JEWELS

TIC & TAC INTERVIEW

                            		 
                            		How much do you practice?

                            		We practice every day. Any time we get in front of an audience, we're doing new material. It's always changing. We have a set, but we're standup comedians as well. Inside of a small stage, we can do this. We wanted to be the best entertainers more than just the best break-dancers. All-around entertainers, like that Sammy Davis Jr. kind of thing. 

                            		Who would you want to work with if you could?

                            		Almost everybody we'd want to is dead. Maybe Stevie Wonder. It would've been nice to do something with Sammy Davis. Us and the Nicholas Brothers would've been retarded.

                            		Who are your favorite entertainers, break-dancing or otherwise?

                            		The Nicholas Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr., Savion Glover. For breakin', there's Crazy Legs, Turbo, Low Committee, Breeze Team.

                            		What advice would you give somebody who wants to start break-dancing?

                            				Hard work. Stay dedicated. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. You're going to hear 'no' more than 'yes.' For some reason, it's easier to down someone than to try and lift them up. There are jobs we didn't get because they told us we were too talented. We were in this Off Broadway show called Forever Swing. The cast, the rehearsals, everybody loves us, until the reviews started dropping. We actually got a review on that:
                            			
                            		"Tic & Tac is as original as the show is routine." The show was actually cool, it's just the energy we bring to the stage … The New York Post endorsed us last year as "The Best Buskers in New York City."

                            		Is the busking harder than the act?

                            		It's street theater. People don't know how difficult it really is to stop people from doing whatever they're doing and just look at you. Especially New Yorkers. New Yorkers are prone to, even if you go to a comedy club, they're in there demanding "Make me laugh." What kind of attitude is that? In street theater, sometimes we get up there and we haven't even done anything yet and you still have people looking at you like, "You better do something good." It's fun to be able to win them over.

                            		Can you teach me some moves?

                            		 [Lots of laughs.]

                            		Outside of Washington Square, where's your favorite place to go in the city?

                            		Times Square is always fun. Actually, we hang out here as well. There's no place like this area, Greenwich Village. It's the true melting pot. The best multicultural place you can go in New York or anywhere else, period.

                            		Ever see anybody famous in your audience?

                            		We see Dave Chappelle all the time. Dave started out here. He met his wife out here. He went and bought himself some skates and was busting hiss out here for here. He was like, "I'm out here busting my ass, you better at least give me your number."

                            		What law would you pass to improve New York?

                            		Leave the public parks alone. Leave the street entertainers alone. What they're trying to do now is change New York into a commonwealth. It's becoming impossible to live here. This whole Village area is changing.

                            		You've been in this neighborhood for years; how have you seen it change?

                            		It's crazy. They're running out all the small business owners. It's ridiculous when the church can't even afford to rent space. And Fry Records, Sam Goody's gone, Bizarre – these things that have so much history, gone. 

                            		They want to close the park for two to then years for reconstruction. It took them ten years to finish the arch! They want to turn most of the parks into private parks, put fences around them.

                            		What would you do if they closed the park?

                            		Move to L.A. I'm almost on that route right now. And I love New York too, it's just becoming impossible. Harlem already is overpriced. They changed rent control and stuff like that. They're not making it for working-class, middle-class people. 

                            		But they got 20 million to mess up the park. They want to make Washington Square Park into a garden park, because the Village has too much voice. It's too multicultural for them. They want to make it a garden with five-foot fences and lock it up. It's not in Phase Two yet, it's still in Phase One. Two committees already passed it. And that's almost illegal—you can't change a public park. And the community boards who want to change it don't even use this park.

CAMACHO…

DIRECTORS AT WORK: CYNICAL SMITH & GENERAL STEELE

PEEP HOMIE SITTIN ON THE BENCH IN THE PIKACHU COSTUME.

