NEWS
EVENTS
LMFAO Interview
House | Wednesday 7th December 2011 | Annalisa
All the way from LA in the USA to right here in the UK; we have the men responsible for one of the biggest smash hits songs of the year. Their phenomenal song Party Rock Anthem which topped the iTunes Charts in seven countries and sold 450,000 copies here in the UK as well as spending three weeks in the national charts. I’m talking about the Grammy Nominated, rappers, producers, dancers, DJs known as LMFAO
YEAH BABY! Full scale operation right here!
Right so your shuffling your way to the UK right now. You have a new album Sorry For Party Rocking which officially gets released on the 18th of July, as well as the physical hard copies of your latest single, Champagne Showers featuring Natalia Kills and the digital copy is out now. You have a show in London on 13th June, which will showcase yourselves as well as Natalia Kills and Far East Movement; sounds like a crazy time for you boys right now?
Ya it’s always been crazy, that’s the thing! Because we get crazy- that’s why we’re lying down because we haven’t been to sleep since last night but the show must go on you know! We actually have a show today in Liverpool, we might do the show just like this (lying down). Lying on the stage, crowds over there- we can’t even see them- but we’re delivering our lyrics just the same!
So tell me about your names Redfoo and Skyblu?
Redfoo: As a kid I had freckles and red hair and in school they used to make fun of me; he looks like connect-the-dots-face you know. So when I was in about fifth grade I got upset and I took a red pen and I wrote all over my face connecting the dots and I wrote ‘FU’- on my face with a red pen! I was really saying ‘FU’ (to the other children) and they said ‘Oh my god look it’s Foo, Redfoo!’. And I was a little rapper, rebel kid so I said, ‘That’s going to be my rap name’. So I used to be called Freckle Face Foo but now it’s Redfoo.
SkyBlu: SkyBlu’s a simple tale about two human beings; one being a white woman, one being a black man (who) made intimate love in a limmo, and they were drinking Sky Vodka at the time, so that’s why they named me Sky... because they were druck! And when my mom gave birth to me she read me a story about The Big Bad Wolf and The Three Little Pigs and I was convinced I was the Big Bad Wolf and so I continually went to farms and tried to blow the farms down with a breath. And that’s the story behind SkyBlu.
You both come form music industry royalty; you’re son and grandson of Berry Gordy Jr. who was the founder of Motown and the first person to sign Micheal Jackson and the Jackson Five. He made history as the first black man to own a record label. What does he think of your music?
Redfoo: Oh he loves it. We’re teaching him how to shuffle! He came to a show three weeks ago and he was shuffling. And he swears by it he, he was like ‘I’m loosing weight! You guys gotta come up with a workout programme!’. He’s on it!
Redfoo I hear you and Will.i.am are childhood friends and you produced the Black Eyed Peas first demo, did you ever think they were going to be as big as they are now?
Redfoo: I always felt Will was so talented, but they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. I don’t know if I ever thought that they’d get to that level. I didn’t doubt them but they were making different music then. But it doesn’t surprise me that they are as big as are. They’re entertainers. They rap, they sing, they dance.
SkyBlu: That’s a triple treat right there.
With your single ‘I’m In Miami Bitch’ you secured a record deal with Cherrytree and Interscope Records. I hear Will.i.am played a part in all that. Can you explain how that came about?
Redfoo: I think I saw Will one Christmas and he was riding around in his Maybach... no his Bentley. Is that the same thing?
SkyBlu: Both. He has them both.
Redfoo: Well whatever it was, it looked like some rich sh*t! And he was like ‘Ya man I like that song man’, because it was on the radio in LA. So I was like, ‘Here man, here’s a CD’ and then he called me about two weeks later and he’s like ‘We got to do something with this’. So we performed at this hard festival, kind of like a rave and he was there with Jimmy Ivy from Interscope. Then he called again and was like Jimmy wants to meet with you. So we met with him and he was like, ‘I wanna sign you up’. So we said (makes ‘money’ gesture with hand) ‘What you talkin’?!’. And he made us an offer we couldn’t refuse!
SkyBlu: That’s the game man!
