Brought up in The Projects in Brooklyn, New York...Necro started out in Death Metal bands at the age of 12 before realizing his lyrics were more suited to the love of his life..hip-hop. Last years "Gory Days" album saw him break-out to a bigger audience and brought numerous claims as the "rapper who makes Eminem look tame". We caught up with Necro to find out the truth from 1988 onwards to 2002 which looks set to included collaborations with the likes of Slipknot and hip-hop legends Pete Rock and the Large Professor.

Q: The first time I heard of you was with the "Gory Days" album at the tail end of the last year. You've actually been rhyming and performing since about 1988 and you actually started out in a Death Metal band. Would you like to fill in the UK readers all the blanks from 88 onwards?
A: I've been rhyming for f**king years, but i've only been running business properly for about 2 years. The first time I got press was in 1997 in The Source so if you really analyse it - i've been rhyming since 1990, started getting some recognition in 91 - it takes a long time. Everything has to be done correctly and it doesn't just happen in a day.

I grew up in the Projects so I was living in the type of environment where the hip-hop was around...Brooklyn, New York...but I started out playing Death Metal. I started out listening to the metal and listening to shit like Motley Crew to Metallica and I started playing guitar. I was playing Metallica thrash, but I was also influenced by hip-hop. I was singing hip-hop songs in my head and little by little I progressed to Death Metal. I'm playing Death Metal on stage when I was 11 years!!!!
 

Q: Was it difficult being accepted in hip-hop as a white kid?
A: Its always been a problem. I notice I get a lot of love in the UK and there's no racial bullshit in the UK!!! Here, a lot of magazines don't want to give me press and still up till today I'm still trying to prove myself. If you're white or Spanish you have to be the best thing in the world. I don't have a million dollar budget but as far as what I'm doing I sound top notch.
 

Q: Lyrically you're never be accepted by the mainstream though. Does this bother you?
A: You know something, its like this. Marilyn Manson is burnt for what he does and he's accepted. Eminem viewed as f**ked up and he got accepted. And a lot of Metal acts ended up blowing up and they've been accepted. At the end of the day what it comes down to - its not whether I want to be part of the mainstream. Its about the fact is right now I'm independent.

If I sell 200,000 records I will make $2 million off every record I put out...which is big f**king money!!! If I sell 350,000 that would be considered bad to a major label, but I would make as an independent $3.5 million. So in all reality I could move 1 million independent - Insane Clown Posse have moved 1 million independent, Master P, Cash Money.
 

Q: So what you're saying is you've got the potential to appeal to everybody?
A: There is 1 million people out there that like what I'm doing. They don't know it yet, but a Necro fan is a fan of everybody. A guy who listens to Ghostface Killah likes Necro. A guy who like Slayer likes Necro. A guy who listens to Slipknot likes Necro. A guy who listens to Mos Def likes Necro.

I can get everybody for some reason because of what I'm doing, who I am and where I'm from and how I rap. A lot of rappers don't have it like that. I've done Market Analysis of my fanbase and what they're into and I get backpackers to death metal kids!!!!

Pump enough money into anything and you'll get a big audience. If my shit was pumped down 20 million peoples throats - the way i'm doing now, but maybe with clean versions f what i'm doing - i'd have a million fans.
 

Q: It has been said before that you make Eminem look really clean-cut and tame. Would you agree?
A: A lot of the press says that shit and I find it humorous that people say shit like that. I don't really analyse it like that but people are looking at me through their eyes and they look at me - this guy Necro looks more sick and more violent. I guess that's a good thing. He's sold 10 million and he's considered the craziest. You're look at Necro and he's a really sick f**k too and I'm feeling him.
 

Q: What would you say to religious groups or women's groups...the sort of people who may attack Eminem or Marilyn Manson. There going be even more shocked when they hear Necro. Agree?
A: I don't even care about them. I can debate anybody. I'll debate anybody and I'll win. Even if I don't win its just going to be a neutral battle so I'm not even concerned.

Women's groups if they have a problem with me....I have women fans. I'll have my female fans debate them. There's girls who love my shit...its entertainment. F**k them!!!

And the religious groups have a problem. Why? Because I have an opinion. They can't stop my f**king opinion. All that shit don't mean jack shit to me.
 

Q: How much of yourself do you put into your lyrics and how much is fantasy?
A: I spend f**king hours. As many hours as it takes because I worry about every line...I don't kick one line I'm unhappy with. I take hip-hop very seriously and that's why I get very violent with representation of my shit. If i'm insulted or if people want to see me act this shit out - lets do it then!!!! If you don't believe this shits real then let me demonstrate!!!

