By: Todd “DG” Davis
Rapindustry.com

Kings County New York Hip Hop collective, Fu-Schnickens, comprised of Chip Fu, Moc Fu and Poc Fu, initially dropped their gold certified Jive Records’ debut, F.U. Don’t Take It Personal, back on February 25, 1992.

In ’93, the BKNY trio returned to the lab and began work on what would later become their sophomore collection, Nervous Breakdown, which yielded three additional solid entries; What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock),” featuring Shaq Fu, the album title track and “Sum Dum Munkey.”

Let’s hop into this solo single / video, “ME” — Tell me about this particular composition; how did it come to fruition?  

 

 

Well, I figured it was time to re-introduce myself, so I figure why not talk about myself and what people say about “ME.”

Of course “ME” comes courtesy of your latest EP, THE BEGINNING OF THE RECKONING — Conceptually, what does this title represent both to and for you?  

 

 

It represents the beginning of what I have planned to accomplish musically, to prove all the naysayers wrong. And, to let people know when it comes to this emceeing I’m one of the greats, period.  

THE BEGINNING OF THE RECKONING is an EVEN.biz project — What particular string of events actually led to this current working relationship?   

Working with Even made sense because its a direct to consumer platform where you can buy directly from the artist.    

Reflecting, tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for Roderick Roachford?     

Living in a Caribbean household, I had all types of music being played; Soca, Reggae, Ska, etc., and I knew I wanted to do music  since I was about 9 years old.   

Now where exactly do you hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences?   

I grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, in a Caribbean neighborhood. Where I lived, so many musicians lived; you had Chubb Rock, Howie Tee, Special Ed, UTFO and the list goes on. But, I was influenced by Dancehall artists and Hip Hop artists. Being from Brooklyn, you had to be able to do both.   

 

 

As a lyricist when you sit down to pen your rhymes, where do you draw inspiration from?   

Inspiration can come from anywhere; it can be from watching TV or listening to other artists. But for me, I try to outdo the last song or rhyme that I wrote. I’d rather compete with myself ’cause that insures me to go above and beyond and push the envelope when it comes to being creative.   

How did this alter-ego moniker, Worriez, even come about?   

THAT’S A GOOD STORY. I had several monikers; “Jungle Rock Jr.” was one because of when I introduced the Reggae side and was putting out only Reggae music, which was successful. There are so many styles and genres of music that I can cover, and I was feeling the name “Chip Fu” is too small of a name and wasn’t enough. I remember going to a session with Busta Rhymes, just vibing and playing him my songs prior to release and he said, “you know what name suits you? WORRIEZ!” Which was taken from the Dancehall artist Major Worries. One day I did a song with his artist and Rapsody; we wanted to use the new moniker. Before the song dropped, my wife said, “dudes need to be worried ’cause it’s gonna get crazy!” So that became the new moniker, B-WORRIED…WORRIEZ for short. 

That said, how do you describe and / or define the style of music that you create and / or perform?  

I create thought provoking music. When it comes to style and cadence, I push my pen; not only that, by me adding Dancehall and being able to do Afrobeat records puts me in a whole other place as far as singing, rapping and Dancehall, or mixing it all up.

How did you all [Moc Fu and Poc Fu] actually come together in order to form Fu-Schnickens? 

I was the last member that joined the group; Poc Fu and I grew up together, and Moc went to high school with Poc. I got down with my brothers, and it’s been one of the most incredible rides of my life. Got signed to Jive, put out gold and platinum albums; we achieved what most didn’t think we could coming from our neighborhood.  

“Ring the Alarm,” “La Schmoove,” featuring the late Phife Dawg, “True Fuschnick,” the Shaquille O’Neal assisted “What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock)” and “Breakdown” are all bonafide classics — How did these particular selections come about? Who came up with their concepts? And, please describe for me the overall studio vibe(s) on that / those fateful day(s)?  

Those sessions were magical…for starters, I had a hernia surgery so “Ring the Alarm” was recorded laying on my back on a cot .  “La Schmoove” (and) “True Fuschnick” both got recorded in the same day, along with a few others, to capitalize on the sales we achieved with “Ring the Alarm”…and “What’s Up Doc?” was magical…it was already recorded, so when we met up with Shaq we decided that would be the perfect song for us to do together; he went in and did his thing…after that, we made history.   

Speaking of Fu-Schnickens, what’s up with Moc and Poc? Do you all keep up with one another? And, what exactly are the odds of a full-on Fu-Schnickens reunion; albeit on stage and / or wax?  

Reunion on stage for now…wax, we will see.   

Ultimately, what eventually caused the group to disband? 

Jive, they wanted us to be something we didn’t want to be. And, there was some internal rubbling at the time. Happens with all groups.   

Switching gears here, what exactly do you want people to get from your music?  

I want people to hear the creativity; I’m bringing creativity back. Some artists nowadays are just plain lazy, and don’t even spend time on concepts or even making sure the flow is right.    

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?         

Micheal Jackson. Because of his accomplishments in music.   

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?     

Outside would be Shea Stadium…’cause my dad was a big baseball fanatic, and Carnegie (Hall).    

On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of Hip Hop? 

Yes, I am. I’ll explain where we are today…you can see and hear that there needs to be a change. Not only that legacy acts are proving that the genre is just that, “Hip Hop”; you can’t put an age limit on who loves the culture, or who continues to live on it or be a part of it.

What do you feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity?         

Being creative, being me.

Do you have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?  

Yes, my film and media company, Blaq Ink MSG / Entertainment, will be producing both films and documentaries.  

To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?      

Too many to think of…to narrow it down, it would have to be touring with the Beastie Boys, doing Lollapalooza, working with Shaq of course, and being able to provide for my family.

What’s an average day like for you? 

Times have changed…I wake up, pray, gym  and check on my two companies, Blaq Ink / M.A.A.T.H. [Music Appreciation, Art, Time, and Healing], and tap in with my partner (who’s) part of a non profit company. Then my day begins…either I’m working with those companies, or straight writing music!   

Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans…   

I don’t call them fans, I call them fam as in family. I talk to them like regular people, and stay in touch.

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why?  

Favorite, meeting people and building with other artists. Least is dealing with the business ’cause it’s super shady.   

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? 

Believe in yourself…no one can balance you but you!  

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself?  

Running my entertainment company, doing movies and working with artists.   

As for the immediate, what’s next for Chip Fu? 

Man, I’ll be dropping another EP and album, along with an album with Pete Rock; it’s all Hip Hop (and) Reggae called Wonder-Fu.   

Lastly, any “parting” words for our readers? 

Yes…always be kind, be mindful, be loving and always be yourself.