Tha Alkaholiks

After a career stretching back to the golden-age of hip-hop in the early 1990s, Tha Alkaholiks are finally putting their name to rest - for now at least - with the release of their final album 'Firewater'. Staying true to their doctrine of beer, partying and not taking themselves too seriously, Tha 'Liks' latest album is a continuation of every previous release and, despite the hiatus, DJ E-Swift is more than happy to talk about what's in store for their still-very busy future.

"We've been getting together for over a decade and we've been dedicated to Tha Alkaholiks every day of our lives. It hasn't really allowed us to do a lot of outside stuff. We just wanna take some time out and do some individual projects and just take a breath for a minute because we've been going hard at it for over a decade, you know?" he laughs. "I want to produce some more artists and explore my talent somewhere else for a minute."

Even though Tha 'Liks will be on a bit of a break once the farewell tour finishes, don't expect silence from J-Ro, Tash or E-swift - they're all going to be just as busy as they have been for the past few years, with solo projects galore, as well as a feature-length film.

"In the near future I'm going to be working on an album with Madlib. We're kicking some ideas around right now but look out for that pretty soon. Right now I'm trying to produce some singles for a lot of big groups coming out. I'm committed to the whole Dr. Dre and 'Em, the 50 Cent camp," E-Swift explains, "I'm just trying to play some songs with some big artists. I need the exposure and that's what I'm focusing on."

And the others?

"MC Tash is working on a movie directed by StickyFingers, I think it's coming out on Lion's Gate films. I don't know what it's called, but check it out, it's going to be big!" E-Swift assures me before going on to hint that, even though this is to be known as the last Alkaholiks album, there is another question floating around - until when?

"We're always ready to come back and do another album, that's for sure. We're all best of friends and we've kept our passion for the music. So as soon as we finish these other projects, we'll probably come back and do another album, just because the fans are asking for it so much. You can probably expect another Alkaholiks album."

When a new album by a group like Tha Alkaholiks is mentioned, anyone who knows anything about them can pretty much get the gist of the release without actually hearing it. Every 'Liks release to date has stuck to the same party-heavy formula and rather than growing tired, the boys have gotten it down to a constantly progressing, yet reliable consistency.

"Making 'Firewater'? It was pretty much the same...We were all over the map when we recorded this album. Tash was at the time living in Vegas, I was in Los Angeles, J-Ro was in LA then he moved." E-Swift explains.

"We never really changed our style I don't think, we always talked about partying and having a good time - the music, we try to keep it updated. We always had the fun party music...Drinkin!" he emphasises enthusiastically.

E-Swift, usually the brain behind the beats on most of Tha Alkaholiks' releases, actually picks up the microphone fairly regularly on 'Firewater', which makes sense given the presence of some co-producers, such as the successful Dangermouse.

"Not everybody was there all the time, that's one of the reasons why I'm rapping so much on the record, because there were a lot of blank spaces that needed to be filled in. I just put verses where there was space."

For a group that's existed in the grey space between commercial and underground hip-hop for the past decade or so, too confronting and controversial to be truly mainstream, but much catchier, lively and hedonistic than the majority of underground artists, E-Swift is confident that they brought something fresh to rap and that their vibe never got stale.

"I just want to be remembered as a group with our own boundaries, we didn't copy anybody's style and we stayed true to the artform. We did everything our way, it wasn't standard, it was original."

Ben Ford-Smith

Tha Alkaholiks play at the German Club on Fri 1 September. 'Firewater' is out now through Shock.