This year has begun with a major change for the Los Angeles-based, Rancho Cucamonga-bred alt-hip-hop/funk/soul collective Tha Boogie—it lost a member. Where this could be detrimental for most three-pieces, Tuko and James Jet used the downgrade to their advantage, thinking of it as a new journey and opportunity to show the world their full potential.

So Tha Boogie started anew and created a follow-up to its 2009 debut EP, Love The Boogie (Steal This Sh*t), which the two-piece entitled, Good Luck Charlie Vettuno. The title is a tribute to Vettuno Street, where the two musicians met during their childhood. And instead of releasing the EP on Raphael Saadiq’s Velma Records, like the debut, Tuko and Jet decided to release it themselves.

With this do-it-yourself approach comes with pros and cons. Where the debut is full bodied and experimental, the duo seems to take a more straightforward approach with GLCV, creating minimalist production/instrumentation and an emphasis on vocals. Tuko and Jet both have a nice set of pipes on them (as does Ani Lennox, who lends her voice on the tack, “Protocol,”) but the release is lacking that magnetizing pizzazz of their debut, which has attracted fans across the globe.

Tuko and Jet also add a bit too much filler to this release. Although the EP comprises eight tracks, three of them are interludes, resulting in a playtime that stops short of eighteen minutes.  There are some gems on this record, namely the dance-inducing, synth laden “Protocol” that features the aforementioned Lennox; the fast-paced, aggressive “SoL,” where Tuko flexes his rapping muscles, and the slow, beautifully heart wrenching closing track, “Happy Ending.” But it would have been nice to see an album full of solid tunes like these.

With monumental changes come transition periods, and it seems like this is the phase Tha Boogie is in currently. Tuko and Jet are both extremely talented musicians lyrically, vocally and instrumentally, as well as being talented producers. They just need to regain footing as a two-piece and focus on each member’s strengths. It’s good to work out the kinks on an EP before delving into a full-length, which the duo has mentioned is its next project.

Both musicians agree that music is self-expression, and thus they believe in crumbling the confining walls of “genres.” Though this release is not too shocking or revolutionary, Tuko and Jet both have the mindset to change music, and I think if they work hard enough, they will be able to break out of a niche. They’re just not quite there yet.

Creating music together for nearly nine years, the Rancho Cucamonga-based alt-hip-hop/funk/soul collection, Tha Boogie, prides itself in self-expression. Not only does the outfit transcend typical genres in music, but the members themselves express their own personalities through eccentric attire. Their ability to think outside the box piqued not only the interest of legendary artist/producer Raphael Saadiq, but Rolling Stone magazine as well. In the past few years, Tha Boogie has been busy touring and writing music, resulting in the release of Love Tha Boogie in 2009, which can be downloaded for free here, and the release of their next EP, Good Luck Charlie Vettuno, set for a January 2012 release. The group’s singer/songwriter/rapper/producer (the list continues), Nu-School, was nice enough to talk with me about “Tha Boogie Down Movement;” his experience with Rolling Stone, and why it’s so important to be honest in music writing. If you live in the LA area, be sure to check out Tha Boogie Wednesday, January 25 at The Roxy.

KN: One of your influences is The Super Friends clique. How have you adapted that model into your own music?

NS: The Super Friends really serve as our combined foundation of music; we learned how to arrange songs from listening to their work, and the principal that they seemed to hold do strongly in regards to pushing the envelope and not being afraid to be creative.

KN: Who all is involved in “Tha Boogie Down Movement?” and what do you strive to achieve with this?

NS: Tha Boogie Down Movement was created as a clique of individuals who worked together on music, it later progressed in to what you see today in our lineup. We do have a tendency to use it every now and then for our supporters and fellow musicians in LA that we have really good rapports with.

KN: Your music is an mélange of hip-hop, rock, R&B, soul, funk (the list goes on). What do you feel is the importance of producing music beyond genre constraints?

NS: It’s very important, art is suppose to be a form of self expression, and as people there are things that resonate with us that transcends genres, labels or categories, and it’s ultimately important to allow yourself to create in a way that is most true to you, despite any restrictions.

KN: Do you feel this is beneficial or hindering as far as “making it big?”

NS: Well there seems to be two sides to that. You can make it big and lose a mass amount of creative control over your music and image, but what ever you do you get to touch a larger audience, which ultimately can be both beneficial and hindering.

KN: Aside from producing music without boundaries, your group is also known for its original/eccentric style. How do you feel this affects your image and/or music?

NS: To be completely honest, it seems like other people notice it more than we do. We never felt pressured to try and deliver some type style or fashion sense in regards to our image. What you see us wearing might be hand me downs from our parents, some vintage clothing items or even something we picked up waiting in line at a grocery store. What is heard in our music and seen from us visually is just a continuum of the same self-expression.

KN: When can we expect a full-length album?

NS: Ahhh that’s another tough one, well we can say that we do get bored easily and quickly so with that being said when ever that happens a full-length will be sure to follow Good Luck Charlie Vettuno.

KN: Early last year, you were part of Rolling Stone and Atlantic Records' “Do You Wanna be a Rock Star,” competition. How was this experience.

NS: We had never participated in a competition like that before, and one of the most important things that we gained from that was a glimpse in to what could be achieved from simply being true to your self as an artist and who would take note of that. The fact that we were sought out by Rolling Stone Magazine to participate in competition was really flattering.

KN: In 2009, you had the opportunity to tour with Raphael Saadiq. Was that your first national tour?

NS: The tour with Raphael was our first tour, we were so excited it was a first for us visiting and performing in a lot of the places we did. It also marked our first visit to New York, which was priceless.

KN: Have you toured since then?

NS: We have been working on lining up another one for this year following the release of Good Luck Charlie Vettuno.

KN: What was your highlight of the tour?

NS: There had to have been two shows that really stood out for us and that was the show in New York and the show in Atlanta those two were some of our best performances and the crowds were amazing.

KN: Any interesting stories from the road?

NS: [laughs] The most interesting story was us losing a bag of clothes worth a lot of money that was just given to us right after we performed at the Filmore East in NY. Someone “Left the bag in the taxi,”  so sad. That story will never be forgotten, even Raphael still tell people about that story.

KN: What can we expect from Tha Boogie in 2012?

NS: Well look out for Good Luck Charlie Vettuno, as we said you can look forward to see us on the road. We will be preforming at The Roxy Theatre on sunset with Def Jam recording artist John West who is an amazing artist and person. Looks like we’ll be at SXSW this year all the cool things new bands think about plus leaving room for some serendipity never hurts.