Redfoo: They allowed us to continue producing our own stuff and we mix and master all the stuff ourselves.
Your debut album Part Rock was nominated for a Grammy in 2009 and sold over 4 million copies. You describe it as experimental, while this new album, Sorry For Party Rocking is ‘more refined’. What exactly do you mean by that?
Redfoo: I feel we were just making the potion, making the formula, experimenting with the first album.
SkyBlu: Blew-up a few houses!
Redfoo: We travelled the world (DJing) getting feedback on ourselves. So I feel we got more data, more information just to make a potent potion! Just how vaccines and bugs spray has to get stronger each time, that’s how it is man, it’s just stronger! It’s concentrated.
I understand you’ve toured with Kanye West and produced a song on Pitbull’s latest album. Any artistic collaborations we can look forward to listening too on the new album?
Redfoo: Ya we got a collaboration with Will.i.am.
SkyBlu: Busta Rhymes.
Redfoo: Calvin Harris, Ava Simmons.
SkyBlu: Natalia Kills.
Who are your rap heros?
SkyBlu: My biggest idol growing up was Tu Pac for sure. No! My biggest idol was Redfoo and Dre Kroon! I had posters of his group all over my room. And that’s actually how I learned how to rap intricate raps.
(Both men start to rap together)
SkyBlu: So learning how to rap and flip the tongue like that, that’s really how I learned stuff like that. (I also listened to) Bone Thugs- a lot of West Coast rappers I was into because my sister’s a hardcore thug!
Any interesting stories from the Party Rockers video because you people look like you’re having a lot of fun with that.
SkyBlu: What you mean ‘you people’?! (Laughs) You shufflers!
Redfoo: Far too much fun and (with) the production of it. Party Rockers Anthem features Goon Rock and Goon Rock is a BIG perk. We’re collaborating with Goon Rock on the album and a kid named Audio Bob who’s a kid genius. So Goon Rock did a lot of the writing on Party Rockers Anthem, and brought us the idea and the beat was there. And then we come in and mix it and change the drums here and that. And it’s kind of like that with the videos, we’re really hands on. Micky Finnigan is our director, I think he’s done four or five of our videos. And he’s a funny dude! We just tell him the ideas, and then he adds his thing and then we colab.
Any interesting stories from making the video itself?
Redfoo: You know Jesus was breaking it down. He was telling us, ‘The doomsday thing, don’t worry about it, it’s not real!
SkyBlu: It’s not for you guys!
‘Everyday I’m Shuffling’, that’s Rick Ross’ melody. Has he heard the track?
Redfoo: I’m sure he’s heard it.
SkyBlu: We try not to make bad music!
Redfoo: Rick Ross is a legend in the game.
SkyBlu: He’s the boss!
You guys are performing loads in the UK this summer with Will.i.am and Kesha. You want to tell me more about that?
Redfoo: We’re basically day-to-day meaning that, all I know is that Martin (the head of Cherrytree Records) is amazing and he’s put together this cast and he wants to present us in the UK a certain way. So he has us with all these people and it’s going to like a family affair. It’ll probably be the first time we done Champagne Showers live.
So that’s a treat for the fans!
Redfoo: Yeah!
So what can we expect from your show?
Redfoo: You can expect two dudes getting crazy with some dancers... just bringing the party to the people! The people are saying ‘Hey we’re here, we’re ready to party’.
Champagnes Showers’ video is very visually engaging. that guy with the box on his head turns up in it again! What’s the creative inspiration behind the video?
Redfoo: It’s a sequel to the first Party Rock Anthem. It’s the same world. Danger exists in the form of vampires, we’re shuffling zombies, we’ve been infected. Anyone who’s heard the song has been infected. We’re all shuffling zombies. If you’ve looked at yourself in the mirror trying to shuffle, that’s how you know you’re a shuffler! But there are vampires in this world that are trying eat our blood and kill us because shuffling zombies have the best blood. Because we’re athletes, we’re working out! So we fire them off with a little help from Jesus! Because he blesses the champagne turning it into holy champagne and we sprayed the vampire with holy bubbly! We don’t necessary kill them we just change them into shuffling zombies!
