THE BOONDOCKS, had been recognized as the hip-hop cartoon strip, for those that read newspapers, since its national debut. Creator, Aaron McGruder, first brought Huey and Riley Freeman to life in April 1999. "The Boondocks" comic strip was published in over 150 newspapers, making it the 2nd largest launch for a strip ever. On Nov 6th 2005 a new audience will be getting exposed to Huey and Riley as the strip gets, animated and McGruder brings his brand of political satire into our homes. It's been 20 years since "Fat Albert," the last Black animated series on a major network, went off the air, so the idea of "The Boondocks" going to national television is significant. Consider the fact, Morrie Turner's "Wee Pals," in 1965, was the 1st syndicated cartoon strip by a black man, and it took the death of Dr. King in 1968 before the mainstream press carried it nationally. Enter, the Boondocks television show based on Aaron McGruder's award-winning comic strip of the same name. The highly anticipated series is being asked to provide the much needed "foot in the ass of The Man."

Like the comic strip, THE Boondocks is a provocative family-based comedy brimming with social relevance and satire but if you pay attention to the fact that it is on "Adult Swim", you know that it's not for kids. Adult Swim is the name for the adult-oriented television-programming block on the Cartoon Network, which premiered on September 2, 2001. It has since become its own channel, and shares its station number with Cartoon Network in a night/day switch off. Originally a Sunday only block (that also re-ran on Thursdays), Adult Swim now airs Saturday through Thursday nights at 11 PM (E/P) with an encore airing at 2 AM and then ending with an hour of old classics.

Knowing this should help you find it, but it will be hard to miss. After all the characters are quite unique even for TV. Enter Robert "Granddad" Freeman, who becomes the legal guardian of his rambunctious grandkids, who he moves from the south side of Chicago to the quiet and safety of "The Boondocks" - a.k.a. suburban Woodcrest - in hopes that he can ignore the kids altogether and enjoy the fourth quarter of his life in peace. But neither Huey, a ten-year-old leftist revolutionary nor his eight-year-old misfit brother, Riley are thrilled about the new environment. Although the boys torture each other and provoke the neighborhood, they are still no match for Granddad, who is eccentric even by "crazy-ass-old-black-man" standards.

Even if you did not know the characters you would likely recognize their voices. Actress,Regina King, is voicing brothers Huey and Riley Freeman, the two characters central to the strip and series, while John Witherspoon of "Friday" movie fame voicing Robert Jebediah Freeman aka 'Granddad'. Rounding out the cast are Gary Anthony Williams (also voices several characters like black self-hating, slave minded Uncle Ruckus), Cedric Yarbrough (voices numerous characters), Jill Talley and Gabby Soleil. Meanwhile, Quincy Jones, Mike Epps, Ed Asner and Charlie Murphy are among the mix of talents who have been enlisted to voice guest characters on the show. For McGruder it's a dream come true.

So it's the eve of the debut of McGruder's cartoon strip on, The Boondocks, coming to TV and I am haphazardly throwing questions at the Boondocks creator. I had prepared about 15 questions long in advance of this premiere but lost them all. I figured no big deal I can re-create them before we actually talk, but as fate would have it his publicist Karen calls me before I could do it, saying that McGruder is ready to talk to me on the record. I am busy but it's pretty hard to get Aaron on the phone, so I gotta' go in, even if it means being a little unprepared. I read the Boondocks cartoon strip every day and I figure that may be enough to field the questions. In prior contacts with McGruder he told me that he doesn't mind answering questions on the record but "timing is everything", and in my experience going one-on-one with somebody during their press blitz, means you better be prepared because they have heard so many questions, that they can't remember who asked what and when, but they do realize that they have heard it all before. 

