Last Emperor: Battle For The Souls Of Young America
BY MARLON REGIS
Just to give you a lil' brief history towards that particular era, again we're coming pretty much fresh from the deaths of the Notorious B.I.G. and 2 Pac. The climate of hip hop at that time was such that even though I don't think it necessarily emanated from where the culture really emanates from, the media and certain elements in government and otherwise perpetuated the situation between the East Coast and West Coast, where it caused somewhat of a riff and even the community involved began to wholeheartedly buy into this, so they in turn literally did hold a certain amount of animosity towards people from other regions. Prior to that, hip hop was very much about empowering whoever you were, wherever you lived globally. Forget about West Coast and East Coast! Hip Hop was about unifying people from the North American continent to South East Asia, and all points in between.
AFTERMATH
So this is what happened - a friend of mine took a demo that I had done and said listen, ??€?I'm going out to Los Angeles to work on videos with Dr. Dre and some other gentleman..." Basically he kept his word in getting the demo to Dre, let Dre hear the demo, Dre contacted me directly and told me he was interested in working with an artists such as myself. I saw that as an opportunity for me to bridge the gap and heal some of the wounds that had been inflicted by the East Coast/West Coast war. So you had the potential for an East Coast underground artist and emcee and lyricist to work with one of the most critically acclaimed, respected producers in the game in Dr. Dre. So I went out to Cali and got with Dre and he really seem like he was making a very honest commitment to try to make music that would facilitate some of the things that I've discussed. He was like, ??€?Yo, I want you as a lyrical cat to really do you on an album, but what I wanna do is give you the perfect sound to couple some of the topics that you want to address.' He seemed very sincere in doing that and I agreed to sign on to Aftermath. It was a stint that I did for perhaps a year. The irony of it is, there wasn't any concrete discrepancy between myself and Dre over content of music. But there really was a sense of his unavailability to really be as hands on as he had told me he would be earlier on in my project. During my time at Aftermath, I'd been assigned an A&R who didn't see eye to eye on creative issues. And again, none of this was directly between myself and Dre. Dre kinda bit off more than he could chew at this point. He had like a slew of artists. So at times I would bring certain things to Dre's attention in terms of creative differences with the A&R, and he pretty much sided with me on the issue because remember again, he directly signed me. It wasn't like I sent my demo to an A&R. But because Dre's schedule was so hectic, and he had his hands in so many different projects, I was unable to really follow through. At a certain point, I believe when Dre was working on his second Chronic album, I really wasn't being made aware of certain recording sessions. So I just had to show up at impromptu sessions that was taking place for that particular album and let him know that I was really displeased with the rate of work I was able to do or lack there of. And that ??€?yo man let me know something, this isn't really working out.' So he explained to me like look, ??€?Aftermath is a young company, we're not where we really wanna be yet, it's not gonna be a quick race, it's gonna be a marathon - realistically speaking, your album may not come out for another 2 or 3 years. If this is something you can't live with, I respect that and maybe we need to part ways.' So we chose to part ways.
INTERSCOPE
Now after Aftermath, the parent company, Interscope, decided that they really wanted to keep me for an album. They gave me one A&R guy initially who never worked on A&R before, it was his first experience with music, so he really didn't know what to do with an artist such as myself. They got rid of him, got me another A&R who had only prior experience working with Acid Rock groups - anyone who knows about Acid Rock groups, it's quite different from hip hop. And this was 1999 or so...it was a pivotal and tumultuous time for the American economy. I fell victim to that like many other artists. Interscope decided to drop me after that, pretty much. For them it was - we had an artist we pretty much acknowledge that he's talented, but we need to pull our resources into those artists that are already making us money, we can't really afford to gamble on anything else. So they pretty much dropped me. I took that well into perspective because I understand how capitalism works in America. So I became a free agent from that point.
RAWKUS
Then I was approached by the gentlemen at Rawkus Records in putting out an album through Rawkus. And like many of the people in the industry, I had high hopes for that because at that particular time, Rawkus was really viewed as the label that was putting out traditional, authentic hip hop, and meaningful music. It was known as a label that would not stifle the artists. Again, because of some of the things that were happening economically throughout the industry, I didn't know at the time, but I found out a little later on that Rawkus was a few million dollars in debt, along with the fact that they just began to have this idea that they needed to really compete with some of the larger labels in the industry. And they needed artists to bring music to the table to reflect this change. So when I got there, they (Rawkus) were like, ??€?OK what we want to do now is come with some more hardcore, street-oriented records that will really compete with the Def Jam's and the Interscope's or other large conglomerates to get Rawkus out of this view of being sort of the underground, bag-packer label. So now, I really begin to go back and forth with Rawkus like look, this is really not gonna work! Those dudes were now telling me stuff like, ??€?you need to get a personal trainer, so you could get into the gym so that when your album drop you could do photo shoots and press pictures, and your abs and pecks could be nice and right, so you could be like the LL Cool J of Rawkus - THIS WAS LITERALLY WHAT THESE GENTLEMEN TOLD ME! It hurt too man. Because I too was under the assumption that Rawkus was the last label that would ever come at an artist like that.
HHS: (My first real interruption) But I've met you before, you seemed to be always in pretty good shape, so it must have been really weird that they came to you like that?
The Last: "Yeah man, that's what I'd like to think, yuhknow! Again, the irony of it is, here we have the label that suppose to be the most progressive and authentic in terms of putting out good hip hop, but they told me things that I never even heard at the larger labels - everything except that what had to do with the music. They (Rawkus) were the ones that told me that I needed to in a sense, not ??€?Dumb down my lyrics,' but that sometimes my lyrics tended to be too complicated for people. Boy that really hurt more coming from any other situation that I've been a part of. The latter portion of 2001, I made it known that I was displeased with what was going on there and Rawkus decided to let me go thereafter."
HHS: This album - Music, Magic & Myth - invited a lot of producers from outside to contribute, do you wish deep down though, despite the break with Aftermath, that Dr. Dre could've been part of this project? Is the animosity with Aftermath still too strong?
The Last:: "Absolutely. Fortunately I've had elders really sit down and talk to me from Kool Herc, to KRS ONE, to Prince Paul, to RZA, a gentleman named Elai Tubo, who was very instrumental in putting together the first Eric B & Rakim album" (and if you remember in their song, "Paid in Full," Rakim shouts out his name saying, "Aye Yo Elai..." somewhere near the end). "These brothers have really sit me down and talked to me like, ??€?OK, first of all, for you to even take a title like that you have a responsibility.' These gentlemen, they would constantly come to my sessions when I was recording to sit down and talked to me and give me advice and say, ??€?First and foremost, this is a culture we need to uphold and keep going. So with that being said, I look at someone like a Dr. Dre and think, he's from the West Coast and the sort of music that he's been attached with, yuhknow, perhaps lyrically is somewhat different (to me) but the sound and the vibration from the sound still touches our people in a way that is very influential. If it's a Dre beat, some kids will listen to it regardless of whatever you're talking about. So they'll get into the beat first and then say, ??€?OK wow, this kid is talking about something a little different than we normally hear over Dre's beats and it's still DOPE!' So that was always my dream to really bring a coupling of the two. I actually addressed that on a song on this album called "Hold on" - expressing the fact that, again because there was never any concrete animosity between us as men, will we some day at a point finish the work that we intended?"
HHS: You've definitely been through a turn of events, but must have definitely come out a lot stronger and a better emcee with such an experience though? And being around still, you're definitely living up to your name.
The Last: (starts to laugh) "Quite so, quite so...what I must say, my whole approach to hip hop from day 1, was such that, I looked at the people that really influenced me growing up and looked at how they patterned their career, and how they established themselves in their communities and in the hip hop communities first before they even had records out. And I said that, yuhknow, at a certain point this is how I'd like to present myself. Now, I didn't know that it would be so extreme that I would be going through all these bad deals. But what its given me is a certain amount of credibility throughout the hip hop community on a grassroots level that some of the other artists who come out and have large videos and immediately sell millions of records out the gate, will never even accomplish. I just look at it, if nothing else, hopefully as I've walked in the same path that traditionally some of the other greats and contributors and elders in this culture have laid down. Like I would always hear KRS One describe hip hop as this tremendous culture. And I never fully got to understand it ??€?til I traveled abroad and see how it impacted people who didn't even look or talk like me but our commonality was through hip hop culture."
HHS: Yeah, some people don't even speak or understand English...
The Last: "Exactly, exactly..."
HHS: In a now defunct publication, a long time ago, KRS One actually said something in an interview touching on the future of hip hop. It stuck with me, when he was comparing hip hop to how Be Bop became so underground in its true form, it just disappeared. He said all that was left was Jazz in a contemporary form, or as you see vintage Jazz today, almost always reflected through the past and its dead artists.
The Last: "Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely...whewww...I think KRS hit the nail on the head, those are really prophetic words in a sense ??€?cause that's literally what's happening now. It's quite scary. Yuhknow at the same time, some of the best movements whether it be music, whether it be politically, socially, it always starts from an underground, grassroots principle. That's where it's cultured and nurtured the most, and really given the most amount of genuine support. It always comes from that sort of segment of society in a sense. And I think it's always going to be that way..."
HHS: And you look at the state of affairs, generally speaking, I ain't mentioning any names, and not to sound like a broken record, but once you surface above water, it's pretty shitty out there for the masses.
The Last: "You know there was a time when we did have a variety - you could have an NWA, but on the other hand, you could also have a Public Enemy, or A Tribe Called Quest, or a KRS One - it was just such a level of diversity. If this is truly supposed to be like the land of democracy, shouldn't our music also be as democratic? People should be given a wide array and variety of music that they can chose from. Let the people decide what they want to listen to, don't dictate it through ONE artist being played on ONE radio network, 20 times a day and literally program people to like what you want them to like. There needs to be some balance as with anything in life. If that balance is not presented, then that's when this whole culture of hip hop will crumble."
HHS: In the first time I saw you, on the Lyricist Lounge TOUR back in like 1999 or so, you performed a song I'm almost sure is on this album here - "Animalistics" - I remember this song almost bringing down the House of Blues in Los Angeles - so much that afterwards I had to just go up to you and give you a pound and wish you luck. Today, also you mentioned with what's going and with changed times, could you still foresee such a reaction still?
The Last: "Again with conceptual artists like myself, I'm just carrying on a tradition again of those that have come before, so it's my responsibility to keep that going. With today's climate, to a certain degree, most rap music that people hear on the radio today, it's geared towards instant gratification, or the ??€?I just wanna dance right now' crowd. It's not as in depth. But especially when people see things like that live (referring to "Animalistics"), even for those that aren't very aware of hip hop's foundation, or that it supposed to or can be very thought-provoking, to them it may seem new but they still welcome it because they're so used to just this cookie-cutter sort of rap. A song like "Animalistics" anytime that I perform that, and people give me like just a few seconds of their attention, it gets them every time. It's just refreshing because there's so very little of that nowadays. Even for the people into the negative music, they get tired of that too after a while and wanna hear something different."
HHS: Let me play devil's advocate here, it seems as though that there isn't anyone really concerned with skills anymore, and this is generally speaking - in the USA at least. Do you get that sense out there as an emcee, or are you an emcee that's so wrapped into that underground world that you don't even want to see the big picture? How do you feel Emperor?
The Last: "This is a battle literally for the..the...the...the SOULS of YOUNG AMERICA - for me that's what the state of hip hop is right now. For whatever artist that you are, or whatever topics you wanna address. And obviously hip hop is something that started with the black youth, and obviously transcended. Now, we see kids of every demographic area, socio-economic, ethnic background that are now at this forum. And it's a battle for their souls! Do we take them into the direction of the abyss and doing things that are negative in this world, or do we help use hip hop as an educational tool and as something in an artistic way, allowing these individuals to better their lives? That's the dichotomy right there. I'm always aware of that. The music that's taking over now on commercial radio now, it didn't happen overnight. It was a gradual process from like 1994 through currently with the whole like living in excess, it's all about drinking Crystal or popping champagne, or who driving the freshest whips, or the iciest chains and all this. It didn't happen overnight, there was a struggle for that to be implemented and I think it's gonna be a struggle to regain the reigns of power. After a point, there's a time for talking, but there's also a time for action. That time is nearing. Many people tend to personalize my title, The Last Emperor, with all sorts of variations. That's good, but I want my title from my perspective, as something to force me to live up to it, and force me to look at the culture as really being an empire. And someone who upholds the traditions of the empire. I wanna complete the task. I'm a positive artist but I have to come aggressively because I'm trying to win that war to win back the souls of the youth. I have to be on the frontline to do this, and engage in battle!"
Despre ei...
Moderators: .etalosed, greuceanu
Large Professor: Head Of The Class
Interview by Marlon Regis.
HHS: I think with your production credentials being so overwhelming, most listeners fail to realize a great part of your focus has always been emceeing as well. How do you separate or find the time to tackle either successfully?
Extra P: "Ahm, not really 'cause it's just a flow of energy that just comes about, and it's like, yuhknow, you make a beat sometimes and you feel like you could just go the extra mile, and put the lyrics right to it, right there. Or, sometimes, I'll just make a beat and it'll be like, 'alright that is cool by itself.' So it's all in just the energy of it all."
HHS: Do you really feel that you have been given the props you truly deserve, despite all the strides you've made and the many milestones you've accomplished as a producer? How has this industry been to you?
Extra P: "Well, I understand things better, because looking at a lot of these older records, I've been able to study and look at the history of the music industry. And that's what we dealing with, it's the industry. So like to look at R&B, Rock n' Roll and to see how it was, I would see how it's diluted and just all this trickery and stuff. I understand how the industry can do that. I thought though, that just us being hip hop, that we were a new generation that will always check for the older heads. But it's all going up the same alley like others before. Your Rock n' Roll, R&B??€¦.For a while, these things was coming out in my sounds, and my music and I was talking about the industrial part of it, the business. Then after a while, I just had to step back and just get back into my love for the music."
HHS: It seems that back in the day, and if you look at other genres as well, there were few mentions or lines that referred to anything to do with the music business side of life. Nowadays, everybody's album has an entire song referencing his or her record label, whether it is positive or negative. It's like these artists lost all artistry in delivering their craft.
Extra P: "There's a lot of that now, yes. Years from now, we'll look back at it. It's like now when I have to go diggin' and I still get my records as you know, the prices that I pay for some of the old records, some of those records weren't as popular as they are now, as back then when they came out. I see the same thing happening where, a lot of the artists that are being true, like yours from now, will be the jewels. A lot of the stuff now, it's mechanical. It's like an assembly line, like a cookie-cutter, a cookie-cutter??€¦"
HHS: Sort of like comparing Fast Food to Gourmet food, right?
