KevinNottingham.com » Interviews

Rashid Hadee Talks Being A One Man Show, The Aural Sex LP & His Love Of Spanish Soaps

William Schmitt — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:00:04 +0000

When he is not on his grind, producer/emcee Rashid Hadee enjoys making music purely for the joy. The Honest Management signee’s new album, Aural Sex: The Search for Pinky Tuscadero, was just released and I was lucky enough to speak with Hadee recently to discuss the new project. And over the course of our conversation, we covered some music from his catalog, his unique mix of inspirations, and his future plans involving the music industry. Check out the convo!

Will: Can you talk about some of your previous releases for readers who might not know you that well? How did you come up in the game?

Rashid Hadee: I had my first album Dedication, which came out in 2007. I had my Serenade For The Moment EP that came out in 2008. What else did I have? I had 808s and Hadee in 2009, and then Hadiesel: The Fuel Up in 2010.

Will: Do you have a favorite out of the work you’ve done so far?

Hadee: A favorite out of the bunch? A song called “Explode” from the Serenade For The Moment EP because I think that’s some of my best lyrics. I just like my flow on that. The beat and the hook and everything…it came together real nice on that joint.

Will: My favorite song of yours is, “The Dreamer.” Can you talk about what you put into that track?

Hadee: That’s one of the lead videos from Leakage: The PreEP. “The Dreamer” was one of them and also I had “Night Train.” That’s my most recent video.

Will: Can you talk about the work that went into that track? What inspired you to make that song?

Hadee: Oh… that song was born out of when people try to shoot your dreams down. You know [when they] tell you, you can’t do something or give you some kind of negative energy when you’re trying to do something positive with yourself. For instance, you wanna record music and people are like, “Aw man, your shit is wack.” Like you’re not as good as Waka Flocka Flame [Laughs]. And they’ll try to just throw some shit at you like that and just try to do anything they can to just shoot down your dream. And that’s why I got different lines in there. You know, the way I do. Those different things happened to me and that’s me fighting back.

Will: Who are some of your musical idols? If so, can you talk about how they influence you?

Hadee: Oh yeah, definitely. I got a whole bunch of them from different genres. I get influence from Hip Hop, soul, electronic music, jazz, you know, I just pull inspiration from all those artists… Jaco Pastorius, Stevie Wonder. On the Hip Hop side, I probably pull inspiration from, I don’t know, so many artists. Pete Rock, producers like that. J Dilla, of course. I pull a lot of inspiration from J Dilla’s music.

Will: So usually, is it producers or rappers that inspire you? And do you consider yourself more of a producer or a rapper?

Hadee: Definitely a mix of the two because I take turns. That’s how I work. I pretty much take turns with each talent. I might go a certain time period producing, a certain time period writing, and I just go back and forth and record. I record all of my own music myself…all my beats and everything. It’s just like a one-man show over here most of the time. [Laughs].

Will: Who are some Chicago based artists you’d like to get involved with and work with in the future?

Hadee: Shoot, I’d like to work with Crucial Conflict cause they’re just like legends. Twista also… they’re legends for the city. Any legend in the city… Common of course [and] Lupe. I’d love to work with those dudes. They are definitely an inspiration because that shows me that even though I’m from Chicago, I can be like them someday and be in a position like them.

Will: It’s pretty cool that you have that in Chicago. I’m from St. Louis and we’ve got Nelly but not many Hip Hop legends like that. [Laughs] So it’s pretty cool you’ve got that to look forward to. Now when you’re not on your grind, what kinds of music do you chill out and relax to?

Hadee: Man, when I chill out, I’m usually playing Call of Duty or watching the Spanish soaps and stuff like that… looking at the beautiful women on there [Laughs].

Will: So what is the most rewarding experience you’ve had during your musical career?

Hadee: My most rewarding experience would have to be my beautiful post on Kevin Nottingham.com. [Laughs] But other than that, it would be when I got the Chairman’s Choice in XXL. I think that was probably one of the best things to happen so far.

Will: Was that when you felt like you made it?

Hadee: Well, it was just like a milestone. I’ll probably never feel like I made it. That’s just my personality…I’m always striving for more. Even if I’m with this big deal or what not, there’s still goals in my mind and I’ll never feel like I’ve made, so here I am. When I get to that point, as far as getting a deal and all that, I’ll really turn it up a whole lot as far as my quantity of music being that I won’t have to work a 9-5 anymore. [Laughs]

Will: So where do you want to go in the future? Do you want to get signed to a major?

Hadee: Honestly, I just do music because I love it. This is like a hobby for me and whatever comes in my direction; I’ve got open arms for it. Of course, I’ll be careful about anything that comes my way. I’m already happy where I’m at now [with Honest Management], because as long as I get a chance to make music, that’s all I really care about. I definitely look forward to cashing some nice big checks off the music but that’s not necessarily a priority. The main priority for me is actually making the music… that’s all I really focus on.

Will: You said you’d always be trying to do more so what if you hit the level of a Jay-Z? Would you tone it down? Would you sell out or just keep making music for the sake of making music?

Hadee: Say for instance, if I were on a Jay-Z level, I would still have that urge to make music. I’ll have all this money and I’ll be swimming with all these hundred dollar bills in my backyard, but I’ll have my beat machine right there. I’ll have my computer with me while I’m laying in all that money… I’m still gonna be making music. [Laughs]

Will: You have a new album coming out soon. Tell me about that.

Hadee: Real soon. Anytime in the next week or next couple weeks. It’s called Aural Sex: The Search for Pinky Tuscadero. [Laughs] It’s a pretty crazy title. It’s pretty much like a concept album. It’s a story put to music. Of course the core of it is raw lyricism and beats but it’s a nice little story to go along with it.

Will: So what kind of story is it?

Hadee: My road to meeting my ideal mate… the girl of my dreams, just the coolest chick. And I’m meeting all these different girls on the path. It starts out real smooth and innocent and then things start getting crazy and my life starts getting super crazy, [but] once I meet that right girl, everything is all good after that. That’s what the story is about… just the everyday quest of any man. I’m sure a lot of people will relate to the story. I’m sure everybody goes through the same thing…meeting these crazy ass girls and then you meet a cool one. That’s how it is.

Will: Hey man, that sounds great. I’m looking forward to hearing it. Well thank you for your time it was great to talk to you and get to know you a little bit better.

Hadee: Likewise, I appreciate you man. I appreciate you all showing love. I’ll be looking forward to my KevinNottingham.com post. [Laughs]

MarQ Spekt Talks Unreleased Debut, Bionic Jazz Collab With MF DOOM & Future Of The Invizzibl Men

Justin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:00:39 +0000

It took much longer than anticipated but the third and final part of my interview with MarQ Spekt is here for your reading pleasure. In the latter edition of our conversation, we dig into Spekt’s discography and also touch on what’s to come in the future. Spekt discusses working with producers Lex Boogie & Korede, a new record with original MF DOOM beats, the possibilities of another Invizzibl Men album with Karniege and confirms that fans will get to hear his previously unreleased debut Ghostmaker in the near future. So check out the rest of our talk below (and sorry for the wait).

Justin: How did you link up with Lex Boogie and first start working with him?

MarQ: Yeah man. Lex is a talented dude, but more than anything else, Lex is a loyal dude. And he’s not afraid to let you know what he thinks. He’ll let you know, “Hey I’m not feeling this.” He’s not no yes man and I fuck with his beats. Lex is a grilchy dude. He grew up in the Bronx like a block away from [Big] Pun and around cats like A.G. and shit like that. Lex is just an ill dude. He spits and he motherfucking produces. Just being around creative people [is important]. I wouldn’t really call myself an emcee; I’m just a creative person. I might get an idea and wanna do a t-shirt one day. I might want to cook a fly ass dinner (Laughs). I got a comic book in the works called Hard Body Deluxe. If anything call me an emcee’s emcee. I’ve been blessed to be on tracks with motherfucking C-Rayz Walz, Cannibal Ox and got beats from [MF] DOOM on a new project I’m doing called Bionic Jazz. Kno fucking with me; CunninLynguists fucking with me. A bunch of reputable people fuck with me. I take pride in the fact that it ain’t a whole bunch of bums that like my shit.

Justin: So with your mindset of being more than emcee, is that why you’ve been willing to release various projects for free like Guilty Party and just let people hear the music?

MarQ: Yeah, that’s fun. I got a project called Ghostmaker from like ’99, basically the shit I was gonna release for my Sub-Verse debut. But there’s other songs on there that people haven’t heard and when they hear it, they’ll be like, “Oh he’s been nice with it.” I’m gonna release that soon, probably before the summer. [Fans] can hear my early shit and see I was more of a battle rapper, more punchlines with his shit. Some of em might be like he was even harder back then! Because I was really, really going in [and] doing grilchy shit. (Laughs) You know what I mean? I got a project with my Mobonics, he was on DOOM’s Born Like This or Born Into This… What was that joint called?

Justin: Oh yeah, it was Born Like This.

MarQ: He was on that and rolls with Metal Face. I got a single/EP with him called Bionic Jazz that’s coming, we’re probably just gonna release it on Bandcamp. [We’ve] got production from DOOM and no Special Herbs beats. These are exclusives! [We] also got production from Lex Boogie and my man Willie Green on there. So that joint is coming real soon. And I’m working on another project called Gutterfly Knives.

Justin: Can you talk at little about what we should expect from that project?

MarQ: Yeah, there’s this kid name Korede. He’s young, probably about 22. But he grew up listening to real shit and he’s just a talented producer. He’s still going to school right now, but he actually did some joints on J-Live’s album. J-Live actually introduced me to him and Korede took a liking to my stuff. I actually got a crazy beat from him and I followed up with him like, “We need to work.” I heard enough and I was like… what I really want to do now is not work with established people, but bring someone who’s young and has potential to be really great. My next project is gonna be giving him exposure. He’s got that soulful style. I wouldn’t really call them jazzy, but they’re some hard body soul shit. He kind of reminds of a young Madlib.

Justin: Wow, ok so like the Lootpack days?

MarQ: Yeah like between Lootpack and Quasimoto. That’s what this kid’s bringing to the table. So I’m hoping to have that project done in February cause MacheteVision brought a lot of positive light to me.

Justin: I remember years back going on your Myspace to cop Pretty Weapons (Laughs). So with this new exposure you’ve got, are you planning to re-release any of your back catalog for the new listeners especially with an option like Bandcamp available?

MarQ: Um, I know for sure I’m releasing the Ghostmaker. I mean the Bloodlust mixtapes kind of covered most of my old shit except for the Broady Champs’ Dirty Needlez and High Life mixtapes. So those may get released, but Ghostmaker is that shit to where you can’t find that online. No one really has that. And even if you got it from me when I was selling them hand to hand, it’s a little different than what that was. I got some different stuff on there. So you’re gonna hear what I was sound like in ’99 and 2000. I’m new to people because I’ve never had a label situation work out. But can you imagine if that LP came out back in the day, like 2000/2001? An album with all DOOM and Bigg Jus production! And so there are still people that don’t get how deep this is. They think I’m a blogger cause I connect with bloggers or that I’m a Hip Hop insider cause I know all these big names. Me with this culture pre-dates all this blog culture. That’s what’s new, I’m old. But there’s folks who have it the other way around. So there’s gonna be people like, “Oh I didn’t know he was really rapper back then.” If you didn’t know what I was doing in ’94, ’95, ’96, you really don’t know what the fuck I’ve done. I had a wild teenage life. I was doing shit, not to be braggadocios or some shit, but I was known to bag two chicks at the same time. That wasn’t some fluke shit, I didn’t have to be a rapper to do that. That’s my pedigree. I’ve been about sneakers! That’s what made me a good battle rapper, I was confident in myself. I wasn’t afraid to go into the cypher back when you had to fight to even get heard. That shit scares people because they confuse confidence with arrogance. Jealousy turns to hatred real easy. Being successful or having skill can bring you some hate real quick. That scene from Belly where dude is chewing on the banana and shit, that’s how motherfuckers is treating me right now and I ain’t with that shit. But it’s ok, cause I’m used to it. At the end of the day, I just wanna be known as someone who isn’t all talk. If I’m talking about some shit, you’re gonna see it.

Justin: I hear you. I wanna go back to that Bloodlust tapes for second. I remember back when Volume 2 dropped, there was some talk about an album called Persona Non Grata. Is that still on the table or has that been shelved for good?

MarQ: That was supposed to get done like two years ago and it’s just not on my radar right now. When I was talking about doing it is when it really should have happened cause now I’m in a totally different space. It may not be totally off the table, but it’s on the table at this point. Gutterfly Knives is the chamber I’m in right now.

Justin: Now one of your best known projects prior to MacheteVision was the Invizzibl Men album with Karniege. How did you first meet up with him and decide to do an album together?

MarQ: Karniege and me met through C-Rayz Walz. It was me, Karniege, C-Rayz, Vast Aire, Vordul Mega, J-Live and maybe Akrobatik was there, I’m not sure. It was a lot of people sitting around building for some short tour they was doing. C-Rayz was having me jump on stage to kick a freestyle and Karniege was like, “I fuck with what you do” and it was the same on my side. So after that we just got to chopping it up on some real people shit. He was on tour and I was doing whatever I was doing, we started talking on the phone just building on some friend shit still. But when I went to New York to do some work with my homie Lo-Deck, I was like, “Let me holla at Karniege” and he did like three joints that night quick. We just realized that we had crazy chemistry and we needed to follow it up. Now my boy Billy Woodz was working with Karniege and was on Backwoodz Studioz label out of New York. He was like, “I just want to do a project with you. Whatever you want to do, I’m a fan. I wanna put your shit out.” So me and Karniege was like, Backwoodz is gonna fund the project and put it out, let’s make this happen. We started getting beats together and when they flew me up to New York to work on the album, the first night we did six songs. We knocked out those six songs from 8pm to like 3am. And Vordul Mega was with us in the studio the whole time and we were judging the tracks by how hyped Vordul would get [listening to them]. But everything was a banger and you could see Vordul like dancing and shit! Them sessions were so quick, me and him finished that album real quick. When I get in the zone, it really don’t take me long to blackout and finish a project. The fact that we had chemistry and were just cool with each other on some real shit just helped it a lot. He wasn’t on MacheteVision, but me and Karniege will definitely be working with each other again.

Justin: So do you think in the future that there will be another Invizzibl Men album?

MarQ: I don’t know. Because that project, and I said this at the time, is a project that people are really gonna have to go back to and digest. I don’t really like doing part ones and part twos for shit that ain’t mixtapes. Like I don’t think we’re gonna do a MacheteVision Part 2. So Invizzibl Men, I don’t know if when me and Karniege get back together, that we would even call it that. But that’s my man. Him and his girl are like family to me. We ain’t gotta get back and do music together, but we will be doing a lot of shit in the future. I guarantee that.

Justin: Well it’s been great talking to you. Do you have any last words for our readers?

MarQ: Yeah man. Cop MacheteVision, but make sure you go back and dig. I’m probably gonna put Pretty Weapons on the Bandcamp and Ghostmaker will be there soon. My site right now is EverythingCrisp.com and that’s the new spot. GrilchyFace was great for what it was, but motherfuckers started think I was one of the bloggers and shit. And ain’t nothing wrong with that, but that’s just not what I am. People was really blowing up my inbox like, “Post my music.” They really started sending press releases and shit. So that’s what I mean. And now that they think I’m a rapper, it’s “Listen to my beats. I wanna do a song with you.” (Laughs) And if for some reason you ain’t up on Kno, check out Death Is Silent and all the CunninLynguists shit. I gotta shout out Deacon The Villain, cause he sat in on the MacheteVision recordings and really helped us get it done. He was a valuable second set of ears and we wouldn’t have got this done without him. And check me out on Twitter, @MarQSpekt. Yo, I appreciate you man. Thanks to you and KN for supporting the kid.

Read Part 1 of MarQ Spekt interview here

Read Part 2 here

Kooley High Discusses Motivation Behind Moving To NYC, Being Homesick & Dispels Rumors Of Rapsody Leaving The Group

Uptown Bobby — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:43 +0000

The old cliché of absence making the heart grow fonder holds true to North Carolina’s Kooley High after leaving Raleigh, Carolina to go to New York. But, in that move, Kooley High released what is arguably their best project in last year’s David Thompson. With half of the group in NYC and the other in Raleigh, Charlie Smarts, DJ Ill Digitiz and Foolery sit down with KN.com to discuss working with new producers, Raleigh’s Hip Hop scene vs. New York’s and missing home.

Uptown Bobby: David Thompson has a different sound to it than any of your previous projects. Compared to your older albums, it was smoother and more laid-back. What made you guys choose this direction?

Charlie Smarts: Well, it was a mixture of us living in Brooklyn for a year together: Me, Digitiz, Foolery and Tab-One… that’s why it sounds so cohesive. Plus, DJ Prince lived right up the street. When you mix all of that together, it really created a real close knit project. We came together real naturally with DJ Prince too.

Uptown Bobby: Yeah, I could sense that you guys had a great chemistry with DJ Prince. I also noticed Prince had averse on ‘’Big Headed.’’ I’ve never heard DJ Prince rap before that track. Was that his debut as a rapper? If so, how did you guys get him to add a feature?

Ill Digitz: He had written a verse here and there and he has some stuff recorded as an MC. He actually has some albums where he’s rapping with other artists and what not. But none of that stuff has really come out yet as far as the public is concerned. This is probably the first official, major time anyone has heard him rapping. So, yea, in a way it was a ‘’debut.’’ It was a natural thing, too. He came up with a good verse, approached us about it and we decided to let him hop on the track.

Uptown Bobby: Word. Digitiz with you being a DJ, what do you like about the New York club scene compared to the Carolina scene?

Digitz: Man, for me, and this is not a diss to the South, but I enjoy the music up here a little more. There’s more of an eclectic sound up here. Like, for me, when I go to DJ parties, I can play a broader mix or playlist and it’s accepted more by the crowd. You can play the classics, new stuff, New York rap, down South stuff, old school, R&B, etc… just a better crowd. Now, compare that to Raleigh and most people just want to hear all Southern music. I like the Southern stuff, but as a DJ it’s refreshing to see people want a different mix of music.

Uptown Bobby: I can totally relate. I’m from Louisiana and I notice the same thing when I go out.

Digitz: (Laughs) Yea, so you know what I’m talking about, then? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love South music, but it’s just nice to play Fabolous too, you know? The people here want to hear different stuff. Like, New York really is a melting pot like no other.

Uptown Bobby: Dope. My next question is for Charlie. Do you prefer the production on this album compared to previous albums?

Charlie: I like dope beats, man. The beats that I got on older albums were dope, and the beats that I got for David Thompson were dope, too. You hand me a dope beat and I’m gonna rap over it. I won’t say I like this one over that one; it’s just different flavors. Either way, it’s all Kooley High. I love the beats on David Thompson the same way I loved the beats on Eastern Standard Time. These projects are all my children, so I love them all.

Uptown Bobby: While we’re on the topic of dope beats, ‘’Dear Raleigh’’ is a very heartfelt track. What was your approach to your verse on the song?

Charlie: Tab-One came to me with the idea. The producer Tecknowledgy is a huge fan of Carolina Hip Hop and that song had that sound to it, so it sparked something in Tab to write about back home. He whipped up the hook and was like, we gotta do this for Raleigh. Because we’re up here in Brooklyn, far away from home, and there are some people back home that we carry in our hearts. It just came out like that, man. It’s definitely a personal track, especially Rapsody’s verse about our history and all the stuff that we’ve been through as a group. So, her perspective was really dope. The beat felt like home cooking, even though Tecknowledgy is from Rhode Island.

Uptown Bobby: Speaking of Rapsody’s verse, it almost sounded like a good bye letter. How is she doing and what is her status in the group?

Charlie: She’s in the group. I mean, it’s like if you got a couple songs here and there, that doesn’t mean that you’re not with us. People keep asking us if she’s in the group or not…of course she’s in the group. Everybody that’s in the group is in the group. Nobody leaves the group. It’s funny because people ask that all the time. I guess I can see where they’re coming from, but she’s definitely in the group. As a group, we allow our members freedom, ya know? We’re not going to tell you what to do, how to do it, when you do it, etc. If you decide to do something on your own, we let that rock. Rapsody’s solo career is blossoming right now and what would we look like if we tried to put the brakes on that? We would look stupid if we didn’t let her grow. I mean, she’s doing song tracks with Raekwon for God’s sake. So, of course she’s in the group. And let me say this for anyone that reads this interview, stop asking that motherfucking question!

Uptown Bobby: Whoa. How frustrating has the distance been, and how frustrating has it been to hear questions and rumors of the status of group members?

Digitz: It can really be frustrating when people read into that stuff. It seems as if people take any situation and listen to songs and albums and try to assume what our group’s mentality is. Just ‘cause DJ Prince did most of the beats on David Thompson doesn’t mean that Foolery and Sinopsis aren’t in the group anymore. I mean, we are artists; we do creative things. We didn’t plan to not have any Foolery or Sinopsis beats on the album, it’s something that organically happened at that time. The Rapsody part can be extremely frustrating because she’s a growing artist. I mean, she released three mixtapes in 2011. You have to respect her choices and work ethic. Like Charlie said, we can’t tell people what to do in the group. We were friends before group members, so we want to see the best for everybody. We’re always going to be a crew. We need our fans to just trust that Kooley High is a unit and we’re always moving in the right direction as far as the group goes.

Uptown Bobby: What initially lead to the move to New York?

Digitz: Well, Raleigh is a city on the come up Hip Hop wise. When you’ve done high school, college and two to three years after that, it gets stagnant. All the musical connections that can be made in Raleigh were made. It’s like the age old saying, ’Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond or a little fish in a big pond?’ For me, I wanted to see what it would be like for us to expand and meet some new people for us to network with and get our music to the right people. I mean, New York is the birthplace of Hip Hop, so what better place to try and do this music thing? It’s a very awe inspiring feeling.

Charlie: It’s just the historical difference, man. This is where the industry is. Just look at David Thompson, most of the features were from New York artists. As far as collaborations go, marketing, record labels, historical significance, etc; New York was the place to be. And even with all of that said, New York still isn’t what it’s cracked out to be. I’ma just say it like that.

Uptown Bobby: What’s been one of those moments in New York where you wish you were back home in Raleigh?

Charlie: The times that I miss home the most as far as a Hip Hop perspective is when I go to a show and there are will be like just 50 cats there when there are millions of people in NYC. I mean, we would do shows back home and it’s like 300 or 400 people there. So, those are times where I’ll be like, ‘Back home this show would be crazy!’ when it’s really not crazy. Sometimes I’m in the kitchen making baked chicken and noodles, while I could be back home in Raleigh eating some lasagna or some real hearty, home cooked meal. I miss home constantly for many reasons. I figure at the end of the day New York is going to help us in the long run, especially business wise. I just miss home sometimes. I miss my girl a lot.