SLOW RHYTHMS
MADE FOR YOU TO DIG IT
SHORTY WAIST MOVE LIKE IT WAS MADE FOR ME TO HIT IT
BUT ITS JUST ME & THE BEAT
IM
INCOMPLETE
UN
TIL THE TIME COMES FOR ME TO RIP SHIT
I REP QUEENS
I LIKE GREEN JELLYBEANS
MI NAH WEAR TIGHT SKINNY JEANS
EYES SEEN MANY TINGS
MY HEARTBEAT WAS GRAMMY NOMINATED
BUT THE AWARD GOES TO THE TAP OF MY TOES
WHEN I WAS YOUNG
A NIGGA ALWAYS HAD A GIRL
& THEN I REALIZED SOMETHING ABOUT GIRLS
& AFTER THAT I SAT BACK LOOKED AT THE WORLD
HAD A LAUGH WITH MYSELF
& KEPT IT MOVING
IF YOU BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU DO
THEN WHAT YOU PROVING?
REMEMBER THEM DAYS
CONFLICT RESOLUTION?
LISTEN
FROM SIXTH GRADE TO TENTH GRADE
I COULD WALK IN ANY STORE
AND LEAVE WITHOUT PAYING
THAT’S BOOSTING
IN NEW YORK IT’S HOUSTON
BUT IN TEXAS THATS HOUSTON
GRAMMATICALLY
I CAN SEE HOW THAT CAN BE CONFUSING
IF YOU OUT WITH A CHICK
AND YOU ABOUT TO STICK
MAKE SURE YOU GET PERMISSION
OTHERWISE IT’S INTRUSION

[CHORUS]

IM STILL TRYNA GET THESE ROCKS OFF
BLESS WRITE SHIT TO KNOCK SOCKS OFF
SON IM IN THE STREETS LIKE HOT SAUCE
GAME BEEN LEGIT LIKE SKIP
BUT HE STILL DIP WHEN THE COPS CALL
BAD HABITS DIE SLOW
YOU PREACHIN TO THE CHOIR
GOD DAMNIT I KNOW
LEAP INTO THE FIRE FROM THE FRYING PAN
THE RIGHT AMMOUNT OF CASH
WILL GET YOU OUT OF ANY COMMON JAM
I HAD IT ALL FIGURED OUT
& THEN I REALIZED THAT I AINT KNOW SHIT
& THAT’S WHEN I LEARNED SOMETHING
WISE WORDS FROM MY POPS
GO AND EARN SOMETHING
& HERES A SPLIFF
ROLL IT TIGHT
LIGHT AND BURN SOMETHING
NIGGAS FRONT BUT ON ME
AINT HURTING NOTHING
I PLAY THE BACK
WATCHING PRETTY BOY HERBS FRONTIN
I SPIT A RAP
PLAY IT BACK AND WHAT YOU HEARD WAS
INSTANT CLASSICS
& CLOSED GENERATION GAPS
IT’S THE NIGGA IN ME
I CANT SLEEP TIL IM FILTHY
THEY LIVING FLASHY
IM STILL A YOUG MAN
I FEEL LIFE RUNNING PAST ME
BUT IF YOU ASK ME
A GOOD DAY IS BASED ON HOW MUCH MONEY I HAVE
SEE AINT NOTHING STRANGE WHEN PAIN COMES FOR A VISIT
BUT THE DAYS GET LAME
WHEN NIGGAS END UP MISSIN
NOTICE A NIGGA CHANGE WHEN HIS VEINS START ITCHING
NO MICROWAVE
HOT SAUCE
& COLD CHICKEN

[CHORUS]

SLOW RHYTHMS

FEATURING NICOLE CAMACHO

PRODUCED BY MADLIB

DIRECTED & EDITED BY CYNICAL SMITH & GENERAL STEELE

I PAID $70 FOR THAT ENTREE SWEATSHIRT ON SOME LAST MINUTE DAY BEFORE IM ON MY LUNCH BREAK & THE STORES ARE ABOUT TO CLOSE SHIT.

I KNEW IT WAS OVERPRICED BECAUSE THERE WERE NO TAGS ON ANY OF EM.

HERES THE ACTUAL PRICE.

THE GREEN ONE IS DOPE TOO.

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