I think Necro is the representation of beats and hip-hop. Maybe not every angle or elements, but as far as rapping and producing I've got that shit down. If were talking about dope songs and lyrics in hip-hop - then I represent that shit!!!

If you're going to talk about keeping it real then lets talk about keeping it real in the flesh. Anybody can keep it real in their home town where nothing really real goes on. But not many can keep it real live in the flesh in New York. I get up on stage in New York and I shred it!!! I went to Chicago and I ripped it!!!
 

Q: So how have your family reacted to Necro?
A: I don't give a f**k!!! My mothers in her own f**king world. She's on her own f**king planet. My goal is to make enough money so she doesn't have to work anymore for the pieces of shit that she works for. I just haven't made enough money yet to make her not work. It would be over $60,000 a year - I don't make that yet. I make enough money to pump back into my label and invest in Necro. She understands that I'm a business, but she's not too much into the style of shit.
 

Q: "Gory Days", the latest album. I believe originally it was going to be called "You're All Dying" but was rapidly changed after the September 11th. Is it a case of the next 12 months out on the road promoting it?
A: I stand firm behind the fact that "Gory Days" is a full fledged banger which is extremely cutting edge and on point. That's where I'm at right now. I'm at the point where I've handled my business for two years perfectly so I've got another four and half years so I can expect a $30 million deal like Cash Money got. Although i've been into hip-hop for 13 years rapping it doesn't mean anything. I've got longevity...i'm going to be here like Kiss and Black Sabbath!!! A lot of people won't be here 30 years from now.
 

Q: Apart from music, you actually sell porn movies as well. How did you get into the porn industry then?
A: As far as porno's go I'm opening up a porn site called sexpertvideo.com. I'm going to sell porno's, but to actually make porno's its very hard in New York. Guilliano destroyed New York. He f**ked New York up!!! They have strip clubs, but its really expensive to get in and not many dope bitches. No pussy showing, horrible. The sex life in New York - he f**king shredded it!!!

Its very hard to get women that are beautiful to film on camera in New York. If you go to Cali - a lot easier. Budapest - a lot easier. You go to the UK i'm sure its 100 times easier than New York. The girls are very nervous in New York because they have that New York attitude so they all think they're going to get murdered. In Cali its like let me show my tits!!!

That's why New York is so brutal and that why me being from Brooklyn, New York. I come from a mecca of Hip-hop brutality. Brooklyn is known for some of the biggest legends.
 

Q: Going back to what we were saying before. What has New York been like since September 11th and how did it affect the release of the album?
A: It was fucked up for about a month after that. My mother goes to Manhattan each day...she could have been affected by shit like that. After a month or two its almost as if its been forgotten. I wasn't going to let this whole shit consume myself. If you're going to stop your whole life then Osama Bin Laden basically wins.

I had a record drop and my life is hip-hop and hip-hop becomes very obsolete when 5000 people in Manhattan die. I was going to have posters with the title "You're All Dying" which wouldn't have been allowed in the magazines so I had to change it. I'm uncensored but in all reality I've got to put the f**king album out.

I announced that name 8 hours before September 11th happened. One or two o'clock in the morning I went on to the website and announced it to my fanbase because I let everyone know last minute. As soon as my deal went through I went online and said "Guess what - You're All Dying coming out". 8 hours the attack happened.
 

Q: 2002 very much promoting "Gory Days. But you've also got a couple of collaborations in the pipeline as well. A guestspot on Clown from Slipknots solo album and also a hip-hop legends production as well. Tell us more?
A: The "Non Fiction" album which is coming out on Landspeed which I produced half of. With production from Pete Rock, Large Professor, Pre Premier, JuJu from the Beatnuts and half the album is produced by me. All those guys are legends and pretty much respected all round - I'm coming up in the rank and that's another level stepped up.

"Gory Days" deserves 12 months on promotion because otherwise it will be like making a movie which no one really saw. I want to make sure that "Gory Days" reaches as many people as possible because the next shit is going to blow away everything. As it is "Gory Days" is considered a classic by myself and by my fanbase.

I'm not going to mention any names but there may just be collaborations with people you may not expect me to get. I never mention anything till its actually done and once its done. I can definitely say I would like to do something with Sid Wilson from Slipknot and he's displayed that he wants me to rhyme on his album.