Extra P: "Yep, like home-cooked. Word!"
HHS: Amongst all the artists, from Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Nas, Slick Rick, Rakim, Kool G Rap and the list goes on, is there any moment or person in particular that remains within your thoughts, sort of has become a part of your future, musically or outside of music?
Extra P: "I would definitely say Pete Rock, throughout all these years, I've always stayed in contact with him. Nas also, I've always stayed in contact with him. Through this industry, one thing that's good that came out of it, is that I met some cool brothers and we were just able to keep it rolling like, as far as just being brothers. And Akinyele also??€¦"
HHS: During the time when things were going sour with Geffen and a rumored deal with Loud fell through, there was talk circulating that you were hard to work with, or worse - you went through a difficult period with alcohol, is any of this true?
Extra P: "Nah, it was always a casual thing. Smoke a lil' weed, drink a lil' beer, but it wasn't??€¦Yuh see, what I like to do for the industry and for a lot of the kids that are coming into the industry now, I like to let them know, if you do anything, it's considered as taking drugs! Like when you dealing with these lawyers, you might be thinking that you just puffin' the L, or puffin' on the blunt or drinking a beer, but when you dealing with these people in this corporate industry, you're taking drugs! I thought I was more on the Bob Marley level, or I was just casual. But then for somebody like me, they'd put it under a scope. Then, you'd have another artist come out and that (the drug image) would be a big part of their whole campaign, and they will respect them. And this is from me and the one thing is for sure, and this lets everybody know is that The LP did get delivered. It's not like I didn't deliver it. As far as the business is concerned, I always take care of the business. What people have in their opinions is somethin' different, and I can't control that. And I feel bad that I can't because, I can paint the picture better than anyone else."
HHS: Is it safe to say, that the climate around this time changed, and the powers-that-be needed you to change the way you delivered your style of hip hop?
Extra P: "R I I I GHT! That's exactly what happened. They wanted me to kinda change with it and I didn't."
HHS: Well, maybe you are not the type to change, you just couldn't.
Extra P: "Exactly, I needed to stick to my roots and give them what they signed me for."
HHS: I really think that time was critical too, since it was a period I saw hip hop as a cult, being now suddenly adopting a whole other agenda geared towards the pop market in a big way. And you definitely wouldn't have been a part of the latter switch over, would you?
Extra P: "Right, that wouldn't have been good for me, or Hip Hop in general. But we stay strong through all of it, we stay strong."
HHS: Don't you think that with your sensibilities set in with a wicked foundation of hip hop, if you were to surround yourself and work alongside newer cats in the game, your sound will be better redefined with you teaching them something, and they being able to teach you as well?
Extra P: "Oh definitely, 'Man sharp as Man' - that's a saying that's been from day 1 - 'Man sharp as Man'! Yeah, I definitely feel if I were to collaborate with some of the more current artists now coming out, people would see me different but I feel like everyone has their slot. I like to stay in a slot of just like 'True-School Hip Hop'. I don't really want to deviate from that. I might step up the technology, as far as what machines I'm using. But as far as the groove, or feel of it, I'll always have that 'Boom Bap' feel to it. The traditional, is how I'm up on it."
HHS: Q-Tip guests on 1st Class on a track, "In the Sun," one of my favorite tracks for the year, but at one time there seemed to be a little strain between you two, around the recording of The LP. Could you explain the dynamic between you two then, as opposed to now. After all, he's on your album now?
Extra P: "It's just the industry. You got two brothers who are down with each other, that were making moves. A lot of the industry politics, tricks and things come into play. It's all made out to be like something's not going right. He came through for this album though, so you know that we saw in the world that all of that past nonsense, it don't or shouldn't come between brothers."
HHS: On this album, is it safe to say you're not really doing anything but defining yourself, and making up for all the years lost from that connection to the rest of the world? What else, if I'm unaware, are you trying to give us on 1st Class?
Extra P: "Really, I'm not trying to take hip hop into anywhere new, or trying to experiment with hip hop. I'm just trying to solidify that the true hip hop still exists and I'm still trying to keep the ROOT strong. I'm not trying new styles, any tricks, no skits. Just traditional, music you could zone out to. Really, I try to embody as much as I know about hip hop, from 1978-79, 80, 81, 82, back then 'til today. Keep it somewhat up-to-date, but still keep it traditional."
HHS: If there were a picture in the dictionary next to the definition of the term, East Coast, your picture would be next to it! (Extra P laughs out loud) Define yourself in this light, and with hip hop branching out with a star from every city or country nowadays, why is Extra P a man who doesn't seem to flinch from the source of it all - NYC?
Extra P: "I just really like to tap into??€¦.(pauses to settle his emotions). It's so deep maaan, pardon me. I wanna tap in deeper than what I know. When I sit here, I'll zone out to 'Wild Style' for days and days at a time."
HHS: What comes to mind in those zones, do you think of the past, Breakdancing, Graffiti, Africa?
Extra P: "Definitely man, Yo! I think about all that, word. It's the best thing to be in those zones. But one thing too is that, when you're so strong in that zone, you're often misunderstood."
HHS: Most geniuses are misunderstood.
Extra P: "Thanks man. With hip hop, this is where it started. Hey man, I'll go and drive through the Bronx to this day, I'll look at the trains. Really, in New York the whole hip hop feelings is kinda diluted now. So, I just try to keep the tradition alive in some type of way, and spark that. And all of the people who might still live out here, or even if they went wherever else, I'd like to just spark that feeling, where it's like, 'WOW!' Word. Definitely, that's it. You know the deal maan, it's wild!"
Interview by Marlon Regis.
HHS: I think with your production credentials being so overwhelming, most listeners fail to realize a great part of your focus has always been emceeing as well. How do you separate or find the time to tackle either successfully?
Extra P: "Ahm, not really 'cause it's just a flow of energy that just comes about, and it's like, yuhknow, you make a beat sometimes and you feel like you could just go the extra mile, and put the lyrics right to it, right there. Or, sometimes, I'll just make a beat and it'll be like, 'alright that is cool by itself.' So it's all in just the energy of it all."
HHS: Do you really feel that you have been given the props you truly deserve, despite all the strides you've made and the many milestones you've accomplished as a producer? How has this industry been to you?
Extra P: "Well, I understand things better, because looking at a lot of these older records, I've been able to study and look at the history of the music industry. And that's what we dealing with, it's the industry. So like to look at R&B, Rock n' Roll and to see how it was, I would see how it's diluted and just all this trickery and stuff. I understand how the industry can do that. I thought though, that just us being hip hop, that we were a new generation that will always check for the older heads. But it's all going up the same alley like others before. Your Rock n' Roll, R&B??€¦.For a while, these things was coming out in my sounds, and my music and I was talking about the industrial part of it, the business. Then after a while, I just had to step back and just get back into my love for the music."
HHS: It seems that back in the day, and if you look at other genres as well, there were few mentions or lines that referred to anything to do with the music business side of life. Nowadays, everybody's album has an entire song referencing his or her record label, whether it is positive or negative. It's like these artists lost all artistry in delivering their craft.
Extra P: "There's a lot of that now, yes. Years from now, we'll look back at it. It's like now when I have to go diggin' and I still get my records as you know, the prices that I pay for some of the old records, some of those records weren't as popular as they are now, as back then when they came out. I see the same thing happening where, a lot of the artists that are being true, like yours from now, will be the jewels. A lot of the stuff now, it's mechanical. It's like an assembly line, like a cookie-cutter, a cookie-cutter??€¦"
HHS: Sort of like comparing Fast Food to Gourmet food, right?
Extra P: "Yep, like home-cooked. Word!"
HHS: Amongst all the artists, from Q-Tip, Pete Rock, Nas, Slick Rick, Rakim, Kool G Rap and the list goes on, is there any moment or person in particular that remains within your thoughts, sort of has become a part of your future, musically or outside of music?
Extra P: "I would definitely say Pete Rock, throughout all these years, I've always stayed in contact with him. Nas also, I've always stayed in contact with him. Through this industry, one thing that's good that came out of it, is that I met some cool brothers and we were just able to keep it rolling like, as far as just being brothers. And Akinyele also??€¦"
HHS: During the time when things were going sour with Geffen and a rumored deal with Loud fell through, there was talk circulating that you were hard to work with, or worse - you went through a difficult period with alcohol, is any of this true?
Extra P: "Nah, it was always a casual thing. Smoke a lil' weed, drink a lil' beer, but it wasn't??€¦Yuh see, what I like to do for the industry and for a lot of the kids that are coming into the industry now, I like to let them know, if you do anything, it's considered as taking drugs! Like when you dealing with these lawyers, you might be thinking that you just puffin' the L, or puffin' on the blunt or drinking a beer, but when you dealing with these people in this corporate industry, you're taking drugs! I thought I was more on the Bob Marley level, or I was just casual. But then for somebody like me, they'd put it under a scope. Then, you'd have another artist come out and that (the drug image) would be a big part of their whole campaign, and they will respect them. And this is from me and the one thing is for sure, and this lets everybody know is that The LP did get delivered. It's not like I didn't deliver it. As far as the business is concerned, I always take care of the business. What people have in their opinions is somethin' different, and I can't control that. And I feel bad that I can't because, I can paint the picture better than anyone else."
HHS: Is it safe to say, that the climate around this time changed, and the powers-that-be needed you to change the way you delivered your style of hip hop?
Extra P: "R I I I GHT! That's exactly what happened. They wanted me to kinda change with it and I didn't."
HHS: Well, maybe you are not the type to change, you just couldn't.
Extra P: "Exactly, I needed to stick to my roots and give them what they signed me for."
HHS: I really think that time was critical too, since it was a period I saw hip hop as a cult, being now suddenly adopting a whole other agenda geared towards the pop market in a big way. And you definitely wouldn't have been a part of the latter switch over, would you?
Extra P: "Right, that wouldn't have been good for me, or Hip Hop in general. But we stay strong through all of it, we stay strong."
HHS: Don't you think that with your sensibilities set in with a wicked foundation of hip hop, if you were to surround yourself and work alongside newer cats in the game, your sound will be better redefined with you teaching them something, and they being able to teach you as well?
Extra P: "Oh definitely, 'Man sharp as Man' - that's a saying that's been from day 1 - 'Man sharp as Man'! Yeah, I definitely feel if I were to collaborate with some of the more current artists now coming out, people would see me different but I feel like everyone has their slot. I like to stay in a slot of just like 'True-School Hip Hop'. I don't really want to deviate from that. I might step up the technology, as far as what machines I'm using. But as far as the groove, or feel of it, I'll always have that 'Boom Bap' feel to it. The traditional, is how I'm up on it."
HHS: Q-Tip guests on 1st Class on a track, "In the Sun," one of my favorite tracks for the year, but at one time there seemed to be a little strain between you two, around the recording of The LP. Could you explain the dynamic between you two then, as opposed to now. After all, he's on your album now?
Extra P: "It's just the industry. You got two brothers who are down with each other, that were making moves. A lot of the industry politics, tricks and things come into play. It's all made out to be like something's not going right. He came through for this album though, so you know that we saw in the world that all of that past nonsense, it don't or shouldn't come between brothers."
HHS: On this album, is it safe to say you're not really doing anything but defining yourself, and making up for all the years lost from that connection to the rest of the world? What else, if I'm unaware, are you trying to give us on 1st Class?
Extra P: "Really, I'm not trying to take hip hop into anywhere new, or trying to experiment with hip hop. I'm just trying to solidify that the true hip hop still exists and I'm still trying to keep the ROOT strong. I'm not trying new styles, any tricks, no skits. Just traditional, music you could zone out to. Really, I try to embody as much as I know about hip hop, from 1978-79, 80, 81, 82, back then 'til today. Keep it somewhat up-to-date, but still keep it traditional."
HHS: If there were a picture in the dictionary next to the definition of the term, East Coast, your picture would be next to it! (Extra P laughs out loud) Define yourself in this light, and with hip hop branching out with a star from every city or country nowadays, why is Extra P a man who doesn't seem to flinch from the source of it all - NYC?
Extra P: "I just really like to tap into??€¦.(pauses to settle his emotions). It's so deep maaan, pardon me. I wanna tap in deeper than what I know. When I sit here, I'll zone out to 'Wild Style' for days and days at a time."
HHS: What comes to mind in those zones, do you think of the past, Breakdancing, Graffiti, Africa?
Extra P: "Definitely man, Yo! I think about all that, word. It's the best thing to be in those zones. But one thing too is that, when you're so strong in that zone, you're often misunderstood."
HHS: Most geniuses are misunderstood.
Extra P: "Thanks man. With hip hop, this is where it started. Hey man, I'll go and drive through the Bronx to this day, I'll look at the trains. Really, in New York the whole hip hop feelings is kinda diluted now. So, I just try to keep the tradition alive in some type of way, and spark that. And all of the people who might still live out here, or even if they went wherever else, I'd like to just spark that feeling, where it's like, 'WOW!' Word. Definitely, that's it. You know the deal maan, it's wild!"
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
Plain Rap & The Pharcyde
Never worried about the status-quo, The Pharcyde has always been unafraid of breaking new ground. We recently caught up to Romye of the newly reinvented group, to give us an update on their new album, Plain Rap, and music in general.
JM: Your music has always been full of life. But since the last album, y'all seem to have taken a more spiritual direction with this one. What was the cause?
Romye: Just you know, dealing with the everyday. Just getting older, I mean when we first got on Bizarre Ride, we wasn't really in the music industry. It was just our thoughts free from whatever. But once we stepped in the game, it just became a whole real different trip. Basically, we write from our lives. It's not like I write from another man's life, or I'm writin' a story or some other stuff. Its basically from our life. That's just what I write, what's been goin' on. Other members, I'm pretty sure, they feel the same, you know?
JM: Speaking of other members, did you maybe gain more creative freedom since other members stepped out, and your dealing with indie labels now?
Romye: As far as Fat Lip, he likes the record label, as far as how people are, just being in the record business in general. Just you know, being an artist on a record label, getting your budget, go through your album, and that's how he wanted to do it. I just felt totally different. There was just different feelings as far as how to do things. You know? Just as far as on coming out, and then as far as music, and then actually making a song, that's a whole another thing. It was just like a lot of differences on just where he saw how he wanted the group to go, and how we saw how we wanted the group to go. Bizarre Ride was one album...but it was tampered with, you know what I'm sayin ? Basically Bizarre Ride was tampered with, due to we didn't have enough time, and people saying, "This is cool, this isn't cool, this isn't cool." Even though people heard Bizarre Ride, it lacked, just starting out the gate because of a lot of things we had to just compromise and give up. You know?
JM: It seems you have more control over this CD...
