2018 marks 20 years since Def Squad released its one and only album. El Niño debuted at #2 on the Top 200 and marked a long time coming for Erick Sermon and his star pupils, Redman and Keith Murray. A strong branch from the EPMD family tree, that LP featured Parrish Smith, Biz Markie, and Too Short on 16 tracks produced by E, with some assistance from Funk Doc.

Redman Details The Violent Split of Hit Squad & The Origins of Def Squad (Video)

In a fresh interview with Grass Routes Podcast, Red’ says it’s time for some action. He wants another Def Squad LP. “Shout out to my squad: Def Squad; we’re thinking about doing [another] album,” Red’ says at 54:00 of the podcast. Repeating himself, he elaborates, “I’m trying to squeeze what I can right now, bruh,” he jokes after dropping a news bomb for some. “You tell Erick [Sermon]—and I love Erick—to get his big ass up and let’s get this sh*t goin’! Like, I’m ready! Because the game is so open now. We have room. [When] I hear [of] ni**as like Rakim droppin’ an album, I’m [happy].” Redman adds that artists like Busta Rhymes are taking their careers into their own hands and releasing product, so it is only right that Def Squad gives fans another offering.

Def Squad was credited with releasing 2000’s Erick Onasis compilation. While Keith and Red’ were both on that Top 100 charting LP, it was on different songs. That effort famously included the first Rick Ross album appearance, at a time when Sermon mentored the would-be superstar. Two years ago, the Squad linked for a show-stopping BET Hip Hop Awards cypher.

Redman Is Working HARD On Muddy Waters 2 & It Sounds Like Fire (Video)

Red’ last released Mudface in 2015, the same year as E’s E.S.P. Meanwhile Keith’s last project was an UnderGods collabo with Canibus in ’11.

Also in the conversation, Redman updates fans on Muddy Waters 2, a follow-up to his gold-certified 1996 effort that has been in the works for nearly a decade. Hosts Erin Ashley Simon and Brandon “Killa BH” Hall get Reggie to discuss the LP’s holdup around the 38:30 mark. “[Muddy Waters] 2 is coming out as soon as I get finished paying [for] these samples. Alright, I ain’t doin’ no Kickstarter—even though I should, ’cause people think a Kickstarter is just for mothaf*ckas who ain’t got no money…nah, a Kickstarter is just to invite fans that want to be a part of your project,” he proclaims. Red’s collaborators De La Soul famously used the crowd-funding site to complete the Grammy-nominated …and the Anonymous Nobody album, which dropped a year ago. “You got rich mothaf*ckas out there, that got money, that just wanna spend [it], ‘What? I want to be a part of Muddy Waters 2 and be in the video for this amount of money; that’s a done deal.’ I was thinking about doing that. But then I was like, ‘Nah, let me stack my bread, hustle up, and pay for these samples. Like for example, one of my songs [uses] a James Brown sample; that’s something that cost me $10,000; one song cost me $9,000.”

Redman Releases a Trailer for His Muddy Waters 2 EP…and a Couple More Things (Video)

The Gilla House MC continues, “Every thing is out-the-pocket. I’ma drop singles this year and I’ma drop the album in the springtime. I want to promote it the right way. I’m gonna take it back to teasers; I’ma drop teasers like we used to do. And I’ma just have fun with it, because I am getting older, but I am smarter. And I work smarter instead of just harder now. So I plan right. I try to schedule-right now. You know, back in the Def Jam days, we was just spoiled: ‘Aight, miss the album date. F*ck it, push it back’ not knowing that sh*t cost ’em money and all this shit. So I’m learning; sorry anybody [we hurt in the past]. You’ll get the album when it’s done the correct way. I’ll say [early 2018]. I am dropping a lot of music this year before the new year come in [too]. So tune in. And [Muddy Waters 2] is on InGrooves,” he confirmed, of the San Francisco, California-based distributor that works with Tech N9ne, Thundercat, Too Short, and others.

Late last month, Redman appeared on new Wu-Tang Clan single “People Say.” He also released the video to “Monster” with his EDM outfit, 1000Volts, with Datsik.

Redman Enters The Wu-Tang Clan And Adds Another Chamber (Audio)

#BonusBeat: Recently, Red’s Gilla House artist released a new mix to his “Hate Runs Deep” single:

This video is part of Ambrosia For Heads‘ “Now You See Me” series.