You’ve just launched Party Rock clothing?
Ya we got partyrockclothing.com. But we’re looking to expand and do some more LMFAO merchandising. Coming up on our next tours we gonna be some getting some new stuff for the fans and the party animals.
So what’s next for you guys?
Redfoo: We’re just going to keep doing what we do for the party! We got our record label in mind, a movie in mind but first in line is getting the music to the people. To uplift the people for the party, to celebrate life, you know whatever it is. That’s our primary responsibility.
It’s unapologetic party music really. Obviously coming from LA, you must be aware of some social issues...
SkyBlu: Crips and the Bloods.
Would you ever consider making music help alleviate those issues?
Redfoo: I think there’s a lot of ways to alleviate issues. Music is a way but I don’t know if it’s the best way. Through a forum (is more ideal) but through a song- made for a party; it’s tough to have a political song at a party or a club! So if you make a song like (sings) ‘Stop the drugs, stops the gangs’...
SkyBlu: ...You’d get shot with that!
Redfoo: They’d probably inject you with drugs and kill you! But the point is that that song wouldn’t live in a lot of places. So it wouldn’t be effective of reaching people. We did a concert, and they asked us ‘When you’re singing Shots can you say “Drink responsibly”’, and we said, ‘By all means, because we are very responsible people!’. So we told the crowd, ‘When you going home make sure you get a cab! Make sure you got your double D with you, make sure you got a hot chick with but GET A CAB!’... We said it smoother than that! That wasn’t that smooth! But that’s what we do, we’re here to party, but partying responsibly! And that’s why we say ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’ because we’re sensitive, we understand the neighbours are sleeping! So the least we can do is say sorry! We’re gonna do it! But we’re sorry!
If you could be invisible for a day what would you do?
SkyBlu: Go to the ladies locker room after the Victoria’s Secret models played tennis... I’d go to the presidents and see what he does behind closed doors.
Redfoo: Is he sleeping with the wife?!
SkyBlu: Is everything else on me invisible?
Yes.
SkyBlu: Well then I’d film the president taking a duce and put it on YouTube!
If you could fill a pool with anything, what would you put it?
Redfoo: Jello! JELLOOOOO! And some girls I suppose!
YEAH BABY! Full scale operation right here!
Right so your shuffling your way to the UK right now. You have a new album Sorry For Party Rocking which officially gets released on the 18th of July, as well as the physical hard copies of your latest single, Champagne Showers featuring Natalia Kills and the digital copy is out now. You have a show in London on 13th June, which will showcase yourselves as well as Natalia Kills and Far East Movement; sounds like a crazy time for you boys right now?
Ya it’s always been crazy, that’s the thing! Because we get crazy- that’s why we’re lying down because we haven’t been to sleep since last night but the show must go on you know! We actually have a show today in Liverpool, we might do the show just like this (lying down). Lying on the stage, crowds over there- we can’t even see them- but we’re delivering our lyrics just the same!
So tell me about your names Redfoo and Skyblu?
Redfoo: As a kid I had freckles and red hair and in school they used to make fun of me; he looks like connect-the-dots-face you know. So when I was in about fifth grade I got upset and I took a red pen and I wrote all over my face connecting the dots and I wrote ‘FU’- on my face with a red pen! I was really saying ‘FU’ (to the other children) and they said ‘Oh my god look it’s Foo, Redfoo!’. And I was a little rapper, rebel kid so I said, ‘That’s going to be my rap name’. So I used to be called Freckle Face Foo but now it’s Redfoo.
SkyBlu: SkyBlu’s a simple tale about two human beings; one being a white woman, one being a black man (who) made intimate love in a limmo, and they were drinking Sky Vodka at the time, so that’s why they named me Sky... because they were druck! And when my mom gave birth to me she read me a story about The Big Bad Wolf and The Three Little Pigs and I was convinced I was the Big Bad Wolf and so I continually went to farms and tried to blow the farms down with a breath. And that’s the story behind SkyBlu.