Just my luck, I start off with a question about the prolific usage of the N-word on the TV show and it seems up to this point he has heard a more complaints about this than anything else, and he actually seems surprised that it has gotten so much attention. In an exasperated tone he lets me know that it is one of the last things he wants too talk about right now. I am actually surprised The Boondocks characters will be using it so much on the upcoming TV show since anybody who knows anything about McGruder considers him very political and progressive. So revolutionary in his thinking that The Green Party at one point wanted him to run for President, until they realized that he is not yet 35, and old enough to run. Yes, Aaron is under 35 years old, which puts him in the age group sometimes referred to as the Hip-hop Generation. Fittingly, that is where we begin our talk, though in my confusion, I can't even recall where we actually ended... but read on. - Bruce Banter

Playahata.com - 1 on 1 with Aaron McGruder, 20 Questions -19 Answers

1. Playahata.com: You stated on record "I look at everything from a hip-hop perspective," You said "My point of view on that is very obvious: get off my dick, leave my shit alone." So tell us from a hip-hop perspective who you are listening to and what is your relationship with the hip-hop website Okayplayer.com?

Aaron McGruder: Well Okayplayer.com distributes the Boondocks cartoon strip and I stay in touch with Dan Petruzzi but I am not on the net much anymore. I haven't been in contact with any members of The Roots in some time. In terms of favorites, it's hard to say but these days I am listening to DOOM

2. Playahata.com: You mean MF Doom? I read that you were heavily influenced by KRS-1, Public Enemy, and X-Clan at 16 and I thought you were gonna' go with something nostalgic?

McGruder: I like different things, but right now I am always listening to the MF Doom CD a lot.

3. Playahata.com: Well that brings me to another question, is The Boondocks cartoon going to have a Soundtrack of hip hop?

McGruder: The soundtrack will be a traditional score, some Jazz, R&B, and Hip-hop. I had to pay some licensing for a few tracks.

4. Playahata.com: Did you decide to go the TV route because you were not reaching the audience you wanted? Is it because, in your own infamous words "I know ya'll don't read the Papers", so you took the opportunity to reach millions of viewers? What messages do you want to get across? 

McGruder: Actually the newspaper reached far more people than I ever thought it would. In terms of a message (laughing) the truth is I just wanted a TV show. I am happy to be expanding into a TV show.

5. Playahata.com: What's the deal with adult swim, it seems that a lot of African American entertainers are going to these cable stations with lukewarm or no real popularity and doing their reality show or debut their and putting the station on the map. Bobby Brown "reality show" gave Bravo, record ratings. David Chappelle goes to Comedy Central with the Chappelle show and boost their popularity 

McGruder: For me its simply luck and timing but I think that South Park put Comedy Central on the map. South Park was the signature show for Comedy Central and attracted audiences there before the Chappelle show came there people were watching the station but it has grown thanks to the Chappelle show popularity and now other shows, but South Park had already established the network.

6. Playahata.com: Before we continue can you set the record straight on the Boondocks comic strip debut and the role Jayson Blair played in that. Is it fair to say that he is responsible for getting you out there? 

McGruder: I know Jayson Blair from college but it's not like we were friends but he was the editor of the school paper at University of Maryland where The Boondocks first appeared, I credit him for making the decision to run it. Its unfortunate what happened to him at the New York Times and although Boondocks 1st appeared there it wasn't make it or break it for the strip. It was just introduced there. There is not that much of a story there, like people think.

7. Playahata.com: Back when I first started reading The Boondocks a few years back, there was a diversity of characters within the cast, but some of those characters have either vanished from the strip or were never introduced. Will you be opening up the cast for the show or sticking to the core players of Huey, Riley, Caesar and Granddad? 

McGruder: I hope to introduce more and more of the characters. I want to introduce more of them. Initially a lot of Huey, Riley, Granddad. Caesar will not be there for the whole first season. Season one there will be no Caesar but I plan to introduce more as the seasons go on.

8. Playahata.com: I sense that Anime flavor from the bits I've seen in the ads. Hip hop has taken a liking to Anime. Was the transition from cartooning to animation a difficult process? 

McGruder: It's a ton of work but the studio its actually handling that but the whole project is still a lot of work for me, it's non-stop.

9. Playahata.com: Okay you have a reputation of going too far with your humor, recently you pulled some of your own content dealing with Rosa Parks. What happened? Did you feel you went too over the top because of her death? 

McGruder: I want to actually clear that up some, because its turning into a rumor of sorts, I was not going after Rosa Parks in the cartoon. I used her likeliness but it wasn't anything malicious but since she passed away I made the personal decision to pull it.

10. Playahata.com: What exactly was it, was it something to the affect of the humor portrayed in Barbershop the movie with Ice Cube?