Romye: We didn't have more control, but it was just the songs, I mean, at the time, we just making the songs how we wanted to make the songs. How can someone tell you how to make a song, if their not really putting into the album to try to make it. We was basically doing songs, because that's what we do. We're artists, besides if things are good, or things are bad, we came into this thing like, we just gotta stay in it and keep making songs. Because the people don't really understand it. All they see is that this group has been gone, and as far as behind the curtain or what's going on in the industry. I mean people don't really see, and people don't really care too much, I really believe. You know?
JM: It seems like you guys took a real simple approach, you just concentrated on your music more than anything...
Romye: Yeah definitely. Bizarre Ride, when we came in, a lot of people got lost. A lot of people was like, "What the fuck is this? What are we supposed call this? What is this? These fools are yellin' and screamin' ...". Even though some people liked it, it lost a lot of people. I think like a lot of people couldn't catch on to it. So not necessarily I want to give in to the masses. But if you want people to buy it, you kinda got to make music for the people to understand. It's kinda hard, I just say that simplicity is the hardest thing to do. To make something simple, but get your point across, that's like hella-hard to do. If you can get across in two words what it takes somebody a whole sentence to do, then that's hella-dope. Cuz that take whole lot of thinking to say, "Okay, how am I gonna get this person to react." Like to a one word title, like how we did...I wanted to leave it open for the mind to think a little more, but also keep it simple so people can be like, "This song is 'Trust' , so it's about trust, or this song is "Frontline", so its about the front-line." But then, actually take it a little more deeper than that, because basically you have so many definitions for the one word, you can just take it all sorts of different places.
JM: Were you guys really worried about getting any radio play?
Romye: Naw, because we really never got that type of radio play. "Passin' Me By" , kinda hit a little radio play, and "Runnin'" hit a little radio play...But we never really were that real radio, or that car-bumpin' group. I think if you going on a hella-of a long trip, people wanna put on The Pharcyde, people wanna just listen the whole album and trip...But there never was like, that one song, as far as like a DMX, you got that one song you just hear everywhere. Its just bumpin' , and radios just can' t get enough of it, and you got people requesting it. We never really had that type of song. I mean sale-wise...I mean "Passin' Me By" never went gold, and "Runnin'" sold more than "Passin' Me By". Its completely different as far as if I went by numbers, and if I went by what people say.
JM: You guys broke ground for groups like Jurassic 5, and Dilated Peoples. Do you think those groups along with you guys will have more influence on hip-hop? Or do you think the spoon-fed, glossy, baby-thuggish raps will still be the influence?
Romye: Oh, I think that's always gonna be the major influence. Sex and violence, that's what's selling. The industry is definitely gonna blow it up. It takes a lot to just blow up something positive...It takes time cuz, most people don't want to hear that type of music... That's why I say there's a hell of a fine line, because you could be preaching to the people. They don't wanna be preached to, they like, "Man, I don't wanna hear that shit, I don't wanna hear nobody telling me what I should do. I want to go the party, I want someone talkin' about freakin' on the girls.." whatever. I can't even hate that though. As far as the industry, I don't think they'll ever have Mos Def with Jay-Z, or De La with like Cash Money...I don't think it'll ever be like that.
JM: Nowadays everybody seems to work with everybody. Making their CD looking like a compilation album, and the discs seeming cluttered. It was refreshing to see you guys only work with only a few guests on this one...
Romye: We had worked with a lot of people, like with...Pharoahe Monche, De La, Mos, Cocoa Brovaz, and we worked with a lot of people on the album. After it was time for it to come out, we was like, we couldn't do this, we've been gone so long. I just figured that if we done that, we'll be kind of going out, cuz we're not standing on our own coming back out. So I feel like now, if we did it after album came out, people won't look at it like that. But as far as comin' out the gate, I don't want to be riding off of anybody else's. I just want to stamp it into people's head, Pharcyde first...
JM: Naw, it was kinda nice for once to have someone come out original...
Romye: But than again, we had Black Thought, just to show that we do work with people, and we don't have our head in our asses. And so people wont think we like, "We the shit, fuck everybody else." You know what I'm sayin'" ?
JM: Who was the girls singing on the hooks?
Romye: We had a girl named Deanna, she works with Tre. We had a girl named Dena Ray, she's from Eminem's camp...Oh, Dawn, she worked on some stuff. They was kind of like girls that we knew from back in the day. Dawn, was kind of like part of Jazzyfatnastees before they kind of went out to Philadelphia. Deanna, she used to like dance back in the day. Me and Imani used to be dance teachers, and she took the dance class, and now her whole thing is singing. So we was like, "Yo, let's try to do something." It just worked out, it was cool. We just did some things.
JM: I personally liked this album more than the others...
Romye:...You're gonna start some arguments with that! That's cool that you liked it. Like a lot people feel like, "Yo, we want that Bizarre Ride.". I just try to tell people that I'm just way older. For me to try to come out like that...it'd be played out to actually come out on that vibe, and do a hell of a lot of skits on your album, that whole vibe of doing stuff like that is kind of played to me...Its just gonna have to be different.
JM: Well, Labcabincalifornia felt like you were in transition, with the new album, it finally felt like you got out of it...
Romye: We didn't do too much production on Labcabin, not saying that was the fault, but sometimes when you go outta your camp and do other production, sometimes there's an element missing out of your music. Basically, somebody else is bringing something else to the music. Not saying that I don't like to work with other producers...I mean, its always good to work with other producers as far as just making an album. You can just get stuck in a rut, as far as one person doing your album. Just working with other people, it just keeps more spice in the album to me. This time we didn't venture out too much. We worked with Showbiz, and we worked with couple other producers. A lot of stuff didn't make the album as far as working with all the people that we had worked with. The music that you hear was from people that was within. People like Tre, me, his cousin, and J-Swift. So there wasn't a lot of people.
JM: With some members leaving, what made y'all stay together, instead of going for solo albums?
Romye: The whole plan was to follow formats to certain groups...Tre got soured in the whole thing as far as the process of waiting. Fat Lip, like I said, was never down with the whole independent thing. He kinda likes the label situation. You just don' t have hands-on in everything. Someone's gonna do this for you, someone's gonna do that for you. I just didn't want to go out like that...This album's gonna be released, Tre's already released his stuff. He changed his name to something like The Legend of Phoenix, he kind of sells his stuff over the Internet. Fat Lip is going to release his album supposedly like March. It was suppose to be like March of this year, but I guess its gonna be March of next year. Imani's is gonna come after this one...Hopefully after everything is done, I'm gonna do an EP, maybe with all the guest appearances that we didn't have on the album. I think I'm gonna let the company work with this album.
JM: I'm sure your asked this all the time, but what is the possibility, if any, of a reunion with all the original members?
Romye: I would say if it would happen right now, it would have to be for a whooooole lot of paper! It's just not that type of atmosphere right now, we just talk to each other like that. I think that just has to be established first, before we started working. Once we do that, you gotta be on tours, you live with these people once again. Right now, its been hell of a hard work just to get this far. For me to just to step back...It would be a hell of a back step for me right now...I can't see that as a plus...Right now I think we all got something to prove ourselves. Fat Lip gotta prove to himself like, "Okay I can do this album."
We all just gotta prove to ourselves like, "Okay, maybe The Pharcyde does good, maybe it doesn't." From there we'd be like, "Aw, man, we fucked up, we should of did this, we should of did that." I don't it'll be too late for us to do that. For us to just real force it right now...It would just be a force. I'm not trying to force anything back together like that. It just makes it sooo difficult when you go in and try to just make the thing you're supposed to do, which is songs, you know?
JM: What do you think y'all have planned in the future?
Romye: Right now, I'd just say take it slow, I'm not trying to do a whole bunch. Actually, I'm still trying to master the record making business...
Never worried about the status-quo, The Pharcyde has always been unafraid of breaking new ground. We recently caught up to Romye of the newly reinvented group, to give us an update on their new album, Plain Rap, and music in general.
JM: Your music has always been full of life. But since the last album, y'all seem to have taken a more spiritual direction with this one. What was the cause?
Romye: Just you know, dealing with the everyday. Just getting older, I mean when we first got on Bizarre Ride, we wasn't really in the music industry. It was just our thoughts free from whatever. But once we stepped in the game, it just became a whole real different trip. Basically, we write from our lives. It's not like I write from another man's life, or I'm writin' a story or some other stuff. Its basically from our life. That's just what I write, what's been goin' on. Other members, I'm pretty sure, they feel the same, you know?
JM: Speaking of other members, did you maybe gain more creative freedom since other members stepped out, and your dealing with indie labels now?
Romye: As far as Fat Lip, he likes the record label, as far as how people are, just being in the record business in general. Just you know, being an artist on a record label, getting your budget, go through your album, and that's how he wanted to do it. I just felt totally different. There was just different feelings as far as how to do things. You know? Just as far as on coming out, and then as far as music, and then actually making a song, that's a whole another thing. It was just like a lot of differences on just where he saw how he wanted the group to go, and how we saw how we wanted the group to go. Bizarre Ride was one album...but it was tampered with, you know what I'm sayin ? Basically Bizarre Ride was tampered with, due to we didn't have enough time, and people saying, "This is cool, this isn't cool, this isn't cool." Even though people heard Bizarre Ride, it lacked, just starting out the gate because of a lot of things we had to just compromise and give up. You know?
JM: It seems you have more control over this CD...
Romye: We didn't have more control, but it was just the songs, I mean, at the time, we just making the songs how we wanted to make the songs. How can someone tell you how to make a song, if their not really putting into the album to try to make it. We was basically doing songs, because that's what we do. We're artists, besides if things are good, or things are bad, we came into this thing like, we just gotta stay in it and keep making songs. Because the people don't really understand it. All they see is that this group has been gone, and as far as behind the curtain or what's going on in the industry. I mean people don't really see, and people don't really care too much, I really believe. You know?
JM: It seems like you guys took a real simple approach, you just concentrated on your music more than anything...
Romye: Yeah definitely. Bizarre Ride, when we came in, a lot of people got lost. A lot of people was like, "What the fuck is this? What are we supposed call this? What is this? These fools are yellin' and screamin' ...". Even though some people liked it, it lost a lot of people. I think like a lot of people couldn't catch on to it. So not necessarily I want to give in to the masses. But if you want people to buy it, you kinda got to make music for the people to understand. It's kinda hard, I just say that simplicity is the hardest thing to do. To make something simple, but get your point across, that's like hella-hard to do. If you can get across in two words what it takes somebody a whole sentence to do, then that's hella-dope. Cuz that take whole lot of thinking to say, "Okay, how am I gonna get this person to react." Like to a one word title, like how we did...I wanted to leave it open for the mind to think a little more, but also keep it simple so people can be like, "This song is 'Trust' , so it's about trust, or this song is "Frontline", so its about the front-line." But then, actually take it a little more deeper than that, because basically you have so many definitions for the one word, you can just take it all sorts of different places.
JM: Were you guys really worried about getting any radio play?
Romye: Naw, because we really never got that type of radio play. "Passin' Me By" , kinda hit a little radio play, and "Runnin'" hit a little radio play...But we never really were that real radio, or that car-bumpin' group. I think if you going on a hella-of a long trip, people wanna put on The Pharcyde, people wanna just listen the whole album and trip...But there never was like, that one song, as far as like a DMX, you got that one song you just hear everywhere. Its just bumpin' , and radios just can' t get enough of it, and you got people requesting it. We never really had that type of song. I mean sale-wise...I mean "Passin' Me By" never went gold, and "Runnin'" sold more than "Passin' Me By". Its completely different as far as if I went by numbers, and if I went by what people say.
JM: You guys broke ground for groups like Jurassic 5, and Dilated Peoples. Do you think those groups along with you guys will have more influence on hip-hop? Or do you think the spoon-fed, glossy, baby-thuggish raps will still be the influence?
Romye: Oh, I think that's always gonna be the major influence. Sex and violence, that's what's selling. The industry is definitely gonna blow it up. It takes a lot to just blow up something positive...It takes time cuz, most people don't want to hear that type of music... That's why I say there's a hell of a fine line, because you could be preaching to the people. They don't wanna be preached to, they like, "Man, I don't wanna hear that shit, I don't wanna hear nobody telling me what I should do. I want to go the party, I want someone talkin' about freakin' on the girls.." whatever. I can't even hate that though. As far as the industry, I don't think they'll ever have Mos Def with Jay-Z, or De La with like Cash Money...I don't think it'll ever be like that.
JM: Nowadays everybody seems to work with everybody. Making their CD looking like a compilation album, and the discs seeming cluttered. It was refreshing to see you guys only work with only a few guests on this one...
Romye: We had worked with a lot of people, like with...Pharoahe Monche, De La, Mos, Cocoa Brovaz, and we worked with a lot of people on the album. After it was time for it to come out, we was like, we couldn't do this, we've been gone so long. I just figured that if we done that, we'll be kind of going out, cuz we're not standing on our own coming back out. So I feel like now, if we did it after album came out, people won't look at it like that. But as far as comin' out the gate, I don't want to be riding off of anybody else's. I just want to stamp it into people's head, Pharcyde first...
JM: Naw, it was kinda nice for once to have someone come out original...
Romye: But than again, we had Black Thought, just to show that we do work with people, and we don't have our head in our asses. And so people wont think we like, "We the shit, fuck everybody else." You know what I'm sayin'" ?
JM: Who was the girls singing on the hooks?
Romye: We had a girl named Deanna, she works with Tre. We had a girl named Dena Ray, she's from Eminem's camp...Oh, Dawn, she worked on some stuff. They was kind of like girls that we knew from back in the day. Dawn, was kind of like part of Jazzyfatnastees before they kind of went out to Philadelphia. Deanna, she used to like dance back in the day. Me and Imani used to be dance teachers, and she took the dance class, and now her whole thing is singing. So we was like, "Yo, let's try to do something." It just worked out, it was cool. We just did some things.
JM: I personally liked this album more than the others...
Romye:...You're gonna start some arguments with that! That's cool that you liked it. Like a lot people feel like, "Yo, we want that Bizarre Ride.". I just try to tell people that I'm just way older. For me to try to come out like that...it'd be played out to actually come out on that vibe, and do a hell of a lot of skits on your album, that whole vibe of doing stuff like that is kind of played to me...Its just gonna have to be different.
JM: Well, Labcabincalifornia felt like you were in transition, with the new album, it finally felt like you got out of it...
Romye: We didn't do too much production on Labcabin, not saying that was the fault, but sometimes when you go outta your camp and do other production, sometimes there's an element missing out of your music. Basically, somebody else is bringing something else to the music. Not saying that I don't like to work with other producers...I mean, its always good to work with other producers as far as just making an album. You can just get stuck in a rut, as far as one person doing your album. Just working with other people, it just keeps more spice in the album to me. This time we didn't venture out too much. We worked with Showbiz, and we worked with couple other producers. A lot of stuff didn't make the album as far as working with all the people that we had worked with. The music that you hear was from people that was within. People like Tre, me, his cousin, and J-Swift. So there wasn't a lot of people.
