106 & Park's Honey Wit' An Onion Is Ready To Switch Sides

XXL Magazine
June 2003

ALRIGHT...
106 & Park's Honey Wit' An Onion Is Ready To Switch Sides


Most people don't even know you were in XXL as a Show & Prove for your appearance on Canibus' first album before 106 & Park, right?
That's real. The XXL photo shoot is real key. It means a lot because I went to a Busta Rhymes party that night and I was kind of still dressed from the photo shoot, and that's the day that I found Stephen Hill from BET. He's the one that had me come audition for [106 and Park]. But I rhyme and sing now, so I'm going to do both. I've been signed to [Elektra Records] for a year now. This is my third record deal. I was signed to 'Clef before, when we did the other article, and now I'm working on the album for a September release.

Why didn't you deal work out with 'Clef?
I don't think it didn't work out, I think I learned a lot while I was there. I met a lot of people and I learned so much from just working with 'Clef--- all the time in the studio and doing shows, and traveling. At the time he was signed to Columbia, and then his label deal got dropped possibly a week after I did the XXL photo shoot.

Did you ever think it was going to be a conflict of interest, with trying to pursue your career and an artist and television host?
Of course it is. The thing now si that people look at me as a TV personality or a TV host, and it's hard to get them to look at me as a musician, but I'm just gonna do me adn release my album. Hopefully they'll feel it, they'll know I love music from it.

So what can we expect from your album?
Free, what you see on TV everyday. It's not named yet, but so far it's just gonna be Free. I'ma be working with Just Blaze, Missy, Rockwilder, Chucky Thompson, because he's definately hot, and Bink, Clark Kent. There are the people that I'm comfortable with, that understand me, believe in me, and those are the producers that I work with.

Everybody wants me to ask this: Have you ever dated AJ?
Noooo! But AJ's a great guy. We just have fun on the show all day, so it's never ever, ever anything like that. I'm very much [single], I don't have time for anything else. This job is serious. My personal life, I keep completely personal.

How old are you?
I never tell. I'm old enough to drink.

So why did Wendy Williams say you were 37?
I don't know. Ask her. That's not true. I haven't met her so I don't know, but I love her, she's great at what she does.

Well then how old were you in that Bell Biv Devoe video back in the day ["Word To The Mutha (Remix)"] where you were kissing Michael Bivins in that staircase?
I don't know. I don't know what year I did it. I'm not going to give you that so you wanna keep going? [Laughs]