McGruder: I don't want to say but it was nothing like that. She wasn't getting dissed.

11. Playahata.com: Any fear that you might go over the top being on cable and your brand of humor, did they have to reel you in?

McGruder: Sony was really cool, very supportive and very much involved in the process throughout the production.

12. Playahata.com: Any irony in the fact that Rupert Murdoch owner of the Fox network, who has a right wing reputation is putting The Boondock TV show out, a leftist project? 

McGruder: I don't really see it, but this is business and its not affecting the content of my shows, both parties have an interest. The show is not on Fox, the series is produced by Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television. I have to deal with Sony.

13. Playahata.com: The Boondocks show is created and executive produced by you but Reginald Hudlin also serves as an executive producer. You guys also just put out a book called The Birth of a Nation about East St. Louis. That's two projects you all have going. Can you talk about that project and tell me why the book price is so high? Some might say it's priced out of range for those who it might best serve (Note: I did not know until after the interview ended but the two have not spoken in a year). 

McGruder: I have nothing to do with setting the book price that is the publisher, in other words that is out of my control. Hudlin wrote the fore ward for the book. He grew up in East St. Louis. The book is satire, but there are some factual things in that book which probably seem so ridiculous that they couldn't be true. However not to confuse anybody the book on the whole is satire.

14. Playahata.com: Earlier I said to you a comic said "comedians unwritten rule is never to critique each other what is it for cartoonist? 

McGruder: I really couldn't tell you because I don't hang around them (Laughing)

15. Playahata.com: I am sure that probably stems from the incident with long standing cartoonist Bil Keane, the author of "Family Circus," who took cheap shots at you during your 1st Reuben Awards (Emmys for Cartoonist). You once mentioned that you wanted to beat his ass but you chilled. Today you don't attend cause you didn't feel like you belonged. On the other hand you mentioned that Gary Trudea was your cartooning idol. 

McGruder: Did I say that?????!!!!!, I don't think I said that I mentioned that I like Trudea's work and respected him a lot, he influenced me and he has been doing the political cartooning well and for a long time. But not my idol.

16. Playahata.com: Speaking of funny white guys, haven't seen you on politically incorrect with Bill Mahrer anymore, so what's the deal. You guys got political beef over "Superhead" or something? 

McGruder: Nope, no beef no problems just really busy with the show and no time for anything else right now. Too busy maybe when my schedule slows down (Lack of hours in a day is one reason McGruder no longer draws the strip himself).

17. Playahata.com: I read in a New York Times article about your strip finally coming to television that one of the first main concerns you had in doing the show was whether you could freely use the word "nigga". Is that really so essential to The Boondocks and if it is, why? I have never seen it used in the strip? 

McGruder: The N-word discussion usually gets silly in its discussion, we been having it for so long and ultimately the studio had no problem with it when it was discussed so I went for it, it's on late night cable and I actually have used the N-word in my strip its been bleeped out but I have used it from time to time (Shortly after press time Najee Ali sent me a press release indicating that his organization would be organizing a national protest letter writing campaign due to its excessive usage).

18. Playahata.com: You've been on record as saying, "I want to say the things no one else can say, but it's a tightrope walk. Up until now it has always paid off for me. I'm waiting for the moment when it will not pay off". But when I ask you what's The Boondocks direction, on the show, its unclear. You say "you just wanted a TV show" so are you just experimenting with comedy?

McGruder: No I don't like the word experimenting cause it makes it seem like I am just doing anything or its unfocused so I won't say that I just say it's not really like a message sending out, its just something I always wanted to do.

19. Playahata.com: Before I go, I have to ask the questions I promised some of your female fans to inquire about "do you date older women?" Like Condi Rice, women her age? 

McGruder: Hunh, what .. unsure of what you mean?

20. Playahata.com:  That was actually a bad joke because I am aware that you are not feeling her at all and the jokes you ran on her being "man-less" in the strip, but you have a lot of female fans what's up with the ladies you have a girl? 

McGruder: Not currently, too busy and too hard to put up with right now. I am too disagreeable.

(Note: questions do not necessarily appear in the order they were originally asked and  some have been edited down for clarity.)