JM: With some members leaving, what made y'all stay together, instead of going for solo albums?
Romye: The whole plan was to follow formats to certain groups...Tre got soured in the whole thing as far as the process of waiting. Fat Lip, like I said, was never down with the whole independent thing. He kinda likes the label situation. You just don' t have hands-on in everything. Someone's gonna do this for you, someone's gonna do that for you. I just didn't want to go out like that...This album's gonna be released, Tre's already released his stuff. He changed his name to something like The Legend of Phoenix, he kind of sells his stuff over the Internet. Fat Lip is going to release his album supposedly like March. It was suppose to be like March of this year, but I guess its gonna be March of next year. Imani's is gonna come after this one...Hopefully after everything is done, I'm gonna do an EP, maybe with all the guest appearances that we didn't have on the album. I think I'm gonna let the company work with this album.
JM: I'm sure your asked this all the time, but what is the possibility, if any, of a reunion with all the original members?
Romye: I would say if it would happen right now, it would have to be for a whooooole lot of paper! It's just not that type of atmosphere right now, we just talk to each other like that. I think that just has to be established first, before we started working. Once we do that, you gotta be on tours, you live with these people once again. Right now, its been hell of a hard work just to get this far. For me to just to step back...It would be a hell of a back step for me right now...I can't see that as a plus...Right now I think we all got something to prove ourselves. Fat Lip gotta prove to himself like, "Okay I can do this album."
We all just gotta prove to ourselves like, "Okay, maybe The Pharcyde does good, maybe it doesn't." From there we'd be like, "Aw, man, we fucked up, we should of did this, we should of did that." I don't it'll be too late for us to do that. For us to just real force it right now...It would just be a force. I'm not trying to force anything back together like that. It just makes it sooo difficult when you go in and try to just make the thing you're supposed to do, which is songs, you know?
JM: What do you think y'all have planned in the future?
Romye: Right now, I'd just say take it slow, I'm not trying to do a whole bunch. Actually, I'm still trying to master the record making business...
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
Lootpack: Still Diggin'
Likwit Crew's most underated affiliates have been putting it down for years on the Cali underground scene, debuting one the Alkaholiks first album "21 and Over", and producing a number of tracks for the 'Liks over the years. Most recently, the crew brought forth their first major offering, "Soundpieces: Da Antidote", a collection of original, dirty beats, and fun loving hip-hop from the good old days. While certain mainstream hip-hop magazines have blasted the Lootpack for "one dimensional subject matter", that being the execution of wack emcees, those with ears still glued to the underground recognize the brilliance of Madlib's SP-12 freaking, and the goldmine of obscure samples that make up his beats. Despite these negative reviews, the group's independently released album has reached 20,000 units sold.
Are you guys from L.A.?
Wildchild: No, we?‚´re from Oxnard, California.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s between Frisco and L.A., but it`s closer to L.A.
What kind of neighborhood do you live in?
Wildchild: It?‚´s not the ghetto, maybe more suburban.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s very small, a lot of fields, farmlands and so on.
Did the social enviroment shape your music?
Wildchild: Where we stay hasn`t really shaped it.
Dj Romes: The music is what shaped it. Hip-Hop. It?‚´s not where you from, it`s where you at. I think our music is pretty universal. That`s what we rely on. We heard hip-hop and it just clicked. We started doing experimental stuff, doing our own thing, Dj-ing and everything. We had good acces to radio. The collage radio stations started playing hip-hop in 1978 and '79.
What are your past and presence influences?
Madlib: My parents, a lot of jazz musicians, all the world music, old school hip-hop, all the real music...
Dj Romes: The people who started it, of course. Dj Kool Herc, Grand Wizard, Dj`s like Charlie Chase, DST, Grandmaster Flash ...
Wildchild: Kool G Rap, Ultramagnetic Mc?‚´s, KRS-One, Gang Starr ...
Madlib: Miles Davis, Thelemous Monk, John Coletrane, The Meters ...
Wildchild: The Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship ...
Project Blowed ?
Wildchild: Yeah, it gave a lot of people who havn`t got deals a chance to show their skills and to come together ...
Dj Romes: Do you know what it was called before?
No.
Dj Romes: The Good Life.
Hip-Hop from the West-Coast was ruled by gangster rap for a very long time. Did that bother you?
Madlib: No, it doesn`t bother me.
Wildchild: I was just worried that it would put a wrong impact on hip-hop music.
Dj Romes: It didn`t start as gangster stuff, but with people like NWA or Ice T it turned out that way. Ice T was actually the first one, but he was straight up hip-hop and it just eventually went up to gangsta stuff because he talked about things he was seeing. There?‚´s good gangsta rap and there`s bad gangsta rap.
Madlib: There are a lot people who don`t live that life and are talking about shooting people and all that, that`s the only thing we trip off.
Dj Romes: But right now, it's looking real good cause we have got real good radio teaching everybody about the true hip-hop. When you turn on the radio right now in L.A. you will hear the Beatjunkies, all the Beatjunkies on big commercial stations. Every Friday and every Saturday they play all the independent stuff like Dilated, Lootpack and also Breakbeats. That`s the vibe right now and it`s helping us a lot.
Wasn`t it hard for you to get into the game?
Madlib: Yeah, it was very hard.
Wildchild: We had to go through a lot of stereotypes just because of the area where we're from.
Why's the independent movement happening now? Just because people are fed?
Wildchild: Yeah, as far as the artist themselves, I think it gives a more and better chance to trie to come different with the type of music and stuff because everyone already knows what the whole area is about.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s going back how it started and it`s going round in circles. I`m sure gangsta rap will come back and it`s still here these days. I mean you got people like Too Short. He?‚´s one of the dopest and he stays original.
Madlib: A lot of Too Short`s running around, yeah.
What?‚´s the difference between the L.A. and New York?
Wildchild: Is there a difference? Hmm, I feel a difference as far as the clarity of the music. East Coast was more underground, but the clarity wasn`t as good and that`s the time when the West Coast seems to be more shining with a lot of clarity in the music. Now underground is started to put up more clarity in the music and stuff on both sides.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s no more like West Coast and East Coast.
Could you please explain what "bringing back to the essence" really means?
Wildchild: Basically, hear the music and enjoy it. Doing it from the heart.
Dj Romes. Just getting people together and that`s how the cultural movement of hiphop started. We just going back how it started.
Wildchild: You got the industry taking over a lot of artist and forcing them some form of gimmick these days.
Madlib: They don`t come up with some original material.
Wildchild: We?‚´re pretty much trying to be more positive. We?‚´re talking about concepts and stuff. It?‚´s one thing to express negative things in the music like when people start thinking about gangsta music. Rather than using that lesson that you went to to show the people how not to do, you know, we don`t follow that path. We don`t really following to that categories to distinguish between good and bad music, we just pretty much try to keep pushing good music.
Doesn't "bring back to the essence" implies that nothing new is gonna happen and that everything is already said and done? What is it that this new generation of hip-hop has to add?
Wildchild: More original material, stuff you havn`t heard...
Madlib: Different styles and flows, better mixes, hmm, a new generation ...
Are their new values or messages?
Wildchild: We pretty much talk about influence of life, drugs and stufff like that, that people don`t have to do it and whether you?‚´re an artist or not, try to be creative with your own.
But hasn`t hip-hop grown from a "Youthful Expression" (like A.T.C.Q said) to a higher plateau? I noticed the pictures of your kids on the CD inlet and this kind of family orientation isn`t quite a common virtue in hip-hop until now, isn`t it?
Wildchild: Right! My whole expression is right now with my family and stuff. They inspire me to do what I`m doing with the music and everything. So I really want to support everyone who supports me.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s like it is, it comes from the heart. Do whatever comes from the heart. It?‚´s just us, we're just doing what we feel and that`s it. We?‚´re just doing it our own way. We are just in the studio and it comes out that way. It sounds good to us. Independend label, do whatever we want
How would you define the relationship between mainstream and underground?
Dj Romes: All the mainstream was once underground. We could be underground right now, but then all of the sudden the radio starts playing our music and it could change.
Wildchild: But it also has got a lot to do with the music ...
Dj Romes: It all goes back to the street. Mainstream always looks at the street to see what`s going on. So whatever is in the mainstream is mainly already old and there`s already something in the underground that`s gonna take it`s place.
Wildchild: What the industry tries to formulate is that you sound like other groups on their label. Usally the undergound artists has a more of chance to be creative and to come up with different types of stuff.
Isn't it dangerous to stick to the underground and finally to fall in this underground pit where you can't get out? Do you consider to be more mainstream orientated next time?
Wildchild: The music that we pretty much use will be more universal, cause it`s always gonna be like that and I guess it will be more focused next time.
Madlib: It?‚´s gonna be the same but differnt, it`s hard to explain.
Dj Romes: We don`t even know yet.
Few people actually critized the album for being too long ...
Madlib: We do what we feel. I like that. A lot of albums are very short nowadays and that why we`re trying to bring it back to the old days. This album is just a day in life.
Dj Romes: And we got a few albums ready to go.
What do you want to achieve?
Wildchild: The whole focuse is pushing the underground to a mainstream audience.
Madlib: We?‚´re trying to bring the real stuff.
You`re part of the Likwit Crew, how did you fall into Stones Throw?
Wildchild: We were already working on our own material before we were down with the Likwit Crew. The things that we went through the past three years was little read between the linie type-contract, you know. It just coincenditial happen.
Madlib: We shopped a lot of stuff.
Dj Romes: Yeah, like the first Likwit albums were part of one of our demos in 1990. The Liks picked up their favorite songs from our demo and put it on their album. Lootpack started about 1989 but we`ve been all friend since 1984. We been struggeling through differnet labels , trying to get signed since 1990 and we ended up at Stones Throw and that`s just the best things that could have happened.
Wildchild: Basically it was like all over this long period of ten years gave us a chance to create and define our material. We kinda completed the album already in 1996 or 1997 itself. But before we had a lot of demos and the (major) labels tried to form us to sound like other labelmates. So the whole thing at the time when Tha Alkaholiks or Xzibit came out was that we should be another Alkaholik or Xzibit group.
Your album is from 1996/1997?
Madlib: Not all of it. It?‚´s like a mixture.
Who did the beats on the album?
Wildchild: Madlib. All the groups that you hear on the album he does the beats.
Madlib: We?‚´ve got five groups with two albums each ready to get on a label who want`s to pick them up.
Wildchild: We try to formulate a foundation like Souls Of Mischief first came up with The Hieroglyphics. They tried to keep it more group orientated with their area. They had their own producers who did all the music cause it just worked out that way.
How would you describe your music?
Madlib: B-Boy Music.
Dj Romes: Music from the heart.
Madlib: It?‚´s all raw but yet universal.
Dj Romes. Experiments with differnt sounds. Soundpieces.
Okay. The Antidote. Does it refer to hip-hop only or does it contain a broader meaning?
Wildchild: Yeah, both. As far as hiphop music, I feel 'The Antidote' is like a chance to show a lot of hip-hop whether it`s underground or mainstream, as far as, not really what should played and what should be focused on , but the cloning of other mc to another mc and we pretty much feel like that without having to do that 'The antidote' will show you don`t have to clone other people to have that type of sound. As far as the way of living and stuff like that, it definitly has a influence on people who aren`t even in the hip-hop music. Just expressing that hip-hop can be positive and doesn`t always have to be negative and as far as the music you can enjoy, it?‚´s not something that`s too hardcore and..... hmm, I can`t get into poitics too much now ...
That`s also hard to figure out with your lyrics. 'The Antidote' seems to consist of 90% battle lyrics at first, but if you listen to it more closley it like, you get a bigger picture ...
Wildchild: Me personally, I like those types of albums that I can hear over and over again and, you know, I pick up little things here and there over the time and I enjoy it. There are some albums who hit you right from the beginning. We trie to show different types of sounds. Some people might feel it`s too long, but when you get into it, listen to it more, one day it hits you different.
Likwit Crew's most underated affiliates have been putting it down for years on the Cali underground scene, debuting one the Alkaholiks first album "21 and Over", and producing a number of tracks for the 'Liks over the years. Most recently, the crew brought forth their first major offering, "Soundpieces: Da Antidote", a collection of original, dirty beats, and fun loving hip-hop from the good old days. While certain mainstream hip-hop magazines have blasted the Lootpack for "one dimensional subject matter", that being the execution of wack emcees, those with ears still glued to the underground recognize the brilliance of Madlib's SP-12 freaking, and the goldmine of obscure samples that make up his beats. Despite these negative reviews, the group's independently released album has reached 20,000 units sold.
Are you guys from L.A.?
Wildchild: No, we?‚´re from Oxnard, California.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s between Frisco and L.A., but it`s closer to L.A.
What kind of neighborhood do you live in?
Wildchild: It?‚´s not the ghetto, maybe more suburban.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s very small, a lot of fields, farmlands and so on.
Did the social enviroment shape your music?
Wildchild: Where we stay hasn`t really shaped it.
Dj Romes: The music is what shaped it. Hip-Hop. It?‚´s not where you from, it`s where you at. I think our music is pretty universal. That`s what we rely on. We heard hip-hop and it just clicked. We started doing experimental stuff, doing our own thing, Dj-ing and everything. We had good acces to radio. The collage radio stations started playing hip-hop in 1978 and '79.
What are your past and presence influences?
Madlib: My parents, a lot of jazz musicians, all the world music, old school hip-hop, all the real music...
Dj Romes: The people who started it, of course. Dj Kool Herc, Grand Wizard, Dj`s like Charlie Chase, DST, Grandmaster Flash ...
Wildchild: Kool G Rap, Ultramagnetic Mc?‚´s, KRS-One, Gang Starr ...
Madlib: Miles Davis, Thelemous Monk, John Coletrane, The Meters ...
Wildchild: The Pharcyde, Freestyle Fellowship ...
Project Blowed ?
Wildchild: Yeah, it gave a lot of people who havn`t got deals a chance to show their skills and to come together ...
Dj Romes: Do you know what it was called before?
No.
Dj Romes: The Good Life.
Hip-Hop from the West-Coast was ruled by gangster rap for a very long time. Did that bother you?
Madlib: No, it doesn`t bother me.
Wildchild: I was just worried that it would put a wrong impact on hip-hop music.
Dj Romes: It didn`t start as gangster stuff, but with people like NWA or Ice T it turned out that way. Ice T was actually the first one, but he was straight up hip-hop and it just eventually went up to gangsta stuff because he talked about things he was seeing. There?‚´s good gangsta rap and there`s bad gangsta rap.