You both come form music industry royalty; you’re son and grandson of Berry Gordy Jr. who was the founder of Motown and the first person to sign Micheal Jackson and the Jackson Five. He made history as the first black man to own a record label. What does he think of your music?
Redfoo: Oh he loves it. We’re teaching him how to shuffle! He came to a show three weeks ago and he was shuffling. And he swears by it he, he was like ‘I’m loosing weight! You guys gotta come up with a workout programme!’. He’s on it!
Redfoo I hear you and Will.i.am are childhood friends and you produced the Black Eyed Peas first demo, did you ever think they were going to be as big as they are now?
Redfoo: I always felt Will was so talented, but they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. I don’t know if I ever thought that they’d get to that level. I didn’t doubt them but they were making different music then. But it doesn’t surprise me that they are as big as are. They’re entertainers. They rap, they sing, they dance.
SkyBlu: That’s a triple treat right there.
With your single ‘I’m In Miami Bitch’ you secured a record deal with Cherrytree and Interscope Records. I hear Will.i.am played a part in all that. Can you explain how that came about?
Redfoo: I think I saw Will one Christmas and he was riding around in his Maybach... no his Bentley. Is that the same thing?
SkyBlu: Both. He has them both.
Redfoo: Well whatever it was, it looked like some rich sh*t! And he was like ‘Ya man I like that song man’, because it was on the radio in LA. So I was like, ‘Here man, here’s a CD’ and then he called me about two weeks later and he’s like ‘We got to do something with this’. So we performed at this hard festival, kind of like a rave and he was there with Jimmy Ivy from Interscope. Then he called again and was like Jimmy wants to meet with you. So we met with him and he was like, ‘I wanna sign you up’. So we said (makes ‘money’ gesture with hand) ‘What you talkin’?!’. And he made us an offer we couldn’t refuse!
SkyBlu: That’s the game man!
Redfoo: They allowed us to continue producing our own stuff and we mix and master all the stuff ourselves.
Your debut album Part Rock was nominated for a Grammy in 2009 and sold over 4 million copies. You describe it as experimental, while this new album, Sorry For Party Rocking is ‘more refined’. What exactly do you mean by that?
Redfoo: I feel we were just making the potion, making the formula, experimenting with the first album.
SkyBlu: Blew-up a few houses!
Redfoo: We travelled the world (DJing) getting feedback on ourselves. So I feel we got more data, more information just to make a potent potion! Just how vaccines and bugs spray has to get stronger each time, that’s how it is man, it’s just stronger! It’s concentrated.
I understand you’ve toured with Kanye West and produced a song on Pitbull’s latest album. Any artistic collaborations we can look forward to listening too on the new album?
Redfoo: Ya we got a collaboration with Will.i.am.
SkyBlu: Busta Rhymes.
Redfoo: Calvin Harris, Ava Simmons.
SkyBlu: Natalia Kills.
Who are your rap heros?
SkyBlu: My biggest idol growing up was Tu Pac for sure. No! My biggest idol was Redfoo and Dre Kroon! I had posters of his group all over my room. And that’s actually how I learned how to rap intricate raps.
(Both men start to rap together)
SkyBlu: So learning how to rap and flip the tongue like that, that’s really how I learned stuff like that. (I also listened to) Bone Thugs- a lot of West Coast rappers I was into because my sister’s a hardcore thug!
Any interesting stories from the Party Rockers video because you people look like you’re having a lot of fun with that.
SkyBlu: What you mean ‘you people’?! (Laughs) You shufflers!
Redfoo: Far too much fun and (with) the production of it. Party Rockers Anthem features Goon Rock and Goon Rock is a BIG perk. We’re collaborating with Goon Rock on the album and a kid named Audio Bob who’s a kid genius. So Goon Rock did a lot of the writing on Party Rockers Anthem, and brought us the idea and the beat was there. And then we come in and mix it and change the drums here and that. And it’s kind of like that with the videos, we’re really hands on. Micky Finnigan is our director, I think he’s done four or five of our videos. And he’s a funny dude! We just tell him the ideas, and then he adds his thing and then we colab.
