For years hip-hop fans have been shown music videos with scantily clad women, fancy cars, jewelry, clothes, big houses, etc. It's what they think the public wants and for the most part they are right but under the surface of all the major label "A-list" acts are the independent artists who's lives aren't quite as unglamorous as people might think.

They have cult like following who swear by their music and spread the word of their talents not to get paid but because they truly love the music. They get to tour not only the U.S. but other countries. Most of all, they get to make the kind of music they want to make with no interference from anybody.

Since the 90's, Celph Titled has been living this life. A lyricist to the core, he has a fan base that stretches far overseas and the funny thing is, he's never released an official solo album. He has a countless number of guest appearances and is a member of Army of the Pharaohs and the Demigodz. Through his ventures his fan base is incredible and he is lauded as one of the best lyricists around. Sixshot.Com caught up with Celph Titled to discuss working with Fabolous and Juelz Santana, being an independent artist, and his long, long awaited solo album.

Sixshot.Com: Celph I'm glad we finally got to get this interview poppin'. How you been?

Celph Titled: Yeah man just been busy trying to do a million things at once. I been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, scoring music for TV and films. I'm trying to get more into that lane. Got the new Demigodz line of T-shirt apparel poppin' and of course been working on my own secret solo album, the Demigodz album and we're about to start on a 3rd Army of the Pharaohs album. I'm just grateful to have such longevity in the underground scene making the type of music I love.

Sixshot.Com:You're easily one of the funniest dudes in hip-hop. How important is it for you to incorporate humor into your lyrics?

Celph Titled: Oh, it's very important. My main objective when I write lyrics is to entertain my listeners. I hate boring MC's, hate hate hate them. I try to put on a real show whenever my verse comes on. Otherwise, what's the point? Everybody can rap nowadays but rap has taken itself to new heights. You can't just have good lyrics and flow, you gotta bring so much more to the table with your voice, verses, your adlibs, the verse structure, basically your entire character has to be on point.

I think that's one of the reasons people stay interested in me because they're always wondering what I'm gonna say next or what I'm gonna come with in my next rhyme. You can't name another rapper that sounds like me and that's what is so important nowadays is originality. If anything, you got up and coming MC's out there that try to sound like me! Young rappers now who grew up on my shit and I influence them and it's flattering when I hear someone biting my sound because it lets you know you're doing something impactful. Who would want to bite a wack or generic MC? Think about it.

Sixshot.Com:You obviously put a lot of thought into your lyrics. Was dumbing down your lyricism just to make a big hit record ever an option for you?

Celph Titled: Nah, since I've never attempted to make a big hit record. I know my place as a lyricist in this game. I've got a legion of underground fans that love me for what I do. They support me and they've supported me for years. When I first came on the scene around '98 or so, there were so many other rappers and rap groups that were doing the indie thing like me but if you look around, 90% of them dudes disappeared. Gone. Dwindled. They either gave up or they're looking hurt cause nobody is checkin' for them anymore.

Fortunately, I've been able to re-invent myself so many times over and advance my flows and lyrics. I'd never dumb down my lyrics because my lyrics are what have brought me the independent success that I have now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If for some reason a song I do or just the general buzz around me as a rapper puts me in a major situation, then I welcome it by all means but it doesn't mean I'd make a dance record or something. I'd want the mainstream to be exposed to that raw ass Celph Titled shit just how it is.

Sixshot.Com:Some of my favorite material of your is stuff you've done with J-Zone. Do you guys have a crazy chemistry in the studio?

Celph Titled: Yeah, J-Zone is my man 50 grand. We both like a lot of the same things about rap music so it's easy for us to come up with shit. We had a lot of fun doing the Boss Hog Barbarians album and we definitely had a blast making the "Pig Parodies" bonus disc we did. Concepts, beats and rhymes come easy to us. There's not too many other people out there that I know that are as talented as J-Zone. I respect him not only as a friend but as a peer he is a musical genius.

Sixshot.Com:What would you say your role is in the Demigodz?

Celph Titled: Well I'm a god damn boss, number one. But of course if Demigodz were Voltron, everybody knows Apathy would be the headpiece. Business-wise, we both run it equally. On the mic, my role is to be that Landmine Lieutenant, Grand Daddy Grenade Man, Doctor of Destruction, Captain of Decapitation and bring that flavor to the table when making the Demigodz sound. We all are the Demigodz sound. Our uniqueness as individual MC's is what makes our style so addictive to fans.

