Authors note: This interview was done by e-mail and left un-edited to preserve the slang of these Bay Area rappers and their way of conversating.
What's up Gookstaz? Lets start this interview off right by letting everybody know who exactly the Gookstaz are and how you guys come up with the name?
BiGHeaD, TaniBaL and VuDoO... Basically we're all Family...cousins. But the name speaks for itself.I mean, we're on a different side of the playing field in this rap game yaO MinG?The name just came through knowing because we're different in many ways... because of who we are, Discriminated, not portray'n it because "they" labeled it, and we accepted... The name stays till we flipped another chapter.
That’s cool how your names are all quite creative. Let's take it back in time, how did your fascination with music begin and when was it when you started making your own music?
Music has been in "Our" lives since Freddy Flintstone found Wilma bruh... Our families involved w/ music or dealing w/ music one way or another...Articulate in many forms mang, like Kung Fu'n... We started back in like 1995-96... Our Folks made dey own music and play dey jams...So we thought why don't we do our thing and slap our own tracC's?
Where do you guys draw inspiration from?
Family... each other... our surroundings mang... We kept each other up no matter what weather God put us through... thats what makes us stronger...
When you guys work on music, how does your creativity process work? Do you guys listen to an instrumental and write to it or do you wait for an idea first?
This goes both ways, its therapy...whatever comes to challenge... brain exercise my ninja is what makes delivery on point... You can be "on one" w/o a beat den lay it after, or just bang a tracC out when you ear one...
The Gookstaz have been known to come up with new slang such as “pho sushi “, “Oaknam” and “Saigonmento”. Who is behind most of these new terms and how do you guys come up with them?
Our Slangs IS the reason why people are say'n dat say... We CONVERSATE w/ each other like dat since we first met... Our means to exceed from your average yogi's mang...So much came out of us mang, too many to remember... come conversate w/ us... you'll know...
Now I know you all worked with numerous artists who have made it on television such as the Jacka, the Conscious Daughters and Mistah Fab but are there any other big name artists your team worked with?
We also work with other Local Artists from the Bay Area such as Matt Blaque, J-Stalin and Philthy Rich, also Jimmy Boi from Texas mang...It's nice to have that opportunity and time given from those Artists as well. They also support "Our cause & Movement" which opens a different side of music notes, if ya'll ear'n what I mean'n?
That’s a nice list of artists. Can you tell us some of the experiences you guys gained from those collaborations?
We can't say individually, but overall it's a good experience... It's just everybody was down to do something w/ us, a lot of love... A lot of support in this music game as far as whom we approach to... Just got to be a open minded person when approaching everybody you work with you feel?
There’s a lot of great artists out there but if you were to choose three artists to work with, one each, who would they be?
BiGHeaD: "Tamia, so into herrr!"
Vudoo Da PimP: "Taylor Swift! C'mon bruh!?!''
TanibaL: "Alicia Keys, she go!"
Your first music video “I Go, U Stop” is doing pretty well with over 38,000 views and counting. Can you tell us how the process of that project went and if we can expect any new music videos any time soon?
VuDoO da PimP: Basically we recorded hella of our performances and street chillin clips and used it, made it into a coo lil GookstaZ Muzikk video… Glad that it went pretty well tho… But speakin on the next muzikk video, we're trynah get all our fans and supporters on the next one... showing our appreciation and a chance for everyone out there to represent themselves...
I noticed that the Gookstaz haven’t released an album as a team yet but one of your members have. Tanibal collaborated with another artist and released an album called Gook N Cambo Soup. Can you guys tell us the story behind that?
Tanibal n' 2SicC was serious about putting an album at the time Pacific Division was going to drop. Its official when dey knew it was going to be a hot album when dey release it in the streets of Oakland, sure enough the project did its part.
When is the Gookstaz planning to release an official album and are there any exclusive details about it which you can provide AZNRaps.com?
VuDoo Da PimP: Just be on the look out everybody, there's so much to put out but a lot has happen throughout our years... We're starting to leak out a lot of our materials on Myspace and the album will soon have its due date. Free Tanibal Movement & Pacific Division is probably coming out sometime this year...
A lot of families aren’t too supportive towards music as a career. How does your family respond to your passion in music?
Like any Asian Family would say, "GO GET PAID!" Support is 50/50, give and take... We as GoOKSTaZ supporting each other 110%... To Prove Something is to do something... Not all family will accept and agree w/ anything from the ordinary because for many generations since Asian race set foot on America soil, our generations before us already created a system to succeed. Having to accomplish and establish stability so families may never steer to ever being in poverty again...
Where does the Gookstaz see themseleves at in 3 years?
With our Love Ones Still... Success is w/ our Family... the rest is up to God bruh!
Alright, it looks like our time has come to an end. Do you guys have any final words you would like to send out before we conclude this interview?
Haa! FreE Our TaniBaL and Duongsta, Shout Dat Outs to LoC V and Mugen, Barry Black, Our Viet/Khmer Fam Bams, Our community till it finally support each other instead of holding each other down.... AZNRaps.com for giving us a voice and opinions, Sac Valley folks, Da whole damn Yay folks, all who supported us, our fans, our love ones...and most importantly... to our Haters... Stay doing your job... Also be on the look out for the Work Hard Play Hard Volume 1 DVD from Jug-A-Knot TV for our newest muzikk videos and interviews.