Uptown Bobby: I had a feeling you’re missing your girlfriend when I heard ‘’Days Passed Me By.’’ Was your verse on that song talking about your current love life?

Charlie: That song was definitely a time for me to vent emotionally. Tab had his story, I had mine. As far as my story went, I just miss my girlfriend, man. I’ve never been the type of dude to cheat like that, ya know? I haven’t slept with anyone else since I’ve been in New York other than my girlfriend. Being a stand up dude can just be frustrating dude sometimes. I mean, I’m young enough to where my libido is cooking right now, so when you miss your significant other this much it can seep into your music. The shit just flowed on that particular track.

Uptown Bobby: On David Thompson, you showed improvements lyrically. Describe your growth as a writer for us.

Charlie: I appreciate that, man. I’m always trying to improve. It’s hard being the weakest link, man. I’m the guy that walks around and doesn’t get recognized, so I gotta improve and standout. I always feel as if I got a monkey on my back. If anyone else feels that way, I feel that way. I feel like I always I got to show my ass on a track because if I don’t show my ass, won’t nobody notice. When I approach a track, I feel like I have to have to say something that’s never been said before. It’s a competitive thing as well. I’m the Black guy rapper of the group, so already motherfuckers are like, ’Oh, you’re supposed to rap well,” you feel me? So, sometimes I can get overlooked as just being the ‘Black guy’’ of the group. Some people are going to be like, ‘Alright, whatever. He’s the Black guy that raps. There’s no story to that. He looks like my cousin. So I gotta do something to stand out. I appreciate that you paid attention and heard some of the shit I was saying.

Uptown Bobby: No problem, man. Has anyone ever given you shit about being the Black guy rapper in a multi-racial, co-ed group?

Charlie: Nah. I don’t get shit about it. Who’s gonna give shit to a Black guy for rapping? I just see how it goes when attention is given. I mean, I read everything. I could say the freshest shit, but if I look a certain way, motherfuckers won’t notice like they should. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe no one actually feels that way, but I feel that way. It’s just added pressure to the situation. I can’t explain exactly where it comes from, but I just feel like the other two members get credit. I just look at the situation and use it as internal inspiration. I’m the minority that’s a majority, know what I mean? Think about it, a girl rapping and a white guy rapping — not saying a white guy rapping is rare — but it does stand out more than your typical black guy does. I’ve never heard anyone say, “I heard Charlie rap and when I finally saw him, I was like ‘ Whoa, you’re Black?” That shit never happens.

Uptown Bobby: That’s interesting, man. Another thing about you guys that I think doesn’t get enough shine is that you guys all have degrees. How does that help overall business of Kooley High?

Digitz: Yeah, man. We all met at N.C. State, so Kooley High wouldn’t even exist if any of us never went to N.C. State. That’s one of the main reasons why we named the last album David Thompson. That album was the biggest way we could pay homage to N.C. State without naming the album N.C. State (laughs). Having a degree is a benefit to whatever you do in life. I have a business degree and we’re running a business with Kooley High. Every day I’m doing stuff that shows off my business degree and that’s a good feeling.

Uptown Bobby: Lastly, what can we expect in 2012 from Kooley High?

Charlie: Our next project is going to be a real cohesive all out blitzkrieg of Kooley High. Sinopsis is cooking up beats right now, Foolery is cooking up beats. Me, Tab and Rapsody are bringing heat. Digitz is ready. It’s going to be a real collaborative Kooley High effort. And I just want to thank KevinNottingham.com for following us. Y’all have been covering us for a while and we appreciate it.

Foolery: Well, we still have some videos to put out for David Thompson and we’re definitely going on the road more in 2012.

Digitz: For me, I just want to continue to hit up the club scene in NYC and learn the audience more. I’m definitely doing more DJing I’m really more involved this upcoming year with more behind the scenes stuff of expanding the business of Kooley High.

Rapper Big Pooh Talks About Dirty Pretty Things, Judging the 2012 National MC Search & His Upcoming Projects For This Year

Kevin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:54:22 +0000

This Friday, February 3rd is the last day to submit to enter the 2012 National MC Search, sponsored by KevinNottingham.com and a few others. Being as Rapper Big Pooh is one of the contests’ judges, we caught up with him to see what he’s up to.

What’s up Pooh? Let’s talk about the new album Dirty Pretty Things. What’s the meaning behind that title?

I borrowed the title Dirty Pretty Things from the movie with the same name. Its about uncovering the truth no matter how ugly it may appear to be. The movie is based at this hotel where they are running a black market organs for visas type operation but you can’t tell from the outside appearance of the hotel. That to me describes people perfectly. On the outside we see the smiles, the jokes, the laughter. Underneath it all the same person can be depressed, struggling with something, and we may never know. I was going through this myself and decided to share some of the feelings I was dealing with over a certain period of time.

What’s the overall message of the album, if any, that you want listeners to get out of it?

I guess the overall message would be that I go through everyday problems just like the next man. People seem to look at artists as if we are immune to common man problems but we aren’t. I get depressed, I hurt, I get frustrated, it isn’t all about celebrating. I’m human. I have just been blessed with the ability to share my faults and triumphs, in song form, with an amount of people that most don’t have access to.

What was different about putting this album together as opposed to your past solo work?

The main difference was being willing to reveal a lot of the inner turmoil I was going through. I always put me in my music but this go round I opened up and allowed the listener to experience what I was going through in detail. I also say a major difference in putting together this album and others is I felt like the success or failure of this one really rested on my shoulders. I have always had a major say in my solo work but all decisions began and ended with me.

It’s hard not bringing up Little Brother… if you don’t mind, tell us how you’ve changed since the LB days?

I learned a lot during my time as a member of Little Brother. I learned how to become a better song writer. I learned how to become a better artist. I really learned what self preservation meant and that I did a poor job of practicing it for years. Plenty lessons learned and changes made during that time period that has helped mold me into the person I am currently.

Tell us a little about the 2012 National MC Search you’re participating in. What’s it all about? Who are the other judges and sponsors involved?

The 2012 National MC Search is about finding, acknowledging, and helping new talent. We are going to have artist from all over submit their best work and dwindle it down to the top 3. It’s a lot of people who claim to be talented but we are going to really find out which among them can rise above the average and stand out. Some of the other judges and sponsors are Torae, KevinNottingham.com, Kareem Fort, Conspiracy Radio, and HipHopWired to name a few.

How can MC’s get involved?

MC’s can get involved by visiting SNHPR.com and clicking on “Events”. Submit your best material.

Who are some of your new favorite MC’s going into 2012 who you feel can make a lasting impact in the game?

I’m interested to hear what Stalley will do in 2012, Jon Connor, and Nitty Scott MC. Its a tremendous of amount of new talent. It seems as if we have a new crop rising every three months. I look forward to watching these and other artists elevate not only their game, but elevate our genre as a whole.

If you could collaborate with any other MC’s, dead or alive, who would they be?

I would have loved to collab with Biggie. Those who do and make it seem effortless yet in still you can clearly see the amount of effort it took or how they are levels beyond anyone else are special. Biggie was one of the special ones. His tone, wordplay, story telling ability, appeal, and how his voice danced on every track like he wrote a melody not a pattern was just remarkable.

Any other projects you’re working on that we should be looking out for?

I will be re-releasing my first album, Sleepers on February 12. Be on the lookout for FatBoyFresh Volume 2 in April . Me and my homie Roc C are heading back to the lab to work on some new material. Me and Nottz plan to finally work on the EP we discussed doing for the first time nearly 3 years ago. I have some other works planned that I will reveal as we getting further into the year.

Where can fans go to get the latest news on you?

Fans can hit me up on twitter, twitter.com/rapperbigpooh and also thefreshestfatboy.com and soon rapperbigpooh.com.

Exclusive: Danny! Speaks On His Major Label Debut, Beef With Has-Lo & Being Disrespected By iHipHop At A3C

Uptown Bobby — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:11 +0000

Today’s Hip Hop scene is filled with artists that crave attention over respect. Many rappers today want the fame, but could care less about being critically acclaimed. South Carolina’s Danny Swain has received the respect part, but the attention he deserves seems to elude him. With seven albums under his belt, and three of those albums being well received by critics (Charm, …And I Love H.E.R, and Where’s Danny?) Danny is still more of a whisper than a household name. Now, with his first major label album Payback awaiting release, Danny Swain sits down with KN.com to give a very candid interview about his disappointing A3C experience, his industry frustrations and his new album.

Uptown Bobby: You’ve finally got your first major label release. Are you pleased with the outcome?

Danny: Yeah, I think I am. I tend to create music in a bubble sometimes, so I’m not really sure what to expect from the public. I always make music that I like. I’m pretty satisfied with it. People still expect a certain sound from my albums. The reception that I’ve gotten so far despite all the guest features is that people realize that this is still very much a Danny Swain album.

Uptown Bobby: You just mentioned the guest features on the album and Payback is stacked with them. How many of the big name features did you hand pick and how many were the label’s idea?

Danny: Um, honestly, the only one that was the label’s idea was the Bruno Mars feature, obviously. They saw how successful it was for B.O.B, so the Bruno Mars thing was definitely label sanctioned. But, everyone else, I handpicked personally. And not even just the big names like Pharell, Swizz Beats, etc. I also wanted my homies on it too. I knew there were going to be songs where people would go, ‘ Oh, Danny has a song with John Legend?’ but I also wanted people to go, ‘ He has a song with Von Pea of Tanya Morgan? Who is that?’ So, not only was it more of a way to align myself with my label contemporaries, it was also a way I could shine light on some of my old homies and use the album as a springboard for them too.

Uptown Bobby: Right. There’s a method to the madness. I think some of your best albums are your concept albums i.e. Charm, And I Love H.E.R. What made you return to the concept theme with this album?

Danny: Back in the day, like right after my second album, F.O.O.D., the idea was to do a trilogy of concept albums. But after Charm, the initial buzz of the album wasn’t where I wanted it to be…kinda like how Payback is now. So I was basically like, ‘Man, fuck this rap shit…I quit.” So I quit before I actually put the idea into fruition. Charm, …And I Love H.E.R., and Payback are the trilogy of concept albums. The process was slow, but all three fit into my story. Now, they aren’t all related…they’re different, but each one supports a different analogy to my career. Charm was me wanting to blow up and be famous, And I Love H.E.R. was my relationship about Hip Hop as if she was a woman, and Payback is me being at a crossroads in my career and doing things that I have to do to get leverage in the game. So, that’s pretty much the grand scheme of my concept album catalog.

Uptown Bobby: That’s dope man. I remember on Charm, there was a skit on the album where you wake up from the dream of being signed to a label and being famous. Now that you’re actually signed to a major label, is it what you envisioned it to be?

Danny: Not at all, dude. I mean, if this Interscope deal would’ve happened right after I dropped Charm, I would be ecstatic. I was excited about my Def Jux deal, but when that folded, it showed me what the industry was really like. When I started to get recognition, the game was changing. There wasn’t always a time where people could drop a song, it get posted to a blog and get 30,000 hits. There wasn’t any of that back in ’05, ‘06. You needed talent, hard work, and patience that paid off to make it in the game. Now, the game doesn’t reward that anymore. Now, it’s all about the gimmick. I mean, yeah, I’m on a major label, but they aren’t championing me, they’re championing the ‘’swag.’’ And I’m not knocking the style, because there is enough room in Hip Hop for different genres, but when you have people that didn’t work like you worked, it makes you feel overlooked. I’m not mad, I just feel like I expected different results four or five years ago.

Uptown Bobby: I see you’re reasoning behind how you feel. If I were to say that Danny Swain is the most frustrated rapper in all of Hip Hop, would I be accurate?

Danny: Why you gotta do me like that? (Laughs) I think the most frustrated rapper is… wait, you’re right, it’s me. (Laughs) But I don’t want people to take that the wrong way, though. I definitely want people to see why I’m so frustrated. It’s just like going to work. If you go to work every day and do a great job, you expect to be rewarded eventually, right? If you do albums and you get all the critical acclaim and make the Grammy shortlist and all you get is a couple of pats on the back, you’ll probably be pissed, too. If I’m not the most frustrated rapper, I’m definitely the most vocal frustrated rapper. Over the years, I’ve been vocal about everything. If something good happens, I pour out gratitude. I would even name, names like, ‘Yo, shout out to so and so that owns this blog…thank you.’ I always show gratefulness and appreciation…I just also vent my frustrations as well. I try to keep it balanced. That’s how I am in a sense anyway. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I definitely don’t hide how I feel.

Uptown Bobby: Speaking of being emotional, you have a song on Payback, ‘’Do It All Over Again,’’ where you take some shots at rapper/ producer Has-Lo. What happened between you two?

Danny: You know what’s funny about that, man? I mentioned it in a past tense and I didn’t even think people knew who he was. Everyone was like, ‘Man why you dissing Has-Lo, that’s my dog?’ and I would go, ‘You know who Has-Lo is?’ That was so surprising to me. Basically, when I won the Def Jux contract through MTVU back in ’07, Has-Lo was talking smack on the site during the competition. I’ve never been the type of dude to throw shade just because. If I throw shade back, it’s because someone did something to me first. Plus, I’m the type of person that retains everything…I’m like a sponge. Long story short, Def Jux contest happens, I win and he loses and catches feelings about it. I guess some cats in his squad gave him shit for losing to me, so he gets on message boards and starts slandering my name. I got nothing against the dude, I just feel like instead of hating we could’ve made tracks together, but he was on some crabs in a barrel type shit. Another thing about this whole conflict was that it was over nothing. Nothing ever came from the Def Jux deal for me. I could see if I was successful and rich, but nothing happened. I won, he lost, but that was like four or five years ago, so why are you still mad? But, I’m over it. I wish him the best of luck.

Uptown Bobby: Thanks for clearing that up. On that same track, you also talk about another conflict you had with a group of friends called the ‘’Big Up.’’ With the Has-Lo conflict and the problem with the group, do you ever think that your outspoken personality gets you into trouble? And are you the common denominator?

Danny: Eh. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve fucked up on some dumb shit. Sometimes, I even admit it and say, ‘My bad; I fucked up.’ For example, the Def Jux situation was me wanting to know what was going on with my projects. Like, no one was calling me, no e-mails, nothing. So of course I’m going to be outspoken about that. As far as the ‘’Big Up’’ situation goes, feelings got hurt over a song. Someone told me through another person that I called this person a bitch. Just a bunch of childish shit, honestly. The actual song was ‘’Price’’ on And I Love H.E.R and that song was addressing another situation with a member of the group. And that wasn’t necessarily a diss…it was just a song about how I was dealing with a certain situation at the time. You know, maybe it is my personality…maybe it is. But, as far as the common denominator thing, I don’t think so because the only real conflict I had was something I put on record with Has-Lo. Plus, that was retaliation for him talking shit. I feel like my outspoken personality doesn’t come out unless my back is against the wall or I’m counted out.

Uptown Bobby: Let’s go back to Payback for a while. What was your thought process going into this project?

Danny: Can of worms, man. Um, a lot of people that are going to hear the album and go, ‘Man, that’s dope how you got so-and-so on that track,’ but the really observant people will listen and get my logic. Basically, my whole concept with it is that I’m paying back the record industry for overlooking me all this time, so I went to drastic measures to put the album together and execute it. Even right now the marketing plan is all calculated for me to pop out of the blue and make people go, ‘Wow, who’s this guy that has a record with Jim Jones?’ and now that you heard the song, I tricked you into listening to me because I’ve got someone you would listen to on the song. That’s the payback. I’m paying you back for all of the times you that you’ve overlooked me, but at the same time, the songs are good. The goal in all is to make good music. I want people to go, ‘Oh, so this is the guy I’ve been hearing about? Let me go back and check out his back catalog.’ People are checking for Charm, And I Love H.E.R., etc. So that’s the payback…now people are forced to listen to me.

Uptown Bobby: Sounds like a plan that will work. You’ve been doing great with ways of promoting your album. You even got a chance to perform at A3C last year…how was that experience?

Danny: Where do I start? First off, iHip-Hop asked me to be on this A3C disc compilation. So they were like, ‘We’re big fans of yours we want you to be on the album’ blah, blah, blah. I agreed to do it, so I do a song for the disc. Turns out, I might have thrown out some jabs at a few rappers that were also on the compilation. They say I threw a jab at Big Pooh and Kidz in The Hall, but it was all on some competitive shit. It was just some competitive rapper shit, not some ‘I hate these niggas’ type shit.’ Matter of fact, I even called them by name. So, next thing I know, they tell me that they have to cut my track. So I’m pissed off because they made me sign a contract, we’ve already done paper work for me to be on this compilation. So just because I throw a few jabs at your favorite rappers, you take me off the album? There are almost 50 tracks on the album, so how is there not enough space for me? It was all politics. That was strike one. Anyway, when I get there, I’m on stage performing with up and coming rappers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not on some king shit like, ‘Where’s my throne and caviar’ but I got more time in the game than most of these new dudes and I’m still on the beginner stage. I’m pissed. It’s like no one has the hindsight to put me on a bigger stage when I have an album coming out soon?

Uptown Bobby: You’ve got like seven albums.

Danny: Right. And, it’s not even about my past albums. I got a new album coming out on a major label. I got a song with Bruno Mars, know what I’m saying? I was on a stage with artists that I didn’t want to be confused with because I don’t want people to go, ‘Oh, who’s this new guy named Danny?’ No. I’m an established rapper that’s on the verge. I’m not some new guy that just came out on 2DopeBoyz yesterday. So, that’s why I was so upset about that. No disrespect to anyone that was on stage with me, I just really saw that as a bad look for a guy dropping a major release album in a few months. Then, to top it all off, some guy named Hustle Simmons was on stage dissing me. After I get done performing, dude daps me up, then goes, ‘Man, that nigga wack ‘in front of every fucking body. Mind you, this guy is supposed to be the host. So I’m pissed off. After the set, I confront him backstage about dapping me up then dissing me and he tells me that I’m dope and the he just did it for laughs. That’s some real unprofessional shit. But, after all of that, it showed me another side of the game that I need to get familiar with and understand. I’m keeping it moving now.

Uptown Bobby: Crazy, man. Let’s shift gears back to the music. What’s your favorite in your catalog?

Danny: Man, that’s like having seven kids and having to pick your favorite. Of course I like them all for different reasons. I really love my concept albums… they are a challenge to make. But, Where’s Danny? is my album that best defines me. If someone were to take a camera and film me throughout the day, the final result would be Where’s Danny? It’s crazy because I didn’t start rapping until I heard Eminem. I enjoyed and listened to Hip Hop, but I didn’t start rapping until after Eminem’s first tape. I was impressed with his wordplay, so I took time one day and starting writing my rhymes. I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty good wordsmith, but I was focusing more on storyline and productions with my bigger albums like Charm, And I Love H.E.R., instead of focusing on lyrics more so. People would always say shit like, ‘Danny’s lyrics are okay, but his beats are phenomenal!’ or ‘Danny’s storylines are impeccable, but his lyrics are subpar.’ And for a while I felt like my plan of crafting these elaborate storyline albums was backfiring. It worked in the sense that I was seeing praise for my work, but my lyrics were lacking and that was my fault. So, my motivation behind Where’s Danny? was to make an album that was super-duper lyrical. With that album, I was structuring syllables together, different structures for songs, etc. Instead of worrying about beats, I would just rap over 20 second loops…no drums or nothing. I wanted people to finally notice my lyrics. Overall, my hardcore fans loved it. New fans that I got because of And I Love H.E.R. probably weren’t ready for a project like that, but like I said earlier, I sometimes tend to make music that I want to hear. Personally, I love it.

Uptown Bobby: How annoying was it earlier in your career to always be compared to Kanye West?

Danny: Ah, man. It was even worse back in my home state. Once I made it over to the Internet fame, most of the Kanye comparisons died down because people were actually listening to my music and realizing that I’m nothing like Kanye. I mean, my style is kind of preppy and I made beats, so people would go, ‘Oh, you’re kind of like a knock off Kanye West.’ But, on the Internet, people were like, ‘Why are people calling you Kanye? You guys sound nothing alike.’ Again, it was more of the crab in the barrel type shit niggas do to pigeon hold people. Was it annoying at first? Yes. But once I saw why people were really saying it, I let it slide. I do mention it on some of my albums, though. It’s something that’s never stopped me from making music. Charlemagne Tha God is one of the first people back home in South Carolina that started the whole, ‘Danny Swain is a fake Kanye’ insult.

Uptown Bobby: How is your relationship with Charlemagne?

Danny: We haven’t spoken in a while, but last time we talked, we were on great terms. Matter of fact, he wanted me to do feature on a compilation he did a few years back. We squashed the whole thing though. I was an up and coming rapper, he was an up and coming DJ… shit happens. Now he’s doing a big radio show upstate and I’m trying to do this major label thing. Like, when I made the Grammy short list with Charm, he approached me and just apologized for giving me such a hard time back when I first started. It was just politics, you know? So, no hard feelings… we’re cool now.

Uptown Bobby: What’s on your horizon in 2012?

Danny: I just want this album to sell well and give me a chance to release more good music. I want to tour, I want to do videos, etc. I mean, if this album doesn’t sell, I could get dropped from the label. Hopefully that doesn’t happen and Payback goes on to sell and I get to release more dope music for my fans.

Uptown Bobby: I hear you, but even if you do get dropped, you’ve got a big enough fan base and know how to still sell. Don’t you agree?

Danny: Yeah, in a sense. I’m actually glad you brought that up because if anything, this label deal has made me smarter. If I got this deal six years ago, I would be giddy and happy, like, ‘I’m on a major label and things are going to change now!’ No. I know better than that now. Things aren’t going to change. Look at it now, I’m not getting any major press…I’m not on T.V. If I got dropped now, I can at least say that I’ve got a song with Pharell. I can use connections like that to advance. When I was on Def Jux, I didn’t get those opportunities. I put albums out, but I didn’t have anything to show for those efforts. Now, I can at least say that I got this dope ass album with A-list features that were willing to be down for me. Plus, I got an advance from the label. I actually have something to show for my work. And even if I did get dropped, I’ll just build from there. There are plenty of artists out there that get dropped from labels and go back to their original fan base. Sometimes that’s actually better than before because they’ve attracted new fans now. Whatever happens, I’m going to find some way to release music and that’s all that matters.

Uptown Bobby: Thanks for your time man. Best wishes with Payback.

Danny: No problem, man. Thanks for reaching out to me. I appreciate that. Much love to KevinNottingham.com.

Artist Spotlight: Charmingly Ghetto

Andy Bustard — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:00:31 +0000

A short while back, the web was treated to a phenomenal product from an unsigned treasure by the name of Charmingly Ghetto. His project, Study A’broad – The International Mixtape, dropped last November, and if you were among those who took a listen, your encyclopaedic thirst was probably screaming for the low down on this cat. That’s where we come in…

Where are you reppin’?

