Rapper-producer Sick Jacken (Jack Gonzalez) is one half of Psycho Realm, the Los Angeles hip hop duo he formed with his brother Duke (Gustavo Gonzalez) in the early '90s. The two built a cult following with dark beats and distinctive flows before going into a forced hiatus when Duke was shot in 1999 and became paralyzed from the neck down. In 2005, Sick Jacken returned to the music scene with Sickside Stories. Last year, he teamed up with DJ Muggs to release Legend of The Mask & The Assassin.

We recently chatted with Sick Jacken about Chicano rap, Latino unity and the future of Psycho Realm.

Psycho Realm and Cypress Hill have a long history together. Why did it take so long for you to work with DJ Muggs?

I met DJ Muggs in '93 when I hooked up with B-Real [of Cypress Hill]. I was busy developing my group while Muggs was dominating the hip hop game. I think we got together to do this record when it was time for it to happen. We just let it happen organically.

Legend of The Mask & The Assassin touches on politics, religion and money. Is there one track that is a must-listen?

I like the album as a whole. I don't really like to break it down into individual songs because they play off each other. The concepts of the songs were well thought out and researched. We added a bibliography in the CD booklet so the listener can look into the subjects we wrote about. I don't want to give it away because it's part of the trip. Look up "God's Banker" and then go back and listen to the song. You'll know what I'm talking about.

Is hip hop really dead?

The Psycho Realm never fit into the hip hop scene and that's the way we wanted it. We created our own niche and built on that foundation. No matter what state hip hop is in, it's never going to affect us.

Do you consider yourself a Chicano rap artist?

I just consider it music. If I had to put it in a box, it would be raw hip hop. Chicano rap is a completely different style of music from what we do.

What do you think of the Chicano rap scene?

I don't have an opinion on what other people are doing. I'm too caught up doing my own thing.

Your song "El Barrio" is about Latin unity. Do you think
Latinos in the U.S. are divided?

I think there are definitely some issues between the different groups in the Latin community, but I don't think we're as divided as it seems.

You're on tour right now. What's it like?

Touring is one of the perks of this job. It's also our best form of promotion since we don't have the support from major media outlets. Our shows usually have the same feel of high energy and ritualistic chaos, so I can't say there's a difference wherever we go. Whether it's Budapest, Santiago, Estonia, it's all Psycho.

How did the shooting of Duke affect you?

Duke is my brother before anything else, so the shooting affected me on a personal level. I lost it for about three or four years. When I got back into this, it wasn't under the Psycho Realm name. The dynamic of Psycho Realm doesn't function without the dysfunction of Duke's style. He's still involved behind the scenes and on the production side, but he's hoping to make a comeback on the vocal side. A new Psycho Realm album depends on the outcome of that right there.

What projects do you have in store for the future?

When I get off tour, I plan on recording The Terror Tapes 2 with Cynic. I also want to get started on my solo record soon, I've been wanting to see where I can go on a record by myself. I recently went into the studio with Muggs and Necro to see if anything would happen and we knocked out a few bangers, so you never know where that might lead. You can always see what I'm doing if you check me out on myspace.com/sickjacken or rebelmusic.la/blog.