Photo courtesy of Karsh Capa
Lucha Libre (free fighting) is a Mexican style of professional wrestling that is known for its high flying, intricate maneuvers, and its combatants wearing masks. Action Figure 973 also wears a luchador mask, except he does his battling on the mic and not in the ring.
Action Figure 973’s latest release “Lucha Libre for the Soul” is a 5-track EP produced entirely by UK producer Circa 97. The project comes to us courtesy of Astra Music Group and features a lone guest appearance by New Villain.
Action Figure 973 talked to The Real Hip-Hop about 90s pro wrestling, the African ancestry of Puerto Ricans, working with producer Circa 97, and their new EP, Lucha Libre for the Soul.
TRHH: Explain the title of the new EP, Lucha Libre for the Soul.
Action Figure 973: I just felt like the beats that I got from Circa 97 felt like they had a lot of soul to them. The title to me, Lucha Libre, the wrestling and the mask means everything. I’m just giving you a piece of myself, so it’s Lucha Libre for the Soul.
TRHH: Why do you do wear a luchador mask?
Action Figure 973: So, I used to do music back in the day and I had my face out there. I wanted to separate myself from that persona. Aside from that, privacy is one thing I do value as well. I love wrestling. I’m a wrestling head. My favorite wrestler is Rey Mysterio Jr. The mask, the pageantry, and everything it just brought a great creative idea for me. I’ve just been exercising that with the mask and everything.
TRHH: You mentioned Rey Mysterio; give me your top 5 wrestlers of all-time.
Action Figure 973: My top five, man, It’s always Rey Mysterio Jr., “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Taz, Sabu, and Tommy Dreamer.
TRHH: That’s an interesting top 5. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say Tommy Dreamer is in their top 5.
Action Figure 973: Why not, man? He’s the Innovator of Violence [laughs].
TRHH: He’s alright [laughs]. So, you’re a big ECW fan?
Action Figure 973: So, when I started really diving into wrestling when I was younger I came in during the Attitude Era. So, ECW was like underground Hip-Hop to me then. When I found it on MSG it was like me listening to Non Phixion for the first time or like the first time I discovered DOOM or something like that. That’s what ECW was like for me at the time. I felt like it was the edge that I used to have on my homies because they would always watch WWF and WCW. They weren’t as crazy about wrestling as I was where I was looking for it on the MSG Network. Where are you from? Are you from New York?
TRHH: Chicago.
Action Figure 973: Okay, so out here they have a channel called Madison Square Garden. It’s the Madison Square Garden Network, so that’s where they used to play ECW at like 2:00 in the morning on Saturdays. That’s how I used to catch ECW.
TRHH: Yeah, ECW used to come on here at like 2:00 in the morning. I absolutely loved it. It was so much fun. I went to a bunch of shows. I think every time they came to Chicago I went.
Action Figure 973: Oh really? How often did they go?
TRHH: Man, it’s hard to remember like 25 years ago or whatever, but it was definitely 2 pay-per-views What’s the name of that pay-per-view? I went to a pay-per-view I think it was in September of ’99. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was the night that Taz left. Taz was had signed with WWF and people knew. They had Mike Awesome pin him like immediately and people were just pissed, man. They did house shows previously, I went to a bunch of shows. It was the most fun I ever had as a wrestling fan.
Action Figure 973: At that time, I was so young. I was like 12-13 so, I wasn’t able to go to those. I went to a few WWF things like SmackDown and house shows and stuff. I wasn’t able to make ECW. ECW was always that shit that just had me passionate about everything.
TRHH: Everything about it was passionate. It was fun, man. there’s a couple of those major shows and TV tapings you could find me like 3 rows back, but you gotta zoom in [laughs]. It was the most fun ever and I’m 48 so my fandom is from 1984. I started watching the Von Erich’s in ’84, and then I started watching from there WWF, AWA. And then we got cable and I saw WCW or Jim Crockett Promotions. To me that’s the best wrestling ever.
Action Figure 973: Oh, you’re a WCW guy.
TRHH: Huge WCW guy! More so the 85 to like 88/89 era when it was still NWA — so good! If you go back and watch that stuff on the Network you’ll see that Paul E. got a lot of stuff from Dusty Rhodes. It was some pretty violent stuff. Man, I could talk wrestling all day. I’m a big fan.
Action Figure 973: I love it, man [laughs].
TRHH: How’d you hook up with Circa 97 to decide to do this project?
Action Figure 973: It was relatively quick. He DM’d me on like a Sunday morning and this is like maybe last month. Maybe like late June/really early July. He introduced himself, which was really cool, most people don’t really do that. He introduced himself, kind of dropped his credentials, he was like “I produced for God Fahim, Snotty, Reek Osama, and Chubs has jumped on some stuff.”
He asked if I was down to do a project. I told him to send me a pack and I made coffee, I rolled up some blunts, and by the time I was done doing all that there was a pack right there on the Google Drive. I just listened to the beats while I enjoyed coffee and smoked some weed. From there I just formulated like three songs right away. It happened relatively quickly. It was as soon as him asking and sending the beats.