East Coast – Boston, MA.

Introduce yourself…

I go by the name Charmingly Ghetto and I make music for the world.

How did you come up with your name?

My name is derived from W.E.B. Dubois’ social theory of double consciousness. It sums up the duality of the life we lead here in America as people of color and the struggle within ourselves created by outside forces. It’s how I define myself as someone who can navigate through this confusion whilst preserving myself, my culture, and my values.

Main musical inspirations?

Common, Nas, Biggie, OutKast and Ghostface Killah.

When did you fall in love with Hip Hop?

I fell in love with Hip Hop when I was 11 or 12 when I would go through my older cousin’s music collection and listen to [the] 2Pac and Biggie albums he had. In addition, I would listen to his Alternative and Rock albums and I’d observe the manner in which these different art forms and sounds would coincide. I would just hear so many elements of music woven within each genre and the Hip Hop vibe was what grew on me. I guess I could have been a Grunge head (laughs), but this is what I chose.

Current projects we should be looking out for?

You should definitely be checking the new project, Study A’broad, which dropped a few weeks ago.

Previous work we should know about:

Overstanding EP, which was released by RubyHornet.com this past summer.

What’s your equipment setup like?

Recently, I had the honor of working with a lot of talented individuals and these cats had some great studio setups with some of the best equipment that I have ever seen or worked with. So, my equipment is wherever I can lay down some dope lyrics that I am confident can be laid down immaculately to please the listener’s discerning ear. Shout out to everyone that has worked with CG on the recording tip. I could not have done it without you.

If you had to pick one song that defines your career to date, what song would that be?

I would say the “One More Rhyme” track off of my original Overstanding project would have to be the track that sums up my career to date. I’ve had the honor of letting people hear my rhymes all over the country in the most humble of settings. I kicked rhymes in Houston, Pittsburgh, and Miami all off the cuff because people wanted to hear me do my thing. When I kicked my sh*t, people bugged out on some: “Who’s that? Damn, did that young cat really say that? Charmingly Ghetto – what does that mean?” Then all I got to do is spit one more rhyme…that’s it. They just got to listen to me one more time to get their answer because their ears will be that much more intent the second time around.

If you weren’t doing music, what would your occupation be?

My occupation is survival in the US, especially being the man that I am. I feel that if I had the opportunity to work in a field of choice outside of music, then I would certainly want to work either with or on behalf of the well-being of young people in this country. They are, and will continue to be, our biggest investment for our future. And if you believe in a future for yourself, then it’s imperative to make sure you look out for and protect those that will be in power in years to come. Lead them right, protect them, and teach them accordingly.

Why should our readers give you a shot and listen to your music from here on out?

I’m not asking for a shot, so to speak – I’m asking for a little less than an hour of your time to hear the Study A’broad project. Pour a glass of wine, roll something up or hop in your car for a drive. I say this because I want you to be engaged in your moment of Zen when listening to this music. I was in a moment of Zen throughout its development and that is what I hope transcends when you give it a listen. I have got music and future projects that are in development, but I am working on and striving to build relationships with people within the music industry – people that can help me to strategically market my music all over the world and develop ways to continue to modernize, yet maintain, the vintage feel of my craft. It’s a tough task, but accomplishable by the willing.

If you could only take one record on a deserted island with you, what album would that be?

I keep trying to fight it but Biggie’s Ready to Die was such a poignant and creative piece of work that I will never be able to let something else trump it. Its value in Hip Hop is everlasting and I would definitely need that in my knapsack to complete my deserted island swag.

Tell us one thing that very few people know about you.

For me, I see music as a vehicle for growth and a doorway to greater and larger life opportunities. I am here for people to be excited to hear a style they have never heard before. I am, as you so well put it before in your writing, repping the “everyman.”

What’s next for you?

I’m working on some DJ mixtape placements and working on solidifying and expanding many of the artist/producer relationships that I have now. And I’m still giving the world Study A’broad, day in, day out.

Any shout outs or last words?

Shout out to KevinNottingham.com for this artist spotlight and giving the people the music that they need. And shout out to you, Andy. Keep growing man, I’m proud of you. Peace and love, CG.

Visit Charmingly Ghetto’s site

Follow him on Twitter @CGhettoTheMC

Like him on Faceboook Facebook.com/CGhettoTheMC

Download Study A’broad – The International Tape here

Ski Beatz Celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night

Jeremiah — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:45:34 +0000

As hard as it may be to believe, Camp Lo’s Uptown Saturday Night turns 15 years old today. I remember listening to this album for the first time like it was yesterday. And being able to take a trip down memory lane with the albums producer, the one and only Ski Beatz, truly made this a special anniversary for me.

This is one of those conversations that I wish you were there to hear because you are not able to truly grasp the love that Ski Beatz has for Sonny Cheeba, Geechi Suede, and Uptown Saturday Night just by reading it like I was able to during our conversation. However, Ski will take you back to the studio, tell you why the experience was fresh for everyone involved, why Camp Lo wanted the beat for Jay-Z’s “Politics As Usual,” why the videos were so dope and much more. Check it out!

Jeremiah: What’s good Ski? We’re coming up on the 15th year anniversary of Uptown Saturday Night and wanted to get your thoughts and memories on the project. You started making the album in ’96 right?

Ski Beatz: Yeah, it was around that time. It was in my apartment in Harlem in this building called 1199. They used to come up to my apartment – we had no idea we were working on the album…we were more or less just making a bunch of songs ya’ know.

Jeremiah: So you had no idea you were making one of the top albums of ’97?

Ski Beatz: What’s weird is only two of the songs that we made at the time actually made it to the album that Profile put out. But we had another whole album of 10-15 records that actually captured the interest of Profile Records. After we captured their interest, we went in for real and started creating the songs for Uptown Saturday Night. So there was the demo then the actual album.

Jeremiah: When you guys were putting the actual album together what would you say was the biggest challenge?

Ski Beatz: Singles. We had the album done or we had the gist of what we wanted to do with the album and Profile was like, “It sounds good but we need a single, we need something for the radio.” And you know, at the last hour, the last song that we recorded was “Luchini.” So I guess the biggest challenge was coming up with a song that the radio was going to play and I was blessed to find the Dynasty, “Adventures in the Land of Music” sample for “Luchini” and I let the guys hear it and you know, it became what it became, the biggest record man. I sat at the crib for like a week just digging through the crates trying to find that perfect beat.

It’s crazy ‘cause at the same time I made “Luchini,” I had made “Politics As Usual” for Jay-Z and Camp Lo heard the horns and loved them. They were like, “Man c’mon, how you gonna give that beat to Jay-Z? You know that beat is us.” That was always the problem I had working with Jay and Camp Lo at the same time…I would play a beat for Jay-Z and be like, “Yo Camp Lo about to kill this!” and Jay would be like “Man c’mon, you know that’s my beat.” It would go back and forth with them. So for me to find a horn beat that turned into a great single for the guys was great…it worked perfect, everything worked perfectly.

Jeremiah: That’s funny and not a real bad problem to have! Besides “Luchini,” what were some of you favorites on the album?

Ski Beatz: “Sparkle,” I love “Sparkle” because it was all live instrumentation. We had the bass player, we had the keyboard player, [and] we just put together a musical piece. I love “Krystal Karrington,” I love “Black Nostaljack,” I love “Black Connection” it’s one of my favorite records of all time…I love that song. The whole album to me was just dope…it was different. It was ahead of its time…it was so refreshing and fun to do because it felt like we were doing something new.

Jeremiah: Definitely it was something new. I was looking at the top Hip Hop albums of ’97 and a bulk of the other albums on the list had very similar sounds where Uptown Saturday Night had a very unique sound to it. You guys came up against some heavy hitters too….Biggie put out Life After Death, Busta, When Disaster Strikes, the list goes on. What was the thought process like…how did you come up with such a different sound?

Ski Beatz: I feel like we came up with such a different sound by not listening to what everybody else was doing. Me personally, I wasn’t all into the radio. I wasn’t listening to what was hot or what the trend was. I was just trying to create something new…something original. Being different is always something that I wanted to do. So when I worked with Camp Lo, it gave me the opportunity to really step out the box…them guys didn’t really care what was going on…they were in their own world. That whole 70’s blaxploitation, the fashion, the slang, the whole imagery was dope, it was just different…I definitely felt like when the world caught on to what they were doing they were going to have their own little lane anyway. I wasn’t really concerned about what Biggie was doing, what Jay or Busta or anybody was doing at the time. It was just Camp Lo ya’ know.

Jeremiah: I feel ya’. Take us in the studio…were there specific tracks that were a lot of fun to work on in the studio or anything that wasn’t so dope? Was there anything that you wish you would have done differently?

Ski Beatz: The studio sessions were fun man…it was new. I had been in the studio before but it was a brand new experience for Suede and Cheeba so it was fresh, it was fresh off the street, it was fresh doing the whole studio thing. Actually Suede’s first session – before they were Camp Lo, I was working with Suede, it was ahh, I forget his name, I think it was Divine before he was Geechi Suede, he was young, he was 14 or 15 whatever – I took him to [DJ] Clark Kent’s house and did a record with him called “I Heard You Could Rhyme Kid” and that was his first actual experience and this kids eyes light up when he heard his voice clear on a record ya’ know. I know when I first heard my voice crystal clear on the mic, I was like, “Whoa! This is dope!” So to see them in the studio when they got to hear the finished product, it was dope man. They had a lot of fun, I had fun with them while making it and it was just crazy man. The vibe was always good, good energy – it was a healthy environment, everyone was positive. We had some good people, my man Will Fulton, the A&R with Profile Records, the guy that actually signed them was always hands on with the project. He helped me get whatever musician, whatever I asked for the album, he made sure I had it. He had a big hand in the album…he co-produced “Black Nostaljack” with me. It was one of those moments in time where it was perfect, everything was working out perfectly.

Jeremiah: What about “Coolie High?” You remember working on “Coolie High?”

Ski Beatz: Yeah, “Coolie High” was originally produced by the homeboy Jocko. When Jocko did it, Profile said it was cool but it was missing something so they made me go in the studio and actually redo the song. What I did is, I took the sample out, got the live girls singing, [and] got the keyboard guys…I just switched the whole record up completely.

It was really dope actually…my first experience working with live musicians was on this Camp Lo album. On Jay-Z’s album, I had a bass guy come in here or there but nothing like the Camp Lo album. Some of the records on Uptown Saturday Night were completely reworked with vocals and instrumentation and just rebuilt.

Jeremiah: How about “Black Nostaljack?” What went into that with Ill Will Fulton?

Ski Beatz: Will came to me like, “Yo man, I’ve got this dope sample, it sounds so much like Camp Lo man, I promise you if you flip this sample, it will be dope.” So I listened to the sample and fell in love with it…it was crazy. I chopped the sample up and the guys came in and did their thing on it.

What was cool was the video…I think the video is what made me fall in love with that song even more because I’m a big time fan of Good Times and JJ [Jimmie Walker] you know…that whole 70’s sitcom era that I was into as a kid. So for them to actually have some of the cast members and to have the video look like it was in the apartment…it was just amazing, I loved it. It just sealed the deal as far as who Camp Lo was…as far as that whole retro 70’s slanged out type of Hip Hop group.

Then at the end of the “Luchini” video there’s a song called “Swing” featuring Butterfly…that was a cool experience too because, you know, I was always a Digable Planets fan because I love the whole Jazz fusion with Hip Hop. So for me as a fan, for him to say, “Yo, I love this beat” that was just an ill co-sign for me. And he did his thing…it definitely sealed the deal as far as the visuals on the video also ‘cause I was not expecting Butterfly to pull off his mask and be driving the van at the end of the video…that shit was dope!

Jeremiah: Bringing it back full circle to “Luchini.” Alright my man, I appreciate your time and the trip down memory lane. I’m looking forward to bumping Uptown Saturday Night on the anniversary.

Ski Beatz: Perfect, everything worked out perfectly.

KN Certified: Boog Brown Interview Part Two

Arasia Magnetic — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:00:12 +0000

Here it is! Part two of my extensive interview with Boog Brown. Check it out as we conclude by speaking about her upcoming projects, memories of Detroit, the evolution of women in Hip Hop, and her creative process. Enjoy and don’t forget to check out our other features on Boog who is officially KN Certified.

Arasia: We left off on the subject of “friends” and your peers, so answer this question for me. If you had the opportunity to redo the Midnight Marauders cover, name a few people that would have to be on that cover.

Boog Brown: DJ Houseshoes, Ta’Raach, Big Tone, yU, Oddisee, Illastrate, Dillon Maurer, um…shoot, I’m drawing a blank. Who else, who else, who else? I’m stuck!

Arasia: You were naming them off quick style too like bam, bam, bam!

Boog Brown: I know! I have some more…oh, J-Live and (Kenn) Starr.

Arasia: I know someone that you would add!

Boog Brown: Oh and Rita J!

Arasia: Yup, that’s who I was thinking! She’s such a sweetheart!

Boog Brown: Yeah, she is.

Arasia: I always wanted to ask that question. It gives a good view of the artist and who they align themselves with.

Boog Brown: Yeah, I was thinking about them when I was putting my iPod list together.

Arasia: So tell me, what do you miss most about the D?

Boog Brown: The summertime and the concerts…the fun, the laughter, and the amazing music. I miss being with those people and hanging out with them. Oh wait, on Midnight Marauders, I need Invincible on there too.

Arasia: Of course!

Boog Brown: K, yeah, I just miss hanging out with my friends and being home chilling and being with something familiar…my family, my dad. Our relationship has changed a lot since I moved to Atlanta. He’s still one of my best friends…it’s just very different than what it was. I miss going to Belle Isle. I miss…you know different cities have different things. Detroit has these things. I miss the smell of a summer morning. I miss small things. I can’t really put it into words…just being home. When I’m home, I don’t miss it anymore. Then I want to go back to Atlanta!

Arasia: Girl, don’t I know it! Now I also have to ask you because Detroiters….well, how you guys are with Coney Island is how Chicagoans are with Harold’s. We don’t play with our chicken.

Boog Brown: Oh girl, Harold’s! What!

(Both laughing)

Boog Brown: Coney Island too though.

Arasia: Right! So with me knowing this, I have to ask you, the next time I’m in Detroit, what Coney should I hit up? Because I swear, every time I go to Detroit, my people take me to a specific Coney. Don’t go to this one, don’t go to that one. And it’s like that here. I literally have a Harold’s across the street from me and I will head way to the East side because I know the Harold’s over there is popping!

Boog Brown: RIGHT! I don’t have a specific one necessarily. I like Davison Coney Island. I like Clocks, which is not Coney Island but it might as well be. The menu is damn near the same. That’s on the East side. And I like Lafayette Coney Island. It’s three of them that I will go to. It’s one near my dad’s house in Oak Park that I just won’t go to. It’s right down the street and I just won’t go to it. It’s not the same. But it depends on what you are going for. Like Clocks, I go there for the chicken Greek. And for Lafayette, definitely the Coney dog all day. And the one on Davison, their chill cheese fries.

Arasia: See, I feel you! That’s how it is here too! (Laughing). Now I’m hungry! Well, onto something else. Tell me about your creative process? Do you write first or do you listen and pick the beats first?

Boog Brown: These days, I’ve been picking beats and listening to them and just kind of sitting with them because I will write on two or three topics that can go with a specific beat. [And] before I can actually commit to a song, it takes me a minute to write unless I am in the studio and have to write right then. If that’s the case, then I will just go right then especially if I am collaborating with people. I like to sit in the studio these days and write with them.

Arasia: Word, so what has been the most challenging moment on this journey for you thus far?

Boog Brown: Most challenging part of this journey thus far? Hmm.., really just believing in myself. I’d have to say that’s been the most challenging. It’s not an external thing. For the most part, it’s more being a middle child and not ….flying under the radar for so long and not stepping up. This is the one thing I’ve felt like I’ve done 100%. The one thing I’ve committed to 100%. And so, just, believing that I can do this has been the challenge and standing or staying in that place and staying in that belief. That has been the challenge.

Arasia: So what are your thoughts on the evolution of females in the Hip Hop game from the first woman you heard on the mic up until today? And what are some of the positives in that and what do you think needs to be improved?

Boog Brown: I don’t really think anything needs to be improved because everyone has their point of reference and their goals and they go about them or go about obtaining those goals differently. I just feel like, we live in a misogynistic and patriarchal world where men are at the forefront and women are at the back. And that’s just kind of how it is. I mean the American society that we are living in right now…that’s just kind of how things go. And while I don’t necessarily agree with that, I just recognize that’s how it is. Like if you are going to know how to play this game, then you are going to have to learn those rules in order to be able to avoid or break or disregard them all together.

Arasia: Interesting.

Boog Brown: So I don’t necessarily feel like anything needs to be improved. I think it is progressing like it is supposed to. I’m not one for fucking up the order of things. Let it go how it goes and let it be what it is. Just let the work speak for itself instead of being like, “I’m a woman and I can spit. I’m a woman and I can hold my own.” You know, whatever. Nobody wants to hear a vagina with a mic. Just do what it is you’re supposed to be doing. I didn’t take anything from Monie Love other than the fact that she knew she was ill and she knew she could write…she knew she could spit and she knew her delivery was cold. I didn’t take. “Oh, I’m a woman, you better respect me.” Although, a lot of her songs had that message, I didn’t take that and that alone from it. It was more to it than that. And I could be…the only thing that makes me upset about an artist like Nicki Minaj is that she was so ill when she started. She was actually an emcee when she started and now because of the fact that she has put herself in this position, which is an awesome position to be in, [and] make no mistakes, she is doing what she wants to do and what she needs to do so I can’t be mad at her for making the decisions she’s made. However, I feel like it’s more of a gimmick than her actually being an emcee…a dope artist. It’s more of a play thing. It’s like, “Nah dawg, you are dope! What are you doing? You don’t have to do this.” So it’s just more frustration with her in that regard. But she makes her music and she has some dope ass verses…all that shit. I just don’t feel like she has to play herself and to a degree, she is. But you know it’s not my call. It’s not my place to judge her on that. That’s what she wants to do. That’s who she wants to be. And she’s doing it to the best of her ability and she’s succeeding at it. And I can’t be mad at that. I just feel like don’t sell yourself to fall in love.

Arasia: Isn’t that what SV told us?

Boog Brown: Oh yeah, what is the look of?

Arasia: It’s got something to do with a…(Both laughing). Well said. Now I know you have mentioned the Boog Brown experience in other interviews you’ve done. Tell me about that.

Boog Brown: It’s ever changing. It’s a mission…a journey to attain a goal that is my goal that is my personal goal that I will not share with anyone because people like to shit on goals and put their negative energy towards it. What’s mine is mine. My aspirations will continue to be mine and no one else’s to dissect and put their thoughts to. I don’t need that. Only my close circle will know that but it’s just an ever changing journey as to who I am as an artist and woman.

Arasia: I feel that. So will there be a Grind Season part two?

Boog Brown: Oh of course! Of course!

Arasia: Speaking of, overall, what actually is next for you?

Boog Brown: Right now, I’m working on this project with my friend Dillon. It’s called Martha Knuckles. It’s a collaborative project with he and I. That’s what’s getting the most effort and the most play. And after that, I’m going to do this project with Georgia Anne Muldrow. It isn’t titled yet but it will be a full length project that we are doing.

Arasia: Really?!?!

Boog Brown: Yeah, coming very soon. And my next solo EP will be called Boogie Monster. I have a couple of things in the works.

Arasia: My soul just traveled outside of my body when you mentioned a project with you and Georgia.

Boog Brown: (Laughing). I know right! I’m so geeked about that project!

Arasia: Both of you are amazing. That’s a project of epic proportions.

Boog Brown: It’s going to be awesome! It’s huge. It will be an amazing project. I’m really excited about it. I’m anxious to get started. I’d like to hear some of the music so I can get my ideas together for it.

Arasia: Can’t wait. Now when are you coming to Chicago? We want to see you!

Boog Brown: I’m anxious to come out to Chicago and tour period. No one has reached out on some booking shit and I’m really not into not being paid in some way. It doesn’t even have to be off top. It could be a couple people on the guest list, free drinks, and enough people so I can sell my merch. Just something. I’m not trying to just be a local artist. I want to expand.

Arasia: I dig. Well, we are going to have to change that. Now my last question…my signature question that I ask everyone I’ve ever interviewed. If you encountered a fan that was deaf and they asked you to describe your music in color, what would those colors be and why?

Boog Brown: Red, purple, yellow, orange, and blue. Red is power, orange and yellow exhibit a form of happiness, blue is becoming…everyone has a story and goes through their form of blues, and purple is royalty. I believe that’s it.

Arasia: Great answer. Well that’s all I got my dear. I’ve talked your ear off.

Boog Brown: That’s okay, I had a good time!

Arasia: Yeah, me too! Well thanks for taking time out and being so candid and open to talking with me. I appreciate it.

Boog Brown: I appreciate you reaching out to do this with me. I appreciate all the support because it’s so important and I think it’s really dope the way you guys support the way you do. I can never thank you enough for that.

Salute The DJ: DJ Rob Swift From X-Men to Chopin & Everything In Between: Part Two

Jeremiah — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:30:29 +0000

In part one of my conversation with Rob Swift, we discussed how he became Rob Swift, his influences, belief in Bruce Lee philosophies, and much more. For the second part of our conversation, we delve into Rob’s relationship with Roc Raida, his new found love with classical music, how it played a roll in his latest album The Architect, and why it’s important for DJ’s to study their craft.

Jeremiah: You’ve mentioned Roc Raida a couple times during our conversation and it just wouldn’t be right to not talk about Roc. Why don’t you explain that relationship, what it was like, and how it began?

Rob Swift: I met Roc Raida at the 1991 Preliminary East Coast DMC Battle. In 1991, the first battle that I entered was the DMC, and again, I wanted to do something that would make a name for myself and establish that, “Hey, I am worthy of being on the stage with the likes of whoever the popular DJ at the time was.” Roc Raida was one of the contestants in the battle and that’s also when I met the rest of the X-Men; Steve D, Sean C, Diamond J, all those guys. Coincidently, I had made such an impression [on] Steve D, who at the time was the front guy of the X-Men, that about two weeks later he asked me if I’d like to be down with them. Of course I said yes because at that time, those guys were the top DJ’s and were guys that I respected and liked.

So I got into the X-Men and Roc Raida being one of the members naturally, I started to develop relationships with each guy and Raida was the one I developed the strongest bond with. He and I would practice together every weekend. I remember I would get on the train with my psych books, I’d study on the train, get to his house, practice, then study more on the train back home, then get home and knock out whatever school work I had to do. Hanging out with him and practicing with him was that important to me. It’s like, when you’re passionate about something and you love this thing that you do, then you meet someone that’s just as passionate about it as you are, it sparks you. There’s only so much self-motivation you can give yourself, then when someone else is doing something and they seem motivated and their creating, it kind of gives you energy. That’s what Raida and I did for each other for years.