Sixshot.Com:Not many people have been featured on other people's projects more than you have. Do you ever feel like all your side work interferes with your solo career?

Celph Titled: Good question. Yes, it does. That's part of the reason I've never had a real solo album to date. I've always been involved in helping other people with their albums or singles. I have fun doing it though, so it's kinda what I wanted to do in the first place. There's not a lot of pressure when you're just hopping on other people's records and you can have some real fun with it. I'm too much of a perfectionist, so I end up spending too much time on just one song or one verse a lot of times. I'll start on a solo song and etch away at it over time, but usually always get sidetracked by someone else's project or a group project. I know I've got to be one of the underground rappers with the most cameos out there.

I remember in the early millenium when vinyl singles were still the thing. I had almost two entire walls covered by hanging up all the records I rhymed or produced on in my old apartment when I lived in NYC. I think all that exposure is what really helped me get known because I was able to deliver that unique sound into a lot of different ears.

Sixshot.Com:As a light skinned Hispanic dude, do you still have to deal with a lot of the "white-boy rapping" bullshit?

Celph Titled: Yeah all the time. It's cool though because I recognize that I am a white Hispanic. A lot of people can't grasp that. They feel that if you're Hispanic, you can't be white and vice versa. My heritage and ethnicity is a part of me, but it doesn't define me. Here in Florida there are a lot of white Hispanics. I just grew up how I grew up. If you were raised in Tampa you'd have a better understanding of the cultural layout here. I'm a proud Latino, but I've had to grow up all my life with that being overlooked by other people due to my physical appearance.

As you get older you realize that stuff really isn't important and as long as you know who you are and where you came from, the rest is bullshit. Plenty of other rap dudes have had to deal with this sort of thing being too light or having certain features that may not be recognized instantly as your stereotypical Hispanic. Everyone from Joe Fatal to Kurious to Pitbull although I'm probably the palest of them all. (Laughs)

Sixshot.Com:What was it like for you working with legends like Kool G Rap and Ice-T?

Celph Titled: Man that was like 7 or 8 years ago. It was cool. The Kool G Rap thing came about from this label Raptivism that was putting out Shabaam Sahdeeq at the time. He had a record with G Rap that was supposed to be for the Jails, Hospitals and Hip Hop Soundtrack that Danny Hoch did. I'm not sure if the actual soundtrack ever came out, but I ended up producing a version of it and Alchemist produced a version as well. The label put it out as a 12" vinyl single with both versions on it, my version on one side and Alchemist's on the other. As for Ice-T, I actually never met him. That was my man King Sun's joint. Sun came to me with the vocals and we re-produced the track because they were rhyming off some breakbeat and it needed an original track. I've worked in the studio side by side with a lot of other major artists I respect, but some of the work I've done comes about through label politics and other avenues that are more impersonal. Business is business.

Sixshot.Com:You're a crazy lyricist which especially today is a big compliment. Are you honored that people consider you that?

Celph Titled: Of course. That's what I've always strived to be. I came up watching dudes like Redman and Sticky Fingaz spazz out on tracks. I saw that shit and wanted to be that type of dude. The guy you'll always remember on a song. The guy you'll always jump up and ask "Who's that?" when their verse comes on and it's your first time hearing it.

Sixshot.Com:You're from the South but you're obviously not a typical Southern artist. Would you say you've been influenced at all by the crunk music and all that?

Celph Titled: Definitely. The first music I ever produced was booty bass music. This was back in the early 90's. If you notice a lot of the beats I've produced over the years have lots of 808's in them and subwoofer bass. All of that has influenced me production-wise. Now I guess crunk music is like what bass music has evolved into. Since I really got my start as a serious MC in the NYC scene in the late 90's when I moved up there, my style is definitely a heavy East Coast type of sound. I'd say though a lot of times my southern accent or certain ways that I say words, or even certain slang I use, will come out in my rhymes from time to time. It's all part of what makes me the character that I am on these records. Without this big gumbo pot of influences, I don't think I'd sound as unique as I do.

Sixshot.Com:You released The Gatalog which was a four disc collection. Were your fans happy to be able to get all your material in one shot like that?