Madlib: There are a lot people who don`t live that life and are talking about shooting people and all that, that`s the only thing we trip off.
Dj Romes: But right now, it's looking real good cause we have got real good radio teaching everybody about the true hip-hop. When you turn on the radio right now in L.A. you will hear the Beatjunkies, all the Beatjunkies on big commercial stations. Every Friday and every Saturday they play all the independent stuff like Dilated, Lootpack and also Breakbeats. That`s the vibe right now and it`s helping us a lot.
Wasn`t it hard for you to get into the game?
Madlib: Yeah, it was very hard.
Wildchild: We had to go through a lot of stereotypes just because of the area where we're from.
Why's the independent movement happening now? Just because people are fed?
Wildchild: Yeah, as far as the artist themselves, I think it gives a more and better chance to trie to come different with the type of music and stuff because everyone already knows what the whole area is about.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s going back how it started and it`s going round in circles. I`m sure gangsta rap will come back and it`s still here these days. I mean you got people like Too Short. He?‚´s one of the dopest and he stays original.
Madlib: A lot of Too Short`s running around, yeah.
What?‚´s the difference between the L.A. and New York?
Wildchild: Is there a difference? Hmm, I feel a difference as far as the clarity of the music. East Coast was more underground, but the clarity wasn`t as good and that`s the time when the West Coast seems to be more shining with a lot of clarity in the music. Now underground is started to put up more clarity in the music and stuff on both sides.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s no more like West Coast and East Coast.
Could you please explain what "bringing back to the essence" really means?
Wildchild: Basically, hear the music and enjoy it. Doing it from the heart.
Dj Romes. Just getting people together and that`s how the cultural movement of hiphop started. We just going back how it started.
Wildchild: You got the industry taking over a lot of artist and forcing them some form of gimmick these days.
Madlib: They don`t come up with some original material.
Wildchild: We?‚´re pretty much trying to be more positive. We?‚´re talking about concepts and stuff. It?‚´s one thing to express negative things in the music like when people start thinking about gangsta music. Rather than using that lesson that you went to to show the people how not to do, you know, we don`t follow that path. We don`t really following to that categories to distinguish between good and bad music, we just pretty much try to keep pushing good music.
Doesn't "bring back to the essence" implies that nothing new is gonna happen and that everything is already said and done? What is it that this new generation of hip-hop has to add?
Wildchild: More original material, stuff you havn`t heard...
Madlib: Different styles and flows, better mixes, hmm, a new generation ...
Are their new values or messages?
Wildchild: We pretty much talk about influence of life, drugs and stufff like that, that people don`t have to do it and whether you?‚´re an artist or not, try to be creative with your own.
But hasn`t hip-hop grown from a "Youthful Expression" (like A.T.C.Q said) to a higher plateau? I noticed the pictures of your kids on the CD inlet and this kind of family orientation isn`t quite a common virtue in hip-hop until now, isn`t it?
Wildchild: Right! My whole expression is right now with my family and stuff. They inspire me to do what I`m doing with the music and everything. So I really want to support everyone who supports me.
Dj Romes: It?‚´s like it is, it comes from the heart. Do whatever comes from the heart. It?‚´s just us, we're just doing what we feel and that`s it. We?‚´re just doing it our own way. We are just in the studio and it comes out that way. It sounds good to us. Independend label, do whatever we want
How would you define the relationship between mainstream and underground?
Dj Romes: All the mainstream was once underground. We could be underground right now, but then all of the sudden the radio starts playing our music and it could change.
Wildchild: But it also has got a lot to do with the music ...
Dj Romes: It all goes back to the street. Mainstream always looks at the street to see what`s going on. So whatever is in the mainstream is mainly already old and there`s already something in the underground that`s gonna take it`s place.
Wildchild: What the industry tries to formulate is that you sound like other groups on their label. Usally the undergound artists has a more of chance to be creative and to come up with different types of stuff.
Isn't it dangerous to stick to the underground and finally to fall in this underground pit where you can't get out? Do you consider to be more mainstream orientated next time?
Wildchild: The music that we pretty much use will be more universal, cause it`s always gonna be like that and I guess it will be more focused next time.
Madlib: It?‚´s gonna be the same but differnt, it`s hard to explain.
Dj Romes: We don`t even know yet.
Few people actually critized the album for being too long ...
Madlib: We do what we feel. I like that. A lot of albums are very short nowadays and that why we`re trying to bring it back to the old days. This album is just a day in life.
Dj Romes: And we got a few albums ready to go.
What do you want to achieve?
Wildchild: The whole focuse is pushing the underground to a mainstream audience.
Madlib: We?‚´re trying to bring the real stuff.
You`re part of the Likwit Crew, how did you fall into Stones Throw?
Wildchild: We were already working on our own material before we were down with the Likwit Crew. The things that we went through the past three years was little read between the linie type-contract, you know. It just coincenditial happen.
Madlib: We shopped a lot of stuff.
Dj Romes: Yeah, like the first Likwit albums were part of one of our demos in 1990. The Liks picked up their favorite songs from our demo and put it on their album. Lootpack started about 1989 but we`ve been all friend since 1984. We been struggeling through differnet labels , trying to get signed since 1990 and we ended up at Stones Throw and that`s just the best things that could have happened.
Wildchild: Basically it was like all over this long period of ten years gave us a chance to create and define our material. We kinda completed the album already in 1996 or 1997 itself. But before we had a lot of demos and the (major) labels tried to form us to sound like other labelmates. So the whole thing at the time when Tha Alkaholiks or Xzibit came out was that we should be another Alkaholik or Xzibit group.
Your album is from 1996/1997?
Madlib: Not all of it. It?‚´s like a mixture.
Who did the beats on the album?
Wildchild: Madlib. All the groups that you hear on the album he does the beats.
Madlib: We?‚´ve got five groups with two albums each ready to get on a label who want`s to pick them up.
Wildchild: We try to formulate a foundation like Souls Of Mischief first came up with The Hieroglyphics. They tried to keep it more group orientated with their area. They had their own producers who did all the music cause it just worked out that way.
How would you describe your music?
Madlib: B-Boy Music.
Dj Romes: Music from the heart.
Madlib: It?‚´s all raw but yet universal.
Dj Romes. Experiments with differnt sounds. Soundpieces.
Okay. The Antidote. Does it refer to hip-hop only or does it contain a broader meaning?
Wildchild: Yeah, both. As far as hiphop music, I feel 'The Antidote' is like a chance to show a lot of hip-hop whether it`s underground or mainstream, as far as, not really what should played and what should be focused on , but the cloning of other mc to another mc and we pretty much feel like that without having to do that 'The antidote' will show you don`t have to clone other people to have that type of sound. As far as the way of living and stuff like that, it definitly has a influence on people who aren`t even in the hip-hop music. Just expressing that hip-hop can be positive and doesn`t always have to be negative and as far as the music you can enjoy, it?‚´s not something that`s too hardcore and..... hmm, I can`t get into poitics too much now ...
That`s also hard to figure out with your lyrics. 'The Antidote' seems to consist of 90% battle lyrics at first, but if you listen to it more closley it like, you get a bigger picture ...
Wildchild: Me personally, I like those types of albums that I can hear over and over again and, you know, I pick up little things here and there over the time and I enjoy it. There are some albums who hit you right from the beginning. We trie to show different types of sounds. Some people might feel it`s too long, but when you get into it, listen to it more, one day it hits you different.
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
With Tuesday, February 21 2006 already looming i'm back with the new Dilated Peoples album cover, tracklist and a link to the album sampler. The trio??€�s first three albums - 2000??€�s The Platform, 2001??€�s Expansion Team and 2004??€�s Neighborhood Watch may be a distant memory to some however over the years they have been hailed as exemplary examples of quality hip-hop. After enjoying the biggest radio and television exposure of their career with the 2004 hit "This Way," produced by and featuring Kanye West, Dilated Peoples have opted to make a point that they had a clear vision for their music, hence the title for the new album, "20/20":
"We??€�ve done a lot of experimentation, worked with a lot of different people and tried a lot of different things. With this record, we wanted to really get back to a real, uncut pure vision and get back to the pure, boom-bap sound that really made us all get together as people and want to make music together," Rakaa explains.
Last year dubcnn premiered the lead single "Back Again" which sees DJ Babu (also a member of the World Famous Beat Junkies) accenting the thumping cut with his precision scratching while both Evidence and Rakaa update their fans on their musical agenda and highlight their dedication to the art of rhyme. Evidence explained: "In today??€�s rap game, people are worried about whether or not I??€�m making money, but it??€�s not glorified that I??€�m writing my own rhymes or making my vision clear; I just felt it was a bold statement and needed to be said."
Other tracks on the album include "Alarm Clock Music," where the crew get across equally thought-provoking rhymes over a powerful, keyboard and scratch-propelled beat. Rakaa said: "We named the song ??€?Alarm Clock Music??€� because it is supposed to wake people up. We wanted the beat and those cuts to come across like that. Lyrically, the third verse in particular had to do with conflict, whether it??€�s on the block or nation to nation. It doesn??€�t matter if it??€�s across the street or across the world because they??€�re very closely related. The song itself is a wake-up call."
"You Can??€�t Hide, You Can??€�t Run," is a cut where the group raps about making the best of a bad situation: "Life is going to come at you regardless," Rakaa says. "It doesn??€�t mean you can??€�t flip lemons to lemonade and lemonade to Minute Made. You can make the best of a bad situation and I think it??€�s more necessary than ever. There??€�s no shortage of nonsense coming at you because it??€�s a crazy world right now."
Dilated Peoples then get aggressive on the confrontational "Kindness For Weakness" before teaming up with reggae king Capleton on the pounding, politically charged "Firepower (The Tables Have To Turn)." Elsewhere Evidence highlights his lyrical acuity on the intense "Another Sound Mission" and DJ Babu showcases his superior turntable and production skills on the scratch-heavy "The One And Only."
The beats on the album come from Alchemist, Evidence, Joey Chavez and Bravo and DJ Babu and are among the most forceful of Dilated People??€�s career. The group made a point to feature intense production on "20/20," something that makes the album an exciting aural experience that will translate well to the group??€�s highly regarded stage shows. DJ Babu explains: "We said to ourselves, ??€?The energy levels have to be up, a big part of our group is performance. Another way of looking at the songs that we make for the record is things that we??€�re adding to our live show. That??€�s another side of us that fans really love us for, having music that translates well onto stage. Rakaa put it well when said, ??€?A lot times when we??€�re in the studio we try to capture the energy that happens on stage.'"
Evidence wrapped up by explaining: "20/20, the whole album was made on a 12" mentality, we weren??€�t worried about the whole album, how it was going to connect and if we had two love songs and one party song. We just banged it out. We put the record together two or three days before the end of it. We didn??€�t sit and ride with it. We had it and knew where we were going, but it was more about the individual tunes. There was no questioning ourselves. It was just about making music."
As ever dubcnn has the audio we have already premiered over the past few months for those who missed to check and as we recently featured the new Dilated Peoples video as "Video of the Week" i have that for you all again too. Below is also the complete album tracklist.
01 ) Green Trees (Feat. Dr. Greenthumb)
02 ) Back Again
03 ) You Can't Hide, You Can't Run
04 ) Alarm Clock Music
05 ) Olde English (Feat. Defari)
06 ) Kindness For Weakness (Feat. Talib Kweli)
07 ) Another Sound Mission
08 ) Rapid Transit (Feat. Krondon)
09 ) The Eyes Have It
10 ) Satellite Radio
11 ) Firepower (The Tables Have To Turn) (Feat. Capleton)
12 ) The One And Only
13 ) 20/20
Album Sampler
"We??€�ve done a lot of experimentation, worked with a lot of different people and tried a lot of different things. With this record, we wanted to really get back to a real, uncut pure vision and get back to the pure, boom-bap sound that really made us all get together as people and want to make music together," Rakaa explains.
Last year dubcnn premiered the lead single "Back Again" which sees DJ Babu (also a member of the World Famous Beat Junkies) accenting the thumping cut with his precision scratching while both Evidence and Rakaa update their fans on their musical agenda and highlight their dedication to the art of rhyme. Evidence explained: "In today??€�s rap game, people are worried about whether or not I??€�m making money, but it??€�s not glorified that I??€�m writing my own rhymes or making my vision clear; I just felt it was a bold statement and needed to be said."
Other tracks on the album include "Alarm Clock Music," where the crew get across equally thought-provoking rhymes over a powerful, keyboard and scratch-propelled beat. Rakaa said: "We named the song ??€?Alarm Clock Music??€� because it is supposed to wake people up. We wanted the beat and those cuts to come across like that. Lyrically, the third verse in particular had to do with conflict, whether it??€�s on the block or nation to nation. It doesn??€�t matter if it??€�s across the street or across the world because they??€�re very closely related. The song itself is a wake-up call."
"You Can??€�t Hide, You Can??€�t Run," is a cut where the group raps about making the best of a bad situation: "Life is going to come at you regardless," Rakaa says. "It doesn??€�t mean you can??€�t flip lemons to lemonade and lemonade to Minute Made. You can make the best of a bad situation and I think it??€�s more necessary than ever. There??€�s no shortage of nonsense coming at you because it??€�s a crazy world right now."
Dilated Peoples then get aggressive on the confrontational "Kindness For Weakness" before teaming up with reggae king Capleton on the pounding, politically charged "Firepower (The Tables Have To Turn)." Elsewhere Evidence highlights his lyrical acuity on the intense "Another Sound Mission" and DJ Babu showcases his superior turntable and production skills on the scratch-heavy "The One And Only."
The beats on the album come from Alchemist, Evidence, Joey Chavez and Bravo and DJ Babu and are among the most forceful of Dilated People??€�s career. The group made a point to feature intense production on "20/20," something that makes the album an exciting aural experience that will translate well to the group??€�s highly regarded stage shows. DJ Babu explains: "We said to ourselves, ??€?The energy levels have to be up, a big part of our group is performance. Another way of looking at the songs that we make for the record is things that we??€�re adding to our live show. That??€�s another side of us that fans really love us for, having music that translates well onto stage. Rakaa put it well when said, ??€?A lot times when we??€�re in the studio we try to capture the energy that happens on stage.'"
Evidence wrapped up by explaining: "20/20, the whole album was made on a 12" mentality, we weren??€�t worried about the whole album, how it was going to connect and if we had two love songs and one party song. We just banged it out. We put the record together two or three days before the end of it. We didn??€�t sit and ride with it. We had it and knew where we were going, but it was more about the individual tunes. There was no questioning ourselves. It was just about making music."