Looking back and understanding now that our relationship was so important to his growth as a person and a DJ and to my growth as a person and as a DJ, I’m really thankful for that. I’m not gonna lie, there were…Raida and I are both Tauruses, we both have very strong personalities and there were times when we started recording albums and signing record contracts and stuff…there were times when we would bump heads. We would argue, we would fight, and we would get on each other’s nerves. Now that I look back, it’s because it’s like two brothers man. Sometimes when you love each other but you’re also passionate about whatever it is you may disagree about or you want the best for your brother, so you think your take on what needs to happen is the right take because you love your brother so much and he’s thinking the same thing; we went through a lot of that. There was a time where our relationship was actually tumultuous.

To kind of bring it back to Bruce Lee and all that and philosophy and all that, now that I’m older and wiser, I realize that was just ying and yang. We needed balance…it couldn’t be all beautiful. In order for our relationship to grow, we needed to go through some personal challenges and relationship challenges, which we definitely did.

Overall it was an amazing relationship and him not being around anymore, I’m still not used to saying that. Each day, not an hour goes by that I don’t think about him in some way.

Jeremiah: Yeah, that brotherhood. At the age you grew together was also the age when young men develop into adults. Did you guys share your belief in the Bruce Lee philosophies?

Rob Swift: Honestly, I don’t think so but who isn’t a fan of Bruce Lee you know? I don’t think Raida went as deep into what Bruce Lee was about as I did. Actually, what’s funny that we’re talking about this because I remember a few months before Raida passed away, I told Raida there was a book on Bruce Lee and his philosophies on life and relationships and I remember Raida was going through a hard time…he was on the road with Busta (Rhymes)…when you’re on the road with someone and you don’t know the people they are touring with and their little entourage, you kind of feel a little out of place or frustrated or whatever the case is. In this book that I was reading, (The Warrior Within: The Philosophies Of Bruce Lee To Understand The World Around You And Achieve A Rewarding Life by John Little), Bruce Lee says something like you can be as hard as wood and strong and all that but wood in the perfect storm or perfect wind will break…it’s so hard and rigid. Bruce Lee went on to say some shit like you should be like a willow tree…a willow tree in the most fierce storm. It will just bend, it won’t break, it will just bend. I remember I gave the title of the book to Raida. I was like, “Yo, buy this book…take it with you on the road. It’s going to help you in those situations when you feel mad or frustrated. You’re gonna see that you just kind of gotta bend with shit, bend but don’t break kind of thing.”

Before he passed away, that was one of the coolest conversations I had with him because we came full circle. We started off having those conversations about DJing, then in the middle of our relationship it became tumultuous, and at the end of our relationship, we were back giving each other advice. The relationship with Raida was really unique and I miss him. He’s not here physically but his memory lives on. People will never forget.

Jeremiah: That’s what’s up. Rest In Power Roc Raida. Now on to your latest album, The Architect, it’s a little different from most Hip Hop releases as well as your releases. Can you give us some background on the project?

Rob Swift: Yeah, in June of 2008, my girlfriend introduced me to classical music. I feel funny saying introduced because I knew what classical music was…you grew up as a kid and you hear it in commercials and in movies but it never really resonated with me…it never really penetrated my psyche you know. For whatever reason on this particular day, my girl sat me down and played me a piece by Frédéic Chopin. I guess I was just mature enough to understand just how dope classical music was. So I started to buy all this classical music, I started to really research the genre. I remember I went out that weekend, or a couple of days after she played that song for me, and I bought The Best of Beethoven, The Best of Chopin, The Best of Mozart, and really just studied the music and fell in love with the genre.

About a month or so after that [subconsciously] I was like, “Alright, I think I’m ready to start working on an album, I want to work on my next album.” I just felt inspired but I didn’t make the connection at the time. I started working on the album…putting together ideas at home. After about three or four rough drafts of songs, I sat down and played what I was developing and it hit me, I was like, “Wow, this album is starting to sound like classical compositions but via scratching.” It really hit me, I was doing what I hear on these songs…I’m piecing together violin sounds and harps. I didn’t know I was doing it. I think it was subconscious because I was being influenced by this new genre that I was listening to. I started to discover I was doing little shit like introducing a sound on a song and then reintroducing the sound in a different way three songs later and it hit me like, “Wow, these are movements. There’s a first movement to three songs, there’s a second movement and now I’m mentioning the same sound in the third song to kind of tie everything together and like the third final movement.” I was like, “This is some forward thinking next shit that I’m doing.”

Once I kind of tapped into what I was doing, I then consciously…I was like alright, I see where I’m going with this album. This is going to be an album that has a classical feel to it and I’m just gonna run with it. A year later my girl introduced me to Chopin in June, I stared working on the album in July of ’08, and in July of ’09, I was handing it in to Ipecac Records. So it literally took me twelve months to record the album.

Jeremiah: That’s amazing. Now I’ve heard from other DJ’s that the digging aspect of the craft has gotten to a point now where they’ve dug everywhere and there isn’t much left. Did this open up the world of digging again for you?

Rob Swift: Definitely! When you open yourself up to other genres and you don’t limit yourself, to bring it back to Bruce Lee, you don’t limit yourself to what you’re comfortable with…the skies the limit for what you can do and accomplish. An album like The Architect would have never happened if I would have only sampled jazz records or if I only listened to funk music. When my girl introduced me to classical music, I closed my mind to it and said, “I don’t want to hear this shit.” The Architect would have never came together. So it’s a great example of why you should never limit yourself and always expand [your] mind to listen to everything, even if at first it sounds like a weird idea, you never know what can happen or how you’ll be influenced. Yeah, I really feel like listening to classical music and embracing it really helped me grow as a DJ and make a classic album. I feel like The Architect is probably my best work. I took such a chance on that album and I went left field…that’s what true art is. You do the unexpected, you challenge yourself, you challenge your listeners, and I think I did that with that album.

Jeremiah: Bringing it full circle back to Dr. Butcher.

Rob Swift: Exactly!

Jeremiah: What do you have in the works right now?

Rob Swift: Right now man I’m working on promoting my DVD, which I released back in March of 2011. It’s a DVD called DJ Rob Swift: Live! The Documented Movement. The DVD basically documents me on the road promoting my album, The Architect. It gives a lot of my fans and people interested in the art of DJing, kind of an inside look into what
goes into promoting an album, what goes into preparing for a show. It’s just a great look into my life and I’m really having a lot of fun promoting that.

I’m also working each month on my radio show, Dope On Plastic, which airs on Scion A/V Streaming Radio. It’s like an online radio station with 17 channels…different DJ’s play different music. My channel is called Dope On Plastic and I play a lot of the music that I grew up playing at parties and battles. Music I used in routines, funk, soul, Hip Hop…I play a lot of scratch music because I like to try to educate people on the art and the evolution of scratch music. Folks can listen to that on my website…they can just go to djrobswift.com and click on the music page.

Yeah man, that’s really what I’ve been doing. Staying busy, staying creative, whether it’s my radio show, promoting my DVD or touring, getting out on the road.

Jeremiah: Great man, I really appreciate your time and story. Any final words you’d like to get out?

Rob Swift: Look man, for people reading this I just would like for them to continue to support the DJ’s. You know things have changed so much with technology, you have DJ’s now pushing buttons and relying on laptops to do all the work for them and it’s important for them to understand the importance of the kind of DJing I do, the hands on creative stuff. It’s really important that they really pay attention to interviews like this and to what I’m saying and research it because when you see a DJ like myself and then the average Joe Schmoe who’s relying on the laptop and pushing buttons, you’ll see a huge difference in the talent level and mentality level. A lot of those push button DJ’s are doing it because they want the notoriety, they want to be able to walk into the club and get bottle service or free drinks, they really don’t care about pushing the art form like most DJ’s like myself do.

KN Certified: Boog Brown Interview Part One

Arasia Magnetic — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:30:59 +0000

In keeping with our week long coverage of Boog Brown as our KN Certified Artist for January, we bring you a candid conversation where Boog speaks on her humble beginnings, the origins of Brown Study, fake friends, lessons learned, and how she got her chops up.

Arasia: I’m a bit ignorant to this so why don’t you tell me about how you came into this game?

Boog Brown: In 2004, I graduated from college and I was in this group called the Poetry Society at Eastern Michigan University. And a part of that group was [some of my guys] and a couple of my homegirls. I’d always be at my house cooking and having drinks and they’d come through and smoke, chill out, and you know, get into a cipher or a freestyle session. I wanted to be a part of my home boys’ crew so I made myself a part of that. From there, we would cipher up all the time. I enjoyed listening but I was always scared to jump in. And around the poetry circuit, we would go around…there was a poetry group at U of M when I was around that area and we would all link up. My homegirl, Lauren Whitehead, was [is] an ill writer and ill poet. She would freestyle and I always thought that it was ill so I wanted to try so I would jump in. A lot of times, I was wack so I kind of honed my skills and craft and once I started to get really involved in it, I hollered at my girl Invincible and she put some tips out there for me. She’d throw me words and I would freestyle those words. We went on a trip to NY…I was driving and she kept throwing me words and I kept speeding because I was so excited. I felt like I was killing that shit. In hindsight, I probably wasn’t but you know, whatever. But it just started on some freestyle ciphers…wanting to be a part of the cipher. From there I was like, I could do this. I had a lot of friends that were in the music industry so when I wrote my first rap, I shared it with them and they were like you got it. You just gotta know you got it. You gotta really believe you got it and if you don’t believe it, no one will ever believe it. So I put out a mixtape called Extended Play. The rhymes were probably dope but no one ever heard this. (Laughing) Well, I can’t say no one heard it. Maybe a couple of people. In fact, KT, 14 KT recorded most of that project if not all. And I had beats on there from Houseshoes, Marv Won, Ta’Raach...I had these ill producers that believed in me.

Arasia: Whoa…that’s a dope lineup.

Boog Brown: I know right. It was pretty dope. I had Majestik Legend too. He gave me a beat on there too.

Arasia: What happened with that?

Boog Brown: Well, if only I had the skills to hold up to the beats. (Laughing). You know what I mean? The beats were good. The skill, not so much. I was, still really fresh…wet behind the ears so when I moved to Atlanta, I wasn’t thinking about rapping. I enjoyed freestyling but I was really trying to find a job. So one day I was like maybe I should take this shit seriously. And fast forward to me meeting Illastrate. I heard his joints on MySpace and I was like damn, I want to work with you so when I started to work with him, I would get in the studio and I was still scared to record and not confident behind the microphone…still not confident with having somebody in the room when I recorded. He would always be like nah that’s cool but you can do better. So he would delete it [and say] do that over. Helping me to get my chops up. That’s basically how it started. Very humble beginnings.

Arasia: With the EP, they just sent you the beats and you rhymed over them compared to Illastrate, who actually coached you?

Boog Brown: Yeah, that’s exactly what it was. With the first one, it was like training. It was like conditioning myself to get there. And then when I got with Illastrate, it was more focused training. This is the pre-race. Now I’m in the race

Arasia: So with you having such an impressive lineup with your first EP, have you thought about revisiting that old project now that your chops are up?

Boog Brown: Yeah definitely. It’s just getting those files back. (Laughing). KT actually did a joint, which is now “Growth.” I wrote that verse to a KT beat and then I put them over a Illastrate beat and then they ended up being on an Apollo beat and then back over a KT beat for the remix album. I want to say that is how it went down. Crazy… [but] I’ve taken some of those verses from that Extended Play project and used them on different projects.

Arasia: Really? So we just didn’t know?

Boog Brown: Oh yeah. (Laughing). Yeah, I knew.

Arasia: How did you connect with Mello Music Group?

Boog Brown: Mike from MMG reached out to me about just liking the music I was doing with Illastrate. From there, he said he wanted to do a project with me and Apollo Brown. So I met Apollo on Twitter and it just kind of went from there.

Arasia: Oh wow, so you met Apollo on Twitter?

Boog Brown: Yeah.

Arasia: So that’s how the whole idea of the Brown Study came to be.

Boog Brown: Yeah, I want to say so because initially, I thought it was going to be me, Kev Brown, and Apollo. That’s what was talked about and what was said. So I thought it would be dope. It was initially like UPS like, “What can brown do for you?” kind of thing. The lawsuits that could have been inferred from that. (Laughing). But that is how the whole song “UPS” came to be. I was like, what could UPS stand for…it could stand for so many things so I was like, let me put it in a rhyme.

Arasia: Let’s talk about the lyrics on Brown Study. We’ve spoken about this before but it is extremely personal lyrically. Was this your most personal project and if so, was it difficult for you to speak about those moments on wax?

Boog Brown: Well, it definitely speaks to who I was at the time I was writing and working on that album. That was late 2009 early 2010. It was very, very personal at the time. I was still trying to find myself as an emcee. Still trying to find myself as a person down here in Atlanta. Kind of establishing my place as an artist. There were still a lot of personal demons I had to deal with so it wasn’t difficult for me to write this. It was just more of my own personal diary or journal so I could just get a lot of personal shit off my chest. And that’s what music is or even just writing period since writing was a way for me to express myself without having to feel the recourse of my words. So it wasn’t difficult. For me, it seemed kind of redundant. So I was glad I was able to do it and get it off. A lot of the songs have very similar themes and that was the one thing that was a little, I don’t know for me.

Arasia: And that leads me to my next question. Unfortunately, we live in an era now where any little thing you say…almost like the Hip Hop court of law where anything you say or do will be used against you. So how do know where to draw that line?

Boog Brown: I don’t really concern myself with that. I can’t focus on the parameters that other people put on me. Or put on the work that I do. You know if someone wants to flip it and use it against me then okay. That’s what it is but I’m a human being and before I’m a machine or whatever to whomever [that] wants to put me in a box, I have to be true to myself and truly feel what I’m going to say. So I can’t really concern myself with somebody wanting to flip something and use it against me. I don’t really think about it like that.

Arasia: Is that what you were referencing when you said in “Play The Game,” “Save your scrutiny, I’m a human being.” Actually that’s an interesting song to me so can you talk about that a little more in depth?

Boog Brown: Sure. I dated a few artists because you know when you are in an industry like [this] and you are around people that you work with or want to work with, all this brilliance, it’s natural for a person to be attracted to different people. So in Detroit and Atlanta, I had relationships with some of the people I worked with so people would…I would hear the, “Oh, she’s just messing with so and so for beats or he is just messing with her because she raps or it was that level of is that a using relationship?” Are they using each other kind of thing. And it’s like, that’s fine for you to naturally come to that conclusion [but] you will see our relationship was more than that. We learned from each other, we built each other up, and that was beneficial for both of us. And when we were done, we were done. It wasn’t like I was using you for this that and the third. So when you are a woman and make music and someone says, “Let’s work, let’s get together and let’s do this,” it’s masked in lets work but it’s really let me get you to the studio and get you high and [get] some drinks so maybe I can make a move kind of thing. So a lot of guys are like well she messed with so and so, so maybe she will mess with me instead of on some real genuine I really appreciate what you do, let’s work. So that’s what I was referencing. The fact that people will make up whatever they want in their mind to justify why they think something is happening.

Arasia: That is what I thought you were speaking about. Often times, when a woman comes into this game no matter if she is a journalist, a rapper, a producer, whatever, there is so much invested in what she does in her outside life away from her art and craft. We look at it with men too but with women, it’s on a greater scale. But they forget that when you are an artist coming up, creative people attract each other so we all are hanging amongst one another and shit happens.

Boog Brown: Yeah!

Arasia: You can be in the studio for 12-13 hours at a time and something can come out of that. I dated a guy in this industry also so I understand. There is a certain lifestyle that comes with this game and people don’t understand that. Your phone ringing at two in the morning or you having to be away for a while, some people don’t get that so you often times look for someone that understands and can adapt to that life.

Boog Brown: Exactly. You are totally not even looking at it in that way but it kind of sometimes develops like that and it’s not fair for people to put it in a box and just scrutinize it.

Arasia: People put things in boxes to help them understand it better. That box gives it a limit so the mind doesn’t have to expand outside of what is in that box.

Boog Brown: Yeah, oh yeah, it’s like, let me break this down [and] make it easier to swallow and easier to rip apart instead of giving it what it deserves.

Arasia: Yeah girl, we will have to talk more about that later! (Laughing).

Boog Brown: (Laughing) Oh yeah cause a lot of people thought I was referencing Apollo in that song but I met Apollo on Twitter and have met him in person like maybe twice. It’s crazy. It didn’t even have anything to do with Apollo; he just made the beat. The beat was made before I even thought about getting on it.

Arasia: Speaking of beats, their was a lot of emphasis put on the production, which was some of Apollo’s greatest work in my opinion. And I hear a lot of people focus on the production more so than the lyrics. Do you feel that the lyrics and the stories got lost within the production?

Boog Brown: No, not really. I felt like and this may be disputed but I felt like I was able to match the lyrics with the beats pretty well so I don’t feel like the lyrics were lost. I think a lot of people, when they hear a female emcee, they just listen to the beat. They don’t give it the opportunity to listen to the lyrics because they are thinking it’s going to be another female talking some ole female shit. So I feel like a lot of people dismiss it but once they get beyond that listening for the beat and listening to the lyrics, I think they understand the lyrics. They get it and I think they get what I was trying to do with it. What we were trying to do with it. I think it was a very well put together album and I think I held my own along with Apollo’s production.

Arasia: You definitely did that! So what made you decide to do a remix album?

Boog Brown: Cause everyone put so much emphasis on the production so it was like maybe we should change the production up a little bit so you could catch the lyrics a little bit more. It was [revisiting] a project I thought was dope that maybe needed a little more light to get a little more exposure. It was to help to promote the original, the remix, and me as an artist. I don’t want to just be a local artist. I want to tour, so if this is going to help put the project out in a different light and to also make people curious about the original, this is what we need to do so we all win on this accord.

Arasia: And that’s usually how it is too. Some fans may hear the remix album first and be inclined to go back and check for the original. Now, I want you to name a song from your mixtape Grind Season and Brown Study that both truly summed up where you were and speak on how you’ve changed since their recording.

Boog Brown: For Brown Study, I’ll say “Friends Like These.”

Arasia: I love that song by the way.

Boog Brown: Thank you…that’s me being angry. Angry, angry, angry!

Arasia: And it’s real as fuck.

Boog Brown: And you feel me too?!

Arasia: YES!

Boog Brown: I was just talking to a good friend of mine and you know, people can’t do anything to you that you don’t allow them to do to you so anything I allow somebody to do to me and get me all worked up and riled up, that’s my bad. That’s on me. So instead of lashing out at these people, I should be lashing out at what I’ve allowed someone to do to me. Or what I allowed someone to take from me. So, just growing up and seeing. A person can only change on their own and you can’t be mad at a person for being who they are. If you accept it, you are responsible for removing yourself. My boyfriend told me the other day, I was going through some stuff, and he was like maybe you need to let it go [because] you go through this all the time. So it’s been a lesson I‘ve been learning the last couple of days because shit, I was totally involved and angry, still angry. I’m not saying I learned it and I’m miraculously different but it’s definitely something worth learning and recognizing. I hope to not foresee ever having to write a song like that again.

Arasia: That’s the beautiful part of life. We were given a choice. And it’s a hard thing to learn because naturally, we are much more inclined to forgive than we think we are but it’s kind of like, if you go to Burger King and get mad that they don’t have a Big Mac, well then guess what…

(Both laughing)

Arasia: Why the hell are you going to Burger King looking for a Big Mac? So if you know someone is an asshole, you have to look at yourself and say am I going to keep dealing with this? Wasn’t it Albert Einstein who said, “If you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, it’s a sign of insanity.”

Boog Brown: Yup, that’s exactly who said that! So you are like nope, I’m not doing this any more. I was just feeling like a lot of my friends were on some, “You aren’t around…where you at? You think this music shit is going to work for you?” I haven’t spoken to you in a minute.” A lot of people were on that. A lot of them were like, “I don’t want you to get caught up in this and lose sight of reality. I don’t want you to set yourself up for failure and be hurt.”

Arasia: Wowzers.

Boog Brown: Some were even like,” You are straight but do you really think you are about to be Lil Kim or be on MTV or BET?” And I’m like maybe those aren’t my goals [and] maybe I just want to make dope music and tour and eat. And be able to do the things I want to do and have a healthy and happy life off the music I make. I know it can be done. I look at J-Live and he has all this stuff happening for him but he is in and out of town, every couple of months, and handling his business and taking care of his responsibilities and still making music and enjoying the fruits of his labor and I’m proud. I don’t want much more than that.

Check back on Thursday for part two of my in-depth interview with Boog where we speak about who would go on her remake of the famous Midnight Marauders cover, why you can’t just go to any Coney Island in the D, new projects in the works including a full length album with Georgia Anne Muldrow, and the Boog Brown experience.

Salute The DJ: DJ Rob Swift From X-Men to Chopin & Everything In Between: Part One

Jeremiah — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:00:04 +0000

As we continue to salute the DJ, I reached out to DJ Rob Swift, someone I’ve been listening to and in been in awe of since the days of the X-Men. The first actual interview I remember seeing with Rob Swift was in the 2001 in Doug Pray’s film Scratch, but the film left me with more questions I needed to get the answers to. So Rob took time out of his day to answer those questions and expand on his DJ upbringing. We also talked about his study of Bruce Lee’s philosophy and how Dr. Butcher changed his perspective of being a DJ and much more.

Jeremiah: What’s going on Rob? It’s been a while since we chopped it up at Soundset in Minneapolis back in 2010.

Rob Swift: Oh yeah, I remember. That was a fun day out there. I had a great time.

Jeremiah: Nice. Why don’t you give the readers a little introduction into who Rob Swift is.

Rob Swift: I was born in Jackson Heights Queens, New York City to a father that is of Colombian decent and my mother is also Colombian. They migrated here to Queens in the 60’s and my dad brought over his love for Latin rhythms and basically made a name for himself in the neighborhood among his friends as a DJ. His friends would hire him to DJ birthday parties, weddings…you know all that kind of stuff and I just have memories of my dad taking my brother and I along to these events that he would DJ and I would just basically watch him make people dance and control an audience of 50 to 200 people depending on the venue. It was just a lot of fun to see my dad be able to do that; at the time I remember thinking it was something that looked cool.

As I gradually went into my adolescent years, you know like 10, 11 years old, I started to become fascinated with Hip Hop culture. My brother was already a Hip Hop enthusiast; he was already living the culture everyday. He was taking me to the train yards where he and his friends would write graffiti on the trains and I got to see it. So now where people are watching graffiti on YouTube or watching it on a movie like Wild Style, I was actually seeing it first hand in the train yards.

My brother would take me to house parties and I would watch he and his friends DJ these things and other people liked and danced to this music my brother was playing in people’s living rooms and stuff like that. He would take me to different places where all these people would come together from different parts of the neighborhood and B-Boy on basketball courts [and] they would rap over beats.