Celph Titled: Yeah, The Gatalog was just to give fans a comprehensive 8 year collection of all my guest appearances, exclusive songs, freestyles and remixes all in one set. I know as a fan of other artists, how hard it is to track down all their various songs and appearances especially when they're as prolific as I am. Plus you'll end up searching for that shit all over the internet and find bullshit sounding copies of the songs. You know, bad sound quality or kids recorded the song off the vinyl with their busted ass needle.

So I rounded up all the CD masters of that material and gave everybody the real deal. The Gatalog still doesn't even showcase all of my shit because I didn't include songs from the other CD compilations we've put out like Apathy's "It's the Bootleg, Muthafuckas!" series or the classic Demigodz The Godz Must Be Crazy EP. So if you're a real fan, you've gotta cop all the other CD's to get the full catalog of my material. I get good fan reactions from The Gatalog but I feel that it really isn't the best showcase of my talent more so than it is a way to collect all the little random bits and pieces of my music that have been out there since the late 90's.

Sixshot.Com:Your fan base seems pretty devoted. What do you think makes them relate to you so much?

Celph Titled: I don't know if they can relate to me so much, since the crazy shit I'm talking is usually so far fetched that I couldn't imagine someone living like that for real. If someone really lived like Celph Titled rhymes, they'd have to be out of their mind and they'd probably be most likely in jail or dead right now. What I do think my fans appreciate is the entertainment factor of my lyrics. Not only that, some of my music is great if you're feeling angry or you want to vent. The fans appreciate the energy and the vibe.

I'd say though there are probably a lot of kids out there that relate to my shit for one reason or another, whether it's how they're feeling or having wild thoughts in their head. My music is like a demented cartoon. An evil animation that is also able to bring out a comedic vibe. It's the best of two realms of entertainment. It's like taking the elements from a Die Hard movie and mixing them up with a flick like Rosemary's Baby. How could that not be captivating to you?

Sixshot.Com:Is there a big difference between working with artists like Apathy and Ryu as opposed to artists like Juelz Santana and Fabolous whose musical styles are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum?

Celph Titled: For sure. Mainly because working with Apathy and Ryu is like a party. Those guys are like my brothers and we make so much music together it's very easy to come up with ideas. When you get put in the studio with an artist you've never worked with before, you gotta feel out the vibe and see how things can click. I'd say Fab or Juelz are not really too far from what me, Ap or Ryu does on the mic. It's just that Fab and Juelz are in a different bracket of the industry than us. They're pressured into making music that can be commercially viable and radio-friendly, whereas guys like us have a cult following and don't have to be pressured into making a club hit. All we have to do is focus on being ourselves and making some real hip hop music. I'd love to do some more stuff with Fabolous and Juelz, but more on some raw hip hop beats. Who knows what may be in the future?

Sixshot.Com:What projects are you working on that we can check for?

Celph Titled: Well like I mentioned earlier, I'm mainly focusing on my real solo album right now. I'm about 9 songs deep into the recording of it. It's all new material. I scrapped a lot of the old songs I had laying around and just started fresh. I'll probably compile all the old unreleased songs onto a Lost Tapes kinda thing if the fans want it enough. Also as I mentioned, both the Demigodz full length and the next AOTP albums are being worked on now as well. The Demigodz album is about half finished and I'd say the AOTP shit is about to begin recording. Other than that, I just been recording here and there for other people's projects. Just did a joint with my man Majik Most for his upcoming project.

I'm on a joint on the new Outerspace album dropping soon. I did some shit with Rise and C-Rayz Walz for Rise's next album. My dog J-Zone got a new project coming out on some malt liquor radio jingles type shit that's real ill and I did a little joint for that. Man, it's so many joints I can't even remember. Oh, I'm on the East Coast Avengers album, that's Esoteric's new project coming out real soon. I just stay doing cameos. That's what's kept me alive in the scene for so long but the official solo is about to come and trust me it's really gonna shake up the game. Take my word for it.

Sixshot.Com:Is there anything you'd like to say to all your fans out there?

Celph Titled: Thanks for all the years of support! Stay tuned and if you haven't already copped yourself some gear, go check my MySpace.Com/CelphTitled page out and grab a couple shirts. Cop some CD's while you're at it or logon to iTunes, we got most of the Demigodz related shit up on there. Your purchases are what keeps us going. I haven't disappointed y'all yet and I promise I'll never do that. I'm always gonna bring you that trademark Celph Titled sound. Peace y'all.