Ben B. Hard: I think theme is it's good music, what I think is that there's catchy hooks. The main thing is I want them to listen to me. You know, I want people to listen to me I want people to hear what I'm talking about and not just focus on the beats. I think all the beats are tight but I want the to hear what Iím talking about because Iím talking about something.
C.Long: So you want them to get your message? What message are you trying to get across? For example starting with a list of the songs "Ain't No Love" what is that song about?
Ben B. Hard: That song was just a preview of the whole album to me, thats why it's first. It's talking about all the kinds of styles.
C.Long: So it's an introduction song?
Ben B. Hard: Basically. All of the characters that I develop on the album are pretty much rolled up into that song.
C.Long: You developed different characters for different songs?
Ben B. Hard: I think that every song that I'm on I am a different character. You know I picture myself as um.... just a different character.
C.Long: What's the song "Saturday" about?
Ben B. Hard: "Saturday" is just about how me and my friends kick it on a typical Saturday. How we just ride through the bay area.
C.Long: What about "Bombsack Cognac?"
Ben B. Hard: That's about how he kick it every night. You know a party song.
C.Long: "The Dick" is pretty hilarious. The sex is very graphic and it's, to me, humorous.
Ben B. Hard: (laughing) "The Dick" is just about meeting a girl at the gas station and taking her home. That's all it's about and.....I don't need you, bye, that's all it is. You know... meet the girl and bone her.
C.Long: What about "Side 2 Side." What's coming across in that song?
Ben B. Hard: I think "Side 2 Side" is the kind of song everybody would like to hear. You can play that song for everybody, grandparents, kids, you parents. There's a nice groove to it. It's just a simple rap about how he can kick it. Everybody can just have fun getting along. Not just here but everywhere, world wide, Kansas, Nebraska, New York where ever. This is how everybody can kick it.
C.Long: So is this then like a gift?
Ben B. Hard: Yeah, Yeah, I think everybody would want to here this kinda song.
C.Long: There's the song "Who Can U Trust" and on there you have a whole slew of guests.
Ben B. Hard: Yeah, the Hard Foundation. That song there is just everybody's opinion about why you can't trust people. Everybody had a different view.
We just got together and did that song.
C.Long: How did you put that one together?
Ben B. Hard: It was just a title I had floating around in my head. It has a party beat so the clubs are going to love it. It's the bump so people will love it. It was just a thing to get me and my partners together and just flow.
C.Long: You have two sides listed here on the album. There is the "Playa's" side and there is the "Gangsta's" side. Now we start on the "Gangsta's" side with "Creepin' On 'Em." What the story with that song?
Ben B. Hard: That songs is story and some of it is true. From just riding through Richmond with my partners. A lot of it is just my imagination and about how people get stuck.
C.Long: Next up is the song"The Game." Everybody is always talking about "The Game" What does this song say about "The Game?"
Ben B. Hard: That's just my view of what goes on in my neighborhood. "The Game" is like the first song recorded for this album.
C.Long: You know I've listen to the album and "4 Past Midnight" is very graphic. It' a great story with you and Mr. M holding up a store. What believable character development and such ruthlessness!
Ben B. Hard: "4 Past Midnight" was a title I had almost two years ago. It could have been about anything. If you looked on the tape and saw the title you wouldn't think it's about a robbery. Mr M and I tried to make it real clever and Shake Capone laid down a track after I told him the name of the title. It's tight.
C.Long: "San Quentin?"
Ben B. Hard: I wrote that song after I went to jail. That's a story about where people can end up if they keep doing what they're doing. It comes after "4 Past Midnight" because I want it to seem like that's where I could end up after robbing a store.
C.Long: And "One In Da Chamber?" What's that song about?
Ben B. Hard: There really is no message in that song. Just Vitamin C and I flowing.
C.Long: There is up last the title song"One Mo' Time." Wha's that mean to you?
Ben B. Hard: It sums up the whole album. What I've been through in my life in a way. Since the last time people heard of me, my lifes changed alot. It sums up what I went through in the industry to where I am at now. People thought that I had quit or though I wasn't around music, but I was in the studio making hits.
C.Long: What are your plans for the future?
Ben B. Hard: I want to do some more albums because I think my best stuff is still ahead of me. I want to produce and put other people on the label.
C.Long: What type of rapper do you like to consider yourself?
Ben B. Hard: Cleaver, I like to be real cleaver. Everyone can talk about how they jack someone, or peeled somebodys cap or whatever but I fiqure there are twenty different was you could say that.
C.Long: How did you get down with this project?
Ben B. Hard: This was something I just always wanted to do. You know, what I felt. With the first album I took advice from alot of different people and I donít regret it, but the industry labeled me a love songwriter. I am doing what I want on this album.
C.Long: How much influence did you have on this album from other rappers?
Ben B. Hard: I had alot of personal things influence this album. As for other rappers I was seeing a lot of other rappers coming out with cool songs and got to the point where I got fed up just always being in the studio. Then I decided to put this one out.
C.Long: Who do you admire and who are you inspired by?
Ben B. Hard: I like Scarface, I like Snoop, I like that whole style with the Dogg Pound, E-40, Spice 1, C-Bo. There's a gang of them I like. The ones I like the most is the ones nobody knows about yet, Young Ace and Vitamin C. I don't think there's anybody better then them.
C.Long: What type of sound were you looking for on this album? As far as beats are concerned.
Ben B. Hard: At first when we first started I wanted that L.A. sound like Dr. Dre and them, but it just wasn't working out. So I just did what I felt. I wanted something that bumped. As long as they move to it, keep there head movin'.
C.Long: What do you think of the current state of rap? Where do you think it's going?
Ben B. Hard: Commercial. Everybody is making the radio now days with remixs which are completely different from the album.
C.Long: How do you want to be percieved by people?
Ben B. Hard: That's a good question. Um, I really don't know. Just with respect.
That I can rap with the best of them.