I was exposed to so much music as a young kid through my dad and through my brother. Finally I was like, “Enough of thinking this is cool. I want to be a part of this cool stuff that’s going on.” I asked my brother to teach me how to DJ when I was 12. That’s kind of the early background on my early upbringing and my introduction to the art of Hip Hop and the culture.

Jeremiah: When did you say to yourself, “I could make a living out of this…I could have a life doing this?” And do you remember a certain time in life or maybe a mix that you did that made you realize that this was your “calling” or just struck you and said to yourself, “Ok, this is what I’m supposed to do.”

Rob Swift: That’s a great question! I would say between the ages of 12 and like 24, my whole purpose as a DJ was to just be as good as I could be [and] make a name for myself. Between 12 and 19, I was just practicing and understanding how to conduct myself on turntables, how to control turntables, how to control music, [and] how to play music. I would say between the ages of 19 and 24, I was finding myself in the sense that I understood the mechanics involved in DJing but I needed to create an identity and that’s when Rob Swift started really to take form. Between 12 and 19, I was just kind of a DJ…just a guy that could scratch, a guy that could backspin, and a guy that could play at a party. From 19 to 24, Rob Swift really started to take form and I started to understand my place in the culture. I started to understand how to invoke my personality and who I was out of the turntables so I could stand out amongst all the other DJ’s who were trying to make a name for themselves.

When I turned 25, I was just basically transitioning from college to the real world. I remember I took a few semesters off from school to tour with Akinyele and that kind of set me back as far as graduating on time but that’s how focused and determined I was to establish myself in the DJ community. Even at that time though I wasn’t certain I was going to go on and make a career out of it.

As I was graduating college at 24, I released a VHS tape called X-ercise. It was a VHS tape I released along with Roc Raida and Mista Sinista…we were known as the X-Men. We released the VHS tape on Fat Beats Records, at the time Fat Beats – the legendary record store – wanted to branch out and release music, not just sell music at the store but actually distribute music. The first release that they put out was that videotape and it was basically a thirty-minute bio on who we were, who the X-Men were, what we were about, and how we practiced together.

I remember the day after my graduation ceremony from Baruch College here in New York City, Joe gave us all royalty checks for the VHS tape. When I got that royalty check, that’s when I decided I could make a career out of this. I remember thinking this is something I could generate money from and establish myself. I guess we didn’t live the way people I looked up to were living, the people I respected, the rappers, and the producers. I felt [finally] like here I am getting a check off a talent that I have, why not continue to see this through and see where it takes me and that’s when I decided literally the day after I graduated college and I got that check, I decided alright, I think I can make money off this, I think I can make something of myself with this. I look back and I say to people that I’ve been doing this as a professional, getting paid since 1997. Before 1997, I was just doing it strictly for the love because I enjoyed the art. But in ’97, when I got that royalty check and it wasn’t for some scratches I did for someone else’s album, it was for something I released myself, my own product, that’s when it all clicked for me.

Jeremiah: Nice, that’s a dope memory to have! So what would you be doing now if it didn’t work out? What degree did you graduate with?

Rob Swift: I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in psychology. So I really think that I would have my own practice right now or I’d probably be working at a school or something, maybe as a guidance counselor, just trying to help people. Whether its kids or any people, it’s always been part of my nature and who I am so I would definitely being doing something in the psych field for sure.

Jeremiah: That’s fresh, real nice to hear that. Now you had mentioned your father and brother as major influences. Outside of family, who would you say were some of your professional influences when you first started?

Rob Swift: One of the biggest influences that comes to mind, not even one but thee biggest influence outside of my family that comes to mind is Dr. Butcher. Dr. Butcher was a neighborhood DJ here in Queens, he went to high school with LL Cool J, he was mentored by this guy named Cut Creator…the original Cut Creator that used to DJ for LL Cool J. He worked with Kool G Rap… people like that. So JuJu from The Beatnuts introduced me to Dr. Butcher in 1990, just as I started to enter my freshman year in college. Coincidentally, I didn’t know this but Dr. Butcher was going to Baruch College as well…he was already a junior I think. So it was really weird how all this connected. So yeah, Dr. Butcher is the single most influential person outside of my brother and dad.

Dr. Butcher is the one to help me understand how to go about doing that because before I met him, my goal was always to be as good as the DJ I looked up to. If I saw Cash Money do something then I would practice whatever it was I saw Cash Money do…I wanted to be as good as Cash Money. If I saw Jazzy Jeff do something, I’d go out, buy the records he was using, and I would learn the particular routine that he did on those records. When I met Dr. Butcher, he helped me understand that, “Yo, it’s great that you can do what Jazzy Jeff does, you can do what Cash Money does, all that’s cool but at the end of the day Rob, you’re never going to stand out as a DJ because you’re limiting yourself to what your favorite DJ’s are doing and you need to think outside of the box, you need to expand your creativeness, and think ‘I can do better stuff than that, I can do different stuff than them, I don’t have to limit myself to what I see them do.” I never got that until I met him and once he helped me understand the mental approach to DJing to advance and progress…that’s when I started to grow into myself and develop the Rob Swift identity, the Rob Swift style that I have now that people know me for. Dr. Butcher is the reason why I feel I’ve managed to accomplish that so he’s the biggest influence by far.

I also look to people like Bruce Lee; he’s a huge influence on me. His approach to martial arts and life, his views on philosophy, and expressing yourself honestly, understanding how to adapt to situations…I apply all that to my DJing. A lot of times Bruce Lee says, “Be like water.“ You want to be able…if it’s in the freezer, it freezes. If you take the water out of the freezer, it melts…it continuously adapts to its environment. I feel that’s what you want to be as a DJ. If you’re in front of an audience that wants to see you cut it up, you should be able to cut it up. If you’re at a wedding and people want to dance, you should be able to make people dance. You should never be stuck or feel like you can’t adapt. I really apply a lot of his philosophies to what I do as a DJ. Yeah, Bruce Lee is a huge influence on me and just talented people: Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, John Coltrane – people that are just passionate about their art form and revolutionize their art form, those are the people that influence me.

Jeremiah: Definitely, that influenced me! Wow! Outside of your royalty check, do you remember the first “gig” you were paid for?

Rob Swift: My first actual paying gig that I can remember, man… I’ve never been asked that question before. That’s a great question…the first paying gig that I had? It had to be when I DJ’ed my high school prom and the school paid me like fifty bucks; they totally low-balled me now that I think about it. Yeah, I had to go set up the speakers and the speaker wire and transport shit and they only gave me fifty dollars, I remember. But at the time I had so much fun because you know, all my friends are seeing me DJ. When you’re the DJ, you’re like the pilot of the plane, you’re the captain, and everything goes as you go. It’s a great feeling to be able to control people like that so whether or not they paid me well I just remember being excited and happy.

Jeremiah: That is one of my favorite questions to ask DJ’s…the answers are great and lead into another one of my favorites…do you remember the first vinyl you bought?

Rob Swift: Absolutely. The first vinyl that I bought…I was in the sixth grade and it was a song by U.T.F.O. (Untouchable Force Organization) called “Roxanne, Roxanne.” That was the first record I ever bought for myself, I’ll never forget that.

Jeremiah: It’s always dope to look into a DJ’s life like that and hear how easily they recall that first record. Since you received the first royalty check and decided this is what you want and can do, has there ever been a time where you felt you had done as much as you could possibly do? Or maybe you weren’t enjoying it anymore? And if you did, how did you get past or work through that?

Rob Swift: Wow…that’s a deep question. I honestly – I guess I have, it’s a weird question to answer because I follow people like Bruce Lee and I really learned to apply their approach to their passion, or his passion in Bruce’s case…I’ve learned to apply the approach he had to martial arts to my passion of DJing. Again Bruce always says, “There’s no limitation to anything” and that’s something that Dr. Butcher would always preach to me, like, “Never limit yourself, there’s no limitations, there’s nothing you cannot do on turntables, it’s just a matter of tapping into it.” So I can’t necessarily say that I’ve ever reached a point where I’ve literally felt like there’s nothing more I can do. But, I have kind of – I don’t know – I’ve hit certain points as a DJ where I’ve felt like creatively I feel fulfilled…I don’t necessarily feel like going further in discovering more here, I want to go somewhere else.

For example with battling, I was entering DJ competitions, establishing myself as a battle DJ, making noise in the battle circuit, [and] getting the respect of my peers and all that. Then there came a point where I felt like I could keep battling, I could develop new routines but I’m not really fulfilled anymore doing that…I want to now try something else. I want to maybe instead of convincing the battle community I’m good, let me go out into the world and tour with Akinyele and show the average club go-er what I’m about…they may not be into battles or even know about battles. Creatively, I was fulfilled doing that for a little while then I came to a point where I was like alright, I can keep touring with Akinyele, being someone’s DJ but you know what, I want to try something else now and I formed the X-Ecutioners with Roc Raida and Mista Sinista. Now I want to release my own music and tour with my music and not be someone’s DJ…I want to be my own artist on the stage. So to answer your question, I feel like I’ve reached forks along the way where I feel like all right I don’t want to keep turning right, I want to turn left and see where that takes me. It never has to do with me feeling like I can’t be creative that way, it’s just that feeling where I’m like alright I want to challenge myself in a new way.

Make sure you come back next Wednesday for part two of my conversation with Rob Swift where we look at his relationship with Roc Raida, how Rob was influenced subconsciously by classical music, and much more!

F. Stokes Talks Upcoming EP, Artistic Ambition, and His Unique Fashion Sense

Andy Bustard — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:39 +0000

F. Stokes’ background tells a story that falls upon hardened morals in this industry however it’s safe to say the man is shaped in a far different mold from your typical rap rendition. Call him an “emo rapper,” the archetype of hipster Hip Hop or even a glorified fashion statement (if you want to be tone-deaf about it), but the Midwestern-made Stokes simply represents the good guy in Hip Hop. So with his new Love, Always EP arriving in February, we caught up with the man behind the music to talk about the upcoming record, artistic ambition, why he doesn’t wear chains and Jordans plus much more.

Andy: I’d like to start off with a quick run-down of your music to help introduce F. Stokes to newcomers. Who – and what – inspires you, and if you had to compare yourself to any current artists, who would they be?

F. Stokes: Thanks for your interest in my ideas, brother. I appreciate you guys having me. This question is tricky as the list of those who inspire me grows daily. I would like to think that I am not a mixture of anything, but simply an original man influenced, not shaped, by everything this world has to offer. I think the beauty of life is individuality; all of our stories are relevant. F. Stokes represents the equilibrium.

Andy: Your most recent single, “My Simple,” is a beautiful tribute to the small-town, simple way of life. I know you’ve shared your time between Chicago and New York so where did you draw inspiration for that song?

F. Stokes: Thank you, brother. I actually grew up in Madison WI, as well. I’d say Madison set the foundation for me writing that song, then after touring domestically, it opened my eyes to the often times unnoticed beauty of small town America. I would go to towns like Denton, TX, and Portland, Maine, and have these wonderful, intimate experiences with the people. For the day or so, I would visit these towns and I made it a point to become part of the fabric of the community. Not just a visitor – you know, the story of the traveling musician coming to town, playing a gig, fucking all the pretty girls, then riding off into the sunset guns blazing. That story is redundant and lacks respect. Patriotism has never been a huge part of black music, and I wanted to put together a piece that said, “Hey, I’m proud to be an American; proud to be a conveyor of liberty, hard work, and the idea of equality. Proud to be a part of the foundation that holds this country together.” I have more friends dead or in prison than I have friends with high-school diplomas, so why not write a “My Simple?” I want you guys to see all shades of F. Stokes… showing my growth is important to me. “My Simple” couldn’t have been written 10 years ago, because 10 years ago my peer group consisted of kidnappers, murderers, convicts, and pimps, which is why my earlier writings reflected that.

Andy: “My Simple” will be featured on your upcoming Love, Always EP. It reads on your website that it will sound different to your previous material. How exactly?

F. Stokes: Well, a bit different in the sense that I’m growing as an artist, being a bit more experimental, and the features are a bit more colorful. I hate saying my new EP will sound “different,” because that opens the door for an unreachable social expectation. The name alone, “Love, Always,” was birthed in Paris after I had breakfast with Ray Charles’ former wife. We had about a two-hour conversation and many more via email thereafter, and as she explained her love for Ray, she spoke of him as if he was still alive, as if he was going to walk through the door at any point. Hence “Love, Always.” It’s the concept of loving someone not just when it’s convenient, but always. No conditions.

Andy: You had a pretty tough time growing up in the South Side of Chicago. Can you speak on that a little bit?

F. Stokes: Hey, I walk with the emotional scars of my childhood, brother. I’ve never felt a need to sensationalize my experiences or over-sell. As I write this, my mother is living in a homeless shelter and my father, as well as little brother, is in prison for murder. You fill in the blanks.

Andy: In your music, you don’t champion those “hard knock life” experiences like many other rappers do. Why is that?

F. Stokes: Because I find the message to be more effective when there’s a string of optimism interwoven. As sons, brothers, fathers of the struggle, we have to do better. As a community of lost souls, it’s critical that our experiences don’t define us, but rather how we grow and learn from them. That’s mainly why I’ve never championed hardship.

Andy: Your fashion sense is something that strikes people immediately. Depending on who you ask, it may be called “hipster” or simply labelled “trendy.” What does your image mean to your music as a whole? And have you ever felt any pressure to conform to the orthodox Hip Hop style – y’know, varsity jackets, big chains and a fresh pair of Jordans?

F. Stokes: Ha, great question, sir. This is one of my favorites. Fashion wise, with me, there’s no limit, man – just like in music. You see, I view music as a lifestyle. How I dress, how I talk, how I put my pants on in the morning – it’s all part of the package. My fashion influences comes from all over. Going to different countries has definitely added to my arsenal. I don’t believe in conforming to anything necessarily. I’m an independent soul and how I dress reflects that. Of course, I’m called emasculating things by certain close minded people based on how I dress, but I try to make a statement in most things I do, and fashion is no different.

Andy: Your “Sneaking Up On You” joint on The Clubhouse’s Live At The Clubhouse compilation was a standout track for me. You flexed your lungs a bit more, almost singing through some lines. Can we expect to hear any full singing efforts from you in the future?

F. Stokes: Thanks, I appreciate that. Yes, I will continue to explore musically; singing, spoken word… I can’t reiterate enough how, artistically, there is no ceiling.

Andy: You have a couple of shows coming up in the New Year. For those who are yet to see you live, what are the vibes like at an F. Stokes gig?

F. Stokes: Aw, the vibe is according to the environment brother, but rest assured, regardless of the space, I’m going to jam like it’s a family reunion. I try to create a space in which we all can be expressive. We dance, we smile, we cry, we rejoice, all together. It’s a great time might I say myself!

Andy: Can you give a quick recap of your European tour earlier this year – any memorable “tour bus” stories? And do you have plans to get out to Europe again?

F. Stokes: This was my fifth time in Europe and, as always, it was a completely fulfilling. I had the opportunity to go to some places for the first time, like Austria and Germany. Every moment that I’m able to do what I love is memorable, really. I embrace every moment. A guy at the fruit stand this morning told me this, “Every day you wake up is a good day.” These are true words. I’m planning a tour of Spain in early April, and France late April.

Andy: Awesome. Thanks for your time, man. Before we depart, I want to ask, what is your biggest aspiration in this music game?

F. Stokes: My biggest aspiration in the music game is the song that’s yet to be written.

Mistah F.A.B. Discusses The Bay Area’s Status In Hip Hop Today, Finding His Backpack and Kreayshawn

Morgan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:04:28 +0000

Fresh off the release of his street album, I Found My Backpack Vol.2, Mistah F.A.B. is comfortable. He’s been able to travel and perform for fans all over the world while still influentially working with his community at home. Coming up on the battle circuit, he has been a long-standing figment on the Bay area Hip Hop scene, at one point even ranking as it’s most nationally recognized artist, seemingly embodying the area’s budding hyphy movement of the time.

Now in 2012, F.A.B. has witnessed the ups and downs of being the face of a trend and plans to utilize his knowledge of the game and skills as a versatile emcee to continue a lucrative career for himself as well those coming up under his wing. I got a chance to speak to “The Baydestrian” about his new project, his side endeavors, and the things that are most important to the man as well as the artist.

Morgan: I know a few years ago, the Bay Area was at one if it’s highest points ever as far as Hip Hop goes. What direction is the game moving in out there now?

Mistah F.A.B: My perspective of Hip Hop in the Bay Area is that it is relevant to a certain extent. Artists in the Bay have always gotten support from the home crowd and been buzzing within the Bay even if the rest of the nation isn’t hearing it. We’ve been able to accumulate a steady fan base and careers have been created out of our local demographics. It’s important for these cats to realize that being a regional star is a big step in the process of being a successful artist, but in order get to that next level you need to expand and expound your music beyond the city limits. Once they reach that potential, it can be very lucrative for their careers as well as productive for the whole music scene out here.

Morgan: Are you speaking on any artists in particular?

Mistah F.A.B: There are a lot of artists coming up. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the new Bay movement and cats like IAMSU! or Love Rance but collectively they have a movement going on called the new Bay and are dope. There are a lot of those guys.

Morgan: I’m still stuck on the old Bay dudes like [Mac] Dre, [Too] Short, PSD and cats like that, but I’ll make sure to look into the new movement. So you say it’s a sort of a collective… are they a group or just individual cats from all corners of the Bay pushing the same idea?

Mistah F.A.B: Yeah they are from all over. I actually got a chance to see one of their shows before I went on the road because I had been hearing about it. I went to go see and I was like whoa! Blown away by the support they had for their followers and small committee of associates. It was dope…they rocked and are very talented and marketable. If they utilize those things to their advantage they will be very successful.

Then you have cats like J.Stalin who embodies a movement, similar to the thizz movement, you know the genre of music may be different but they’ve taken their Livewire Gang brand and expanded it. It’s humbling to see where these guys are taking it while still maintaining that Bay Area pride. At the end of the day, it’s a lot of taking it all upon yourself and that’s good to see.

Morgan: I don’t want to get into this too much but since we are speaking on up and coming artists from the Bay… let’s talk about the White Girl Mob briefly. You’ve co-signed and been pretty heavily linked to Kreayshawn. Did she ink some sort of deal with you?

Mistah F.A.B: Their signed to my brother. He does management for them as well as he is the owner of Town Bizness which is the first imprints that the whole LiveWire Gang came out under

so he is very in touch with everything that’s going on out here.

Morgan: Your brother is DB Tha General?

Mistah F.A.B: No, my brother is Stretch. DB Tha General kind of brought Kreayshawn up. She was shooting his videos and messing with him for a while and he basically helped her get to the point where she is at now.

Morgan: So for the most part, is that a common thing in the Bay Area Hip Hop community; to give a helping hand to the next cat doing it? Is everyone looking out for thfe others best interest and success? It seems like a lot of torches are passed out there.

Mistah F.A.B: Um, I doubt it you know, I doubt it. People do a great job of disguising it. You know there are people who will cheer for you in the stands out loud just because everyone else is cheering, but deep down in their heart they want you to lose. But that’s neither here nor there. The main thing is, on my behalf, I’m very supportive of all up and coming cats as well as the legends that have already been doing it. I’m a fan, I love music, and outside of music I’m just a person who loves to see people doing good. For every person who’s doing it to better themselves and or improve the living conditions for those around them, I’m all for it.

Morgan: That’s real man I’m glad to hear that. Now let’s get into your new music that came out recently. I Found My Backpack Vol. 2: The Lost Notebooks is the first album you’ve dropped in four years.

Mistah F.A.B: Yeah, I mean but it’s still like a mixtape. I’d call it a street album you know, it’s a collection of music I’ve been doing and I just put album behind it because it’s all original music.

Morgan: You fooled me. Most of today’s mixtapes and “street albums” are filled with overbearing drops and recycled beats, but I feel what your saying. In my opinion, this project could easily have been a commercial album release. I’m sure most people, die-hard fans included, were kind of caught-off guard by this, but in a good way. What was the motivation behind going out and making a street album like I Found My Backpack Vol. 2? It’s much different then anything official we’ve ever heard from you.

Mistah F.A.B: There was a lot of people man, and myself included, who realize that lyrical wise and talent wise overall that I’m far more talented than what the hyphy movement put me out there to be and it seems like I became the poster child of that movement because I was one of the most successful people from that movement outside of the likes of Mac Dre, E-40, Too Short,and Keak Da Sneak and those were already pioneers of the Bay who had been known for other things besides that type of music so I was coined the forerunner of that, which was a gift as well as a curse. The flip side to it was it dumbed me down as far the persona of me and the perception of my lyrical capabilities.

Basically, a lot people were like, “Yo, why don’t you go back to when you first came in the game on the backpacking, the battle rapping.” So I was like aight. And um, I actually found my backpack! I was going through some storage and found my old backpack with some old books in it. I was going through it all like, “Yoo! This shit is crazy!” Listening to it like damn I was hella raw…I’m hella weak now, you know, just laughing and playing around. So I was like, “Yo, I’m gonna just do a mixtape of just my old school style.” You know that was too advanced for people at that time and you know it was something I was comfortable with. People ended up being like it’s dope, so I decided to do part two with that same formula, but going out and getting some bigger names on their to show people lyrically I can go song for song with anyone in the industry.

Morgan: Right. I see you went out there and got some beasts: Big Pooh, Jada, Talib, Royce. That’s a heavy line-up man. Were you able to get in the studio with all these cats?

Mistah F.A.B: The majority of them we were able to get in the studio, but some of them were sent, but I have tight music relationships with all of those guys… they are very close friends. Very, very cool with them man, very personal. We talk about everything, not just pertaining to music. Like I may call Talib Kweli for some life advice or I may reach out to N.O.R.E and talk about sports and you know it’s real personal friendships with these dudes.

Morgan: That’s dope man, I’m sure no one really knows that and those relationships have made for some great music. I’ve been rocking with you since the battles and Yellow Bus days so features like these, plus this “new” sound from you should open your appeal to a much wider audience.

Mistah F.A.B: Um, you know man hopefully it does. If not, than to me, it’s just more music for my catalog, more content, more of me just continuing to stay busy and keep growing. I’m not putting all my hopes into one project for people to accept it, but what it is man is that once it’s out, the music will last forever so some of the people can come back a year later and discover the greatness of it but for me personally, it’s just another project.

Morgan: One of my favorite joint’s on I Found My Backpack Vol. 2 is “Fallin.” Is that song about Hip Hop?

Mistah F.A.B: Of course. You know it’s about music man. If you listen to the third verse, “And not to be confused with my love for a girl/but this is love for music.” So it’s the concept how Hip Hop started in the East coast, got to the West coast, went down South, and now to the net, and she’s just dating everybody on the net, but you know, overall l I love her still. My favorite song on there though is “If The Streets Could Talk.” That song and “Yearbook” are some of the dopest songs.

