By Easy, Mike

Phoniex, Arizona is the last place on earth I expected to find some rough neck white boy who was a prime instigator of RapRock, but that's home where I caught up to Soulman, lead rapper of the Phunk Junkees. Their music is loud and "Beastie", high-energy and as fun as jumping off Marshall cabs. Phat ass bass lines thumpin', Soulman backs up his self proclaimed title of "Champion on the Mike."
"We've been at it since '91, over 10 years now, but it took us the first five to figure out what the f**k we were doin'," the frontman says. "We started just as a party band, getting' down on the mike, jumpin' off speakers-n-shit, and rockin' the house.
"The thing I did not want to do was get a job. I was workin' at Friday's, and I said to myself, "this is not me." The one thing that sparked our interests as a band was when we combined the rock and the rap thing."
So in 1992, they released their first album on Ichban Records. Without any national promotion but laborious touring from the band, record sales were so impressive that their bones were jumped by Interscope records.
Two albums later, the Phunk Junkeez and Interscope mutually agreed to sever ties. "We felt like we weren't getting the support we needed, and they already got rich off No Doubt and Bush. So we decided to part ways. But that's all part of it; that's the rock-n-rollercoaster," explains Soulman. "It's hard to tell some 50 year old dudes from Malibu how they should handle and market your music."
So the Phunk Junkkeez took matters into their own hands and recorded and produced SEX, DRUGS, and RAP & ROLL in their hometown Burning Bridges studio. With their music showing up in commercials (Adidas), movie soundtracks (Tommy Boy, Sugar and Spice, Disturbing Behavior, among various others), and video games, they prove to culminate a palatable blend of funk, hip hop, and rock and roll. Smoother than now mainstream rap/metal hacks, there is more of a traditional ol' school feel.
"We're in the process of finishing up recording our second album on our own label before we go out on the road, so that's why it's been awhile since we've been on the east coast. We've just been doing weekend gigs in Cali and Vegas so we can get back quick and start recording. But we love it in Virginia Beach; we're lookin' forward to comin' your way. That's like our east coast home since about '95," he says as I begin to laugh as if in disbelief. I recall the commercial, "Thank you, thank you" to a screaming crowd. "We love you, Detroit (insert city name here)," the crowd is instantly hushed. Or better yet, the Simpsons episode when Spinal Tap's guitarist had Springfield taped to the back of his guitar as a reminder.
"No, shit," he urges, "it's like better than home because all of the bars give us free tabs 'n' shit."
What has been the key to success even though they have snubbed their noses at commercial radio and chose to remain underground? A live ass stage show. A tight knit fan base. And a nonchalant unpretentiousness that is crowd-friendly. "We always believed when we first started out that we would be a people's band. We've done the major label and they treated us like the red headed step child, but the people have always been there for us. When the people stop buying our shirts and CD's, we'll quit. But wherever we go from city to city, the people are there to support us."
Before hanging up to go home from the studio, Soulman asks, "Hey, would you do me a favor?"
"Sure," I agree, not knowing what I could possibly do for him.
"Tell Virginia Beach that we're comin' to rock those mothaf**kas," he exclaims.
"I'll do that," I promise. "Verbatim."
I kept my promise, so now I plan to be at the Peabody's on June 22 to see the Phunk Junkies keep theirs. The stop will be part of this summer's tour for the band to promote their new CD, RoCk iT sCiEnCe on Suburban Noize Records.