Fans of early '90s hardcore Hip Hop might appreciate how it is to hear Sticky Fingaz laugh. As the face of Onyx - literally, Kirk Jones was a rugged child who would grimace, spit at the video lens and bark lyrics that had millions getting riled up.

Fifteen years later - but not entirely removed, Sticky is suddenly a major player in Hollywood, who seems to empathize with the networks and studios' decision-making, while still remaining an artist through it all. On the release of Blade: The Complete Series coming to DVD, a time-capsule of Sticky's one season, top-rated program on Spike, the multi-talent spoke to HipHopDX.

With his Major Independence company blossoming with Sticky's directorial debut, A Day In The Life combining his passions of then and now in this cinematic piece that features exclusively rapped dialog. With a soundtrack leading the way for the Lion's Gate-backed film, Sticky Fingaz is nestled in Tinseltown with a lot more creative control than your average rapper. He explains his methodology, his views on a year of Blade, and how he might update one of his controversial rap classics nearly a decade later.

HipHopDX: Do you think that Blade was pioneering in the sense of taking something from film and continuing it on television?
Sticky Fingaz: Yeah, yeah, definitely. They’ve done that before, though it wasn’t on the level of Blade. Dangerous Minds was a movie that they turned into a TV show; it could definitely happen.

DX: The last time you and I spoke was when we learned there wasn’t going to be a second season. For you, what did you hear from fans when they got that news?
SF: All the fans were mad. They were mad at Spike TV. “Aw man, I’ll never watch Spike TV again; they canceled Blade.” They were trying to justify it like, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer didn’t even really jump off until their second season, how they not gonna let Blade got cancelled?” I feel what they’re saying; I agree. But, on the same token, I had to defend Spike well, because at least they stuck out on a ledge and at least tried to do it for one season. Some network wouldn’t have had the balls to do it for even one season, ‘cause it’s a real edgy show. It’s borderline. The content that we were showing them was for a [riskier cable stations].

DX: Flowing along with that, in the complete series packaging, there is some bonus footage that was edited out for Spike. What is this material?
SF: I would only be talking from ignorance ‘cause I just got the DVD two days ago, so I haven’t watched it yet. I don’t know what’s on there. But I’m assuming all the things they couldn’t show on television is on there.

DX: Do you think that the fact that Spike shot nudity or excessive violence makes it that DVD packaging was always part of the plan, or was censorship weighing in on each episode?
SF: I didn’t say like, “I know a DVD’s coming,” but you can figure with every show on the planet, there’s always a DVD. I knew one was expected.

DX: As an emcee, you were and are raw, unpredictable and uncensored. Do you feel you carry these qualities in your screenwriting and direction work?
SF: Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Especially in my directorial debut, A Day In The Life, the whole entire movie is in rap. There are no regular parts at all. Every alphabet. First off, that’s shocking, to have A-list actors that have never rapped a day in their life, rapping, and doing it quite well. Put it like this, I had a scene in the movie that Lion’s Gate made me take out because it was just too graphic. Basically, it was just me smothering this girl, her titties were hanging out, and I’m smothering her with a dry-cleaning bag, as she tried to kill me. I had the upper-hand on her. They were like, “Oh man, this is too graphic.” Also, I agree with them on one point: it made my character unlikable a little bit, despite trying to be the hero or whatever. “Damn, he did that?”

DX: Was the all-rapping part in the genesis of the idea for the film?
SF: Yeah, that was the genesis, that it was gonna all be in rap. Every interview I do, they always ask, “What do you like better, music or movies?” I could never give a straight answer. So basically, I fused the two together. I think it’s the future. If you ever heard my Black Trash: The Autobiography of Kirk Jones album, it’s basically taking that to the tenth power. It’s Black Trash on steroids. It’s an album and it’s a movie. You can listen to it without watching it.

DX: I’m glad that you even mentioned that album. You had this song on that album, “What If I Was White,” in 2008, how would the lyrics to that song change?
SF: Yeah. Some things. For instance, we have a black presidential candidate in Barack Obama. Whether he wins or not, he’s running. When I made that song, no black man was running for president. There would probably be a few different things. Basically, the world hasn’t changed that much, so a lot of things would still be the same. Continued on page 2 »