Morgan: You went ahead and put this out on your own right, no label situation?

Mistah F.A.B: Yeah, I’m doing everything independent myself. The whole Atlantic situation didn’t pan out. I was signed to myself…Faeva Afta/Atlantic Records got a lot of money; it was what it was. I just wasn’t ready to be my own CEO at the time…young guy, I wasn’t ready to really run a label. I just wanted to have the title and be my own boss. They did offer me an artist deal, but we were already functioning as independent artists where we were so we were like nah we’re not going to sign a artist deal with ya’ll. Just being bold-headed and not thinking about the long run of things. There’s no bad blood with Atlantic, it was just a situation that at the time I wasn’t mature for.

As of now, I’m just putting things together and beating to the rhythm of my own drum. If a situation presents itself that’s profitable for both parties, I’d be willing to sign, but I’m cool man. I don’t have any outlandish wants, financial wise, my daughters taken care of, and I’m able to travel around the world and you know, I’m cool man, I’m making the music that I love. The music that comes from my heart and soul, and I’m more focused on trying to change peoples lives rather than drop a hot single.

Morgan: It sounds like you’re in a good place. I’m glad to hear that first-hand. So what’s next? Anything that F.A.B needs to let the people know?

Mistah F.A.B: Blast Holiday, he’s next up. That’s my artist… I’m doing his management and marketing. He’s like the dopest in my hood, so I’m putting a lot of stuff behind him, trying to put the emphasis on him, because we feel that he’s a diamond in the rough. I’m trying to gear him up and get him official to do what he has to do…his potential is dope. I also have a female artist… her name is Ginger. She is adorably gorgeous and he has some dope music. So we are just going to build and see where things go from here. Hopefully, everything will move into a position where my music is one thing, but my marketing and management is a total different aspect of what I’ve got going on.

The community work is what’s more important to me, while the music is a great stepping-stone. Once a month, I’m doing community events, acts of philanthropy, but more so community organizing and gathering of the old and young, of the informed and uninformed. What we’re doing is trying to bring back the importance of communication and togetherness. In my neighborhood and all over inner cities, people are dying from senseless acts of violence, children and babies are dying due the lack of opportunity. We want to make a sense of opportunity accessible through conversation, helping and networking, trying to bridge those gaps. That’s what I’m about…I want to make a difference.

Morgan: That’s deep man, I have a lot of family that lives and has lived in the Bay Area and everything is most definitely appreciated. People are really riding for you out there.

Mistah F.A.B: Straight up man, I hope they do. It’s all about these kids.

Kareem Fort Speaks About DEMOS, the 2012 National MC Search, and His Upcoming Album the Executive Suite

Kevin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:00:42 +0000

You don’t normally see too many “suits” in the independent music scene, aside from managers and PRs. Enter Kareem Fort, who seems to have his hands in everything these days. Chief Operations Officer of independent record label HiPNOTT Records… check. Co-Founder of Internet radio show Cypher Lounge Radio… check. Executive Producer and creator of the upcoming documentary film DEMOS… double check. This week, Reem will be releasing a compilation album, the Executive Suite, as well as participating in the 2012 National MC Search contest. Since I personally know Reem and have worked with him for the past three years, I thought I’d talk with him about his projects and let the readers of KN get the inside scoop.

Please introduce yourself for those who don’t know who you are.

My name is Kareem Fort, I am a music guy and now a film producer.

Let’s start by talking about your upcoming documentary, DEMOS. What’s the film about and what can viewers expect to take away from it?

DEMOS: An Independent Artists’ Guide to Success is a documentary film that gives up and coming artist clarity on their options when it comes to achieving any level of success in today’s industry. Its also about inspiring young people who aspire to become great not only in music, but in life. It’s the independent artists visual survival guide.

What made you want to do this film?

I decided to produce DEMOS simply because it was clear to me that there were so many artists that didn’t have clear direction on how to get into today’s music industry. The fundamentals have been ignored due to this thing called the Internet. I think the Internet has enabled kids to be delusional in thinking that there is a short cut to achieving true success. It’s a shame that the idea of shaking hands and simply learning the actual business of music has been lost.

How hard was it trying to get all these great artists in one movie?

It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. It seems as if so many people had something to say about this topic and many were willing to offer their advice. Legends like Naughty By Nature and Marley Marl were excited to give advice and share their experiences. Once I got a moment to explain to the artists or their management exactly what the film was about and go a bit deeper than the original synopsis it became clear to them that being in this film might help that young kid who is considering getting into this industry. Artists like Jean Grae and DJ Quik give great advice, I’m honored to have them in the film. I absolutely love Jean! lol

You’ve been working on the film for well over a year now. With this being your first film project, what are some of the things you learned while making the film. Anything you would have done differently? Tell us about some of the ups and downs.

There are some things that I would have done differently from a business standpoint that I can’t get too deep into. I think the production of the film and how I decided to approach the topic works simply because of the timing. The music industry is over-saturated with sub-par material. I believe that there are too many rappers and too few emcees.

The number one question that everyone wants to know… when will we be able to see the film?

The film will be ready to see in the fall of 2012. My team and I are planning a tour as well. EVERYONE must see this film and especially if you are looking to be in the industry or have been in it and need some answers to why things may have become stagnant. I know a lot of people who are in that situation currently.

Tell me about your participation in the 2012 National MC Search.

A good friend of mine, Sebastien Koulby let me know he had this idea to launch a national emcee competition and asked if I would consider being a judge and I accepted. I think it’s a great opportunity and hip hop is competitive by nature, so I was totally with it. I think the concept of judging a contest like this where you only have the audio is brilliant simply because its simply about talent and the “wow” factor. I have heard a TON of music and worked in several different areas in the music industry, so I think I have a good ear for true talent.

Who are some of the sponsors and other judges involved?

KevinNottingham.com, HipHopWired.com and Conspiracy Worldwide Radio are just a few of the sponsors. Rapper Big Pooh, Torae and myself are judges of the competition.

Where can folks go to learn more about the MC Search?

They can go to SNHPR.com and click on “Events”. All the info is there.

You’re also releasing an album, Executive Suite, around the same time. Tell me about the concept behind it.

The album Executive Suite is a collection of brand new authentic hip hop from artists that I respect and that I feel deserve some attention. I personally hand picked these artists to participate. If you love hip hop in its purist form, Executive Suite is a must have!

The traditional A&R is virtually unheard of in this day and age, especially in the independent music scene where artists build their own projects from the ground up. Explain your role on Executive Suite and tell us a bit about the process that went behind it.

It’s interesting because, when I first started working on the production for the film, I immediately started working on the soundtrack. I started getting songs in and although the songs that were selected were good, it didn’t feel like a soundtrack. In this day and age of mixtapes, I was clear that I didn’t want the soundtrack to the film to fall into that basket. Again, the music was good and I wanted people to be able to hear it, so I thought that putting out a compilation of great music was the way to go for now. The official soundtrack will start production soon and will feature an upcoming artist named Dave East.

The Executive Suite album has an underground feel but at the same time a very fresh sound that Im sure true hip hop heads will appreciate. The album is produced by a long time collaborator of mine, Tony C of Maseed Productions. I also have production from Nobody Famous, E Jones, Pajozo, and Floyd Da Locsmif to name a few.

The album will be released for free download via HiPNOTT Records and will be hosted on DJBooth.net.

Sounds like you got a full plate! Anything else going on that we need to check for?

I will actually be starting my next documentary on DJ Houseshoes in 2012, so that will be something to look out for. The soundtrack for DEMOS will be done in its entirety by a new artist named Dave East, please be on the look out for that. Shout out to my dude E Jones!

Where can people go to stay updated on your projects?

I am currently working on a website for my company KAREEM Works LLC. Right now just follow me on twitter @HUSTLENME, you will be surprised on what info I just give away on twitter.

MarQ Spekt Speaks On The Definition Of Grilchy, The Future Of The Broady Champs & Critics In The Digital Age

Justin — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:18:08 +0000

A few weeks ago, we brought you part one of my interview with MarQ Spekt on the heels of the release of he and Kno’s collaboration album MacheteVision. Today we’re proud to deliver the second part of our conversation which features the veteran emcee addressing a variety of topics concerning the Hip Hop culture in today’s world. Spekt touches on matters including the future of his group the Broady Champs, what being ”Grilchy” is, why he’s different than your typical rapper and how the Internet has helped give a platform to unqualified critics to voice their opinions. Check out part two of my discussion with MarQ Spekt below and don’t forget to read part one if you missed it.

Justin: So what’s the status of the Broady Champs? Are y’all still working on anything or planning to do a follow-up to [the group’s debut] Breakfast Of Champions?

MarQ: I mean Broady Champs is basically under the School Of Sharks right now. Broady Champs is basically School Of Sharks, like S.O.S is the conglomerate. It’s Broady, plus a couple of close family that we’ve had down with us since day one. But it’s also people from everywhere — from Cali, the Midwest, the South, the North. Like that mixtape [Blood In The Water Vol. 1] we put out, that was just preliminary old shit that we put out. We got new joints that’s crazy. We did a reggae EP as Broady Champs too that School Of Sharks is gonna put out. It’s done, I just gotta see when we’re gonna put it out and how we’re gonna put it out. We still, always, are pretty much gonna interact cause we’re on a family level man. When you’re around people like that, music is like a secondary thing cause we really didn’t come together on some music shit. Music is what we did, but you know, this is people I’d go to the club with, we’d bag a chick, go downtown and burn a tree… just hanging out (laughs). These are my homies aside from anything. Buddy Leezle, I just saw him in Texas at South By Southwest. That’s my brother right there, I’m always gonna hold him down. It’s a deeper bond than just music.

And even with me, over the last 10 years, I’ve done a lot of different things man. I’ve had t-shirt companies that I pressed up; I’ve done freelance writing magazines. I’ve done freelancing for blogs; I even started two or three websites [of my own]. I wouldn’t really just call me a rapper. Like I don’t even like that term put next to me. Cause it’s like in the ‘90s, yeah I was a rapper. I was running around battling people, doing freestyle sessions and this and that. But I got way more dimensions to me than just a rapper, that ain’t my main bread and butter. That ain’t what takes me all over the world to eat good foods and chill out and go on mothafuckin’ swimming pools on people’s rooftops (laughs). I still like to do fly shit that’s real un-rapper like. Rappers are people that just, you know, they write their rhymes and their day to day grind doesn’t match up with they rhymes. It’s like even their persona. I’m not even talking about in rapping or lyrics and shit cause yeah, you’re gonna exaggerated a little. But I mean, there’s people who they whole life – like even their cadences and persona – there’s nothing about who they are that translates to their music. And that’s not it for me, this is just an extension of me.

Justin: Do you think that’s kind of a problem with some artists now? I know you like to classify things as being grilchy. For people that don’t know, can you give a quick explanation of what grilchy is?

MarQ: Grilchy is like my style, the people around me’s style. It’s grimy and filthy. Even when we clean, we still do grilchy shit. When you go to a bar and you see a chick that’s with her man and you end up bagging her and walking out, that’s grilchy. And that’s happened in real life. We used to go in spots like stores and shit and get whatever we wanted to get, that’s grilchy. The rhyme style, when scrunch your face up off of some shit somebody said in their rhymes, that’s grilchy. It’s the whole persona, but at the same time, it’s not looking grilchy. You not looking like a bum where you got dirty shit on you. You supposed to be kind of sharp, dress kind of sharp. But your mind state, what you do is grilchy.

Justin: As you said, you’re more than just a rapper. So for you, difference between you and just a typical rapper is simply your rhymes are an extension of your grilchy lifestyle right?

MarQ: Exactly. 200% exactly right. I take it like this. There’s people who walk as a rapper. Like back in the day, when I look at rappers – Rakim was a rapper, KRS-One was a rapper, mothafuckin’ Slick Rick was a rapper, Big Daddy Kane was a rapper. And by that I mean, when you see them walking around with the gold rope chains, you’re thinking, “This mothafucka is like that 24/7.” And in your mind, that’s a rapper 24/7. These people that ain’t rapping 24/7 ain’t rappers! You’re a mothafuckin’ short order cook who raps. (Laughs) That’s what I’ m saying. It’s like if you go out Saturday night and you dance at the club, are you a dancer? Do you put that down is who you are and what you do? So that’s where I go with it. Me, I’m just a grilchy mothafucka. I hustle to get it, I’ve been damn near homeless. I grew up in the fucking hood in West Philadelphia. We was fortunate enough to make it out of there and move across the bridge to Jersey, which was better, but still wasn’t no mothafuckin’ million dollar homes or something. It wasn’t even $300,000 homes, but it was better than where we were. So I’ve seen my pops strive to do some shit, so that’s already in me. To be like, say I got more than you. I’m still not happy with what the fuck I got! People will look at you like, “These mothafuckas is living,” and this and that.

But in my mind, I’m not even there yet. I’m not even a third of the way to where I’m trying to get to. It’s just having a hustle mentality that’s like I get up every day and I focused on this, to get it. I’m not one of these mothafucka’s that sits around smoking weed all day, mad on the Internet and taking out my frustrations. Like the only time you was catching me frustrated was when MacheteVision was done and it wasn’t out. Because I was sick of hearing what the fuck I was hearing. So I’ll be with the crowd online like, “Yeah that shit sucks, it’s wack and I’m not feeling it.” But I’m not just one of them dudes that’ll sit around all day and be saying shit is wack and sucks, I’ma put myself out there for the same scrutiny. I’ma get off my ass and do something about it! And you know, you hope that people will fuck with it. What I’m finding out now is, mothafuckas is mad that you got off your ass and tried to do something about it (laughs). Like I’m seeing a lot of mothafuckas you would think would support what I’m trying to do are totally ignoring it. They not trying to put no power behind me because now they’re like, “Who does this mothafucka think he is? One day he’s with us, sitting here bitching, moaning, complaining and agreeing with us, now he’s getting up to do something about it. Who he think he is!?” (laughs)

Justin: Speaking on some of today’s up & coming artists that are featured on MacheteVision, are these guys like Action Bronson and Meyhem Lauren the ones that fit that profile of a true rapper to you?

MarQ: Oh yeah. I mean I fuck with their movement. I met Meyhem a little while ago, and me and him developed a relationship that wasn’t on no rap shit. It was just a “Yo, I support what you do” and I’m a Lo head too. He’s a Lo-Life, but I’m a Polo head too. I been rocking Lo’s since ’92/93 tough. So we related on that. And I had a shirt or something on when I met him, Dallas Penn actually introduced me to him, and we been rocking with each other ever since then cause he’s a real dude. So I really got into it with him on the musical side after that. Like when I started GrilchyFace.com, that was one of the main people outside of the site encouraging me to get it off the ground because I was sitting around complaining about the blogs. I was like, “the blogging scene is wack right now. A lot of the bloggers were really garbage; I could do a blog better. “ That’s just me, I’m not gonna just sit around all day and just complain about some shit. And I’m finding out more and more that it actually alientates you from people, and I didn’t know that. I assumed… you know it’s like we’re all not feeling this artist, so I’m gonna put this shit on my back, put my money where my mouth is and do what we’re saying. But then you turn around and nobody’s behind you. (Laughs) You’re like, “Yo I’m gonna go over here and we’re gonna get it!” and everybody’s saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” and then you turn around and you’re the only one. So just in that nature I seen it and he [Meyhem Lauren] was one of the few that was with me 500% on GrilchyFace.

So through him, I end up hearing Outdoorsmen which is Action Bronson, Ag Da Coroner and all them. So I’m like, “Yo these cats is kinda nice.” Like if New York got behind them, this would be a nice movement, cause this is what everybody’s been bitching about what they [New York] ain’t got [right now]. But you know, that mentality up to is like we don’t like anything. It takes a whole lot, even Philly man, it takes so much for people to cosign you or feel what you’re doing. I mean if they don’t have anything to gain by saying that they like you, if they can’t take no credit in the start of your movement, then they’re not gonna cosign it. They’re not gonna say shit about it, they’re gonna ignore it. If they can’t put their hands in the pot and be like, “I did this for that movement! Oh you like that, I did this for them” then nah, they ain’t gonna say shit cause they ain’t got nothing to gain from it. These motherfuckers be pseudo-execs, everybody’s a pseudo-exec. You notice how all the labels and shit are downsizing, how A&R’s don’t really exist anymore? Well the Internet made everyone a pseudo-exec. Motherfuckers in the mail room will get online and be like, “I think the album needs this and I believe it should have that.” Everybody thinks their opinion is like the chief A&R. They act like they’re presidents and they work at the coffee shop at the bottom floor of the label (Laughs). Twitter and things like that have made it easy for them. Cause they work at the coffee shop, but on there they’re saying “I work at Sony” and therefore you should value that opinioin.

Justin: Do you think sites like Twitter and Tumblr have just given people a platform to throw out their criticism without truly understanding what’s going into making the music?

MarQ: I mean, of course. But you gotta look at it like this, it’s still a microcosm. Hip Hop is a billion dollar industry, but there’s also more rappers than fans now. And with that, there’s a whole lot of disgruntled fucking rappers. Even legends ain’t getting their just due. You know, there’s people that just shit on everything. There’s people that shit on Illmatic, people who will shit on OutKast. There’s people who will just shit on anything and anybody, and it doesn’t matter! It’s all in their fucking opinion. They’ll big up… what’s the orange boy, the orange juice boy, the orange juice man? What’s his name?

Justin: (Mutual Laughter) OJ Da Juiceman.

MarQ: Yeah, yeah, yeah OJ Da Juiceman! There will be people who big him up and be like, “Yo I ain’t trying to hear this motherfucking Nas shit. There’s too many words in that shit. Turn that Waka Flocka back on yo!” And I’m not saying that those mothafuckas is wack. In a Hip Hop sense they’re wack because they’re not emcees. But they’ll tell you that they’re not emcees, so you can’t knock what they do. They’re doing what they’re doing and people are fucking with it. I’m a hustler first man. And when I say hustler, I mean I get up every day and do what I gotta do to put bread on the table. You know what I’m saying? A hustler ain’t mothafuckas that’s just selling drugs because them motafuckas ain’t really hustlers. They make less than minimum wage when you break down what the average drug dealer makes. You know the only people on that food chain… it’s like any other pyramid scheme. The only people really eating are the suppliers man. That’s why motherfuckers kill for their suppliers cause they’re higher on the pyramid.

The corner standing mothafuckas, if you listen to Hip Hop, you’d think those guys are the main dudes and that’s’only because they’re rapping about it. The suppliers and they mothafuckas really getting it, they don’t want that attention! (Laughs) They don’t wanna be known to have anything to do with drugs cause they’re really getting it. The nickel and dime mothafuckas is the ones that gonna brag about how many bags they flipped this week. And at the end of day, that’s motherfucking athlete’s foot money. You get a couple pair of sneakers and some sweatpants and you feel like you made it. I know people that’ve been hustling for 12-13 years, still ain’t got no car, still ain’t got no house and they’re just happy getting a new outfit and going to club every week. Just like I can’t relate to these rappers, I can’t relate to them mothafuckas either. I’m really cut from a different cloth and so are the people around me. I don’t have some big posse, and I could have. I could’ve been that dude with a whole lot of people around me and cosigning me, but I separate myself from that because I’m not a dickrider and I don’t expect handouts. I’m a totally different breed than these mothafuckas cause I like to get it on my own. That’s what I’m about. Aside from all this artistry and shit, I’m a man first. I like to take pride in myself and those around me.

Look out for the third and final part of our in-depth interview with MarQ Spekt in the near future as the Philly native discusses the variety of projects he has in the works for 2012 and the possibilities of a new Invizzibl Men LP with Karniege

rjd2 Talks Icebird, Innovation & Combining Donny Hathaway With Kraftwerk

Jeff Leon — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:15:34 +0000

I was able to speak to composer rjd2 about his latest project with Philly singer Aaron Livingston, as the duo of Icebird, who’ve recently released the fantastical and very solid debut, The Abandoned Lullaby this past October. We got to speak about the direction of the record, his musical style and his plans for the future including the possibility of a new Soul Position LP. Peep the convo!

Jeff Leon: How are you and what have you been up to lately?

rjd2: I’m doing good! Lately, not a whole lot on the music front. I wrapped up the touring for the Icebird record and it’s been a relatively busy year for me, so right now I’ve just been doing some preliminary planning on basically where to go next and the next step, musically speaking.

Jeff: I got you. The latest project is Icebird, the collaboration of you and Aaron Livingston. How was Icebird born? I know you two had a collaborative track on The Colossus.

rjd2: Yes, correct and [the group] was born out of a mutual friend who connected us to each other. And I was a big fan of the track he did called, “Guns Are Drawn” from one of The Roots’ records (The Tipping Point) and it was my favorite song on that record. He had this band called The Mean, and a mutual friend gave me a copy of their record, and it just clicked that he was the kind of artist that I would be looking towards working with. To give you a little bit of backstory, when I did The Third Hand, initially, the concept for that record was that I was just going to do the writing. It was the original goal, but I was having a hard time finding people to actually pull off the actual singing parts, so I ended up just diving into it myself. It was always one of these things in the back of my head and I was always kind of hoping to find an artist that could play that role and [Aaron’s] sensibilities were right up the alley of what I was looking for.

Jeff: What were your goals for The Abandoned Lullaby?

rjd2: I can’t say that we really had a goal going into the record. It would be more accurate to say that we held a process in the highest regard, so what we were looking to do was to be working on the music in a manner [where] we were on the same page in how we were approaching writing the record. For someone like me, the base-level goal for each song is to bring something into the world that wasn’t there yet, and I know that [that] can sound grandiose and sometimes it manifests itself in very grandiose ways, where you’re trying to come up with a very different style of music. You could be shooting for the timbre of the music, or the writing, or the vibe, but at the end of the day, you’re looking to create something that didn’t exist before. So under that umbrella, it kinda opens things up where we weren’t necessarily shooting to this particular record or that particular record… we were more [about] just letting the process unfold.

Jeff: Listening to The Abandoned Lullaby, it’s a record that’s really imaginative, funky, and live. How was it for the two of you in the studio crafting this music?

rjd2: It’s funny because when you’re writing and making records and recording, it’s not a romantic process. I think a good analogy looking at the difference would be cooking a meal and eating a meal. When you go to a restaurant, you sit down and you’re presented with a plate of food that’s hopefully done properly. It’s well prepared, it looks good, and all the details are attended to, but you go in the kitchen and it’s a radically different aesthetic, so I think that that applies here with the music. There’s a lot of discussions over whether this particular lyric is appropriate or this chord works in this place and if not you look at five different options and maybe a couple of those options work better, but then you might end up fighting over a couple of options, or you might agree on them. It’s a very stop and start sort of process.

