com: Describe your album Luxury Living. What sub-genre within hip-hop and rap do you think it fits?
Tee Money: We have something for the street, something for you and your lady, something for the soldiers out there, something for pretty much any situation out there that happens in life. We don’t just make music for ourselves, we make music that for people that are gonna purchase our album. We’re trying to really break the ice for Latin rappers. When you put on our album, you don’t know who we are more or less. Like a Fat Joe, he’s not considered a Mexican nor black. When you hear him - he is an artist.
Pro: We have something that a 10-year-old girl would listen to, and “Last Letter,” something an 80- year-old woman would listen to. It’s versatile.
AllHipHop.com: How long has this CD Luxury Living, been in the making?
Pro: Since ’04. We started doing a couple of songs at the end of 2004, and we didn’t really know we were going to do an album. We went in and knocked out a couple of songs because we wanted to do music. Eventually, we sat down and talked with [a business partner and said,] "If we’re going to spend on studio time on three songs, why not [spend] it on 20." We grew … from producers, to studios, from working in low budget to messing with the big boys.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, let’s talk about “Last Letter.” How did you come up with the concept and how did you execute it?
Tee Money: I thought we needed a soldier song, because we we were going to call our album Boot Camp. We needed something that could actually be [a soundtrack to a] movie. We came down and listened to it, and were like “Damn.” We woke up early the next morning, sat down and the song just came out. The minute we heard the song, we thought about who [to have] on the hook … and Kokane came up. He is dramatic, has a raspy voice. When Kokane spits on a verse, you automatically start thinking “Damn, this dude’s been through a lot.”
AllHipHop.com: What’s your background and what were your experiences growing up?
T ee money: I am from West Covina. My mom and [Pro’s] mom are twins. I grew up without a dad, single parent, with my sister. I grew up skateboarding, just doing my thing. I had a cool life, but it was weird knowing my dad lived two blocks away and not seeing him.
Pro: Mine was the hood life. My mom left my dad when I was like two. I was born in East LA., hung out in South Central, got in a gang … just the rough-and-rugged life.
AllHipHop.com: What are your influences as far as rap goes? What did you listen to growing up?
Tee Money: From the time I was born, it was nothing but Oldies like Santana, Tower of Power, Al Green, Marvin Gaye. When my parents split up, when I was seven years old, I moved out with my mom so I didn’t have a dad tell me what to do. I was doing what I wanted to do, hanging out with who I wanted to hang out to, and listening to what I wanted to. At that time it was more or less … it was Too Short, I fell in love with rap because of Too Short. From that point on, that’s what I listened to and that’s it. And then I had boys who liked Nirvana. I didn’t realize I was musically inclined until high school when I started writing poetry. I looked up to big cousin, he was already doing rap, he hooked up with Iceberg Slim, with Real McCoy. I ran along with it.
Pro: I also listened to all the oldies … N.W.A., Too Short. How I started rapping was I was at my boy’s house, he played for the Portland Tr - Allhiphop.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The two Gs interlocked back to back, that represent this rap duos moniker, is far more than just the logo of these first cousins born to twin mothers. For Pro and Tee Money its the code that they live by as Generalz. Rising out of the depths of an area known as the Inland Empire and Los Angeles Ca, Pro and Tee Money have been in the trenches living the lives that have created their music. For Tee Money life growing up in the suburbs was more rap/rock records and skateboarding but for his older cousin the call of the streets became the resonating voice in his young life. As the oldest boys born to single mothers, they both had to take positions of leadership early on. Tee had to become the man of the house and be a responsible role model for his younger sister, while Pro had to assume authority over himself when he left home at the age of fourteen.
The cousins remained close even though their lifestyles were so completely different. But fate would intervene and music would inevitably bring the two together as one. Music literally fell into my lap, remembers Pro. I was at my friend Stacy Augmens house (former Portland Trailblazers) and some members of Tha Dogg Pound came thru with a CD they had just done and I scratched the damn thing all up. So we went back to my house and got in the booth and I ended up getting on some stuff with them, and that led to me doing stuff with other people. Ultimately Pros affiliations and his work with the rap group The Real MCCoys led to him getting an offer from Priority records. Being a self made man, Pro declined because he was already making what they were offering so he recruited his younger cousin and decided to take matters into his own hands. Although Tee Money was part of a rap core band that played "hard core rock music over rap/hip hop lyrics, when his big cousin came to him about teaming up, it was time to infiltrate the industry with something new.
Opportunity found its way to Pro again when he was buying his home and his real estate broker recognized his business savvy and wanted to invest in his vision thus creating a partnership resulting in ICCE records. As the flagship artist on the new indie label, The Generalz are on a mission to cast a new light not only on west coast hip-hop, but Latin hip-hop and urban living.
Although the two rappers differ dramatically in lifestyle and personalities, their flow is united in one cohesive groove that resonates with Tee Moneys rock rap persona and Pros hood-hop delivery, creating an exciting new style of hood-hop party rock. The Generalz are planning a tactical takeover and theyve enlisted the support of other top industry brass for their debut project titled Luxury Living Though still in the process of selecting the perfect single, the Generalz are keeping the streets hot with the politically charged soldiers tribute, Last Letters. The album boasts features from Bubba Sparks, Jah Free, Bergh Slim and Kokane as well as ICCE records family members Milano and Cecy B not to mention bomb dropping production from FINGAZZ,TERRACE MARTIN,JUGGANAUT'S,SEHF,NESS, and EINSTEIN.
Luxury Living is a taste of California living at its finest. Its about making your position in life and reaping the rewards of your labor. Its proof that West coast music is more than gangsta rap. When you go into the military your taught that the person next to you is your brother, explains Tee Money You protect that person at all times. Pro is already my blood so were in this fight together and were gonna lead by example together.
www.myspace.com/generalz
www.myspace.com/ICCERecordsLA
www.iccerecords.com
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