As ever dubcnn has the audio we have already premiered over the past few months for those who missed to check and as we recently featured the new Dilated Peoples video as "Video of the Week" i have that for you all again too. Below is also the complete album tracklist.
01 ) Green Trees (Feat. Dr. Greenthumb)
02 ) Back Again
03 ) You Can't Hide, You Can't Run
04 ) Alarm Clock Music
05 ) Olde English (Feat. Defari)
06 ) Kindness For Weakness (Feat. Talib Kweli)
07 ) Another Sound Mission
08 ) Rapid Transit (Feat. Krondon)
09 ) The Eyes Have It
10 ) Satellite Radio
11 ) Firepower (The Tables Have To Turn) (Feat. Capleton)
12 ) The One And Only
13 ) 20/20
Album Sampler
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
Lyrical Chess with The GZA
By William Hernandez
GZA is one of the most lyrical emcees in Hip-Hop and very much an enigma. After debuting in 1991 with Words Of A Genius, he has released 4 more albums in addition to his work with the Wu-Tang Clan. In 1997 he worked with DJ Muggs on the first Soul Assassins compilation. That led to more collaboration on the second Soul Assassins and to Muggs himself producing the song Luminal on the album Legend Of The Liquid Sword. Now in 2005 they have come together to release a Hip-Hop dream, Grandmasters; a solid album from start to finish. In this interview his discusses the project and how he works lyrically when working on projects.
UAN: How did you and DJ Muggs first hook up?
G: The first time I hooked up with Muggs I think it was in 96??€�; the first Soul Assassins project. Then I hooked up again for the second Soul Assassins project. We did a song called The Fat Lady Sings. From then on we stayed in touch. I would link up with him when I would go to LA every now and then just to touch base. He talked about doing an album a little over a year ago. He came to New York and played me some tracks in the hotel room. I picked some beats and then I linked up with him a month after that and we did the album.
UAN: Why did you guys choose the concept of chess for the album?
G: I love chess. I play chess all the time. Chess is the best sports game ever. We were playing everyday in the studio. We didn??€�t have the idea to come with the concept of chess until the album was complete. It was Muggs??€� idea. We didn??€�t have titles or anything. Muggs had the idea to call the album Grandmasters. After he had the title I thought about titling the songs with titles that have to do with chess. We came up with the hooks and the skits. Then we pieced it all together.
UAN: You??€�re quoted as saying that you believe chess should be part of the school curriculum. Why?
G: Because chess is about strategically planning. It??€�s about patience, planning, thinking, concentration; basically, thinking moves ahead and seeing things ahead of time. I think children become more sharp playing chess than playing video games.
UAN: How do you work? Do you wait to hear the beat to write a rhyme or do you have them prewritten?
G: Either way. Sometimes I have ideas in my head. Sometimes I have few rhymes written. No often do I approach a beat with a rhyme. I do write every now and then. It??€�s not always easy to match around to a beat because it has to perfectly fit like a foot to a shoe.
UAN: Do you still feel as you said in another interview that ??€?The pendulum is swinging toward lyricism again???€?
G: There??€�s a few emcees that are lyrical out there that are in the spotlight, getting a little bit of shine. You know how the Hip-Hop game is right now. There??€�s not a lot of lyrical stuff out there. It??€�s probably going to get to that in the next few of years. It??€�s going to take couple of young cats, maybe even younger to know that. Maybe something extremely young and I say that for a reason. Just to wake the world up and let other artists that are grown men running around talking a bunch of bullsh*t to be like ??€?Yo! We need to get our swords sharp again.??€? It??€�s forever changing. At one point it was very, very lyrical, then it became less lyrical; then it became less lyrical and more commercial in the sense where everything is the same. All the songs and concepts are the same and everyone is rhyming about the same thing and there is nothing in there to draw you into the music or into the world where you can experience something. That??€�s how it is now. It is starting to change now.
UAN: When is the next Wu-Tang Clan album coming out and what label is the group under?
G: I can??€�t say man. It should??€�ve been out. Wu-Tang is on no label right now.
UAN: Any last words GZA?
G: Get the Grandmasters album. Food for thought: listen to it, eat well.
By William Hernandez
GZA is one of the most lyrical emcees in Hip-Hop and very much an enigma. After debuting in 1991 with Words Of A Genius, he has released 4 more albums in addition to his work with the Wu-Tang Clan. In 1997 he worked with DJ Muggs on the first Soul Assassins compilation. That led to more collaboration on the second Soul Assassins and to Muggs himself producing the song Luminal on the album Legend Of The Liquid Sword. Now in 2005 they have come together to release a Hip-Hop dream, Grandmasters; a solid album from start to finish. In this interview his discusses the project and how he works lyrically when working on projects.
UAN: How did you and DJ Muggs first hook up?
G: The first time I hooked up with Muggs I think it was in 96??€�; the first Soul Assassins project. Then I hooked up again for the second Soul Assassins project. We did a song called The Fat Lady Sings. From then on we stayed in touch. I would link up with him when I would go to LA every now and then just to touch base. He talked about doing an album a little over a year ago. He came to New York and played me some tracks in the hotel room. I picked some beats and then I linked up with him a month after that and we did the album.
UAN: Why did you guys choose the concept of chess for the album?
G: I love chess. I play chess all the time. Chess is the best sports game ever. We were playing everyday in the studio. We didn??€�t have the idea to come with the concept of chess until the album was complete. It was Muggs??€� idea. We didn??€�t have titles or anything. Muggs had the idea to call the album Grandmasters. After he had the title I thought about titling the songs with titles that have to do with chess. We came up with the hooks and the skits. Then we pieced it all together.
UAN: You??€�re quoted as saying that you believe chess should be part of the school curriculum. Why?
G: Because chess is about strategically planning. It??€�s about patience, planning, thinking, concentration; basically, thinking moves ahead and seeing things ahead of time. I think children become more sharp playing chess than playing video games.
UAN: How do you work? Do you wait to hear the beat to write a rhyme or do you have them prewritten?
G: Either way. Sometimes I have ideas in my head. Sometimes I have few rhymes written. No often do I approach a beat with a rhyme. I do write every now and then. It??€�s not always easy to match around to a beat because it has to perfectly fit like a foot to a shoe.
UAN: Do you still feel as you said in another interview that ??€?The pendulum is swinging toward lyricism again???€?
G: There??€�s a few emcees that are lyrical out there that are in the spotlight, getting a little bit of shine. You know how the Hip-Hop game is right now. There??€�s not a lot of lyrical stuff out there. It??€�s probably going to get to that in the next few of years. It??€�s going to take couple of young cats, maybe even younger to know that. Maybe something extremely young and I say that for a reason. Just to wake the world up and let other artists that are grown men running around talking a bunch of bullsh*t to be like ??€?Yo! We need to get our swords sharp again.??€? It??€�s forever changing. At one point it was very, very lyrical, then it became less lyrical; then it became less lyrical and more commercial in the sense where everything is the same. All the songs and concepts are the same and everyone is rhyming about the same thing and there is nothing in there to draw you into the music or into the world where you can experience something. That??€�s how it is now. It is starting to change now.
UAN: When is the next Wu-Tang Clan album coming out and what label is the group under?
G: I can??€�t say man. It should??€�ve been out. Wu-Tang is on no label right now.
UAN: Any last words GZA?
G: Get the Grandmasters album. Food for thought: listen to it, eat well.
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
New Pete Rock interview, speaks on his new album coming March 06!!!
Pete Rock has been one of the most recognized and acclaimed hip hop producers in our time. Remaining relevant throughout the years he has merged old school style with the knowledge gained through experience and smarts to keep his ear the streets to keep bringing bangers with consistency. Though a fallout with long time collaborator C.L. Smooth had some critics and fans alike wondering, he??€�s here to set the record straight and fill you in on his future plans. This interview is a must read for all hip hop heads young and old.
Word is there is going to be a new Pete Rock album in March of 2006, what can you tell us about that?
Aw man, It's gonna be everything that everybody is expecting, if you're tired of that other crappy ass hip hop music, this is what you wanna purchase when it comes out. The best of all New York.
Any collaborations? What can we expect?
I'm keeping it as a secret because there's gonna be some good surprises.
If you could produce a whole album for any artist or groups, who would they be?
I would have to say Ghostface (Killah), I would have to say Nas, I would have to say Mobb Deep and The Lox, most definitely, The Lox is like my favorite rap group. Working with Styles P and Jadakiss is something I'm trying to accomplish. I think with the way hip-hop is going today, why I want to work with these people and make sure that hip-hop is the greatest. I feel like they've been short changed on the music. They're very talented artist, all the people I mentioned and I feel like they don't have the right type of music sometime.
What do you think about the idea of doing an album with you, Nas and Large Professor on the mic and yourself, Premier and Large Professor on the beats?
Umm... Not to disrespect anyone else but my thing is, I have my own ideas and if I'm going to work with an artist like Nas I'm gonna work with him, period. Just me and him. I can't say though because I haven't spoken to Nas in years. He has other people calling me to get in touch with me but he won't call me himself. We're all grown men here, I'm close to my mid- 30's. Whatever happened in the past, I don't know what happened, why we fell out or why we haven??€�t spoken in years about working with each other but whatever happened, I'm willing to put that behind me. I'm a big enough man to say I can confront Nas and ask him and talk to him to find out what the problem is and keep doing music. Positive things. With Nas and the way I produce, I tend to make a lot of stuff that seems like he could use. I think we have a wonderful chemistry, I haven't funked with him in years but we could make a smash album or a hit record right now. It's a lot of ego coming into play in this music game, I deal with the truth and whatever the reason we haven??€�t worked together, I'm willing to put it behind me.
How would someone go about buying beats from you and what kind of cost would they be looking at?
Go through management. If I know you personally for instance, The Lox, we kinda grew up in the same area, but for those type of things I would definitely come to the table.
Do you got flat rates or is a fluctuation type deal depending on the artists?
I got flat rates, but it depends on what kinda deal we're making though.
How do you feel about the SP1200? Do you still use it at all?
I use it still along with the MPC, I never stopped using it, I got a lot of new SP beats for the new album. I got a lot of stuff for an album in Japan and I'm also working with my brother.
What do you think of DJs who are going digital using CDs or MP3?
I'm a vinyl guy. Call me old-school or whatever but I collect vinyl I'm a DJ, vinyl is always gonna be right next to me. It's cool, the digital world, a lot more clearer and cleaning, but it's nothing like cutting vinyl, touching that vinyl and burning it.
Have you ever made any beats you thought were to good to sell?
Of course, but not too good to sell, just to good to give to some one who would fuck it up. I would never give a beat like that to a whack person, I wouldn't want an artist to fuck up the beat. I only give dope ass beats to artists I know can handle it.
Have you ever regretted selling a beat to any artists? Anything you weren't happy with regarding the finished product?
Not really, I like to hear my music regardless of who is on it, there are mixes I've done that I regretted that I wish I could have done better. Like there were people out there who kinda took over trying to mix a Pete Rock beat and couldn't do and made my shit sound thin and funked up.
Anything in particular?
Yea, there's a lot actually. A lot of the Ed O.G.
Reminisce, Shut Em' Down, The Creator, Soul Brother Number 1
What do you look for in an artist you want to work with?
I look for delivery, I look for character, I look for confidence and so forth.
Late 80's and Early 90's Hip-Hop music is the cornerstone of the genre, how do you feel with great artists like yourself get looked over by the average hip hop fan for a 2pac or a Biggie or the Neptunes?
I don't get upset of nothing, I mean I've worked with Biggie, I knew Pac very well, we hung out a couple of times. When a younger person doesn't know their rap history I just tell em to check it. It was cats like me that paved the road to make other producers better. I was the guy that put out beats that made other producers say "Oh, shit. I better get on my fucking job"
Why do you think it is difficult for older groups and artists to resurrect themselves for the younger audience?
I don't know, maybe they're not keeping their ear tuned to the street, maybe they don't feel they should do what the younger cats are doing. But my thing is, reinventing yourself is the best thing you could do for yourself, stay on your toes, even in today's music be relevant. That's very important. I'm very happy to say that I'm working with one of my favorite rappers, Ghostface (Killah). That's something, one of my goals I've accomplished. We got a great working relationship
The summer of last year, on Allhiphop.com they kinda played with your words and got CL Smooth into getting kinda grimey on you, what do you think of his comments?
To me, that is so funny and it's so stupid, so immature for a grown man to speak like that of another grown man when none of the stuff is true in the first place. There's a lot of immaturity there you can see and listen. A lot of people that know me know that I'.m not that type of person and I'm not the type to have poor work ethic. I put out four projects after I left CL Smooth, he's put out nothing, so it's a joke to me. He hasn't put anything out without me. Not one single thing. My whole thing is like "When you wanna do something or it's time for you to do something you always came to me about it but you never been a man and stood on your own two feet and did your own thing" You understand what I'm saying? My whole thing is, the immaturity is never going to change, so I have to move on, that's my old life and it's all about my new life right now. I have a new artist that I'm working on and I'm working with a bunch of new artists on the outside. 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, Jim Jones, Papoose. I'm working with all these cats, all the negativity is bullshit. (aici trebuie sa fie vorba de prea multi bani la mijloc, miroase urat)
Are you guys in a position where you could work together or maintain the friendship?
Never! Never ever again and you can quote me on this. That's never gonna happen again, that's like I told you, it's my old life. I don't with nothing bad on the man, I hope the best for him but I've moved on and that's that.
There were rumors a while back about you having drug problems, something most artists have to deal with it one point or another in their career, how do you deal with these kind of accusations?
Naw, that's some old bullshit, never had a drug problem in my life. Only problem I had was music, that's my drug, I get high off that. Never do I let anything interfere with what I do in music.
If you had to rate yourself as an emcee and as a producer, out of 10, which would be the highest, what wouldyou give yourself?
10 in the beat making and 8 in the rhyming. It's all a part of what I do, I make beats and I make rhymes in my head. It's like a part of what I do, Pete Rock.
Pete Rock has been one of the most recognized and acclaimed hip hop producers in our time. Remaining relevant throughout the years he has merged old school style with the knowledge gained through experience and smarts to keep his ear the streets to keep bringing bangers with consistency. Though a fallout with long time collaborator C.L. Smooth had some critics and fans alike wondering, he??€�s here to set the record straight and fill you in on his future plans. This interview is a must read for all hip hop heads young and old.
Word is there is going to be a new Pete Rock album in March of 2006, what can you tell us about that?
Aw man, It's gonna be everything that everybody is expecting, if you're tired of that other crappy ass hip hop music, this is what you wanna purchase when it comes out. The best of all New York.
Any collaborations? What can we expect?
I'm keeping it as a secret because there's gonna be some good surprises.
