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Pac Div Don't Want 'Grown Kid Syndrome' To Be About Celeb Guests

Nevertheless, the California rap trio enlisted Pharrell and promise other surprise guests on 2010 album.

The 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards were a first for a lot of things: The first time Cam'ron, Rick Ross and the Clipse have performed and/or headlined at a MTV Awards show; the first time Tech N9ne has won any award we're aware of; the first time you've ever heard of the University of Puget Sound. It was also [artist id="2487928"]Pac Div[/artist]'s first time at the awards show, and as an extra treat, the three SoCal MCs got to present the [article id="1626787"]Best Video Woodie to their friends Matt and Kim[/article].

The following day, MTV News caught up withLike, Mibbs and BeYoung, who were still recovering from their experience at the Woodies (which air on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU this Friday at 10 p.m.).

"[Matt and Kim] are our friends when we come out to New York and everything," Mibbs said, explaining how the two groups met at Converse's Band of Ballers basketball tournament this past summer. Pac Div beat Matt and Kim's crew by one point in a crazy game, and their friendship just built from there. "Kim is crazy, but I like her a whole lot."

Like their Brooklyn pals, Pac Div have been gradually building buzz for the past couple of years. Their 2009 mixtape, Church League Champions, has spawned videos for the singles "Mayor" and "Whiplash/Young Black Male," which receive play on MTV. They hope to continue that success with their 2010 album, Grown Kid Syndrome, and further establish their sound.

"We want to bring our own sound into the game," Like said. "It's not about having big-time producers on every single track or 'insert favorite singer here, there.' It's not about celebrity status with us. It's just, like, making good music, and Church League kind of embodies that."

But the group did in fact work with a big-name producer, Pharrell Williams. They recorded four songs with the Neptunes hitmaker because his energy fit where they wanted to take things.

"Working with Pharrell, it's just the energy he brings," Mibbs explained. "He has a lot of good ideas as far as hooks, and even his beats are amazing. It just fits that whole mode, that everyman-type feel. That's what Pharrell gives us."

Pac Div said they are 75 percent done with the project, and the other 25 percent is reaching out to other artists to be on the record. They maintain, however, that their goal is introducing Pac Div.

"We don't want to talk prematurely, but we've got surprises," Like said. "We really just want to introduce our sound. Like when you hear your first classic album, it was all in-house. It wasn't a whole all-star cast of producers."

Don't miss the 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards, airing on Friday at 10 p.m. on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU!

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