Jeff: On the record, I really noticed that you and Aaron play off each other quite well. How did you find that balance and made sure that both of you fully captivated with your performances?

rjd2: A lot of it comes down to being able to interact on a fundamental level. It’s not related to being a good musician or player or any of those, it’s about having to be a good compromiser. It’s being able to make a good case for whether you want something to stay or don’t want something to stay in a song. It’s being able to accurately voice your opinion and argument is the valuable skill. A lot of it is also priorities [and] being able to pick your battles, basically. When you’re working on a record, you have to realize when something is a big enough deal to make a stink and when it’s not; when you have to let it go and realize what’s important. I’m not saying that in any collaboration you just fight through the whole thing, that shouldn’t be the take away, but I do think that having your own priorities aligned goes a very long way.

Jeff: I recently heard you became a father, congratulations.

rjd2: Thank you.

Jeff: The record has these strong moments of wonder and emotion and very personal moments. Did the fact that you were to be a new father play any part in the creation of the music?

rjd2: I feel like the same force that drives someone to try to unearth these unexpressed emotions when you’re writing a song is a similar thing to the desire to have that experience of being a father. In a very self-interested point of view, there are similarities there, you could say. To a certain degree, you could say that I’m reaching for a connection between the two. Your personality can permeate different aspects of your life but those are still different things.

Jeff: Understandable. Listening to the record there are a wide range of influences in funk, pop, rock and so on. Could you elaborate on some of these elements or acts which may have played a part in the music you two were creating?

rjd2: I feel that it’s important to put a preface out there when talking about these kind of things, but again, it’s kind of a fundamental goal in the world of music to be doing something that’s coming from a sincere place, that’s honestly your own. To a certain degree, if you’re trying to ape someone like Sly Stone or Stevie Wonder, that’s not coming from a sincere place… there’s a level of contrived behavior. Ultimately, we are trying to overcome that feel, rather than let them shine through. With that said, those [genres] are great examples. We’re huge Funkadelic fans and I think a big part of that is that groups like Funkadelic and Parliament were kind of psychedelic soul and R&B hybrids groups. Both Aaron and I love Stevie and love Donny Hathaway and at the same time it’s very important to try to do something new, so having something that’s sequenced and angular… so even though Donny Hathaway, in all likelihood, would’ve never worked with Kraftwerk, we would still feel comfortable having those kind of varied mechanics and angular influences on a record and drawing on that as much as drawing on dub music or really anything. The rule book gets tossed out.

Jeff: You mentioned before that with each new project you aim to do something you haven’t done before and you’ve switched up your styles and approaches to music several times throughout your career. Could you speak more about that need to explore and go for different elements?

rjd2: I can’t speak for Aaron here, but [for me], ultimately, it’s just the way that I’m built; it’s not much of a conscious decision anymore. It kinda comes out, for better or for worse. There are two reasonable explanations for it. One is that I look at the law of diminishing returns and a simplified example of what I’m talking about is, when you find an album and love it, when you listen to that album over and over, the law kicks in, and that sensation — that thrill that you get decreases over time. So the hundredth time you listen to an album, for me, I can’t derive any pleasure out of it that I got from the first or second or third time. The exact same thing is true for making the music, because if I make the same kind of music over and over then the law of diminishing returns kicks in and it becomes less interesting. Because of that, I’m constantly looking for what are basically new experiences, within the process of writing new music. I think that’s the best way to explain it.

Jeff: So what’s next for you?

rjd2: I would love to do another Soul Position record at some point in time. I would love to do another Icebird record and would love to do another soul album, so all of these are appealing to me right now. This is just part of the natural cycle of making records…now is the time I’m going to be reassessing what’s going to be happening next and basically what I feel like doing next and what is inspiring. The great thing [about those projects] is that they provide outlets for me. The scope of what kind of music I do is completely wide open. If I wanted to do a homage to Lee Perry for the next Icebird record, that’s entirely feasible. There’s a lot of different avenues I want to explore.

Nitty Scott, MC Discusses Language, The BET Cypher & The “Femcee” Stigma

Daniella Kohavy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:00:51 +0000

One of the first times I got familiar with Nitty Scott, MC’s work was while watching an impressive performance on the 2011 BET Cypher. And after that, she was a permanent resident in my roster of female emcees (as they are few and far between) to watch out for. I found it rather interesting to hear Nitty say that the reason for her not putting out many videos in 2011 was because she wanted people to “listen and not look.” Listen and not look… words of a true emcee.

See what Nitty had to say about her deep integration with language arts, a vagina with a mic and correct usage of grammar.

Daniella: Who is Nitty Scott, MC?

Nitty Scott, MC: Nitty Scott is a lot of things. I’m an emcee, an artist, a woman in Hip Hop, an independent artist, a daughter, and a minority. I fall into so many categories but I think that’s the dope thing about me. I can help break barriers for people who come from so many different walks of life. I’m just first of all a human being.

Daniella: On your mixtape, Doobies and Popsicles Sticks, you stress that you are an emcee, not a rapper. What would you say is the difference between the two?

Nitty: To me, there’s a very distinct difference between a rapper and an emcee. To rap is a verb to me. It’s an activity like dance [or] painting. It’s the process of putting words together that rhyme. To rap, I feel like anyone can rap. Essentially if you can write a poem, you can rap. So anyone can put together a rap song. And if you’re a rapper, you’re not required to embody anything specific. If you are an emcee, however, that comes along with the requirement to rock the crowd and be the master of ceremonies. That’s just what I really wanted to stress. To the fans, I’m here to embody a culture and to rock the crowd and to demonstrate skills. And that’s not necessarily the same thing as being an entertainer or a rapper.

Daniella: Yeah. It’s true, many people think rapper is synonymous with emcee.

Nitty: Yeah Justin Bieber was rapping. Is he a rapper? Is he an emcee? Or does he just rap?

Daniella: (Laughs) Very good point. So you worked with 6th Sense, Tanya Morgan, J. Period, Mick Boogie and more on your mixtape. How did this project come to be?

Nitty: It actually got delayed due to distribution issues. But originally, it was just a random silly idea. We were trying to put out the Boombox Diaries, Volume 1 EP and ended up slating that for 2012. So in between time, after the [BET] Cypher, with this new sort of following and new level of attention I had, I [felt] I should definitely put out something dope for the fans. I came up with embodying the theme and mood of this past summer for me. I wanted to give people a summer soundtrack. You know, it was a very special summer for me being able to do and see things that I was only dreaming of last year. I really wanted to capture that. And musically, have a little bit more fun. I think that I’ve sort of gained this reputation as this beast, this spitta, to go on and on for days. This project shows people I can let loose and have fun and make a cool record, as opposed to having this sense of urgency. A lot of my records are very serious, “Gotta save Hip Hop.” But I can be goofy too and have fun. Doobies and Popsicle Sticks was my summer diet.

Daniella: I love that…. “my summer diet.”

Nitty: (Laughs) The homies are always down like 6^th Sense, Mick Boogie, Tanya Morgan’s Donwill, who I also collaborated with on The Cassette Chronicles. It was an extension of the Boombox Family – just something to hold fans over until we hit them with that EP.

Daniella: Well, our appetites are wet. You mentioned the BET Cypher. There was a lot of buzz around your performance. I have to say, I play it on repeat as if it’s a song on my iPod. I tell my friends who haven’t seen it yet that they have to watch it. How did that come about?

Nitty: Yeah man, the BET Cypher. It’s sort of what you were saying. I went to visit my parents a few weeks ago down in Florida and we all sat in the living room and watched it. It was dope. It was played on such a big network and reached such a wide audience that someone who might not have been checking for me was able to hear my message that day. It was so awesome that it stretched so much further beyond the platform that I’m used to.

[BET] just reached out via email and were just like, “Hey, we like your artistry. Would you like to participate in the cypher?” I was just so hyped. I wrote my verse so many times. I had to get down the perfect one. I had to consider the audience that I was going to be presented to. I looked at it as a real turning point in my career, which it did end up being for me, and I think it just sent a really dope statement as far as being able to say that I was there strictly off the strength of pure talent and grind. Nothing but my grassroots/independent movement. There’s no political connection there or any other reason other than BET taking notice of someone who was making noise. I think that it breaks barriers for people who are going to participate next year. They can sit around and say, “You know, well Nitty was there based off an organic following.” So who’s to say that can’t happen for the next female emcee or independent artist? It was just amazing on so many levels.

Daniella: I can imagine the exposure that brought you.

Nitty: Actually, I was the worldwide trending topic on Twitter.

Daniella: No shit! Good for you girl. I’d be walking on clouds. I have to say, I appreciate your usage of punctuation in your name — Nitty Scott, MC — and how you play with language, on “Tell Somebody,” as you say,” “Finger fuck the English language til’ she cum.” What sort of approach do you have to creating rhymes?

Nitty: (Laughs). Thank you! Wow. I don’t have one specific creative process. Sometimes, it’s very therapeutic…just expression, very stream of consciousness, an outpour of how I’m feeling. Other times, I’ll actually pursue a concept and I’ll have a focus in mind and have a specific idea for the structure of a record. Sometimes, I’ll actually sit down and have a blueprint already. So it happens all different kinds of ways. I’ve been formally trained in writing. I was a creative writing major in high school, went to the secondary school for journalism at John Jay in New York when I was 17, as well as interned at The Daily News. So I’ve studied the very basics of writing to the point where it’s just second nature, whether it’s a poem or a business letter or an essay. I think that has something to do with it as well. Knowing how to write well, it’s definitely something that translates in my work.

Daniella: I knew it! I too was an English major and have a love for language. Would you say grammar these days with Twitter and 140 character limits is sort of messing with the English language?

Nitty: Yeah I definitely would agree. Releasing song titles with numbers and things like that are [considered] okay. I’m a nerd to the core. I come from this background where my paper is getting bled all over in red pen in tears. It’s always been very serious to me having proper punctuation, almost to an OCD sort of mode. It always has to be there, even in my tweets. I was trained not to play that (laughs).

Daniella: Homie don’t play dat. I’m pleased.

Nitty: When I write the raps, I guess because I have a writing or poetic background, I don’t write in bars. I think a lot of people are surprised when I tell them that because they consider me a rapper. And I’ve never used the slash thing in my life. Everything I write is in stanzas. It’s lines of poetry. That’s how I wrote everything I’ve ever written.

Daniella: So was that your first involvement with writing poetry?

Nitty: Yes and no. I think that was when I first started to pursue and study it and get down to the mechanics of it. Before that, I participated in speech contests and was a member of the newspaper staff. I was just always a writer, even in elementary schools writing songs and poems. But when I attended the Osceola County School for the Arts down in Florida, which was when I decided I wanted to pursue it as a study.

Daniella: Tell me more about your Twitter page’s motto, “dislikes a vagina with a mic.” What’s the deep, or rather, true meaning of that?

Nitty: (Laughs) You know, people are always telling me they like that and that is so awesome to me. I guess I’m just addressing myself with that. I really can’t get down with chicks that pick up the mic and state the obvious. It just further feeds this perception that a female emcee or an emcee who just happens to be female, rather, has to pick up a mic and almost be a walking, talking vagina, and discuss nothing beyond lip gloss, handbags, going shopping and getting your nails done. It just makes it difficult when someone perceives me as attractive or whatever the case may be, and therefore expects nothing of substance to come out of my mouth. So it’s like my way of saying F that. I’m not really here to be redundant. I want to come up with more creative subject matter than that. I think we’re just bigger than that. So, I challenge it.

Daniella: Speaking of female emcees, how do you feel being compared to Nicki Minaj?

Nitty: I’m never personally offended to be compared to anyone. But I do just wish that people would take the time to consider the personal identity of the different female artists that we have out there right now or who are emerging right now. I think it’s the same syndrome that happens with the white rapper. You have people who compare YelaWolf and Machine Gun Kelly and Mac Miller, when they all have different sounds and different approaches. And they’re not the same just because they’re white and they rap. So the same thing applies to female emcees. We’re not all the same because we have a mic and a pair of tits in common. We all have different lifestyles, approaches, and sounds. I think that we have to continue to individually embrace who we are as female emcees to start to show the wide range of facets of women so people can understand that there are differences between us. Some of us are independent. Some of us are unsigned. Some girls want to be the next Nicki or the next Lauryn. Take the time to consider who we are as individuals. Not just female rappers or femcees. I think it’s just belittling.

Daniella: Thank you. It’s cool to pick your brain on this. I happened to write on my Facebook status that I was going to interview you. And a friend responded to the post, “Oh a femcee?” It’s just automatic.

Nitty: (Laughs) It is. And I can understand how it happens. I don’t ever get upset if someone refers to me as a “femcee.” I just make sure that I don’t refer to myself as that. That’s the least that I can do.

Daniella: Really good point. So some folks say you have a 90’s sound. Would you agree with that?

Nitty: Um, yes to a certain extent, as far as the material I’ve released up until now. I don’t really consider it 90’s, period. I consider it New York if anything. And I’m not necessarily trying to bring the 90’s back. It’s more in the spirit of the 90’s about culture, lifestyle, and community. That’s one thing. You know that boom bat sound I sort of have. The funny thing about this business, if you want to call it that, is the artist is not always on the same page as the fans. I mean as far as what I’m putting out. You don’t necessarily know what I have in the vault just yet. I feel like in the beginning it was all very strategic, as far as getting people to really understand that I am Hip Hop and wanting to be accepted within the Hip Hop community as a spitter, a skills-based emcee. So hopping on certain instrumentals would help me to convey that. But eventually, I’m definitely going to show people an expansion of my own sound and work in different elements by being more melodic, more soulful. They’ll definitely get a taste of that in future projects. So, yes and no I guess to that. I definitely put out a lot of 90’s joints. I have the upmost love and respect for that classic golden era. I have much more to offer too.

Daniella: So what does it mean to you to preserve an era of Hip Hop?

Nitty: I feel that you have to be able to find a balance in this day and age of being able to preserve and progress Hip Hop culture at the same time. And by that I mean just being willing to break barriers, explore the unknown, experiment, and be innovative. Do all these things but always with respect to the culture. I feel like there’s this disconnect, for whatever reason, in the younger and the older generations. And I kind of want to be a part of the new wave of artists that hope to bridge that gap. I intend on working with legends and people who have helped pave this road to show my respect and my homage to the people who really laid down the groundwork for what I’m able to do today. That’s part of the reason why I’m here as well, so that I can definitely carry that torch gracefully. I think that’s a big part of preserving the culture – always respecting the roots.

Daniella: Cheers to that. So what’s next for Nitty Scott, MC?

Nitty: Well, in 2012 I definitely have a lot more visuals coming out. I tried to keep it pretty light this past year on the videos just because I wanted people to listen and not look. This year I’m definitely going to be getting some of those joints a visual treatment with Doobies and Popsicle Sticks and The Cassette Chronicles. More shows, tour dates that I’ll definitely keep everybody updated with on my Twitter, my official website. And the Boombox Diaries EP, that’ll be the first commercial release. It’s definitely an intimate, personal introduction to Nitty Scott, MC. And I have some dope features on there, but I can’t reveal just yet. I think that’s the big project that everybody is really looking forward to.

Salute The DJ: DJ Babu Speaks On Changes In Technology During His Career [Pt. 2]

Jeremiah — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:00:27 +0000

Last week, you had the chance to read part one of my in-depth interview with DJ Babu. Check out part two where the Dilated Peoples & Beat Junkies member speaks on his struggle to accept Serato, how DJ’s are historians, going off the cuff, and a thorough rundown of his equipment setup…. old and new.

Jeremiah: What equipment do you work with?

DJ Babu: Well DJ wise obviously I use Technic 1200’s. I’ve been rocking with Rane and Serato for many years now so I use a Rane 57S mixer. As far as production goes, I’ve got an old G4 Mac running Pro Tools for my recording and mixing needs. As far as production goes, I’ve been pretty exclusive to Reason for the last, I don’t know how many years now, but I work close with that company since I met them at a NAMM convention many years ago. I’m currently on Reason 6. Before then I was always an Ensoniq man, I started out on Ensoniq Mirage many years ago [and] for a while I was on an EPS – 16Plus then eventually I got a couple ASR-10’s. I still have all those keyboards lying around… I’ve got a couple keyboard modules, a Yamaha Motif, a Fantom and a couple other things. A lot of that stuff is just collecting dust because I do a lot of my work inside Reason. Like 99% of my work happens on my laptop now and the whole other side of my studio is collecting dust… it’s kinda sad. It’s all museum shit now but I keep it around because I couldn’t imagine where else that shit should be but right here in my studio.

Jeremiah: No doubt. It’s amazing how much technology has changed or the past ten years for producers and DJ’s.

DJ Babu: I was definitely skeptical about some sides of things, especially being with Dilated you know, I wasn’t used to recording and mixing in big rooms, hiring a proper engineer, and going to a big mastering house. We had ADAT’s and 4-Tracks and stuff like that but we still wouldn’t go to mastering unless we had something properly mixed and were hitting analog tape. So it took a long time for us to convert to Pro Tools because I was very skeptical until we saw how much it took over and we slowly evolved into that.

I remember getting Serato before anybody… it took me a good year to feel comfortable accepting myself DJing with a laptop. Obviously times have changed and things have become more acceptable and more – I’m not gonna bring my expensive records on the plane, I can barely – you bring one crate of records on and you might as well forget bringing your clothes, their charging you per bag, losing your valuable records, having your records stolen by some airport hand. So it’s just, on a practical level, as a professional DJ I love all that I get from the digital movement. At the same time, my day still starts and ends with a record and a turntable it seems like. Whether I’m archiving records to be in my digital library or I’m sampling records, making a beat… it still seems like it starts and ends with a turntable and a record.

Jeremiah: Definitely. How do you feel about Technic discontinuing the 1200 line?

DJ Babu: It’s crazy… it makes me feel old I guess but at the same time you know, business is business. I guess I can’t…those motherfuckers aren’t doing it for art, those motherfuckers are selling record players at the end of the day. So, if people aren’t buying them, so be it. I’m lucky enough to… I’ve got eight pairs myself that I’ve come up on over the years. It’s just crazy to walk into Guitar Center and for them to have back-stocked 1200’s and they’re trying to sell them for $800 each or $900 each, I’m like wow, that’s incredible! I guess if shit hits the fan I could off some turntables to pay some bills but I love 1200’s. It’s such a beautiful creation. I love looking at my turntables and I love everything about the 1200’s… how sturdy and awesome they’re built, them shits are gonna be like, I’ll have them for a museum or something, at least on that level. I’m glad I have all these extra ones just in case one of these ever go bad. So it makes me sad but I’m happy to say I’ve got a few sets put away for myself…my kids.

Jeremiah: Now when you play a set, not with Dilated, do you have a plan out your set or do you just kind of go off the cuff?

DJ Babu: I definitely go off the cuff but at the same time I know what records…there are records I’m more familiar with than others and it’s easy to fall into a mix that you remember you did like a week ago. I’m not really much for practicing for gigs…these days it’s more like if I know I have a gig coming up and there might be a particular thing I need to do, I might add some things to the playlist and add some things from my record collection that might not be in there, know my BPM’s, practice catching a double or two to make sure I’m familiar with the record, how it starts and ends, and where I can get in and out of it.

I think I do better when I don’t rehearse…when things are spontaneous. I’m the type of guy where my songs aren’t necessarily marked up and if they are marked up it’s because I put the cue point and loop on it the last time I DJed. I almost feel like when I’m going out on a gig I’m experimenting as it’s happening…sometimes I crash and burn but most of the time lately, especially this last summer, I’ve just been spinning off the cuff. I had a huge computer crash over the last year and it forced me – I lost like six years of playlists that I had developed for every occasion that I could possibly DJ. It was different because I was depending on these playlists…it made me lazy. This last year, I’ve been spinning without playlists, I’ve been going straight off my library, DJing off the cuff, literally searching through thousands of songs, typing them in, no BPMing, no leaning on a mix that I prepared from a previous gig I did.

I think that’s the beautiful thing about DJing live… you have to feed off the energy of the people. That energy is going to help you dictate what’s your next record and where you’re gonna take it, are you gonna take it there, you gonna take it up, do I need to change the tempo? It’s really kind hard to practice rocking’ a party. You can imagine things all day and like I said do the basics, be familiar with the music, know that this song ends abruptly and there’s no break but at the end of the day there is so much more that happens in the heat of the moment. I find most of my mixes I like or records I like to use comes from using them at the gig and playing them, after playing them out a few times you get to know a record and how it works with other ones. Before you know it, I guess I kinda have a playlist built in my head at this point, but I definitely love opportunities where I’m not forced to have to play anything, where it’s not bottle service. Where I can really go out and do me, play stuff off the cuff and honestly having that relationship with the crowd. It is so important to get into the crowd and feel their energy and being on the same page as them. Yeah, I like to go off the cuff definitely.

Jeremiah: Nice! Kind of going off that, is there any one track that comes to mind that you would throw on when the energy isn’t there or you’re trying to hype the crowd up a little?

DJ Babu: Obviously that’s always depending on the crowd you’re dealing with but for my bread and butter that comes out to see me do me, I don’t know… there’s a few of them, I guess I could never go wrong playing “Hip Hop” by Dead Prez.

This summer DJing has kind of evolved for me… this last year I should say. DJing has changed so much and to be honest with you, even to myself, you know, for years for better or not, I’ve been in the box of “Mr. Keep It Real” you know… only gonna play Hip Hop, gonna play 90’s Hip Hop. In the last year or so I’ve really taken it upon myself to get out of that box and challenge myself. This year, the set I played at the Do-Over was one of the best sets I’ve had in years. To be honest with you, I’d say like thirty minutes of it was Hip Hop. By the time I got to Hip Hop…you know I was playing dance music, I was playing Yaz and Fonda Rae & Wish, playing House, playing Nightcrawlers, you know just really going there and really going outside the box but putting my twist on it. I was kinda weird about it… this is one of the few times I practiced for a set. I DJ’d 4^th of July at the Do-Over here in LA.

The Do-Over is a big thing… you’ve got the biggest DJ’s in the world wanting to play at this summertime party and they don’t get paid…they want to be there. If Jazzy Jeff or ?uestlove or someone like that is in town they make time and say, “I want to be here on a Sunday so I can play the Do-Over and then I’ll go to the Grammy party,” you know what I mean? So when I got offered to play it, I hadn’t played it since the previous summer and I thought there is no way I can come in there and play “Come Clean,” East Flatbush Project, “Simon Says” and shit like that…it’s so predictable and so cliché. I really made a point to play all the music that I love that people don’t really expect me to play. I knew it was either going to crash and burn or it was going to go the fuck off. Luckily it all worked out and the latter happened. It was just the most… I mean if I had hairy arms, the hair would have been standing up the whole hour and a half I DJed…it was just awesome. I didn’t really practice much but I made it a point to say, “I’m going to stay away from these records, I’m going to put a whole bunch of new records together, get to know them and know I can go to them.” Low and behold I got there and I ended up playing all this different shit for the first hour. By the time I did get to Hip Hop, it was just bonkers. People really appreciated me going deep and by the time I went to my bread and butter – even the Hip Hop I was playing was different… I didn’t go to those regular records and I even surprised them. I think sometimes I think it means a lot when a certain DJ, I mean two DJ’s can play the same record, but when one of the DJ’s plays it in a certain way it just makes it so much more of a difference. Even for me going up there, the way I drop a Lil Wayne record in the mix of all these other records I’m playing, I mean who is going to mix Lil Wayne with any of those records and make it pop? I was just really, no boxes, I was just going to play shit that I think is dope, new, old, whatever’s going to make you move and have a good time.