If you could produce a whole album for any artist or groups, who would they be?
I would have to say Ghostface (Killah), I would have to say Nas, I would have to say Mobb Deep and The Lox, most definitely, The Lox is like my favorite rap group. Working with Styles P and Jadakiss is something I'm trying to accomplish. I think with the way hip-hop is going today, why I want to work with these people and make sure that hip-hop is the greatest. I feel like they've been short changed on the music. They're very talented artist, all the people I mentioned and I feel like they don't have the right type of music sometime.
What do you think about the idea of doing an album with you, Nas and Large Professor on the mic and yourself, Premier and Large Professor on the beats?
Umm... Not to disrespect anyone else but my thing is, I have my own ideas and if I'm going to work with an artist like Nas I'm gonna work with him, period. Just me and him. I can't say though because I haven't spoken to Nas in years. He has other people calling me to get in touch with me but he won't call me himself. We're all grown men here, I'm close to my mid- 30's. Whatever happened in the past, I don't know what happened, why we fell out or why we haven??€�t spoken in years about working with each other but whatever happened, I'm willing to put that behind me. I'm a big enough man to say I can confront Nas and ask him and talk to him to find out what the problem is and keep doing music. Positive things. With Nas and the way I produce, I tend to make a lot of stuff that seems like he could use. I think we have a wonderful chemistry, I haven't funked with him in years but we could make a smash album or a hit record right now. It's a lot of ego coming into play in this music game, I deal with the truth and whatever the reason we haven??€�t worked together, I'm willing to put it behind me.
How would someone go about buying beats from you and what kind of cost would they be looking at?
Go through management. If I know you personally for instance, The Lox, we kinda grew up in the same area, but for those type of things I would definitely come to the table.
Do you got flat rates or is a fluctuation type deal depending on the artists?
I got flat rates, but it depends on what kinda deal we're making though.
How do you feel about the SP1200? Do you still use it at all?
I use it still along with the MPC, I never stopped using it, I got a lot of new SP beats for the new album. I got a lot of stuff for an album in Japan and I'm also working with my brother.
What do you think of DJs who are going digital using CDs or MP3?
I'm a vinyl guy. Call me old-school or whatever but I collect vinyl I'm a DJ, vinyl is always gonna be right next to me. It's cool, the digital world, a lot more clearer and cleaning, but it's nothing like cutting vinyl, touching that vinyl and burning it.
Have you ever made any beats you thought were to good to sell?
Of course, but not too good to sell, just to good to give to some one who would fuck it up. I would never give a beat like that to a whack person, I wouldn't want an artist to fuck up the beat. I only give dope ass beats to artists I know can handle it.
Have you ever regretted selling a beat to any artists? Anything you weren't happy with regarding the finished product?
Not really, I like to hear my music regardless of who is on it, there are mixes I've done that I regretted that I wish I could have done better. Like there were people out there who kinda took over trying to mix a Pete Rock beat and couldn't do and made my shit sound thin and funked up.
Anything in particular?
Yea, there's a lot actually. A lot of the Ed O.G.
Reminisce, Shut Em' Down, The Creator, Soul Brother Number 1
What do you look for in an artist you want to work with?
I look for delivery, I look for character, I look for confidence and so forth.
Late 80's and Early 90's Hip-Hop music is the cornerstone of the genre, how do you feel with great artists like yourself get looked over by the average hip hop fan for a 2pac or a Biggie or the Neptunes?
I don't get upset of nothing, I mean I've worked with Biggie, I knew Pac very well, we hung out a couple of times. When a younger person doesn't know their rap history I just tell em to check it. It was cats like me that paved the road to make other producers better. I was the guy that put out beats that made other producers say "Oh, shit. I better get on my fucking job"
Why do you think it is difficult for older groups and artists to resurrect themselves for the younger audience?
I don't know, maybe they're not keeping their ear tuned to the street, maybe they don't feel they should do what the younger cats are doing. But my thing is, reinventing yourself is the best thing you could do for yourself, stay on your toes, even in today's music be relevant. That's very important. I'm very happy to say that I'm working with one of my favorite rappers, Ghostface (Killah). That's something, one of my goals I've accomplished. We got a great working relationship
The summer of last year, on Allhiphop.com they kinda played with your words and got CL Smooth into getting kinda grimey on you, what do you think of his comments?
To me, that is so funny and it's so stupid, so immature for a grown man to speak like that of another grown man when none of the stuff is true in the first place. There's a lot of immaturity there you can see and listen. A lot of people that know me know that I'.m not that type of person and I'm not the type to have poor work ethic. I put out four projects after I left CL Smooth, he's put out nothing, so it's a joke to me. He hasn't put anything out without me. Not one single thing. My whole thing is like "When you wanna do something or it's time for you to do something you always came to me about it but you never been a man and stood on your own two feet and did your own thing" You understand what I'm saying? My whole thing is, the immaturity is never going to change, so I have to move on, that's my old life and it's all about my new life right now. I have a new artist that I'm working on and I'm working with a bunch of new artists on the outside. 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, Jim Jones, Papoose. I'm working with all these cats, all the negativity is bullshit. (aici trebuie sa fie vorba de prea multi bani la mijloc, miroase urat)
Are you guys in a position where you could work together or maintain the friendship?
Never! Never ever again and you can quote me on this. That's never gonna happen again, that's like I told you, it's my old life. I don't with nothing bad on the man, I hope the best for him but I've moved on and that's that.
There were rumors a while back about you having drug problems, something most artists have to deal with it one point or another in their career, how do you deal with these kind of accusations?
Naw, that's some old bullshit, never had a drug problem in my life. Only problem I had was music, that's my drug, I get high off that. Never do I let anything interfere with what I do in music.
If you had to rate yourself as an emcee and as a producer, out of 10, which would be the highest, what wouldyou give yourself?
10 in the beat making and 8 in the rhyming. It's all a part of what I do, I make beats and I make rhymes in my head. It's like a part of what I do, Pete Rock.
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
5 Deadly Venoms and other goodness
Friday February 03rd 2006,
Filed under: Not Your Average
Written by Robbie
This shit was a landmark mixtape. Premier hand-picked an all-star team of Crooklyn??€�s finest and put them together on one tape. Big shout to Affex for making this happen. SIDE A | SIDE B
Following his superb account of a Ghostface show, Joey delivers another quality rap show recap.
Another classic Mindset moment. It??€�s only a matter of time until Bill O??€�Rilley comes sniffing around (no Pudgee The Phat Bastard).
For a guy who thinks sandles are fruity, Killa sure has funny taste in pants (nullus).
Be on the look-out for a lot more updates here at the Tribute from now on, since I??€�ll be winding-up a seven year bid at my 9-5 next week, in order to ??€?teach the truth to the youth??€? and all of that.
Friday February 03rd 2006,
Filed under: Not Your Average
Written by Robbie
This shit was a landmark mixtape. Premier hand-picked an all-star team of Crooklyn??€�s finest and put them together on one tape. Big shout to Affex for making this happen. SIDE A | SIDE B
Following his superb account of a Ghostface show, Joey delivers another quality rap show recap.
Another classic Mindset moment. It??€�s only a matter of time until Bill O??€�Rilley comes sniffing around (no Pudgee The Phat Bastard).
For a guy who thinks sandles are fruity, Killa sure has funny taste in pants (nullus).
Be on the look-out for a lot more updates here at the Tribute from now on, since I??€�ll be winding-up a seven year bid at my 9-5 next week, in order to ??€?teach the truth to the youth??€? and all of that.
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
Wasted Potential?
Wednesday February 08th 2006,
Written by Robbie
When news that two of rap??€�s most eccentric and creative nutjobs (Ghostface & MF Doom) were holed-up in a studio together, working on music, the first thing that sprung to mind was that they??€�re either cooking-up some mind-blowing, classic shit, or are about to unleash some of the corniest crap ever laid down on two-inch reels. There won??€�t be any middle ground.
So far, things aren??€�t looking good at all. While Doom??€�s blend of Mighty Healthy gave us a glimpse of how just how good this tag-team could potentially be, The Mask (from the atrocious Danger Doom project) and Charlie Brown from the soon-to-be-released Fishscale, are exactly what I hoped this material wouldn??€�t sound like ??€� self-consciously funky excursions into the zany side of hip-hop that seems to be so popular these days. I??€�m at the stage now where I??€�ve pretty much given up on the Metal Faced Villain putting-out any good new music (although Rap Snitch Kanish was great). Considering how much I bumped Black Bastards, Operation: Doomsday, "Impostas" and "I Hear Voices", I never thought I??€�d get to this point, but Zev has over-exposed himself to the point where he almost makes 50 Cent seem restrained. It??€�s only a matter of time until the Victor Vaughn PS2 game hits the shelves.
MF Grimm seems to share this view, if his Book of Daniel is anything to go by. While I usually don??€�t support diss tracks from guys who used to run together, you can??€�t front on some of cards getting pulled here. At the same time, it??€�s pretty easy to embaress someone you??€�ve known for a few years, but Grimm comes across as a serious dude, so don??€�t be too quick to group this track as another pre-Killa Season marketing scheme. Speaking of marketing, I have to tip my hat to Doom??€�s whole Special Herbs series, which has produced two different issues of ten volumes, with seperate CD and vinyl releases, which would have cost dedicated MF fans about $200 to cop the set. Now that??€�s what I call maximizing your profilt margin!
Ghostface Killah / Cam??€�Ron ??€� Mighty Healthy / That??€�s Me [MF Doom Blend]
Danger Doom - The Mask
Ghostface Killah - Charlie Brown [snippet]
MF Grimm - Book of Daniel (via Ear Fuzz)
As fi tare interesata de parerea voastra.. eu una sunt doar partial de acord cu ce-a spus Robbie..
Wednesday February 08th 2006,
Written by Robbie
When news that two of rap??€�s most eccentric and creative nutjobs (Ghostface & MF Doom) were holed-up in a studio together, working on music, the first thing that sprung to mind was that they??€�re either cooking-up some mind-blowing, classic shit, or are about to unleash some of the corniest crap ever laid down on two-inch reels. There won??€�t be any middle ground.
So far, things aren??€�t looking good at all. While Doom??€�s blend of Mighty Healthy gave us a glimpse of how just how good this tag-team could potentially be, The Mask (from the atrocious Danger Doom project) and Charlie Brown from the soon-to-be-released Fishscale, are exactly what I hoped this material wouldn??€�t sound like ??€� self-consciously funky excursions into the zany side of hip-hop that seems to be so popular these days. I??€�m at the stage now where I??€�ve pretty much given up on the Metal Faced Villain putting-out any good new music (although Rap Snitch Kanish was great). Considering how much I bumped Black Bastards, Operation: Doomsday, "Impostas" and "I Hear Voices", I never thought I??€�d get to this point, but Zev has over-exposed himself to the point where he almost makes 50 Cent seem restrained. It??€�s only a matter of time until the Victor Vaughn PS2 game hits the shelves.
MF Grimm seems to share this view, if his Book of Daniel is anything to go by. While I usually don??€�t support diss tracks from guys who used to run together, you can??€�t front on some of cards getting pulled here. At the same time, it??€�s pretty easy to embaress someone you??€�ve known for a few years, but Grimm comes across as a serious dude, so don??€�t be too quick to group this track as another pre-Killa Season marketing scheme. Speaking of marketing, I have to tip my hat to Doom??€�s whole Special Herbs series, which has produced two different issues of ten volumes, with seperate CD and vinyl releases, which would have cost dedicated MF fans about $200 to cop the set. Now that??€�s what I call maximizing your profilt margin!
Ghostface Killah / Cam??€�Ron ??€� Mighty Healthy / That??€�s Me [MF Doom Blend]
Danger Doom - The Mask
Ghostface Killah - Charlie Brown [snippet]
MF Grimm - Book of Daniel (via Ear Fuzz)
As fi tare interesata de parerea voastra.. eu una sunt doar partial de acord cu ce-a spus Robbie..
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
horseshitSun|Rah wrote: When news that two of rap�s most eccentric and creative nutjobs (Ghostface & MF Doom) were holed-up in a studio together, working on music, the first thing that sprung to mind was that they�re either cooking-up some mind-blowing, classic shit, or are about to unleash some of the corniest crap ever laid down on two-inch reels. There won�t be any middle ground.
So far, things aren�t looking good at all. While Doom�s blend of Mighty Healthy gave us a glimpse of how just how good this tag-team could potentially be, The Mask (from the atrocious Danger Doom project) and Charlie Brown from the soon-to-be-released Fishscale, are exactly what I hoped this material wouldn�t sound like � self-consciously funky excursions into the zany side of hip-hop that seems to be so popular these days. I�m at the stage now where I�ve pretty much given up on the Metal Faced Villain putting-out any good new music (although Rap Snitch Kanish was great). Considering how much I bumped Black Bastards, Operation: Doomsday, "Impostas" and "I Hear Voices", I never thought I�d get to this point, but Zev has over-exposed himself to the point where he almost makes 50 Cent seem restrained. It�s only a matter of time until the Victor Vaughn PS2 game hits the shelves.
cand n-au de ce sa se planga unii, parca improvizeaza din mers asa..
ca nu-i mai place omului ce face Doom, problema lui. mie mi-a placut tot ce a facut pana acum, si chiar daca se intampla sa scoata ceva mediocru, oricum nu e nevoie de toata dramatizarea cu "I�ve pretty much given up bla bla"
like what? mi s-a parut un diss bun, dar unu care trebuia scos ca deh, sau certat. nu neaparat ceva legat de rap-ul lui doomWhile I usually don�t support diss tracks from guys who used to run together, you can�t front on some of cards getting pulled here
[/quote]
So tell the devil I said fuck him when he finds you on the bus bench
Rakim Says Upcoming Album Ready by Summer
Hip-hop legend Rakim Allah announced plans for an upcoming summer album last week during a concert in New York City.
At B.B. King??€�s Blues Club, the Long Island rapper said that his seventh studio album, tentatively titled Seventh Seal, would be ready for release by the summer of 2006. During his performance he also spoke briefly about his unreleased album on Dr. Dre??€�s Aftermath label, saying that if he could do it over he "would have taken his talents elsewhere".
Legendary DJ Kid Capri was behind the turntables in lieu of Rakim??€�s former DJ Eric B, and the jam-packed venue was attended by various artists including Kool Herc, Pete Rock, M1 of Dead Prez, and Immortal Technique.
Ar fi fost frumos ca albumul sa fie produs de Illmind. Ar fi rupt mufe!
Hip-hop legend Rakim Allah announced plans for an upcoming summer album last week during a concert in New York City.
