Pioneers of the New York independent scene, The High & Mighty, a duo consisting of emcee Mr. Eon, and DJ Mighty Mi, dropped two albums last year – their debut “Home Field Advantage” and a compilation album of their previously released vinyl only singles, entitled “Eastern Conference Allstars”. This year, on their imprint label distributed by Rawkus, Eastern Conference, the duo will team up Cage for The Smut Peddlers project. Cage is best known to the rest of the world as the “white boy with the toothpicks in his mouth”, gracing the pages of The Source, a few years back, with his Fondle Em single “Agent Orange”, which solidified him as a dope emcee to the underground. Other people may know Cage as the guy that Eminem is forever dissing, but this year, Cage hopes to make a name for himself, soon to be known to all.

HipHopSite: How long has Eastern Conference been putting out records independently?

DJ Mighty Mi: Since November of 1996, with the “Hands On Experience” single.

HipHopSite: With “Home Field Advantage”, how did you hook up with so many great underground artists?

DJ Mighty Mi: Different ways… the album was recorded in a span of a year and a half to two years, so we had a lot of time and connections. Alchemist hooked us up with Defari and Evidence, Paul Bunyan hooked us up with Eminem; and Kool Keith we were just a fan of, you know….

HipHopSite: Explain the album cover artwork for Home Field Advantage?

DJ Mighty Mi: The back was really supposed to be the cover, but people at the label didn’t think it would sell the record, so we went with plan B. We had the girl coming out of the bong, which was a cool shot. It represents what we are into, we are both weed smokers, and are into…uh…

HipHopSite: The bedroom shot on the back was classic, though, I actually thought that was authentic, can you speak on that?

DJ Mighty Mi: Oh, you mean like a real bedroom?

HipHopSite: Milo, people are supposed to think that is really your bedroom.

DJ Mighty Mi: Well it is kinda, a replica like – all those things we had, and we couldn’t go back to our rooms in Philly, cause I am in New York now, and that house is no longer mine. We just kind of recreated what are bedrooms looked like, and what we were into when we were growing up.

HipHopSite: Being that you had tracks with both Eminem and Cage on the album, did this create difficulty in a creative environment?

DJ Mighty Mi: You know, I’ve been neutral the whole time, because we are cool with both of them, and it’s unfortunate that they have beef, but….

Cage: It did for a minute, because it did seem fishy, but it was part of the order. Eastern Conference is a real crazy label, they make you insane. Eon is a nice guy, he just yells too much. Milo is more sinister, and likes to travel to Denmark. I am more into making passionate love to prostitutes.

HipHopSite: How did the beef between Em and Cage start, and where does it stand now?

Mighty Mi: I think everything is cool now, it’s kind of in the past, right?

Cage: It started because he is a bitch ass nigga! Right now it stands with me kicking in his fucking face, real horrorshow, I ain’t lettin’ all the shit he said slide.

HipHopSite: Cage, what’s the difference between Cage, C. Palko, and Alexxx?

Cage: Palko, that’s my government name, I think… and Cage is for rhymes, right? When I got locked in, my name remained as Cage. Alexxx is a pervert.

HipHopSite: Speaking of beef, Milo, what is up with that track “Newman” on the High & Mighty album? Some said that was dis to Rasheed and Ill Advised.

Mighty Mi: I don’t really like to speak on it, and around the time when we were going our separate ways, they did some really foul shit, and I think they thought it was just going to go away, and they were going to get away with it. So, we didn’t dis them on record, but we dissed where we thought the root of the problem was caused.

HipHopSite: Alright, one more rumors circulated about a fight with Necro?

DJ Mighty Mi: Everything is squashed now, you know, but it’s funny because now he is putting a record out on Landspeed and this whole thing dealt with (Fat Beats).

HipHopSite: What can we expect from the Smut Peddlers album?

Cage: Me and Mr. Eon rhyming over Milo’s beats. What you lookin’ for, my friend? It might be there, if not, FUCK OFF!

DJ Mighty Mi: Half the album is recorded, and we are about to do the other half, and it should be coming in the summer of 2000. Eastern Conference is what I am really proud of right now. We (High & Mighty) just came back from a tour in Amsterdam with Eminem, and it was ill. We were in the red light district and we are walking around, and Lord Sear walks up to one of the girls in the window, and he’s like “What’s up, what’s up”, and the girl was like…. “Nah!” (laughs)

HipHopSite: Was Lord Sear the only one who was not able to receive sex from payed prositutes?

DJ Mighty Mi: He was real naughty down there. It was like this blonde, stuck up Dutch bitch, and she was like “No, I don’t vant to” (laughs).

HipHopSite: Cage, would you ever sign to a major, or are you strictly the indy type?

Cage: I am in between offers, and not sure what to do, maybe I’ll even quit. Some people would like that, me too.

HipHopSite: So, if you did sign to a major, what would happen if you blew up?

Cage: I would piss on the audience of TRL, then shoot myself to get good ratings.

HipHopSite: Cage, being that you are white, what is your stance on using the “n-word”, as it’s popped up in a few of your songs?

That’s what all my peoples called me since we were little kids, so that’s what I would say. Friends would be like Cage ain’t white, Cage is black, so I never had a problem with it. Though some people are offended, I don’t mean to, but I don’t hold my tongue for shit. I don’t really say it that much, unless it just pops out. All my friends are 85% black and they call me that 24/7. I don’t care what you call me, as long as it’s not crazy.

HipHopSite: Cage, how much do your bugged out lyrics reflect your real life?

Cage: 80% of the shit is real. I am a fucked up person. I know this and I am trying to change.

HipHopSite: Do you consider yourself fans of hip-hop music in general, or are you more satisfied with listening to the stuff that you and your boys make?

Cage: I don’t like too much hip-hop right now, it’s all the same. I like the unknown cats, plus all my crew’s shit is hot. My Non-Phixion friends and Co Flow associates, Copywrite 78, Jakki the Motamouth, Yak-Face, and internet MCs for a good laugh.

HipHopSite: What kind of future plans are there for Eastern Conference?

DJ Mighty Mi: We just dropped the Smut Peddlers single, and also one from Rip Shop, produced by me and Kon. We also have a single from Mad Skillz coming out, with one song produced by Timbaland, and another High & Mighty single coming out, a Kurious Jorge single, and a Copywrite single, it’s a total posse cut with Eon and Cage. There is also a Divison One EP, the production team of me and Reef, with different emcees on it.