TRHH: The beats on this album don’t have drums. Do you prefer to rhyme over drum-less beats?
Action Figure 973: I love the drum-less beats just because it gives me more kind of free range to say a little bit more. I do love drums as well. I’m not really in preference of one over the other, but lately it’s just I’ve been doing more drum-less. I think that’s more the kind of stuff I’ve been leaning towards. I released Pray for Puerto Rico and that was all drums through the whole thing. I’m not against drums, but I do like drum-less beats a lot.
TRHH: On the song “Smilez & Southstar” you say “they would have rather I stayed a producer.” What led you to rhyming after being a producer?
Action Figure 973: So, what it was, was I just felt like as a producer, things were just moving too slow I guess for myself. I felt like as soon as I started rapping it kind of moved the process along faster. I’ve been aware that I’m great at crafting bars. I know how to write bars, I spit bars. I always knew that I had this talent, but I was trying to pursue the production more and it just wasn’t moving as fast.
When I started rhyming on them and started dropping bars and dropping music it just moved the name faster. It got the name out there a lot quicker than just sitting back and producing. When I first came out I was just a producer, I was rhyming on a couple records like here and there, but for the most part I was just strictly a producer. When I started like really coming out there and really like spitting I just feel like people got intimidated by everything.
TRHH: You mentioned Pray for Puerto Rico and you have a song on there called “Luis Lloren Torres” where you say “blood of slaves pump through the heart of Taino Indians.” I’ve been to San Juan and people there thought I was Puerto Rican, yet I’ve spoken to and heard from Puerto Rican women who don’t see themselves as being part black. Have you seen this and if so, why do you think they feel that way?
Action Figure 973: That’s a good question, man. Colorism is a big thing, believe it or not, in Latino culture. There is big stigma of that. I can’t really say. I feel like if you do your research and you do your studies on the slave trade and how it moved through the Caribbean islands you will know. I always tell people I do believe that we are part black people — we are made from black.
We are derived from that and whether you want to believe it or not, we have the nappy hair, we have dark skin. It’s just like I said, colorism, it’s really a terrible thing. That’s pretty much what I was kind of getting at with that. When I did my studies and when I started looking at the origins of Puerto Rico I learned that we are of African descent as well. We are derived from African people. That’s what I meant with that line — that’s our genesis.
TRHH: What’s the meaning behind the name Action Figure 973?
Action Figure 973: 973 is the area code I live in. I’m in Belleville, NJ, so that’s part of Essex County which is Newark, West Orange, Belleville, Irvington. It all encompasses Essex County in New Jersey and 973 is the area code. As far as Action Figure, I couldn’t even tell you. When I started producing, when I was rapping under another moniker, a friend of mine just asked me one day like “Yo, what’s your producer name gonna be?” I collect action figures, so I believe that I just looked at an action figure and just said “Yo, call me Action Figure.” I just think it was just a funky name and I think names that are like that are just kind of simple.
There’s an artist named “Shirt.” I feel like if you name yourself after like an inanimate object I feel like it just works [laughs]. I think when people think about it it’s a cool funky name. People like to shorten it, they call me “Ac” sometimes, sometimes it’s just Action. At the same time, I like the word Action. When you see the word “Action” I just feel like you think action. You think about movement, you think about something moving and I think that describes me. I’m always on the grind, I’m always on the go, and I’m relentless, so I feel like action figures.
TRHH: You have a song called “Ode to Tru Life” where you say, “Being good at rap’s my vice/Shit changed after Vinnie Paz told me I was nice.” How is being good at rap a vice for you and how did things change after Vinnie gave you props?
Action Figure 973: When Vinnie Paz tapped in it was really dope. I grew up a Jedi Mind Tricks fan, so for that to happen was like fucking amazing, first off. I know a lot of people that have gotten what they call “the Vinnie Paz salute” so when you get the Vinnie Paz salute it’s usually you’re moving in the right direction. The fact that the music got to him says a lot. I think people aren’t happy for other people’s success. People feel that that your success hinders theirs. I’ve never looked at it that way and I’ve always clapped for other people when they achieved some form of success or any type of accolade.
I just feel like when I posted that up a lot of people started to look at me a little different. I felt like people were happy and then I felt like people had their jealousy and their jealous remarks, too. As far as rap, I just feel like I’m really good at it. I hate to sound cocky, but you gotta be confident, and I’m very confident in my rapping abilities. I just feel like rap’s a vice for me. It’s what I love to do. It sometimes comes effortlessly — not all the time, but a lot of the time it does. I just feel like I’m here for this. This is me truly living in my purpose right now.
TRHH: Who is the Lucha Libre for the Soul EP made for?
Action Figure 973: I think it was made for connoisseurs of good rap. So, guys like you, man. I just feel like it’s made for guys that appreciate good lyricism and just appreciate good music. I just believe it’s a beautiful project and I’m super excited about it. I just feel like my latest is always my greatest, so, I feel like it’s an incredible piece of work and I just can’t wait for everybody to enjoy it, just like you got the chance to.
Purchase: Action Figure 973 x Circa 97: Lucha Libre for the Soul