So I’ve been really on this thing, as far as my DJing goes… trying to shed being in that box. I don’t quite fit in Vegas and do the bottle service thing. I don’t think I’d enjoy that at all but something like the Do-Over or just like the more mature crowd that is open to good music, whatever the genre is, I could really see myself excelling in that like, after I’m done with the rap game maybe if I’m still DJing.

Jeremiah: I think that’s huge for DJ’s now that some of us older heads are… we’re getting older and more mature about our music and listen to more than just Hip Hop. What advice would you give to the younger DJ’s just starting out?

DJ Babu: Just to have fun with it. I think that it’s really important to know that DJing is a real spiritual thing. Obviously when you’re a kid and you start DJing it’s gonna get you girls, it’s gonna get you in the cool crowd, there’s always dumb ulterior motives like that. People think it’s all cracked up but DJing is very hard work. You know, I just want to tell up and coming DJ’s to enjoy it, love it, love music, love being able to play music for people. If there is a particular DJ you like, study him, find out who their influences were, and study your idols, idols. Do your homework.

I think the big part of DJing that the new kids miss, besides the obvious things like digging for records and going to record stores and that kind of stuff, is that DJ’s, in every genre, we’re kind of historians. We are the ones who are tracking the movement of music, whatever genre you’re into, whatever kind of music you listen to. It says a lot about a DJ to be a tastemaker and to have good taste and to know good music and to be honestly in love with music. You can tell when someone is just playing some songs off a list or they are playing some music that they fucking love.

The most important advice I can give DJ’s is just, love what you do, do what you love, all that other stuff will fall into place if you’re true to what you’re doing. Don’t bite, be original. There is so much shit out there that you can do versus copying the next man. I’m really on that anti-biting shit. I mean, me as a kid, you couldn’t dress the same as a homie. A graffiti writer couldn’t, if there was a Rob One [Rest In Peace], you couldn’t come out as Bob One. Even as a DJ, I make it a point myself, when I went to the Do-Over, I’m like these are records that no one is playing…there was at least six or seven records no one has played at the Do-Over and the shit went the fuck off. Now I’m like, why are all these motherfuckers playing that song now? I’m like c’mon man, there’s millions of songs out there dude, that was mine, you know. I was raised in a different generation, I always tell kids there’s so much inspiration everywhere, there’s so much knowledge at your fingertips, why would anyone at this point do anything un-original? There’s just so much out there and so many ways to express yourself now. Be original.

Jeremiah: Well said.

Read Part 1

MC Hammer: Death Of Auto-Tune Hustling Analogy

yU Speaks On The Earn, The DMV’s Hip Hop Scene & What’s Next For Diamond District

Jeff Leon — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:00:52 +0000

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with DMV rapper yU, who just released The Earn, a fantastic follow up to his acclaimed 2010 solo debut, Before Taxes. We got to chop it up about life, writing rhymes, his work with Diamond District, his push to earn his spot in Hip Hop and much more. Check it out!

Jeff Leon: Introduce yourself to those that aren’t familiar with you.

yU: My name is yU… I’m a third of the group Diamond District and half of another group called The 1978ers. I’m an artist signed to the independent label by the name of Mello Music Group.

Jeff Leon: Great. So your latest project The Earn, is a record [that] I really enjoyed. What were your goals for the record?

yU: For the most part, I wanted to put something out there to represent the place that I was in. For the past like three, four years, it’s been a rough road and I’m glad to say that I made it through all of the things I was going through and [the record] is a reflection of that. Musically I wanted to show a growth past Before Taxes and I wanted to step up a little bit. I wanted the quality to improve over time…I didn’t want to do a drastic, like, go-all-in [record] with a million-dollar studio and that would be the first thing you hear. I wanted to grow up to an elevated sound and I felt like it did that.

Jeff Leon: Listening to The Earn, it seems like you really are out to work hard, build yourself up, and earn your props and recognition. What’s your [work] ethic like when it comes to making music?

yU: It’s a permanent thing. It’s a part of my life. It’s the reason I have three kids now… it’s like a lifestyle, it’s something I can’t stop. If I was to stop that, then that would cut my expression off. Over time, I found out that this was the best way to express myself.

Jeff Leon: Definitely true. You have a track dedicated to writing rhymes and the power of making that perfect bar and feeling the inspiration. How important is that feel to you, and how do you approach putting rhymes together?

yU: It’s kinda like… it’s a ritual, man. It’s a very important moment when you’re putting your thoughts together to make a song that hopefully will be heard for years and years and years. It’s a special thing. For that kind of thing, you may want to light a candle or incense, and take it that serious. I had to dedicate something to that element, because it means a lot to us… the words we say means a whole lot.

Jeff Leon: That’s everything.

yU: Yeah.

Jeff Leon: So you’re coming out of the DMV (The District, Maryland, and Virginia), a Hip Hop scene which has kinda struggled to get attention and it’s a scene that many sleep on, which is unfortunate because there’s a lot of talented artists out there. What are the challenges of being in that scene, if there are any, and what do you think DC brings to Hip Hop?

yU: I would say that it’s partially a challenge, and not to go against that, but also the challenge in itself is what makes us stand out. A lot of the light that has been given to the West Coast and New York and all that, and we’ve kind of struggled to have a voice. But that gives us motivation. We’re really hungry, so I hope when you’re listening to artists from the DMV, you hear that hunger more than anything. [To Hip Hop] we bring light of a different shade…we bring percussion. If I was in a room full of people, all of them are known voices, I’d really like to hear from the person who didn’t say much, and I would like to hear what was on that person’s mind… that’s kind of like the DMV to me. It’s like the cat that is quiet all this time, and just by the dress, you can see that he has something really interesting to say… there you have the DMV.

Jeff Leon: I got you. I was up in DC last year and was getting into the scene. There are so many artists up there and so much talent, which is really starting to shine and come out now.

yU: You’re right, people are coming out now. The reason why you’re seeing more and more folks from here…is that there’s always been talent here, and there has been for a long time, but I guess it’s been kind of separated. Dudes were really sparse, or on their own angles. But it’s good now because everybody’s interacting more, and the more you see us interacting the more good music you’re gonna hear. I’m glad people are starting to catch on.

Jeff Leon: My introduction to you was on Diamond District’s In The Ruff, an album I love and I still bump regularly. How is it working and touring with Oddisee and XO and are there any hints about what’s next to come from the group?

yU: It’s always great to tour with Oddisee, XO, DJ Quartermaine and my man Trek Life from the West Coast, just simply because they’re cool people, and I can relate to them. Even if we’re different and we all got different ways about us, when you put us together it all makes sense. Our album process is the simplest process I’ve ever seen because all I had to be was to be what I’ve been, and that’s what everybody else contributed too. When you put ‘em together, it just made sense. Touring was very cool because nobody is really extreme…too rough to be around. We’ve got respect for each other, so that’s how it works.

For what’s next, you can definitely expect March on Washington, [Diamond District]’s second album, along with other stuff, maybe some mixtapes. I know I’m doing an EP with Oddisee, I believe XO is too, so a whole lot from all of us. The difference between us and some other groups is that we work together and we work independently. Oddisee is finishing up his solo album. XO’s put out a few projects this year, and he’s working on a new one. Brothers like myself, Kev Brown, Slimkat78, and Soulful! — we’ve got a project for him that’ll be coming soon. In doing that, you’ll find that some of the same elements that is Diamond District. When we do our thing solo, we contribute to each other’s projects too.

Jeff Leon: Good stuff. Now I know that you work closely with Slimkat78 as the duo of the 1978ers. You two had the project G.I.R.L. earlier this year, and Slim is always contributing a beat or two to your projects. How is that chemistry that you two have? How does it work when you are in the studio creating music?

yU: I have like a triangle of mentors, Slimkat being the third angle of that triangle. Since I met him, he kinda showed me how to be an independent artist. He was the first one that allowed me to record myself. He put the beat on the machine and was like, “Man, I’m going to sleep, you can record. I’ll wake up in the morning and hear what you did,” and for a long time, like ten years now, we’ve been working together and everything I’m putting together, I keep him in the fold. And finally, the 1978ers will be finishing our first project, we’re gonna hand it in around the end of January, and it’s gonna be called People of Today. Slim is like, Before Taxes, The Earn… how we do it [is] we pass music around to each other or things that I have recorded, I send it down and he lets me know how he feels about it, and if he digs it then that means a lot to me, so most likely I’ll include that in the project. Ultimately, he’s like a sound party. I’ve included him for executive production on Before Taxes because most of the ideas were running through him. He’s my brother… I have a lot of respect for him.

Jeff Leon: I’m guessing he was there while you were coming up in your production too because of course, I pay attention to your productions, and on The Earn one of my favorite tracks is the last one, Highlights of Life, Part 2.

yU: Ah, that’s what’s up.

Jeff Leon: Yeah, I know you worked on that one, and I really enjoyed that track — the live feel, and the soul of it, so kudos on that listen.

yU: That’s what’s up man, I definitely appreciate that.

Jeff Leon: So what do you want to get out of Hip Hop and what kind of legacy do you want to leave?

yU: As far as in the long run, I try my best to make songs that would make sense to be listened to like twenty years on. Leave the power of the spoken word. It was kind of like a wakeup call when Gil Scott-Heron passed this year, and it made me realize that I wish people would put emphasis [on the message]. In this day and age, everybody is worried about the beat and it’s gotta be loud and booming and all that, and I mean that’s cool, but music from the past was the same thing, it had bass to it, it had loud elements, but you could never take away somebody having something to say. Music from the ‘70s will always be listened to because they had so many different topics; they had things to talk about. Anything you could be going through, there is a song that you could, right now, go and find that would capture that moment. Somebody’s going through something rough, or somebody’s feeling good, or somebody just met a girl they liked or something. There’s always a song that you could go to which would be the soundtrack to that.

More and more I want to pick up instruments, I want to build with the younger cats coming up. I wish older generations before me would have reached out to me, some of them have, some of them I wish would have. I’m trying to do that for the next generation and cats coming up. If they want feedback on what they are doing, anything I could possibly do, I ain’t nothing but a vessel. If you’re giving me props, then you’re giving the people who’ve inspired me props, and the people who inspired them, and on and on. Hip Hop, if you really look at it, is damn near the answer to slavery, where a race of people’s history was taken from them, and it wasn’t in the plans to let them know where they came from. When you think of Hip Hop, it’s the only form of music you see bringing back pieces of old records that came before us. In the music, you listen to it and it has a sample, which dated back to something else, the artist who put that out was saying something totally different [from the current record] and [the new artist] will reintroduce it with a new subject. The music has lineage, and I’m grateful to be part of that lineage, and hopefully I can make something that somebody else wants to sample, or inspires somebody else.

Jeff Leon: You’ve mentioned being topical, speaking about things today, which can be relevant tomorrow. On The Earn you have comments and moments where you speak about things like the recession, not being able to find a job, and so on. Even looking at the titles of your records, you had Before Taxes and now The Earn, you’re dealing with money, and you speak of how contentious it is. The commentary is intriguing.

yU: It’s a serious subject right now. Personally, I can even be honest and say that in the past couple of years I had a rise and fall. During the process of doing Before Taxes and In the Ruff, I was working a 9 to 5 and I actually found the best job I ever had. I went from making about eight dollars and hour to making 26 dollars an hour, so during that period, I was doing really good and bought a new car and we would ride to the shows in my truck and all of that. But for every rise you gotta be prepared for change, so I went from that to getting laid off which made me go from 90, almost 100 thousand that year to nothing, and a lot of people going through something really serious like that. You’ll have some that will commit suicide just because of the change… they can’t handle was going on, and I’m glad that I was able to turn that into something positive as far as the music, making something that’ll give people inspiration.

Jeff Leon: What’s next for you?

yU: 2012 is going to be a very busy year. The Earn comes out, then next year we are looking at about five projects solo-wise, then Diamond District’s March on Washington. Next year we also got the 1978ers project, an EP from myself and Oddisee, another project with the cat who produced [The Earn’s] “Write On,” his name is Usef Dinero from Pittsburgh. We got one project ready called Flying High which is a free download, and we’re gonna do something new also. Halloween of next year, I’m doing a project called Killer and recently I just put out a Garbage Beat Tape, the introduction for another instrumental album coming through Mello Music Group next year. So, a busy year.

Jeff Leon: Sounds like it! You mentioned the Garbage Beat Tape… I was checking that out and that’s an interesting story about that tape and what you were planning to do with it. Could you elaborate more on that one?

yU: Many people didn’t know I produced and part of the reason was I didn’t really put myself out there as a producer was because I pretty much made beats for myself. I’m around producer cats all the time, so I see all of the changes they go through and the different things people say. You’ll have some cat that’ll give somebody their most dope beat ever [which] doesn’t really need to be changed and you’ll have somebody come to them, like, “Yeah man, just put some crashes on it and I can hear some xylophones on that,” or something crazy. It’s kinda wild hearing those things… I always told myself, you know what, I don’t want to go through all that, I just wanna make it how I’m gonna make it, and it’s for me so I don’t have to go through that, besides XO or any other people who ask that are like family… it’s different. The Garbage Beat Tape is just letting people know that I do put joints together. Oddisee told me to do it a while ago, but I always was thinking to myself that to put together a beat tape, I wanted it to have a theme to it, and I wanted it to be something different, so I figured it out. People don’t know that there was an inside story to the tape. I was actually watching YouTube and I was seeing a whole lot of producers talking about making beats that I didn’t really feel that they were making, but I liked the fact that they were verbalizing all of what they thought was needed to make beats. Someone was talking about, “Yeah, I use the MPC 5000 and the XL 500,” and all this, but when you hear the beats, the beats are real small. I wanted to use them in between the songs. It’s kinda like an inside joke. [The producing] is something I want to grow with, I wanted it to have something to say, even though it’s just beats, you can still have something to say. I wanted to have more content in a beat tape than some emcees do.

MC Hammer: Death Of Auto-Tune Hustling Analogy

Action Bronson Talks About Working With Statik Selektah, Twitter & Justin Bieber

Jeremiah — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:00:27 +0000

Action Bronson has literally exploded on the scene over the past couple years and has been working hard to make sure you know his name. With the release of Dr. Lecter earlier this year, the acclaimed chef turned emcee has been getting a lot of attention from the Hip Hop world. And on November 22^nd, Bronsonelli and Statik Selektah released Well Done, their first collaborative effort and Action’s sophomore album.

Action took some time out of his busy schedule to chop it up with us about the new project, his upcoming projects, what you should eat while listening to Well Done, and much more.

Jeremiah: What’s good Bronsonelli?! I checked out Well Done and I also read somewhere that you and Statik Selektah just went in to make a track and ended up making a whole album. How did that all come about?

Action Bronson: Well first off, did you like the album?

Jeremiah: Dope project. You and Statik Selektah were meant to make music together. Exactly the type of Hip Hop I love. It is Hip Hop in its rawest form.

Action Bronson: Is it too Hip Hop?

Jeremiah: Nah man, it’s just right. I’ve been a fan of this since the 80’s and everything is just right. Your delivery, rhymes and stories are dope and Statik’s production is, as always, on point. It’s refreshing.

Action Bronson: All right man, good, I’m glad. Yeah man, so Statik had hollered at me through Twitter. Twitter is the best thing in the world. He told me to come through…he was doing that track with Termanology, “The Money Is Reality,” so we did that and I guess he liked it so he wanted to work on some more shit. We were just going to do a little EP, just a couple songs, [but] it just turned into something else man. We just kept going.

Jeremiah: I just saw that you’re getting ready to drop a project with Alchemist next.

Action Bronson: Yeah, I just landed last night from…I was at his house for seven or eight days and we finished the whole album.

Jeremiah: Did you guys decide on a name for the project yet?

Action Bronson: Nah, we haven’t figured out the name yet. (Laughs) I put on Twitter that we needed a name and I got some pretty interesting ones. (Laughs)

Jeremiah: Yeah I saw that. I sent you a couple. One was Meatloaf Management.

(Both Laugh)

Action Bronson: Meatloaf Management… that’s a pretty good one.

Jeremiah: Then I said you should get Oh No and Roc Marciano on there and call it Grene Peppers.

Action Bronson: (Laughs) Grene Peppers… I like that. I’m going to have Roc on one of the joints.

Jeremiah: Although you have a couple projects out already you are still looked at as a relative newcomer to this shit. How do you explain, or what do you think is the reason for your seemingly overnight success?

Action Bronson: That’s the thing, I don’t know if it was really overnight cause I’ve been at it for two and a half years. There [are] people that just have one video and they’re out of here, you know. I feel like I’ve been paying some dues. I’ve performed in front of fucking seven people before. I’ve done that shit…I’ve done the fucking circuit.

At the end of the day I’m appreciative. I don’t know why people are liking my shit… I guess it’s because nobody is really doing it like I’m doing it right now. It is what it is you know. People can look at it anyway they want. Either they like it or they don’t.

Jeremiah: Besides the producers, what would you say is the biggest difference between Dr. Lecter and Well Done, even in your writing or your thought process of the project?

Action Bronson: One thing with Dr. Lecter is I was trying to prove a point. There were some things going on in my life that I was [I don’t know] I was generating all that anger that had built up for a long time and let it all out in that one project. To me, that shit is just a chapter in history.

Well Done is another chapter in history because I wrote that shit when I was laid up with a broken leg so there were a lot of different angles for that one. I feel like everyone looks at your second album more than your first one to see if you can match it or surpass it. So that was the task…just trying to give the people the best delivery and best performance I can.

Jeremiah: And what would you say is the biggest difference between working with Tommy Mas, Statik Selektah, and The Alchemist?

Action Bronson: Shit, Tommy Mas is a perfectionist. He likes to take his time on things. He is not just gonna make beats for you on the fly. Statik will be there all night long fucking drunk, smoking weed with me just making beat after beat after beat. ALC… all we do is fucking smoke weed and fucking just laugh and make beats, that’s it. That’s how it goes.

It was all different experiences you know. The album with Tommy Mas… we took about six months with it… it was over time. The Statik album was a different situation ‘cause of the broken leg. I was recovering…I was angry you know. The Alchemist album was just a week of debauchery and just good weather on the beach…like how can you be mad? I can’t beat that right there.

I also have an album with my man Party Supplies. We made that in about a month…just working every other day or something like that. Also, I have an album with Harry Fraud, so there are a lot of things on deck. I just keep on working, keep on pushing you know.

Jeremiah: One of my favorite tracks off Apathy’s Honkey Kong is “All I Think About” and actually Apathy is the one that really put me up on you.

Action Bronson: Apathy shows a lot of love man, that’s a good dude.

Jeremiah: Yeah he is! Do you have any future collabs in the works that we should know about?

Action Bronson: Yeah, with Roc Marciano hopefully. Got the homie Fashawn on some joints…who else? Um, Willie The Kid, I can’t even think. The family, A.G. Da Coroner, Meyhem Lauren. That’s it. I want to work with a lot of people but I’m not gonna be that guy to go ask.

Jeremiah: I feel ya. No Bieber joints?

Action Bronson: Shit, I’ll fuck with him. He’s seen my face, Bieber’s seen my face. I was in a video with Asher Roth and Bieber retweeted it so I know that motherfucker saw my face.

Jeremiah: What meal would you suggest fans eat while listening to Well Done for the first time?

Action Bronson: While listening to Well Done, you should definitely have a beautiful bottle of Montrachet 1983. Then you should make yourself a nice 65 day aged rib-eye on the bone, maybe some roasted shallots with a bit of balsamic. Then to finish it off — a nice panna cotta.

Jeremiah: That will give the fans the best listening experience?

Action Bronson: Yeah, and then get a fucking blow job. A blowjob from a Brazilian behemoth.

(Both laugh)

Jeremiah: We’ve seen in 140 characters or less on Twitter with your various rants, which makes you one of my favorite people to follow, but for the fans that may not follow or the new fans, how do you feel about some of these corny “rappers” and how do think Hip Hop got to a place where mediocrity is acceptable?

Action Bronson: You know, let me just address Twitter first. Twitter is the best. I’m gonna big up Twitter. If you have nothing to do, you go on Twitter and there is just tons of entertainment. I just express my mind… it could be on anything.

When it comes to corny dudes rapping in the game, I guess everybody has their lane. Mediocrity is something that I… I hold myself to a fucking standard like no one else would. If I was wack, I would just stop. I ask people, “Should I rap?” and they’d be like, “Yeah, rap.” If they would be like, “Nah man, listen, just stop.” I would do that because I would be wack.

Everybody has their own lane. If the shit pops… look, I don’t like talking shit about anybody cause I’m not a hater. Bottom line is, I just stay in my motherfucking zone and all I really care about is me and my people. As long as we can make a living in this shit, whatever.

If people are getting money being corny, that’s on them. They have [to] look at themselves in the fucking mirror. They giving away fucking deals like its Christmas over here for fucking shmucks. It’s whatever man. I’m happy for fucking ASAP – ASAP Rocky and the homies from ASAP cause they’re good people, real good dudes, but there are other rappers… it’s out of control how some of them get money.

Jeremiah: I feel ya. How has Action Bronson’s life changed over the last two years?

Action Bronson: People fucking recognize me in the street when I’m walking with my kids or my mother. It’s a little weird…people ask me for autographs and pictures and shit. They just talk to me about music and all kinds of shit. It’s just weird man when you become a public figure; you’re not just you anymore you’re someone else. It’s just weird…weird shit.

Jeremiah: How would you feel if you got on that next XXL Freshman cover?

Action Bronson: That would be good, ya’ know. If people think of me as that, then sure. I’m definitely a freshman in this shit. I just put out my first album this year. I haven’t put out any other music except one freestyle song here and there so I think I’m still considered a freshman. Just being on the cover of a magazine everyone checks…it’s like a yearly thing everyone knows about it. It would definitely be a good thing.

I’m good with XXL anyway…they’re all homies so let’s fucking rig it. As long as they rig it, I don’t give a shit. I’m into point shaving. Fucking Blue Chips man…I’m Nick Nolte, I don’t give a fuck. You want the Lexus, we’ll get Shaq the Lexus – it doesn’t matter.

Jeremiah: Any last thoughts or shouts my man?

Action Bronson: Shouts to the homie Kevin Nottingham, shouts to you, shouts to everybody, shouts to Queens, shouts to Outdoorsmen, Flushing. That’s it.

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