So you got into drums before you got into punk music or more aggressive music? Yeah, but it was really at the age of seven that I realized I wanted to do it, and I asked my parents if I could and they said yes. I think I’ve seen pictures of me really young, like three or four, playing or hitting something. I would play along to those when he was playing music, or when my sister was singing and dancing or whatever. My dad had some drumsticks and the toy collection- like, the kids play area, like little bongos. I actively asked my parents if I could do it when I was seven, but I had started banging around on things before that. When was that? When did drumming become a thing you wanted to do? There was music around and instruments, and I kind of just gravitated towards the drums. So, obviously, that background and they loved music enough to work in a record store, and they have a big record collection with all these stories of bands they’ve seen, there was always music playing. Not only with my dad playing music, playing guitar and singing us songs in a very “dad” way, but my parents met each other when they worked in a record store. Sure, but it was around the house, right? So, I know you and your sister both play music, was music just in the family and implemented early on? So, he played in a band with his cousins. My dad’s mom was a twin and when the twins got married, they bought houses next door to each other, which is really cool. Now, I don’t think they played much, and I don’t know much about his playing, but my dad played in a band with his two cousins who lived next door. He tells me that my grandpa, his dad, was also a drummer as a kid. My dad’s played guitar since he was 18 or 19 and that’s really what he’s done musically. But, it was also, you know, 1969- and he and everyone he knew fell in love with folk music and Bob Dylan, so he started playing guitar. When he went to college, I think, for numerous reasons not having the drums around or the space, he stopped playing.

My dad was a drummer as a kid, and he played the drums as a teenager.

So, I understand your dad was a drummer, is that right? From playing in Lights Out and Shook Ones to jobbing for Ceremony and Punch, Aaron has spent most of the last 15 years involved in hardcore. I sat down with drummer and nicest guy in the world, Aaron O’Neil, to discuss how he got started with his instrument, how he got into hardcore, and why people talk down about Ringo. However to note, “Shook Ones” isn’t necessarily gangsta rap as we know it today. With this song dating back to the early 1990s, imbedded herein are also references to Prod and Hav’s proficiency as rappers. But the street aspect of the lyrics definitely take precedence.Becoming a drummer is a pain for a ton of reasons there’s no way to do it quietly, storing them is a hassle, and transporting them is even worse. Secondly and relatedly, it takes a lot of heart to live by the gun, if you will. So they proceed to point out the difference between real crooks and “shook one(s)”. In context, the latter would be along the line of wannabe gangsta, those who think they’re about that life but are ultimately proved otherwise. So as implied, the M-O-BB fall into the former category, being true thugs.

For readers who are familiar with “Shook Ones (Part II)”, from a lyrical perspective “Shook Ones” is quite similar. For instance, we have Prodigy and Havoc portraying the role of fearless gun-slinging street thugs while reppin’ their ‘hood, Queensbridge (New York City), in the process. And beyond that, they speak to the type of mentality necessary to practice such a lifestyle.īasically, as presented there are two main components to successfully practicing the thug life. One is doing what you have to do in order to make bread. Or as Prodigy explains, where he comes from ‘trying to keep a positive mind and walk a straight line don’t work’. So he is compelled to ‘dig his way out of holes by hustling’.

Shook ones