Any interesting stories from making the video itself?
Redfoo: You know Jesus was breaking it down. He was telling us, ‘The doomsday thing, don’t worry about it, it’s not real!
SkyBlu: It’s not for you guys!
‘Everyday I’m Shuffling’, that’s Rick Ross’ melody. Has he heard the track?
Redfoo: I’m sure he’s heard it.
SkyBlu: We try not to make bad music!
Redfoo: Rick Ross is a legend in the game.
SkyBlu: He’s the boss!
You guys are performing loads in the UK this summer with Will.i.am and Kesha. You want to tell me more about that?
Redfoo: We’re basically day-to-day meaning that, all I know is that Martin (the head of Cherrytree Records) is amazing and he’s put together this cast and he wants to present us in the UK a certain way. So he has us with all these people and it’s going to like a family affair. It’ll probably be the first time we done Champagne Showers live.
So that’s a treat for the fans!
Redfoo: Yeah!
So what can we expect from your show?
Redfoo: You can expect two dudes getting crazy with some dancers... just bringing the party to the people! The people are saying ‘Hey we’re here, we’re ready to party’.
Champagnes Showers’ video is very visually engaging. that guy with the box on his head turns up in it again! What’s the creative inspiration behind the video?
Redfoo: It’s a sequel to the first Party Rock Anthem. It’s the same world. Danger exists in the form of vampires, we’re shuffling zombies, we’ve been infected. Anyone who’s heard the song has been infected. We’re all shuffling zombies. If you’ve looked at yourself in the mirror trying to shuffle, that’s how you know you’re a shuffler! But there are vampires in this world that are trying eat our blood and kill us because shuffling zombies have the best blood. Because we’re athletes, we’re working out! So we fire them off with a little help from Jesus! Because he blesses the champagne turning it into holy champagne and we sprayed the vampire with holy bubbly! We don’t necessary kill them we just change them into shuffling zombies!
You’ve just launched Party Rock clothing?
Ya we got partyrockclothing.com. But we’re looking to expand and do some more LMFAO merchandising. Coming up on our next tours we gonna be some getting some new stuff for the fans and the party animals.
So what’s next for you guys?
Redfoo: We’re just going to keep doing what we do for the party! We got our record label in mind, a movie in mind but first in line is getting the music to the people. To uplift the people for the party, to celebrate life, you know whatever it is. That’s our primary responsibility.
It’s unapologetic party music really. Obviously coming from LA, you must be aware of some social issues...
SkyBlu: Crips and the Bloods.
Would you ever consider making music help alleviate those issues?
Redfoo: I think there’s a lot of ways to alleviate issues. Music is a way but I don’t know if it’s the best way. Through a forum (is more ideal) but through a song- made for a party; it’s tough to have a political song at a party or a club! So if you make a song like (sings) ‘Stop the drugs, stops the gangs’...
SkyBlu: ...You’d get shot with that!
Redfoo: They’d probably inject you with drugs and kill you! But the point is that that song wouldn’t live in a lot of places. So it wouldn’t be effective of reaching people. We did a concert, and they asked us ‘When you’re singing Shots can you say “Drink responsibly”’, and we said, ‘By all means, because we are very responsible people!’. So we told the crowd, ‘When you going home make sure you get a cab! Make sure you got your double D with you, make sure you got a hot chick with but GET A CAB!’... We said it smoother than that! That wasn’t that smooth! But that’s what we do, we’re here to party, but partying responsibly! And that’s why we say ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’ because we’re sensitive, we understand the neighbours are sleeping! So the least we can do is say sorry! We’re gonna do it! But we’re sorry!
If you could be invisible for a day what would you do?
SkyBlu: Go to the ladies locker room after the Victoria’s Secret models played tennis... I’d go to the presidents and see what he does behind closed doors.
Redfoo: Is he sleeping with the wife?!
SkyBlu: Is everything else on me invisible?
Yes.
SkyBlu: Well then I’d film the president taking a duce and put it on YouTube!
If you could fill a pool with anything, what would you put it?
Redfoo: Jello! JELLOOOOO! And some girls I suppose!