At B.B. King??€�s Blues Club, the Long Island rapper said that his seventh studio album, tentatively titled Seventh Seal, would be ready for release by the summer of 2006. During his performance he also spoke briefly about his unreleased album on Dr. Dre??€�s Aftermath label, saying that if he could do it over he "would have taken his talents elsewhere".
Legendary DJ Kid Capri was behind the turntables in lieu of Rakim??€�s former DJ Eric B, and the jam-packed venue was attended by various artists including Kool Herc, Pete Rock, M1 of Dead Prez, and Immortal Technique.
Ar fi fost frumos ca albumul sa fie produs de Illmind. Ar fi rupt mufe!
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
Prince Paul - Itstrumental
Label: Female Fun
Production: Prince Paul
Year: May 2005
01. MVU (Act 1)
02. It' S A Up Stick!
03. Flattery
04. My Friend The Popmaster
05. Inside Your Mind
06. El Ka Bong
07. MVU (Act 2)
08. Yes, I C Coils Them Ho' S!
09. What Are You Afraid Of?
10. I Want You (I' m year 80' S man)
11. Profit
12. The Boston Signal
13. MVU (Act 3)
14. And The Winner Is?
15. Gangstas My Style
16. The Night My Girlfriend Left Me
17. Live @ 5
18. MVU (Final Act)
19. Think Gold Die
What there is of good with an artist as Prince Paul , it is that it does not need to be introduced. Twenty years of musical activism in a medium where the careers are born and die with the seasons are enough to sit the reputation of the catch. A genius if it is necessary some. And for those which redden or which never intended to speak about maestro, correct that in the section portrait of your liked site (Our official biographer did not do the work for you, it does not have there any more but to read). But give above all to your tympanums the possibility of being effleur?©s by the timeless productions of Its majesty. Its discography is enough full to cover with it only the history of the hip hop, and there is no doubt that you will find what to fill with wonder you.
In this context, the last wafer of our friend had somewhat remained to us across the ears, acknowledge it. Its Politics Of The Business had certainly an interesting concept (to denounce them through industry of the rap), especially by knowing it with the levers, but the speech did not find any echo musical enthralling, not to say all the opposite. To believe that Paul had seen himself contaminated by his own subject so much the productions were connected so that the rap has of less tempting these last years. With less than he wanted to borrow the same ways as those which he pointed of the finger, but there still, this idea appeared assassinates of any demonstration. A blow of fist in the wind what. Finally in short, let us pass. An error of course is forgivable when it is isolated in a corner from discography and it is well the case for the moment.
A looked after jacket with psychoanalytical content comes to awake some memories deadened at the bottom of our memory. Those of a preceding musical therapy of Doctor Paul Huston, a strange introduction to the analysis to tell the truth, going back this one to 1997, Psychoanalysis-What is it?!. A little its "Studies on hysteria" with him. Paul indeed proposed an intense and effective introductory cure to us which today still does not find any evil to make its effect on the patients who want to lean there well. Eight years were passed and it is time to start the second phase of the therapy. How, after having seen itself revealing its demons, the listener he will draw the right conclusions from them to arrive at the peace of his spirit? And well let guide itself by Doctor Paul, it is him which directs and which orchestrates the analysis through its Itsrumental.
An album of Prince Paul , it is always more than of the music, it is also a concept. And this time, we will follow the MVU (Mental Victims Unit) which is with the continuation of Paul, our beatmaker sowing the disorder in the streets of large apple. Through this absurd investigation, Paul will cross the way of some pals invited to take part in the merry brothel who make all the charm and the humour of this disc. All starts with ' It' S A Up Stick!', a beat which will pose problems with your cervical: violent one, timeless, in charge with electronic lucky finds and triturated sounds energy of the piano to the sax or decorated sound assemblies spoken to make it more alive than it is it already... A true anthem with the inventiveness of the hip hop to him all alone. You love the women but donot can allure them? A small lesson will not do too much evil then to you. But a council before launching you, work your speech a little better than the dead loss who makes an attempt in the disc, because it had to return all alone. In addition to being of a drolery d?©sopilante, ' Flattery' is also musicalement enivrant. Silky and rhythmic agreements ent??tante marry for the best of a sensual and soft escapade. Humour always with ' My Friend The Popmaster '. One will certainly pass by again for the rather foireux Italian-American accent, but more than the imitation it is the quality of the agreements and the way of arranging them between them which make all the savour of the track, comic piece in form of homage to its pal Black Italiano the Popmaster. All could be known as of this album while being satisfied to analyze these two or three pieces which compose the first tracks of the disc. All the art of Prince Paul is represented there, intact. But we will not stop there, because with each track its surprise, its tone or its joke.
There is really all that in this disc. And more still. To be convinced some, it is enough to make a turn of with dimensions the Eighties through famous ' I Want You (I' m An 80' S Man) '. You know, it was the time when synth?©s supported their melodies craignos the refrains of singers to funny of hairstyles and carrying saps already ringardes before even as one could imagine them. And well it is all that ' I Want You '. And it is good. Obscure film dialogues diverted, cassette of Spanish training and beat hypnotizing, here what makes brilliant ' What Are You Afraid Of?'. The easy ways used here are integral part of the musical language of Paul, but if they generally seem to serve the face of humour, they can introduce in a way even more subtle one political speech squeaking, here on a postulate which resounds like a threat: I amndt has white American. The whole illustrated by the melodies lounge and pianot?©es of ' And The Winner Is?'. But one can also find some productions more simply present for the pleasure of listening to them. It is the case of ' El Ka Bong' (a loop purified and so perfect) or of merry ' the Gangsta' S My Style' (beat conceited for obsolete chime). ' Profit' as for him, seems left a bank of sounds intended to be sent to our national Booba. Even if Prince Paul-Booba does not seem with the menu of this century, with this piece, one says that that could.
What can return the portrait idyllique, it east can be the "individual" quality of the pieces the ones compared to the others. As often, that leaves a little in all the directions musicalement, even if general environment is held with the final one. One can as well find oneself in England victorienne with the turning of a ' Profit' with melody for harpsichord guind?© as in Jamaica for very tedious ' The Boston Top' (which although being an ode amusing with best the donuts city pains to find an echo positive in our ears). One will pass also quickly on the talents rock'n'rolls of his eminence, even if it should be stressed that he is the interpreter of all the instruments played on ' Live @ 5 '. Or on ' Inside Your Mind' where Mr. Dead (remember Metabolics?) and MC Paul Barman sail in turbid water of the art lyrical abstract, supported by a paranoiac and disturbed production. In short there is of all. But it is necessary here to mean thing, it is that this album is a species of rotted pot where find themselves mixed tracks being able to be ten years old of age with others lately made up. And this element wakes up us with a thing, it is that to as return a project consisting musicalement, especially in the form of a concept (certainly less deep as with its practice) frankly cocasse, it is necessary to have crowned one amount of talent. And how not to be astonished to note that one could not say what a piece was made 10 years ago and the other day before yesterday?! A proof among others of the genius of Paul: its music timeless, always inventive, is always inspired. The praises could be long, then stop us there. Here, it is on ' Think Or Die' that Paul lowers the blind and firm the shop. Slightly tedious, the production lets all the same perspire this savour of reverence which one will take more for one "with soon" than for a "good-bye".
With through this original disc, Paul delivers us a secrecy: he found the source of the Fountain of Youth. Who after twenty years of career can pride himself to still bring something to the music to which it contributed as of his beginnings? To remain on the surface or in the wind, there are some who arrive there... But Paul is those which renouv?¨lent themselves unceasingly. And that in the hip hop, it is quasi single. Paul accompanied us with each stage by this great musical adventure, complete artist having taken part in all his evolutions when it was not itself the instigator. Itstrumental is the reflection of an artist who knew to draw the right conclusions from his constant musical handing-over in question. A Master what. In short, the album is good. Length live the Prince.
Best Cuts: ' It' S A Up Stick!', ' My Friend The Popmaster ', ' What Are You Afraid Of?'.
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.
J Dilla - Donuts [Stones Throw; 2006]
01. Donuts (Outro)
02. Workinonit
03. Waves
04. Light My Fire
05. The New
06. Stop
07. People
08. The Diff'rence
09. Mash
10. Time: The Donut of the Heart
11. Glazed
12. Airworks
13. Lightworks
14. Stepson of the Clapper
15. The Twister (Huh, What)
16. One Eleven
17. Two Can Win
18. Don't Cry
19. Anti-American Graffiti
20. Geek Down
21. Thunder
22. Gobstopper
23. One for Ghost
24. Dilla Says Go
25. Walkinonit
26. The Factory
27. U-Love
28. Hi.
29. Bye.
30. Last Donut of the Night
31. Donuts (Intro)
J Dilla's eagerly awaited Donuts, the follow-up to 2001's Welcome 2 Detroit (released as Jay Dee), is, like its predecessor, a stark departure from the cozy-socks-and-Xbox feel of his former group, Slum Village. In fact, Dilla, if anything, is imposing a meta-rap bent on neo-soul, assaulting the senses in ways unseemly for a guy who used to work with Q-Tip. The drums, though remarkably fluid, are lighter, domineered by dense, abrasive samples that are sequenced with a sense of swing. Percussive end pieces are shorn cheese-grater sharp, then appended to sickly spliced moans. The end result is akin to Norman Smith and DJ Shadow sitting in on a RZA-produced session-- spry, voiceless prog-hop by any other name.
Opener "Workinonit" comes on like a Rubin-produced take on Schoolhouse Rock. Clang-y guitars give way to doubled-up groans and what sounds like a back-masked Zulu chant. The sample, supplied by '60s soulsters Them, is diced with manic precision, and around the 2:00 mark, the melody builds to a climax, fading, with echo-y vocal bits, into bodiless abyss. Equally engaging is "Anti-American Graffiti", which combines lighters-up, love-not-war humility with a track both wistful and world-weary: A crazed voice spouts end-of-the-world admonishments like some disenfranchised apparition, colliding with somber guitars.
"Don't Cry" finds Dilla taking sprightly, blu-lite soul crooning and flipping it counter-cockeyed: "If Blue Magic or Whoever could see me now!" First he plays the original, then throws in the "Now, you play it and I'll show you how my voice would have made it unbelievable!" bit, before gently lifting its face off. It's chest thumping, to be sure, like the Copa shot in Goodfellas or Bigger and Deffer. And it's courteous. Similarly cordial is "Time: The Donut of the Heart", where he turns the Jackson 5's "All I Do Is Think of You" into a lucid dream-- the song's intro is now with the chorus it always coveted. Says ?uestlove: "[J Dilla] time compresses Michael and Jermaine's ad-libs with the uneasy ease of a tightrope-walker, with oil shoes on, crossing one 90-story building to another, after eight shots of [Patrone]." I'm sayin'.
Not that Donuts deals with only obvious sample sources-- "The Twister (Huh, What)" is the sound of flu-sick flutes chiming in time to a busted weathervane; "Waves", a hiccuping Hare Krishna class. It's Dilla's show-and-tell method, however, that's most effective, because it illustrates how he's, more or less, upgrading soul music-- we get to see how he unpacked its bag, what spots he told it it missed. This approach also allows Dilla to pay homage to the selfsame sounds he's modernized; the drums are light, to reflect the original sound from which he's borrowing. In that sense, Donuts is pure postmodern art-- which was hip-hop's aim in the first place.
-Will Dukes, February 9, 2006
01. Donuts (Outro)
02. Workinonit
03. Waves
04. Light My Fire
05. The New
06. Stop
07. People
08. The Diff'rence
09. Mash
10. Time: The Donut of the Heart
11. Glazed
12. Airworks
13. Lightworks
14. Stepson of the Clapper
15. The Twister (Huh, What)
16. One Eleven
17. Two Can Win
18. Don't Cry
19. Anti-American Graffiti
20. Geek Down
21. Thunder
22. Gobstopper
23. One for Ghost
24. Dilla Says Go
25. Walkinonit
26. The Factory
27. U-Love
28. Hi.
29. Bye.
30. Last Donut of the Night
31. Donuts (Intro)
J Dilla's eagerly awaited Donuts, the follow-up to 2001's Welcome 2 Detroit (released as Jay Dee), is, like its predecessor, a stark departure from the cozy-socks-and-Xbox feel of his former group, Slum Village. In fact, Dilla, if anything, is imposing a meta-rap bent on neo-soul, assaulting the senses in ways unseemly for a guy who used to work with Q-Tip. The drums, though remarkably fluid, are lighter, domineered by dense, abrasive samples that are sequenced with a sense of swing. Percussive end pieces are shorn cheese-grater sharp, then appended to sickly spliced moans. The end result is akin to Norman Smith and DJ Shadow sitting in on a RZA-produced session-- spry, voiceless prog-hop by any other name.
Opener "Workinonit" comes on like a Rubin-produced take on Schoolhouse Rock. Clang-y guitars give way to doubled-up groans and what sounds like a back-masked Zulu chant. The sample, supplied by '60s soulsters Them, is diced with manic precision, and around the 2:00 mark, the melody builds to a climax, fading, with echo-y vocal bits, into bodiless abyss. Equally engaging is "Anti-American Graffiti", which combines lighters-up, love-not-war humility with a track both wistful and world-weary: A crazed voice spouts end-of-the-world admonishments like some disenfranchised apparition, colliding with somber guitars.
"Don't Cry" finds Dilla taking sprightly, blu-lite soul crooning and flipping it counter-cockeyed: "If Blue Magic or Whoever could see me now!" First he plays the original, then throws in the "Now, you play it and I'll show you how my voice would have made it unbelievable!" bit, before gently lifting its face off. It's chest thumping, to be sure, like the Copa shot in Goodfellas or Bigger and Deffer. And it's courteous. Similarly cordial is "Time: The Donut of the Heart", where he turns the Jackson 5's "All I Do Is Think of You" into a lucid dream-- the song's intro is now with the chorus it always coveted. Says ?uestlove: "[J Dilla] time compresses Michael and Jermaine's ad-libs with the uneasy ease of a tightrope-walker, with oil shoes on, crossing one 90-story building to another, after eight shots of [Patrone]." I'm sayin'.
Not that Donuts deals with only obvious sample sources-- "The Twister (Huh, What)" is the sound of flu-sick flutes chiming in time to a busted weathervane; "Waves", a hiccuping Hare Krishna class. It's Dilla's show-and-tell method, however, that's most effective, because it illustrates how he's, more or less, upgrading soul music-- we get to see how he unpacked its bag, what spots he told it it missed. This approach also allows Dilla to pay homage to the selfsame sounds he's modernized; the drums are light, to reflect the original sound from which he's borrowing. In that sense, Donuts is pure postmodern art-- which was hip-hop's aim in the first place.
-Will Dukes, February 9, 2006
you just never know when you're living in a golden age.